Summary: Interlude Two: "What else did you do today?" "I compared Chad to a Klondike Bar…"
Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue. (Anything you recognize is not mine. Anything you don't recognize probably is mine. Probably.)
Special Dedication: This chapter is for Fan Fic Legend for the awesome, touching review!
Four Seasons
By EmbracingRain
Interlude Two
Discussions
Nico, Grady, and Chad
Chad slammed the car door shut and hit the lock button on the remote. The security system engaged with a loud squawk just as a drop of rain hit the actor's cheek. With a groan, he dashed toward the apartment building he'd parked outside of, praying it was the right one. Apartment complexes where all the buildings looked the same made him insanely glad his apartment was in a solitary building close to the studio. Despite being at Sonny's almost every day for the past couple of weeks, he still had a difficult time figuring out where exactly she lived now.
Unfortunately, his plans today didn't involve Sonny. Instead, they involved her two roommates. And Chad wasn't exactly sure how that was going to go. There were too many factors involved for him to know for sure.
Reaching the third and topmost floor of the building, Chad took note of the only apartment with a welcome mat and a pot of flowers next to the door and automatically knew he was in the right place. Sonny had placed both items there shortly after moving in with Nico and Grady, feeling that the apartment needed to feel more homey and welcoming to any and all visitors. Said actress was exiting her apartment as Chad started approaching it, and she turned to him with a surprised smile.
"Hi, sweetie!"
What Chad couldn't get over was that Sonny had never called him anything but his given name until love finally factored into their relationship. She chalked it up to an unwillingness to get too attached to him "just in case," but Chad still found it kind of funny. It was just one of her many quirks.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, kissing Chad's cheek. "We don't have plans until later."
"Nico and Grady wanted to hang out," Chad replied.
"And you agreed? Wow. I'm impressed!"
"They didn't tell you? I figured they would," he said, confused.
"No, but now the fact that they've been acting weird all morning kind of makes sense to me," Sonny told him with a laugh. "Good luck with them, then. They're not exactly themselves today. I have to go meet mom and Rick." She pulled a face as she said her father's name.
"You're going over to your mom's, right?"
"Yeah. Mom wanted to meet for brunch, but I really preferred that this wasn't public." Sonny sighed and shook her head. "I'm just lucky that the press hasn't got their hands on it yet. Could you imagine the carnage?"
"Just go in there and say what needs to be said in the nicest way it can be said," Chad advised her. "You already patched things up with your mom once. You don't wanna do it again."
"That's the plan," Sonny said, heading for the stairs. "The door's unlocked, so you can just go in. Nico and Grady are playing some zombie apocalypse game so they probably wouldn't even answer the door." She waved goodbye and disappeared down the stairs.
Chad took a deep breath and entered the apartment to find the other two guys deeply absorbed in a video game like Sonny had just described. They both mumbled greetings to Chad when he said hello and sat down.
"So…am I here just to play video games all day or something?" he finally asked when no one had said anything for about five minutes.
"Nope," Nico said, pausing the game and tossing his controller to the coffee table. "We actually wanna talk to ya about somethin'."
"Talk? Really?" Chad asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"We think it's time the three of us had a talk with youse," Grady said in an accent that made him sound like a wannabe mob boss and caused Chad to choke back laughter while Nico rolled his eyes.
"Okay, Godfather," Chad said smartly. "Enlighten me."
"Who are youse callin' Godfather and why?"
Nico leaned forward in his seat, clapping his friend on the back. "You're doin' your godfather accent again, man, and you're still terrible at it."
"Aw, man! Really?"
"Really," Chad deadpanned. He was unsure if Grady's disappointment was at his failure at the accent or that he didn't realize he was doing it. "Seriously, what do you guys want?"
Nico and Grady shared an uncomfortable look and both shrugged before Nico finally cleared his throat and spoke up.
"I'm just gonna get right to the point."
"Alright…"
"You've stayed here basically every night since Sonny moved in," Nico stated tentatively.
"And?"
"While that's all fine and dandy with you two, the two of us…we're not exactly comfortable with that arrangement. Sonny's like our sister, and havin' you stay the night is… Well, it's… It's just…"
"Weird," Grady finished. "The kind of weird that makes us wanna leave because we feel like we can't be here even though it's our apartment."
"We really wanna leave, man, but we got nowhere to go," Nico added apologetically. "And ya've got clothes in Sonny girl's closet and stuff in the bathroom. For two people who claim they ain't ready to live together, ya sure are livin' together in our apartment."
