The second school let out I got a text from Scooter telling me he was five minutes away.
I respond with okay and start to head over to the pick up area.
"Stella!"
I turn around to find Peyton walking towards me, her hand interlocked with none other than Dan. I can't help but smile as I wait for her to catch up.
"So were you just going to leave without saying bye to me?" She asks as if I was never going to see her again.
"Peyton, I'll see you when I get home. It's not like I'm moving across the country or anything."
"No, but it's the last time we'll ever be in the same school again." She pouts.
"Awe Pey." I pull her into a hug while we both just laugh.
"Hey babe, take a picture of me and my sis." Peyton outstretches her hand and makes eye contact with Dan who regretfully takes her phone.
"Babe?" I lowly ask Peyton while we wait for Dan. She just smiles.
"So are you guys dating?"
"Something like that." She smirks at Dan who winks back.
So I pose for various pictures with Peyton when I get a text from Scooter telling me he's here.
"Hey, I have to run out of here." I tell Pey.
"Already?"
"Scooter's here. I gotta run to my label meeting. But I'll catch you later, alright?"
"Alright." Peyton sighs.
"Don't be so dramatic." I roll my eyes playfully.
"Oh and Dan."
He turns to me with this surprised expression as if he was shocked that I was acknowledging him.
"Make sure you look out for my little sister, okay?"
"Always." He smiles to Peyton who blushes slightly.
Then my phone starts ringing.
"That's probably Scooter, bye guys."
I wave before speed walking down the hall and assuring Scooter that I'm on my way.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Look who finally decided to arrive." Barry, the CEO of Island Def Jam jokes.
"I'm sorry, I was saying goodbye to my friends." I apologize.
"It was her last day." Scooter explained.
"Alright. Well let's get started." Barry rubs his hands together.
So me, Scooter, Barry, and a team of live five other people sat down and decided everything for my album.
So far we had that Hello had to be the opening song since it was an introduction to me, and last was Love Me for Me because it fit as a closer. Next we knew that Bus Stop with Ryan Tedder had to come right after Oath but also fit next to Love Me for Me so that worked out wonderfully.
"I feel like somethings m is missing though." I say while staring at the track list intently.
"What do you mean?" One of the people on my production team asks.
"Like one song is the intro, another song shows part of my struggle, another's about friendship, and one show's my vulnerable side. I feel like I need one song that's just a fun song to capture all of me since this EP is supposed to represent me. I like to have fun so I feel like I should just have one dumb song that you can just dance to. Something simple like those really upbeat songs with marching drums and stomping feet."
"Well how long would that take?" Barry asks.
"Well I already have a little something in my head so I could probably have something in like half an hour to forty five minutes."
"Sounds like a plan." Barry says.
"You meant now?"
"Well why not? We have time." Barry smiles.
"Well okay."
I shrug and walk out of the room and sit on the tile floor. I put my headphones in and listen to some beats with matching drums and stomping beats to get inspired. Once I felt it, I took a notebook and pencil out of my backpack and started writing lyrics. I was literally on a roll and it sounded pretty decent too!
I proudly walk back into the room with ten minutes to spare.
"Alright, I have to say that I think this is exactly what I wanted." I beam.
"Well let us hear it." Scooter says while making himself comfortable.
"Alright." I clear my throat and start to sing.
"Out on the street, I heard this beat marching drums and stomping feet. And it sounded like~." I do a little run on the "like" before jumping into the chorus and beating on the table.
"(Chorus)
Dum Diddy dum Diddy dum Diddy Dee(3x)
How many times have you heard this beat?
(Verse 1)
I know that you ain't heard this before
So I'm gonna kick kick down that door
So brand new it ain't even go back
You don't wanna sw-sw-switch that track
I'm a fool for the melody
I'm just the remedy
Man this thing is my specialty
I'm a sundae baby sprinkles on top
Unicorn horn and no drip drop
Pegasus wings imma flip flip flop
Make you wanna touch my dot dot dot (...)
(Pre Chorus)
Out on the street I heard this beat
Marching drums and stomping feet
(Chorus) (2x)
Vier, drie, twee, een
Subs and snares turn the mother lover up
Got people straight tripping when I turn the bass up
Operator, hi, didn't mean to interrupt
But I wanna hear the part where the 808s bump
Five foot five and American
Smart and Brazilium
This stuff rhymes like uranium
Stadium?
Black Pomeranian?
Make you afraidium
Sharp as a bladium, bladium?
Man that's hot better find you some shadium
Life gives you lemons better make lemonadium
(Chorus) (2x)
4 to the 3 to the 2 to the 1
I can be as sweet as a cinnamon bun
4 to the 3 to the 1 and the 2
I can go as hard as I didgeridoo
(Chorus) (2x)"
I smile as I end the song.
"It'll sound better with the music, I swear. I have it all in my head." I add.
