A/N: This is one of the slower chapters, but it ended up being the longest. The next chapter will be up this Friday. By the way, thinks for your awesome reviews!
December 25th
The next morning, the groggy young people awoke to the smell of gingerbread and wood burning in the fireplace along with the sound of Christmas music. Of course, the first ones awake were the two cheery women who were in the Christmas spirit. Just before they started baking the gingerbread cookies, the chipper blonde first grader skipped into the living room and spotted them in the kitchen. She decided to help them with the cookies as she eagerly waited for everyone to wake up so they could open presents. One by one, the teens and young adults emerged from their slumber. By the time everyone was awake, it was almost time for lunch. Once everything was cleaned up and put away, the group began handing out their gifts to each other.
Most of them were easy to buy for. The Random boys absolutely loved the assortment of video games and comedy movies they received. Skyler's gifts mainly consisted of musical memorabilia, considering he was a huge musical theatre enthusiast. Chase seemed to have collected a plethora of books and classical music. For Rider, he was given many band related items ranging from t-shirts to signed CD's. When he opened the gift Chase had given him, the reaction was priceless.
"The bass guitar used in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,autographed by Michael Cera?" he exclaimed, holding a picture of it in his hand.
Shrugging, Chase replied, "It wasn't that difficult to find."
"Oh, just come here, you," Rider grinned, advancing toward Chase he nearly back into the Christmas tree.
The older boy overwhelmed his friend in a hug who squirmed, trying to escape. Just before Chase broke free of Rider's arms, Rider kissed him on the cheek and grinned.
For Luke, everybody bought him the highest quality notebooks, paints, pencils, and erasers. Logan's gifts consisted of things from a sports fan's wildest dreams such as autographed pictures, authentic jerseys, and sports related movies.
In addition to that, Luke had painted him a picture of the game winning touchdown in one of Logan's favorite football games. His face immediately brightened when he pulled the small canvas out of the box. His eyes met Luke's as he grinned, "Thanks, Luke," and pulled him into a bear hug. Luke blushed furiously, but the only one who seemed to notice was Cassie.
The girls were a bit more difficult to shop for. The two younger Random girls weren't because all they really wanted was science equipment and spy gear. But when it came to the three older ones, most of them had no idea how to shop for them, but luckily they knew the basics of what they liked. Penelope and Portlyn enjoyed what every girly girl does: dresses, shoes, and accessories.
Tawni, like the other girls, also enjoyed receiving such. From Skyler and Sonny, she was given a pink topaz necklace with matching earrings. From Portlyn and Penelope, she received an envelope enclosing a note that read, "We'll take you on a shopping spree to anywhere in the city sometime this week!"
Even the younger girls, Audrey and Zora, knew what to get her. Of course, they couldn't pass up a chance to give their costar a scare. Once she had thrown the gag rubber snake at the pranksters, she reached back into the bag and pulled out a feather clutch purse. "To match that dress you bought for the next Tween Choice Awards," they explained with innocent smiles as everybody laughed.
The Random boys, being less knowledgeable about buying gifts for girls, printed up five certificates that said, "You'll do whatever I ask for one whole day." A puzzled expression appeared on her face as she read the title.
"Just give one of us a certificate and we'll do whatever you want for a whole day," Grady clarified.
"Oh," Tawni nodded. "Thanks!"
Over in Cassie's area of the room, she was surrounded by CD's, DVD's, and video games. Once everyone had figured out that Cassie wanted to be a singer or an actress someday, they decided to find things to help her improve. CD's for vocal exercises, DVD's for observing the actors and actresses, video games that help improve a person's singing voice.
Finally, only one box was left for her. Reciting the card aloud, she said, "Hopefully this will come in handy when you make it to stardom." She smiled to him across the room and set the card down. Opening the box and removing the tissue paper, she pulled out an old Polaroid camera that printed pictures instantly. Along with it were a few packages of the refill film cards and a small corkboard with pushpins to pin the developed pictures on.
Grinning, she beckoned him over. Once he sat down next to her, she hugged him and whispered, "Thanks, Luke. I love it."
Across the room, Audrey nudged Zora with her elbow and the two looked at each other mischievously.
Everybody's trains of thought were interrupted by a delighted squeal from Caleigh. Around her were small piles of princess dress up costumes, jewelry, and animated Barbie movies. In her arms was a stuffed animal lavender unicorn.
"Santa Claus did get me a unicorn!" she shrieked, jumping around the room happily as everyone grinned.
"Caleigh, I think you have one more gift to open," Cassie smiled, handing her a small package.
Taking the card off, Caleigh stood next to Cassie, attempting to read the card.
"Merry… Chr-Christmas... Caleigh!" she read, grinning happily when Cassie nodded.
Setting the card down, she tore the pink wrapping paper off, revealing a storybook hand written and illustrated by Luke.
"Pri-Princess Caleigh… and the Magi-Magical… Uni… Corns… Oh! Unicorns! Princess Caleigh and the Magical Unicorns!" she beamed.
