AN: Hello everyone, thank you for reading my story. Those of you who have already read these chapters and are seeing the email alerts for this chapter and the second chapter, it is because I had to update the story since I used a few lyrics from the Journey song Don't Stop Believing in this chapter. It was the last verse and the bridge before the song ends. I chose the song because I thought it'd be a good fit to the characters, but unfortunately it is against the rules.

Thank you to all who have reviewed, this story is for you.

Happy reading.

Chapter One: Just Keep Breathing

"You've gotta be kidding, Alex!" I exclaimed pissed, "We had a deal!"

"Sorry, Layla, but I got a better offer." Alex shrugged.

"Better offer?" I retorted, "I'm your girlfriend."

"Yeah, about that…" He trailed off.

"You know what, forget it." I glared, "Forget about the deal, forget about us, we're done." I left him standing there in silence. When he started to call after me, I put in my earbuds and turned on my iPod to drown him out. It's not like he was going to change. I was better without him. I shouldn't have been surprised by Alex's behavior, it wasn't new for him to do this to me. I couldn't put up with it anymore, I deserved someone who treated me better.

I looked down at my watch, it was quarter to noon. "Shit, Buster's gonna kill me." I shifted my backpack so it was on both of my shoulders, and then started to sprint to the Moon Theatre. I couldn't be late again, I was the only stage hand he had left outside of Miss Crawly and that isn't saying much. Still, if I was late again, I could lose this job and I really needed this. Sure, the last two paychecks bounced and the theatre was starting to go out of business, but I loved the theatre, the stage, and this was the closest I could get to it. I closed my eyes and took a breath, so I could calm down. No sooner I did that, I crashed into someone. My earbuds were pulled out as we both fell to the ground.

"I'm so sorry." I apologized repeatedly to the animal below me, "I didn't mean to crash into you. I should have been watching…" I trailed off when I saw the gorilla staring back at me in surprise. He was in a green shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it, a leather jacket, jeans, and black converses. He was at least a foot taller than me. His eyes were unlike ones I had ever seen. They were an ordinary brown, but there was a kindness to them unlike I had seen in another gorilla in a very long time. "Sorry." I scrambled off of him, picking up the iPod and earbuds off the ground.

"It's alright." He replied, getting back onto his feet, and then helped me up, "It was an accident." He gave me a small smile. I gave him a sheepish one in return.

"What's going on back there?" A cop called over to us. My new acquaintance expression had turned to one of genuine fear. I looked over at the cops and then back to him.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him.

"I just met you." He replied.

"Then you have nothing to lose." I told him, turning my attention back to the cops, "I'm sorry, sirs. I'm sure this looks suspicious, but it was the only place we could meet. My parents don't approve of our relationship." I lied to them, "We'll find somewhere else to meet up."

"See that you do." One of the cops replied, accepting my lie.

I turned back to face my "lover" after the cops left the alley entrance, "I think they should leave you alone at least for a while now." I told him, "They friends of yours?"

"My dad's." He replied honestly. I nodded in understanding, my uncles had similar relationships with the cops.

"Well, I've gotta go." I said after a few moments, "I'm running late. Sorry again for crashing into you." I left for the theatre.

"Miss Crawly?" I called for Buster's secretary as I headed into the theatre, "Miss Crawly?"

I found her at her desk outside of Buster's office. She was sorting through paperwork and putting together the flyers for the next show. Buster was nowhere to be seen.

"Is Buster here?" I asked her.

"He went out to lunch, Layla." She answered. I let out a sigh of relief. "He didn't notice you hadn't been in yet. He thought you were already fixing the broken stage lights."

"I'll get on that now." I told her and went out the door. I turned back and popped my head in her doorway, "Thank you for saying anything to Buster." I left to go to lighting, so that I could fix the lights.

When I got to the stage, I set down my backpack next to curtain wall and then got my tool kit from the maintenance room. I got what I needed out of the kit and climbed up the ladder, so I could get onto the catwalk to fix the broken lights. I pulled out my iPod and earbuds from my pocket when I got up, but the iPod in my hands wasn't my own, neither were the earbuds. "I must have grabbed the wrong iPod when I got up." I turned on his iPod and scrolled through it. I know it's kind of invading privacy and it wasn't mine, but I wasn't going to get anything done in silence. My mind would start to wander. I found a song I loved and clicked on it. After a while I started to sing along with the song, Don't Stop Believing, as I worked.

