Chapter One

Austin Moon ran into Sonic Boom as fast as he could. His face was red and dripping with sweat. He was completely out of breath, but despite the fact that he was weak in the knees, he managed to shut and lock the door. Sighing with relief, he sat on the counter, doing his best to cool off. After a minute, he had began to regain his ability to think clearly. He hopped off the counter and glanced around the store in confusion. His partner, Ally, wasn't there. Which was strange. Ally was always at Sonic Boom. It was her dad's store and she was practically the only employee.

He frowned. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Ally all day. It was kind of weird. They hung out together constantly. She was one of his best friends. He felt he owed everything to her. But where was she?

Then, he froze. He felt his blood run cold. His heart sped up. The panic was in his throat. It was that sound. The noise that could be a reward, if he was on stage. But the same noise also made him regret becoming a performer. It was the screaming. The high pitched wails that made him want to run and hide. He knew it was just his fans. And he loved his fans. But did they have to come on so strong? I mean, chasing him through the mall? Isn't that a little excessive? He had been running from them for the last twenty minutes. He couldn't do it anymore, and it was getting louder. They had tracked him down. Soon enough they would pounding on the doors, all trying to get a look at him through the glass. He spotted the stairs that led to the practice room. A hopeful grin spread across his face. He could hide up there. So without another thought, he went charging up the stairs. He barged into the practice room, but was soon stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ah! Austin, what are you doing up here?"

He let out a little scream of surprise. (Of course, it was a very manly scream. Kind of.) Sitting at the piano bench was his songwriter. Her hair was messy and hanging loosely in her face. Her hazel eyes had dark bags under them. She looked as if she'd been sitting there for several days.

"I come up here all the time... This us where we write together, remember?" He studied her. "Are you okay, Ally? You look absolutely exhausted."

She scowled, which was very unlike her. "I'm fine!" She snapped. He took a step back, a little alarmed. "Uh..." She seemed to realize how rude she had sounded, because her features softened. She stood up, an apologetic look on her face. She brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like such a jerk. I just... I haven't slept in days."

"Is it about the new song? Because I know we'll get it. You're amazing and-" She cut him off. "No, it's not the song. It's about... us."

"Us?" His voice squeaked a little when he said it. He knew that his dark eyes had just lit up. He had liked Ally for longer than he would ever admit. Recently they had tried dating, but it didn't work out. They agreed to stay friends. He did love that he still got to hang out with Ally, but "just friends" wasn't exactly where he wanted to be. He still had feelings for her, and though he tried to fight them, they were definitely there. She noticed the look on his face, and rolled her eyes.

"I don't mean us as in a relationship. I mean us as in a partnership." His eyes widened. He didn't even have time to be disappointed. She had mentioned their partnership. What was going on? They had always been perfect partners, right? It was like she had read his mind.

"We had always been the perfect partners." She sounded hesitant. "I was a songwriter with stage fright, and you were a singer that couldn't write songs. We..." She slowly searched for the right words.

"Completed each other." He heard himself say.

She nodded. "Yeah. We did. But look at us now. I don't have stage fright anymore. And you... You can write songs." She paused before moving her gaze to anywhere but Austin's face. "So do we even need each other?"

He gaped at her. "What?"

"I just... I'm not sure anymore... And I..." Her eyes were filled with tears. "I love you to death, Austin. I do. But I'm always just going to be your songwriter. That's what everyone sees me as." Seeing his hurt expression, she tried to rephrase. "And that's good! But... I almost feel like I'm... I'm..."

"You're what?" He knew how desperate he sounded. He just didn't care.

"I feel like I'm living in your shadow." She admitted. "And I don't know. It'd be nice to be 'Ally Dawson the singer' not 'Ally Dawson the songwriter'."

"But you're both!" He said, attempting to sound cheery. "That's what makes you so amazing!"

She sighed and absentmindedly began playing with a piece of her hair. "I... I know. And I'm not trying to sound bitter. I do love working with you. You're talented, kind and thoughtful. You're an all around great person. Adored by millions. And I am so grateful to you for being one of the best friends I've ever had. But..."

That's when it hit him. He stumbled back, he was so shocked. The realization washed over him, and he stared at her. He managed to voice his thoughts, knowing they were true. "You don't want to be my partner anymore." It almost sounded like a question.

"No, no, I just-"

"How could I be so blind?" He asked himself. "I was so busy focusing on my time in the spotlight that I-"

"Austin, that's not what I'm saying."

He could tell that his eyes currently looked like those of a sad puppy. "Then what ARE you saying?"

Ally's gaze faltered. "I don't know."

"Yes you do. You think we should stop working together."

"No, I-"

"You know I'm right, Ally. And I get it. All this time, you've wanted to be a star too. And I... I've been holding you back."

Ally gasped. "Austin, that's not it at all! You're the reason I've gotten as far as I have! Don't-"

He stopped her there. "I have to go. Don't worry about the song, okay? I'll figure something else out."

"Austin-"

But he had already left. He ran out of the room and down the stairs. He reached the bottom and froze. That's right. He couldn't leave. If he tried he would be swarmed by the crazed fans that surrounded the place. He took a seat on the piano bench and put his head in his hands.

"Are you okay?"

Austin looked up to see a boy about his age standing above him. He had dark hair and blue eyes. His hands were in his pockets. Austin frowned. "How did you get in here?"

The boy just shrugged. "I don't know. The door?" He said, before quickly changing the subject. "Look, are you okay?" He asked again.

"No. I just... I wish I was anyone but me right now."

The boy's eyes gleamed with what seemed to be excitement. "Really. So, you don't want to be yourself?"

"No." Austin said, too miserable to take caution in what he was saying.

"So..." It was like he was hunting for exact words. "You don't want to be Austin Moon."

"No. I don't want to be Austin Moon." He repeated.

The boy grinned and patted him on the back. "I think I can help you with that. Don't worry."

Austin's eyes widened in confusion. "Wait, what-" Then suddenly, everything went black.