(delaney's outfit for the first part of the chapter)

"Here's Kenneth Kreen's review of Austin's concert." Trish announced, handing Ally the magazine with the review in it. The friend group (minus Austin) was in Sonic Boom that morning, looking at a review that was written by a critic who had seen Austin's latest concert. Delaney hated critics, she had her fair share of dealing with them and knew that most were biased and unfair. But she was curious to read his thoughts and hoped it wasn't anything bad about Austin.

"'Austin Moon's performance was tired and uninspired. It lacked the spectacle of a superstar performer. Frankly, I've had more fun plucking my nose hairs.'" Ally read off, causing the others to share a grimaced look. They all felt so bad about the review. The concert had been amazing and Austin deserved a good review. This was just disappointing. "If Austin sees this review, it'll tear him apart. We'd better hide these magazines. He'll be here any minute." Her friends nod in agreement and quickly get into action. They run over to the cart full of the magazines.

"Wow, these are a lot of magazines." Finn commented.

"How many did you buy?" Ally asked Trish.

"All of them." Trish admitted.

"Let's go." Ally said urgently and began pushing the cart the same time as Trish and Dez. Suddenly it bumped into the front desk and tipped over, causing all the magazines to fall out. They all rush to pick them up and hide them before Austin could get there. Some were hidden in the piano bench, others were hidden under pillows on a bench, Dez even hid some in his pants.

"Here he comes! Act natural." Dez announced after spotting Austin walking closer to the store. Finn picked up the cart along with Trish and the two quickly pushed that off to the side before joining the others in front of the front desk, doing their best to act natural when in reality, they were all panicking.

"Yo." Ally greeted with her hand on her hip and her other leaning against the counter.

"'Sup, buddy?" Trish said, putting her hand behind her head awkwardly.

"Hey, good looking." Dez spoke with a nervous smile.

Delaney and Finn stood near each other by the trio, her elbow leaned on Finn's shoulder as they both smile nervously at Austin. Austin raised his eyebrows at the group, looking at them suspiciously. He didn't know what was going on, but something was up.

"Hey, guys." He chuckles and walks further into the store, tossing his empty soda can into the recycle bin near the door. Delaney was always impressed when he easily got it in the bin even without looking. "Bam!" He grins, outstretching his hands. "Oh, the new issue of 'Miami Weekly'." Austin pointed out a magazine on the counter, causing the group to snap their heads over to the one they missed to hide. "I have been looking all over for one."

"No!" Dez shouts, rushing over to him to rip the magazine in half. "No...One does the word jumble before me." He added after Austin sent him a confused look. He then looked at the others with a smile and gave them a thumbs up. Delaney chuckled and rolled her eyes at Dez.

"Hey, it's the review of my show." Austin notices, causing the others to share worried looks. Delaney's heart aches as she watched his face fell while reading the review. "'Tired. Uninspired'? This is terrible! You guys could have at least tried to hide it from me." He said, frowning at his friends.

"We did." Ally nods, gesturing to Dez. "Dez has magazines in his pants."

"It's true. See?" Dez shakes his leg to prove it and some magazines fell out of his pants. Delaney shares a confused look with Finn when a chicken wing fell out as well. "Oh, that's my lunch." Dez explained, picking it up off the floor and holding it in his mouth before he continued shaking his leg to get the rest of the magazines out. Delaney grimaced and sighed heavily at him.

"Who is this Kenneth Kreen?" Austin asks. "This review is awful. Maybe I was a little tired, but I've been performing almost every night." He sighed as he walked over to sit down on one of the benches in the store.

"He's wrong." Trish chimes in. "You were amazing."

"I've never had anyone hate my show before." Austin admits with a frown. He glances over at Delaney. "Have you ever gotten a bad review?"

"Oh, yeah. I've gotten some bad ones." Delaney admits, her mind wandering to some of her performances that didn't go as planned. She tried not to let it get to her and tried to push through. "It's hard, but you just gotta keep pushing forward. Try to ignore the negative and focus on the positive. There's always gonna be haters, but you can't let it get to you. Just keep doing what you love and everything will be okay." She says, trying to encourage him. "And, for what it's worth, I loved your show. It was amazing."

