Here's a different version of Sonnyset And Sonnyrise. Pretty self explanatory. :D
I took one of my readers' advice and tried to apply what she said to this.
I really love how this turned out. Hope you guys enjoy it!
~ Bree
Sonny heaved a deep sigh. She sat cross-legged on a grassy hill that overlooked Hollywood, quietly enjoying the soft breeze as it swept through her chocolate brown hair. A rare frown turned down the corners of her mouth.
Right after working hours were over back at the So Random! studio, Sonny had hastily left without so much as a good-bye to her worried cast mates. Her mind was on something else—and has been like that for over a week now. Not wanting to face another monotonous evening in her bedroom, she skirted the route that led straight to her apartment and found herself sitting on the 'brother' of the hill that nestled the famous 'HOLLYWOOD' sign a mile away. She was alone with her brooding thoughts.
Sonny had no idea how long she'd been here. The sun was setting, casting golden rays over the lip of the Hollywood hill, accompanied by the hustle and bustle of the city below.
A painful memory crossed her mind: it had been at about this time of evening when Henry had asked her to be his girlfriend. She felt the familiar sinking feeling in her stomach as she thought of him. Henry was a worker at the So Random! studios. He helped set up all the props the So Random! cast used for their sketches, so Sonny often saw him around. She was attracted to his sense of humor and creativity…she shared many of his personality traits, and that only made the crush she had on him even bigger.
Their relationship began very well. But there was something in Henry Sonny had failed to see before, and when his true colors began to emerge it was already too late to turn back. He was busy. He was selfish. His time for Sonny was diminishing, and finally after only two weeks of dating he simply told her that he'd lost interest and left without even so much as a hug.
Afterwards, Sonny withdrew from everyone; her friends, the studio staff, and her mom. She went through each day of writing sketches and then performing them in front of millions of people. But she remembered none of it by the time she got home. She spent her evenings and sometimes well into the wee hours of the morning, sitting on her bed, staring at the wall and wondering why she had been so stupid, and why she had let herself fall for a guy that never even cared for her.
As she was pondering on all of this, she heard the sound of car tires crunching on gravel. She turned just in time to see a shiny black vehicle pull up on the cement. The engine was cut off, and the door opened. Sonny felt a pang of annoyance when she saw who stepped out.
"Chad?" Her voice changed; it always did when she spoke to the dirty-blonde Mackenzie Fall's star. She shot him a look through narrowed eyes.
"Sonny." Chad replied in the same tone Sonny had used. He had on that familiar cocky expression on his face as he shut the door of the car and slowly approached where Sonny sat. The gravel under his shiny black shoes turned to soft grass as he moved. Sonny couldn't help but admire the way he walked. It was unique.
"What are you doing here?" Sonny grumbled, mentally shooing away her admiration. She crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to show her displeasure. Why did it seem like every time she wanted to be alone, Chad always had to barge in like a bull in a china shop? She wanted to scream at him to leave, but for some reason, she was holding back.
"I could ask you the same thing, Monroe." Chad stood over her, using his left hand to sweep his bangs out of his ocean blue eyes. They crinkled at the corners as he tried to hold back a smirk. He had noticed Sonny's apparent disdain. "Enjoying the sunset?"
"Yes." Her voice softened as she was reminded of why she was there. Now Sonny could see bittersweet memories of Henry flashing before her eyes. It swept her up like a dark current of water, engulfing her awareness, until she had almost forgotten that Chad was standing right next to her.
"What's the matter?" Chad asked suddenly, snapping Sonny out of her stupor. There was a hint of mischief in his voice. "You're sighing. Am I finally making you weak at the knees…?"
Sonny let out a scoff. "What?! Heck no!" But she was blushing, and she angrily turned her face away so Chad wouldn't see.
The Mackenzie Fall's star was undaunted. "Seriously, though. Is something bothering you?"
"Why do you care?" Sonny wondered if the pain in her voice was obvious.
"Come on. Just tell me."
"I won't."
"Oh, but you will."
"Just go away."
"Fine." But Chad didn't move.
"Fine!"
"Good!"
"You're bothering me, Chad!" Sonny finally snapped. "I just want to be alone."
She waited for him to leave, watching him through the corner of her eye. But he didn't turn around. Instead he sat down next to her, chuckling, still undaunted, like the pretty boy he was. She frowned even more, irritated.
Chad subconsciously picked at a couple blades of grass. "You can't fool me, Sonny." He murmured. "CDC can tell when you're upset. Actually, CDC can do just about anything. Like you didn't know that already."
