I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter~ I'm technically almost done with the first season of the Japanese version of Boys over flowers, but I'm still going to stretch it just a tiny bit to fit part from the Korean version. :)
Thank you for all the lovely reviews!
Enjoy!
Chapter 15 Late Night
"Some girls just have all the luck..." Lucy mumbled as she saw from the behind the counter, Sonny getting off a beautiful, and shinning black sports car. The person on the driver's seat opened his door, and was about to walk around the car, but stopped when the passenger seat door was opened. "Sonny can be quite dense..." Lucy added as she noticed the small hint of disappointment flash on his face.
Chad was going to open her door, but suddenly Sonny opened the door not understanding why he was also getting off the car as well. Lucy laughed when his face changed to a playful smile, most likely lecturing Sonny, as Sonny placed her hands on her hips playing along with him.
The two chatted like that for a while, Lucy was a bit worried personally from where she was standing it looked like the couple was having a fight. But she knew them better, judging by the confused faces of people also passing by they thought the same thing as well. However once Chad laughed and gave Sonny a light peck on the check and turned around to return to his seat, the small audience was even more confused.
"First, he gives you a phone." Lucy pointed at Sonny with slight envy of her boyfriend who was, as much as she hated it Chad was adorable and the perfect boyfriend that molded perfectly with Sonny's unpredictable character. "Then he gives you rides to work, oh you lucky princess." Lucy playfully continued as Sonny stood at the door still a bit shocked by the greeting.
"I just loved being greeted with pointing fingers..." Sonny sarcastically replied with a smile as she continued to walk to the back, and go behind the store to clock in, ignoring Ms. Bitterman's strange fit of laughter as she was watching some sort of comedy movie in high volume. "No, really continuing your pointing." Sonny added obviously in high spirits, could a simple ride cause this?
"Sonny I swear. You just don't realize what a sweet boyfriend you have!" Lucy sighed in frustration. "If only my boyfriend did things like this, I would feel like a princess..." Lucy's gaze became distant as she daydreamed of the endless fantasies playing out in her head.
"Hey Lucy, that reminds me." Sonny walked to Lucy who was sitting behind the glass counter staring out still at the empty store. "I hardly ever hear of you talking of this so called boyfriend of yours." Sonny didn't want to admit it to herself but she knew she was partly in blame of that. Sonny and Lucy's conversation were solely focused on how her days went by in the hell of school, that it became habit for their conversation to revolve around Sonny.
And to Sonny's distaste, it absolutely horrified her of how conceited and selfish she most have appeared to her own best friend. Lucy grinned, and sat down with a happy smile on her face. She mischievously looked around before saying anything.
"Well, for starters he is three years older than me." Lucy smiled taking pride in her taste in men, she always did have a more refined taste for mature men. "So he's in college now..." Lucy noticed the information going above Sonny's head. Sonny stood there mouth wide open fazed and not sure how to respond.
Sure, she was used to Lucy dating guys, and she had to admit maybe it was because she saw her more like a sister that protective instincts were slowly surfacing. Perhaps it was because this male was a college student, and she was still a junior in high school. How could they have possibly meet?
"We met when I was walking home from school one day," Lucy somehow understating Sonny's confused look. She had to admit she felt nervous speaking of her relationship like this. In fact, she kept it a secret from her family afraid of how they would react. "I accidentally bumped into him, and spilled his drink all over us." Lucy giggled at the memory of how it started out.
"Oh...really?" Sonny found her voice finally sounding still unsure of this man.
"Yeah, and well I guess I was quite taken by him, kind of like; love-at-first-sight...so I took that route home everyday and surely I saw him there everyday." Lucy couldn't bear to look at Sonny as she fought hard to prevent a blush from evading her cheeks. "So everyday for about a good two weeks we would have small conversations here and there. Till one day he was waiting for me, with a cup of the same drink I had spilled and said he got the day off, so we could talk."
"Oh, well that's kind of sweet." Sonny found it slightly awkward to put her input in the story. It was slightly vague or maybe she felt like their relationship was a bit rushed and not to say dangerous, she barely knew anything of the guy.
"Yeah, I found out that he works at a club near the area, but don't worry he is a waiter nothing bad. He said he got the job to help pay for his school and his mom medical fees." Lucy quickly stated once she saw Sonny's jaw drop once more but more unpleasantly than before. "He complimented me on how mature I look for my age, and well everything progressed from there."
"Do you guys go out often?"
"Not really, with my work and his colliding together it's quite hard. Not to mention that he also has school too. So its usually every other weekend."
"How is he?"
"Oh! He is a polite gentleman, he is very honest and straightforward but also a big joker at heart." Lucy smiled once again still finding it hard to stop blushing. Sonny observed Lucy delighted smile that reminded her of a little child experiencing a first crush. With just that little fact Sonny was slightly worried and wondered if it meant that her feelings were more one-sided, or if their relationship isn't as serious as she expected.
"Well, as long as your happy." Was the only Sonny could manage to say to Lucy, she hasn't even met the guy yet but she still couldn't help this anger boiling inside her. As if she disliked this man, a man who she couldn't paint a face to.
...
...
