A/N: Have you ever been doing something totally mundane that strangely inspired you to write? Well, it's happened to me before (multiple times), and this one is the product of my vocabulary assignment. At least I know I'll get one word right on my test! This particular one-shot is dedicated to Zillionz and DmslilAngel103. You guys are awesome :D Enjoy!

Vocabulary Lessons

Juxtapose - (v.) to place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Sonny stared at her vocabulary homework, willing herself to memorize the words and definitions. So far, she had correctly remembered all of them but one - juxtapose. And for the life of her, Sonny couldn't figure out what made this particular word so much harder for her to remember than the others. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Right. She knew that. Now for the definition. Juxtapose meant...just - to - pose?

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. Stupid vocabulary.

"Upset that I'm not here, Sonny? No worries - CDC has come to save the day." Sonny looked up at the doorway to her dressing room, which Chad was leaning against.

"Chad, I'm really not in the mood." The cocky smile that he had been giving her vanished, a slightly hurt frown in its place.

"What's making you so frustrated? So frustrated that you won't even deign to have a simple conversation with Chad Dylan Cooper?" Sonny sighed, gesturing to the paper in front of her, and Chad walked over to see what was the big deal. After a few moments of studying the list of words, he looked back up at Sonny, lifting an eyebrow.

"Vocabulary. Really, Sonny? Really?" Sonny's eyes flashed with annoyance as she stood up from her dressing table to glare at him properly.

"Yes, really. And it's not even all of them. It's just this stupid juxtapose!" Chad picked up the paper, searching for the troublesome word.

"Juxtapose," he read aloud, "verb. To place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast." Sonny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's all very simple when you read it! But remembering it afterwards...not so much." Chad thought for a moment before snapping his fingers as inspiration hit him.

"That's it! I know the perfect way for you to remember it." Sonny looked at him warily, unsure of whether to go along with it or not. "Come here." Chad took her hand (not at all unwillingly) and pulled her over to Tawni's table, which was surrounded by mirrors.

"Chad, what is the point of this?" Sonny used her exasperated tone, and Chad winked knowingly at her, bringing a reluctant smile to her face.

"Look in the biggest mirror," he instructed her, still holding her hand. Sonny studied the reflection of the two of them for a little while, noting how perfectly their hands fit together and how Chad's blue shirt matched his sparkling eyes. "Done?" Chad asked after a few minutes. Sonny nodded. "Now tell me what you noticed."

A blush spread over Sonny's cheeks, embarrassing her. How could she tell Chad what she had seen?

"Well?" he prompted her.

"I - I didn't really see anything. I was just wondering why you were having us do this," she fibbed. Chad gave her that knowing smile again, and her blush deepened.

"Well," he turned to face the opposite image of the two of them, releasing Sonny's hand as he did so. "If you didn't notice - you're apparently not in a very observant mood right now - you and I look pretty different." Chad smirked. "Aside from the obvious fact that our genders are different."

Sonny grinned back, feeling less awkward now that Chad seemed to be back to normal, and that her hand was no longer clasped in his, no matter how perfect it had felt. "Right. You're blond, I'm brunette, your eyes are blue, mine are brown, you're slightly taller..."

"Mhm. So when you saw the two of us side by side - or rather, placed close together - you naturally compared and contrasted us, right?" Sonny tilted her head to the side as he spoke, considering his words.

"Hmm. I guess you're right." Just as Chad was about to reply that he was always right, Sonny had her epiphany. "Wait! Did you - juxtapose us?" Her color came flooding back as she realized how that might have sounded to someone who didn't know what juxtapose meant (a group she was no longer a part of, thank you very much). Chad laughed.

"Yes, I did. It was pretty fun, too," he winked at her again. "You think you'll remember now?"

"Ummmm...let's see. Juxtapose. Verb. To compare and contrast," Sonny recited, smiling in the belief that she had gotten it right.

"Well...not quite," amended Chad. "You see, juxtaposing - " Sonny snorted, receiving a quick glare for it, "as I was saying, juxtaposing - isn't comparing and contrasting. It's placing two items close to each other to compare and contrast them." Sonny groaned in despair at this further definition.

"This is ridiculous. I just got half of the definition? That is so stupid." The corners of Chad's mouth turned up slightly as he contemplated how to help Sonny remember the entire definition.

"Well..." He wrapped an arm around Sonny deliberately, pulling her closer to him.

"Ch-Chad, what - what are you doing?" Sonny trembled, unsure of what was happening. His only response was an enigmatic smile.

"Sonny. Trust me," he whispered, turning his body so that he was facing her instead of the mirror. Sonny copied his movement, and then the two were suddenly right in front of each other, Chad's hand still on her waist. He leaned forward slowly, as though he were going to kiss her, and Sonny closed her eyes with anticipation.

"Sonny," he murmured, "open your eyes." She did so, and was startled to find sparkling blue eyes only inches away from her own. "Now look in the mirror, but don't move your body. Just your eyes." Sonny looked sideways into the mirror, and was startled by how different the two of them now looked than before. Instead of simply holding hands, as perhaps close friends would, they were now practically in an embrace, their foreheads touching. And the differences between them were even more obvious.

"I - I understand," Sonny finally spoke a little while later.

"Do you, Sonny? Do you really?" He smirked at her.

"Juxtapose. Verb. To place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast," Sonny recited again, this time more breathlessly and with the first part as well.

"Good." Chad smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Good," she repeated, acutely aware of how close they still were.

"Good." His voice was softer than the quietest whisper.

"Good." Sonny tried to articulate the word, but her lips only managed to mouth it.

"So we're good?" Chad asked, cocking his left eyebrow.

"Oh, we're - so - good," she trailed off, looking into the sparkling pools of enchantment before her. Chad seemed to be likewise drawn in by her. Neither seemed able to move, lost in the other's eyes...

"Good. H-hope you pass that vocabulary test, Sonny!" Chad pulled away as he spoke, stumbling over his words as they poured out of his mouth. Before Sonny could reply, he was out the door.

She put up a hand to her forehead, still feeling the warmth of his forehead against her own. "Juxtapose," Sonny said quietly to herself. "Verb. To place close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast." She looked back at the mirror, this time noticing how flushed her cheeks were. Chad's method certainly had been effective.

"Juxtapose," Sonny repeated once more, smiling brightly. Perhaps she would have Chad help her with her vocabulary homework more often. After all, you never know what could happen next time.

A/N: Please review! Oh, and as a reward for reviewing...visit my profile for information on SWAC season 2. :) Thank you.