"I am not moving in here," Chad said definitively.
"Dude, you've got your own apartment but you've been here twenty-four seven for the past two weeks," Grady responded.
"You don't like me being here."
"No, you bein' here is fine with us. It's whatcha do with Sonny girl when you're here that we don't like," Nico told him slowly.
"Yeah. It makes us wanna hit you. A lot."
Chad exhaled deeply and sat back in the chair he had claimed, scratching the back of his head as he thought over their words.
"I don't know what you expect me to do."
Nico groaned and rolled his eyes in a blatant display of exasperation.
"We are asking you kindly to…do it at your apartment instead of ours!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, we wanna at least maintain the illusion that the two of you aren't…y'know…"
"But you already know we are, so what's the difference?"
"The difference," Nico said as though he was speaking to a kindergartner, "is that we don't know for sure what you're doing over there, so we can pretend like you're not doing anything at all."
Chad wrinkled his nose, trying to follow their logic but finding himself unable to. Even though it didn't make sense to him, he shrugged and agreed anyway. When in doubt, it was always best to agree with the Randoms instead of argue; their arguments never made sense anyway and tended to go in circles. Grady muttered something that sounded like, "Thank you, God," then tossed Chad a third controller as Nico hit the "Resume Game" button on the video game. The three boys were ten minutes into slaughtering zombies before the consequences of the agreement finally dawned on Chad.
"Wait! Does that mean Sonny's gonna have things at my apartment?"
Nico snorted and Grady started to laugh.
"Probably," Grady said through his chuckles.
"But the way we see it, that's yo problem. Not ours," Nico finished.
Sonny, Connie Munroe, and Rick Munroe
Sonny straightened her shirt and fluffed her hair before knocking timidly on the door to her mom's apartment. She'd given Connie her copy of the key when she'd moved out, and, despite knowing where the spare was hidden, she preferred to knock rather than enter of her own volition. It made her feel less like an intruder in the apartment that she had once occupied.
The door swung open and Connie greeted her only daughter with a hug before ushering her inside. At first glance, the apartment looked the same, but Sonny could see the blank slots in the DVD rack where her movies had been and the empty hooks on the coat rack where she had hung her jackets. She knew that her room was still empty, too - Connie's silent promise that Sonny would always have a place at home should she give up on her independence and come back.
"Hi, sweetie."
"Hey, Mom," Sonny replied quietly, kicking off her shoes and hanging her purse off of one of the empty hooks. "Where is he?"
"He'll be here any minute. Do you want something to eat? A snack maybe?" Connie asked, looking thoroughly confused as to what to do.
"I'm here to talk to Rick, Mom. Not to eat," Sonny said shortly. Upon seeing her mother's crestfallen face, though, she caved and offered up a small smile. "Maybe some pretzels if you've got any."
"Absolutely! Come on," Connie said. Her face brightened and she gestured for Sonny to follow her into the kitchen. Sonny did so, feeling like a total stranger in her mother's life. She felt rotten knowing that there were some things she and her mom would never be able to work out completely. Life had been easier before she realized she wanted her independence; those were the days where virtually everything could be worked out.
"That's a pretty necklace, honey," Connie told Sonny as she began rummaging through cabinets for a bag of pretzels. Sonny touched the pendant hanging around her neck with a soft smile. The large silver bird hadn't left her neck since Chad gave it to her almost a week ago. He spoiled her rotten, truth be told, and she was often left wondering what she could possibly purchase for him when he bought everything he wanted himself.
"Chad gave it to me," Sonny said quietly.
"'Gave' as in 'bought'?" Connie queried, moving on to another cabinet.
"Yep."
"Wow. How is he lately?"
"I love him, Mom," Sonny said abruptly instead of answering the question.
There was a distinct moment of silence after this announcement that caused Sonny to bite her lip, unsure if she should have told her mom before a serious discussion with Rick took place. When Connie turned back to her with a bag of pretzels, though, it was with a maternal smile that was tinged ever so slightly with sadness.
"Well, I can't say I didn't see that one coming."
"He loves me, too, you know," Sonny said, accepting the bag and focusing on opening it rather than looking into her mother's face.
"Are you sure about that?"
Sonny nodded, nibbling on a pretzel stick.
"A year ago, all you could do was complain about him. You told me he was a terrible person and most days you couldn't stand him. Are you positive he's the person you think he is?"