"Mr. Condor, Tawni has arrived and want to meet with you." Will announced as he entered the study room that was a breathtaking library and an office room. The perfect hue of a spring green gave the room a slight professionalism and energy. Mr. Condor sat behind the office desk glasses were removed as he sighed and looked up from his stacks of paper all with urgency he needed to take care of.
"What is the meaning to her visit? Shouldn't she be out in Florida?" Mr. Condor asked slightly annoyed at the disturbance of his work. "Just tell her I'm too busy to deal with her-"
"Hello Father," Tawni smiled her radiant smile that always touched everyone hearts' including the heart of ice that belonged to her father. "How have you been?"
"Well, I've been better." Mr. Condor sighed as he stood up knowing there wasn't any way he was going to kick Tawni out of the room. Will, who was still standing by the door too this chance to leave the room to give the two their privacy. Tawni nodded knowingly as she saw the desk overloaded with paper, and understanding that the lawsuit only added pressure to his aging shoulders. "How about you, how is my girl doing?" Mr. Condor for the first time this week.
"I've been splendid, however there is something I wish to talk to you about?"
"What is it? Is Matthew not providing for you? Is there company running out of money?" Mr. Condor automatically jumped to the worst conclusions he could think of. Did that man send his daughter to beg him for money? The thought slightly angered him, but he still waited to see what Tawni had to say.
"No! Please, don't jump into conclusions. The business is doing fine, and ever since Chad joined in it has been doing even better than before." Tawni smiled subconsciously taking pride of how popular her little brother was. Mr. Condor scoffed at the idea and let out a small chuckle.
"I doubt it. Must be the power of those little brats he is always around with." Mr. Condor vaguely knew of this 'F4' group as they were called. Of course, his son as the leader but he knew that those friends of his were also from very wealthy families. "Especially Hayden, coming from that family. You know, his father and I were always competing 'till we decided to collaborate together and drew a contract. That boy's father was a great man of power, and of knowledge."
"Yes, and that was when Chad met Hayden for the first time wasn't it? And they instantly connected." Tawni tried to keep the subject focused on her brother, the last thing she wanted was to astray from the main reason she came here. "May that man rest in piece."
"A shame that both his parents passed away." Mr. Condor agreed recalling the event when he went to the funeral when Hayden and Chad were only about the age of 12, and Hayden was placed under the care of all the butlers and maids. His own grandfather, shut him out grieving the death of his own son, that he couldn't face his grandson. He turned away from Hayden, and overtime subconsciously blamed the young boy for the death of his own parents. "It was miraculous that boy made it out alive from that car accident, but his parents unfortunately could not."
"Is that why you always liked him out of all Chad's friends?" Tawni smiled as she walked closer to her father who was know focusing on old picture of himself and Hayden's father. "Did you grow a soft spot for him?"
"On Hayden? Not really. But I must say I am amazed on what a fine man he grew up to be, considering all he went through. And as what I hear he has gained his father's intelligence, he knows how to play the violin, piano and guitar all by the age of 15. If only the same could be said about Chad." Mr. condor was slightly envious of how the late father would gloat of how Hayden progressed quickly in all he achieved since he was young.
"Chad also knows how to play the piano as well. And not to mention he is also fluent in a few languages." Tawni tried to find a way to please the older man, knowing very well that he saw Chad as a disappointment. It wasn't until the idea of needing a heir for his powerful company came in, did he finally see he needed Chad.
"Really? I have never seen any awards?" Mr. Condor asked thinking back to his room, and there wasn't any trophy to prove her claims or any sort of diploma to back it up.
"You should know Chad," Tawni smiled shrugging her shoulders knowing that it was the complete opposite for this man. "Even though he flaunts his money around, he really isn't the kind to flaunt something like that."
"Why not?"
"Well, he used to have it up in display when he was younger, but suddenly he realized it was pointless to keep something like that when no one paid any attention to it." Tawni tried to hint to the stubborn old man but he still didn't look convinced. Tawni sighed knowing how hard Chad studied to master French, Spanish, and Japanese. He did so successfully and had the results framed up in his wall placed confidently near the entrance so whenever his so-called father entered his room he would notice it. However it was the exact opposite, and he only wondered why he continue to keep them up there.
It only lasted a month, before young Chad took them down and stuffed them away in his dresser drawer ignored and hidden away from all eyes. Tawni remembered when he yanked them out of the wall and angrily shoved them into the dresser and not letting a single tear shed. Chad was just about the age of 11 and was still struggling to adapt to the new house. Tawni knew he missed his old home, and his mother, and that's when her heart started opening even more for Chad.
Seeing him try to live up to his Father's name was hard, but he still tried. Tawni remembered talking to him, and how he always used to believe that he never had a father. However when he discovered he did have one, he of course wanted to experience the paternal love he was missing. Of course at the beginning Chad was a stubborn child who didn't want to believe it at first, but day after day his little mind began to process that this new luxurious life was how he was going to spend his days.
The rest of his days inside this mansion with strange smiling girl, an old butler, countless of maids, and a heartless man. It was no surprised that psychologically thinking, all the damage Chad dealt as a child was now, unfortunately a part of him that he always carried and made his heart shut off from people. However it was due to Tawni's help, Hayden friendship, and Will's kindness that reached through that cold heart of his.
"Well, you surely are not here to speak of the past." Mr. Condor gave her a light pat in the back when he realized the distant gaze in her eyes were replaying scenes of the past. "Why is it that you came here?"
