Okay, so I was planning on leaving you guys hanging for a while, but based on all of your reactions, I decided to spare you. I would've posted this yesterday but it wasn't finished just yet. So, since you're dying to just skip over this and see what happens, I'll stop talking and let you read. :)

Chapter Eight: The Sooner the Better

Chad's Point of View

"Okay. Let me have it," I said.

"Long story short, they told me I couldn't date you if I wanted to stay on So Random," Sonny said, starting to cry.

"So this is it then?" I asked, dejectedly. After everything we'd been through, we were going to have to quit all because of her lousy "friends."

"I guess so…"

A few minutes earlier…

"Chad, I don't freaking get it," Portlyn complained to me.

"And I don't freaking care because I'm done with this conversation," I responded, walking away.

"But why are you dating her?" Portlyn demanded, stepping in front of me.

I took a step back. "Because she's down to earth and nice and I love her."

"And everyone's okay with that?" she asked, starting to panic. That annoyingly obsessive crush of hers was rearing its ugly head again.

"Yeah, and besides, they kind of have to be, seeing as how I am the star of the show, and without me, the show is kind of lame. No offense."

"But… how do you know that she won't leave you if her friends don't approve of the relationship?" she asked smugly, now.

"They're her friends, not her parents," I stated, rolling my eyes and trying to leave again.

"Nevertheless…" Portlyn continued. "What would you do? Or a better question would be: what are you going to do?"

"Why do you assume that she's going to leave me for her friends?" I asked. Portlyn had about fifteen seconds left to make her point before I ended this conversation.

An emotion I didn't recognize flashed across her face for one second before she went back to her smug expression. "I'm just trying to be nice and make sure you're ready for anything. So, what would you do?"

"Uh…" Huh. What would I do if that came up? I had no idea. "Well her happiness is important to me and since she loves working on So Random I guess I would have to let her go."

Portlyn nodded. "Interesting… well, I've got to go. Good luck."

Back to present…

I knew that Sonny's happiness was important but… was our relationship really that insignificant that she would throw it away just like that? And was I-

Sonny cut my thoughts off by walking forward and wrapping her arms around my waist. I could hear her sniffling. Okay, she didn't have to feel guilty. I got it. No need to make things worse by throwing me an I'm-so-sorry-I-love-you-but-I'm-leaving-you party.

"I just can't believe I'm done with So Random," I thought I heard her mumble. What? She was leaving So Random and not me? Really?

"Wait, what?" I asked, putting my hands on her shoulders and holding her a few inches away from me.

She managed to pull off a confused look through her tears. "What do you mean 'what'?"

"You're leaving So Random?" I asked, incredulously.

She frowned and pulled herself closer to me again. "Who did you think I was leaving? You? Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed.

I tried making my sigh of relief be inaudible but she probably heard it anyway.

"Sonny…" I started nervously. I really didn't want to say this, but I would feel guilty if I didn't. "Are you absolutely sure that you want to choose me over So Random? I mean, you love comedy."

"Chad, stop it. Just accept the fact that you're way more important than a job- dream job or not."

Okay, this was turning out better than I thought, other than one thing. If Sonny didn't have a job and wasn't working on So Random, would her mom take her back to Wisconsin? Or would they just leave? Or maybe stay? But without Sonny working on something out here in California, then what was keeping her here? Me? I didn't think so.

"I said stop that," Sonny snapped all of the sudden. The sound of her voice startled me. What, was she reading my mind now?

"What?" I asked.

"I can tell what you're thinking."

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see. "How?"

"Well for starters, we've already established that for someone who puts on an act that you're an egomaniac, you're extraordinarily blind to your good qualities," she said in a voice that I could tell meant she was just getting started and would not like being interrupted.

She sniffled before continuing. "Secondly, you've already made it quite clear that you don't think you have a hold on me; that you have nothing to keep me here. We really have to break you of your habit in lying to yourself."

"Okay, so maybe you're right, but even so… are you staying…?" I asked quietly. I would've preferred to just freeze time in that moment so that I wouldn't have to hear whatever it was she would say next.

