73 reviews! OMG, you guys are aaamazing! In honour, I shall name every reviewer – you guys, I will love you forever! ^^ Thank you for making my writing so much fun! Here we go: - my fantastic 50th reviewer, ....Okay, this chapter will be a long one as I have to fit the whole ending in. ^^ Not wasting anymore time with author notes, here you go!

Chapter 9

"Chad"

She managed to hiss, her teeth clenched and fingers balled into fists. He glanced at her with an indifference that only made her more incensed. They had tricked her! Her own friends, the only ones she thought she could actually rely on, had done nothing but betrayed her! And even after Tawni had put her through all that guilt about being selfish! A movement from the boy opposite from her jolted her back to Earth. He took a step forwards, his expression carefully composed.

"Sonny"

He smiled as he said her name. She instinctively began to smile back, before shaking her head as she realised what she was doing. That was half the reason she kept well away from Chad Dylan Cooper. It was far too easy to fall in love with him, to forget the reason she had fallen into her depression. But this time, she wouldn't forget. She wouldn't let herself be drawn back into his web of deceit and heartbreak.

"Chad, I'm just going to leave before this gets difficult."

He had to force down the urge to shout at her for being so oblivious. It didn't have to be difficult. She had made it difficult. Loving her was one of the easiest things Chad had ever done. And then things had gotten complicated. She turned, reaching for the door handle.

"Sonny, please"

She froze, the pleading tone in his voice bringing back memories. How many times had he asked her to stop, to think, to wait? How many times had he asked her to forgive him, that it was just this once, that it would never happen again? Swinging round, the anger in her eyes surprised even herself.

"You really think you can just ask me to come back and I'll go running into your arms? You really think you can blind me again, just after I finally opened my eyes to who you really are? You really think that any of your pathetic pleas will be enough anymore? You must be pretty stupid, Chad."

"Sonny – "

"No, no more 'But Sonny', no more 'Please, Sonny', no more 'Just listen, Sonny'. Just leave me alone, Chad, ok? Just shut up and let me leave."

His blood boiled and suddenly he was in front of her, his face two inches from hers, so close that she could count the freckles on his tanned cheeks. His eyes were glittering with rage, and abruptly he was shouting, yelling back at her. Who was she to tell him that he had to be quiet, that he had to watch meekly as she walked away from him? Who was she, but little insignificant Sonny Munroe? Who was she, compared to Chad Dylan Cooper?

"No, Sonny. Now you're going to listen to what I have to say. Because what I have to say is so much more important than anything you could ever say. I'm not going to leave you alone; I'm not just going to watch while you get further and further away from me, I won't just sit here!"

She took a step back from him, wrinkling her nose.

"Well, it's a bit late for that now, don't you think?! You should have figured that out four months ago!"

In a flash, she was out of the door, slamming it behind her, the frame shuddering with the impact. Another crash as Chad raced through it, leaving it wide open, shaking in the air. And now she was running, sprinting, along the corridors, anywhere, just to get away from him, away from the person that had hurt her so much, away from the person whom she could do nothing but unconditionally love. Out of the double doors, into the familiar car park, the rain beating down on her back, soaking through her white blouse. His voice still followed her, his footsteps still echoed in her ears. Turning round, he was there, standing in front of her, the same frown on his face as the one he wore four months ago, the one that never failed to bring back a flood of unwelcome memories. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"It's all you fault! Why couldn't you have just left me alone? Why couldn't you have just never bothered with little old Sonny Munroe? Why couldn't you have just never interfered with my life?"

The tears spilled over, her voice breaking as the tears fell, mixing with the rain, falling faster and faster until you could hardly tell what were tears and what were raindrops.

"If you hadn't left me, none of this would have happened! It's your fault! It's all your fault!"

He was incensed now.

"My fault? My fault? I never asked you to fall in love with me! I never asked you to agree to be my girlfriend! I never asked you to do anything!"

"That's right! You never asked me anything! You just went ahead and did whatever you goddamn well pleased!"

Her eyes were wide, staring.

"Why did you have to fall in love with me? I never asked you to! Why did you have to choose me? Why couldn't you have just bugged some other poor soul? I never wanted your pathetic, pitiful affection!"

He was babbling now, spouting lies, the red haze in his mind overtaking his thoughts.

"You're just some silly girl! Why would I ever want you to fall in love with me?"

She tried not to let him see how much his words hurt her.

"You fell in love with me, too!"

He scoffed.

"Why would I ever fall in love with someone like you?"

There was a flash of silver, a cry, and then the drops began to fall, first one by one, then faster, until the rain on the ground was stained red, collecting in a forlorn puddle. He stared at her, the serrated knife shaking in her trembling hand from where it hung over her arm. His body wouldn't move, his brain wouldn't comprehend. The blood was rapidly spreading along her arm, and with a clench of her fist and another flash she drew the blade back along her wrist. Her hand was stained with crimson, and the knife dripped her blood onto the paving slabs, where it ran with the rain, tumbling into the gutter. With a shaking sob, she collapsed to the ground, the knife still clutched in her hand as if holding a teddy bear or a cuddly toy. Hugging her knees, she sat, closing her eyes and resting her head on her knees. He broke out of his frozen state with a jolt as she raised the knife again, in the other hand this time, catching it just before it traced its bloody path along her other arm, wincing as he caught his fingertip on one of the jagged edges. Trying to pull it from her stone grip was impossible. He enveloped her in his arms, stroking her hair, comforting her as she sobbed, as the blood dripped onto his crisp blue shirt. He didn't care.

"Sonny, shh. It's ok. It's alright. I'm here"

With a clatter, the blade fell to the tarmac, lying dejected in the wash of blood and water.

Cradling her bleeding arm to her chest, she looked up at him.

"Chad, I'm sorry..."

Normally he would have been angry at her for harming herself in such a way, but out here in the freezing cold, with the rain pouring down on them, with her pain-filled hazel eyes gazing into his, there was no way he could possibly shout at her.

"Hey, it's ok. It wasn't your fault"

"Chad, I don't want to do this anymore. I just want to give up. It's too hard."

He wrapped her tighter in his arms, attempting to get some warmth into her body. She looked up at him with a faint smile on her face, wincing with every raindrop that fell, a stinging jolt in her arm.

"Sonny, we can always get through this, you know that."

She sighed.

"But why? What's the point? I just don't get it anymore."

He tried not to let his concern show through. Had he really done so much as to push her this far? He had to dig deep for the right words.

"The point? The point is that I need you, Sonny. I need to you to stay here with me."

Her eyes closed, as if in annoyance. She raised a trembling hand to her forehead, and with the other attempted the push him away, to no result.

"Chad, how can you say that and expect me to believe you anymore? I don't even know if anything that anyone says is real anymore. You left me, with no rational explanation, and now you say that you need me back?"

Her voice was rising, growing in strength.

"How can you just say things like that?"

He took a deep breath. It was time for things to change.

"Because, Sonny Munroe, I love you."

He could feel her freeze in his arms as he spoke. Her eyes widened, unable to do anything but stare. Was it actually true? Could he really love her again? After all, he had followed her all the way out here, had hugged her, and comforted her when no one else would.

"I love you, Sonny."

But who was she kidding, really? He probably told every single girl he met that he loved her. She was nothing special, nothing to be prized. She was just another girl in the million-and-one others. Yet, she couldn't make that nagging voice at the back of her head go away. Maybe he really means it...Maybe he really has changed...Maybe. So many things that may be. Yet, only one truth. The inevitable truth.

"Really, Chad? Really?"

The bitterness was back, the pain on her face no longer from the cuts on her arm.

It was his lips on hers that answered all her unspoken questions, the feel of his silky hair in her hands that convinced her that this wasn't all a hopeless dream, the butterflies dancing in her stomach that assured her that the words he spoke were true. He drew back, panting slightly, his eyes meeting her fathomless gaze, the hazel eyes he had missed so much.

"Really."

And for the first time in four long months, Sonny Munroe smiled.

Wow...it's finally done. That is my longest story. Although it really doesn't feel like it. I wasn't too happy with the end as well...I don't know why... I know I've said this many times but a huge huge huge huge huuuge thank you to everyone who reviewed! You make my time absolutely worthwhile – and thank you for making this my most reviewed story ^^ I have lots more Channy in the pipeline, so look out for more! Please R + R this last chapter, and make it complete! ^^

KiteDancer x