"I wanted to make a request."
"Well out with it."
"I want you to stop interfering with Chad and Sonny's relationship."
"Absolutely not." Mr. Condor didn't even think about it for a second. How could she even suggest such a thing? As letting that commoner come in and only damage his son? "I am sure of what that girl wants from him, and that's money."
"Don't make this sound like you care about Chad. You just want there to be some financial benefit in Chad's girlfriend. And since this girl doesn't you don't approve." Tawni's tone from before became fierce and firm. The remnants of the good image she had before disappeared. "You don't see what I see!"
"What is that? A fool pitting his own destruction against himself?"
"What?" Tawni was thrown off with his question, but didn't let that bother her for long. "You never paid any attention to him, and now the boy you neglected knows what he wants, and is willing to give up everything-"
"We both know that isn't true." Mr. Condor laughed at her idea. "Chad absolutely loves being in the spotlight, and the money that comes with it. He wouldn't ever want to go as low as being a commoner. You should know this better than anyone else right, Tawni?"
Tawni froze as she knew what he meant.
"You choose to give up on that worthless guy. You know that I was right, and couldn't bear the idea of being poor." Mr. Condor continued to pick on the sensitive topic, that his daughter still remembers so vividly. "You choose Matthew over that guy."
"Only because you pressured me to-"
"Yet, the choice was still yours in the end wasn't it?" Mr. Condor spoke of the truth, he knew how to play this to his advantage. "Think about all the luxuries you have. Not everyone can have that, you should be happy to be as lucky to have money without you being overworked."
"That may be true." Tawni acknowledged the fact, but she wasn't going to back down and feed to his ego by giving into him. "I have regret that decision everyday of my life. Money is not the source of happiness!" Tawni's eyes were beginning to glimmer and she still held back the tears she silently wept inside her heart, and in the privacy of her room. The tears she promised never to show either Chad or her father.
"What do you know? Money is the only thing in this world that can provide you with whatever it is you want!" Mr. Condor was slightly baffled with her answer. "As long as you have money to spend to life a lavish lifestyle then all the joys of happiness will come to you."
"Yet, why is that you hardly ever smile?" Tawni asked outwitting her own father. The confidence inside her was building up, along with the scar of her heart that was weighing down her body and rendering her body to feel so heavy yet so light at the same time. It was with that last statement that Tawni walked out of the room, not bearing to be in the same room with this man.
...
...
"Thank you, come again!" Sonny waved off to their last customer. She joyfully smiled as the old man finally made a decision on which Camera he wanted to buy, he had been at the store over half an hour past it's closing time. The nameless man had features that Sonny felt were familiar, but didn't bother giving it a second thought. The man had been also running around looking for some sort of photo restoration device that she knew nothing about.
And it didn't help that Lucy wasn't best at this sort of field. Maybe if Grady was here, or Ms. Bitterman but she had left promptly once it was closing time. It was the lack of knowledge that was irritating the old man, and decided he would do it on his own. The man left soon after deciding on what to buy and didn't bother to respond to Sonny's goodbye.
"Talk about crabby."
"Lucy, you shouldn't talk bad of the old man!" Sonny scolded Lucy lightly as she still felt bad that she couldn't help the man out. the look of urgency in his eyes really called out to her yet she felt like she disappointed him.
"I know, but sheesh... We did try helping him out, he didn't have to be so rude either." Lucy was just about to head to the front door and lock it, when a beautiful blonde came running to the door. Lucy mentally groaned as she first thought it was a customer, but looking at her twice and judging by her physical appearance, she looked like those type of people that carried an abundant amount of cash with them, and could buy out a store any second.
"Welcome..." The blonde woman looked confused at the unfamiliar face, and looked back to the counter and saw a familiar face. However the name suddenly felt out of her reach to remember.
"Zoey!"
"What?" Sonny recognized the woman with the oversized glasses, wearing beautiful skirt with heels that looked like would kill Sonny if she ever wore them. "Tawni?"
"You know this person, Sonny?" Lucy asked somehow envious of the rich friends Sonny was making everyday.
"Oh, Sonny! That's it!" Tawni smiled as she took of her glasses and greeted them with her dazzling smile. "Sorry, I can be bad with names."
"H-Hi, um.." Sonny felt it awkward just like the first time meeting her again. What is she to say to this person? What was there to say? "How are you doing?" Sonny asked, and Tawni laughed as Sonny looked visibly awkward.
"Sonny, no need to feel nervous around me, remember?" Tawni made a dorky face that caused both Sonny and Lucy to laugh wildly and slightly shocked that such a beautiful woman would still look lovely making the most outrageous faces. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"
"Me? My name is Lucy. Sonny's co-worker and friend."
"Nice to meet you, My name is Tawni Condor." Tawni smiled as she gently shook hands with the new person who she probably will forget her name as well. "Anyways, ypou girls hungry?"
"Yeah, starving..." sonny pouted lightly as she rubbed her empty stomach.
"Let's go out to eat. My treat of course."
...
"Everything is so expensive though..." Lucy and Sonny spoke in unison as they both observed the restaurant menu. It was an Italian restaurant that had a lot of unrecognizable names. The only Italian restaurant she ever went to was Olive Garden, but she only find one plate that was similar to the one she always got.
