Disney: I do not own SWAC, Disney, or anything else copyrighted.
Chad was once again written out of Mackenzie Falls. Due to the sudden turn of events once again, and because the producers found out that the viewers wanted more of the attention focused on the other characters, the show's title went from "Mackenzie Falls" to "The Falls". Chad wasn't surprised; he was more surprised that they hadn't changed the title earlier. He told the producers he would be back someday, and they believed him, telling him he was welcome back at any time.
He moved in with his parents; he kept the majority of his belongings at his apartment, which he still kept, but was going to be staying with his parents for a while. They all knew it would be for the best, and Chad was more than willing to move into his parents house. He wasn't going out-of-state for his next round of rehabilitation, but was going to become an outpatient at a facility near his parents house. With the exception of Chad going to the facility everyday, life was almost normal at the Cooper household. This was the first time in a very long time that his family regularly lived and spent time together liked this, and they all realized then how much they missed that.
Alex was disappointed in Chad. He didn't yell at Chad, but was a bit quiet when telling Chad how upset he was with him. Chad believed Alex was true upset, for that's how he acted when he was unbeliviengly upset - he was really quiet. Chad felt extremely guilty, and apologized many times to Alex. Alex came over a few times, and even spent the night once. They slept downstairs in the living room and stayed up all night watching movies and playing videogames, and when Chad's Mom woke up, she made everyone a big breakfast that included pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, and toast - she and Chad's Dad loved pancakes, while Chad and Alex preferred waffles. They fell asleep after breakfast, and stayed asleep until about one PM, which is when Alex's phone alarm rung. He had to go to work then, but they knew they would see each other soon.
And then there was Sonny.
Chad didn't talk about Sonny, except for when he told his Mom that they broke up. He told her to tell everyone else (meaning Alex and his Dad) and to not mention it to him. She was visibly upset and shocked, but didn't bring up any concerns, sadness... whatever emotion she was feeling. He thought about her constantly, whenever he was by himself thinking about life. She hadn't tried to contact him, either, which made him both upset and shocked. But, at the same time, he definitely wasn't going to try and contact her, so maybe he wasn't quite as shocked.
The tabloids weren't quite as vicious, but it wasn't like they weren't talking about him. There were a few headlines about him, such as:
"IS TEEN HEARTTHROB CHAD DYLAN COOPER BACK IN REHAB?"
"WHEN WILL CDC LEARN?"
"CDC FOUND ON LA STREETS - WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?"
He wasn't proud of those, especially since they seemed harsher than the last set, but he continued to pay no attention to them. It wasn't like before, when he was in denial and though the tabloids were crazy - he still thought the paparazzi were a bit crazy, but he wasn't in denial about his addiction anymore. He read a few of the articles, and thankfully, not much was given; there was usually a small article and a picture of him attached to it.
A few weeks after the incident, Chad went back to Condor Studios to receive his final paycheck. He received his paychecks after each episode aired, and he would normally receive them on set, but because he was temporarily not filming anymore, he had to go down there and pick it up. He got to the set early in the afternoon, after having a one-on-one meeting with his doctor at the facility. He got to the set while they were in between filming scenes, and was happily greeted by the cast and crew. Mr. Condor was there, too, and handed him his check. He stayed on the set for a little while, mingling with everyone there. Soon, they had to start filming, and he decided to leave the set.
He got back to his car and drove off, away from Condor Studios. He wasn't sure how long he would be gone, but he figured it wouldn't be any longer than the last time he was gone. As he drove away, he turned on the radio to one of the local popular stations. It was on commercials, but he liked the music on this particular station the most, so he didn't turn from it. Suddenly, a new song started to play, and the voice of the singer immediately caught his attention. He thought she sounded familiar, but as he listened to the song, he tried to identify who she was.
Did you forget
That I was even alive
Did you forget
Everything we ever had
Did you forget
Did you forget
About me
Did you regret
Ever standing by my side
Did you forget
What we were feeling inside
Now I'm left to forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our love is like a song
You can't forget it
So now I guess
This is where we have to stand
Did you regret
Ever holding my hand
Never again
Please don't forget
Don't forget
We had it all
We were just about to fall
Even more in love
Than we were before
I won't forget
I won't forget
About us
But somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our love is like a song
You can't forget it
Somewhere we went wrong
We were once so strong
Our love is like a song
You can't forget it
At all
And at last
All the pictures have been burned
And all the past
Is just a lesson that we've learned
I won't forget
I won't forget us
But somewhere we went wrong
Our love is like a song
But you won't sing along
You've forgotten
About us
"And that was Sonny Munroe's first single, "Don't Forget", which just reached the #2 spot on the Billboard Top 200 after just one week! That may have been a few weeks ago, but it's still holding strong..." the radio DJ said.
Chad was thankful for a long red light as he sat there in shock. That song was by Sonny? It was so deep, so meaningful, so thoughful... of course, so good, but... So many thoughts were running through his mind about the song. Even though he was pretty sure it was about his and Sonny's relationship, but what did each of those words really mean?
"Tune in tonight at 7PM to hear Sonny's new song, entitled "Life"," the radio DJ continued. "It will be her next single, which will be released in a few weeks. Make sure to buy it once it's available! If it's anything like "Don't Forget", then you'll be bound to love it!"
Chad looked at his clock, and it was a little after 3PM. He had to wait a few more hours before her new song came on.
---
He was thankful that his parents decided to go out on a little date that night.
The hours between hearing "Don't Forget" and then were long and almost unbearable. He downloaded "Dont Forget" on iTunes and listened to it a few times. Each time, it broke his heart more and more, and he knew it was about their relationship. Watching the video was hard, too, but he knew it had to be done. That was heartbreaking to watch. He knew those emotions were real, just as real as those lyrics. He was so caught up in the video, he got a little overwhelmed; it was like he was there, and she was screaming all of this at him. This wasn't a very good feeling.
"As promised, we are premiering Sonny Munroe's new song, "Life", right now!" the radio DJ announced. "I heard it a little while ago, and it really is amazing!" Suddenly, the song started playing:
Because it was too sudden,
I couldn't accept it.
I wished someone would say, "It's a lie",
And laugh with a mischievous look.
What should I think of?
Whatever can I do?
I had surely thought
That we would continue to walk, laugh, breathe, and even have an idle talk,
Just as usual.
The city is active again today,
As if nothing had happened.
What are you thinking of?
How do I look in your eyes?
You have surely become so strong and tender.
Yes, much more than what you were,
After knowing the meaning of pain and love.
I remember again,
What I think always exists.
Just as usual,
It's not a matter of course at all.
You taught it to me.
Yeah.
Let's make a miracle, yeah.
"And make sure to catch the premiere of the video next Friday night at 8:55PM..."
Chad sat there, stunned. The song was extremely beautiful, and, yet again, she sounded wonderful. The song was almost happy sounding, and it was very calm. The lyrics went from almost sad at the beginning to hopeful at the end. He knew the first verse had to do with their breakup, he was sure of that. The end of the song was definitely a bit confusing to him. Did she really think he was stronger and tender? Did she really think he became that way because of their relationship and all the hardships he went through?
He wanted to call Sonny. He still had her number; he never deleted her phone number out of his phone. But, would she pick up? Did she even have his number anymore? He then decided he wasn't going to call her, but instead, he was going to drive to her apartment.
He wrote a quick note to his parents before grabbing his wallet and keys and ran out of the apartment. He sped off towards Sonny apartment, but, as usual in LA, he ran into traffic. It wasn't too bad, so he wasn't stuck on the highway for too long. He saw her car as he pulled into the apartment parking lot. He quickly got out and ran up to her apartment. As he got closer to her apartment, he could hear loud music blaring... it was definitely coming from her room, he noticed as he stood in front of it. He hesitated before loudly knocking on the door.
At least, he thought the music was coming from her room.
Almost immediately, the door flung open, and the first things he heard from here, "I told you this TEN MINUTES AGO, that music ISN'T-" That's when she stopped. She looked shocked as she stared at him. Her hands immediately flew to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Ch-Chad?" she whispered.
"Hey," he said, smiling nervously.
She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together. "What are you doing here?"
"I, uhh..." He stammered. "I... I came to visit a friend..."
Unfortunately, that last part almost came out like a question. Sonny rolled her eyes and began to shut the door when Chad quickly grabbed on to it. "Sorry, I, uhh... I'm a bit nervous and, well... I... I came to see you, Sonny..."
"Why?" she asked, opening the door a bit wider. "Why are you really here, Chad?"
"Can I come in?" he asked. "I'd rather not talk like this in the hallway..."
"Whatever," she said, walking inside her apartment and over to her couch.
He shut the door behind him as he walked inside and sat down on the other side of the couch. He sat there for a few moments before saying, "I heard your songs on the radio today."
