Sober.

1 // Welcome To New York

"A girl in the city, no right shoe. A girl in the city, I might never see you soon."

- A Girl in the City (Shea Avery, written on June 14th, 2016)

"Avery!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I curse as I run down the New York street on the upper east side on the phone with my best friend, Clem.

"Watch your language there missy!" He yells into the phone with a sight laugh in his voice.

"Do you have James Bay waiting for you in the studio? I think not." I snap and dodge a man holding a box too big he couldn't see over it.

"I'll tell you when it happens."

"So how is good old South Carolina?" I ask, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Oh you know the normal, dying from heat and trying to not bore myself to death. Speaking of home, everyone comes back in a few months, we get the old gang back together again! Once you and Rae left everybody slowly started to leave me... I'm so god damn lonely Shea, you have to come back before September, you have been gone for years... Please come home!" He pleaded, I truly missed my best friend. I haven't seen him in over four years now. I missed everyone so much, but I always have Rae when she isn't preoccupied with Anna James.

"I miss you so much. We have never been this long apart, it's breaking my heart. I might go write a song about it." I try to cheer Clem up but I know he is hurting just as much as I am.

"And go make Taylor Swift sing it." I smile and laugh at his joke.

"I will, and we will win a Grammy."

"When you do, I better be your date." He jokes.

"I don't know... I think i'm going to take Anna." I laugh and I hear him sigh in the phone.

"How is little Anna?"

"She is great." I answer slightly out of breath as I see the tall Tempo building in the distance.

"That's good."

"Yeah, I think i'm going to go. I'm already late."

"Okay Avery, i'll talk to you later."

"Bye Jones." I hang up the phone and fix my bag while walking through the gigantic double doors.

"Shea! James is waiting for you in studio 3!" The receptionist Tina yells. I wave her a quick thank you and dart up the steps to floor three. Thanking myself for not wearing heels today.

"Idiot." I hear Ally mumble under her lips as I sprint past her. Ally is what you call the office bitch.

I turn a corner and quickly enter studio 3 and see James casually strumming on his guitar.

"So.. you are late.. and you don't even bring me tea? Great friend you are." He laughs and I take the empty seat across from him.

"Then I would of been even more late. I'm so sorry Lucas wouldn't let me out of bed." I roll my eyes at my cute but sometimes very annoying boyfriend of two years.

"That bloody Lucas, stealing the best writer in the world away from me. I might just have to punch some sense into that boy."

"I wouldn't stop you." I shrug taking my journal out of my purse.

"So what kinda song should we write today Ms. Shea?" James rests his elbows on the table and leans his head on his hands.

"I was thinking about writing about missing someone you love." I jot down a few ideas.