"Please don't be afraid, order whatever you want." Tawni made a hand gesture that told them that price was not something to be taken under consideration. "Oh, that looks good."
"You know, I find it hard to belief that she is related to that Chad guy..." Lucy whispered as she hid behind her menu and talked to Sonny secretly while they continuously heard the blonde woman talk of the food she wanted, and ignored them.
"Yeah, that's what I first thought too.." Sonny admitted, and slightly laughed. After a couple of minutes everyone had ordered their plates and lightly joking around while enjoying the delicious food.
"Hey Sonny?" Tawni still had not spoken up to why she was out eating with her. Sonny looked up from her plate with a mouthful of spaghetti. Tawni laughed told her to swallow first before continuing.
"What is it?"
"If I could be as bold to ask, What is your relationship with Chad now?" Tawni and Lucy both stared at Sonny wanting to hear the answer.
"Well..."
"B-Because I have fallen in love with you."
"That's my Sonny, so unfazed and forever sincere!"
"Anyway, Hayden we're dating now!"
The familiar words made her blush and feel embarrassed, where they dating now? According to him, they were, so that's the answer she should give, isn't? But why does it feel so odd?
"I hope you don't mind, but I have kept close tabs on my brother." Tawni added and watched as both Sonny and Lucy nodded and waited for her to continue. "But, what I'm going at, is it true that the two of you are officially dating?"
Sonny nodded first shyly before actually giving her a verbal answer. Tawni squealed in delight and clapped her hands together with a joyful smile. Sonny was taken back with the reaction but also smiled.
"That's great! Let me tell you I fully support your relationship with him!" Tawni sincerity reached through Sonny with her eyes that shined with happiness and loyalty. "I hope you don't feel like I was spying on you, but it was merely to take care of my brother, I hope you understand."
"Of course I don't mind, and I can clearly understand." Sonny smiled back knowing how it was being an older sister, and always worrying for your younger sibling constantly like a mother.
"But, does that mean that there is someone who doesn't?" Lucy couldn't help but ask being curious of how Tawni made her previous statement. Tawni sighed and pouted and nodded.
"Our father." Tawni sighed feeling the topic already wearing her down physically and mentally. "Listen up Sonny, I learned from my past mistakes. And I dearly wish to prevent Chad from making them as well. So I must say this right now, if you sincerely wish to be with my brother you have my blessing. But that road I can't guarantee will be easy for you or him, so I want to know this. Are you going to continue being in this relationship?"
Tawni spoke a mouthful but needed to say what needed to be, and made sure there was no slip-ups either. Sonny looked down to her lap and knew she had to think hard of this decision.
"I know this must be a big question for you to answer in such amount of time, but you see I was put in a situation like this, and i want to have both of you mentally and emotionally prepared." Tawni spoke again, with slight sting in her eyes making them appear more red, and teary-eyed. "I was forced to marry someone in wealth. Might sound like a dream to some, but I say forced because I was scared to face through poverty, if I went with someone else." Tawni spoke sniffling back her tears.
"You don't have to play hard to get. I get it, you have fallen for my good looks. Not that I can't blame you."
"T-The kiss. I know you did that on purpose."
"If any dumbass gives you trouble, call us right away. I will personally fly over right away and personally kick his ass!"
"I wouldn't leave, and I would never wait in the car with the stupid security guards, cause this was arranged for it to be only the two of us!"
The warm, and vivid memories went through her so quickly yet so clearly as if they were still physically fresh.
"If you were to ask me this, earlier I would have definitely said no." Sonny answered honestly. She smiled as she heard both Lucy and Tawni gasp in fear, already jumping to conclusions. "But, since your last visit, I got to know him better than I ever thought I would. He's like a child, he could be reckless and stay under the rain without an umbrella and get sick." Sonny laughed at the memory, but continued speaking.
"He is sincere, but can't ever speak his mind just like when his best friend left him for a couple of weeks. He's got a pompous attitude, but... he has a sensitive heart just like anyone else that could be easily damaged." Sonny smiled as she remembered the physical blow Chad looked like he took when he saw the discriminating pictures of Sonny and another man. "He will trust, and believe everyone once he gets to know them, and will protect them with all his heart."
Tawni nodded as Sonny perfectly described her brother, she couldn't help but get slightly teary-eyed. Tawni smiled, somehow understating Sonny's heart and her answer as well.
"Well that settles it!" Tawni smiled, feeling secured of how Sonny felt for Chad, and no matter what even if it meant that their father was going to try to rip these two apart, then she was going to glue them together even more! Tawni smiled at her mental determination. "I won't let that old geezer get in the way!"
"If anything strange, like anything out of the norm or anything suspicious... call me, okay?"
Sonny nodded as she noticed that what Chad had said to her earlier today was him trying to warn her without scaring her. Sonny smiled not understanding why he didn't just so and come out with it, instead of beating around the bush like this. Was he thinking about her that much?
"Now, I really want Chad to experience the commoner level though..." Tawni sighed still not sure how to do this exactly.
"Why not simply go out on a date?" Lucy asked.
"Yes! That could work, but..." Suddenly Tawni stopped and looked at both Lucy and Sonny. "How long have you guys known each other?"
"For a long time-"
"Are you dating someone?" Referring to Lucy.
