For the song in the last chapter, it was my fault that none of you got it. I forgot to put in two lines, that would have probably helped:

"How long can you kick somebody down before a foot breaks?"

and

"Why can't I get through the night without another fight?"

The song was Open, from Demi's demo CD. It is by no means a well known song, haha.

I was going to go ahead and write the party chapter, but this just came to me so I decided to just save the real drama for the next chapter. This is a bit of a filler, but I like it.

"No that is not okay! Do you know who I am? I'm Chad Dylan effing Cooper!"

"Yeah, well, that just doesn't cut it!"

"Consider yourself uninvited, loser."

Chad's constant screaming at whoever he was talking to (I'm assuming on the phone, since I never heard a reply. But who knows, maybe he's talking to his imaginary friend or something) caused my eyes to involuntarily shoot wide open, disturbing me from my surprisingly peaceful sleep. Usually, I was constantly haunted and harassed by my nightmares. On the upside however, he who shall not be named has not been included. They mainly consisted of thoughts of my mother, that I have pushed to the back of my mind every day. The unthinkable refused to leave me alone. When I think about it that way, I was extremely grateful for being abruptly woken up. Who knows what kind of disturbing dreams could have creeped up on me.

After jumping when I heard another burst of an angry Chad, I rolled my eyes and decided to head downstairs to see what was up. After a good five minutes, I looked semi-decent. I still had on my pajamas, but hey, at least my breath didn't smell like crap and my hair was a bit tamed. I glanced at the clock before I left the room, and noticed that it was ten o' clock in the morning. It wasn't like Chad to not have woken me up already, even if we did have some sort of a truce. I wondered exactly how much nicer he was going to be torwards me.

I anxiously power-walked down the stairs (I am so not gonna risk running down the stairs and falling again) to be greeted by a red-faced Chad, and a zoned out Tawni. I was about to ask them what was going on, but Tawni looked up from her ever attention grabbing nail filing and saw me. "Oh, hey, Son…I mean, Allison. Or can I call you Alli?" she asked, pressing her sparkly lime green nail filer to her chin.

"No." I said sternly, holding the banister.

"Then what about Son? I mean, doesn't that work? It's kinda like Sonny…but it's the end of Allison, too."

"That's how my friends and family came up with the name Sonny…" I told her slowly. Her mouth made an O shape, and then she started to speak again. "Well, what about-"

"Tawni, will you shut up?!" Chad demanded, lifting his head from his hands. Tawni glared at him, but stopped talking anyway. I hesitantly walked further into the room. "What's going on, anyway?" I finally asked.

"Chad's stressing because of lack of alcohol." Tawni briefly explained.

"That makes me sound like an alcoholic. It's for the party." Chad clarified, clearly for my benefit. "I hired a guy who was supposed to bring tons of every kind here, but he forgot the beer! My bar is empty from the last party I had. I'm not really the kind of guy who drinks by himself, so usually I only drink when I'm out. And it's not gonna be like some college party where the guests bring a keg or anything. That's not classy. So he came here, and then said, 'oh, I forgot the beer' like it was no big deal!" Chad ranted, burying his head in his hands once again. His voice dropped a few octaves and produced a hillbilly accent when he imitated Beer Guy. Tawni stood up and awkwardly patted his back.

"I'd go run out and get some, but I've got to stay here with the dancers and show the DJ where to set up…" Tawni trailed off.

"But I've got to stay here and go over last minute details…" Chad said.

"Didn't you do that like ten times already?"

"Yeah, but you can never be sure."

"Can't you take a teensy bit of time off and run out and get it?"

"No, but you can, right?"

"No, Chad, I just explained that I have to stay here to-"

"Guys!" I interrupted. "I can get it." I volunteered, raising my right hand.

They both turned torwards me, Chad with a surprised expression. "Really?"

"Really." I confirmed. "Unless I have some work to do, Chad?"

He thought for a minute. "Well, the main room needs some maintenance, and the downstairs bathroom, but that's about it. I guess you have some extra time to run out, but make it quick. You sure you want to do that, Sonny?"

"Hey, how come he gets to call you Sonny?!" Tawni protested.

"Yeah, Chad, sure," I told him, ignoring Tawni's pleas. "I mean, what are friends for, right?" I offered a small smile. "I'll just go upstairs and…clean myself up a bit, then I'll go out. Give me twenty minutes?" I asked.

"Sure." he smiled gratefully at me. "No problem. Thanks, Sonny. This takes a big load off."

Tawni gave me a knowing smirk, as if she knew I was going to go get it anyway.

I melted a little at Chad's shocking…friendliness and manners, and was unable to hold back a grin. I hadn't found him this attractive in a very, very long time. Before it could get any worse, I waved goodbye and ran up the steps.

