Chapter Four

I woke up, last night's events a blur. I sat up and turned to the window, where bright sunlight was pouring in. I stumbled over to lift up the blinds.

"Oh!" I gasped out loud, as the sun hit my face and blinded me. That was when I remembered what I did last night.

I groaned. What had I done? Yeah, I liked Casey, but now it would be awkward. I was his roommate for crying out loud! Oh well, noting could be done now.

I walked back over to my bed to pull up the covers and I glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty. I had woken up early. But why?

A clang and a boom came from downstairs in the studio. Oh. That's why.

I dressed as I replied to my mom's message about my schedule and hurried down the slide to the studio as I tied my hair up.

"Morning," Casey said to me as he attempted to put some tin cans filled with brushes on a high shelf above his row of canvases. He jumped to try and set them down. But, he failed miserably and ducked as the can plummeted towards the ground and sprayed brushes all over the floor. Again.

"Aw, man!" he said, and bent down to pick up the brushes.

"Here," I said, as I walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed the stool that was leaning against the wall.

"Thanks," he said. "I couldn't have seen that twenty minutes ago," he complained lightly as he stood on the stool and successfully placed the cans on the shelf.

I laughed. "That's the way karma works. Oh, by the way, I got my schedule. I start on Monday at the theater on Seventeenth Street. I am taking acting classes from eleven to one and then I will do some minor performances from two to three or two to four, depending on the day. I get Fridays off," I informed him.

He smiled. "That's cool."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess. So anyway, I was heading out. Did you need anything?" I asked him as I started to walk upstairs for my jacket.

"Um nope. Why are you heading out?" he called after me.

I slid down the slide laughing, jacket in hand. "What are you, my mother? And if you must know, I am going for breakfast and then to the little market thingy we passed yesterday for some stuff. I am making dinner tonight. No excuses," I said as I walked out the door. I heard him laugh as the door to the studio swung shut behind me. Phew. Step one was complete. Now for step two.

I walked aimlessly down the streets, trying not to look like a tourist that has never seen a city before, but failing, as I stared at every little thing. I had no idea where I was going, but I would know when I got there. I also knew I would probably get lost, but I had a map stored in the back pocket of my jeans if I needed it. It was fairly cool in New York today, for a sunny Saturday morning in the beginning of summer, so I was decked out in a pair of jean flares, bright yellow flip flops, and a tight-fitting yellow t-shirt. My short sleeve jean jacket was slung over my arm and my cool designer sunglasses (thank you sponsors of So Random!) were on my eyes, shielding them from the very strong rays of New York sun. The breeze that was turning 85 degree weather into 75-degree weather came through again and I shivered. And walked right past where I wanted to go. The entrance of Central Park.

It was amazing at ten in the morning. Women in Under Armor t-shirts and shirts were jogging in packs with headphones. People were bicycling and babies slept soundly in strollers as their parents walked together. Dogs trotted in front of their owners and tugged on the leash when their owner stopped to talk to someone passing by with their own child or dog.

Street vendors lined the walkway and shouted as people walked by. I walked to up to one vendor who was selling pastries.

"Can I help you, dear?" the lady asked. She was about 70 or so, her hair gray, but long and curly. Kind brown eyes completed the look.

"Oh, yes, um, I will try the vanilla lemon muffin please." The lady handed me a muffin.

"Three dollars," she said. Just then, a child that looked to be about ten ran up to her.

"Grandma, Grandma, Grandma! Look at her!" the girl screamed as she jumped up and down, yet managing to cling to her grandmother's leg.

"Cecilia, hold on for a second. Grandma is working," the lady told the girl patiently and collected the three dollar bills I handed to her.

"But Grandma, look! It's Sonny! From So Random!" Cecilia pointed at me again and started to jump up and down again.

The lady looked closer at me. "Why yes, dear, I do believe it is. But don't act like a chimp, you'll scare her off."

I laughed.

"Will you sign an autograph for me?" the girl asked me, holding out a napkin and a pen. I nodded.

"Here you go," I told her as I handed the napkin back to her.

"Gee, thanks!" Cecilia said as she bounded off towards a group of girls waiting by a tree.

The grandmother shook her head. "I apologize for my granddaughter. Her parents are nature photographers and they travel a lot, and her nanny just retired, so I invited her to stay for the summer. She has never been to New York, but we see celebrities here all the time."

"That's okay, I'm used to it. And it's really no big deal," I said, taking a bite of my muffin. "This is delicious by the way," I told her. "I am totally coming back tomorrow."

The lady nodded. "Good. I appreciate it, they are all homemade," she told me and waved as I turned back with my muffin and started walking down the sidewalk again.

I passed a coffee vendor and ordered a latte, sipping it carefully as I walked through the park.

"Heads up!" someone shouted and I ducked down, slopping my latte all over my t-shirt. Shoot.

I glanced up, still squatting on the ground, in time to see a bright green Frisbee whiz through the air right where my head had been not five seconds before.

"Oh gosh, I am so, so sorry!" a girl said as she rushed towards me. She was a little older than me, not quite 5 and a half feet, decked out in black converse, short, paint-splattered jean shorts, and a white tank top over top of a neon pink one. Her hair was black with pink and blue streaks. It was really short and spiked, accenting her sharp, yet feminine features and striking green eyes.