"Yes, but why-"
"How about a double-date!" Tawni smiled as the light bulb went off in her head, and looked at both Sonny and Lucy who were shocked and unsure what to expect.
"I don't know I don't exactly see him doing that..." Sonny squinted as she tried to imagine it, but couldn't get a visual.
"All the more reason to do it!" Tawni's positive sprit was indeed contagious as Sonny found herself nodding and smiling along. She wasn't sure it was going to work, but Sonny had to admit she would love to see how he would react.
"So, why don't you give him a call?"
"Right now?"
"Of course!"
...
...
"That's the third time-"
"Shut the hell up!" Chad slammed the cards onto the table while his ever faithful friends continued to taunt and lightly poke fun at him. Everyone was sitting on a square table big enough for only the four of them, it was occupied with poker chips and cards filling the table. Chad was always the sour loser out of the four.
"It's not our fault you suck at poker!" Nico stated the facts as he counted the amount of money Chad was losing.
"You knew what! I bet you guys are cheating... I'm not playing with a bunch of cheaters!" Chad announced as he stood up and walked to his bed. Hayden laughed and shook his head at Chad's predictable behavior. Devon took all the cards and decided to shuffle them.
"Hello!" Chad's angry voice broke through the room, the people in the room turned around confused and realized that he was on the phone. "Oh...Hi." Chad suddenly sat up quickly and sat still, as his tone changed to a much more softer one.
"No, I'm not mad." Chad snickered. "...I said I wasn't mad!...This is considering raising my voice!...Me shut up, I don't think so!...for what?...Why would I want to go to a double-date?" Chad in the middle of his conversation realized that his friends stopped playing and were listening to his phone call. All which were making fun oh how Sonny had Chad tied around her finger.
"She does not!...No I wasn't talking to you..." The other F4 members laughed as they all knew Chad was trying to put an act to make it look like he was the one in control. All though everyone knew otherwise...
"I Well I'm not going...I don't care...Not going!" With that he hung up on her and ran back to the table.
"Alright! Who's ready for another round?" a bright-eyed Chad looking around the table with a huge grin covering his face and unable to stop growing.
"I thought you weren't' going to play-" Nico was interupted
"You know that idiot..." Chad laughed, before continuing. "Invited me to go on a double date."
"Yes we heard, but why did you say no?" Chad's smile was being to infect everyone on the table and found themselves smiling along.
"She says she want be to go to a double-date with that friend of hers!" Chad continued to laugh. "But. I'm. Not. Going."
"Chad, you do realize that she technically did ask you out on a date-" Devon was cut off by Hayden who clapped and laughed.
"So you're not going?"
"Nope." Chad looked determined.
"Well, then I'll go with her." Hayden spoke up getting his cell phone out his pocket. "You know I bet she would hate to feel like the third-wheel." Hayden added with a smile while standing up and about to punch in Sonny's new phone number, that both Nico and Devon understood what he game he was playing.
"B-But Hayden it's a double date..." Chad gently pushed his cell phone down trying to convince his friend to not go. It was jealousy of course that made him instantly get up from his chair and try to convince the man to not go.
"Yeah I know..." Hayden nodded, raising his phone up again, and dialing the number. Chad looked defeated, but wasn't going to take back his words, and just ignored Hayden as he brought the phone to his ear.
"Yeah It's me Hayden...Yeah...Say, about the double-date thing...Don't worry, I'll go with you...The zoo?...No that's fine...I'll see you tomorrow."
"A zoo?" Chad boasted pompously obviously pretending not to be one bit bothered with the fact that his friend was going to go to the zoo with his girlfriend. He knew his friends wanted him to call her back right now and say he was going to go, but if he did that he knew he would make their previous statement true. "Have fun! I doubt you will though..." Chad violently took the deck of cards and passed them out to everyone, and made sure Hayden was the last to get his cards.
...
...
"What happened?" Tawni asked from the other side of table as she waited for Sonny to put her phone away.
"Chad's not going but Hayden is..." Sonny looked confused as she answered her not sure what was going on. "What should we do now?"
"I already told my boyfriend, and he said he'll clear the day..." Lucy looked troubled, not wanting to call him back and tell him that it was canceled. Sonny could understand from looking at Lucy it would hard to call it off.
"Let's continue with the plan..."
"But he said he wasn't going..." Sonny looked confused still.
"I know... but knowing Chad, He must have something in mind." Tawni nodded and stood up, "So you girls ready to leave?"
...
...
"Hello?" Sonny picked up the cell phone excitedly without looking so see who was calling. She shoot up from her bed, once the phone was placed onto her ear, and awaited for the person on the other line to speak.
"Sonny?" The person sounded confused. Sonny sighed as she recognized that this voice did not belong to him, but someone she wasn't expecting. "It's me Hayden..."
"Oh, hi..." Sonny wasn't exactly what to say or how to respond to him calling her like this.
"So, which floor do you live in?"
"umm... the third. Why?" Sonny sounded so confused that it made Hayden on the other line chuckle lightly as he recognized her confusion.
"Nothing much, just standing outside your apartment..." Hayden replied casually. Sonny at first didn't believe him, not until she stood up and went into her window and opened it and looked down and surely enough there he was. Sonny gasped and waved at him more surprised to see him.