Austin gives her a small smile, his mood seeming to lift slightly at her words. "Thanks, Laney. That means a lot." He tells her. He then stands up as he got an idea. "You know what? I'm gonna change his mind."

"What are you gonna do?" Ally asked curiously.

"He thinks I'm all tired and uninspired. I'm gonna show him the coolest performance ever." Austin grinned.

"You want us to help you plan it?" Trish offered.

"Thanks, but I think I got Austin covered when it comes to cool." Dez smirks and glances at Austin. "Check out my new exit. One, two, three, four." He counted down before he danced out of the store. The friends watched with a grimace and slight amusement as their friend left.

"You're in trouble." Trish bluntly said.

****

(delaney's outfit for the next part of the chapter)

The next day Delaney found herself sitting by Ally, Finn, and Trish as they waited for Austin and Dez to get done with what they were planning to show them. They were in the break room at Sonic Boom where the boys planned on showing them their idea for Austin's next concert. Delaney had to admit she found it amusing the two boys were giggling over something.

"Okay, what is the thing you wanna show us that's so important you two are acting like little girls?" Delaney chuckled.

Finally Austin and Dez turns to face their friends with grins. "Austin and I were up all night last night thinking of awesome performance ideas." Dez explained.

"Then it hit us. Nothing's more awesome than our favorite comic book 'The Galactic Adventures Of The Electric Avengerrr!'" Austin dramatically said, straightening his shoulders as he spoke and Dez did the same thing as well as they raise their arm in the air. Delaney stared at the two with amusement along with the others. "That's how you say it." Austin added.

"Okay, well get to the point fasterrrr." Trish spoke in the same dramatic tone, sharing at grin with her friends and fist bumping with Ally.

"We came up with an amazing space themed performance." Dez voiced.

"It's gonna blow Kenneth Kreen's mind." Austin chimed in while Dez mimicked his brain exploding.

"There's gonna be brain matter everywhere. Literally." Dez grinned.

Ally shakes her head. "You don't know what 'literally' means, do you?" She asked him.

"Nope." Dez admitted.

Austin walks over to a nearby table that had a poster of space on it. "Imagine this is the stage. And I'm the Electric Avengerrr!" He stood behind it, holding up an action figure from his and Dez's favorite comic book.

Finn leans over to Delaney to whisper, "You still have a crush on him after that?"

"Shut up." Delaney sent him a small glare, her face turning red as she playfully shoved him. Finn chuckled quietly and sat back in his chair.

"Yeah, that won't get old." Trish muttered, already annoyed with how the boys were dragging out the words all the time.

"Kenneth Kreen's gonna be sitting here as represented by this egg." Dez said, setting an egg on the table. Delaney noticed the egg had a sad face on it which caused her to chuckle.

"The music starts. Out of nowhere, cyborgs attack. I fight them off." Austin explains, standing by the table again and pretends to fight off cyborgs with the action figure as Dez brought out two cyborg action figures. "Then, I'll dodge asteroids." Dez grabbed a box of small fake asteroids, throwing them while Austin had the action figure dodging them.

"And, after he defeats the evil Velotian Queen..." Dez sets the box down and pulls out another action figure. They pretend the two action figures fight and Dez drops the Velotian Queen action figure in the box after they act as if the Electric Avenger action figure won the fight. Then Austin pretends the action figure is flying through the air. "Then he'll fly through the air and be the hero of Planet Zytrax."

Austin stands straight with his shoulders back and arm up as he dramatically said, "Electric Avengerrr!" Dez copied his move while he spoke.

"You want to do a concert based on a comic book?" Delaney inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"Still have a crush on him now?" Finn whispered to her after leaning over to her, looking at her with a teasing smile again.

Delaney nudges him, giving him a playful glare. "Shut up." She whispered back, her face red.