I laid out my clothes while the shower water was warming up. Since I was going out, I wanted to make myself look...okay. I mean, I know it's completely uncharacteristic of me to care about my looks now a days, but something about being back in Hollywood brought out the need in me not to look…well, gothic. I selected dark purple skinny jeans, a violet t-shirt, a black baseball cap, and a black sweat jacket to go over the shorter shirt. Basically, I would look like a celebrity going out in public with a desperate need of a cheeseburger, not wanting to get their picture plastered all across America.

My time in the shower was the most peaceful time I've had in…I can't remember when. The warm water massaged my back, and relieved me of my bottled up tension. I never wanted to get out, but I remembered I still had to blow dry my hair and get dressed, and I promised Chad I'd be ready in twenty minutes. And for some reason, I felt as if I would be extremely disappointed in myself if I let him down. Wrapping myself in a soft white towel, I left my steamy bathroom, and back to my bedroom. Let's see, should I wear wedges or flats? I better go with flats, just in case I decide to be clumsy today. I mean, I kinda stepped out of the shoes a few times when I tried them on, but it's not that big of a-

"Oh, oh my God!" Chad screeched. Chad?!

I halted, dead in my tracks, and gaped, mouth wide open, at my predicament. Strangely enough, Chad wasn't ogling me. And he wasn't teasing me, hinting that I should open up my towel and show him more or anything pervy and Chad-like like that. He actually looked to be in as much shock as I was, and then covered his eyes. I had always assumed that the way he would stare at me when I had on those "special" clothes, was to piss me off. He knew I always hated being looked at, and thought of as hot. He called me it all the time when we were dating, but I was under the foolish impression that he loved me, so it was okay for him to say I was hot, because he obviously didn't just date me for my body.

Oh, how naïve I was.

"Um, sorry." Chad mumbled, half of his face still covered by his hand. "I just wanted to see if you were ready…change of plans, and you need to be home earlier than I anticipated…and I knocked…but you didn't answer…so I was scared that you passed out or something. I mean, you barely ate yesterday, and you haven't eaten yet today…"

"Chad, I just woke up."

"Oh. But, well, still, you never know. I was worried, okay?" he said. He was worried? As in, concerned? As in, care? About me? For me? "So, um, hurry down, okay?"

"Okay." I said calmly, even though I was freaking out on the inside. Why did Chad always have to get my hopes up? He would just end up crushing me by the end of the day. I just know it.

"Okay, good." he said, smiling satisfactorily. He awkwardly shuffled out of the room, his hand still covering his eyes. I couldn't help but let out a giggle at how uncomfortable he was. "Oh, no, Chad, a little to the lef-" I tried to warn him, but it was too late. His forehead banged into the frame of the door. Ouch. "I'm okay." he squeaked.

After he was gone, I attempted to block out my majorly embarrassing situation by turning on a ten year old radio I found the day before, hidden in the back of the closet. I turned to my favorite station, and let the booming rock music clear my mind. Be ready in two songs, I told myself. Wouldn't want Chad to have to come back up. Or worse, Tawni. I shuddered as I imagined her sharp, manicured nails digging into my vulnerable skin. Even a few extra minutes of relaxation wasn't worth either of those two results.

One All Time Low and one Flyleaf later, I was dressed, dry, and…not ready to take on the world, but close enough.

When I got downstairs, the mood had changed completely. Tawni was now on the phone instead of Chad, and she wasn't screaming into it. Chad had his phone in his hands too, but he was texting. Most likely his close friends about the party. I wondered who his close friends were now. When we were dating, it was mainly the Mackenzie Falls cast and a few extra ultra-famous people. After all, Chad Dylan Cooper could not be seen with people lower than him. An internal light bulb should have gone off for me because of that. Sure, personality wise, I considered myself to be above him. But that's not what he took into consideration. For him, it was a matter of fame and fortune. Both of which, I had little.

"So, whose car am I taking?" I asked, walking further into the living room. Chad and Tawni's blonde heads shot up at the exact same moment, looking up at me. At a first glance, they looked exactly the same, except for Chad's face still bright red, most likely out of embarassment for walking in on me. I remember, before, I thought of them as twins. With their light colored hair, and their obnoxious attitudes. Which is another perfect reason why I pray they aren't dating. I mean, first of all, you shouldn't date your best friend's ex's…even though she already did that…and we're not best friends anymore…but still. And if they dated, it'd be like twins dating each other. Can you say incest?

"Don't touch my baby!" Chad screeched, with the most frightened look in his eyes I've ever seen. Tawni rolled her eyes. "Freak," she muttered. "Here, take my car," she said to me, tossing her shiny silver keys. I expertly caught them by cupping my hands. Chad's startled face slowly faded into relaxation again, and he leaned back into his chair. "So where exactly am I going?"