"I really want to and I think I can convince my mom but… I mean, it won't even be the same. I can't visit you on set whenever I want because I'll have school and I won't be right next door and…"

I smiled as an idea occurred to me. I was surprised I hadn't thought of it sooner. "Wait!"

Sonny jumped slightly. "What?" She backed up a little so she could see my face.

"Join Mackenzie Falls!" I said excitedly. It was perfect.

The idea took her by surprise. "But… I don't know… Is there even a place for me?"

"Sure there is. Katie Glasco can come back. And besides that, you're dating the star and you saved everyone's job just a few weeks ago. We can make up a part for you if we have to."

Sonny smiled a little. "You really think it'll work?"

"Let's go find out." I took her hand and started for the door.

"Right now?"

"The sooner the better."

She wiped away the last of her tears that those stupid friends of hers caused and smiled. "Well, okay, then… What are we still doing here? Let's go!"

A couple of hours later…

"Sonny, I am so sorry to unleash this on you," I apologized sincerely. "I promise that I could have sworn we had a spare dressing room."

"It's okay," Sonny said, still cheerful. "I mean, how bad could it be? Sharing a dressing room with Portlyn? It's only for a few weeks until the new ones are finished, right? I'll live."

I raised my eyebrows doubtfully. Portlyn was awful to work with. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like sharing a dressing room with her. I definitely had my doubts, which was why I was planning on paying her off if she got out of hand.

Sonny tried to shoo me out of her and Portlyn's dressing room. "Go on, get out of here. You just said you had to get to set and shoot your scenes, so go. I'm just going to get settled in and then go run some short errands, so just go."

She managed to shove me out the door. My only comfort was that she was staying, she didn't like So Random more than me, and Portlyn also had scenes to shoot.

Sonny's Point of View

Well that worked out a lot better than I thought. I already had my second job in Hollywood. Not that I was thrilled I was forced to leave So Random, but still. Within two hours, I had a new contract, dressing room, and I would be with Chad practically all day. I was… happy.

But at the same time, I still felt betrayed. I still couldn't believe how fast they were to react to that. Over such a trivial thing. It almost made me suspicious as to whether or not something else had happened, but since that was impossible, I didn't consider it any longer.

After glancing around the large dressing room dolled up all in purple, I made my way out of Mackenzie Falls' studio and back over to So Random's studio for the last time.

I decided to pass through the prop room one last time before I would go to my dressing room to rescue my stuff before they could burn it or something equally bad.

As soon as I walked into the prop room, I regretted it. All of my ex-friends/cast mates were gathered in there. Idiot! Why didn't I think this through better?

"Sonny?" Zora sounded surprised to see me.

"Wait, are you coming back? You got rid of Chad?" Grady asked.

"No," I said stiffly. "I just came back to get my stuff. Sorry for interrupting."

"What do you mean you're not coming back?" Tawni demanded.

"I mean that if you guys are going to force me to choose between you and Chad, I'm going to choose Chad even though it costs me my job," I said.

"But… You won't be able to find another comedy gig. At least, not as good as ours," Tawni stated.

"I know. That's why my next job has almost nothing to do with comedy."

"What is it?" Nico couldn't help but sound curious.

"Oh, you guys will find out eventually," I assured before turning and leaving.

That could've gone better. I hated this. I'm not sure what I was expecting from our first confrontation after I left… For them to say, "we're so sorry, we changed our minds, please come back?" The unrealistic thought may have crossed my overly optimistic mind, yes.

I gathered up all my things and carried them back to my new shared dressing room in a couple of giant trash bags I had brought with me. And by the time Chad came back to check on me, everything was in place on my side of the room.

"You got your stuff?" Chad asked, not bothering to hide the surprise and shock in his tone.

"Yeah, I figured I'd have a better chance of getting by without any cutting remarks if I went before they realize I'm on Mackenzie Falls now." I absentmindedly played with the little silver heart pendent on the necklace I was wearing.

Chad sighed. "Sonny, are you totally sure that-"

"Chad! If you do not stop asking me if I'm sure I want to stay with you, I am going to smack you," I threatened. I stepped closer to him and took one of his hands into my own. "Do I have to remind you of all your amazing traits again?" I asked sweetly, turning on the Wisconsin charm. Kidding. Mostly.

"No, I'm fine."