Running over to where he was standing, she threw her arms around his waist in a hug and shouted, "Thank you, Luke!"
He patted her head softly and smiled, "You're welcome, Princess Caleigh."
In Sonny's little area, she was surrounded by the presents her friends had given her. From Skyler, she received a blue and yellow scarf and a crystal pendulum necklace. "You said Dwight was one of your favorites, right?" the card had read.
She beamed at him and said, "I love the Dalton stuff, Sky," before hugging him.
"I thought you might," he smiled, shrugging.
As she sat down again, she moved aside the Nerf gun Rider had given her, the TARDIS notebook and Sonic Screwdriver pen from Shayne, the "Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers" piano sheet music book from Zora and Audrey, and the "Glee: The Music, Vol. 7" CD Logan got her.
Next to her was a painting of sunflowers that Luke had painted especially for her and the solar powered flower bobble-heads that the Random boys had gotten her. In front of her was a small box wrapped in outer space patterned wrapping paper. Inside, she removed the Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver replica from Chase.
He watched as she laughed happily and looked to him.
"Thanks, Chase!"
"Hey, if you want, I can modify it to actually open doors when we get back to Los Angeles," he smiled.
Laughing, she hugged him quickly, knowing he wasn't much of a hugger.
From the fabulous three, she was given a white, layered dress with heels to match and a rose hairpin.
As she thanked each of them, Tawni suggested, "Maybe you can wear this stuff when you go to see Phantom of the Opera with James on Friday."
"Good idea," she smiled, nodding.
Overhearing Tawni say "Phantom of the Opera" and "with James on Friday," he slowly back towards the tree and took his envelope off of it, sliding it into his pocket. Inside the envelope were two tickets to the very same show on the very same day. James had beaten him to the punch.
As Chad returned to his spot on the floor, Skyler picked up the cowboy hat he had given Chad and set it on his head. Mock grimacing, Chad lifted the brim up so he could roll his eyes at his best friend. Picking up the small flat package given to him by Skyler, along with the hat, he read the card silently. "Track 2. Give it a listen. Change the name."
He gently tore the paper off, revealing a copy of Darren Criss' EP called, "Human." He rolled his eyes again and smiled, setting it down next to the picture of the brand new electric guitar that Rider, Chase, and Logan promised to get him when they returned to California and the painting of rose on a piano that Luke had painted for him.
Opening the very last box, Chad removed a brand new black leather jacket from Portlyn and Penelope.
"Now you can get rid of that old one," Portlyn beamed, unknowingly referring to the jacket that once belonged to his father.
Instead of bringing it up, Chad just smiled and replied, "Oh. Thanks, Portlyn. Thanks, Penelope."
As he began cleaning up his portion of the room, Sonny approached him.
"Um… Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey."
"Would you mind too terribly if I gave you your Christmas present when we get back to LA?" she asked.
"Oh, nah. I was going to ask you that in just a bit. Nothing here screamed 'Sonny' while I was Christmas shopping," he answered. "Except Broadway tickets," his conscience reminded him bitterly.
"Oh, good," she smiled softly.
"Good," he nodded.
Running a hand through her hair, she replied, "Fine."
"Fine," he said, picking up shreds of wrapping paper.
Sonny stood there, hesitating for a moment before going back to her area and clean up.
Once everyone was done cleaning, lunch was served. A variety of foods such as bagels, Ramen noodles, and salad were laid out on the kitchen counter and dining room table. As Sonny walked into the kitchen to toast a bagel, Hannah exclaimed, "Sonny! Thank you so much for the book. I've always wanted to read 'A Walk To Remember,' but I could never find the time to stop by the library."
"Oh, you're welcome! I thought you might like it," she beamed, dropping the two halves of her bagel into the toaster.
Turning to her mother, Sonny grinned, "Later, we definitely have to watch Charlie St. Cloud."
Connie nodded in agreement as Chad walked into the kitchen, saying, "Ugh. That movie with Efron in it? Why in the world would you want to watch that?"
"You do realize that he's an amazing actor, right?" Sonny rolled her eyes.
"You do realize that he's a jerk, right?" he retorted.
"So are you," she pointed out, picking up a napkin. "Well, sometimes."
"Ouch. I'm wounded, Munroe," he smirked, internally glad that they were speaking again after she had been avoiding him for the entire evening before.
"Sonny, be nice," Connie reprimanded mockingly.
"Wha—Mom!"
Smiling to Chad, Connie shrugged, "What? He gave me the box set of the latest season of Mackenzie Falls."
Shaking her head disapprovingly, Sonny scolded, "I can't believe you watch Mackenzie Falls."
"You used to—" Connie began.
"Mom!" she hissed.
"Oh? Little Miss Sonshine used to be a Mackenzie Falls fan?" Chad smirked, picking up the jar of peanut butter.
Removing her bagel from the toaster, Sonny muttered, "Psh. What? No I wasn't."
She glanced over at the blond whose smirk slowly morphed into a grin.
"Okay, maybe I was…" she mumbled just audible enough for him to hear.
He laughed softly in return, "That's an interesting piece of information."
