I think it is now safe to declare that I, Imani Akemi, suck with updates. I said two weeks, and I'm pretty sure it's been three. I mean really, of course I'd start having a life right when the story really starts to get...what's the word? Exciting? Maybe. It's almost 3 in the morning, and I'm tired, and I suck with words right now. I'm surprised I was able to finish this chapter.

In conclusion, please forgive me and my sucky-update-ness. I caught up on SWAC episodes, by the way, but I missed last Sunday's. Anyone wanna fill me in, or tell me what the episode name is so I can look it up on youtube? Gracias (:

On most days, I've been woken up in pain and annoyance. A vast difference from how I woke up back home: feeling numb. This time, I experienced neither. I didn't wake up with a blaring alarm clock, or pain induced from a hangover, or Chad's obnoxious voice. All I heard was the soft humming of the vacuum downstairs; the cleaning service was still there. Apparently, the mess was bigger than either of us thought.

No, I woke up peaceful and content, which is exactly how I felt yesterday evening.

I pointed out to Chad that soup might not help dull down my fever. It wasn't dangerously high, but it wasn't exactly healthy either. So, he left the room again without explanation, returning with advil, apple juice, and amazing…perfect…cookie dough icecream.

He won me over as soon as I saw the sprinkles on top of the TV tray.

While the medicine worked its magic, Chad and I just…talked. We were lying on the bed flat on our back, looking up at the ceiling. I was under the blanket, he was on top.

We talked about what I've done, what he's done…everything. Well, not exactly everything. We carefully steered around anything having to do with my old life here, Tawni, and most importantly, us. It was so weird, lying in the bed, in his house, talking about his old projects and his future projects, and me talking about all of the rambunctious and sometimes ungrateful costumers at my uncle's restaurant. Our conversations were so new, so unfamiliar, yet it felt like old times. Or maybe old times in a new way. It was like a child's favorite toy, and then, when the child has children of their own, they see the toy again with a new, weird, slightly sickening spin on it.

The last thing I remember is me asking about his mother. He was telling me about all of the crazy parties he's been to, which made me wonder about his mom. He was always a momma's boy, and Mrs. Cooper expressed many times that she wanted to keep him grounded, even though I always sensed a faint look in her eye that revealed that she knew that it wasn't working. I'm sure his mom would have put up a fight anyway if she ever found out about all of the crazy things Chad has done. Even if Chad never told her, I'm sure they must have been all over the magazines.

What I wasn't expecting was his answer. His loving, dedicated mother cheated on Mr. Cooper with a younger man, no more than five years older than Chad, and now resides in some tropical island thousands of miles away. Her and Chad haven't spoken in two years.

I looked over at him then, sensing much more vulnerability from him than I've seen in the past week. Hearing that, although very sad, made him seem…human. I had always imagined him as the big bad wolf. The guy who destroyed my life and who was seemingly invincible. But after that, it was like he was an innocent bystander, just minding his own business while the big bad wolf blew down all of the poor little pig's houses.

He quickly followed the news up with this: "It doesn't matter. It wasn't anything new. In the past few years, I've lost a lot of people who were really important to me."

I felt myself melt a little inside. Also, I couldn't help but wonder if I was one of them. But I didn't dare ask.

Minutes later, my new, favorable opinion of him was torn down like a California earthquake would a tiny shed with his unknowingly self-destructive words. Maybe for a moment, he mistook me for one of his guy friends, because he laughed and said something very pig-headed about the girls he sees at the parties he goes to, and how that somehow makes up for all the crappy stuff in his life.

Idiot.

Other than that, the night went smoothly.

The hum of the vacuum continued to sing to me. However, my serene mood was shaken out of control the second I turned over.

Chad.

Was.

In.

My.

Bed.

I didn't even have time to take in his slightly ruffled, out of place blonde hair, the bit of drool escaping his mouth, or the melodic rhythm of his breathing. Only for a brief moment I felt myself warm at how right it felt for his face to be the first thing I see, and then I freaked. I heard myself let out a girlish squeal and tumbled out of the bed and onto the carpeted floor, which thankfully cushioned my fall.

Unfortunately, it still hurt. As my leg came down, it dragged the lamp beside the bed down with it, causing a louder-than-needed, taunting domino effect. I cringed, hoping the banging noises would stop before Chad wakes up. I didn't know why I wanted him to stay sleep, I just did. Maybe it was so I could chill, let myself think for a while.

Sadly, my silent prayers were not answer. Chad stirred with a load groan and audible yawn. His legs became tangled in the sheets before he popped his eyes opened and sat up.

I saw his cold, tired, ice blue eyes scan the room for anything out of the ordinary. The action felt so routine, like I'd seen him do it a million times. Eh, I guess it is possible that I might have dreamt with it when I was still going through Chad Withdrawal - A pathetic part of my life that I definitely do not want to relive.

Finally, his eyes fell on the mess surrounding me…and well, me.

"What are you doing on the floor?" he asked in a groggy voice.

My eyes met with his and I did not waver. I remembered how I fell asleep: drugged and exhausted at only 8PM. He was wide awake. He had plenty of time to relocate. It's not like we both crashed at the same time.

I raised a perfectly plucked (Thanks, Elyse) eyebrow. "What are you doing in my bed?" I countered.

