Author's Note: So here it is, the second to last chapter of Just Enemies. I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but I just had trouble getting started on this chapter for some reason. But today I decided that instead of doing my homework or getting ready to go somewhere later tonight, I would do something even MORE productive and finish this chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoy it, I tried to make it pretty good. Thank you to LilRockerStar, KellyTheLovatic, usuihentai727, and DannySamLover20 for reviewing, you guys are great. Also, I realized I made a mistake, in last chapter's author note I thanked KellyTheLovatic for giving me the song idea for the duet Sonny and Chad sing in the karaoke battle (Just a Kiss) but I realized it wasn't her who suggested it! It was Mahomie4Ever55! I'm sorry for the mix-up! Anyway, enjoy chapter nine!

Sonny's POV:

I was standing in the rehearsal room, but I wasn't sure why. The lighting was hazy and the entire scene in front of me seemed to waver at the edges, like it wasn't really happening. I glanced over and gasped. There was a girl sprawled out on the floor. A blonde guy who looked a lot like Chad was leaning over her, apparently freaking out. As I looked more closely at the guy, I could tell it was Chad. I tried to walk over to see what was wrong, but I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the floor. All I could do was watch what was happening. I saw Chad start to unscrew the lid of a water bottle, probably thinking he could revive her with the water. But then he stopped and just sat there, looking thoughtful, and then nervous, like he was about to take some huge risk. Finally, he leaned down, whispered something in her ear, and kissed her. And suddenly I knew... that girl was me.

The next second I was lying on the ground, and I felt Chad's lips on mine, so I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back. He pulled me up into a sitting position and onto his lap, his lips never leaving mine, and all I could do was kiss him back and think about how right it felt to be back in his arms again. When he pulled away he laughed and ran his hand over my hair, his blue eyes shining brighter than I'd ever seen them before. Then he whispered quietly, "I love you, Sonny." I didn't bother to say it back to him, even though I knew it was true. I just leaned forward and felt his lips meet mine again...

Knock, knock, knock. My eyes flew open and I nearly fell off the couch where I was lying. "Sonny," someone said from the other side of the dressing room door, "are you in there?"

"Uh," I sat up, quickly straightening my hair and clothes, "yeah, I am. Who is it?"

"It's Shayne. I wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute."

"Of course. Come on in." I pasted a smile on my face as Shayne opened the door. Please, please, please don't let him be coming in here to talk about 'us'. I couldn't take that. Not after last night.

"Hey, Sonny." He glanced around the room. "Where's Tawni?"

"Costume fitting." I smiled. "You know how important it is to Tawni to always look fabulous."

"Right." Shayne smiled, looking a little distracted. "Did I wake you up?"

"Well... yes, but it's not a big deal. I was kind of tired this morning because of our late night last night."

"Yeah." Shayne grinned. "Who knew karaoke could get so intense?"

"Yeah." I looked away. "Who knew?"

There was a long, awkward pause. Shayne cleared his throat. "Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. When you sang that duet with Chad... well, I-I was wondering, I know its none of my business, but I need to know-" He trailed off.

I bit my lip. Please don't do this Shayne.

"Sonny?" Shayne met my gaze, looking determined. "Are you in love with Chad?"

"What?" I gasped, feeling as if someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water on me. In a flash my dream rushed back on me. Oh my gosh. Chad kissed me awake. Was it just a dream? Or did it really happen? Does Chad still like me?

"Well?" Shayne's voice abruptly brought me back to reality, where his awkward question was still hanging in the air between us.

"I-I..." I stuttered, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "Shayne, I-"

He continued, frowning. "Because if you do, I'd have to tell you, he's all wrong for you Sonny."

I stopped short in my mumbled apology. "What?"

"He's all wrong for you." Shayne sat down beside me and leaned forward, talking earnestly. "Think about it Sonny. He's nothing but an arrogant jerk. He set you up. He played you. If I hadn't paid those reporters to keep quiet and give me the pictures, your little scandal would be all over the tabloids by now. All he's ever done is cause you heartbreak. He's a low, miserable excuse for a human being, and I'm sorry I was ever friends with him. I don't know what Rebecca sees him. The point is, he's a loser, and I can't let you go out with a guy like that. So whatever, you're feeling, let it go. You don't belong with a slimeball like that. You belong with a real man. Like me."