"Wrong. You obviously can't understand what 'go away' means." Sonny hissed angrily. But inside, she was worried. She knew there was no escaping this. She knew she had to tell Chad or else he would never leave. But what if he makes fun of me? What if he tells all his friends? The paparazzi will find out in no time. I can see it on all the Tween Weekly magazines now. I'm going to look like a complete idiot.
"That's because 'go' and 'away' isn't in my vocabulary." Chad responded. Sonny glanced at him. He was smiling. But something about that smile was different. It wasn't his usual smirk. It was a real smile. It reached his ocean blue eyes, making them sparkle in a way she had never seen before. She was so star struck she almost gave in and spilled her problems right then and there, but fear and stubbornness held her tongue.
"Go. Away. Chad."
"Not in my vocabulary, Sonny." He repeated. "And since you told me to leave, I knew I just had to stay." He laughed at his own bravado, probably remembering the time when he had sauntered into Sonny's secret prom when he'd been strictly uninvited. He just had to come. Sonny thought, rolling her eyes.
But then, he'd also stayed behind, after the prom had come to a screeching halt and everyone had left, dancing with Sonny like they were the only two people in the world. She remembered her feelings then. Grateful. Blissful. It was like floating on clouds.
Sonny blinked away the memory. "You're unbelievable." She grumbled, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I know. Now will you please tell me what's wrong?" He turned to look at her, and Sonny was hit with a fresh wave of heat that spread from her cheeks to her hairline. He was so close she could practically count every color in his eyes. Their knees were nearly touching, and their hands were inches away from being on top of each other.
Why the heck am I feeling like this?!
"N-No. How many times do I have to say that?" Sonny stammered.
"A lot, I'm guessing." Chad shook his head, still smiling. He hadn't moved an inch. "You're so stubborn. Typical Random."
Sonny was struggling to breathe evenly. Swallowing, she attempted to sustain the aggravated tone to her voice. "Pfft. Look who's talking." But when she realized that she'd counted about four shades of blue in his eyes, her voice failed.
"Chad…"
"Yeah, Sonny?"
She was desperate. What she was feeling was painfully familiar. She didn't want to feel this again. She wanted him to leave.
"I'll…I'll tell you what's wrong."
"Finally!" Chad exclaimed, acting as though his favorite football team had scored a touchdown.
"It's not funny, Chad!" Sonny stood up. Everything began spilling out from her like water from a bucket. "My boyfriend, Henry, broke up with me a week ago. He was everything I ever wanted. Everything!"
Chad was still sitting on the ground, looking astonished. For once no words came from him.
"He was my best friend, my other half. We had the same sense of humor, and he was always there for me…until…" Sonny stopped. This was the first time she'd explained to anybody of why she was acting the way she was. The pain of speaking about Henry was making her tear up. She turned away from Chad and lowered her eyes. She hoped he wouldn't notice.
"Sonny…" Chad voice was so low it was barely audible.
"I honestly believed in him with all my heart." The tears were beginning to fall. "And he let me down. He went back on every promise he made, and told me he didn't want me anymore. Just like that. Like I was…some…some sort of toy."
There was a long moment of silence between them. The sun continued to sink even lower, and stars were beginning to appear. Sonny was thankful for the lack of light. She didn't want Chad to see her cry.
"I…I didn't know, Sonny." Chad finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry."
Sonny wiped away a tear, hiding behind her chocolate colored bangs. It was a rare thing to hear the heartthrob apologize.
"You know, the sunset could help you."
"What do you mean?" Sonny anxiously bit her lip. The heat behind her eyes was threatening to start spewing even more tears by the second. She half-turned and glimpsed Chad gazing at the ball of orange, fading in between the Hollywood hill miles away.
"The sun sets, and rises again the next morning." He murmured. "It always does that, and nothing stops it from doing it."
Sonny's heartbeat quickened. She had never seen this side of Chad before. Why in the world did I even think he'd make fun of me? Do I really know Chad that well? Have I been judging him too harshly all this time? More tears began rolling down her cheeks. Perhaps Chad was much sweeter than she had previously thought.
"In other words…" Chad continued, slowly standing up and lifting his chin as if to acknowledge the subject of his conversation. "The sun tells us that no matter what life throws at you, you should always have the will to pick yourself up and brush yourself off. Nothing should ever stop you from rising up from the dark and into the sky again. I mean, come on." She could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. "You weren't named 'Sonny' for nothing."
