So basically imma post the first chapter of this, probably the most personal thing I'll every write. Its very loosely based on my own experience. Also, just for this book, Manny left Shawn's mother when Shawn's career took off and died a while later.

Shawn's POV

I'm incredibly excited because tonight is the Toronto show of my tour. My family will be attending too, including my grandmother, who has never actually attended my show before.

Malea, my best friend was currently touring with me. She's a two years older than me and we have been best friends since I was three. It was great that my best friend was able to come with me, as I needed someone from home to keep me calm.

"So are you nervous? Like its a home crowd and your family is here." Malea asks, tossing me a water bottle.

"Kinda, but having my family here calms me a little. Its weird as I like impressing them and..." I'm interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Shawn!" My grandmother comes in, beaming with pride. She was quite a bit smaller than me so I had to bend down to her level to hug her. "How are you? Have you been eating? Karen why aren't you feeding the poor boy? Come sit here, let me feed you." She cups my cheeks lovingly as I sit down beside her.

"I've been eating Avo, its okay." I smile, taking a bite out of my sandwich.

"When we get home, you're eating a full home cooked meal." She tells me, patting my leg.

"Shawn its time for you to change." I'm told by my stylist.

"Okay... can I change?" I give my family a cue to leave. My grandmother stays and gives me a hug.

"This is for you. Eat it now, you're losing weight." My grandmother passes me a bar of chocolate. My favourite kind.

"Thank you. I love you." I give her another hug.

"I love you too, now give us a good show tonight." She says, kissing my cheek before she leaves.

Little did I know that it was that exact moment that would come back to haunt me.

I quickly change into my show outfit - a maroon shirt and black skinny jeans and boots, I grab my guitar and get on stage.

"Toronto! How are you?" I shout into the mic. "This ones called Mercy. Hope you like it."

I catch a glimpse of my grandmother in the crowd. She was smiling straight at me, and I smile back.

"Just wanna say that my family, including my beautiful grandmother is sitting in the crowd in the front row. Lets all cheer for her as its the first time she's come to a show of mine." I shout into the mic, and the crowd cheer, bringing a smile to my face.

That smile was soon gone.

At first, I thought it was just screaming girls who were excited about my show. However, when I saw the terrified look on my sister's face, a look that yelled 'help me' was when I realised that there was something awfully wrong.

My worst fears were confirmed when I felt a shooting pain through my right side. In a reflex, my hand shot to that area, which made the pain worse. It was unbearable.

Blood. That's what I see when I take my hand away. I fall to my knees in pain as a siren booms through the arena, being muffled by people's screaming.

I couldn't move.

I just lay there in a pool of my own blood. Realisation hits me when I see a masked man running in the distance - someone had shot people at my concert.

My family - I had to see if they were okay.

"Aaliyah!" I try to shout, but it comes out as a small whisper compared to the noise that filled the arena.

I'm slowly losing consciousness, the pain getting worse.

It felt like I was alone for an eternity. In reality, I was alone for no more than twenty six seconds.

"Shawn! Andrew he's hurt!" I hear Malea yell as she frantically runs to me. "Hey, Shawn honey just hold on... oh my God! He's been shot!"

Even though I knew that I was bleeding heavily, in pain and that there was a shooting, I wasn't able to piece together that I had been shot.

"Right lemme stop the blood flow... erm..." Malea takes off her flannel and holds it over my bullet wound, putting pressure on it.

"N... no that hurts!" I begin sobbing in pain, and she lifts me into her lap, ny head digging into her chest.

"Sorry honey, I have to stop the bleeding, I'm sorry Shawn!" She holds me closer to her and I'm barely alive, let alone concious by this point.

How did a normal day turn into this nightmare?

Malea's POV

"Shawn, keep your eyes open." I demand, cupping his cheek with the hand that wasn't holding my flannel over his wound. Potentially fatal wound. I was drenched in his blood. This wasn't good at all.

Shawn didn't know what had happened. There had been a terrorist attack at his show. Currently, there were five fatalities.

"Someone help!" I shout as loud as I can when I see a paramedic, who sprints over to us, putting an oxygen mask over Shawn.

"I need to get this bullet out. Its stuck here."

Shawn had been shot twice.

"Is he going to live?" I ask, tears falling from my eyes.

"We will try our hardest... right lie him down." The paramedic tells me, and I lay Shawn down, his head in my lap. "This is gonna hurt."

I begin stroking Shawn's hair to calm him.

"Deep breath." I say, before one bullet is pulled out, his entire body jolting upwards in pain.

"Malea please... please..." was all Shawn said before he lost consciousness.

"Right, we need to get him to hospital now!" The paramedic says as another few run up to us with a stretcher, lifting Shawn onto it.

I then see Andrew sprint over to us.

"Malea, go with Shawn. Don't leave him alone for even a second." He asserts.

"Why?"

"His grandmother was shot dead."

So Imma leave it here. This is more like a prologue but yeah hope you liked it x