I sat there, staring at Shayne, feeling every one of his words pierce me as if he was talking about me and not Chad. Anger flooded over me. How dare he say those things about Chad? He doesn't even know him. "Stop." I said. My voice was ice cold. "Just stop."

"But, Sonny," Shayne said, looking surprised at my tone, "I know what's best for you-"

"No." I interrupted him. "You don't. How dare you come in here and think you can tell me who to date? If I want to like Chad Dylan Cooper, I will. He has a lot of faults, but he's not any of the things you just called him. I can't believe you, Shayne." I jumped up. "Chad's been through a lot. More than you'll ever know. You can't just come walking in here and-"

"And what?" Shayne stood up too, the shock on his face quickly turning into anger. "And tell you the truth? That you're wasting your time? That Chad will never in a million years love you? That he's not capable of thinking about anyone but himself? That he's nothing but trash you should have kicked to the curb over a year ago? Reality check Sonny: He set you up and then blamed you for something you didn't do. Those aren't exactly the actions of a gentleman."

"Chad is twice the man you'll ever be." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. They hung in the air between us, as I tried to hold back my tears.

"Sonny," Shayne's voice was quiet, dangerous, "did you ever destroy the film I gave you? With the pictures of you and Chad on it?"

I looked up, surprised at his sudden change of subject. "What?"

"Did you ever destroy the film I gave you?" Shayne said slowly, as if I was a dumb little kid he was trying to get to understand him.

"No. I think its still in my purse." I said, wary of where this was going.

Shayne threw his hands up in the air. "What the heck! Do you know how much trouble I went to to get those back for you so your precious little goody-two shoes reputation wouldn't be ruined? Think of what would happen if that if that fell into the wrong hands?"

My anger flashed again. "Yes, I know Shayne. And you know what else I know?" I walked over to my purse and yanked out the film canisters. "You can have these back. I don't want to owe you any favors." I threw them at him, and he seemed to catch them automatically. "There. We're all settled up. Now, please, get out of my dressing room."

"Sonny," Shayne was starting to look a little ashamed of myself, "I didn't mean to-"

"No, don't say it. Please." I pointed at the door, suddenly feeling very, very tired. "Just go."

He stood there for a second and then opened the door and walked out. As the door shut behind him I collapsed on the couch and buried my face in a pillow. With my whole life in shambles, there was only one thing left to do. Hoping the pillow would kind of muffle it, I screamed as loud as I could.

"I don't know what happened. He just started going on and on about what a horrible guy Chad was, and how horrible it would be for me if I liked him. And I just... snapped." I sighed. "I think I'm losing it."

"No you're not." Tawni turned from her dressing room mirror. "You're in love."

I laughed and looked away. "Yeah, right."

"Sonny!" Tawni said sharply. "For once in your life, stop lying about your feelings for Chad! You love him, and he loves you. Everybody knows it but you too!"
I froze. "Chad, l-loves me?" I gasped breathlessly.

She rolled her eyes and came to sit next to me on the couch. "Duh. He's crazy about you. How could you not see it?"

I shook my head, amazed. "I don't know..."

"Look, Sonny, I'm not saying that he's not a jerk sometimes. And I'm not saying that he didn't set you up. All I'm saying is that you love him. And he loves you. And I don't think love is something that goes away over a little friendly cast feud."

I glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "Friendly?"

She shrugged. "Or not so friendly. Whatever. The point is, if you never jump and tell him how you feel, you're going to spend the rest of your life wondering what you could have had together. I know, I've been there. So just step across that line, and go for it. Now."

I gulped. "What? Now?"

Tawni nodded, serious. "Look, tonights the show. It'd be nice if we could all be a team. You can't tell him you don't miss him. I've seen the way you look at him. And who knows what will happen after tonight. It's now or never."

I thought back over the heart-ache of the last week. Finally, I took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to tell him how I feel."

Tawni grinned at me. "Then I'll tell everyone to avoid his dressing room for awhile. I don't think any of us want to see you two making out."

I rolled my eyes and smacked her lightly on the shoulder. I stood up and walked toward the door. Suddenly I paused, remembering something. "Hey Tawni, what about Rebecca?"

Tawni scoffed. "He cares about her about as much as you care about Shayne. Don't worry."

I smiled. "Okay. And Tawni?"

"What?"

"Thanks." I walked back over to her and gave her a hug. "I owe you one."

She smiled. "Yes, you do. Now stop stalling and go!"

