Saved.

The following day, we had a few hours of studio time. The process of beginning a new album cycle was daunting, at best. We had all been so excitedly looking forward to this day, and when it finally came, it was like every idea we collectively had had vanished into the wind.

I knew this place well. I had looked forward to the smell of old carpet, the padded walls of the recording booth, a large panel of effects and settings I had not the slightest clue how to use. Just enough wall space for our instruments to take up residence while we were away from them. The studio was an exception for me- a familiar place that was calming, rather than alarming.

"Is it weird that your ex might be at the studio?" Allie asked.
"She isn't my ex, because she wasn't my girlfriend," Tripp responded harshly, rolling his eyes. "It was a fun thing for a few months and now it's done. So no, it isn't weird. Don't make it weird."

"Emma's going to be there?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah," Tripp said, cringing at the mention of her name. "She's learning how to produce music. She's working part time in the studio with Paul."

"Oh. Cool." I contemplated the thought of seeing her again. It had been how many years now? I had lost count. I wondered how much she knew.

"You still haven't told him yet, have you?" Eric whispered in my ear. I shook my head no. "Well, I guess now you won't have to."

We walked into the studio and took a few minutes to get our equipment settled before Paul walked in. Allie was setting up her kit, and Tripp had gone to the bathroom, leaving Eric and I alone with...

"Emma, have ya met my other favorite kids?" Paul asked the mousy, dark-haired girl beside him. She spun around in her chair, her eyes lighting up when she saw me. Her glasses were still just a bit too big for her face- some things never changed.

"Hey, Leo." She said with a shy smile.
"Emma, listen, I'm so sorry I never called in all this time, I-"
"Shut up," she laughed, pulling me into a tight hug.

"You two know each other?" Tripp asked as he reentered the room, visibly confused. Paul seemed to mirror this confusion, making me assume Emma hadn't said anything to him either.

"They were childhood friends," Eric explained. Tripp's eyes burned a hole through me. I knew I should have told him about this, but it never seemed to be the right moment, and then time got away from me- but maybe now I was just making excuses.

"Her mom used to babysit me when we were little," I laughed. She nodded in agreement. "It's been a very long time."

"Yeah, it has." she said. "The last time I saw you, you weren't this big rock star. And you must be Eric," she said, shaking his hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hopefully good things," Eric laughed. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"It's... good to see you again." Tripp told Emma quietly, picking up his bass so he'd have anything else to focus on.
"You too," she nodded, but their faces told a different story. Both their eyes were concealing pain- I wasn't sure of the exact cause.

We ran through a few 8-count sections of songs, riffs that Tripp and I thoroughly argued over writing, and a half hour later we still hadn't accomplished much of anything.

"Alright, let's bring this in for a minute," Paul sighed, shaking his head. "This is not the Overdrive magic I signed. We gotta deconstruct a little here. Eric, let's start with this- ya got any lyrics?"

"Yep," he nodded as he pulled out a notebook similar to my own. "I had a chorus that I think is pretty solid, if I can just..."

"Take it to the booth," Paul nodded, and Eric went inside to record, giving him a thumbs up from inside to indicate he was ready. I actually hadn't heard these lyrics yet, myself.