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I walked through the park in Louisiana quite happily. It was a nice vacation from Chicago, but I felt kind of guilty about leaving Haylee to watch our apartment and Lindsey to sort through my photos to help decide which ones I was going to send into one of the small magazine companies as part of my portfolio. But hey, I needed a break.
"'Scuse me, I need to get another pick..."
"Um, what?"I asked. I was blocking someone's way, and I knew the voice from somewhere...
"The pick... for my bass... I lost it. And they'll all be so upset if I can't find another one... it was too rainy yesterday to perform, and we need the publici- why am I burdening you with my problems? It's not like you care..."
Now I remembered. Chris Faller... from the Hush Sound... he had sat in the main room of my apartment just a few weeks ago. I don't know why I hadn't remembered that earlier.
"Oh, um, here." I said without looking up. "Have mine. It's for my guitar, but it should work..." I pulled a pick out of my pocket.
Chris looked shocked.
"Sorry, it's rainbow, I'm not gay if that's what you're thinking..." I sighed. "Most people seem to think I am."
"No, it's not that, it's... nevermind. Are you any good at taking pictures? As I said, we need the publicity, we're brand new."
"That's what I do. That and play my guitar on street corners."
Chris brightened up. "So you're good?"
"You could say that." I said with a smile.
"I can pay you if you can take some..."
"Nah, it's okay. Anything for you guys. The Hush Sound, am I correct? You sat in my living room a few weeks back."
"That was your apartment? I thought it was Patrick's or something."
"Yeah. It was mine."
"Cool." Chris looked happier by the second. "I'm Chris, but you probably knew that too."
"Yeah." I laughed. "I'm Laney."

I was ecstatic to have both a pick and a photographer... I was safe from being taunted tonight, but more importantly, Laney seemed so nice and unique. I mean, she wasn't all, nah, screw you or anything.
"So how did you know our name?" I asked her.
"Ah, Pete gave me the demo that Ryan had given him."
"Wow."
"Yeah. I didn't think that I would be taking pictures for people as a favor. I really need the money. Not that it bothers me..." We started walking in the direction I pointed in for us to go.
"And I didn't think that rainbow picks existed. So what exactly do you do? For you to need the money..."
"Are you insinuating that I do nothing?" she asked, trying to sound appaled, but it didn't work.
"No, it's just..." I stuttered over my words.
"It's not a problem, I just get asked that a lot. I'm a year away from my bachelors in music and photography, but I draw, mostly anime, take pictures for magazines, but normally they don't get published since I'm not all, well known, and play my guitar on street corners, you know, stuff that I wrote and the like. People are really nice in Chicago about that. You know, the really appreciate the fact that I'm TRYING to do something. I can barely afford my piece of the bills. Not that I mind it, I actually like it. I just don't see the point in becoming rich and famous. No offense to you, or to Patrick or anything, it's just different with musicians. They do it because they love making music. Stupid actors or tycoons just care about themselves and nothing for anybody else."
I was amazed, normally people wanted to be rich and famous and all that jazz, but she just wanted to be unknown and kind of poor ish.
"I really like that." I said. "It's not common that you come across someone like you, who just appreciates their life. I really, really like that."
"Thanks!" she said brightly. "It's been my dream since I was thirteen. Me and Haylee and Lindsey all kind of struggle with our payments... but we do fine together. We even get to go to concerts and raves. It's pretty fun."
I was facinated, and possibly experiencing one of those, love at first sight deals, but I wanted to decide that later.

"That's pretty amazing." Chris said.
Chris calling my choice in lifestyle quote unquote amazing made me blush a little.
"Yeah, I'm acutally pretty content to just walk around in jeans, concert t shirts, and converse with my camera and guitar."
"So you're a concert junkie?" Chris asked me.
"Yeah."
"I love concerts, but not a lot of the music scene I guess. So I really don't go to a lot of them."
"Aw, I'm sorry." Greta ran up to Chris, apparently out of breath.
"Chris, could you walk any slower?" she asked him.
"Um... yes?" he said.
"Ah, come on... we need to start, people are starting to file in!"
"My bad." he said. "I was talking to Laney. She's a good friend of Patrick and Pete's."
I waved.
"Oh, oh hey!" Greta said. She turned her attention back to Chris.
"Come ON!" she said more excitedly.
"Okay. Laney?" Chris said.
"Hm?" I responded.
"Just set up where you want to."
"Okay."
"Oh yeah, and you think that afterwards, maybe we could hang out somewhere for a bit?"
I was kind of flattered. I looked down at my light blue converse and the contrasting green grass. "Okay." I said smiling.
"Cool." Chris smiled back at me and ran off to go perform.