A/N: Thank you to Joker236, Hiilani, Fluffness, LovingTheChanny, channylover101, Love at First Fight, WildeEngel, and DannySamLover20 for reviewing! This chapter was super fun to write – I love this episode! I've rushed to put this up, so please excuse any mistakes. :D Please review!

Stormy with Patches of Sky

"Why do you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else, it gets me frustrated." -Avril Lavigne

I was being interviewed for the first time, and my nerves were obvious. I didn't want to risk anything that would make me look bad, and starting off with a meatball in my mouth was not helping matters. Santiago was asking me questions in the commissary when Chad walked over.

"Hey, Sonny, I just brought you some extra napkins. Happy Meatball Monday!" What? Was this the Chad that I knew and used to love? I was acutely aware of his arm around the back of my chair as he leaned in close to talk to me.

"Oh, thanks, Chad. That was oddly thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, well, it never hurts to be nice." I couldn't believe it. I wondered if it was really Chad Dylan Cooper I was talking to. And if it was, he must have reformed. Because if there's one thing I've learned about Chad since I've been here, it's that he isn't nice unless there's a selfish reason behind it. Even if that motivation is something as stupid as the apparent desire to try on a weird beard.

"Oh, Santiago, my man! Didn't see you there," Chad continued as he fist-bumped Santiago. "I am so sorry, are you guys in the middle of an interview?" he feigned.

"What was your first clue, the interviewer or the camera?" I mocked Chad. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's pretension. And I knew that Chad was just pretending to be clueless. He may not be humble or modest, but he IS intelligent. Chad pulled up a chair from a neighboring table and sat next to me. "Why don't you join us?" I asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Don't mind if I do," he grinned back, unfazed by my pointed glares. Apparently Santiago didn't notice them either, based on his next question.

"Hold on. So nice girl from Wisconsin is tight with the Hollywood bad boy?" Ha! As if. But that thought was a little too mean for me to say on television.

"Well, I wouldn't say we were - " I started, smirking inwardly.

"Oh, we're very good friends," Chad quickly cut me off, putting his arm around me again. I was almost starting to get used to that tingling sensation when he did so. Almost. I was over it enough that I knew he was lying.

"Actually, we can't stand each other," I corrected, making sure that Santiago knew the right story. I couldn't help but smile as I said so, though, which made it seem a bit less authentic. Chad laughed at me, as if we were best friends and I was joking.

"And this is the kind of fun we get to have every day," he smiled at Santiago. And I lost it again. I really did. He's just such a good actor, and I'm just too susceptible to his charms. After all, that arm of his did feel absolutely wonderful around me. Besides, what he said wasn't impossible. Maybe he did see our everyday bantering as fun.

"Which apparently is starting today!" I said brightly, hoping that it really was. Chad chuckled again before rubbing my arm with his other hand. It was a good thing I was sitting down at the time.

"Isn't she adorable? That's why Sonny's my favorite member of So Random!." Oh my gosh! He thought I was adorable! And I was his favorite "Random"! He was serious, right?

"Really?" I had to clarify.

"Yes, really." Chad smiled at me, his blue eyes sparkling. He really meant it! He really, truly meant it. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "Santiago, you are lucky to be getting this interview. This girl's going places. Speaking of, I got to go," he continued. More compliments! Maybe I was right before…maybe he did care about me. After all, why else would he be doing all of those nice things? So far, it was the best Meatball Monday ever. Chad pushed his chair back and stood up - I felt the loss of warmth and pressure on my shoulders acutely.

"Let me guess – you've got some dogs to shove?" Santiago said wryly and leaning back in his chair. It didn't really seem like there was much love lost between him and Chad.

"Ye-es…" Chad drew out a bit uncertainly. I turned in my chair to look at him as he amended that statement. "Shoving…dogs towards…bowls of food that I lovingly laid out for them. You know why? I love puppies," he added. Santiago lifted his eyebrows and gave an appraising glance as I secretly cheered. Chad didn't shove puppies mean-spiritedly after all! I had been somewhat worried when I had heard about that.

"Wow. Compliments, kindness...I'm really impressed, Chad," I praised him with a bashful grin.

"Well, it's not about me, Sonny. It's about the dogs." He paused, letting the emotion behind that statement sink in. He also put his hand on my shoulder. Not that I noticed, of course. "It's just a little something to say 'Chad cares.'" Chad cares. The words almost sound weird, but they're nice. The thought of them brought a smile to my face as Chad left the commissary, but not before winking at me with a "Catch you later," as a farewell. Catch me later? Did that mean he wanted to see me again soon? My grin grew as I imagined the possibilities.

"Well, that's a side of him I've never seen before," I admitted to Santiago. He smirked at me, laughing at my naivety.

"That's because it's a side that doesn't exist," he explained. It kind of killed my mood, so I reassured myself that there really was kindness in Chad.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Santiago. You know, when Chad wants to, he can be a really great guy." And it was true. Like when he had offered his hand to me in musical chairs. Or when he had pretended to be Eric for me. I was about to tell Santiago about some of these incidences when he turned to the camera. Oh well. There would be plenty of time for that later.

