Stop the World

Prologue

It didn't matter that Sonny Monroe had been in Hollywood since before her 16th birthday. It didn't matter that she had experienced the very height of fame as one of the main cast members in one of the most popular shows on television. It didn't matter that her star was still rising as she figured out that her passion truly lied in music and not in acting like she thought it did. None of that mattered. No. She was still absolutely terrified of the paparazzi. The thought of leaving the safe haven of whatever building she was in only to be bombarded by grown men literally thrusting cameras in her face as she tried to safely make it to her destination caused the rate of her heart to increase every single time. She didn't care how much her boyfriend comforted her and swore to her that she would get used to it. The complete invasion of privacy was something that she would never get used to. And it only seemed to get worse. It didn't rise and fall with the news cycle. It was always consistent; a mob of at least twenty guys vying for her attention and for the best - or worst - shot. And with so much going on in her career and her personal life, the mob had increased and it made it increasingly difficult for Sonny to live her life the way that she wanted to.

"It's now or never, kid."

After a very dangerous encounter with paparazzi, her mother had taken it upon herself to hire security for her. It was something that her label or even her agent tried to do but her mother thought she knew better and she wanted to make sure that her daughter was protected. With a child star, it was one of the few things that she had control of. So, everyone conceded and a week later Sonny had her own bodyguard in the form of a 6ft Australian who called her "kid" because she reminded him of his daughter.

"Okay," Sonny breathed out.

She perched her Chanel sunglasses - a gift from her boyfriend - on her nose and clutched her purse tighter to her chest. Max led the way and she followed, grasping the back of his suit jacket as they exited the building and the paparazzi swarmed.

Sonny! How excited are you to officially be signed to Universal Music Group? Sonny! Do you miss So Random? Sonny! Is it true that you're pregnant? Sonny! How do you feel about Chad becoming a regular cast member on Grey's Anatomy? Sonny! How's the wedding planning going? Sonny! Is it true that Chad is cheating on you? Sonny! When is your reality TV show premiering?

But I'd stop the world if it'd finally let us be alone...