Before another word could be said, Caleigh came bounding into the kitchen.
"Chaddy, I'm hungry," she said, looking up at him.
"I know, Caleigh. I'm making your sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly alright?"
"Ew, no jelly," she grimaced.
"C'mon, kiddo. You'll love it," he said, glancing down at her.
"Noooo," she shook her head, hiding behind the counter.
"But, Caleigh, all the princesses love peanut butter and jelly," Sonny informed her.
"…They do?" the small blonde asked, peeking over the countertop at the brunette.
"Mhm. It's their favorite," she nodded seriously.
After a few moments of contemplation, Caleigh cautiously sighed, "Okay. I'll try it."
Grinning, Chad put the two halves of the sandwich together and handed the plate to her.
Taking it to the kitchen table, she climbed up onto the chair and took a small bite. A wide grin spread across her face and she chirped, "I like it!"
As Connie, Hannah, and Sonny laughed, Chad walked over to her and kissed the top of her head, mussing her hair, "I knew you would."
"Hey! Watch the hair," she exclaimed, trying to fix it with her forearm since her hands had jelly on them.
"Huh. It is a Cooper thing," Sonny concluded.
Later that afternoon, once all the cups, dishes, and wrapping paper were cleaned up, everybody began getting good use of their Christmas presents.
Immediately after helping tidy up, Luke confined himself to the art studio as usual, eager to try out his new supplies. Cassie, Tawni, Portlyn, and Penelope decided to watch one of the new movies that Cassie had received for Christmas. Taking over the living room, the four girls flopped down on the couches and floor to watch The Last Song. In their room, Audrey and Zora began programming their new spy gear. With the amount of equipment they had altogether, the girls would be unstoppable secret agents.
In the game room annex, Shayne was in the process of teaching the Random boys how to play "Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword." Meanwhile, Rider sat in the back of the room, observing as he loaded his new CD's onto his laptop. Beside him, Chase was already delving into one of his new books on conspiracy theories, muttering about how the writers were half-wits. While everyone occupied themselves with their new belongings and possessions, Logan began skimming through recipes that he and Skyler could prepare for later that night as Skyler loaded one of his new musical soundtracks into the stereo.
In the room she shared with Portlyn, Penelope, and Tawni, Sonny was playing her new Glee CD in her computer and singing along softly as she packed some things away.
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead. Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead…"
Sighing as the song ended, she paused the music and shut her laptop. Picking up the piano book that Zora and Audrey had given her, she stood up and left the room. As she turned down the hallway, she stopped just outside the recording studio. Peeking through the slightly ajar door, she caught a glimpse of the three-name jerkthrob at the piano.
For the last hour, the blond had been playing the same song, using the sheet music he found online. He had took Skyler's advice and listened to the second track of the "Human – EP" CD. He had come to the conclusion that the song was written for a girl named Sami. From the singer's point of view, Sami was a beautiful girl who was completely oblivious to the singer's love for her.
By now, he had the whole song committed to memory.
"Alright, this time I'll record just to see how it turns out," Chad thought to himself.
After setting up the sound equipment, he returned to the piano and straightened out the papers.
I've seen her face, I've heard her name.
I've lost my place and she's to blame.
When he was around a certain brunette, Chad could barely keep his focus. He would stumble over words and blurt stupid things that he really did not mean at all. What he said to her often hurt her and the look in her eyes always told him so. But he knew he couldn't take it back.
And I can't stand it when I'm staring in her eyes,
And she's not looking back.
It ain't a big surprise.
On various occasions, the pair had locked eyes. Neither ever had anything to say, or rather, they couldn't say what they so desperately wanted to. To avoid further awkwardness, she was always the one to break their gaze.
I've heard music, I've heard noise.
I wish that she could hear her voice…
Before the trip began, Chad had heard Sonny sing a few times before. He had heard her songs on the radio every once in a while, but that was it. To him, hearing her in person was the most wonderful experience.
The way that I do, when I go to sleep at night
And dream my life away,
But she's gone when I awake.
The emotion and color of her voice emanated flawlessly through the air. She was the kind of person who could change your mood just by walking into the room.
Sami,
Sami,
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me?
Sonny never seemed to notice the change in Chad's personality when he was around his friends and when they were alone. At least, it wasn't evident to Chad.
The way her hair falls in her eyes, makes me wonder if
She'll ever see through my disguise, I'm under her spell.
From a normal teenage boy's point of view, Sonny could be considered as a stereotypical "hot Hollywood actress." But to Chad, "hot Hollywood actress" didn't do her justice.
Everything is falling, I don't know where to land.
Everyone knows who she is,
But she don't know who I am.
She deserved a much more vibrant and precise description. She had captivated him with her bright personality. To him, that's what made her beautiful. For whatever reason, he could never seem to let her know that.
Sami,
Sami,
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me?
Just before he began the song, Sonny slipped into the booth quietly and observed. She was feeling a bit guilty for intruding, but she recognized the first notes of the song and wanted to talk with him afterwards anyways. Watching silently, she fixed her gaze on the piano as his fingers flew over the keys so gracefully.