"Oh, right!" Chad exclaimed. "Directions. I'll text them to you."

"Text? Why not just write it down and hand it to me?"

Chad chuckled. "That's stupid."

I had a feeling pen and paper would soon fade into extinction.

A few seconds later, my phone beeped. Did he have super magic thumbs or something?

I yanked my phone out of my purse, and carefully, but quickly, read the address. "Hey, how did you get my number anyway?" I curiously inquired. "Sonny, think about it," he said, "I got your number the same way I got your address. Duh."

I opened my mouth to ask how exactly he got that in the first place, figuring the papparazzi never found out where I moved to, and there are hundreds of other Allison Monroe's, but I decided best not to. He would just give me a cryptic answer anyway.

I waved a quick goodbye after Chad handed me some money, and I headed out the door. As soon as I had a foot outside, I inhaled slightly, ready to bask in the warm California weather. When I first arrived here nearly a week ago, it was sunny, clear, and comfortably hot. Even the air smelled strangely fresh. Now, it was rainy, cloudy, foggy, and the thick smell of pollution and burnt tires returned. I didn't feel like going back inside to find an umbrella, since we were apparently on a tight time schedule and all, so I ran as fast as I could down the path, to Tawni's car.

Thankfully, the ride there went without incident. Tawni's tiny car rode smoothly, and the seats were mega comfortable. When I arrived at the liquor store, I was unsure of what to do first. I was never much of a drinker, even though I'm legal, therefore I had never set foot inside of a liquor store. Was I supposed to ask at the counter? No, that would look too amateur. Beer is a pretty popular drink, wouldn't it be like at the front of the store or something?

I eventually worked up enough courage, and walked inside. Surprisingly, the place didn't look sketchy at all. It was actually quite elegant in a way. This must be where all of the celebrities get their supply. As soon as I took my first glance around, I noticed a refrigerator. In said refrigerator, were bottles of beer.

Hallelujah.

How many should I get? I mean…it's gonna be a big party…I guess I should get…a lot? Say, twenty? Yeah, twenty sounds good. I managed to maneuver three glass bottles into my arms, and raced to the counter. "Be right back," I told the cashier, and ran back to the fridge to get three more. The cashier looked amused as the cycle continued. I practically threw the money at him, and sighed in relief as he was putting them all in a giant, strong looking, brown paper bag for me. I smiled gratefully at him, and showed him my I.D.

A few minutes later, I was back in the horrendous weather, trying to balance a bag in my arm that probably weighed more than I do. A creepy looking man was starting to approach me, so I walked faster to the car. He looked to be in his early forties, and had a hobo-ish look to him. How he carried himself reminded me a lot of my uncle. And by no means was that a good sign.

"Hey, ma'am, want me to help you with that?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine." I said, smiling at him politely.

"Oh, no. Wouldn't want a pretty lady like you to break her arms now, right?"

"Really, I'm okay." I insisted.

"You're not." he said forcefully, making me even more scared than I was before. I set the bag down on the ground and quickly fiddled with the keys. Open, open, open, I willed it. Instead, its energy decided to go in the opposite direction, probably just to piss me off. My shoe slipped off, so I bent my knees to slide it back in. As I was doing that, my hand lost its grip on the keys, and they fell into a sea of mud. I nervously turned my head, to see if Mr. Creep was still there. He wasn't. He must have gone inside. I'm just paranoid.

Regardless, I desperately dove my hand inside of the oversized puddle, and dug for my keys. I felt sharp metal scratch my finger, and yanked them out. I spun my head around again, and saw the man get into his car. I stood up straight, and roughly inserted the key. I threw the bag inside, and jumped in my car, spinning my head around again, just in case. I saw Mr. Creep enter his car, and spastically started the engine. I raced back to Chad's as fast as I could, running every yellow light in sight.

I never thought I would be more thankful to see Chad's mansion. I had calmed down some, knowing Mr. Creep could never get past those gates.

"Hey, you okay?" Chad asked, as soon as I was safely inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I told him.

"You don't look fine." he observed. His face appeared to be concerned. He walked closer to me. "Did something happen?" he asked.

"No, not really." I lied. "The bag is in the car."

He looked at me for a second, hesitating to and get it. He stepped even closer to me, instead of walking around me to the door. In the blink of an eye, I was in his arms. He was squeezed me securely, and warmly, causing me to let out a helpless squeak. He released me, and then walked away without a second glance.

"W-What was that for?" I squealed.

He turned back around to me, and gave me his infamous smirk. "Looked like you needed one."

I felt myself smile at him, a little more than grateful. I needed that. "Hey," he added, "You better clean up and get dressed. The guests will be here before you know it."