"No I get where you're going. I can hear it too," Another member of the production team says.
"This could actually be a hit if you drop it as a single in the summer or spring if you want." He adds.
"Okay I'm loving this future planning, but we don't even know if it's going on the EP." Lenny, the head of the production team interjects.
"Do you think you can finish it for us by the end of the week Stella?" He asks.
"Oh without a doubt."
"So should I put in in the slot between Hello and Oath?"
"For sure."
"Okay I think that's good enough for the EP. These five songs are great. I can actually see every one of these songs being a single." Scooter says.
"Wait, what about Problem with me and Justin and Solo?" I ask.
"I think it's best to cut those two. All these songs fit really well for what you wanted, to show the different sides of yourself. I think those are perfect for that." The same member of the team says again.
"But Justin is a big part of my life. He IS a part of me. If anything Problem should be a bonus track you get for buying the album or something." I offer.
Scooter looks over to Barry.
"That's actually not such a bad idea. But Solo has to go." Barry adds.
"Fine." I sigh.
I really wanted that girl, Marisa to hear Solo... But maybe she can.
"Is there anyway I can keep Solo then? Just have a hard copy of it on my thumb drive to do whatever I please with it?" I ask.
"Knock yourself out." Barry responds.
I just grin.
"Now let's talk about this music video thing. I'm really against the red solo cups. I understand you want them because that is part of the real story, but you do have a lot of younger viewers and we don't want to promote things like alcohol and driving without a license." The production team guy has a point. A very valid point.
"I guess you're right." I sigh.
"But what else would we do?" I ask.
"Maybe just have cameras following you and whoever will be your best friend for the day." He shrugs.
"Do I get to pick who plays my best friend?"
"If you want to, go ahead."
I grin to myself.
"Oh and one more thing.. Can we still film it in Florida? It would just be really cool to film everything around where I grew up."
"Yeah, I think that would make it more authentic." Another member of the production team adds.
"And I could even end up making a behind the scenes video where I talk about the different places that were in the video." I offer.
"I like that." Scooter points to me and I just smirk and nod.
"Okay, we'll come back to this after we finish up with the EP talk. So what were you thinking for the title? Is it self titled?" Barry asks me.
"No not self titled. I was actually thinking that the title could be 'Hollywood Here We Come' and I would be sitting on a bench at the bus stop with a suitcase and my guitar case waiting for the bus. And then the bus sign would say 'Hollywood Here We Come' or just 'Hollywood' and the title would be somewhere else." I explain.
"That's actually really clever, you got the idea from your song 'Bus Stop'?" The production guy asks.
"Yeah. I thought it would be really cool to have a visual of that." I smile.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
So we went more in depth about the EP layout and then we ended the meeting. Barry made sure I got my copy of Solo, and then Scooter took me home.
"How'd the meeting go?" Peyton asks me as I throw my backpack on to the couch.
"Pretty well. My EP is done for the most part, we just have to record my new song and design the cover."
"Nice!"
"Yeah, the only thing is I have to cut that song Solo that I wrote for Marisa." I pout.
"What?!" Brandon pokes his head out of the kitchen.
"What do you mean you have to cut it? I wanted to see the look on that girls face when she heard it." He groans.
"I never said she wouldn't hear it. I just said I have to cut it."
Peyton and Brandon share a confused expression while I just smirk and unzip the front pocket of my backpack to take out the usb.
"At the meeting they told me I could keep Solo and do whatever I please with it." I smile.
"Bro, you gotta leak that." Brandon tells me.
"But where though? I don't want to put it on my channel in case it comes back to bite me."
It's silent while we all try to think of someone.
"What if you create a YouTube account just to drop this on?!" Peyton offers.
"Holy crap I have my YouTube account I made in middle school that I stopped using."
"That's it!" Brandon exclaims.
So we all run up to my room where I open my laptop and type in the user name "kittykatlover7".
"Don't judge me guys."
"Too late." Peyton laughs.
I roll my eyes at her, but then I realized I didn't remember my password.
So I had to try like five different emails to find the one I used to make this account to change the password.
After I finally got it I log in, plug my usb, and hover over the upload button.
"Wait." Brandon and Peyton turn to me.
"Shouldn't I make it into a lyric video of slideshow or something?" I ask them.
"Slideshow is easier." Peyton says.
So I go to Google, take some pictures of myself, make it into a slideshow and upload that with the audio.
"What would I title it?" I ask them.
"You should put in all caps 'STELLA SMOCK NEW LEAKED SONG SOLO'."
So that's exactly what I did.
"Now in a couple days Peyton I think you should tweet something like 'when you find out your sister's song got leaked' or something and I'll retweet it."
"Oh my god this is gonna be great." Peyton laughs.
"I know."
"The Smocks are not to be messed with." Brandon says while walking out.
"Truth!" I exclaim after him.
God I love my family.