I've see you singin' on that stage,
Looking like an angel and all I do is pray…
Listening to the song and seeing the emotion on Chad's face, the pieces began falling into place for Sonny. The only problem was the person he was singing about.
That maybe one day you'll hear my song and understand that all along
There's something more that I'm trying to say, when I say…
The thought that he could be singing about her never once crossed her mind. Straight away, she thought of the girl from the evening before. Samantha Martin. Could he be singing about her? The name fit as well. "It has to be her," Sonny mused, sighing inside.
Sami,
Sami,
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me?
Using music as an opportunity to release his feelings, Chad let all of his emotions run loose into the song. "It wasn't like anyone would ever hear it," he thought sullenly.
Sami,
Sami,
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me,
What you're doing to me?
After both his voice and piano faded out, he sighed deeply and stared at the lyrics written on the pages in front of him. Suddenly, he heard a distinct clap, causing him to turn sharply towards the noise. When he realized it was Sonny, he rubbed the back of his head nervously. Slowly, she pulled the door open and entered the studio.
"That was really good," she said with a soft smile, gesturing to the piano.
"Thanks," he nodded politely.
"I'm sorry for intruding like this. I just heard you playing and recognized the song…" she explained.
"S'alright," he shrugged. "I was just messing around."
"Didn't seem like it to me," she hinted.
In the back of his mind, a voice that oddly reminded him of Chase said, "She knows."
"Thinking about someone in particular?" she questioned, her face blank of all emotion, but her eyes filled with anxiety.
"Not really," he lied flawlessly as he had done many times before. Showing absolutely no trace of his true thoughts or feelings was what he did all day everyday in Hollywood. He wasn't about to stop now.
"You don't have to lie, Chad," she said quietly, resting her hand on the piano. "I already know."
"Told you" his conscience reiterated as he took a deep breath.
"Look, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It's none of my business. I just think that if you like her that much, you should tell her," the brunette suggested sincerely.
"Wait… Who are you talking about?" the blonde asked with a incredibly confused look on his face.
"You and Samantha," she assumed. "Who did you think I was talking about?"
In a moment of hesitation he considered admitting the truth to her, but before he could decide, his mouth automatically blurted, "Oh yeah, me too. I was just checking."
Once the words had left his mouth, he mentally slapped himself. "You could have told her, stupid! You're almost out of time, remember?"
"I think you should tell her," Sonny nodded, reinforcing her suggestion once again.
Lowering his eyes guiltily, she paused, "…You did get her number, right?"
His mind instantly jumped at the opportunity to fix his situation.
"I kind of forgot…"
"Huh. You really must've landed hard on your head when you fell for her," she joked, turning to leave.
Noticing the book in her hand, Chad said, "Wait a sec, Sonny… What's that you're holding?"
"Oh, this? It's piano book I was going to try out before I knew you were in here," she shrugged.
"The studio is yours," he smiled softly, getting up from the piano bench.
Returning the smile, she nodded her thanks and took her place at the piano. Quietly, he exited the studio and took a seat at the computer in the editing room. Ending his recording, he put the headphones on played it back. After editing out the dialogue between Sonny and himself at the end, he saved the file and emailed it to himself. For about the next hour or so, he played around with the audio effects program and the acoustic electric guitar.
After playing through a few songs from memory and perfecting them, he took off the headphones and set them down on the table. After a few moments, he realized that he could hear Sonny singing and playing the piano in the studio. He had almost forgotten she was in the studio, but the sound of her angelic voice brought him back to reality. He had taken the headphones off only in time to hear the ending chorus, but her voice had him mesmerized in that short time.
And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything,
So why don't we go somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know?
As she concluded the song, it was Chad's turn to applaud. Looking up from the piano, she smiled, blushing fiercely. Once she had closed her book, she picked it up and headed towards the studio door.
"That was amazing, Sonny," Chad smiled genuinely. "I kind of wish I would have recorded that."
"Thanks," she grinned. "Maybe I'll record it later. Right now, I'm kind of starving."
"Me too," he nodded, holding the door open for her.
She nodded her thanks and headed down the hallway as he turned off the lights in the music room, shutting the door behind them.
After they had finished their movie, the three older girls had gone to see what was being cooked for dinner. Cassie strolled down the hall and put her DVD back in her suitcase before stopping by the art studio to see what Luke was up to. Knocking lightly, she pushed the door open and poked her head in.
He barely looked up from the table where he was sketching attentively, acknowledging her presence by saying, "Hi Cassie."
"Hey, Luke," she greeted, closing the door and approaching him at the table. "What are you drawing?"
Quickly shutting his sketchbook, he replied, "What? Oh, nothing. Just sketching stuff."
She blinked at him skeptically and reached for the sketchbook. To prevent her from picking it up, he slammed his arm down on top of it. She stared at him, raising an eyebrow the way Chad did when he wasn't sure if someone was serious.
"Fine. I was just curious," she conceded, holding her arms up as she took a step back and moved towards the computer.