"Hold on, I'll be down in a little bit..." Sonny was glad that she still hadn't changed into her pajamas like she normally would have. She quietly snuck out of her room without making any noise, and noticed that her mom was already napping on the sofa, most likely getting out early from work today. Sonny crept as swiftly as she could and reached the door, mentally cursed when it screeched. Sonny took a deep breathe before quickly opening all the way this time, and throwing herself out into the hall way and closing it quietly as possible.
From there, it was a quick race to the stairs and out the entrance of the apartment. And surely enough, there was Hayden seated on the bench near by the entrance. Sonny smiled and walked towards him, feeling slightly nervous.
"Hey, so what's with the sudden visit?" Sonny couldn't help but ask. Hayden looked up to her and smiled, before he answered.
"Just wanted to let you know, that Chad will go with you tomorrow. He is probably fixing his thoughts and going to give you a call very soon." Hayden informed her as he stood up. However it was a quick flash of loneliness in his eyes as he turned around to walk away, that caught Sonny's attention. Before she knew it she found her hand stopping him from leaving.
Her hand caught onto the sleeve of his sweater, and tugged on it back to bring his attention back.
"That's something you could have told me on the phone There is something else, isn't there?" Sonny said cautiously as if walking on egg shells not sure if one misstep would cause him to get angry. She has seen him angry, that one time she had begged for Selena to stay, and she honestly didn't ever want to see that expression on him again. Hayden sighed, and smiled bitter sweetly at her concerned but still nodded.
"Did you want to talk about it?" Sonny asked walking forwards to him, as he too followed her pace. There was a small courtyard in front of the apartment complimented with lovely bushes and colorful small trees. Sonny always liked it out here, it gave her the feeling of privacy with all the tall bushes practically covering them.
There was a bench unoccupied by a tree, and Sonny motioned him to follow her and sit down. Which he did without saying anything, Sonny was slightly worried that he wasn't speaking and the fact that she couldn't read the expression on his face made her feel more nervous.
"Did the trip to France not go so well? I noticed you haven't been yourself lately. Ever since then." Sonny hoped that would cause him to open up slightly, and take the chance to start talking.
"It was fun, and very pleasant of course. I-no, we were happy everyday. We stayed up late at night, like how we used to do when we were children talking about stuff or watching movies. It felt so blissful..." There was that small spark that Sonny recognized, just like when she saw him with that magazine in hand, looking so deeply intertwined with it. Sonny then, put the pieces together and realized that it must have been a magazine about Selena that he was reading.
"You know one the people we talked about was you the most. Selena really likes you." Hayden smiled lightly as he turned around to find a some-what shocked sonny.
"Really? Me? Wow, it feels like I'm dreaming..." Sonny smiled as well finding it slightly shocking that her idol of all people liked her. Hayden laughed as he noticed how star struck Sonny was still of Selena. "Selena is such a wonderful person, I idolized her for so long. She's always doing something, but she never complains of the work she has to do. She must have been busy-"
Sonny noticed that Hayden's arms were resting on his knees looking down at the floor. Sonny swallowed the awkward amount of saliva down and knew she said something that hurt Hayden.
"Yeah, she is. She began getting too busy, and I tried to help with what ever I could but I..." Hayden didn't continue. Sonny noticed that same horrible look of depression sinking into Hayden's eyes, how horrible they looked. All his sincere feelings could be read by looking in his eyes
"I guess I'm pretty worthless, huh?" Hayden tried to lighten the mood by taking it out on himself. "I can't even do anything for the person I love..." Hayden sighed feeling that headache pulse in his head. That horrible headache that he felt everyday when he was in France, that made his mind feel stuffy and unable to understand the simplest of things.
"Don't say that!" Sonny lightly patted his back and stopping all negative thoughts to sharp halt in his mind. "I don't see you like that, sure I might not be Selena but I can tell you, that you are not worthless! You saved me many times, and am very grateful for everything you have done for me. If it weren't for you...I don't know what would have happened to me..." Sonny confessed thinking back to all the torment she had to go through.
"You are brave for facing through it, not a lot of people do that now..." Sonny felt like she was mumbling, but it was the truth that somehow was coming out her mouth before thinking about it. "If anything you are special for that."
Hayden smiled sweetly enjoying her little confession. Somehow it made his heart swell at all her words and the comfort she was giving him. This wasn't something he could exactly tell his best male friends, it would definitely open up a side of weakness that he didn't want to show to anyone. However, exposing that same weakness to Sonny seemed just fine, he didn't feel scared opening up. Was it because he knew she would provide him some comfort?
He wasn't even thinking straight when he called her, but before he knew it he was heading out to Sonny's house. He found the address at Chad's house without him knowing, and came to see her. When he was standing in front of the building he was at a loss of words and didn't know what to tell her. He simply decided to give her a call, wanting to hear her voice for some sort of comfort that his friends could not provide for. However the selfish part of him exposed to where he was, and wanted to be with her.
Was he selfish for doing such a thing?
What would Chad think if he saw them right now?
"Sonny, I think I-"
The sudden ring tone exploded cutting off Hayden, and causing Sonny to jump at the sudden noise. She quickly tug into her pocket and sighed as she noticed it was Chad who was calling her.
