Love of Music (Dalton Rapattoni)

Chapter 1

NO ONE'S POV

Everyone has a breaking point and Aria had finally reached hers. Mid rehearsal, she collapsed in a fit of tears.
"Aria!" All the boys cried in unison, immediately rushing over to her. Cole knelt down next to her and was horrified to see that she was having a panic attack. He had seen someone have one before and been taught what to do if one happened, so his instincts immediately kicked in. Cole was rubbing her back and encouraged her to copy his breathing to try and calm her down.
"You're alright Aria, everything will be fine. Just breathe with me." Cole encouraged her. While Cole was attempting to calm Aria down, Dana took it upon himself to get her some water for when she calmed down again. He wasn't concentrating on anything other than his task. After about 5 minutes, Aria had finally calmed down. Dana handed her the water and she took a small sip.
"I can't do this anymore." Aria said softly. All the boys looked taken aback.
"What do you mean?" Dana asked, voicing everyone's unsaid question.
"I've been unhappy for quite a while now, and I just, I can't do it guys. My mental state is deteriorating massively, and I can't do it anymore." Aria revealed.
"How long has this been going on?" Cole asked.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Dana asked as a follow up question.
"I didn't want to burden you guys." Aria replied, not looking up at the others.
"Burden us?" Dana asked in shock. "Never."
"Did anyone else know?" Gabe asked.
"My Mum, my Dad, Dalton, and Will." Aria replied. All the boys knew that she was especially close with Dalton and Will. They could also tell that both Aria and Dalton liked each other as more than friends, but both were too afraid to admit it.
"Why didn't you tell the rest of us? Why only Dalton and Will?" Cole asked.
"They figured it out." Aria said simply. The boys nodded at this. Aria took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"I need to leave IM6. I can't stay. I've been thinking about this for a long time and I know I'll just get worse, and I'll bring you all down with me. Plus, putting on an act for the fans will only make me feel worse." She revealed. She was faced with three completely shocked faces. After a few moments of complete silence, Dana spoke up.
"If you need to leave, we completely understand." Dana said. "We'll miss you though."
"I have to get it past the partners first." Aria mused.
"They'll understand." Gabe said.
"I am thankful that you all do as well." Aria replied, looking around at the boys. She then turned to Cole. "Thanks for helping me with my attack." She thanked him. He smiled.
"Anytime." He replied. Once rehearsal was over, Aria said goodbye to everyone, giving them all tight hugs before she left the studio. She then wove her way through the many corridors and entered the elevator to go down to the Ground Floor. She walked out of the elevator and into the lobby before opening the front doors and walking out of the building for what she hoped was one of the last times, whipping out her phone in the process. She scrolled through her phone until she found one of the partners' numbers. She needed to tell him about this. She wasn't budging on her decision and she hoped they would understand. She clicked his name and put the phone to her ear, listening as her phone rang. Three rings later the voice of Perez Hilton echoed through the phone.
"Aria! How are you?" He asked happily.
"Not too great to be honest. Listen, I need to talk to you about something. Is it possible to arrange a meeting with you tomorrow?" Aria asked.
"Of course. Is something wrong?" He asked. Even though she couldn't see him, she could tell he was frowning. He was confused and worried at the same time. Even though Aria was an employee, she was still valued and he was quite fond of her.
"Yes. Something is wrong. I'll explain in full tomorrow. Is that ok?" Aria asked.
"Of course. How does 10am tomorrow sound?" He asked.
"Sounds great. I'll see you then." Aria replied, a slight smile on her face.
"Ok." He told her.
"Thank you." Aria replied, before smiling and heading home.

*The Next Morning - Meeting*

Aria entered the Board room to find all three of her bosses sitting there waiting for her. Perez Hilton, Simon Fuller, and Jamie King.
"So, Aria, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Perez asked, curious as to why she had brought them all together.
"I wish to leave IM6." She revealed. "I am so sorry to say this, but I have thought long and hard about it, and I just can't handle it. I haven't told many people this, only my parents, Will, Dalton, and the other current members of IM6 know, but I have been battling depression since I was 13. Being with IM6 did make me happy, but I just can't do it anymore. Lately, my mental state has been deteriorating rapidly from the constant stress I am under, along with hate from the fans." Aria explained. "You might have heard already, but I had a breakdown and a stress induced panic attack mid rehearsal yesterday. The boys, especially Cole, helped me through it, but I thought you should know." She added. They all looked shocked at these revelations. Why had she hidden this from them? Was she going to be alright?
"Would you give us a few minutes?" Simon asked.
"Of course." Aria replied respectfully. She got up and exited the Board room, leaving them to discuss the situation. A few minutes passed and she was called back inside. She sat down at the table and waited to hear their decision.
"We have come to a decision." Jamie said.
"We would first like to say that your singing and songwriting skills brought something special to IM6 and we will be extremely sad to see you leave." Perez complimented her. "But we will not stop you from leaving if you feel it is the best choice for you." He explained. Aria smiled.
"Thank you all. It has truly been a privilege working with you, and I will miss you all, but I just don't feel as if I can continue effectively in IM6 and I don't want to bring the group all down." She replied.
"That is understandable, and very mature of you." Simon complimented her. "One last thing I need you to do. Would you be willing to make a public announcement on Twitter to explain everything and why you are leaving?" He requested.
"Of course." Aria agreed.
"We wish you the best and we know you will go far." Perez said to Aria
"Thank you." She said with a smile, before heading out for what she hoped would be the last time. Aria walked out from the building feeling relieved and glad that her ex-boss was supportive of her decision. She was thankful for her experiences with IM6, despite the amount of drama this past year held. Everyone had been very good to her. She had created quite a few strong connections and relationships with people in high places in the industry. But at this point, there was only person she wanted to talk to right now.
Dalton.