"Sure? Because I'm in a complimenting mood."

"No, no, really, I'll stop asking you," Chad reassured.

"Thank you. So how'd your scenes go? Any romance scenes?" I asked overly-casually on purpose.

"Nope. My onscreen girlfriend has still yet to come back." He looked pointedly at me.

"And when is she coming back? Seriously, when is Katie coming back?"

"Two more episodes until Ashley falls into a coma and Katie comes back from England," he said.

"So that means I have a few more days to just hang out and stuff?"

"That's exactly what that means. Why, did you have anything planned?"

"Not really…"

Chad's Point of View Three Days Later

So far, Sonny had been adjusting pretty well to being a part of Mackenzie Falls. She still refused to eat in the Commissary during lunch to avoid seeing her old friends, which I understood. I did, however, remind her that eventually she would have to face them. To that she simply said she would as soon as Katie came back on the show.

At the moment, I was waiting on the sidelines, going over lines and waiting for them to be ready for me.

Portlyn took me by surprise though when she stormed on to the set in an even worse mood than usual.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to sound like I wanted to know what had lit her temper this time.

"How am I supposed to practice my lines if your girlfriend is crying? I mean, I cannot work under these conditions!" Portlyn complained.

"Sonny's crying?" I asked, shoving my script aside. "Why?"

"Jeez, no need to sound accusing, Mr. Protective. How should I know? I'm not her babysitter."

Portlyn probably kept on rambling after that, but I wouldn't know for sure because I had already taken off down the hall to Sonny's dressing room.

I opened the door and found Sonny sitting on the couch with her knees brought up to her chest and she was rocking back and forth, sobbing. In the background, some depressing song, "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts I think, was playing.

I rushed over to her and sat down next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "Sonny, what's wrong?"

"It's just so s-s-sad," she stuttered. Sonny turned to look at me. "But… why do you care?"

I could feel my face morphing into a puzzled expression. She hadn't asked me why I cared since before we started dating. "What do you mean why do I care? I always care about you. Now why are you crying?"

Sonny wiped a couple of tears away and laughed. She actually laughed. Okay, so my girlfriend was even more unique than I thought. "Chad, I'm not crying over anything really important. I'm crying over a book."

I took a couple of seconds to process that. I blinked. "Huh?"

Sonny picked up a book that was already opened to page sixty something, that had been lying next to her on the couch. "I'm crying over this really sad part in New Moon. It's one of the only times where Edward is a complete idiot when he leaves Bella. It is the saddest part in the whole series." She put her hand over her heart and another tear rolled down her cheek. "He tells her that he doesn't want her anymore, but that he'll always love her, in a way. And then he leaves. And he hid like all of the pictures she had of him, the compilation CD he made for her, everything. Ugh! I hate this part!"

I raised an eyebrow. "So I rushed all the way here from set, knocking over two innocent crew members in the process, to comfort you when you're really just crying over a book about star-crossed vampires?"

"No," Sonny stated. "Bella isn't a vampire yet. She's still human."

"Semantics." I waved away her clarification.

"In that case, yes, pretty much." She laughed.

"Huh… Well, I guess it did give me an excuse to visit again." I listened to the music she was playing and the song had switched from "What Hurts The Most" to "Stand in the Rain" by Superchick. What was with the depressing songs? "What's with all the depressing music?"

"Just setting the mood," she stated. "You see, this is my New Moon playlist. It has all the songs relating to New Moon, so I can get ready for the new movie in November. Plus, it just, you know, sets the sad mood for this part of the book."

I just shook my head at her. "You are so weird." I smiled.

"So are you. But that's a good thing. See? We're totally made for each other."

Happy? They're still together. Yay! I couldn't help adding that last scene, though, since I can relate to that. I cry like a baby every time I read that dang part of New Moon. And after reading some of your reviews that guessed the outcome of Sonny and Chad's relationship, I was thinking "No! Stop guessing!" You people are too smart. I hope it was still somewhat of a surprise. And if not, at least I was able to build up some massive suspense. Heehee. Okay, so... I guess I don't have anything left to say. Chapter nine will be out just as soon as I figure out what even happens in it. 'Till then, thanks for reading and tell me what you thought of this chapter.