Cautiously, Luke removed his arm from the table and flipped the sketchbook open to continue. Quietly, Cassie snuck behind him and peered over his shoulder.
"Oh, is that Logan?" she asked softly.
Luke closed his eyes and exhaled quietly. He motioned for her to sit down in the chair placed on the other side of the table's corner to his right. Once she was seated, he flipped the sketchbook to the very first page and slid it over to her, running a hand through his hair.
"Wow, Luke… These are unbelievable," Cassie whispered, smiling approvingly.
Inside, vivid illustrations of his friends and their unusual situations filled the pages.
"Is this one me?" she asked, her smile evident in her voice.
Glancing over at the picture she was referring to, he nodded, "Yeah. Your rendition of 'Merry Christmas Darling' was perfect. I got the idea early this morning to sketch it and give it to you with the camera, but I didn't get a chance to finish it."
The blonde nodded understandingly as she flipped to the next sheet. There, she found the page was covered in profiles of Logan. In one, he was breaking apart a squabble between Chase and Rider. In another, he was pretending to be a knight for Princess Caleigh. In the bottom corner, Logan appeared to be smiling as he looked up at a small bunch of mistletoe.
She smiled warmly and looked at Luke, whose eyes were intensely fixated on the table, and mused, "You really like him, huh?"
Unable to speak, the older boy nodded silently.
"Have you ever talked to him about it?"
Again, no words left his mouth. He merely shook his head, sighing.
"Well, you should," she stated confidently. "If you don't say anything now… you might miss your chance. And you'll really regret it if you don't try. Living in a world of 'what ifs' and 'what could have beens'—"
"Are you really quoting Dalton to me?" he cut her off, hiding a smile.
"How'd you know?" she asked in a surprised tone.
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "Skyler's quoted that exact phrase to me many, many times before."
"It's totally accurate though," she pointed out, laughing.
The smile faded from his face slowly as he sighed, "I don't know, Cassie. I'm still awfully confused about everything."
The blonde girl nodded sympathetically, as she shut the sketchbook and slid it back across the table to him and stood up.
"I wish I could help you more with this kind of thing, but I think only you can help yourself right now. Besides, I have zero relationship experience whatsoever," she smiled apologetically.
Smiling faintly, he glanced up at her. "I understand. Thanks anyways, though."
"If you ever need to talk things out with someone, I'll be here."
"I'll remember that," he noted.
As Cassie headed for the door, she paused, remembering why she had stopped by the room in the first place, "Oh! I almost forgot. Logan and Skyler cooked dinner for everybody tonight. It should be ready soon.
"Oh, alright. I'll be there in a sec," Luke said, picking up his sketchbook and gathering his art supplies as he followed her out the door and down the hall.
"Wow, I'm full. Can't eat another bite," Nico said, stretching out his limbs as he stood up to take his plate to the sink.
"Dinner was great, guys," Sonny smiled, looking to Skyler and Logan across from her.
"Thank you for cooking tonight, boys," Connie smiled sincerely.
"Ahh, thank you, Miss Munroe and Ms. Munroe," Skyler mock bowed in his chair as Logan mimicked him.
While the people still sitting at the table laughed, Hannah turned around in her chair to face the girls in the kitchen.
"And thank you girls for doing the dishes."
Smiling back at her, the devious blonde and the equally devious brunette replied, "No problem, Hannah."
"I think my parents would strangle me if I didn't help with something anyways," Zora shrugged, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"Me too," Audrey nodded in unison.
"Is there anything else that needs to be done?" Shayne asked politely.
Shaking her head and glancing around the room, Connie answered, "Not that I can see. Zora and Audrey have got the dishes and Jason and Alan offered to clean up the kitchen utensils."
The boys chuckled softly as Sonny corrected her, "Mom, their names are Logan and Luke."
"Oh, right. Sorry, boys," she smiled apologetically.
As the girls finished rinsing and drying the dishes, the boys scrubbed the residual grime off of the pots and pans. Every once in a while, Logan and Luke would "accidentally" splash the other subtly, causing a smile to curl on the other boy's lips.
Meanwhile, their friends continued conversing and laughing as the Connie and Hannah retold stories from Sonny's, Chad's, and Cassie's childhoods. The moment Cassie made mention of their father, Chad cleared his throat and got up from the table, murmuring, "I just remembered I have to go do something."
Glancing at Cassie after watching his friend exit, Skyler offered, "I'll go check on him."
"I'm coming with you," she replied, following after him.
"…I need to go get a different book," Chase sighed, heading down the hall behind them.
Rider being the only remaining Mackenzie Falls boy at the dinner table stammered his excuse to leave with them. "I'm just… Gonna…"
Stumbling as his left foot caught the leg of his chair, he regained his balance and scurried after Chase. Everybody left at the table simply shrugged at the abruptly strange exit and carried on with their conversations, heading off to different parts of the apartment.
Once the only ones left were Luke and Logan, a full-fledged water fight broke out between the pair. Grabbing the faucet head, Luke sprayed the older boy with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh, okay. I see how it is," Logan chided, the corners of his mouth hinting of a smile.