"Yeah, but it's our favorite comic book." Dez answered Delaney with a grin.

"How are you gonna sing while battling cyborgs, dodging asteroids, flying through the air and fighting off galactic queens?" Ally inquires, standing up to walk over to the boys with the others. Ally takes a deep breath after saying that. "Whoo! I'm out of breath just saying it." She confessed.

"I already thought of that. I'll just prerecord the track and pretend to sing along." Austin told her.

"Makes sense." Trish admits. "It's not about the song. The point is to give Kenneth Kreen an amazing show."

"Yeah, there's no way Kenneth Kreen's gonna give Austin a bad review after this because he's gonna crush it." Dez picks up the egg with a smile, cringing when he accidentally crushed it. "Huh. I thought Kenneth Kreen was hard boiled."

****

(delaney's outfit for the next part of the chapter)

That night, Delaney was at the concert venue with her friends, anxiously waiting for it to start. Delaney hoped this would go well, she knew Austin would be crushed if the performance didn't turn out the way they hoped it would. She wanted this for him, he deserved it after all the hard work he had been doing. Delaney and Finn were standing by Ally and Trish amongst the crowd when they noticed Kenneth Kreen had arrived so they head over to greet him.

"Mr. Kreen," Trish smiles at him. "You're gonna love Austin's new show. Thank you so much for coming." She reached her hand out to shake his hand.

Kenneth nods, shaking her hand. "Yes, well, it was either watch this train wreck or hit myself over the head with a frying pan." He replies, wiping his hand off his shirt after pulling his hand away. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find a frying pan."

Delaney frowned at the man. Who was he to talk like that? It was rude. Sure, he was a critic and could be rude and harsh, but this was taking it too far. He didn't have to be a jerk about it. "At least you're keeping an open mind." Ally chuckled nervously. As Dez started the music and worked the lights, they step back and turn to the stage while the concert started.

"Many weeks ago in a universe kind of far, far away. Planet Zytrax was in grave peril! Only one man could save it. That man was none other than...Austin Moon!" Dez introduced him dramatically as Austin got on stage. He was dressed in a similar costume as the Electric Avenger, the background of the stage made it looked like he was on a planet in space and there were fake asteroids hanging by him. Delaney glanced over at Kenneth, noticing he looked slightly impressed which made her smile. Maybe this would be the night Austin won him over.

The crowd cheers and applauds for Austin as the song started. Austin dodges the fake asteroids as he made it to the front of the stage. "If I could stop the world tonight I would. Freeze this moment in time, oh, if I only could." While he sang, two dancers dressed as cyborgs joined the stage and Austin acted as if he was fighting them off while lip syncing. Delaney thought he was doing great so far, plus it looked like Kenneth was starting to enjoy it as well.

"Get ready." Trish said to Kenneth with a smile. "This next part's gonna knock you off your feet."

"Our bodies dance like the wind over and over again..." Suddenly the music started messing up, causing confused murmurs to fill the air from the crowd as Dez tried working with the sound system to fix it. Then out of nowhere, one of the fake asteroids hit Austin, causing him to loose his balance and fall off the stage. He didn't land on the floor, but he did land on Kenneth.

Delaney gasps and shares a look with her friends, their eyes widening. She didn't see that coming at all. She hoped both Austin and Kenneth were okay. The audience gasps, all backing away as they fell down. Trish kneels down by Kenneth while Austin quickly gets off him. "I told you he would knock you off your feet." Trish told him with a sheepish smile.

****

(delaney's outfit for the next part of the chapter)

The next day Delaney sat at a table at the Beach Club, sitting nearby Ally, Finn, and Dez when Trish walked over to them, looking worried. "What's the matter, Trish?" Delaney asked, looking at her with concern.

"Kenneth Kreen just posted his review of last night's performance. It's not good." Trish replied with a frown, sitting down at an empty chair at the table and showing her friends the review on her iPad. The group didn't realize Austin was walking over to them until Delaney had noticed him out of the corner of her eye and she quickly grabbed the iPad from her, setting it face down as she got up to greet Austin.

