The Bad Influence

Out All Night

You spend the next few days in your apartment, getting your studio set up. You wake up early on your first Friday in Nashville and go straight into your new studio. The sun hasn't even come up yet, but you wake up with an idea for a new song and if you don't get it out now you'll forget.

You sit at your keyboard, grab the notebook and pen sitting on top of it and start writing.

Not to be cold but it's only been 'bout two or three days
Thought it was clear when you didn't hear back for two or three days
I don't really wanna ghost you, but
I think I gotta go soon and
Nowadays we don't really do communication

Since you were sixteen, you've lived in this cycle of just barely letting people in, then closing them out suddenly when things feel too real. There was one guy who you fell madly in love with at seventeen, but it only lasted a few months. He was a music producer who was a few years older than you, and you eventually figured out you didn't mean anything to him.

It hurt, and you went back into the cycle you're still in.

Don't pretend that you wanna hear all the reasons I'm not into you
I can let it all out, but I don't see how that would feel good to you
You don't really want closure, nah
You just want me to come over one more time

You scribble down all of the lyrics you have so far, then start messing around on the keyboard, trying to get the sound right.

Around ten am, Lily stumbles into the room, holding two mugs of coffee.

"How long have you been in here?" She asks through a yawn.

"I don't know. Since like five?" You grab the coffee she offers you and take a long drink.

She sits down on the futon pressed against the wall. "Rehearsals for your first concert start in exactly a week."

"Cool." You pull out your phone, remembering what DJ texted you last night. "I'm going to a party tonight. DJ has some music producer friends down here."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"So I can be forced to move across the country with a two day's notice but I can't go to a party?" You quirk an eyebrow at your assistant. "I'm here. I'm getting along with the girls. I've been in this apartment for days now. I just want to have some fun."

Lily leans against the back of the futon. "Fair enough, but please don't cause trouble. And maybe you could invite the girls?"

You have to force yourself not to laugh. "Seriously? They would never want to go."

Lily shrugs and stands up. "You can ask them now. They're coming over with breakfast. Well, everyone but Chris and Kath."

"Ooooh. You already have nicknames for them."

"They like me, Y/N. We're friends."

You roll your eyes. "Good for you."

"You can be friends with them too. Just give them a chance."

"No thanks." You turn back to your keyboard. "I'll be out in a sec. I wanna finish this verse."

Lily leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind her. The only reason you let Ariana and DJ in is because you've known them since you were fourteen, before your music career had even started. You're close with Lily because she kind of just pushed her way in. A lot of pretty bad stuff went down when you were switching from your old label to Marcus's, and she was there for it, so it was kind of hard not to be close after that.

You think I'll come down with a case of regret
But I trust my gut and it ain't let me down yet
So why we gotta have an awkward moment?
I already know where this is going
I ain't gonna change my mind, change my mind