In return, he scooped a handful of soap suds and dumped it on the blond's head.
Laughing, both continued the battle until they realized there was more water and soap on the floor than in the sink.
Down the hall and in the Mackenzie Falls boys' room, Skyler threw the door open and found the blond laying back on his bed, tossing Rider's hacky sack to the ceiling and catching it.
"Hey, Dylan…" Cassie greeted him quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Hi Cassie," he droned uninterestedly, not bothering to turn his head towards her.
"Look, if this is about Dad…" she began.
"It's not about Dad," he cut her off, catching the hacky sack and glancing up at her.
"It's not?"
"Nah, I just didn't want to hear any more old and embarrassing stories," he shrugged, tossing the sack back up towards the ceiling.
Glaring, she snatched it out of the air and slapped him on the arm. "And you had me worried for nothing."
As she sauntered past Skyler, Chase, and Rider, she flung the hacky sack back to its owner and shut the door behind her. Once they were sure she was gone, the boys burst out into laughter.
"Alright, enough," Chase said condescendingly. "Now, what was the real reason you left?"
"I told you, I was bored and didn't want to hear any more stories," the blond shrugged.
"Yes, but when you're bored you at least attempt to amuse yourself. I distinctly recall you mentioning that you didn't understand why Rider was so fond of that hacky sack," the dark brunet reminisced as he rummaged through his suitcase for another book.
"Good job, Sherlock. Your point being what exactly?" Chad retorted as he sat up and flattened down his hair.
"My point is, you're not admitting the full truth. Besides, your facial expression when we walked in was evident. You were thinking about something."
"Or someone," Skyler mentioned pointedly.
As the blond shot a withering glare at him, the obnoxious musician with the hacky sack asked, "Who?"
After a few moments of patronizing stares, he realized, "Oh, you mean Sonny!"
"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner," the tall green eyed actor remarked sarcastically.
"Well?" Chase prompted, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.
"What do you mean, 'Well?' So what if I was thinking about her?" the blue eyed boy grumbled.
"What did you do this time?" Skyler sighed.
Before he could answer, an unusual melody filled the room, causing them all to look around. Immediately, Skyler headed towards the table to the left of the TV where he had let his laptop go into sleep mode. On the screen, a box read "Incoming call from Iclemyer" along with the options to accept or reject the call.
"Hold that thought," he called over his shoulder as he clicked the "Accept" button.
Within seconds, he was face to face with a hazel eyed goofball wearing a red Santa Claus hat.
"Merry Christmas, Skyler!" he grinned widely, leaning back against the wood paneled wall behind him.
"Merry Christmas, Darren," Skyler chuckled as Darren turned his laptop around to face the group of young adults scattered across what looked like a game room.
"Say 'Merry Christmas' to Skyler, everyone," he heard Darren's voice say.
"Merry Christmas!" they chorused as they turned their heads to face him.
"Merry Christmas!" he waved to them. "Oh! And happy Hanukkah!" he added.
"Aww, he remembered that we're Jewish, Di!" he heard Lea laugh.
Turning to Darren, Dianna commented, "I like him, Darr'!"
"So do I," Darren replied with pride in his voice as he turned the laptop back to face himself.
Before he had time to say another word, Skyler heard Rider exclaim, "Seriously? Way to go, genius."
"Wait, what did he do?" the tall boy yelled as he turned in his chair.
"He told Sonny he liked another girl," Chase answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You did not!" Skyler gasped, as Chad shut his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Is this a bad time?" Darren inquired, tilting his head to the side, reminding Skyler of a small dog.
"What? Oh, no. It's fine. Just give me a sec," he replied, side-glancing at Darren on his computer screen.
"Care to elaborate on the situation?" the boy in the glasses asked admonishingly.
Opening his eyes again, the blond sighed and explained, "I was just playing through this song on the piano, but I didn't know Sonny was in the audio room. She heard me singing and thought it was about this girl I met yesterday, who happens to have a boyfriend by the way."
"Let me get this straight," Skyler began, being interrupted by a snicker from Rider's direction.
Silenced by a glare from Chase, he shrugged innocently, saying, "What? It's funny, 'cause he's not."
Shooting him a disapproving look, Skyler replied, "Ha ha ha―Shut it, Kingston."
Shaking his head, showing signs of obvious irritation, he continued, "Anyways. She asked you if you were singing about another girl and you told her yes?"
When Chad didn't so much as nod his head, Skyler groaned, "Please tell me it wasn't the song I think it was."
This time, the younger boy fell backwards onto the bed and shoved a pillow over his face.
"Of course it was," he said exasperatedly, massaging his temple gently.
"Not to intrude, but I'm just curious… What song was it?" Darren asked with an exceedingly confused look on his face.
As he answered, "Sami," the unruly haired boy noticed that companion had moved into a quieter room.
"You mean from Little White Lie?" he reaffirmed in a surprised tone.