"He's kind of like…a Klondike Bar. There's an outer shell and ice cream in the middle. Chad's the ice cream and his media persona is the shell. Knowing who he really is depends on putting in the time to break past that shell. He became something he didn't want to be when he finally became famous with Mackenzie Falls and the image stuck with him. Believe me when I say Chad isn't who the media claims him to be, or even who he claims to be at first. In fact, I think who he claims to be has a lot to do with protecting himself from the harsh criticism of the media and all the fake people in Hollywood. It's like Grady using humor as a defense mechanism or Tawni's self-importance but…different."
Connie remained skeptical but didn't have time to argue because a knock at the door signaled the arrival of her ex-husband. She cast her daughter an encouraging smile, but Sonny just shook her head.
"I'm not making any promises, Mom. Frankly, I don't know why you're pushing this so hard. It's not like he's a stand up guy."
"Sonny, he's your father. You've been without him nineteen years; there's no reason for you to go your whole life without knowing him. He's trying really hard and I think it's only fair that you give him a chance."
The actress frowned. She found it hard to believe that her mom didn't know the real reason her ex was back. But then again, there was the possibility tat her mom had never given up hope over the past nineteen years that Rick Munroe still loved her despite the fact that he'd left her and their children for another woman, another family. It broke Sonny's heart to think of but explained why Connie had dated yet never found someone to settle down with. Hope and the fear of being abandoned again…
Maybe that was why she'd held on so hard when Sonny was trying to leave. She didn't want to be abandoned again (and, this time, alone), but Sonny had left anyway.
Dispelling such thoughts from her mind as trailed after her unsuspecting mother into the family room, Sonny returned to the matter at hand: Hearing out the man who had left her basically fatherless had it not been for Drew. The idea that she'd rather be anywhere but here flitted through her thoughts, and she fantasized briefly about her options. There was a wide range of them, from torture to happier things like being with Chad or her friends. Naturally, she preferred the more pleasant choices, but she pushed back the desire to shove past her mother and flee the building, an admirable feat she felt considering the circumstances.
She made herself uncomfortably comfortable on the couch as Rick Munroe stepped into the apartment. He declined his ex-wife's offer for something to drink and settled himself on a chair, the chair that had once been Drew's favorite and Sonny knew Rick would never be occupying if Connie knew why he was really there.
Connie gave a nervous laugh and sat down next to her only daughter on the couch. The other two occupants of the room turned to look at her expectantly. After a moment, she seemed to realize they expected her to speak first.
"I suppose we all know why we're here… Rick, you have something to say?"
Sonny turned to look at him, disdain flooding her brown eyes as she prepared for the sugary, pseudo-sorrowful speech that was about to assail her ears. There was no doubt it would be a good one. She'd inherited her acting abilities from somewhere and evidence proved it wasn't her mother who couldn't tell a lie to save her life.
"I made a mistake when I left," Rick said frankly after a sticky pause. "I already told your mom that, but I felt like you should know as well. Alison, I can't even begin to express in words how much I regret that decision. Not getting to see you grow up or help you become the person you are today… Those are things I can never have. But I want to cultivate a relationship with you and be a part of your life. That's why I'm here."
Sonny gaped at him, filled with nothing but disbelief.
"You honestly expect me to believe that?"
"Sonny Munroe!" her mother exclaimed in a reprimanding manner.
"That's not the reason why he's here!" Sonny exploded, turning to face her mother and pointing an accusatory finger at her father.
"Excuse me?" Rick said, sounding affronted.
"Did you really think that Drew wouldn't find out?" Sonny demanded, glaring at him. "Maybe you forgot what he does for a living, but he certainly has ways of finding out what's going on in your life and deducing what you want from all of us."
"Sonny-"
"No, Mom! Listen to me for once! He's not back because he feels sorry! He's back because his wife divorced him and he's broke! Why else would he track me down? I'm famous and fame equals money, doesn't it?" she said with a bitter laugh. She looked at Rick dourly, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, Connie stood up, a look of deepest hurt flickering across her face. That look only served to cement Sonny's suspicions about her mother: She had been hoping.
"Is that true, Rick?"
He didn't respond, just sat there in Drew's chair with his eyes riveted to the floor under his feet. There was anger in the way his thin lips twisted down into a frown and the way his eyes squinted up, forming a furrow between his eyebrows; he seemed to be gritting or grinding his teeth. No denial fell from his lips for a good five minutes.
"Get out of our lives," the elder Munroe girl finally said.
"What? Connie!"
Rick stood up at once, incredulity hovering behind the ire on his countenance.
