Oh, my, Chad Dylan cooper! I'm sooooo sorry :-/ I could give you a list of what took me so long (flu, writers block, Christmas, homework, ect) but I don't think you really want to hear the troubles of a 14 year old girl :(.
but anyway, this is the LAST chapter! (excluding the epilogue, which could include the channy wedding... ;-)) this story (including the prequel) has taken so long (over 6 months :O) for me to write. I cant believe I stuck it out so long without getting bored, and managed to meet my deadline of finishing in January. Now I can concentrate on shiver and blades of rivalry. :) those stories are officially coming off hiatus and the next chappy of both will be up end of January/beginning of February, depending on any more..er...complications.. :-/
but yes, I hope you all enjoy this chappy, it's a bit rushed, but I was thinking and if I put every event that happens here in a different short chappy it'd be even longer be3fore I finished, so I thought one longish chappy would be better :)
disclaimer: nope, nope, I've said it many many times, but I do not own swac! only the plot and Riona ;-)
Riona's pov
'I...I.' I began, not knowing where to start. I didnt know yet, it was all going too fast. I looked up to see James' wide, eager eyes gazing back at me nervously.
'yes?' James replied but I just stared at my battered purple converse, scuffing the floor awkwardly. But with the lightest of touches James coaxed my chin up so I would look at him 'what do you say?' he repeated, looking at me with such emotion that I felt over-whelmed.
'I don't know James.' I said, turning my head away to get out of his grasp and running my fingers through my long brown locks. 'its just... I've... look, we've only been on one date. Plus I have only known you for a few weeks and for most of that time I've hated you. I mean we've had some amazing moments but I don't know if-' I gushed, letting my deepest thoughts out, only to be cut off by a pair of warms lips on mine.
For a few seconds a went stiff, shocked with what he was doing. But soon enough I relaxed and closed my eyes, while wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt him put his hands on my waist and I smiled into the kiss. But only too soon he pulled away, but my arms remained around his neck. Staying as close as possible as we stared into the depths of each others eyes.
'I think I might love you, after all' I breathed.
'what?' a voice that could only belong to the self obsessed diva tawni hart came screeching from the doorway 'one minute you're close to breaking up and now its all kissy and lovey dovey?'
'come on tawni!' James said 'give it a rest'
'no, I will not "give it a rest", I cant stand for this! Someone needs to put a stop, before it goes too far!' tawni screamed, her voice gaining volume and hight every word she spoke.
'is someone jealous taw-nee' James teased while I held back my giggles, holding onto James for support. But this drew more gasps from a very flustered blonde.
'n-no! I am not jealous! why would I be? I J-just don't want Riona to be hurt, that's all!' tawni stuttered, staring at the ceiling, the walls, anywhere except the place where my hands were in contact with James' arms
'hmm, isn't that the excuse you used last time?' James asked in mock curiosity, taking his hand and stroking an imaginary beard with it.
'psht, excuse? I'm telling the truth!' screamed tawni.
'what's going on? I heard screaming (a/n and crushing metal) so (a/n I cut my massage to an hour) we stopped making out, and rushed right over' Chad yelled, running in the door with sonny close behind him. As soon as he said this she turned bright red.
'Chad!' she shout/whispered to her boyfriend, hitting him over the head.
'-sorry, we stopped... cleaning... sonny's... dressing room?' Chad said slowly giving sonny a 'wtf?' look as he did.
'cleaning my dressing room?' sonny asked in disbelief.
'I don't know, I had nothing!' Chad replied squeakily. Suddenly the doors opened again and in ran Nico, Grady and zora all breathless and pink faced.
'w-we lost him!' Nico spat out in between deep breaths 'he was fast and he had a car and...what's going on here?' Nico asked, looking from James and I, to tawni's angry red face and the pink lip gloss smeared over chads face.
'just what I was thinking...' zora chimed in.
'yeah.' Grady agreed slowly, his eyes also travelling around the room.
'Ask. Them.' tawni shouted lividly, pointing at the two of us and staring daggers. Soon enough all the eyes in the room were on us so I casually let go of James and slid my hands into my pockets and stared at the ground as if it had become a work of art, when it was really just a scuffed brown stage.