"Mhm. But the piano version from your EP," Skyler nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh. Also, I heard him say that Sonny heard him singing? Sonny's the one that James Conroy sang with last night, right?"
When Skyler nodded, Chad groaned, "Ugh. Don't even mention James Conroy. He got tickets to Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for this Friday."
"Isn't that what you got for Sonny?" Rider asked for clarification.
"Yeah," he exhaled, clearly frustrated. "Can we not talk about this right now? I'm trying to figure out how to fix this mess."
When the troubled teen placed the pillow back over his head, the boy in the glasses picked up a new book and left the room. Once his friend had left, Rider picked up the remote and flipped on the TV, causing the blond to groan in aggravation.
"Oh, speaking of Phantom…" Darren hinted.
Once the pair of green eyes met his hazel ones, he smiled, "Would you come to see Phantom with me this Friday? Chris gave me two tickets for Christmas. He figured I would meet someone at the party…"
"I'd love to," Skyler smiled affectionately. "Maybe we could stop somewhere and grab a cup of coffee before?"
"Sounds perfect," the older boy concurred with an enormous grin.
On her way towards her room, Tawni heard a certain blonde Random's voice say, "That little—"
"I know!" another voice said as she paused outside the three younger girl's
"What should we do?" a third voice exclaimed.
Curious, Tawni knocked on the door and pushed it open before waiting for an answer.
"Knock, knock! Hello, girls! What are you up to?" she asked in an overly cheerful tone.
"What do you want, Tawni?" Zora replied suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing…" she answered as nonchalantly as she could, closing the door behind her.
"Are you sure?" Audrey implied, raising an eyebrow and leaning to block the laptop from Tawni's view.
"Show me what's on the laptop," she commanded.
Zora folded her arms across her chest and began, "Why should we—"
"Don't argue. Just show me it."
Glancing around at the other two, Cassie shrugged and nodded her approval.
"If we show you, you have to promise not to tell her," Audrey stated slowly to emphasize her point.
"Yeah, yeah. Just show me what you were all fussing over," the older blonde waved it off.
Plugging in a set of headphones, Zora handed the laptop to her and pressed play on the loaded video.
The clip began with a familiar brunette standing with her back to the camera in what resembled the art studio. She was holding her bejeweled iPhone up to her ear and checking her outfit in a small mirror hanging on the wall.
"Let's go over the plan one more time. You find Sonny at the party. You do whatever it takes to get her to give you a second chance."
Pausing the video, Tawni softly gasped, "Is that Penelope?"
When the three girls nodded in unison, she continued watching alertly.
"Then you ask her to sing with you. She says yes. You offer to take her to Phantom of the Opera. She's swept of her feet and you two live happily ever after just like I will with Chad. Got it?"
Tawni pressed her lips together in a firm line, her eyebrows furrowed as anger bubbled within her.
"Good. You better not screw this up, James," Penelope spat before ending the call in one swift movement.
"I can't believe her!" Tawni sputtered furiously as the girls tried to quiet her down.
"We don't know what to do," Audrey frowned, closing the video.
"Sonny and Chad are so meant for each other," Cassie sighed.
"Not that, I can't believe she'd do this to me! She knows I like James!" the diva fumed in a loud whisper.
"…Typical Tawni," Zora shook her head. "But you'll help us stop her, right?"
"I never pass up a chance for revenge," she nodded. "I think I have just the plan… But I might have to let a few more people in on this."
Before any of them could say another word, there was a knock on the door. Luckily, they waited for an answer before opening the door.
"Who is it?" Cassie called.
"Penelope. Can I come in for a sec?" she replied, seeming to have no knowledge that they were speaking about her just seconds before.
"Uh, yeah!" Zora answered, eyes wide as she shut the laptop and threw a blanket over it while Audrey grabbed several bottles of nail polish from Cassie's nightstand and set them on the floor.
"Hey," she smiled as she peered in. "What are you girls up to?"
"Oh, Tawni's just teaching us how to do our nails correctly since don't have them done professionally," Audrey shrugged, showing no signs of guilt or secret whatsoever.
"Ahh," the brunette nodded knowingly. "Well, we're going to watch A Christmas Story if you guys want to join us."
"Oh, sounds fun!" Cassie said, perfectly faking her interest. "I'll be out in a bit. What about you guys?"
"Sure! Give us five minutes," Zora answered.
"Alright," she noted, leaving the room, seeming satisfied.
Once they were sure she was gone, each of them let out a sigh of relief.
"Wow, you might just make it in the biz, Cassie," Tawni complimented.
Smiling for a moment, she replied, "Thanks."
Then, she glanced at her friends and back at Tawni. "As long as whoever you want to tell won't blab to her, I think we'll be fine."
"Yeah. This is getting a little risky. Make sure they can be trusted," Zora added.
"Believe me, they'll want to stop James and Penelope as much we do."
"Hey, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get something to drink," Tawni lied as she slid off of her bed.
"'Kay, 'kay," Portlyn and Penelope chorused, staring at Taylor Lautner in slow motion on their TV.