And apparently, Chad had meant what he said about catching me later too. I was just telling Santiago what it was like sharing a dressing room with Tawni Hart when Chad walked in.

"Knock knock! Guess who?" he greeted as he entered, carrying a puppy.

"Chad? What are you doing here?" Even after what had happened in the commissary, I hadn't really been sure he would follow through. But I guess I was mistaken.

"Well, I said I'd catch you later. It's later, and I'm catching you," he smiled and pointed his finger at me. Wow. Chad did what he said he was going to do? Weird. But the new Chad was starting to grow on me.

"O...kay, who's this? And does this cute little guy have a name?" I asked, referring to the adorable puppy currently in Chad's arms. I was mildly jealous of it for that reason.

"Yeah, it's Cupcake, he's one of the hungry dogs I feed." Wow. He was serious. He actually did feed hungry dogs. Where else would he have gotten the dog from? "Oh my gosh, the cameras are here, I've done it again," Chad said remorsefully. But I was past caring about the cameras.

"Can I hold him?"

"Of course!" Chad answered willingly before handing Cupcake to me. Chad's hands brushed slightly against mine as he did so, and a secret smile came to my face.

"Oh, he's so cute!" I exclaimed when the puppy was firmly in my grasp.

"Yeah, when I saw him I thought of you." Was that supposed to mean he thought I was cute? Or that I looked like a dog?

"That's a compliment, right?" I asked a bit nervously, hoping he would say yes.

"Of course," Chad grinned, showing off his dimples. I couldn't help but smile back. He practically had told me he thought I was cute!

"You know, I have to admit - I'm starting to like the new you," I told him truthfully.

"It's not new, it's just me. People think they know me, but they don't." Was he trying to say that he was really like how he had been in the past half hour or so? That he was really kind and romantic and wonderful like I had thought in Wisconsin? I hoped so.

Santiago interrupted with the news that the camera broke and they had to go back to the truck to get another camera. They hadn't even fully left the room before Chad spoke.

"Oh, I gotta go," he said while taking Cupcake out of my arms.

"Wait, what are you doing? You just got here," I protested, hoping for him to stay a bit longer.

"Yeah. And now I'm just leaving," he replied as he started to walk away. Why would he leave? I hadn't said anything that would make him want to...and he had seemed perfectly happy to stay until the camera broke.

"You're not just leaving because the camera broke, are you?" I asked. Chad's look in response said it all. "Oh my gosh, you're leaving because the camera broke!" Did that mean it had all just been for the camera?

"No, that's not the only reason!" Chad argued back. But that still meant it was one of the reasons. I could only imagine how awful the other reason must be.

"Let me guess, the dog's a rental?" I said sarcastically. Chad didn't reply, and his somewhat guilty expression shocked me. "Oh my gosh, the dog's a rental!" I bet he didn't even feed hungry dogs. What a jerk.

"Look, it's not that big a deal," Chad tried to defend himself. "You can rent anything in this town. Okay, if I'd gotten bad press for shoving an old lady, I could have rented an old lady." And that was supposed to justify it? What kind of logic was that? Well, I couldn't really judge that. I had thought it was logical that Chad would actually reform and say all those nice things.

"Wait a minute. The cafeteria, the puppy, the you 'catching me later'? You were just trying to use me to make yourself look better!" I paused, and the denial from Chad that I was hoping for didn't come. "God, I'm such an idiot," I cursed myself. Honestly, how many more times could I fall into his little trap?

"Oh, no you're not," Chad assured me. I looked up at him hopefully. "Look at how fast you figured that out!" Okay, that really was not helping matters. So much for "Chad cares"!

"You are unbelievable! You know, I'm not surprised you used me, but to use this poor, sweet, defenseless dog?" Apparently Chad felt no remorse over using me, so I tried to make him feel guilty about Cupcake.

"Hey, I'm not using it for free. This thing's costing me sixty bucks an hour!" Chad rolled his eyes, apparently disgusted by the price. The price. He had just used me, the cameras, the puppy, and God knows who else, and he was upset over sixty lousy bucks. He cared more about the money - and it wasn't even a lot of money - than he did about me. My already wounded pride pretty much collapsed, and in my emotionally vulnerable state, I lashed out at him.

"You - you - you poser! You are the most shallow, self-absorbed, conceited jerkface I have ever met! And you know what? This is my room. And this is my interview. And this is my foot, which is gonna kick you in the butt if you don't get out." Chad lifted his eyebrows like he didn't care, but I saw something in his eyes that was almost regretful. But of course, almost wasn't good enough.

Santiago walked into the room with the cameraman, grinning hugely. Apparently, they had caught my entire outburst on tape. Chad then proceeded to call me "monster," as Santiago left to show the world what a diva I was. The day couldn't get any worse.

But the next day could. My rant was on Tween Weekly TV, and suddenly everyone thought I was explosive. When I went down to the commissary to get Chad to clear my name, I was pelted with bread rolls. Once I reached him, I promised both to Chad and myself that I wouldn't yell or lose my temper before asking the girl sitting next to him for her seat.

