Over a span of the next four months, everyone's lives had been consumed with the creation of Scream's first official album. Every day after school, Eliza and Dave would jet on over to the studio to work on everything from writing drum tracks to working on cutting songs together to brainstorming album cover artwork. On top of the band's rigorous recording schedule, they still played shows four nights a week.
Eliza, although not an official member of the band, still was present for almost every second the band was together. She acted as the true manager of the band, making sure everything was happening smoothly and on time. And she loved it. Eliza had become close with all the band members, often referring to them as her best friends. And, fortunate for them both, the band's intense work schedule meant that Dave and Eliza got to spend an insane amount of time together.
"Are you sure it doesn't bother you that I hang around the band so much?" Eliza asked Dave one day on their way to band rehearsal. "I mean, this is your thing. I would understand if you didn't want me intruding this much."
"Absolutely not, sweetheart." Dave said, reaching down to kiss her hand. "I love that I get to see you everyday. And besides, I honestly don't know where we'd be without our bookkeeper."
Eliza gave him a playful slap on his arm, laughing at the reference to the nickname Pete had given her. She did keep track of the numbers side of their operation, so the nickname wasn't too far off.
And after one final day of recording in late August of 1988, their album was complete. They had all met at the studio to finalize everything, and were all crowded in the recording space where they'd done most of the work.
"Eliza, you do it." Franz said, handing Eliza the CD and the artwork they'd decided to use as the cover.
She took the pieces from him and slowly placed the artwork in the front of the case, symbolizing the completion of the album.
Everyone began to celebrate by hugging each other and clapping.
"Alright, what do you guys think? Should we go show Paul?" Eliza asked, talking over the sound of the guys cheering.
They all sped out of the room and headed towards Paul's office. Eliza knocked sharply on the door, CD in hand.
"Come on in!" Paul called from behind his desk. "Ooh, it looks like you've got something for me."
"The album." Eliza said, presenting it to him.
"Let me get my hands on that!" Paul said, snatching it from her hands and cracking open the case. He examined it for a second, then shut it. "I love it. I'll pass it on to the higher ups and see what they think before we go ahead and start to mass produce it."
They all thanked him for his time and then left his office.
"Do you think they'll like it?" Dave nervously asked on the way home.
"Of course. I was there for every second of the recording of that album. It's amazing." She reassured him.
And, it's safe to say that Eliza was right. Within two months, Scream's album had been copied and sent out across the world. Paul's initial prediction was right, with the distribution being split across the U.S. and Europe. The band had gained success within the genre and were becoming a more commonly known name. The clubs they were playing became more tightly packed, prompting them to level up in terms of venue size. They began to be asked to play more frequently, an idea that Eliza shot down quickly.
"You guys aren't on tour. Four nights a week is enough." She explained to the band one day before a show.
About a month after the album's release on the drive home from school, Eliza got a phone call from Paul.
"What did he want?" Dave asked once she hung up.
"He asked for a meeting with the band in two hours."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He asked, the nervousness in his voice rising.
"Let's find out."
After gathering the rest of the band, they walked into Paul's office almost exactly two hours from his original phone call.
"Right on time!" He said as they pulled open his door. "Is there anything this band can't do?"
After they all settled down into their chairs, Paul looked at them and grinned.
"Your album has been a success, as you can hopefully tell. Surprisingly, the album's European numbers are outperforming the U.S.'s numbers."
Dave looked nervously at Eliza, unsure of where this conversation was about to go.
"The label wants to send you boys on a European tour. It would span about five months, hitting as many cities as you possibly can. It if goes well, they'll consider an American tour."
Dave whipped around to look at Franz, whose mouth was hanging open with astonishment.
"Listen to all the details before you boys say yes." Paul said, winking at Dave who had turned back around. "You'd take off around late September, with you returning in early March. There'd be no extended breaks, so you'd have to stay in Europe the whole time. The label will obviously cover all travel expenses, food costs, housing costs, and provide you with your own road crew. We will also purchase new instruments, and we can go into details about that later. All you boys will be responsible for is getting on your plane to Europe and playing the shows. We will take care of everything else."
Dave was so eager to accept that he stuck his hand out to shake Paul's. He was met by Paul pushing his hand down into the table.
"One more thing. The label has only decided to cover the cost of the five band members. You guys can bring whomever you'd like to, but they'd have to pay for everything themselves."
Eliza looked down at her feet, knowing this was not about to be good.
"Eliza is part of the band. We need her on tour with us. You told the label that, right?" Dave interjected almost immediately.
"I did everything I could." Paul assured the fuming Dave. "Trust me, I fought for her to be covered. There's nothing I can do. She's more than welcome to come, just on her own expense."
"Then we aren't going." Dave said, sitting back in his chair.
"Dave, can I see you for a moment in the hall?" Eliza asked while getting out of her chair. He followed her into the hallway, where he promptly slammed Paul's door.
"It's bullshit!" He yelled. "We couldn't have done any of this without you. If you're not going to Europe, neither am I."
"David." Eliza said, firmly. "Even if they were covering my costs, I still couldn't go. I start college in the fall. I've already paid for that. I mean, it's only a few months. We can call all the time, and maybe after the fall semester I can book a flight to come see you for a week."
Dave sighed, looking at the floor, weighing his options. "I just don't know how I can live without you for that long. I need you, Eliza."
"I know, I know." She said, taking his hands into hers. "It sucks. But this is such a great opportunity for you! I mean to get to tour Europe is something we never could have imagined for the band. I will not let you miss out on this just because of me."
"Promise me you'll call every night. And every morning." He said, looking into her eyes.
"I can promise that I will try." She said, laughing.
"Ok, sweetheart." He said, kissing her forehead. "I wish that I could just throw you into my suitcase and sneak you there with me."
She laughed again, glad that his mood had brightened. "Go back in there and tell those guys the good news!"
Dave walked back in, followed by Eliza. "Boys, are we in or are we in?" They all shouted in agreement and signed the contracts that Paul needed them to.
Once the meeting was adjourned, the band met up in the parking lot.
"Eliza, I can't even begin to tell you how sad I am that you can't come with us." Franz said, approaching her as she was getting into Dave's car.
"I'm sad too. It just doesn't work." She shrugged. "But you best believe the next chance I get I'll be with you back on the road."
"God, I hope so. I need someone to make sure I get out of bed in the morning."
She laughed as she shut the door to Dave's car. Before she could even settle in, she was met by a warm, deep kiss on her lips.
"What's that for?" She asked, laughing as she pulled away.
"I just don't know how many more of these I'm going to get." He said solemnly as he pulled her in for another one.
They drove home pretty much in silence, giving Eliza time to think about what the next few months of her future was about to look like. In about two weeks, she was going to say goodbye to Dave. Something she always feared, yet knew it was inevitable. She would be moving into her college dorm while Dave and the rest of Scream would be living it up in Europe.
As much as she tried to deny it, she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same.