He was only taken aback for a brief moment before regaining his composure. He smirked his infamous smirk. "I was hoping you'd notice."

I rolled my eyes. "How could I not? You snore like a pig."

He chuckled sarcastically. "No, I don't."

"How would you know?" I challenged. The words flowed out of my mouth so naturally. I didn't even have to think about it. Arguing with Chad was just a way of life.

"Because girls never complain about it." he said simply. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy and annoyance at what he was implying.

"You're disgusting." I spat, rolling myself into an upright position and shaking my hair out of my face.

"And you have morning breath. Seriously, I can smell it all the way from over here." he complained, fanning his nose.

I felt my cheeks heat in embarrassment. I didn't bother doing a breath check. I raced straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best approach. Maybe I should have acted more I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-me.

Oh well.

I was in the middle of brushing and had my purple toothbrush in my mouth when Chad peeked in, hanging from the door frame with a slight smirk on his face. "I was kidding, you know."

I rolled my eyes, hoping to convey the message of It's not like I wasn't going to brush my teeth anyway.

He shrugged and left the room.

"Feeling better?" he asked as I came out of the bathroom minutes later, breath undoubtedly fresh.

"Honestly, I forgot I was sick in the first place." I shrugged. "Must've been a twenty-four hour bug or something."

"Cool, so you're totally better?" he checked, and I couldn't help but check him. Out. As much as I hate to admit it, he looked awfully adorable just waking up. It must be the whole wolf in sheep clothing thing.

His blonde hair was ruffled and out of place, in a good way. His blue eyes popped more than usual. Maybe it was the sun? And his clothes were wrinkled in a somehow elegant way.

…Which brings us to his thin, white undershirt.

I realized I hadn't replied yet and quickly snatched my eyes from his upper torso before he noticed and called me out on it. "I have a tiny headache and I feel a little sniffly, but that's about it."

For a moment, he looked like he was thinking. "Hmm…well, maybe all you need is a little fresh air."

When he said that, my immediate theory of what he had in mind was me doing my daily duties, you know, making beds, organizing the fridge, only…with the window open! Or maybe even me running an errand for him.

I was wrong.

What he meant was the two of us going shopping. Together. "I was gonna send you out by yourself, but I don't want you to get the wrong stuff. Plus, I have nothing better to do today. Might as well join you." he said.

And with that, we went our separate ways in preparation. I didn't know whether to be excited or scared. This was definitely going to be a change, and maybe I needed that. I also knew that Chad's good mood might not last long, and we'll probably end up getting into a serious fight before the day's over.

And if we didn't, I had even more of a reason to be afraid.

I was hoping that I was ready before Chad so I could brag and maybe even tease him by calling him a girl. You know, for old times sake. I knew how long it used to take to do his hair, but I hadn't considered that it's in a different style now, and he doesn't need to take time to perfect his Mackenzie Falls uniform either. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, he was dressed, ready, and twiddling on his phone. "Took you long enough," he muttered.

Miraculously, the room looked pretty much spotless. It was hard to believe that a little over 24 hours ago, it was completely trashed by Hollywood's most famous and most infamous young adults.

"Perfection takes time." I joked, using what had to be one of his most-used phrases that I could remember. Every time I would tease him about taking too long to get ready, he'd use that excuse. I think I used to find it kind of charming.

Chad gave me a small smile in recognition with a hint of nostalgia behind his pure white teeth.

"Ready to go?" he asked, standing up. I nodded and re-secured my already secure purse on my shoulder.

"You don't look awful today, just by the way." he said. I think it was a complement.

"Thanks," I said with a hint of question behind it.

My outfit today was simple. Nothing special at all. Dark gray sweatpants that stopped at the top of my ankles, a million multi-colored bracelets reaching my elbow that might be mistaken as trendy, and a muddy green t-shirt that read, "CEREAL KILLER". Of course, it showed an animated box of Cap'n Crunch with an angry looking fork stabbing at it. It was a gift from my mother.

And then, we were heading out. He opened the door for me in a very gentlemanly manner, and I stepped out, feeling the warm sun caress my pale skin. He walked out as well, closing the door.

Just then, a head of one of someone from the cleaning service popped out. "Mr. Cooper," she said urgently, getting his attention. She had a strong accent, but I couldn't figure out where from. "Before you leave, I just wanted to let you know that all of the mess is cleaned, except for some stains in the bathroom."

Chad made a face. "Ew, what kind of stains?"

She shook her head fervently, her black hair dancing. "Not that kind. Blood." she clarified.

Chad, not knowing what to think, scratched the back of his head nervously.

Unlike Chad, I did know what to think, and it wasn't good. I was thinking it so hard that I was about to cry.

"Um, which bathroom?" I asked, praying it was a different one than the one I had in mind.

"The one nearest to the living room." she said. I felt my my heart plummet into my stomach and twist, upsetting it all over again. I cursed to myself. That was my favorite bathroom. I stained my favorite bathroom. Chad was going to figure out how it happened. Bye bye light-hearted Cooper, hello dead Munroe.

"Would you like to see what I mean?" the lady asked. Chad nodded and went back inside.

I stood on the porch for a few more seconds, taking in as much fresh air as I could. I heard the birds chirping playfully and saw them zooming by happily. It was impossible for something so bad to happen on such a lovely day, right?

Sighing in defeat, I walked back into the house, dreading what was to come.