(A/N- I'm pretty sure this will be the only time where I put Casey's point of view in the story :) )

Chapter Nine

I got home at around eleven thirty. All was dark when I walked in. All was quiet, too, except for the gentle sound of the piano from behind closed doors.

As soon as I closed the door, the music stopped. In the darkness, I saw a shadow moving towards the door. I flicked on the dim living room light as the figure stepped out of the doorway.

As he passed me, Casey gave me a look that filled me with shame, disgust, and sorrow, all in one. And that was even before I told him I kissed Chad.

Wait. He would never know. He could never know. As far as I was concerned, that kiss never happened. Neither did anything else that we did that afternoon.

But it did, silly, I told myself as I went into my room and started getting ready for bed. And you enjoyed it. Because you know Casey was never right for you. You are a Hollywood actress and Casey is…he's an NYC artist. And well, Chad is a Holly wood actor. Face it you two are destined….

But for what, exactly? Mocking from tabloids? Shunning from fellow cast members? Or better yet, failure?

I sighed. This was more complicated than I could have ever imagined. But on the non-bright side tomorrow I had school and it was almost midnight when I climbed into the bed. I reached over and re-set my alarm. The time I had already set it for would be too late for what I knew I had to do.

When I opened my eyes at six am, I groaned, but I pushed myself out of bed.

I changed the sheets, folding the dirty ones and placing them by the washer. I dusted the room, and cleaned my bathroom. I opened the blinds and the window to air out the room after I wiped down every surface. I was still in my pajamas, so I changed into something only slightly more decent- a pair of sweats and flip-flops. I glanced at the clock. 6:38. I still had time.

I cleared out all the closets and dressers and haphazardly stuck my clothes into my two duffel bags.

Then, with only ten minutes left until the sun rose high enough to peep into Casey's room and wake him, I sat down at the desk, pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

At two minutes 'til, I scooped up my things, went into the kitchen where I knew Casey would be in a few minutes, and placed the piece of paper beside the coffee pot. I reached into the larger of my duffel bags and pulled out the rolled piece of parchment that I had gotten from the studio downstairs and worked on until early this morning. That went next to the paper.

I grabbed my purse lying next to the door and silently shut the door behind me, stopping before I reached the stairs. I looked back at Casey's door, grieving on the outside, but knowing it was the right thing to do on the inside.

As I tiptoed down the stairs I heard a bedroom door open and close, knowing that in just a few seconds, our relationship would officially be over.

I backed out of the parking spot in front of the studio quickly, not wanting to be here when Casey finished my letter, but allowing myself a longing glance at the building as I drove away to start a new scene in my life-long movie.

[Casey POV]

I walked out of my bedroom, rubbing sleep from my eyes. As soon as I had woken up this morning, all of last night came back to me. I was disappointed and unsure that I could trust my own girlfriend. And I knew I definitely could not trust Chad. Tawni had made sure of that. I also thought I was losing Sonny, and I was pretty sure I didn't want that.

But I tried to push that from my mind as I went into the kitchen for breakfast and my daily cup of coffee, positive I would sit her down as soon as she emerged from her room after a long night out and talk to her to reassure myself.

I reached into the fridge for a yogurt and turned to make myself a cup of coffee.

"What's this?" I said out loud, noticing a rolled paper and a flat one. I picked up the flat one first, my eyes growing wide as I read.

Casey- as you read this I will be gone, driving to a

place that I don't know yet. I have taken all

my stuff and cleaned up. The dirty sheets are next

to the washer. I had to do it, you see, for me and

for you. We had something to begin with, but I

think it's over now, and we both know it. These

past few weeks with you have been the best days

of me life, but it's time I moved on. It's not fair to you

for me to keep staying with you. It would make us both unhappy

and I would not be able to get away with lying to you

so here's the truth. I like someone else. Maybe even love, but I think

it's too soon for that right now. And yes, it's Chad. I know I have seemed

different the past few days and now you know why. I guess I

always liked him, but I kept lying to myself and trying to

ignore feelings I really didn't want. But now ever since I got here, I

have matured and come to realize that I have to accept who

I am and the consequences that come with it. So thank you, you have

taught me a lesson I will neither forget nor regret. I wish you the best in your

art and whatever else you decide to go for.

Lots of Love,

Sonny

She was gone. No more would I get to hold her hand or feel her arm around me as we worked around the house of took walks outside as the clock struck midnight. Gone were the days where I looked forward to ending my art classes early knowing she was upstairs waiting with a cup of lemonade.

I folded the letter placed it in my pocket, and picked up the rolled up piece of paper.

It was a drawing, I realized, as I unfolded it. Not just a drawing, but a drawing of me. It was done half ion charcoal, half in pastel. In it, I was bent over an easel, the concentrated look that everybody told me I wore when painting but never see it for myself evident on my face. Sonny had signed it in the corner, though I never knew she could draw, much less this well. I went to go roll it back up, the pain was too much, when I saw writing on the back.

Casey, I thought you would want this. Don't worry I made a copy for

myself, this is the original. And I never knew I could draw either, so don't

kill yourself over not knowing. I had started on this yesterday afternoon,

but I stopped when Chad arrived. I won't go into any more detail,

because you have probably just read my letter and are hating me

and Chad, but a long story short, he made me realize I didn't know what

it was. And you taught me that if I never know what something is, close my

eyes and it will appear on paper. So that's what I did. I closed my eyes and this

is what appeared on the paper when I opened them. I hope you like it,

and that you think of me and all the great times we shared

whenever you look at this.

~Sonny

I rolled it up after I finished and tossed it in the back of my closet, knowing I would not open it again for a long, long, time.

[Sonny POV]

I pulled my little Smart Car into a parking space near the front of the lot and grabbed my stuff out of the passenger seat. It was nearing seven thirty, I honestly had not expected my drive to take this long but morning traffic was horrible.

I had cried all my tears on the way here, so before I went into the elevator, I asked directions to the ladies room and splashed some cool water on my face.

Then, I took a deep breath, pulled my bags onto my shoulder, pulled back my now-greasy hair and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor.

A few seconds later, I stepped into a fancy hallway, heading towards a single door at the end of it.

After knocking on the door for what seemed like hours, someone finally opened it.

"Hey, Chad. Can I come in?"