'well?' Chad, Sonny, Nico, Grady Zora and Nico all said together.
'oh... look at the time... my mum must be waiting for me... I better go... bye!' I made up, my voice getting higher until my goodbye was nothing more than a squeak. I turned quickly on my heel and aimed for the doors.
'not so fast.' sneered zora as I was grabbed by Nico and Grady, one on either of my arms while Chad shoved James into one of the two chairs that seemed to have appeared by magic, until I noticed sonny and tawni holding the backs of the chairs. I was pushed into the other. I turned my head towards James but everyone hissed like a pack of angry cats so we quickly glanced away.
'now, what was going on here then?' Nico asked, glaring menacingly at the two of us while he wrapped ropes around us, strapping us to the chairs.
'when we left you were arguing and Riona here, looked ready to kill you' Grady continued, poking each of us in the stomach as he said our name.
'but now you're all kissy kissy, lovey dovey' tawni finished, trying to stare us out but after 10 seconds looking away into her pocket mirror.
'you already said that' sonny whispered to tawni just loud enough for us to hear. James and I nodded our heads eagerly in the hope of being let off but all we got was a hit from a pocket mirror over our heads.
'bad luck for 7 years.' tawni sneered as fragments of glass fell over our heads like wedding confetti. It would've been romantic if it wasn't for our situation and the cuts that began to form on our arms and bodies.
'listen, why are you all so annoyed at this? I mean you let sonny and Chad be together even though he was on Mackenzie falls at one point, not just as producer but as the star! But you cant just let us be together?' I pleaded, attempting to get down on my knees but the ropes binding us the uncomfortable plastic chairs only succeeded in the chair toppling over and me being led on my front with a chair strapped to my back. Usually everyone would have laughed good naturedly and helped me up,but they just fixed steely glares at me.
'by the time we were going out, Chad was on our show and there was no-longer a rivalry between us. So we were free to be in love...' sonny said dreamily and Chad wrapped his arms around her giving her a love-filled Eskimo kiss. Everyone else (other than me and James) tutted and made sick noises. 'almost. But in 5 years when we're getting married, you will have to be fine with it. Or you cant be my maid of honour tawni!' sonny said turning back to us, still in her loved-up state.
'ugh, fine, I'll try' tawni said begrudgingly, pushing Chad away and giving her best friend (no matter how much she tried to deny it) a real hug.
'great!' sonny said squeakily, beaming around at all of us. During all of this, James and I attempted to make our escape, slowly edging toward the door. But the loud noise of the chairs squeaking across the floor awakened everyone else from their happy daze.
'and what do you think you're doing?' Nico asked, grabbing the back of my chair while Chad grabbed James' and pulled us backwards to where everyone was stood.
'not escaping if that's what you were thinking...' I said half sarcastically.
'...yeah, why would you think that?' James asked in a tone very similar to my own.
'because you were both edging suspiciously toward the door while you thought that the rest of us were all previously occupied!' tawni said quickly, sounding a lot more smarter than usual.
'what?' we all chorused,staring at her with mouths ajar, forgetting the current situation for once.
'not just another pretty face' tawni said with a squeaky 'tehe' at the end, re-inducing the blonde stereo-type, to our many sighs of relief that tawni had not been kidnapped by a super-brainy clone.
'but seriously, why cant you just let us be together?' asked James.
'because, a- you're the competition, b- what you did to sonny and tawni and c- you're a player' Chad said counting the letters off on his fingers.
'Chad, you used to be a bigger player than me. You dated twins. At the same time!' James exclaimed.
'but sonny's changed me..' Chad said dreamily, turning toward his girlfriend.
'don't you dare kiss her again' the whole room shouted, causing sonny and Chad to blush ferociously.
'okay, okay,' sonny said, staring and Chad
'or think about it!' tawni stressed, pulling both of them away from each other.
'but, what we're saying is, we cant have Riona dating a player that's competition and hurt tawni and me so bad.' sonny said fairly.
'fine then, I know what I'll do' James said, something lighting up behind his eyes.
'what are you going to do?' I whispered urgently in his ear
'don't worry about it' he whispered back before addressing the rest of the room. 'listen, I know you've all come to think of me as a 'player' and 'the competition'...'