I stood up. "No big," I said. "I can change later. Stain stick will get the stain out."

The girl bent down to retrieve the Frisbee and came jogging back to me.

"Seriously, I am so sorry. I know my bro has bad aim, but I didn't expect it to be this bad." She gestured over to her brother, maybe about ten, with the same black hair. They could have been twins, except for the eyes. Her brother's eyes were a calm brown and he wore Vans shoes, khaki shorts, and a plain gray tee.

She then pointed a few feet to the right of me where a little Yorkie was sitting and waiting patiently. I'm guessing that was his target.

"I'm Monica. But people call me Nikki. I go to the NYC School for the Arts and I perform on Broadway sometimes. My brother over there is Cam. He's a seventh grader at the school a few blocks away. And this," she said, stooping down to pick up the Yorkie that had trotted over, "is Minnie. She acts like a total princess most of the time, but is the best-trained dog you will ever meet. We were training her for an upcoming show when Cam here decided to take off some poor bystander's head."

I smiled. Nikki reminded me of Lucy, who made sure everyone knew everything there was to know about her, even if they did not know her, or have just met her.

"I'm Sonny," I said, extending my hand. Nikki nodded.

"I know. But it's nice to meet you." We shook hands.

"So. I'll guess I'll see you around?" I asked. "I will also be going to the NYC School, starting on Monday, so I guess I'll see you there. Maybe you could show me around?"

Nikki nodded. "I'd love to. Meet me in front of the auditorium. We have a weekly meeting every Monday, so I'll sit with you and then give you a tour. Later," she said, jogging off towards her brother, Frisbee under one arm and Minnie under the other.

I walked off, thinking just how weird New York was, when I walked into a tree. Ouch. I was just shaking my head to clear it of the swarm of stars and flying bird when I saw…lightning? Oh no, not lightning, a camera flash from a photographer. They were everywhere. How could they have found me so quick?

I gave the photographer a scowl before walking off in the other direction, so I could leave the park, go to back to the studio, and find a pack of ice for the rock-sized bump on my head.

"What happened to you?" Casey asked, trying not to laugh when I came down the slide half an hour later, with an ice pack on my head.

He was teaching an adult class, and the adults were all painting a basket of fruit on a table in the front of the room, but I could tell they were all trying to eavesdrop.

I pulled him into a corner. "I kinda walked into a tree," I explained. "Do not laugh," I warned him, seeing that his composure was about to crack. "I was distracted."

Casey smiled. "Okay. When I'm done with this class at one, do you wanna grab some lunch?'"

"Yeah, that'd be great," I said. I sighed and closed my eyes, slouching down in the corner. But not before Casey gently pressed his lips against the bump on my forehead. Oh man, what had I gotten myself into?

*****

"So this has the best pizza around," Casey told me as I dug into a spinach and tomato pie. It was good.

I nodded. "It's excellent," I reassured him as I polished off my third and final slice.

"I hope you saved room for the dessert, 'cause they have some pretty good ice cream, too."

I giggled. "Sure, why not?" I asked. The waitress came by and I ordered a mint chocolate ice cream cone.

When it came, I dug in. Maybe a little to eagerly, because when I was about halfway into it, Casey started laughing at me.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

"You have ice cream all over your mouth," he said. I blushed.

"It's okay," he told me. "I did that the first time I tasted their ice cream."

And before I could stop him, Casey leaned across the table and kissed me, wiping my lips free of any lingering ice cream, I'm sure. I blushed again; trying to ignore the photographer I could see off to my right. I would not give the reporter any reactions, so that he could write anything unnecessary in whatever paper he worked for.

Little did I know that it was already going to be bad enough.

*****

"What is this?"

I had picked up the phone the next morning without looking at the Caller ID. Boy, was that a mistake.

"Chad, what are you talking about?"

"Sonny, I am talking about this morning's Tween Weekly."

Oh no.

I had to ask, though. "What are you talking about?" I asked him again.

"I am talking about the front cover. What are you doing on it? Much less with an unknown guy!?"

I had to bite back a smile. "Chad does it bother you?" I asked him, with a smile clear in my voice.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Everyone knows I belong on the cover, not some Random with their new guy of the week."

"Oh, so you're not jealous of the guy. You're jealous of me being on the cover," I said slowly, trying not to laugh.

"Yes. I mean no. No, I'm not jealous of you. Chad Dylan Cooper is not jealous of anyone."

"Sure," I said. "Yet you are really upset over me kissing some guy. And it ending up on the cover of Tween Weekly."

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny. I am not upset, or jealous. I am mad that you are on the cover. You do not deserve to be on the cover," he said.

This time I could not help it. I laughed.

"Admit it, Chad, it bothers you. Remember four little letters? Just like your name? Well this time, I had another guy. And you know what? He's a good kisser."

Chad was rendered speechless.

(A/N- review, guys, review! I need more reviews to put up the next chapter!! Lemme know what you wanna see in the next chapters...any suggestions would be welcome!!!!)