Heeey-ooo! How's it going wit my fanfic peeps? I have a few announcements for all of you lovely readers, so please don't skip this author's note!

First of all. Are you guys going to see Eclipse today? I despised the first two movies, but I think I might go see this one so that I can just the decent-looking fighting scenes. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are NOT good at acting. Sorry Twilight fans but Pattinson was good in Remember Me…

MORE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! I probably would have been writing yesterday, but guess what happened? The book I've been waiting on for a year cane out! AAH! If you guys haven't read the Gallagher Girls series, you must! The first book is called- If I Tell You I Love You, Then I'd Have To Kill You. The second is- Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. The third- Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover. And the one I read yesterday is called- Only The Good Spy Young. The books are about a sixteen year old girl who is a spy and it's just sooo good! The author is Ally Carter. She doesn't give A TON of detail…but they're just GAH. So, you ccan probably find the first three at your local library or whatnot, and the fourth I bought yesterday. Go read them!

Now. Sonny and Chad. Yay!

Chad.

xXx

Trust me- I had no explanation to why my palms were sweating.

Absolutely- no idea. Really.

Okay, yeah, I know why. But I will not say it.

First of all, less than ten minutes ago I had pressed my lips to Sonny's hair. Now, I seriously don't why I did that and I should have known better, but I just lived in the moment, okay? Then, of course, Jayden came and ruined it all. Sonny seemed really affected by it though…

I had practically dragged Alex out of under Jayden's spell and planted him on the couch in my room so that he could help me out. I swear, the dude is obsessed with Jayden. But, hey, I give him props- she's pretty into him too. Also, he's about five years younger than me, still a teenager, so he would know.

"Okay," I said, wringing my hands together once again to get the clammy moisture to disappear. "How about this one?"

"Dude," Alex groaned. "They all looked good."

"No!" I objected immediately. "They didn't. This is serious, man, what do I wear?"

"Chad! You're a guy!"

"Tell me something I don't know." I said, trying not to understand.

Alex snorted. "I wasn't aware you did know that."

"Hey, watch it kid." I said playfully. He sighed, "Why don't I go get Jayden? She's-"

"You just can't be away from her for more than five minutes, can you?" I looked at him with a smirk.

He got up and walked toward the door, smirking back. "Maybe not," He admitted. "But you know that she would know exactly what to do."

"Fine."

"Besides," He opened the door a crack and dropped his voice in case anyone would overhear. "She's the only one who won't talk about the fact that you're clueless as to what bathing suit to wear and acting like a complete girl."

I growled as he snickered. "Just get her."

I looked in the mirror and admitted it- Yes. I was acting a little bit like a girl. But! Every guy needs a little girly-ness, right? Sure. In my book.

I sighed, and then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I mumbled.

Alex came in with Jayden's hand in his. Jayden was holding back laughter.

"Having trouble," she snickered just like Alex. "With what to wear?"

"Yes." I said in a hard voice.

She took a deep breath to stop her giggling, and then put on a serious face. I watched her advance me through the mirror. "Chad," she began as if she were talking to Scarlett. "You're looking at yourself right now. What do you see?"

"I don't need one of you soul speeches, now, Jayden-"

"Nope. Wrong answer. You were supposed to say abs." She raised her eyebrows as she playfully punched my bare stomach. I smirked more pronouncedly. "You were supposed to say muscle."

I chuckled at her. "Oh, right. But, in my defense, you're always so deep and stuff…so it sounded like-"

"Yeah, I know what it sounded like." She interrupted.

"Wanna see my six-pack?" Alex said suddenly, lifting his shirt in the mirror.

"Put those away!" Jayden blushed like a maniac. "He's just jealous." She whispered to me. That earned her a shove in the shoulder from Alex as he overheard. "It was a joke! Sense of humor, please. Jeez Louise."

"Okay, let's keep talking about how amazing my abs are." I pushed.

"Why must you feed on all this flattery, Chaddy?" She chuckled once more. "Okay, down to business. "Your hair is a good sandy blonde color, and your eyes are blue so the red ones you're wearing now won't work. It looks to patriotic."

I tried to see it from a girl's perspective, but then gave up and just listened to Jayden's wise fashion sense for her age.