"Hey, Austie. What's up?" She asked cheerfully with a smile.

"Was that Kenneth Kreen's review?" Austin inquired with furrowed eyebrows, pointing at the iPad.

"Uh..." Delaney chuckles nervously. "Yeah..." Her voice trailed off, not really knowing what to say next as she glanced at her friends for help.

"Yeah, you know, it's not as bad as we thought." Ally quickly chimed in with a nervous smile.

"You're kidding." Austin stares at his friends with disbelief. "Let me see it."

"No, I'll read it to you." Ally reassures him, picking up the iPad and making sure he couldn't see what it actually said. "'Austin Moon is and always will be the most awesome performer ever.' That's it. You heard him." She spoke and quickly closed the cover to the iPad. Austin didn't believe her at all and tried to walk past Delaney to grab the iPad. Delaney kept trying to block his view and kept moving to keep him from getting to the iPad.

"Austin, seriously, don't worry about it. Just forget it. You're a great singer and performer and you always will be." Delaney rambles, not really knowing what she was saying as she kept blocking him. Finally, after struggling, Austin managed to get away from Delaney by gently grabbing her arms and picking her up to set her to the side. Her heart fluttered at the sudden move and she felt heat rush to her face as he did so. Austin had to admit his heart skipped a beat as he moved her to the side, but he tried to ignore it as he managed to snatch the iPad from Ally after tugging it away from her.

"'Austin Moon lip-synched through a catastrophic performance. He's just another pretty boy fraud who can't sing.'?" Austin read off, his eyes widening as he read the last part.

"At least he called you pretty." Trish cut in, trying to find a bright side to it.

"I only lip-synched 'cause I was trying to impress him." Austin defends himself. "This stinks. No one's ever questioned my musical ability before."

"This won't be the last," Delaney chimes in. "Just wait until you get some haters. There are some mean internet trolls out there." She glances at her friends at the table who sent her a look and she shrugs. "What? They're are and he'll learn about that eventually. Every musician goes through this, it's a part of being a performer."

"Lane's right." Finn speaks up. "You're a great musician, dude. People like Kreen will find something to pick apart even if it's something small. You can't let him get to you."

"it's hard not to when he's the first person who thinks I'm awful at what I do." Austin sighed.

"You know you're the real deal, and that's all that matters." Ally chimed in.

"Maybe I am freaking out over nothing. So I got two bad reviews. It's not gonna change my life." Austin sets the iPad down and picks an empty soda can off the table. He then tosses it to a recycle bin, his heart dropping and his eyes widening when it missed. Everyone watches with surprise and glance at Austin worriedly. "That's never happened before. Maybe it is changing my life." Austin says in a panicked tone. "I think I'm losing my swag."

"No, you're not." Trish reassures him. "And I'll prove it to you. Here, sing a song to those girls." Trish suggested, getting up and picking up a nearby acoustic guitar after pointing to some girls across from them.

"Great odea. Yeah." Austin nodded, smiling nervously as he took the guitar from her. "Yeah." He walks over to three girls sitting at a table with a smile. "Hey, girls. 'Been counting every second of the day-'" He stops himself in the middle of his performance when the strings suddenly broke. He smiles nervously at the girls and walks back over to his friends. "I don't feel like playing music anymore." He mumbles, handing the guitar back to Trish. "I'm gonna go play volleyball." He decided and walked over to where a volleyball game was at.

Delaney frowns as she watched him go, worried for him. This wasn't good at all. "He's losing his confidence." Delaney notices. "He's never acted like this at all." She murmured, sitting back down at the table.

"A couple bad reviews and it's like he's completely falling apart." Ally sighed.

"It's a textbook case, actually." Dez says. "When one loses confidence in the thing he's best at, he gets washed away in a tidal wave of self-doubt, causing him to question everything else in his life."

"So you're saying because he's doubting his music, he's losing his confidence with everything?" Ally guessed.

