Song: The Only Exception – Paramore

When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it

Chad Dylan Cooper always followed one major rule. Never, ever, fall in love. Experiencing his parent's divorce personally, he learned that love is not all that it is cracked up to be, but lust may be the right answer. This is how Chad Dylan Cooper got to be how he was today. Here is his technique. Step 1: See girl. Step 2: Charm girl. Step 3: Dump girl after you get what you want from her.

And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist

This whole technique worked on every girl he had tried it on, with only one exception. Allison 'Sonny' Munroe would not allow herself to fall for his charm. So instead, without even knowing it, Chad's plan slowly reversed itself. Chad fell for Sonny, and he fell hard. Not that he noticed this until it was too late of course.

But darling,
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Chad started doing things that Chad Dylan Cooper does not do. He started apologizing when he hurt Sonny, he learned her cast mates names, hell, he even remembered her birthday. He began experiencing love and everybody was noticing. People would remark on how much he had changed, and they all knew who it was for. Even Santiago Heraldo knew that deep down, behind the ego, Chad had feelings he had never experienced before.

Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face

Something kept Chad from telling his feelings to Sonny. Every time he would feel like he was ready to storm over to stage two, he would remember what his mother told him after his father left. Love never lasts. There is no such things as fairytales. There are no happy endings in the real world. So Chad, being Chad, would just admire Sonny from afar, whether at his table in the cafeteria, or at the So Random! tapings he has secretly attended.

And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now

I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Chad had no problem avoiding love before Sonny came along. He had no guilt when his latest fling cried when they broke up, but something about Sonny made him reconsider his actions. He used to believe that all he needed was himself, and maybe a pet or two, as companions, and that would be fine. But Sonny, she made him imagine something different. He pictured himself growing old with her. He pictured himself marrying her. He pictured himself having children with her. All because of her stupid cute.

Well, You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

Sonny was the only exception. Sonny was his only exception. If he could trade these feelings for anything, he doubted he could be persuaded to take the offer. One smile from Sonny, and his stomach started doing back flips. He would bring down the stars and the moon to see that smile.

I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Finally, Chad let go of his pride after he heard Sonny sing on So Random! and met her back stage. Instead of denying the real reason why he was there, he came right out and said it. I love you. These three simple words caused both of their hearts to race, and they leaned in for a simple kiss, promising to cancel all plans for the night and go on their first real date.

Ohh-

You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing