This chapter is dedicated to my friend Andrea. She helped me out so much. She's my hero in every way. (Her FanFiction penname is CullenGirl05).

Enjoy and Review!

Disclaimer: I can only dream…

"Chad! Wait! Stop! Please….stop."

Chad turned around to face a very exasperated Sonny. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Sonny, I have a rehearsal to do and…" he trailed off when he saw Sonny's face. Her eyes were sincere as she searched for the question he was unable to ask.

"Chad…what is it? Why did you come?" Sonny didn't want to tear up in front of Chad. That was, in fact, the worst thing to do in her situation. She gulped them back.

Chad paused. He didn't look her in the eyes and ran his hand through his golden hair. Sonny waited.

"I don't know how…I mean…when you got here…ugh." He had no idea where to begin. He was seriously re-thinking telling her. He was stumbling over his words, which made him wish he wrote a script and memorized it before he saw her.

"I think I should come right out and say it." He looked around to make sure no one else was listening.

"I…okay…no, I mean, yes, but…I like you, Sonny." He glanced at her for a quick second, and when he saw that she blushed and smiled, he straightened out and made perfect eye contact.

Suddenly, Sonny's smile disappeared. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Chad, you're dating Portlyn."

His smile disappeared also, and he searched frantically for a response.

"I…well, I am, but it's just for publicity, you know. Good ratings and what not..." he tried. Sonny's frown stayed put.

"No, I don't know. Chad, I really like you too. But…what exactly did you want to happen? You have a girlfriend, fake or not," she said. Now, Sonny really just wanted to run away and cry somewhere. Somewhere that didn't include him.

"I…I don't know what I wanted. I needed to tell you, and now it's just backfiring. Why are you doing this?"

"Chad, why are you doing this? You are dating a beautiful, amazing actress and you almost ruin that by telling me you like me? For the longest time we hated each other."

"I never hated you. I could never hate you," he mumbled.

Sonny went to continue, but she stopped. He never hated her. He never hated her.

He never hated her.

She repeated that in her head until she figured out something to say.

"Listen, Sonny," he began. She cut him off with one word.

"Choose."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Choose?" he repeated. "Choose what?"

"Choose between me and her," she said, full of confidence and hope. Maybe this would turn out right, she thought. Maybe everything will work out.

Chad's eyes widened when he realized the situation he was in. He could choose Sonny: amazing smile, great personality, funny and she liked him back. Or, he could choose Portlyn, who not only worked on the same set as him, but also boosted his popularity significantly.

It took him a few minutes, which made Sonny upset. Every girl dreams that, when in this situation, the boy would not hesitate to say her name. Standing in front of Chad Dylan Cooper, waiting for his decision, was not only completely agonizing, but was torturous and painful.

"Portlyn," he finally said. Sonny couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They spilled from her eyes and she didn't bother to try and hide them.

"Sonny, I'm sorry, but—"

Sonny's heart stopped beating. Her eyes glazed over, and her hands got sweaty. She looked in his eyes, seeing sincerity and apology and confusion.

"Fine," she said. "Portlyn's beautiful and…amazing. I couldn't take that away from you. Friends wouldn't do that." She dried her tears on her sleeve and tried to keep her dignity.

The word she had clearly emphasized stung Chad. Deep down, he didn't want to be just friends with Sonny. Deep down, Portlyn was just another obstacle that Chad could overcome. Deep down, Chad wanted Sonny.

"Sonny…" Chad went to take Sonny's hand in his, but she pulled away.

"I have to go, Chad," she mumbled.

Before she left, Chad needed to make certain of something. He couldn't have her go without answering his question.

"We're still friends, right?" he asked cautiously. Sonny turned and smiled.

"Of course, Chad. Still friends."

Please review. This story will be even more epic if I have reviewerrrss! Also, I have big plans for this story, so please stay tuned. I try to update every day, since I love this so much, but sometimes I can't. So, I will apologize in advance: Sorry :]