"No, Ally. I said...'It's a textbook case. When one loses confidence in the thing he's-'" Dez started, earning annoyed looks from his friends.

"We get it." Trish interrupted him.

"We have to help him." Delaney frowned, glancing over at Austin worriedly.

"And we'd better do it fast." Trish spoke, grimacing after noticing Austin walking over to the group and seeing the state he was in.

Delaney was shocked to see Austin walking back with the volleyball net tangled around him. "I think I lost." Austin sadly said and walked away. 

****

(delaney's outfit for the next part of the chapter)

The next couple of days the friend group tried different ways to help Austin gain his confidence back, but it didn't work. Trish tried help him with meditation, but it didn't help. At school, Dez tried asking a cheerleader for a favor with trying to help Austin gain his confidence, but it ended up with her hair getting caught in the locker. Ally told him that Trish booked him a do over concert and tried encouraging him that once he's back on stage he will get his confidence back. She then tried helping him get his swag back which didn't work at all since she didn't have swag. Finn tried helping by taking him to an arcade, thinking maybe if he loosened up and had fun, it would help him gain his confidence back. But instead it ended with Austin getting frustrated after losing several games in a row and storming out of the arcade.

The last hope to try to get Austin's confidence back was Delaney and they all figured maybe the two of them could hang out, have a movie marathon, and just spend some time together as friends. It worked for a little while since the two were having a great time and they were enjoying each others company, but it didn't last very long when Austin's phone went off and it was the video of the review of his performance. He started spiraling and it seemed as if nothing could bring him out of it.

"Hey, Austie," Delaney says softly, standing next to the couch where he was laying on and staring up at the ceiling. She sighs, feeling helpless as she watches her friend struggle. "I know things seem tough right now, but you've got to remember who you are. You're Austin Moon, the amazing musician who's inspired so many people, including me. You've got talent, passion, and drive, and nothing can take that away from you."

Austin turns his head to look at Delaney, his expression pained. "I appreciate you saying that, Laney, but it's hard to believe it right now. I've never felt so...Lost." He admitted, moving to sit up so Delaney could sit by him on the couch. They were hanging out at her house after Ally had tried helping him at Sonic Boom. He was worried and nervous about the do over concert tonight and felt so unsure about himself.

Delaney sends him a sad smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. "I know exactly what you're going through. The first time I had a critic say something mean, it hurt and I didn't know what to do." She confesses. "I thought maybe if I quit then I wouldn't have to deal with that kind of pain, but I had to keep going. I wanted to keep going. So I kept writing and kept performing because that's what made me happy. You're happy when you're singing, Austie. I can tell by the way you light up whenever you perform."

Austin returns the embrace, leaning his head against hers and closing his eyes. "Yeah, but lately it feels like I'm not good at anything. And I hate it's because of those reviews." He muttered.

"Those reviews don't define you, Austin. Sure, they can hurt, but they shouldn't stop you from doing what you love. You've worked so hard for your music, and it would be such a waste if you gave up. You're talented and you're passionate about what you do, and nothing can take that away." She tells him, her heart fluttering at the closeness and at the warmth his body radiated. "I have complete faith in you, Austie. We all do. You can do this. You're going to rock tonight, and everyone will forget about the bad reviews."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Laney." Austin admits, feeling slightly better from their conversation and their close proximity. His arms were wrapped around her waist, his head now buried in the crook of her neck. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"Well, I can't stand seeing you upset." Delaney replies, her hand gently rubbing his back and trying to soothe him. "You deserve the world, Austin. And I'll do whatever it takes to help you get back on your feet," Delaney continues, her voice filled with determination. "Because you've always been there for me, Austin. Now it's my turn to be there for you."

"Thank you, Delaney." He smiles softly, pulling away from her to give her a grateful look. He leans in and presses his lips to her forehead, lingering for a moment. He then pulls away and glances down at his watch. "I gotta head back home to get ready." He sighed, standing up and running a hand through his hair.