She sat there in silence for a good minute. He arms were crossed and her head was resting against the couch. She sighed and shut her eyes. "You came over to talk about my songs?"
"Are they about us?"
"What do you think?" she crossly muttered.
"I think they are," he honestly said.
"I think you're right," she continued to mutter.
"I... I never intended to hurt you that much..." he softly said, looking at her.
She sighed once more and looked at him. "I... I think I know that. I wrote "Don't Forget" right after our breakup, and, well... the record company sure did love that, so they wanted me to record and release it..."
"How long have you had this record deal?"
"For a couple of months now. And before you say anything about me not telling you, nothing was official and signed until... well, about a week before our breakup."
He couldn't be mad at her. He wouldn't have been mad at her, anyway. He was avoiding the world at that point, and a few days later, he had landed in the hospital. He smiled softly at her and said, "I'm really happy for you."
She shrugged, the tiniest of smiles on her face. "Can't say I've seen you around much lately."
He let out a soft chuckle. "I'm an outpatient at a facility close to my parents house. I'm living with my parents. I... I'm focusing my time and energy and actually getting better this time."
"Have you told your NA group members about everything?" she asked him.
He slightly nodded. "I never talked about us dating, so I never told them we broke up, but... yeah. I told them about the guys, and the way I reacted after the party and the even bigger part of the relapse..." He looked down, a look of shame on his face. "I still feel bad about what happened," he quietly said, his words coming out in an almost-whisper.
She also looked down. "I know," she murmured. He looked up, almost surprised. "You... I can tell you're being honest. I see it on your face, in your eyes, the way you're saying these words... I can tell you mean it much more than last time..." She looked up at him and saw a confused look on his face. She smiled softly and said, "When we enter rehab, or become an outpatient, for the first time, we always leave saying, 'I want to get better, and I'm going to stay clean'. The truth is, though, that most of us will relapse, and it isn't until we relapse that we fully realize how much we want to get better."
He nodded. She left him speechless, and he wasn't sure how to respond to something like that. It was true; he was trying his hardest to stay clean this time around, and she was right that most people with some sort of addiction relapse. He chuckled lightly when she started to yawn. He stood up and stretched. "You're tired; I'll just go now..."
Sonny looked up at him, a bit of a perplexed look on her face. "Chad..." she started. He looked down at her before sitting back down. She looked at her lap, her fingers twiddling with each other. "I... I don't know how to say this..." she sighed. "I... I don't know if we'll ever go out again..." Hearing that broke his heart as she continued, "...but... I would like to be friends again." She giggled and looked up at him. "Goodness knows I need a little CDC in my life."
He laughed, shaking his head. She continued to giggle. This was one of the things he missed: they would always tease and play with each other. He knew she wasn't being completely serious. He leaned forward and gave her a hug. He smiled even wider when she returned the hug. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before saying, "I really am happy for you, Sonny. I'll be first in line to buy your concert tickets."
She let out a giggle, shaking her head. "Oh, Chad."
He laughed and let go of her. They smiled at each other for a few moments before he stood up. She stood up, and together, they walked over to her door. She opened it and he walked out. "Thanks for coming over," she said to him.
He shrugged. "Thanks for letting me in."
She laughed. "We should hang again sometime."
He nodded, a tiny smile laying on his lips. "I would like that. I'll call you sometime."
She nodded. "Fine."
He smirked. "Fine."
She grinned. "Good."
He pursed his lips, a mishivieous look on his face. "Good."
She giggled. "Bye, Chad."
He chuckled. "Bye, Sonny."
He stared at her door for a few moments after she shut it. He walked off, a small smile on his face. He knew one thing for sure: Despite her words, he was falling for her all over again, and unlike when he was younger, he was embracing this feelings with open arms.
Little did he know, she was feeling the exact same way.
A/N: Guh, I know, this should've been up sooner... school started this week, and so I haven't had quite as much time to work on this. That, and I had a LOT of writers block white writing this chapter. And, unfortunately, I'm not sure quite where to go with the next chapter. Yikes!!! So... you all should help me out. I know quite a few people read this, and as well as reviewing, you should help me with ideas for the next chapter. Please? I will give total credit to those who help me out. Thanks!!! Also, the songs: Obviously, the first is "Don't Forget" by Demi Lovato, and the second is actually a translation of the song "Life" by the Japanese artist, Ayumi Hamasaki.