"I told you." Was all Hayden said, and Sonny took that as a sign to answer her phone and not keep the other man waiting. Sonny stood up and flipped the phone open and placed the receiver onto her ear.
"Hello...What?...Yes, that's where we will meet them...okay then." Sonny talked lightly, almost as if she were whispering. She flipped the phone shut as she turned to Hayden who was still sitting down.
"Well you were right, he said he was coming." Sonny laughed lightly at how Hayden knew Chad so well. Hayden laughed as well, and stood up along with her.
"Thanks."
"Your Welcome-"
"Sonny?" The sharp groggy voice of her mother cut her off. Sonny instantly shoved Hayden onto the bench and hoped that the tall bushes and tree was enough to cover him and out of the view of her mother. "Sonny is that you?"
Sonny could hear footsteps approaching them, with the hard shove Hayden couldn't help but feel shocked but laugh at how childish Sonny acted. The hard push also caused the phone in her hands to fall from her grasp and land on Hayden's lap.
"I'm right here!" Sonny mouthed a bye before she ran off to the entrance so her mother wouldn't go any more closer to where Hayden was.
"What are you doing at this time of the night?"
"I-I was taking out some trash and saw a cat over there..." quickly cover up and sighed when her mother believed he, and motioned her to go back inside.
"Geesh, couldn't that wait until the mourning. I heard the door opening, but I didn't hear anyone coming back in so I was worried something happened." Her mother explained as she waited for Sonny to enter first.
"But the cat looked like it needed my help..." Sonny tried to explain without giving anything away.
"You know we can't take in any animals into the apartment.."
"I know..."
Hayden laughed and stood up when it was clear for him to come out of the hiding spot, and hear something hit against the concrete floor. It was Sonny's phone that fell down, he picked up and made sure to see if there was any damage. When he looked up he could see that Sonny's room light was off now, and most likely trying to go back to sleep.
"I guess the cat will take care of the phone." He chuckled slightly, finding the whole situation funny for some reason. Never had he had to hide from someone's parents, and he had to admit it felt like a thrill and very amusing. Hayden stuffed the phone into his pocket and walked towards his car parked in the street.
...
...
"You know if we were invited like you said we are, then we shouldn't be waiting like this!" Chad couldn't help but complain as they were waiting for the other couple at the Zoo entrance. It has been a good 15 minutes passed the meeting time, and just for kicks Chad went ahead to pay for their own tickets just to pass some time, but the other couple still didn't show up.
"I'm sure they are on their way...It could be traffic..." Sonny tried to calm him down, and hoped her friend would show up already. "You never know..."
"That reminds me..." Chad leaned against the building, and turned to look at Sonny who was starring straight ahead, turned to look at him. "Were you with someone yesterday?" Maybe it was jealousy that caused him to ask this, but Sonny's eyes slightly widened and turned to look back away from him.
What would be the smart thing to do?
Tell him the truth, right? But that would lead him into misunderstanding things, and it would ruin the mood, along with today's plan.
"O-Of course I was! What makes you think I wasn't?"
"Well you were whispering as if someone was there with you...So I was curious." Chad explained. Maybe it was the fact that Sonny wasn't looking at him made him feel very insecure. "So you were by yourself, right?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Of course I was..." Sonny turned to look at him knowing that he needed to physically look into her eyes for some sort of reassurance. "And besides, it was late at night, I don't want to wake anyone with my talking..."
"Oh right." Chad stated feeling stupid, and waited for Sonny to look away to smile at his absurdity. He trusted her and simply pushed back all the second thoughts in his head away and took her word for it
"Look they are here!" Sonny pointed at the couple making their way here, Sonny was more than excited for the both of them as she slapped Chad's shoulder as if he would miss the chance to see the couple.
"I see them already!" Rubbing his left shoulder where Sonny was hitting him before. He looked at the incoming couple and recognized the female, and noticed it was Sonny's co-worker and long time friend.
"Sorry if we are late." Lucy smiled apologetically knowing that Sonny's boyfriend wasn't best with patience. Sonny smiled as she finally got to meet Lucy's boyfriend, and her first impression was that the man did look mature. He wore black some what tight jeans, and a simple white and blue checkered collar shirt. He had light brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Hello, my name is Dave. It's nice to finally meet you, Lucy speaks very highly of you." Dave reached out his right hand and waited for Sonny to shake hands with her. Chad however didn't like the look in his eyes, something automatically felt like something set him off about the guy. Was it the way he was looking at Sonny? It was as if he were looking at a menu, analyzing everything, for his consideration.
"I'm Allison, but you can call me Sonny-" Sonny extended her left hand to shake his hand, and wanted to retrieve it back as soon as possible. Especially when she felt the man give her hand a small squeeze that she didn't appreciate at all.
"Oh I was filled in already." The man spoke once again as if it were an excurse to hold her hand even longer.
"Hello, my name is Chad Dylan Cooper." Chad offered his left hand to shake, not liking this man already. He came in, when he saw the small tug of Sonny's arm to get her hand back. "Nice to meet you."
The man let go and smiled at Chad, and briefly shook hands with him.
"Really? like the Chad Dylan Cooper? Aren't you like filthy rich? Is there paparazzi following us?" The man asked with more excitement than he should have. He coughed and tried to play it off.
