Tawni's POV

"Sonny, will you please stop staring at Chad? It's getting kind of annoying." And I, Tawni Hart, don't do annoying. I was standing behind her in the froyo line.

"Tawni, I'm getting a froyo. Besides, Chad isn't even here." she remarked with a smirk. Ha, she thinks she won.

"But you didn't even look around which proves that you looked around for him before I asked you which means that you like him and you just won't admit it because he's a jerk and you don't know that he totally likes you back!" I was out of breath at the end there. I was panting to add effect.

"We're not on Mackenzie Falls, Tawni. You're acting really dramatic." She said in a sing-song voice. Oh, how I hate it when two young people are in love, but also in denial. I sighed and shook my head at Sonny, telling her that I saw right through her. But the she shook her head at me and walked away.

"No one walks away from Tawni Hart!" I gasped, my hands over my heart and a fake expression of outrage on my face. But seriously people- no one turns their back on Tawni Hart.

"Bye, Tawni!" Sonny called over her shoulder before exiting the cafeteria.

I growled. That girl was going to get it. Then, suddenly, there was a voice coming over the speakers, and I listened in while pulling the lever for a strawberry froyo.

Will all So Random! cast members come to Mr. Condor's office immediately please.

My hands were limp. I stared blankly at the grayish froyo machine and the froyo dropped from my hand. I was shaking. HE WAS GOING TO CANCEL TAWNI HART'S SHOW!!! Oh, was I going to show him, I stormed off, towards his office. But when I was outside the doors, the courage completely drained from my body and I was scared like hell. Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh! I put my hand on the handle and turned it, silently shrieking when the door opened a crack. Come on Tawni, I thought. You're on the second most popular show at Condor Studios. You're so not getting fired! I nodded to myself and took a deep breath before walking in with my head high. Everyone was already there. Best for last though, right? Teehee!

"Miss Hart. Take a seat, please." Mr. Condor's voice was like rolling thunder, but soft, muted.

"Yes, sir." I said, and my voice cracked. Psh, way to be brave Tawni. I looked at my cast mates' faces. They all had the same expression: a hint of worry, horrified, and confused. I was sure I looked the same.

"So," Mr. Condor started, and I gulped. I could hear the rest of us do the same. "long story short. Your show isn't as popular as it used to be. You're still the second most popular, but ratings are dropping, I see." Ratings were dropping? Woah, what?

"By how much?" I mentally slapped myself for talking, and shattering the uneasy silence. But Mr. Condor didn't get furious or anything. Thank God.

"Twenty percent." Everyone gasped. Twenty percent? That must mean the other shows in the studios besides Mack Falls sucked.

Everything was silent for what seemed like forever. I wasn't planning to talk again any time soon. Sonny decided to do the dirty work.

"What can we do?" her voice was quieter than a whisper, but it filled the silence loudly.

"Get funnier, make something completely new of your show. Something no one would expect out of any of you." Mr. condor leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. He looked at each of us before he spoke again in a soft tone. "Surprise us."

Nico and Grady's heads turned to Sonny, a huge smile on their faces. Did I miss something?

"You're free to go, now." Mr Condor spoke quietly.

Sonny was the fastest. She leaped from her leather chair and flew to the door. Nico was second, and Grady third. I did not want to be in here alone with Mr. Condor, so I ran out as fast as my stiletto high heels would allow. So ratings were dropping. Ithought we had been doing well though. I guess the others were going to discuss this in the prop house, so I tried to get there quickly. I was last, again.

Sonny sat in the single armchair, and Grady and Nico were on the red couch. I sat on the edge of the table, too numb to yell at Nico or Grady to move.

"Sitting here in silence isn't going to boost ratings, people. C'mon, what do we do?" Sonny asked desperately. We were all clueless…or so I thought.

"Sonny, you're the only one who can help us," Nico said. Did this have something to do with the thing that happened in the big guy's office? I looked back to Sonny, to see what she would respond, my face expressionless.

"What? What do I do?" She asked again, still in need of some answers. None of us had been told that there were problems with ratings. What was Sonny supposed to do to save us all?

I was about to butt in when Grady did. "Look, Sonny, we're not sure if you wanted us to know this, but…" Grady suddenly grew tense, and was too nervous to go on.

"We've had a camera in the room for the snake project that Mrs. Bitterman wants us to do," Nico started. Sonny grew rigid in her chair. Geez, I must have missed a lot. "On the tape, we saw you singing and playing guitar, and just think about it. With an open mind please. Ratings would go through the roof if you performed something musical on So Random! on the next show. Sonny, you are amazing." I could tell Nico was trying to be alluring. But I was shocked. Sonny, musical? I just couldn't see it. And singing? That was something different.

"But you guys," Sonny started. Woah! Her voice sounded tortured, like she was torn. My eyes were wide with curiosity as she went on. "My guitar is something just for me. No one else is supposed to know about it. I love having something secret, something not Hollywood. Performing with my guitar would just shatter the passion, ruin the meaning. I brought it with me from Wisconsin so that if I ever needed to escape this new life, I could. I'm famous now, and my guitar is the only normal Sonny part of me left. Please don't give me away. Please."

This was too much for me. And Tawni Hart does not do tears. But despite my selfish thoughts, they began to form in Sonny's eyes and slide down her cheeks. She wouldn't be crying if she knew she didn't have to do this. So, she did. Sonny Allison Monroe was going to save us all, by giving in to her selfish cast mates and give up something so personal, so loved, so that she wouldn't make us give up our lives, our acting, our show. There was something I realized right then and there. I took advantage of Sonny Monroe in so many ways.


Little did the So Random! cast know, there was a mischievous blonde boy listening in on their private conversation, thinking that he was going to come to the next show and not let So Random! become number one.