'we do' tawni, Nico, Chad, sonny, Grady and zora shouted back.
'yes, well, I think I've got an idea to change all of that. This idea would stop you thinking I'm competition, show my true undying love for Riona..' James began, at the end bit we cut him off with my 'awh's' and their sick sounds 'and tawni, sonny, I'm really sorry about what I did to you, I wont ever do it again. Promise'
'you better not!' Nico and Chad exclaimed as sonny and tawni blushed.
'I wont.' James said seriously
'what's the idea then?' zora asked impatiently.
'I'm thinking that I'm going to quit so sketchy! And get as new job, somewhere else. So then I wont be competition and I hope this shows you how much I love Riona' James spilled, causing gasps to echo around the room.
'Awh, I love you too James' I said, my voice squeaky with happy tears. I attempted a hug but our ropes prevented this from happening.
'you serious?' Nico asked James.
'yeah, of course.' James replied. Nico and Chad undid our ropes so I could fling my arms around James. When I pulled back he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. But, as things usually go, the banging of door brought us to our senses and we look up to the doorway. The whole cast of so sketchy! Along with Dakota and trey stood staring at us with gaping mouths.
'what. The. Hell?' portlyn asked, her eyes as wide as saucepans.
'erm...' I stammered, looking up at James for help.
'I quit.' James said simply.
'you quit what?' Dakota asked in a high voice.
'so sketchy!' James said confidently.
'your quitting what?' portlyn screeched.
'I told you, I'm quitting so sketchy!' James said.
'I heard that, but why?' portlyn asked, in the same 'nails on a chalkboard' voice.
'because I love Riona and you, are a cow.' James replied bluntly.
'what?' portlyn said in her highest voice yet.
'you heard me.' James said.
'now please, get off our stage!' Tawni said, pushing them out of the door and slamming it behind them. You could hear murmured 'what do we do now?'s' coming from behind the door. But we all ignored.
'listen James, marshals getting a bit old and to be honest, we need a new producer because he wants to go off and produce his one man show 'marshal and ma', and while you were talking to them, we got talking and we think that you could be our new producer.' sonny said, leaving it for effect. 'so... what do you say?' she asked nervously
'yes, of course I'll be your new producer.' James replied, sealing the deal (except for all the boring legal work) and I squealed my heart out, kissing his cheek and hugging him once more.
'it looks like we're the only ones that aren't a couple now..' Grady said suggestively to zora.
'don't even think about it' she said, walking away to leave a crestfallen Grady behind.
'YIPPEEEE!' a high scream came from the floor below the stage where we were stood. We looked down to see marshal skipping across the floor singing 'marshal and maaaaaaa!' and we all giggled at him.
'this is a message for so random! From Mr condor, so sketchy! have officially dropped out of the competition and you get your show and number one position back. Well done and thank you from everyone here at the studio.'
this message played over the intercom, celebrations lasted into the night and peace and serenity was restored to condor studios.
Well, until zora and Riona pull another prank that is.
THE END
ugh, that was a really bad, cheesy, obvious ending. But yeah, I couldn't think of anything :-/
I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, I'd name you all, but that'd take too long. So I'll thank my regular reviewers by name and hope you all see that I'm talking to you too :) :
KayDee-DesignerExtraordinare: you have literally reviewed EVERY chapter and given me so many idea's, and for that I am sooooooooooo thankful :) thank you thank you thank you! :D (im especially thankful for the James/Riona (rames lol) ideas :)
mrpuppy: you've also reviews loooaaaadddssss of my chapters :D thank you soooo much :D
HeyIt'sME2610 : once again, you've reviewed practically all of my chapters and given me good ideas too, thankyouuuuuuuuu :D and you helped me with my problems with stand up comedy:D
ChannyLover34 : you've reviewweeedd loads! and given me so much encouragement, thank you so much :D
(hmm, I feel like I'm repeating myself, oh well ;-))
veeheart914: you've reviewer soooo much :D and given me so much ideas and encouragement. I loved the sicky Vicky idea, that was awesome :D
okay, there's like 6 pages of reviews and im tired of going through them all, so if you helped me or whatever and you think I've missed you out, tell me and I'll put one of these for you at the end of the epilogue :D
love you all
Riona
xxx