Slipping out of the room, she headed down the ball and gently knocked on the door of the Mackenzie Falls' boys room.
A few seconds later the door opened and the blonde diva was face to face with the crabby intellectual.
"Can I help you?" he muttered.
"I need to speak with Skyler. It's important," she glared seriously.
"Let her in," Skyler called from the chair in front of the table on the far side of the room.
"S'up, Blondie?" he greeted her as she arrived at the table.
"I need to know how can I get tickets to this Friday's showing of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway," she stated straightforwardly.
Raising an eyebrow, he shrugged, "You can't. It's sold out."
"Ugh, this just ruins everything!" she grumbled.
"Why do you need the tickets?" Chad asked, sitting up in his bed.
Holding up her index finger towards him, signaling for him to stop speaking, she retorted, "Unless you can get me into the Majestic Theater to see Phantom of the Opera, I will not speak to you."
"Actually, I can," he replied, pulling out the envelope containing the tickets from the nightstand drawer and holding it up.
"How―"
"Not important. Now, answer my question. Why do you need tickets?"
"I need a ticket so I can get revenge on someone," she divulged.
"Who, Conroy?"
"No... Well, actually, yeah. I guess. Him and Penelope," she explained vaguely.
"Conroy and Penelope? What on Earth are you planning?" Skyler interjected.
She sighed, "What I'm going to tell you next cannot under any circumstances be discussed outside of this room. Do I make myself clear?"
Once Chad and Skyler nodded in agreement, she turned around and glanced at Logan, Rider, Luke, and Chase.
"You too. I know you can hear me too."
"It's a bit difficult to not hear you in here. I suggest you speak at a lower volume if you would like to keep your secret," Chase remarked indifferently.
"Right. Just answer my question," she rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip.
As the four remaining boys nodded, she smiled, "Good. I need a ticket so I can follow Sonny and James around on their non-date. Penelope and James have cooked up this whole scheme so he ends up with Sonny and Penelope ends up with Chad."
"I knew something was up with that girl! She kept flirting with Chad on stage yesterday. I thought I was seeing things," Skyler rolled his eyes.
"She still has a crush on you? Man, that girl has got to let go," Rider shook his head in disbelief.
"Are you in?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
Glancing at Skyler, Chad nodded, "Yeah, I'm in."
"I'll see if Darren can help us," Skyler added, picking up his cell phone and dialing the musician's number.
"Darren Criss? Oh! Is that why your hair was so messed up after you two performed 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' last night?" the blonde commented carelessly, twirling her hair around her finger.
Swatting at the air in her direction, he tried to silence her as he waited for Darren to answer.
"Figures. Everyone steals my dreams. First Sonny, then Sonny again... And now you," she sighed dramatically.
"Shut it, Blondie―Oh hey, Darren!" he stammered, his cheeks flushing a light pink.
"Hey, Sky!" they could hear the other cheerful voice chirp. "What's up?"
"Sorry for calling you this late at night, but a friend needs some help with something..."
"Oh, it's fine! I'm still a little jet lagged. Stuck on California time. How can I help?"
"Well, apparently James and Penelope are plotting to make Sonny fall for James," Skyler sighed.
"Also, Penelope knew I had a crush on James, but she totally ignored the girl code for her own selfish gain!" the blonde prima-donna interjected.
"Who was that?" asked the confused singer on the other line.
"Tawni. She wants revenge on both Penelope and James. They want to tail Conroy on his date—"
" Non-date," Chad objected.
"Whatever. They're thinking about going to spy on him and Sonny while they're on their non-date which happens to be at the Majestic Theatre this Friday night at 8:00," the green eyed actor concluded.
"Oh! We can join then, if you want. I always thought there was something a little off about that guy," Darren consented.
"Great," Skyler replied, smiling to himself as he heard Naya ask, "Is Darren talking to his boyfriend again?" and then lots of shushing from Darren.
"I guess I'll let you get back to your friends," he laughed under his breath.
Chuckling softly, Darren answered, "Alright. 'Night, Skyler."
"G'night, Darren," he grinned, ending the call.
"So are you and Darren with us on this?" Tawni inquired, seeming even more edgy than when she had walked into the room.
"Yeah, we are," he responded with a nod.
"Perfect," she said, turning on her heel to leave.
Just before she pulled the door open, she hesitated.
Whirling around again, she declared, "If any of you ever tell anyone that I came to you for help, I will end you."
"Yeah, yeah," Rider waved her off, mumbling into his pillow.
Glaring, she left the boys in their room and headed back to hers.
"What took you so long? I thought you were just getting water," Portlyn complained. "You already missed the part where Jacob takes off his shirt!"
"What?" the blonde diva asked confusedly, momentarily forgetting her excuse. "Oh! I spilled water all over the floor and had to wipe it up," she shrugged, flopping down on the bed.
"Rewind?" Penelope offered, holding up the remote control.
"Sure," she nodded in return as she crawled under the covers.
As the three starlets contently studied every movement of their movie, the rest of their friends and most of the east coast settled into their warm beds and drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Review pleaseee?