Delaney's heart flutters at the kiss on her forehead and she can't help the blush that creeps onto her cheeks. She smiles and stands up as well. "You'll be amazing. You always are. Just stay confident, and remember who you are. You got this, Rockstar."

****

(delaney's outfit for the next part of the chapter)

It was almost time for the do over concert. Delaney was standing by Ally, Finn, and Austin and she could tell Austin seemed really nervous. Somehow even more nervous than before. She thought maybe she helped him, but he seemed more nervous and unsure about himself. It hurt her heart and she hated that he was feeling this way. She knew how important his career was and he loved music more than anything, but she was worried about him and didn't want him to be afraid to do something he loved.

"I'm really nervous." Austin admits, looking at the two girls nervously. He glances at Ally. "When you had stage fright, how'd you calm yourself down?"

"I chewed my hair." Ally confesses, narrowing her eyes at Austin when he went to grab a piece of her hair. "Don't even think about it."

Austin drops her hair and steps back with a nervous chuckle. "Austin, you'll be fine." Delaney reassures him, putting a gentle hand on his arm to comfort him. "Just breathe, and remember what we talked about earlier. You're amazing and talented, and you're going to do great. You got this, Austie. You always do."

Austin smiles appreciatively at her, feeling his heart skip a beat when she places her hand on his arm. He nods and tries to take her advice. "You're right. I can do this." 

He then stepped on stage as everyone cheered for him. Delaney, Ally, and Finn walked back over to where Trish and Dez were at in the crowd. The music started and everyone started chanting his name before he started singing. But Delaney could see he was having trouble. He looked like he was starting to breathe heavily and his hands were shaking. He looked terrified. She never seen him this scared before and she was beyond worried for him. She gasped as he suddenly ran off the stage and past the crowd, earning gasps from everyone. The music stopped after he had left and confused murmurs filled the air.

"Poor Austin. It's gotten worse." Ally frowns. "Now he has full blown stage fright."

"I hope not. That would mean the end of his singing career." Trish worriedly said.

"But it could be the beginning of his track and field career. Man, that boy can run." Dez commented.

****

Later that night, Delaney went to her and Austin's spot, figuring he would be there. The two best friends had been going there when they needed to clear their heads and talk, or just needed to get away. And since Austin was dealing with stage fright, she figured he would need to come here to clear his head. And he did.

Delaney found Austin sitting at their spot, his head buried in his hands as he sat on a bench that overlooked the city. His back was facing her and he hadn't heard her walk up behind him. She walked over and stood beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there.

Austin tenses up and lifts his head, his eyes widening when he saw who was touching his shoulder. He quickly calmed down, but she could still see the pained look on his face. "Laney, hey."

"Hey," She says softly. "I figured I would find you here." She walks around and sits down next to him, noticing his pained look. She places a comforting hand on his shoulder and gives him a reassuring smile. "You know, if anyone can get through this, it's you."

"I don't know, Laney," He sighs. "I thought I could do it. I thought I was ready, but as soon as I stepped on that stage, I just...Froze. I couldn't do it."

Delaney squeezes his shoulder gently, offering him a sympathetic smile. "It's okay, Austie. Everyone gets nervous sometimes, even the best performers. It doesn't mean you're any less talented or capable."

Austin frowns, running a hand through his hair. "But what if I can't shake this feeling? What if I'm never able to perform again?"

"You will, Austie. I know it. I believe in you." Delaney assures him, her eyes sparkling with sincerity. "You've worked too hard and come too far to let a couple of bad reviews get in the way. You're an incredible performer, and no one can take that away from you. No matter what, you'll always be the same Austin I've known since we were little. Confident, brave, and the most talented person I know. You can do anything you set your mind to. I believe in you, Austin. You can overcome this."

"I'm glad you're here, Laney." Austin smiles softly. He was glad he had her in his life, especially now when he felt like everything was falling apart. Austin looks at Delaney, his heart warming at her words. He takes a deep breath, trying to absorb her reassurance. "I really needed to hear that." He leans against her slightly, finding comfort in her presence. "I used to always think I could do anything with you by my side. And now, even if I don't feel that confident, you still manage to make me feel like I can do anything with you believing in me. How do you do that?"