"Wow. You are workin' the diva thing." Chad seemed to almost be getting entertainment out of the whole thing.

"I'm not a diva, Chad." I would have thought that he, at least, would know that I wasn't. After all, he knew the truth behind that video.

"I know that," he replied. He smiled sincerely, looking like he cared. Good. Here was his chance to prove it.

"Well, then tell Santiago! I want people to know me for who I am." A concept that Chad probably wouldn't understand. But still, I held out hope that he would talk to Santiago.

"And I want people to know me for who I'm not." So much for that hope. "Look, I like you. And I'm sorry the rest of the world doesn't know the real you," Chad continued sincerely. I almost started to grin at him when I realized that he probably didn't mean it. After all, if what he said was true, why would he have just let Santiago think I was an out-of-control diva?

"It's your fault!" I exclaimed in frustration.

"Is it, Sonny? Is it really?" He tried to use his classic persuasive line to convince me that he was the good guy. Ha. Not happening.

"Yes. It is. Really!" I retorted, starting to reach my breaking point. Honestly, there was only so much I could take.

"...Yeah, I gotta go," Chad said, clearly lacking a Plan B after his usual line failed to work. "I told Santiago I would be building doghouses for homeless dogs in the morning." Ha! Yeah, right.

"You build doghouses?" I asked incredulously, sure of a negative answer. Chad laughed.

"No. No, but I know how to make myself look good in front of the camera," he boasted, an obvious jab at my deficiency in that particular area. I glared at him as he left, realizing that I had accomplished nothing.

After speaking to the girl who had been with Chad earlier, I knew what I had to do. There was only one way to fight fire, and it was with more fire. I showed up the next morning at the park where Chad was building doghouses, determined to make myself look better.

"Oh, hey, Chad! Is this the house you've been building for homeless dogs? Impressive." I took on the persona of my usual, peppy self, with a hint of sarcasm and mockery of Chad's behavior on Monday. Chad gave a small fake laugh.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly confused by my presence.

"Oh, Chompers and I were in the neighborhood, and we thought we'd stop by and bring you some extra nails. We knew you were building doghouses. You know, it never hurts to be nice!" I smiled widely at him, letting him see how ridiculous his little charade was. "Oh, Santiago, my man! I didn't see you there!" Santiago smiled and looked down, knowing what I was aiming for. Chad put his arm around me and pulled me to him. I told myself not to be affected by it, but my toes still danced just a bit.

"I know what you're doing," Chad said to me in a low voice as he held me close to him. And I knew what he was doing. He was probably trying to dazzle me once more. But it wasn't going to work.

"Do you, Chad? Do you really?" I glared at him as I stole his line. He shook his head at me, seemingly ready for battle. I took his hammer and turned towards the camera, ready to make myself shine.

Two hours later, Santiago decided to check in on our houses. I twisted another one of Chad's lines around by saying "It's not about the houses, Santiago. It's all about the dogs. Right, Chad?" I turned to him with a grin.

"...right," he replied, smiling nervously. I laughed to myself.

"If it was all about the houses, there would be no contest," I added.

"So is this all just a contest to you?" Santiago pounced on my statement. I sputtered in disbelief as he told the camera, "Out-of-control diva? Also an overcompetitive diva." Chad let out a laugh, and I looked back at him with disgust. Santiago walked off, and I sighed.

"I give up!"

"Hey, you tried. You tried to make me look bad, but you just couldn't. You're just too nice." I wondered if Chad meant that as a compliment or an insult. Actually, he probably didn't mean it in a certain way at all. He had a tendency not to mean anything he said, as I had found out the hard way. "And I'm too good at pretending to be nice." Well, he got that right.

"I thought I could do to you what you did to me. But I guess I can't play this game as well as you can," I said regretfully. "I have to give you props."

"Oh, props accepted. I mean, the way I suckered you into letting me use your press to make me look better? That was brilliant!" He smirked, basking in the glory of his genius. Time to make him look like a fool.

"Well, you do do some of your best work on camera." I smiled appreciatively at him. He laughed before realizing that he didn't know what I meant.

"What do you mean?"

"You're on camera! Smile into my hat," I grinned, proud that I had bested him.

"You didn't." Chad's expression of shock made me laugh.

"But I did," I shrugged while taking off my hat and pulling out the hidden camera. "Bad girl revealed to be good, heartthrob revealed to be jerkthrob. On her way to Santiago Heraldo, I'm Sonny Munroe," I said into the camera, sneaking a triumphant glance at Chad as I did so.

"Well played, Munroe," Chad said with grudging admiration. Wait, what? Admiration?

"Props accepted," I gloated with a smile.

"We should hang out sometime." He looked straight into my eyes, and I trembled a bit. No, no, I was not going to fall for it again!

"The camera's off, Chad," I reminded him. He might as well stop pretending.

"I know." Everything about it seemed genuine – the way he looked at me, the way he spoke, the way I felt myself go weak in the knees. I ducked my head in embarrassment before offering a shy smile and walking away. Fake? Maybe. Genuine? I hoped so. Complicated? Most definitely. But that was the definition of Chad Dylan Cooper.

A/N: Please review! Please please please!