"Hi, guys," I wave sheepishly.
"That explains so, so much!" Zora exclaims. Grady and Nico glance at her questioningly. "Oh, come one, dimwits! If Tawni had only talked to Sonny, she would have been bragging about it nonstop, going on and on and on about how she was doing. But no, she was trying to keep it under wraps because she didn't want anyone knowing that Sonny was back! Also, where was Tawni all week before last? Wisconsin with Sonny, that's where! But all she told us was she was taking a much needed vacation, and she didn't say one word about it when she got back, unlike the usual Tawni who boasts about how relaxing her week of pampering was. And our last clue was Chad. Chad and Tawni hate each other, and they're the laziest people on the show, why would they be working together on the weekend on sketches?"
"Oh, duh!" Grady groans, smacking his forehead with his hand.
"Why didn't you guys tell us Sonny was back?" Nico inquires.
"She wanted it to be a surprise," Tawni defends.
"Well, I am certainly surprised," Grady says cheerfully yet somehow with an accusatory tone.
"That's good!" I cheer. Everyone laughs, and a relieved sigh escapes from me. It feels good making people laugh again. It feels great laughing with friends. My friends. My true friends.
"We missed you, Sonny," Nico admits.
"I've missed you guys, too," I assure him. I really have missed them. A lot. Too much, maybe.
"That's great and all, but I think we're all forgetting something," Zora interjects. Uh oh. "I'm exhausted. So Sonny, would you mind?" I let out an alleviated chuckle. So far, so good. They have not said anything about my leave, my depressed and angry state leading up to it, and the reason behind it. I guess they probably put two and two together in the past couple of years.
"Sure, Zora," I answer, stepping out of the closet. Immediately, Grady and Nico drown me in a huge hug. Warm, comforting, why did I ever leave?
"Well, that's cute," Chad comments, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Oh yeah, that's why. Tawni rolls her eyes and joins in. We move toward the closet slowly, trying to keep up the hug.
"Oh no, you aren't getting me in on this!" Zora cries as she slams the closet door shut. Chad laughs at us, thoroughly entertained.
"After him!" I order. In sync, the four of us move towards Chad, still huddled together. It does not end well. Chad steps away and sticks his foot out, tripping Grady, who brought Nico down with him, who caused Tawni to dramatically yet gracefully fall down, leaving me and Chad standing opposite each other. "You'll pay for that one, Cooper," I warn. He scoffs.
"Gladly," he smirks. I jump at him, wrestling him to the ground. I pin him down, glaring at him with false anger. He stares up at me intensely, melting my façade.
"Oh, gross!" Grady groans. I laugh lightly and stand up, lending my hand to Chad.
"Don't tell me you two are back together," Nico whines as Chad pulls himself up. I shift uncomfortably. Chad clears his throat awkwardly, looking at me pointedly.
"We're not," I giggle anxiously. "I've been in town for less than a week," I point out.
"Oh, well, let us know when you are," Nico laughs, standing up. He reaches out to Tawni to help her up. She takes it gingerly, rising slowly.
"Thanks, Nico," she beams at him.
"Anytime," he smiles back. I shoot Tawni a questioning glare. She scowls back at me, silently screaming at me to shut up. I wonder what that could be about. Well, it is actually pretty obvious what that is about. Tawni likes Nico. It looks like he likes her too. Never saw that one coming.
Let us know when you are… He said when. He expects it to happen. Does everyone? Does Chad? I definitely hope so, but do I expect it? Not really. Should I? No, that would seem entitled and snobbish, right? Again with the uncertainty! I am going to drive myself insane.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful. Nico and Tawni flirted, Zora slept the entire time, Grady and Nico were the same old Nico and Grady, and Chad gave me those stupid butterflies. I hate those jerks.
One moment in particular sparked some awkwardness between Chad and I. Or is it Chad and me? Grammar was never really my strong suit. Anyway, I was staring at Grady. I cannot believe how much he has changed. He looks and sounds the same, other than the fact that he has lost a lot of weight. He is actually muscular now. It is unbelievable. Chad caught me, though. The blood rushed to my face, coloring my cheeks with what was probably a deep scarlet. He gave me a dubious look, so I decided to have a little fun with it. I smirked and shrugged. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Jealousy, Chad Dylan Cooper was expressing jealousy. Because of me. Obviously he still has feelings for me. So why won't he just tell me?
I feel like that chapter was kind of lame, but I wanted to get that out just to show that the Randoms are going to welcome her back almost as if she never left. The next chapter will be their individual reactions, the chapter after that will be Chad's point of view, and then the following chapter will be Sonny returning to So Random! Hopefully I'll have all that up this weekend, so wish me luck!