Secret

Once upon a time
There was a boy
There was a girl
Hearts that intertwined
They lived in a different kind of world

Madonna - Forbidden Love

"And... cut!" Marshall's voice echoes through the room. At his cue, the cameras stop filming, microphones stop recording and all of the stage lights are turned on. It's our last rehearsal before the live show goes on air tonight—the purpose is to check the cameras and sound system set-up to make sure there are no issues.

"One hour to the show, kids," Marshall continues, stepping onto the set. "You know the drill. Be here twenty minutes early for makeup. Don't forget your costumes." With that, the cast is dismissed.

"Who's up for some pre-show fro-yo?" Nico asks, leading the group in the direction of the cafeteria. Tawni, Grady and Zora mumble sure, but Sonny hangs back from them.

"You guys go ahead, I have... some things that need to get... done." Please don't ask what. Please.

"But it's tradition!" Grady protests.

"Whatever, let's go!" Tawni ignores his concern, pulling on his arm. "We've only got, like, half an hour."

With an apologetic glance at Grady, Sonny turns and walks away from them.

The hallway she enters is deserted, but she still checks over her shoulder after every few steps. The thought of being caught makes her heart pound so loud she can hear it in her ears.

She finally reaches the stretch of doors that indicate an unused part of the studio. Mostly storage closets with a couple of bigger meeting rooms that she didn't even know existed until... recently.

She scans the numbers until she finds the room she was looking for. It's unlocked and opens easily, and as soon as she's through the door it slams shut behind her and she finds her back pressed against it.

"You're late," the familiar, male voice says quietly.

"Rehearsal ran a little long," she explains, trailing her fingers up his arms. "I only have a few minutes until I have to go back."

"That's unfortunate," he mutters, pressing his lips softly to hers. He hovers there for a moment longer, then pulls his face back slightly. "You smell good. Like... something sweet. And sort of minty."

She smiles, flattered. He smiles back, briefly, before he's kissing her again. He's gentle today, moving slowly rather than with his usual feverish intensity. Sonny wonders what's on his mind, what caused this new side of him to emerge.

"What did you do today?" she asks casually when he steps back slightly. He shrugs, running a hand through his hair.

"Nothing, really. Rehearsal, lunch, more rehearsal." He seems distracted, like he's leaving something out. She reaches out and takes his hands, pulls him closer and presses her lips to his again. He lifts her hands, fingers intertwined with hers, and holds them on the wall on either side of her head. Something is definitely wrong, Sonny realizes. The Chad she's used to never keeps his hands still. She pulls back again, locks her eyes on to his.

"Chad," she says softly, "what's the matter?" He closes his eyes, leans his forehead against hers and takes a deep breath. It's a moment before he responds.

"This week's episode hits a little close to home," he finally says. "Mackenzie's girlfriend leaves him for someone richer than he is." Pause. "I don't want you to ditch me for Efron. I don't think I could handle that."

She smiles, relieved that it's not something more serious. She reaches up and tangles her fingers in his perfectly styled hair.

"As rich as he is, you are much cuter than Zac Efron," she assures him. "Your hair is nicer, your eyes are prettier, your smile is sweeter..." she trails off.

"Go on," he urges with a smile, clearly enjoying the flattery.

"I'm pretty sure Zac Efron doesn't have his own T.V. show. And he can't make me laugh like you do, either."

"You're right, he doesn't, and he can't. Anything else?"

She pretends to think for a moment. "No, I think that's it."

"Are you sure? You can't think of anything else?"

"Nope... Well, maybe you're a better kisser." She kisses him again, as if to prove her point. "But I've never kissed him, so I wouldn't know."

He narrows his eyes at her, and she smirks in return. "I'm a better actor than him," Chad informs her. She shrugs her shoulders, still running her fingers through his hair.

"Possibly. But that's up for debate, I think." She rolls her eyes at his obvious frustration. "Relax, Chad. I'm kidding. You're definitely a better actor than Zac Efron."

"I'm the greatest actor of our generation," he mumbles, drawing a smile from her. "His girlfriend isn't as pretty as mine, either," he adds with a smile.

"Well aren't you sweet," she says quietly, finally moving her hands down to rest at the back of his neck. She uses the position to pull him closer and press her lips to his one last time. He's more aggressive this time, presses them closer together as he moves his mouth over hers hungrily. He trails his lips along her jaw and hovers over her neck, sending a wild shiver down her spine.

"Chad," she manages. "I have to go back to set." She feels him sigh against her skin and moves her hands back up to his hair as he lifts his head to face her again.

"One of these days, you're going to have to tell your friends about us." He presses one last, gentle kissed on her lips and steps back. "We can't keep meeting like this. In closets. Deserted classrooms."

She sighs, feeling the same frustration she knew he felt. "I want to tell them. I really do. But now is not the time." She struggles to find the words to explain. "They just... wouldn't understand. I'll tell them soon, Chad, I promise I will, but you just have to trust me on this."

"I do trust you." He shoves his hands in his pockets and paces across the room. "I just don't want to hide this anymore. You're such a big part of my life, and I want everyone to know how much you mean to me." Sonny's heart simultaneously swells and shatters and she wants nothing more than to forget about the show, forget about what her friends would think. How could she stand making him this upset?

She can hear her name being called from down the hallway and knows she has to go.

"I'll see you later, Short-Stack," he smiles, having heard the voice, too. She smiles back and pulls the door open, wishing she had more time.

You have no idea how much you mean to me, Sonny wants to say. I wish I could spend every free second with you.

"See you later, Egg-Whites-With-Tomatoes-On-The-Side," she replies softly before disappearing around the corner.

Well, that was different! I hope you guys like it! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review :)

*for those of you who missed it, I've extended the deadline for my contest! The deadline is now June 10th :)*

-Hollywood Here We Come