The tears flowed harder still, but Sonny couldn't help but smile anyway. She felt a powerful wave of gratitude. "Chad…" She began, but he stopped her with the slightest touch of his fingers on the back of her tear splashed hand. The simple touch made her look at him. What she saw took her breath away.
She had never seen such gentleness in anybody's eyes before. Let alone Chad Dylan Cooper's.
"There's a boy out there who deserves you even more than Henry ever did, Sonny. He'll treat you even better than Henry did, and will love you even more than Henry did. Don't spend time sulking in the dark. Rise up like the sun, and you'll find him." He paused. "And guess what? He may be closer than you think."
Sonny was speechless. All the hatred she'd felt for Chad had completely vanished. She couldn't look away from his eyes, which were now swimming with unreadable emotions.
"But what if I never find him?" Sonny fretted.
"Like I said, he's closer than you think." Chad whispered.
"How close?"
"You already found him."
"I have?"
Chad didn't answer. He held her gaze for a while longer before leaning towards her face, eyes closed.
His lips touched hers.
Sonny felt a brief flare of surprise, but it dissolved just as quickly as it appeared. Closing her eyes, she kissed him back. Her tear-stained face drenched Chad's, as if every hurt feeling was being outdone through their symbol of affection. Chad took her by the waist and held her close, while Sonny held his arms, reaching up once to touch him lightly on the cheek.
The sun had completely set, and the stars were out, twinkling in the sky. The moon cast a silver light upon the two teenagers, and, as if beckoned by the moon itself, they began to dance slowly, around and around, like a tiny figurine ballerina in a music box. The indigo blue color of the sky, the stars, accompanied by their silhouettes, created a picture an artist would have wanted to paint. It was a breath-taking sight.
It was then that Sonny realized that all those times she'd fought with Chad hour by hour, she'd been denying her true feelings for him.
Henry was never the one she thought he had been.
It had been the unthinkable. Chad Dylan Cooper. The sworn enemy. The rival. The one she thought she despised.
Why had she shrugged the look of longing in Chad's eyes when James, the dump-from-a-distance bad boy, had brought her out on a date? Why had she convinced herself that she'd imagined the genuine affection on Chad's face when he'd danced with her? When he apologized for taking the So Random! prop house, given her a chance to audition for a part she wanted, dressed up in a beard and hoodie to save her reputation from being ruined, commented on how pretty her hair was and promised an unforgettable evening at Lookout Mountain...all those winks, smiles, and cutting words had meant, I adore you. Why did it take her this long to see and accept the truth?
Finally they broke away. Chad gently held on to Sonny's hand. "I don't know what Henry was thinking." He chuckled. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever known, Sonny Monroe. Actually, you're the second most amazing person next to me. And don't you forget that."
"I swore to myself that I'd never, ever kiss you." She pretended to be disgusted, saw the look of horror on Chad's face, and laughed. "Guess I was kidding myself." The tears had stopped flowing. Sonny was smiling despite the leftover tears that laced her eyelashes, her contagious giggle escaping her lips.
Chad pretended to be nonchalant. "What can I say? I've been blessed with the likeliness of Adonis." But the mischief in his beautiful eyes gave him away.
"Really Chad? Really?" But Sonny no longer felt any scorn. She laughed again, and Chad laughed along with her.
They continued to talk for the rest of the night. Chad sprawled out next to Sonny while she sat with her legs in front of her, watching the lights of the city below, and the glow of the 'Hollywood' sign miles away. Each word brought them closer than they realized, and for the first time ever, not one insult had been thrown out. Not one sarcastic remark. When it got too cold, they retreated into Chad's car. From there they laughed until their bellies hurt, shared some things they'd never told anybody else, and attempted to count as many stars as they could.
Finally the first few signs of the sun began to appear. A soft orange glow outlined the 'Hollywood' hill. Chad offered to drive Sonny home, and she gratefully accepted.
A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of Sonny's apartment.
"See you." Chad did his signature head nod as Sonny climbed out of the passenger seat and stepped outside. But she couldn't bring herself to move. She twiddled her fingers, unsure of what to do next. Not long ago she had desperately wanted him to leave, and now here she was, silently begging for him to stay.
"What is it?" Chad asked.
"Thank you." Sonny meant every word. "Thanks for everything."
Chad smiled like he'd never smiled before. "You're welcome, sunshine."
The door closed. And he drove away with Sonny's bandaged heart.
But this time...she knew it was in safe hands.
So was the old version better, or do you prefer the newer version?
Tell me what you think and why you prefer one version or the other!
Don't forget to leave a review! Put a smile on my face! :)
Thanks for reading!