"No, I can assure you all that has been handled already." Chad smiled trying to ease the anger still burning inside him.
"Chad?" Lucy asked finally actually facing him face to face, and she had to admit he was a bit intimidating. Chad turned to look at her, confused but still smiling knowing that his was Sonny's best friend. "My name is Lucy, am Sonny's friend."
"Nice to meet you." He smiled with sincere feelings not wanting to get on her bad foot, and shook her hand briefly. Sonny couldn't help but slightly smile as she noticed how polite Chad was trying to be. She felt touched that he understood that Lucy was indeed important to her.
"So what was it? Cooper or Pooper?" Dave couldn't help but joke. Sonny swore she saw his ear's twitch and turn bright red from the insult. Sonny placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down instantly.
"Cooper." Chad replied as if he wasn't affected with the insult.
"So, we are already paid for our tickets, so all that's left is you guys." Sonny explained hoping that was going to be the only bump ahead of them. She could only pray that his was all going to go smoothly. With the fact that Chad was a ticking bomb that was waiting to explode made her feel more nervous, maybe it would have been better if Hayden came after all.
"Money." A sudden hand that came in front of Lucy's face surprised both Chad and Sonny. Lucy instantly took out the set amount of money from her purse and handed it to the man. Chad couldn't help but gasp in disgust, this man was no gentleman at all. Sonny's look also mirrored Chad, knowing what just happened.
'Did Lucy just pay for the both of them?' The thought horrified Sonny, and somehow felt slightly sad for Lucy who just ignored the on-looking couple and knowing what was running though their minds. Sonny didn't know what to say, but even though she brought her own money to pay for her own ticket, Chad still paid for hers.
"If only my boyfriend did things like this, I would feel like a princess..."
Sonny realized the meaning to Lucy's words from earlier. Why is she going out with this guy? Is there relationship always like this? Sonny turned to face Chad, who was busy eyeing the man with still disgust as he noticed that he only used the money that he was given. Sonny smiled somehow feeling grateful for Chad, and hoped he would pull through this day without any more problems.
I hoped this Chapter was good! And don't worry~ I won't be abandoning this fic! The lovely reviews I receive really encourage me to continue~
Thank you for all the reviews, and thank you for reading!
Explanation [skip. If needed to...]
Kay, so the chapter opens up with Lucy observing the couple, and Lucy dropping a couple of hints of her relationship. All which Sonny fails to grasp and understand, and merely pushes what she was saying as nothing. Lucy if you haven't noticed isn't that selfish as to talk about her problems to someone who already looks like they deal with a lot(Sonny).
The next scene opens up with Tawni arriving to the house, and talking to her father. the conversation gets heated! As Mr. Condor reveals Hayden's sad past, (which is from the Korean version of the drama!) he lost both his parents, and his is his last relative but has decided to abandon him. I'm honestly not sure if I want to input more Hayden's past but if you like to read about it, then I'll fit it in there. I also put a little bit of how Hayden and Chad met,(which is something I came up with.) and now you can hopefully under how important they are to each other.
Tawni's main reason to seeing her father, is to stop him from intervening in Chad's relationship, just like he did with Tawni's. As you guys all know Tawni's relationship with her first love didn't last~ And it was basically Mr. Condor fault however his pride is too big for him to come out and openly admit something like that. So he was finding away to pit it against Tawni, knowing that she still holds a grudge against him for that. And he successfully does it too sadly.
One of Tawni's strong points is actually being emotionally strong, and that is something Chad was always liked about her, and secretly idolizes in her. I also included a little bit of how Chad's relationship was with Tawni and his father. He was basically a shut-in and didn't talk to anyone, but when he actually realized that he was a father just like every one else he of course was happy, and wanted to be liked by him. However when he didn't he basically got back on his feet with Tawni and Will's help. That's why he is close to the both of them.
Then Tawni went to visit Sonny shortly afterwards and basically went there to warn her of their father. And sonny realized that Chad was also trying to do the same thing, but not at bluntly as Tawni. He didn't want to scare her or make her feel uncomfortable about someone she hasn't even met yet.
Sonny still hasn't gotten over the 'problem'. Sonny in the previous chapter was at first unsure of Chad's feelings for her, but now Sonny's problem is figuring out her own feelings about him. Which is why she hesitates on answering Tawni's question. However; Tawni can see the conflict herself, and knows that its a problem Sonny must go through by herself, and doesn't say anything. Even though she knows her feelings for her brother by just with what she said, but still wants Sonny to figure it by herself.
Hope that makes sense...
Tawni makes a plan to test if Chad could really handle being at the commoner level, so they decide to have a double date with Lucy and her boyfriend! So from there on I think it's pretty straight forward~
Hayden comes to visit Sonny, because he is still depressed about everything, and the fact that he keeps it inside was only making things worse, and he needed to let it out, but he couldn't do that with his friends. So he turned to Sonny, and she was more than happy to lend him a shoulder. More about what actually happened is coming up shortly! This is only the first part! So hold on~
Done!
So the next chapter will continue from where it left off!
Thank you for reading! and reviewing (once again!) Your reviews are always very encouraging! And like always, leave any opinions or options! Please pardon any grammar or spelling errors that could have happened in the rush of me updating! I'm sorry~
Next Chapter: Simply Misunderstood