Delaney giggles, her cheeks turning pink at the compliment. "It's a gift." She grins, playfully nudging him. "Seriously, though, I've always had faith in you, Austin. And that's never going to change. Whatever happens, we'll get through it together. We're a team, remember?"

Austin can't help the way his heart flutters when she giggles. It's a sound that always made him weak in the knees. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. "Always, Laney." He agrees. He lets out a sigh, resting his head on top of hers. "Thank you. I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I'd do if I had to go through this alone."

Delaney leans her head against his shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut as she enjoys the moment. "You'll never have to go through anything alone, Austin. I'll always be here for you. Whatever you need, I'll be right by your side." She promised, her heart racing at the feeling of being so close to him. Being this close to him and feeling his warm embrace made her stomach fill with butterflies.

Austin smiles and tightens his hold on her, relishing in the feeling of having her so close. "I know. Same goes for you." He replies, his heart beating rapidly. He closes his eyes, breathing in her familiar scent. Her presence alone is enough to help him relax and take his mind off of things. "I hope you're right about me getting over this."

"I know you will, Austie." She smiles up at him, her eyes filled with affection. "You're the strongest person I know. Nothing will ever keep you down for long. You're Austin Moon. You're a fighter, and nothing can stop you."

Austin smiles, his heart swelling with emotion. He leans in and presses his lips to the top of her head, lingering there for a moment. He pulls back and looks at her with adoration. "I can't thank you enough, Laney. For always believing in me. For being here for me. For being you." He gazes into her eyes, his own eyes shining with affection. "Thank you."

Delaney's cheeks burn as she gazes back at him, her heart racing wildly. She's never seen him look at her that way before. With so much admiration and affection. It's a look that makes her feel special. A look that makes her heart soar. She feels the butterflies in her stomach erupting and she swallows thickly. She had a crush on Austin, and being so close to him, having him look at her with such love and affection, is enough to make her melt. She blushes, smiling softly at him. "Anytime, Austin. I'll always be here for you."

With all the encouragement and reassurance she gave him, Austin knew what he had to do. He needed to overcome his fear and conquer his stage fright.

****

(delaney's outfit for this part of the chapter)

The next day, Ally and Trish had informed Delaney that Trish gave Kenneth a fake coupon to the Beach Club so they had decided for Austin to go there and sing for him again to win him over. She let Finn know what was happening and he would've joined them there but he had a lacrosse game that was away he had to go to. Delaney and his other friends wished him luck and told him he would do great.

When they had gotten to the Beach Club, Delaney was at the Beach Club before Austin and Ally had arrived. She noticed Trish had asked Dez to stall Kenneth while she got more food. She was sat at a nearby table and she grimaced after hearing Dez poorly play on the violin he had. Kenneth's face scrunched up with disgust and he got up, heading to the exit which made her worry. He needed to be there so Austin could sing to him.

Thankfully Trish came back and blocks his way. "Woah, woah. You can't leave yet. You still have food coming." Trish told him.

"Oh, no. I've had enough of this so-called food, starting with that pathetic excuse for a salad. I'm sure there's more flavor in a handful of sand." Kenneth scoffed.

Dez bends down to grab a handful of sand and he shoves it in his mouth as he stands. "No, I'm gonna have to go with the salad."

Delaney rolls her eyes at him. She could see the annoyance on Trish's face as well. "As if the food wasn't bad enough, the service, it was appalling." Kenneth continues. "I've had wild monkeys spill less soup in my lap. Seriously, I dined at a restaurant in Brazil where the waiters were howling monkeys."

Delaney quickly stands up when he started to leave again and she went over to distract him. "Hold on, wait. Uh, you gotta tell me about the howling monkeys. It sounds like an interesting experience." She lied, relieved when he stopped to look at her.

