Hey, what's up? Muddi here with another one of my angst stories. I haven't been on in a while, with school and such, but I've managed to make time to write a story. Enjoy!

"If you really loved him, you'd let him go."

Tawni said these words to me just the other day. I was minding my own business, writing sketches and planning on what I would wear to mine and Chad's next date, when she popped up and said these words. My immediate reaction was "What are you talking about?" but I soon realized that she meant something more deep. Something… life changing. But I, Sonny Munroe, would not let this go to my head! However, I had no idea what Tawni was talking about.

When I thought about it a little bit harder, I thought at first that Tawni actually might possibly have feelings for Chad Dylan Cooper. But that idea was drowned out by the sound of my laughing. My second thought was that Tawni and Chad had some sort of fight when I wasn't around, but I realized that I would have heard something about this by now. So the third idea, and the one I stuck to, was that Tawni's looking out for me and actually had some sound advice. Crazy sounding, I know, but it was the best idea I had.

And unfortunately, my intuition was correct.

I didn't realize the meaning of her words until just this morning. I was just waking up when my cell phone rang. It was Chad.

"Hey, Sonny," he said to me. "I… I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked, my voice quiet with worry. Even though it was the morning, Chad was never this grave sounding before.

"I… I don't want to talk about it on the phone. Meet me at Condor Studios in half an hour."

"Wait, Chad!" I cried, but to no avail. All I heard on the other line was static. I sighed, pulled on my boots and jacket, and ran out my front door.

He was waiting for me on the broken down bench in the back of the building. Something was terribly wrong.

"Hey, Chad, what's up?" I asked, afraid to know the answer. He was silent for a moment before answering me.

"They're cancelling Mackenzie Falls," he said sullenly.

"What- No, they couldn't!" I protested. "Mackenzie Falls is one of Condor Studios most popular TV shows!"

"Not anymore. Haven't you checked the ratings lately? Even Meal or No Meal is beating us."

"But… but how can that be?"

"Because of you, Sonny," Chad said. "You're the reason."

"Chad, that doesn't make any sense."

He didn't answer me for a while. But then he said, "It was a warning. I knew it."

"Chad, what are you talking about?"

"Remember, Sonny? When Amber was here? It started with my fan base declining. Amber was smart enough to realize that you were controlling my life. You had me turned into some romantic sap."

"I thought you were happy."

"I was happy. I am happy. The times with you have been the greatest times of my life. But like Amber said, people don't like happy Chad. Ratings are dropping like flies, and the show can't go on without the titular character."

"So… either I go or Mackenzie Falls go."

Dead silence.

"Sonny… I love you, you know that? More than anything in this world. More than my hair. More than my parents. More than Mackenzie Falls."

"Chad, don't do this."

"I'm willing to give up anything for you."

Tawni's voice came back into my mind. "If you really loved him, you'd let him go." Could Tawni have been the all seeing eye this whole time? Or at least, the all seeing eye of TV ratings?

"But Chad… if they cancel Mackenzie Falls, we won't be able to see each other again. You know what happens to people who've quit or been fired from Condor Studios. Remember Mandy? The girl I replaced? We haven't heard anything about her in the news for two years. What will happen to you, Chad?"

"I'm Chad Dylan Cooper. Anything can happen."

"That's what I was afraid you might say," I whispered.

"What?" Chad asked, confusion settling into his face.

"Chad, I won't let you leave Mackenzie Falls."

"It's not up to me. It's up to whether or not Mr. Condor cancels the show."

"You said it just earlier. People don't like happy Chad. If you were unhappy, your ratings would go back up."

"Sonny… what are you implying?"

"I know you better than this. You'd be lost without Mackenzie Falls. No matter what you say. I know that you wouldn't be able to continue on, even with me."

"I can try, Sonny, I know I can! I might not be able to cope with it on the inside, but I can act like it!"

"No, Chad. Not even the greatest actor of our generation can pull off something like that."

"Sonny," he said. Despair was starting to take over his voice. "Sonny, please don't do this to me."

"If I really love you, I have to let you go," I said. I wiped away a tear that was starting to form. "I'm sorry."

"Don't do this to me, Sonny," he pleaded. I couldn't bear to look at his puppy dog eyes. I started to walk away.

"Sonny. Sonny!" he cried. I didn't look back. I started to pick up my pace.

"SONNY!" he moaned. The last word I heard was goodbye.

I didn't know how long I had ran. All I knew that my legs were on fire and that I had to sit down. I lowered my head as my tears started flowing down like waterfalls. They were starting to be mingled in with the fresh drops of rain that was starting to fall. Just my luck.

I cried a good twenty minutes, and after that, I just stayed there sitting on the bench. Puddles were starting to form around me, soaking my leather boots, but I didn't care. Let them be wet.

I scavenged around my jacket pockets in hopes of some tissues that I may have left in them when I found a folded piece of slightly crumpled paper. I unfolded it delicately, hoping that the rain wouldn't ruin it. But it wasn't the rain that ruined it. It was my own horror in seeing the picture that led me to dropping the piece of paper into the puddles.

It was the autograph I had gotten from Chad the day he took over the Prop House.

I kept it in my pockets as a reminder that there was always someone looking out for me. I guess I just forgot about it. Some reminder it turned out to be. I bent over to pick it up, but the rain was starting to fall down even harder, and the picture was starting to float away.

Chad's face was starting to get blotchy as the picture moved faster and faster down the current. I was running the best that I could to try and snatch the picture, but my best wasn't good enough. The picture floating away too fast. In a moment of passion, I lunged forward to grab the autograph, but instead, I fell down on my face in a pile of nasty, wet, garbage as the picture ever-so-slightly touched my fingers and slipped away.

Slipped away like I was letting Chad slip away from me.

I cleared the gunk out of my eyes just in time to see the picture fall down into the sewers. I straightened myself up and sauntered back over to the bench I was sitting on. I cried for another twenty minutes. I would have cried for more but I was interrupted by a text message from Chad.

"Just got the call," it said. "Mackenzie Falls is done. I guess this is the end for the show and us. Goodbye, Sonny. I hope I never see you again."

"Wait, Chad!" I screamed into the phone, hoping somehow that my voice would reach him through the nonexistent call. I wouldn't let him get away. I couldn't. He was acting immature.

But my plan was stopped by my phone slipping through my fingers and falling into the puddles. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

I bent over to pick it up, but by the look of the battery, it didn't seem that I would be able to use my phone anymore. I raised my head and wailed to the world. Is this what I get for trying to make things right again?

I heard that rain can help sunflowers to grow and be beautiful. What a lie. Maybe somewhere else, there's a whole batch of them, stretching their thirsty roots to drink Mother Nature's fresh water. I like to think that sometimes. But there aren't any sunflowers here.

Sunflowers don't bloom in Hollywood.

So, how was it? Wonderful? Awful? Emotionless? I've got plans for a multi-chapter featuring Tawni and Nico coming up, so stay tuned!