Chad

"Hey, Son—wait, you're…oh, hey Vivi." I allowed her inside and looked her over. She looked pretty upset and her heavy eyeliner had been disrupted, and was now in streaks down to her chin. "What's the matter? Oh, just throw your coat anywhere."

She sniffed and took off her plaid half-jacket and a hat she was wearing, the kind with the little earflaps with the pom-pom balls at the ends. "Heya, Chain." It was the name they'd given me on our way to the second concert. My last name was apparently Choker. Chain Choker. Sounds like one of Jack Skell's accessories.

"Come sit," I offered, sitting on the couch. She sat with her back to me on the armrest, then fell backwards so that her legs dangled over the armrest. "What's wrong, Vivi?"

She sighed and drew a shaky breath, wiping her cheeks. Then she moaned angrily, "So I found out why Laylin didn't come with us." I waited for more as she tried to collect herself. "She had to get to the abortion clinic."

This didn't seem like such shocking news to me. I mean, this was Hollywood after all. "Oh. Well I guess that…that would be a reason…" She twisted her torso around in an attempt to look at me right side up.

"You don't get it! I am dead set against abortion and she knows that! She's my best friend!"

"But she's still her own person…" I watched her wince and fall back down onto the cushions. "There's more, isn't there?"

"It was Pete's baby," she choked out in a melancholic whisper. Well, that certainly complicated thins. Pete had been Vivi's unofficial fiancé. Their parents didn't approve so they were going to wait to be legal, but for all intensive purposes, they had considered themselves married.

"I'm sorry…" I tried to comfort her, putting my hand on her shoulder awkwardly and then stroking her bangs. She took some shaky breaths and then put her face in her hands, sobbing deeply.

"She's such a bitch! Why'd she have to go and do that? And then Pete's a douche bag!"

"Hey, come here." I took her hands and pulled her towards me, and she sat up and threw her arms around me, crying into my shoulder as I stroked her hair. "You're right. They're both jerks. You deserve to be treated so much better."

I heard another knock at the door just then. "Oh…I'm sorry. I'm kind of expecting a friend…"

"Oh." She got up and wiped her tears frantically in attempt to make herself look decent.

"Um…you can go into my bathroom if you want…In the bottom drawer under the sink there's some eyeliner."

She nodded, sniffing, and walked off as I went to answer the door, letting in Sonny and "Lucy? Hey…unexpected…"

She crossed her arms and gave me a smile spiked with attitude. "So Sonny just…forgot to mention me. That's fabulous, Sonny. THAT'S FLIPPING FABULOUS!" she shouted to Sonny, who had retreated into the kitchen.

"Nice to see you, too," I said with a forced smile. She returned a pleasant one and I gestured for her to sit on the couch.

"Hey, Chad?"

"Yeah, Sonny?" I replied as I came over to her side, placing my hand on the small of her back, removing it apologetically when it looked like a shock had gone through her body.

"Um…whose jacket is that?" Her voice cracked a little.

I looked over at the wall where Vivi had put her things. "Oh. Vivi's here. When she comes back out I'll introduce you. Want some hot chocolate?" I asked, more to Sonny than her intruder—uh, friend.

She nodded and Lucy shouted, "Yeah!" so I pulled out the ingredients and started to heat up the pan. Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't do Swiss Miss packets.

"Hiyas." I turned around to see Vivi coming out of my room, hair freshly teased and everything.

"Oh. Vivi, this is Sonny and her intru—friend…friend…Lucy. Sonny, Lucy, this is Vivi Violence."

Sonny, still beside me, waved awkwardly at Vivi, eyes glued to her snakebites. "Hey, Vivi."

"Can I call you Viv?" Lucy asked, getting up to go shake Vivi's hand.

"Uh…I don't think so," she replied, backing away with a catty expression. "Stellar to meet you both. Hey, Chain?" She put her hand on my shoulder and I turned back to the hot chocolate. "Thanks. I think I'm gonna bounce."

"Oh, so soon?"

"Yeah. Well, nice talking with you. Laterz!"

---

"So…I didn't know you were such a scenester."

"Hmm?" I asked. I hadn't really been listening.

"I said," Sonny repeated. "I didn't know you were such a scenester."

I shook my head and swallowed my sip of chocolate. "I'm not. That's just Vivi and her friends."

"She called you 'Chain'," Lucy interjected.

"She gave me that nickname," I sneered. Her smirk fell into a frown and she mumbled something. "Oh, you know you love me." She looked away and I could see her cheeks turn red.

"Hey, Chad?" I turned my head back to Sonny. "I'm gonna take Lucy to the airport. I'll be back after." She came towards me, lips parted, but then glanced at her friend and backed away, then hugged me instead. "Bye."

"Bye, Chad! Thanks for the hot chocolate!" Lucy beamed. I swear, that chick's bipolar.