Johnny's POV

I smiled as I looked at the iPod in my hands thinking of the girl it had belonged to. I didn't meet anyone while I was with my dad and his gang. I slid the iPod and the earbuds in my pocket. If I ever ran into her again, I would return them. I went back to my spot on against the wall to watch for the cops to come back. After a while, I found myself starting to sing a song that had been stuck in my head for a few days now. Static from a walkie-talkie startled me from the world I had found myself lost in, I looked around the corner to find the cops coming back from the donut shop when the girl had left. I went to hide before they reached the entrance of the alley.

"Thought I heard someone singing there." One of them remarked as they passed, "Ah, whatever."

I heard the alarm go off and I pulled out my walkie-talkie to warn them, "Guys, listen. Stay where you are. The cops are in-"

With the sound of breaking glass, I realized I was too late. Dad and his gang had already made their escape from the building. The police, upon hearing the sound of the breaking glass, came running into the alley. A look of disappointment and anger flashed across Dad's face before he ran to the truck. I had let him down again.

"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled to our getaway driver, Benny, when he got in the back of the truck, slamming his hand on the hood with each 'Go'. Benny drove off. I ran to catch up to them. When I was close enough, Dad pulled me into back of the pickup with him.

"Johnny, you were supposed to be keeping a lookout!" He exclaimed annoyed.

"Sorry, Dad." I apologized.

"And where's your mask?!"

My eyes widened in fearful realization. I had forgotten to put it back on after the girl had ran into me. I quickly took it out of my jacket pocket and put it back on.

Layla's POV

"Layla, can you come down here for a moment?" I could hear Buster call up to me through his megaphone. I was lucky I had it paused while I was looking for another song, I wouldn't have been able to hear him at all. I turned off the iPod and slid it into my jeans pocket. I may never fully turn off my own, but I was going to be respectful with his.

"Layla!" Buster called again.

"Coming!" I called back before climbing down to meet him on stage, "What's up?"

"We've got auditions starting tomorrow for the next show, is everything ready to go?"

"I'm almost done with the lighting and the electrical, and then I'm going to go fix the stair railings, and then we should be done with the immediate issues in here." I answered, "I also have to look at the trap door, since it was sticking in the last show and wouldn't go all the way up. Mary had to pull herself up on stage. If we aren't using it anytime soon, I could push it back till after the auditions, so it's available if any of the performers need to use it later."

"It's a singing competition." Buster replied bluntly, not getting why it would be needed.

I shrugged, "Some performers like to make an entrance."

"What else needs to be fixed?"

"Concessions and the Green Room need to be repainted after the fire and the front glass of the box office needs to be replaced."

"Do you think you can get all of it done before the show opens?"

"Maybe." I replied, I knew I could get most of it done before opening day if I wasn't doing tech for the show as well.

"What if you had help?"

"Help?" I asked unsurely, as far as I knew it was just me, Buster, and Miss Crawly in the theatre anymore. Buster would be too busy with the show and Miss Crawly would be more of a liability than a help as kind as she is.

"Miles agreed to come back."

"That needle-headed prick?" I retorted incredulously, "Buster, please tell me you didn't."

"He's coming back as a volunteer, and if you don't like the work he's doing, I'll let him go."

"He doesn't do any work." I continued to argue, "I'd still be doing all of the work myself."

"If he doesn't work, he gets let go." Buster stated, "He's already been made aware that he would be working under you. He agreed to do the work and we need the extra help."

"Alright, but if I find him slacking off, I want him gone."

"Done." Buster agreed.

"When does he arrive?"

"Tomorrow afternoon after auditions." Buster answered, "I thought I'd give you some time to get used to the idea of him coming back and I need you to be concentrated on helping with the auditions."

"You want me to help with auditions?" I asked confused. I had never helped with auditions and casting.

"You'll be able to help find singers that would be popular with the younger demographic."

"I can try."