The boys were in the middle of recording a verse for the new song they had written when AJ slammed his headphones down on the stand and yelled.

“Why can’t we get this right? Why the hell is the big fucking problem?”

Howie tore of his headphones and said “That’s it!” and stormed out of the booth into the room next door.

AJ chased him through the door with the other three boys right behind him.

AJ grabbed Howie by the arm and yelled in his face. “What’s your problem?”

Howie shoved him off and yelled back “You! You’re my problem! You’ve been acting like a jackass for the last fucking week and none of us can even talk to you without you biting off our heads. I can’t stand being around you anymore!” Howie left the room, slamming the door behind him.

AJ turned around to face the other guys and snarled “Is that a fact? I’m everybody’s problem?”

“Yes, you’re the problem J.” said Brian quietly and fell into a chair by the soundboard.

Nick shook his head and said “Sorry man, but we all feel the same way. You’re miserable and you’re making being around you painful. What’s going on with you?”

Without answering Nick’s question, AJ turned around, ripped open the door Howie had just closed and jogged up the stairs, slamming the outside door.

Kevin sighed and collapsed onto the couch. “What is with him? He hasn’t acted like this in forever.”

Brian replied “I don’t know but we’re never going to get this album done if we can’t work together for an hour without losing it.”

All three men sat in silence for a few minutes until they heard knocking come from the other side of the closed door.

Nick walked over and threw open the door. “If that’s you J, you had better be back to...” and cut himself off when he realized that it wasn’t J, but a woman about their age standing there.

“Who are you?” Nick demanded.

The woman looked completely stunned and stammered “I’m Alissa. I was hoping that AJ was here. I just needed to talk to him for a minute.”