Hey there folks… there was another greeting somewhere in the SWAC episode I was watching today, but I forgot it. DANG. Anyway, this is a quick update, because I'm going away for a week tomorrow, and then off to Italy after that, so I really won't be around to update much :P I'm having slight writers block, so this is kind of a filler. The story is almost over, I'm afraid :/ I'm gunna start working on other things, because I have tons of ideas, but this story is kind of a burden. There are so many fans of it it's hard not to update :P I want to reach 150 by the end though, and there are only 3 or so chapters left, so KEEP REVIEWING. Each one makes me smileeee (: Here is a ROUGH chapter 9…

PS New pen namee (: someone called me an understatement the other day…. Thought I'd give it a try :P

CPOV

This moment was the definition of awkward.

Sonny had decided that she couldn't leave me here at some greasy diner in god knows where, so after I had been standing on the slope near the car for some minutes, mentally slapping myself in the face for what I had just done, I heard light footsteps to my right. I slowly turned to see Sonny approach, her eyes swollen and her face as empty as my growling stomach.

"Get in the car, Cooper," she'd quietly stated after a few moments of piercing silence, before trudging back down to the car, arms folded.

So here we now were. Her in the passenger seat, her face still puffy, and me, my posture carved from stone except for my wrists turning the steering wheel every now and then.

As I said before. Awkward.

I could have just said sorry. She would accept after a while, and we would have gotten on with our lives, with an occasional painful memory. But I didn't want to.

It was the stupidest thing I had ever said. I would regret it for the rest of my life. If another guy had ever said that to her, I would have punched them in the face. Nobody "fools around" with Sonny. It's like doing it with Tinkerbell. I should be tossed in jail for it.

Chad didn't want to say it. But my ego did.

I'm not an idiot. I was completely whipped, and was aware of it. Sonny held my heart as tightly as a fat kid holding an ice cream cone.

It's pretty easy to crush an ice cream cone.

If I'd said we were dating to the creepy waitress, who knows what Sonny could have done. Laughed. Denied it. Slowly snapped my heart into tinier and tinier pieces. And that can't happen. Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't have his heart broken. Especially not by a Random.

But outside the diner, after she had attempted to escape from the diner, I could have admitted my love for her. My pining for her. But I didn't. Instead, I practically committed a felony.

I made Sonny Munroe cry.

And so I had stood, my arms stuck in front of my like a rusty robot's, my eyes watering. I had lied when I said I thought we were just fooling around.

I thought that was what she thought.

My confusion had cost me, but instead of moaning about it, I was going to fix it. As we sat in silence in the car that suddenly seemed so much smaller, I plotted in my head. I made a plan so foolproof it couldn't go wrong.

I was going to tell Sonny I was in love with her.

In front of the whole world.

SPOV

It had been an endless amount of hours when we finally pulled in in front of the hotel we would be staying at. The club opening was the next evening, and it was pretty late already. We'd had to stop for lunch, gas, water, bathroom breaks. We'd got lost, confused, aggravated. And we hadn't uttered a word to each other for the whole trip, despite the seeming impossibility of the whole thing.

The rest of the trip before this morning was just a hazy dream. A memory. The kiss that I had cherished so much was a dreamt joy, an obscure fantasy that had once given me so much happiness. My eyes pricked with tears when the memories passed through my head, but I blinked them away. I was going to go with the theory that the pain from the whole event would pass with time. It would give me the confidence to work through it while it still existed.

Despite our fight, Chad had been a silent gentleman. Opening my door, lifting my elbow to avoid falling over or whatnot, paying for my food, carrying my things. To my surprise, he looked just as awful as I felt. Probably just guilt. Good. He deserved it.

Regardless, I wasn't that mad with him. If he hadn't said it, I would have kept being led on. I should have guessed, really. This was Chad we were talking about. He could never have feelings for me. He was obviously just a teenage boy, ruled by his hormones. I was stupid to not see that.

The silence was slightly pointless. The awkwardness was so strong you could smell it, and even the radio wasn't enough to distract us from the utter boredom. Our only interaction of any kind was when Don't Stop Believin' began to play (A/N don't you just love some glee :D) and he sang the beginning verse. It kinda turned into a duet from then on, I singing the second verse and so on. Although I would never tell him due to his already fit to burst ego, he could really sing. And it was fun. After, we even exchanged a smile. But that was it. A small twist of the lips. And then the never-ending silence once more…

Chad, once again being the gentleman, assisted me from the car, taking my hand briefly to stop me from tripping on the pavement. I blushed at the contact – it was very childish, but anything Chad did that was kind was honoured – the moments rarely came, and then they were gone.

This habit had changed slightly over the past few days.

I walked into the hotel, not really noticing my surroundings. I could feel Chad beside me, and I suddenly found my shoes incredibly interesting.

I heard Chad say, "Hello, two rooms under the name Cooper," and I looked up. To our left, behind the desk, three young women sat staring at Chad. Their eyes were like moons, until their gazes turned to me. I saw the corners of their mouths turn down, and small sighs escape their lips. I found myself feeling a bit better. At least I wouldn't have to deal with the green monster if Chad brought a girl into the equation.

The woman in front of us had a small crease between her eyebrows now, and a ferocious clicking could be heard from the computer.

"Is there a problem?" Inquired Chad, who was tapping his foot against the ground in impatience.

"Well, there seems to be only one room booked under the name of Cooper."

He sighed. "Okay then, try Munroe."

The woman began to click away again, but the crease did not fade, and she looked up. "There is a double suite booked under the name of Cooper. The Valentine Suite, I believe."

I felt Chad tense up beside me. My eyebrows were raised to their limits, and my insides had stilled. Valentine Suite? Of all the situations, this had to be the one we got stuck in. Thanks a lot, fate.

"Well, could we book another room then? Just for tonight?" Asked Chad, his voice slightly high pitched.

The woman let out a cynical laugh. "Are you kidding? It's the summer holidays, my friend. We're fully booked. Ever read a book?"

I chuckled at this, trying to control a laughing fit as to avoid a moody Chad. He was obviously struggling to keep calm – he wasn't used to this level of insult. His hands were balled in tight fists.

"Fine. May we have the room key, please?" At this, I freaked. Wait, he was settling for this? No, "I'm Chad Dylan Cooper" or "Where is the manager?" This was bizarre. Plus, sorting out sleeping arrangements was going to be super awkward. Since it was Chad, I'd probably end up on the sofa. Yay.

Chad trudged toward the elevator, key card in hand, and I followed, worry almost certainly showing on my face.

This was going to be an interesting night…

Wow, that was awful. Sorry for the terrible writing! I have the rest of the story planned though. Don't you worry 'bout a thannnggg (: more Channy next chapter, I promise :P By the way, if you're a gleek like ME and you love Finn and Rachel like MEEE then check out The Minsk. She writes amazing fanfics about them, and although they are pretty, hem, erotic, they are truly amazing. Check it outtt :P Also, SciFiGeek14 has great stories… To Catch a Cooper and Check Out Chad are awesome :P Anyway, see you in a week… PEACE OUT SUCKKKASSS X