Prologue

"You can't date the competition." - That's rule one in the rulebook of showbiz. So you are not allowed to go out with Chad Dylan Cooper, no matter how charming and cute he is. And not because he's a self-centered jerk who likes to hog the spotlight, but because he's the rival, he's the lead of the other leading show.

It's not in your heart's rulebook though. That rule goes something along the lines of "All is fair in love and war". Well, it is love and war in your case.

And you're torn.

"I'm breaking up with you." He blurted out in one breath. Liking her had taken so many misled, gone-wrong fights and quarrels. Asking her out had taken so many more misled, gone-wrong fights. And now breaking it off with her was taking every emotion he had been able to identify within himself. Which weren't that many, but it still hurt.

She blinked, caught off-guard. "What? Why?"

He sighed. "Sonny, I really like you but… this is not good for our shows…"

She should have seen this coming, and she did, but she was desperately trying to avoid this. Chad or show-slash-friends- what came first?

She sighed too. "I guess you are right… Gosh. I didn't think it'd be this hard to break off with you. It's like…"

"The fifth season finale of Mackenzie Falls, where Mackenzie has to leave town?" he offered.

"Yes." She nodded. "And isn't that show ever gonna end?"

"No. People can never get enough of THE Chad Dylan Cooper." He grinned, half-smug, half-sad. "It's hard for me too." he confessed. "I mean, if the shows weren't still going on, I'd definitely be going out with you."

And then she got an idea. "So you'll go out with me when the shows end?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well then, why don't we call this a break?"

He raised an eyebrow. "A break?"

"Yeah. You know what break is." She laughed nervously, trying to somewhat ease off the situation. "I like to break my hand before my exam… Get it?"

"Yes. And yes." He nodded. "Let's call this a break."

"Okay then…" she trailed off nervously.

"Okay…?" he asked, unsure.

She shrugged. "Okay."

He shrugged back, unable to decide if a temporary-good-bye kiss was in order. "Okay."

She huffed. "Fine!"

He huffed back. "Fine!"

She thought it was going to be easy. Come on, how much longer could Mackenzie fall possibly air? One year? Once it was off air and no longer competing with her show, she could easily go out with him.

One year wasn't going to be that long or that hard. She was going to be busy with her career and her friends. He was going to be busy with his career and, well, his adorably irritating self. And then they were going to date, and maybe, possibly, kind of, sort of, try to go serious?

Taking a break seemed like just the perfect plan.

Well, until the newspaper printed that stupid picture of him kissing that wanna-be in the front page…

On second thoughts, breaks are more confusing than break-offs.

(A/N: like it? Should I continue? Please let me know!)