"So," She murmured as she looked through all the swimming trunks I threw on my bed. "You're going to need something dark blue to go with the contrast of you skin and you hair. So, here is the one!" She smiled victoriously as she pulled out my dark blue, white and black plaid trunks. "These are perfect. The blue is exactly what I'm talking about, the white is good against the blue and the black makes you seem a little daring."

I tried not to laugh at Alex's drool as he stared with a goofy smile at Jayden.

"Thanks, Jay. I needed that."

"And by that you mean reassurance, so here's some more." She leaned her head closer asif she were inches away even though there were five feet between us. "Sonny did the same thing."

A trickle ran down my spine. "Wh-what makes you think this is about Sonny? Pfft!"

She just stared at me with an ashamed face. "Oh, right, sorry, I forgot. You're trying to impress Isobel." She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "Get dressed. Make sure you make it down there before Sonny does to avoid an awkward moment. You're welcome. Good luck."

She winked at Alex before exiting the room. I was silent, and Alex continued to stare at the door Jayden left through.

"She's perfect," He sighed.

"I don't drool and sigh at Sonny. Therefore, I don't like her." I reassured myself in the mirror.

But I kissed her hair fifteen minutes ago!

Alex glared and wiped the drool off his chin. "Face it, dude, you like her."

"Who?" I feigned clueless.

"Sonny."

"Yeah, right."

"Open your eyes, Chad!" He was suddenly exasperated. "You're getting obsessed over what to wear! And the only reason you would do that is if you were nervous. No one here except for Sonny can make you nervous. You like her!"

"I don't like her," I said.

"Are you trying to give me the impression it's more than that?"

"No!"

"You've known her for a month." He said. I had told him everything that had happened when we were done unpacking. "You guys are close. And, well, she kind of needs you, dude."

Sonny…needs me?

"You think so?" I smiled softly at the idea.

"I don't know. You don't care, right?" he smirked victoriously just like his girlfriend.

I glared at him through the mirror before he realized that Jayden wasn't' holding his hand, so he left the room. I sighed, pulling on the new suit and stared at myself. Perfect. I'll have to give Jayden extra ice cream tonight.

Here we go, I thought. I put on a black t-shirt to cover my abs- only until we get to the pool, though. Then I'll take it off. I smirked at the ideas forming in my mind, before pushing them away.

I am such a girl!

I walked to my speaker. "Hey, Sonny?"

"What's up, Chad?" She answered a second later.

"Could you do me a favor and see of Abby's ready?"

"Already did. But I didn't check on Isobel and Scarlett."

"Oh. Okay, I'll get Izzy and Scar and then we'll meet you down at the pool, with Jayden and Alex."

"Sounds like a plan."

I pulled my finger off the button, realizing my hands were sweating again. I glared at them for a minute before shrugging and walking out the door. I opened the door to the room that Isobel and scarlet usually go to.

The room was dark green- the favorite color of both girls.

"You guys ready?" I called, they were in the bathroom.

The door burst open. "Yes!" Scarlett posed on her green bikini without an insecurity in the world. Isobel smiled at her friend before nodding shyly in her matching green bathing suit and saying, "Yep."

"Alrighty, then. Let's go to the pool!"

"Yay!" They squealed and ran ahead of me and down the stairs.

I knocked on the door of Jayden and Alex's room. "Ready guys?"

"Come in, Chad." Jayden's voice said.

"Jayden!" A voice hissed.'

"What?" she said innocently. I opened the door.

Alex was in the bathroom since the door was closed and the light on. Jayden looked at herself in the mirror in her dark blue bikini. Her tan skin went well with the color- I mean, that's something she would say. And the hissing came form Sonny who lie on the bed, a white dress on over her bathing suit as a cover. I could see a red bikini string around her neck. For a second a stared at her from the corner of my eye, glad she wasn't looking at me. Something in my stomach shifted a little, but I'm sure I was just digesting my breakfast. Yeah…

Sonny looked at Jayden in the mirror. "Yep." She nodded. "It totally goes perfectly against your skin. It has this brownish tint to it, so the blue works better than the brown or the ty-dye one."

"Don't talk too loud!" she whispered.

"I wasn't!" She objected.

"Ah," I nodded. "don't want to look bad in front of your boyfriend."