"You didn't find it hard the first time," she bit out, wrenching open the door and staring him down. "It should be even easier this time. I want you out of the lives of my family."
"You believe her?"
"I've never had a reason not to believe my daughter," Connie defended Sonny coldly, "unlike you."
There was a hideously drawn out moment where nobody said anything, and then Rick stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door as he went. Connie buried her face in her hands.
"Mom…"
"I really thought he'd changed," Connie said, her voice choked with tears. "Part of me was hoping he'd come back and make everything better, but he came back and now everything's shot to hell."
It took Sonny everything she had not to break down herself as she hugged her mother and let her cry.
Sonny and Nico
Nico glanced up from his book, preparing for the worst as he heard a key turn in the lock. But Sonny entered the apartment alone and he relaxed. It seemed the awkwardness was at a standstill for tonight.
"Hey, Nico."
"Hi, Sonny girl," he replied, watching as she hung up her coat in the closet and stepped out of her sneakers. "Where's Chad?"
"He dropped me off," she told him as she passed by him into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and began to rummage around. "Ice cream?"
"Sure."
"Y'know, if Chad staying the night really bothered you and Grady so much, you could've told me."
Nico smiled guiltily as he took one of the spoons she was holding.
"I guess ya guys talked about that, huh?"
"Sure did," Sonny said. She took the lid off the carton of ice cream and dug in, looking at him expectantly, obviously awaiting an answer.
"It was awkward enough talkin' to Chad about it and he's a guy," Nico finally explained after a few spoonfuls of the frozen dessert. Eating straight out of the carton made him feel weird, like he was turning into one of Sonny's girl friends. "I think if we'd talked to you about it, Grady's head woulda exploded."
Luckily, she laughed.
"I'm sorry we made you guys feel uncomfortable." Sonny smiled at him apologetically. "I promise he won't be staying over anymore."
"I guess none of us really thought about that kinda stuff when ya moved in," Nico said amicably. He stood up and fetched an ice cream scoop and a bowl from the kitchen, then took the tub from Sonny and plopped a few scoops into the bowl.
"What are you doing?" she asked, clearly amused.
"Eatin' out of the tub like that makes me feel like a girl."
They ate in companionable silence for a few more minutes before Sonny spoke up again, curiosity finally having gotten to her.
"Speaking of Grady… Where is he?"
"He's on a date wit one of Chloe's friends."
"What about you, then? I figured you'd be out with Chloe."
"Family birthday."
"Ah."
Nico set his now-empty bowl on the coffee table next to his abandoned book. He studied his friend as she stared into her tub of ice cream. She looked worn out, he decided.
"How were things wit yo mom today?"
Sonny sighed, tucking her feet under herself and saying, "Emotionally taxing."
"That bad?"
"I think she'll be okay eventually," Sonny said with a shrug. "I thought she knew the real reason he was back, but she just…didn't. And I think finding out broke her heart all over again. With him gone, though, I think things will be better with me and her."
"Well, at least there's that, right?" Nico said unhelpfully, patting her on the back. He didn't know what else to say, to be honest.
"True."
"What else did ya do today?"
She wrinkled up her nose, thinking.
"I compared Chad to a Klondike Bar…"
And, just like that, the mood in the three Randoms' apartment lifted, and the two who were there at that moment found themselves laughing and talking like there wasn't a care in the world.
Dear Epically Awesome Readers,
In the past week or so that I took to write this interlude, you guys hit one-hundred and twenty-seven reviews! It. Was. PHENOMENAL. The response to last chapter was just…mind blowing and I'm tempted to keep writing long chapters like that one, haha. You all should know that the fact that you hit one twenty-seven means you're only twenty-three reviews away from the double update! I guess I'd better get ready to execute that, shouldn't I? I promised it to you, and I will deliver.
This interlude… I wasn't too happy with the Nico/Sonny exchange there at the end. It felt super heavy, but not in a good way. In a really awkward way. I did like the scene with Sonny's parents, though. Overall, I did like this interlude, so I suppose that's what counts, right?
Also, Bread Crumbs was the winning title for my new story. Which I felt was good, because after I asked your opinion I automatically fell in love with that title. So Bread Crumbs is posted and awaiting your love. I'll have an update for that soon as well.
Thank you for being so amazing! You guys are the best and I love all of you. And to all you ghost readers whom I've never heard from, I hope you're enjoying the story and I love you all, too. C:
Forever,
EmbracingRain
P.S. It'd be awesome, in my personal opinion, if you guys hit somewhere around one-forty reviews, but I won't push you. C:
