Hey everyone. I've decided to take up PrettyKittyKat23's challenge and write a story that is set a few years into the future with Chad and Sonny. Hopefully I can update on a semi-weekly basis, but if you don't hear from me for a few weeks, just remember – I am in college. ;) Please sit back, relax, and enjoy some fun.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing, with the exception of any OC's you may encounter throughout the story.

Spoilers: Potentially anything that has aired. If there is a specific spoiler for a chapter, I will let you know in the author's note preceding that chapter. Otherwise, I will assume you have seen all of the episodes!

The List

"We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves." – May Lamberton Becker

Chapter 1: Grown-Ups

Sonny Monroe futilely attempted to apply a sheer layer of lip gloss to her pouted pink lips as the red pick-up truck she was riding in rolled along the country highway. Chance rustled around in the back, his spotted tail wagging excitedly back and forth as the car meandered down the road. The dog then proceeded to stick his head out of the open window and let his tongue dance around the summer breeze.

"Chance, you're such a strange dog," Cal noted with a shake of his head. Sonny twisted around in her seat to observe the Dalmatian's delight. "I swear," the young man continued, "it's like you'd think I never let him outside."

"He loves Wisconsin as much as we do," the brunette replied, zipping her purse shut and setting it onto the floor.

Cal glanced quickly at the young woman beside him in his truck and rubbed her arm. "I'm beginning to think you don't really want to go back."

This statement seemed to snap Sonny out of a trance. "No," she assured, "it's not that I don't want to go back, it's just…it's going to be weird to see all of these people again."

"It's only been five years."

"Yes," Sonny breathed, "but people change a lot in five years. I just feel like it's a chore to have to pick up for a few weeks just to shoot a So Random! reunion special when we all have lives of our own. Heck, the teenagers these days have never even heard of So Random! before."

The pair was silent for a moment before Cal opted to respond. "I think it's good that you go. It'll be nice to spend some time with all of those people you tell stories about. You know that deep down, you truly do miss them all."

The brunette rubbed her eyes wearily before sighing. "I'm sorry. I really do miss them. It's just that this internship application is due when I come back, so I'll have that hanging over my head the whole trip, and then there's leaving Mom and you…" Sonny turned to the young man beside her and frowned. "I'm going to miss you, Cal."

Cal's green eyes twinkled. "Sonny, I love you, and I'm going to miss you too. But you're going to have a blast in California. You get to stay with Tawni, right?"

Sonny's face stretched into a genuine smile as she thought of her former co-star and close friend. "I'm really looking forward to seeing her. We haven't really caught up since Marshall's wedding last year."

The truck gathered speed as it rolled up a hill. Sonny stared out the window and admired the lush trees and flowers that littered the ground. She chuckled as they passed a field where half a dozen spotted cows roamed and grazed. It made her recall when she used to have a cow-print phone.

"See? You're going to have so much fun. And you'll be home before you know it," he assured her, as he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Sonny beamed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Cal let go of her hand abruptly as he reached over her lap into the glove compartment and retrieved a folded piece of paper.

"Before I forget, this is for you," he said, placing the paper into her hands. Sonny frowned and prepared to open it before Cal stopped her. "I want you to wait until you're on the plane though. Promise?"

"Promise."

The brunette smiled as she placed the paper into her purse and leaned against the passenger's seat of the truck, content and prepared to embark on her trip.

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Sonny Monroe was looking forward to seeing her old cast, don't get her wrong. She was even looking forward to spending a few weeks of the summer in sunny California. But there was a small chance, a miniscule possibility that she would have to run into him again. And even though five years apart may have made her wiser, they didn't make her forget what he did to her.

The brunette currently reached into her purse in search of some gum for the plane's take-off and realized that she had not yet opened Cal's letter. The thoughtful Engineering major she had met at the University of Wisconsin had been dating her for the past two years, and she was fairly certain that once she graduated next year, he would propose. She would say yes. Cal was, after all, the sweetest, most generous, and most wonderful young man she had ever dated. He was down-to-earth, sensitive, and genuinely cared about her thoughts and feelings. He was everything that she wanted in a boyfriend. Cal was, in fact, her best friend. That is, apart from her roommates. The two girls she had lived with since her freshman year of college had reminded her, in odd ways, of Zora and Tawni. Her roommate Lynn was a Popular Music major, who was nearly as vain as Tawni at times, but despite that, they had grown to be great friends. Jennifer was more like Zora than anyone else – the fiery red-head had a knack for pulling pranks on people and scheming revenge better than anyone. Yet, the woman had a kind heart and was Sonny's confidante.

Shaking her head, the brunette realized she had digressed into a train of thought in her attempt to discover what Cal had written to her. She unfolded the piece of paper and scanned it. Sonny was puzzled momentarily before realization dawned on her and she chuckled.

Sonny's Top Ten

By: Sonny Monroe

Attend a movie premiere party.

Go cow-tipping.

Start a charity.

Host a scary movie marathon.

Have a song written about me.

Buy a pair of expensive shoes.

Try an espresso.

Visit a foreign country.

Build an igloo.

Go sky-diving.

Scrawled at the bottom of the list was a note in Cal's handwriting.

I found this in the back of my truck when I was cleaning out the other day. Remember the night we spent star-gazing in the field? You told me there was a list you had made when you were sixteen of things you wanted to do before you graduated college. I underlined the ones that you have yet to accomplish. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fulfill at least one of these before you come home. Have an amazing time in California, Moo. Wisconsin, and more importantly me, will miss you dearly. I love you.

Sonny giggled as she recalled Cal's friendly nickname for her. He had coined her as "Moo" the day that she met him at freshman orientation. It had been a few hours into the orientation and the president of the school was giving a long-winded and dull address. Of course, Sonny's phone – which had accidentally been left on – began to incessantly ring in her default ringtone. That, of course, was to the tune of a cow mooing.

Cal referred to her as "Moo" for the rest of the day.

And as Sonny leaned back against the scratchy airplane seat, she rested her eyes momentarily and couldn't help but smile. Cal wanted her to enjoy the few weeks of filming that she had in California. He wanted her to forget about stressing and to enjoy a reunion with the people that, five years ago, meant the most to her in life. He wanted her to reconnect with her old friendships and find the child in her again. Because, whether she admitted it or not, twenty-one year old legal adult Sonny had somehow lost the spunk and innocence that accompanied her five years ago. The bubbly girl was still there, no doubt. Friends and family could always rely on Sonny to be cheerful and helpful to others.

But there was something distinctly absent from the actress' life. She always told herself that it was because she grew older – she had to grow up, didn't she? Thus, Sonny donned a more serious, goal-oriented work ethic, pushed aside crazy schemes and pranks, and devoted herself to her future, wherever that may have been. Maybe, just maybe, her trip to California would be a chance to revisit that child inside of her. Maybe spending a few weeks in Tawni's apartment would rekindle their energetic friendship and bond.

And maybe, just maybe, she would fulfill the last four things on her list.

Okay guys, that is the first chapter of the story for you! I hope you enjoyed it. I know Sonny seems a bit OOC at the beginning, but I hopefully explained why she is this way at the end of this chapter. You have to remember that five years changes a lot in someone's life. If you haven't noticed, Chad is briefly mentioned, albeit in a negative way, in this chapter. I promise there will be good stuff to come and lots of drama and romance will ensue!

Please read and review, and let me know what you thought of the introductory chapter! Thanks everyone! :)