I grinned as I walked out the door, my heart pumping and my head spinning. I can't believe this. I'm actually going to tell Chad how I feel. And he loves me. Or at least Tawni says so. Maybe things are finally going to work out. Maybe we can go back to being Channy.

I turned the corner and headed down the hall to Chad's dressing room, knowing that my smile was big and goofy and not caring at all. I saw Chad's dressing room door was opened and looked inside, wondering if he was there. Instantly, my smile disappeared, and I felt myself go numb. He was there alright. And he was kissing Rebecca.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was running back up the hall the way I had come, hot tears streaming down my cheeks, with a horrible pain in my heart I was sure would never go away. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I have been so stupid?

I ran back into our dressing room, just as Tawni looked up, startled. "Sonny, wha-"

"Tawni," I took a deep breath, "help me pack. I'm leaving. Right now."

Chad's POV:

I walked down the hall to Sonny's dressing room, feeling like I was about to ask the prettiest girl in my school to be my date to prom. No, this is bigger than that. This is asking the most beautiful girl in the world to be my girlfriend... again. I felt my palms begin to sweat and rubbed against my jeans, giving myself a mental pep-talk. Just go for it, Chad. You love her. Nothing is going to change that. As I reached Sonny and Tawni's dressing room door, I took a final deep breath, prayed this would turn out alright, and opened the door.

Immediately my eyes widened. Tawni was lying on the couch, holding on to a tissue box. Her eyes were red-rimmed and weepy, and it occurred to me that I'd never seen Tawni cry before. She saw me standing in the doorway and her sad eyes suddenly turned furious.

"You!" She spat out the word as if it were poison, and grabbed a pair of shoes off the floor. Before I knew what was happening, they were sailing towards my head.

"Woah!" I ducked just in time, and the shoes went over my head into the hallway. "What's your problem?"

"I'll tell you what my problem is you big JERK!" She sat up and reached for a handbag. "You broke Sonny's heart!" She launched the bag at me, and I jumped to the side. It slammed into the wall just behind where I had been standing moments before. Wow. Who knew Tawni had such a good arm? Wait... broke Sonny's heart?

"What? What are you talking about?" I yelled.

"Sonny went to tell you how she really feels about you, and when she got to your dressing room you were lip-locking with Rebecca! How could you?" Tawni charged me.

"Woah!" I held up my hands. "I didn't kiss her! She kissed me!"

Tawni stopped suddenly, looking suspicious. "What?"

"She came into my dressing room, acting all flirtatious. I tried to discourage her, but I felt bad because I'd... well, I'd used her to make Sonny jealous. Anyway, I thought I might finally be getting through when she grabbed me and kissed me. When I finally got away from her, I told her I wasn't interested in her like that. She was pretty, uh, upset." I said, tactfully, rubbing my cheek where she had slapped it. Hey, I deserved it for leading her on. My heart sank. "Sonny saw that?"

"Well, just the kissing part." Tawni said. She didn't sound angry now, just tired and sad.

"Oh no." I sighed. This could be bad. "Where is she? I really need to talk to her and explain... not just about Rebecca but about us... I'm going to tell her that I, well, that I love her." I grinned just as I said the words. "I realized after our duet last night that there was no point in trying to trick myself or her any longer. I don't care about stupid journals or feuds. I just want Sonny."

Tawni groaned. "I can't believe this."

"What? Why?" I looked at her, fear chilling me. "Tawni, where is she?"

"Chad... she's gone. She came back her saying that she wanted to leave, that she couldn't handle it anymore. I tried to convince her to stay but she wasn't having any of it. She left about a half hour ago."

"No..." I felt all the air leave my lungs. "No, no, no, no. You've got to be kidding me! What flight was she taking?"

Tawni shrugged. "I'm sorry, Chad, I just don't know."

"What don't you know?" Marshall walked in, followed by the rest of the cast. "Come on kids, its time for the final rehearsal before the show. Where's Sonny?"

"She's gone, Marshall. She left to go back to Wisconsin." Tawni said flatly.

"What? What happened?" Marshall said, looking panicked.

"Uh..." Tawni glanced at me. I felt myself shrink as everyone turned to stare at me.

"Oh... no." Marshall sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This can't be happening."

"She left letters for everybody." Tawni went over and picked up a small stack of envelopes off her vanity. "There's one for the original Randoms, one for the new additions to the cast, one for Chad, one for Marshall, and one for Shayne." I felt myself tense as she handed me my envelope with Sonny's writing on the front. Marshall's right. This can't be happening.