"Well-"

"Okay, Kenneth Kreen." Delaney was relieved when Austin chimes in as he walks over to them. She didn't really want to listen anymore stories from Kenneth. She was just glad she and her friends got him to stay long enough for Austin to get there. "I'm gonna show you that I don't need to lip-synch. I'm not just a pretty boy who can't sing. I'm a pretty boy who can sing." He grinned.

"Bravo." Kenneth chuckles and claps. "Your arrogance is matched only by your incompetence."

Austin scoffs. "It's not an insult if I don't know what it means."

"Austin, you're gonna do great." Delaney reassures him as Kenneth sat back down. "Don't forget, I believe in you." She grinned at him, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Thanks, Laney." Austin smiles softly and tries to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat at her touch. He takes a deep breath and began playing as Delaney steps to the side to give him space. "Ooh. Ooh. Yeah. Okay, maybe I'm shy but usually I speak my mind, but by your side I'm tongue tied." While he began to sing, he turns to face Kenneth, but his gaze was directed to Delaney while he sang. "Sweaty palms, I turn red, you think I have no confidence, but I do just not with you. Now I'm singing all the words I'm scared to say. Yeah. So forgive me if I'm doing this all wrong. I'm trying my best in this song to tell you what can I do? I'm stuck on you."

He starts walking over to the platform nearby to stand on it as he kept singing and playing his guitar. Everyone in the Beach Club had stopped what they were doing and were listening to him singing. Delaney couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she listens to him, her heart fluttering at the look he gave her. It almost seemed as if he was singing the song to her, but she knew that wasn't the case. She couldn't help the blush that creeps up her cheeks at the way he was looking at her while he sang.

"I'm hoping you feel what I do, 'cause I told mom about you, I told her what can I do? I'm stuck on you. And like the night sticks to the moon, girl, I'm stuck on you. Ooh. Ooh. Yeah. I'm stuck on you." Everyone cheers and applauds loudly when he finished preforming. Everyone went back to what he was doing as he walks over to Kenneth. "So, Kenneth, what did you think?"

"Bravo." Kenneth said, standing up as he claps. "A spectacular...Waste of my time." The group's faces fell as he finished his sentence. "Just like these crab cakes. Underwhelming and predictable."

"How could you not like that?" Ally asked him with disbelief laced in her voice.

"Yeah." Dez agrees, picking up a crab cake off the plate. "These crab cakes are incredible."

"Don't worry about it, Austin. It's not you. This guy doesn't like anything. The food, the music, my impeccable service." Trish said, glancing at her friends and seeing the look they were giving her. She shrugs. "Okay, forget that last part."

"You know what?" Austin scoffs and walks over to Kenneth. "This whole time I've been trying to please you. But why should I care what you think?" Kenneth looks surprised by his question, but he didn't show it. "Why should I care what anyone thinks? I know I rock."

"Yeah." Ally agreed with a smile.

"There he is." Delaney said with a soft smile, relieved to see the spark back in his eyes.

"He's back." Trish grinned.

"The Electric Avengerrr!" Dez dramatically spoke.

"This evening was a complete travesty. But at least my meal was free." Kenneth smiled.

"Actually, your coupon was fake. You have to pay for your meal." Trish handed him his bill.

Kenneth glares at her as he takes the bill. "You call this a bill? I've seen better paper in outhouses." He then turned and stormed away.

Austin turns to his friends with a smile. "Thanks, guys. I'll never be nervous to perform again." Then his eyes widen as he saw something that caught his eye. "Uh oh. Maybe I'm not better. I see an old-timey judge." He worriedly said after seeing the man dressed in a judge costume walk by.

"Relax, Austin. We see him too." Trish reassures him and walks over to the man. "Sir, the costume party's in the back room." The man nodded and smiled at her before he walked away. Austin's shoulders drop in relief, his panic fading away. Delaney looked over at Austin with a smile, happy that he was back to himself. She knew he would overcome his stage fright and she couldn't have been prouder of him. 

A/N i love austin & delaney so much, theyre so cute