"Are we really going there, Chad?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows and let her eyes shift to Sonny then back to me, signaling she knew more than she should. I put my hands up in a surrender position. For a second I debated on sitting next to Sonny, but then I remembered that the two best friends were down at the pool. One last glance at both Sonny's smiling face with a hint of a blush and Jayden's also, I realized they looked a lot alike.

"I'll be at the pool. Hurry up!"

I left the room before Alex came out of the bathroom with Abby in his arms. I didn't know that Sonny took her from his arms and smiled at her as Abby giggled. I was already gone.

I sprinted down the steps, past the kitchen, living room, elevators and all the other doors until I reached the sunroom and the cracked open screen door. Isobel and Scarlett waited together on one lawn chair, playing a thumb war.

"Thanks for not going in, guys."

"Ladies, Chad. We are ladies." Scar flipped her hair. "I like your bathing suit." She nodded. "The plaid looks cool."

"Good." I sighed in relief.

She smiled at me before changing the game the two were playing to Rock Paper Scissors.

I went to check the heat of the pool. It was eighty-six degrees. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, knowing from past experience that the sun makes the water much hotter. I looked at the fifteen foot high cave at the other end of the pool that held the waterslide atop it and the darkened area with the lights underneath it. I flipped a switch and then the whole pool went into motion as the water coursed through pipes and burst out of the opening, sliding down the slide and into the water. The pool was forty- five feet long and thirty feet wide and was five feet deep at the other end, slowly descending to fifteen feet so we wouldn't hit the bottom after the water fall. Yes, it is a huge pool. I know. I smiled at it. It could turn into a wave pool, too, but it takes a while for the pool ground to shift so it's deep enough to keep the water in ands not splashing on the patio.

"Woohoo!" Izzy got up and dipped a toe in the moving water. It's not like a river, it just wriggles a bit because of the rushing water on the slide.

"Let's wait for the others, okay, ladies?" I snickered.

"Wait no longer!" I heard Alex cry as if he were royalty. He held Jayden's hand and their arms swung together as Jayden blushed and Alex smiled contently. Behind them was Sonny, who had a big smile on her face since she had placed Abby on her shoulders. The four-year-old was laughing hysterically the whole way to the chairs.

"Do me a favor?" she walked toward me, motioning to her head at the girl on her shoulders. I laughed, and reached up and grabbed Abby's reaching arms and brought her down onto the chair. Sonny rubbed her neck but smiled all the while. "Whoa," She caught sight of the water fall/ slide.

"Cool, I know." I smirked. She slapped my shoulder playfully with a smirk on her face.

"Sunscreen!" I announced to the anxious kiddies.

"Aaw!" They chorused- Sonny included. I continued to smirk at her.

I handed Sonny a bottle. They were the spray kind, so we did the kids in a flash. Then the all began to chatter excitedly as Sonny and I watched them.

"I'll do your back if you do mine." She suggested.

"Fine." I turned around, ripping my shirt off with confidence. I was shivering as the cold sunscreen was sprayed on my back. I realized how cheesy the scene would be if this was the rub-in kind. Grr. Why didn't I think ahead?

When I turned, Sonny tossed me the bottle. Then, without turning, she pulled off her white dress in one fluid movement, revealing her flat stomach and all the curves on her body. With a smirk on her face she then turned, lifting her hands to capture her hair which was blowing slightly with the breeze. She lifted it up and away from her neck and back as my breathing slightly faltered. I looked at Jayden, feeling her eyes on me. She nodded encouragingly and I began to cover her back with the clear liquid. It began to shine, taunting me in a way I've never been before. I took deep breaths, working to her lower back. One every inch of her back was glistening I stopped, throwing the bottle on one of the chairs along with eleven towels.

She faced me with a smile. "Thanks."

"You too." I breathed, and she turned away and walked toward the group of kids.

I took a deep, shaky breath and tried to keep from…never mind then.

Alex caught my eye and gave me a sneaky thumbs up. I didn't respond, to shaken from the scene that just occurred.

Sonny whispered something to the kids. Then Scarlett, Alex, Jayden, Ray, Ryan and Isobel jumped into the pool, causing a huge splash. Sonny laughed and ran her fingers through her hair as I watched her. She turned to look at me, and I looked away. I could still feel her eyes on me as I walked toward the water fall, pulling a rock away from the little mountain and grabbing the wooden bendy ladder. When it hit the ground, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Move it, Cooper." She said with a smirk.

