𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 51 | 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵

Eden shrugged and took another bite.

"If we even have a future," Levi sighed nervously. "Just think about it, this could make or break us." Eden rolled her eyes.

"We're already signed, Levi," I told him, "they're not just gonna pull the plug on us."

"No, they can do that," he retaliated. "Any record label can, in their own secretive ways. Did you know that there are specific marketing strategies certain record labels use to brush failed projects under the rug in order to cover up their own mistakes and clear their track record? We could be put on the back-burner until our contract expires and they can drop us, just like that—"

"That's not gonna happen," Eden mumbled between mouthfuls of bread, ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

"Shit, now you got me nervous," Torrence muttered.

"It won't happen," Rian raised his voice, speaking in a confident and assuring tone. "This is good. The stuff we made is good. Right?" 

He nodded his head at all of us individually in the room, convincing each of us to join in.

"Right," I nodded.

"Right," as did Eden.

"Right?" Rian repeated, staring specifically at Torrence and Levi this time. Torrence nodded first, and then eventually, a reluctant Levi nodded, too.

Rian then turned his head to the far side of the room. "...Right, Ari?"

With a presence so minute and quiet, Arizona merely disappears from sight.

Sat cozily and sprawled out on the couch by the wall was Ari, his legs outstretched to the armrest, his head resting on the cushion, nearly unconscious. He raised his hand slowly and lazily, flashing a feeble thumbs-up at us.

"Okay." Rian took what he could get. Ari dropped his arm back down onto the cushion like the limb of a rag doll, his paw hitting the sofa heavily enough to match the weight of a dumbbell. I began to anxiously fumble around with my fingers. "...So, are we ready to submit?"

"We don't have a choice, the due date is tonight," Eden leaned in, resting her paws on the shoulders of both Levi and Rian. Her words clearly did nothing to ease Levi's nerves.

"But are we feeling ready?"

We all nodded in unison this time in response to Rian's query—despite some altering levels of confidence and energy, with Ari and Eden being on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Levi was somewhere near the center of that spectrum.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I gave verbal confirmation.

"Send it, Levi," Rian directed, giving Levi's shoulder a gentle, affirming nudge.

Levi bit his bottom lip, his pointer finger hovering over the trackpad.

"...Maybe we should all do it together?"

Everyone groaned.

"Dude, no, that's stupid." At last, Torrence arose from his shadowy corner and approached the table. "We're not having another drumstick-initiation thing."

"I thought it was cute, okay?!" Eden defended herself in a whiny pitch.

"How about we count down?" Rian provided a quick and easy solution, mediating the team. "How's that sound?"

"Good," Levi frantically nodded his head, placing his finger on the trackpad, but not pushing down.

"Just think," Eden publicly fantasized, "after this, we're done. For the time being."