Zora took the letter for the original Randoms, opened it, and read it out loud, tears shining in her eyes.

Dear Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora,

First things first, I'm so sorry I'm leaving on such short notice. Please believe me when I say, it has nothing to do with any of you. You are some of the best friends I have ever had, and you have all stuck by me, through thick and thin, since I came back to So Random earlier this week. I will never forget the good times we've had together, all the laughs and the pizzas we've shared on pizza night. You are all incredible comedians and I know you all have bright futures ahead of you. Please stay in touch, and thank you for welcoming the little girl from Wisconsin into your world not once, but twice.

Love,

Sonny

Matthew took the letter meant for the rest of the cast and opened it. He read it out loud too, looking a little ashamed of himself.

Dear Matthew, Damien, Grace, Audrey, Bridget, Celia, Rebecca, and Shayne,

I'm so sorry. I know I disrupted the whole cast by coming back to So Random, and I hope you'll forgive me. You are all amazing people and whether you were on 'Team Chad' or 'Team Sonny' I liked and respected you all. I don't know if it even matters now, but I didn't steal Chad's journal. I hope, having known me for a week now, you will at least believe that. You are all great on So Random, and I know that because you're all so great, you will be able to make it a fantastic show tonight, even without me. I wish you all luck, and I'm sorry for disappearing.

Love,

Sonny

The room was almost completely silent as Marshall opened his letter and read it.

Dear Marshall,

I don't even know what to say. I know I'm putting you in a tight spot, but I also know you have a group of wonderful actors and actresses here, who will be able to pull it off. Please believe me, when I asked that no contracts or agents be involved, this is definitely not the kind of thing I was envisioning. I didn't plan to run away, or cause any of the trouble I have the last week. Marshall, you and Mr. Condor gave a regular girl from Wisconsin a chance to shine on her favorite TV show, and I can't thank you enough for that. I've had such a good time working with you.

Love,
Sonny

Shayne opened his letter and read it, his voice sad.

Dear Shayne,

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying what I did earlier. I'm sorry because I used you to make Chad jealous. I'm sorry you got caught up in this whole web of head games. You didn't deserve that, and I knew it the whole time and still let you get involved. I know that earlier you were just trying to do what was best for me, but you can't make those kind of decisions for me. I need to be able to think for myself. But thanks for trying to do the right thing. I appreciate it.

Wishing you the best,

Sonny

The room fell silent again as Shayne finished reading and pushed the letter back inside the envelope. I stared down at the envelope in my hands, then slowly turned it over, pushed up the flap, and pulled out the letter. I read it silently. I couldn't trust myself to speak.

Dear Chad,

Wow. Things have been crazy lately, haven't they? I don't know what to say. I can't hide the fact that you hurt me. But it's not your fault. It's mine. I was delusional to think that you still cared. But it's easy for girls to trick themselves into thinking that one guy likes them... particularly when they still have feelings for him. I could go on and on, about how I wish you and Rebecca the best, and that I'm sorry for still having feelings for you, but the thing is, I'm not. I'm not going to hide anymore. So here's the truth: Chad Dylan Cooper, I love you. It may not matter to you anymore, but I've still got to say it. I don't wish you and Rebecca the best, because I love you and want to be with you, but that doesn't change the fact that I want you to be happy, and if you're happy with her, well I guess that's that. So goodbye Chad. Goodbye forever.

Love always,

Your Sonny

"Chad? Are you okay? Chad?" Tawni's voice brought me back to the present. "You're crying."

"She can't be gone." I said, my voice thick with tears. "She loves me. I love her. It can't end like this. I have to get her back."

"Chad... I'm so sorry." Tawni looked away. "But this time it really is too late."

AN: Well... that was pretty depressing wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Oh! I almost forgot. I wrote a SWAC one-shot called Once Upon a Lie and it was pretty cute (in my opinion :p) so check it out if you're bored and have nothing better to do. Please review if you liked this chapter, its all the reviews and the favorites and the alerts that keep me writing. Oh, and by the way, particular shout out to all the people who have put me on their favorite author's list, I always take that as a huge compliment, so, yeah, thanks! If I don't get around to writing the next (and LAST) chapter and you're dying to know what happens, don't be afraid to review again and bug me a little, sometimes I need a little extra motivation. Thanks for reading!