"What makes you think you're going first, missy?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Ladies first. You know that, don't you, Chad? Unless you're a girl and there's something you need to tell me…" She stepped up on the ladder and put her arms on the sides.

"Uh, no." I shook my head. "I think I'm not- probably because I'm not wearing a shirt."

I tried to get her to blush and it totally worked. She looked forward, climbing another step. Sonny turned her head a fraction toward me so I could see her flaming cheek. "Trust me- I noticed."

I gaped at her. "Nope, you're not going first no matter how many flattery comments you throw at me."

"How about if I say you're the best actor of our generation?"

"You just did."

"Curse my niceness." She said playfully, but she didn't make a move up the ladder. I climbed up after her and she watched with wide eyes.

"You're not going first," I breathed on her face, and she blinked. Her face went red as a tomato. "Stop flirting with me Sonny, jeez, there're kids around!"

She slapped my arm as I laughed and climbed up the other side of the ladder. She did the same. When we made it to the top I sat down first on the flat rocks, but she held me back, slipping on the side and then pushing herself back onto the slide.

"Hey!" I objected what couldn't be undone. She laughed and screamed as she moved with the water down the slide. I shook my head and went on after her before she could get too far.

I thought about how close I got too her face…

I shook it off, seeing Sonny pass the next swerve and turn this way and that, before plunging into the pool. Five seconds after that, I felt myself crying out as the feeling of weightlessness surprised me. I put my hands up in the air and plunged in after her.

The water was warm on my skin, holding me back. I moved my arms around, pushing toward the surface. When I reached it, I gasped for air and shook hair out of my eyes to come face to face with Sonny Monroe, who was also gasping for air.

I smiled. She blushed. That seemed to be the way with us.

"Let's go, lovebirds!" Jayden called. We looked over toward her smirking face, and I rolled my eyes. Swimming over to the kids. Jayden held Abby in her arms and Alex was making goofy faces at her. Ray, Ryan, Scar and Izzy were having a splash war. I watched as the girls screamed and the boys called victory chants. Abby was sat down on the steps as she twirled herself around by the helping bar.

"Splash war!" Alex yelled over the noise, and everyone began to splash frantically. I noticed how everyone but me and Sonny had goggles. I swam to the edge of the pool, grabbing two.

"Sonny!" I called, she turned at the sound of her name. She held her hand out as I threw the goggles, and she caught them effortlessly. I put mine on and she did the same, and water flew everywhere.

I swam to Alex. "Let's team up!"

"Ha!" he laughed, and shoved my head down under the water and I blindly found his waist to flip him over. After I shook my head to get my bangs out of my face, I moved toward Ray and Ryan who had teamed up, of course, I splashed them like crazy until they put their hands up in the surrender position. They swam over to the stairs with Alex and Abby, leaving only the four girls.

First, I swam over to Isobel, who was just randomly pushing water this way and that. I dunked her head under the water and she gave up, running to the stairs.

"NO!" Scarlett cried, and flung water at my face. I coughed and spluttered as some got in my mouth, but then it stopped. I looked and saw that Sonny had dunked Scar under water. Scar came back up after a second, laughed at Sonny and splashed her playfully before going out. It left me Jayden and Sonny.

We both turned around saw half of Jayden's face as she got down in the water and then lifted back up. Sonny moved away from me, realizing I was the enemy. We all began to circle each other.

"You guys are so cute," Jayden said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Always so flirtatious."

My eyes narrowed.

"Said Jayden," Sonny snickered. I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh." She said. "But don't you get it? Make fun of me and Alex all you want, but you guys are exactly the same."

Sonny stopped circling. But I didn't. I ran into Jayden and dunked her under the water, and she smirked as she came back up and walked to the stairs. Despite how cool the girl may be, she said something she shouldn't have.

When I turned to look at Sonny, she was staring at me with a thoughtful look on her face. I yearned to know what she was thinking, but when I opened my mouth to ask she already turned away.

I didn't hear someone call the game back on. I didn't feel all the kids splashing at us. I didn't think of anything but Sonny.

Sonny splashed some sense into me.

Maybe I did have feelings for Sonny Monroe…

Would it even be so bad if I did?