Calm Yourself Down Dude

[Addison Sloane]

"And that's one that got a lot of hate but it was still one of their stronger performances." Addie grinned as she scrolled through her YouTube channel for covers she thought would grab attention.

"Acton? Where's that?" Addison asked, knowing nothing about where Riley was supposedly from.

She finally chanced upon one that would sound fun coming from two different singing styles. "PTX, of course. I figured since we're talking about them. We can use my keyboard to do the layering. Unless you can beatbox and sing at the same time." She joked.

[Riley Forrester]

"up in Canada. It's another school, kept there was a really bad fire and a lot of people transferred." Riley said, fighting back the images of flames. No, she was most certainly not going to think on that too hard. It was still too painful. So instead she just focused on the girl next to her and what she was saying.

Which turned out to make Riley grin. Yeah, she could do it, but she didn't know if this girl was a mutant like her. Best not to scare the shit out of her. Yeah, don't lose your new friend so quickly. Riley thought. "Sounds good to me! You wanna take the lead?"

[Addison Sloane]

Wincing at the story, Addison actually saw how uncomfortable it made the other girl. Tragedy was something Addison knew well. Being closed off because of it was practically her mating call. She left it well enough alone, not asking Riley to divulge any further. She didn't have any words of comfort so she kept quiet.

She was glad then that the focus was turned back to music. "Sure!" Addison worked her magic on her already magical keyboard and started the harmonising. If this turned out as well as it did before, she was definitely signing Riley on.

[Riley Forrester]

Oh thank god. She's not one of those nosy types. Riley thought with relief as the girl didn't ask any questions She really, really didn't like talking about it. Even though it had been a while, it was still too fresh and the images too clear in her head. So she pushed it all away and focused on harmonizing with Addi.

The music set her at ease again, as it always did, and Riley was back to smiling and having fun. It turned out just as good, and maybe even better in Riley's own opinion. She had a bit of a guess this time on how Addison sang, so it was easier for her to join in and harmonize. At the end, she grinned at Addison even wider than before. "Tada!"

[Addison Sloane]

Nosy was just not part of Addison's vocabulary. She avoids everything; conflict, admission, close proximity...she didn't want to deal with the repercussions of being someone's keeper. Of course, there were exceptions, but that was a different story entirely.

And as the song drew near a close, Addison then realised they had actually attracted a crowd who were clapping and dispersing after throwing a few notes and pennies into her opened guitar case.

Addison grinned and waved at them. "Thanks!" She turned to Riley with an impressed look on her face. "Hey, I'm signed to a label in town. We love to get new talents and you're...you're as talented as they come." She rummaged through her bag and produced a simple card with the label's name and embossed into it was their company logo of a record and a guitar piercing through it.

"We'd love to have you on board. Just come over to this address. My personal number is at the back."

[Riley Forrester]

At the end of the song, they had managed to draw their own crowd, which only served to make Riley grin and laugh. "Hey, thanks!" She said, glancing over as a few of them dispensed some cash into Addison's guitar case. The magic of music. Riley thought with a smirk as she looked at Addison when she started speaking.

The news and compliment had Riley blinking in surprise before breaking out into a lopsided grin. "Seriously?" She asked, taking the offered card and observing it. The logo was awesome, and Riley didn't mind Addison one bit. If the rest of these people were like her, Riley would be good. "Nice! I'll be sure to check it out, long as they're as cool as you." Riley joked

[Addison Sloane]

With a wide grin at the look on Riley's face, Addison nodded and let her mull it over. She didn't expect an answer right away but she doubted people like Riley, whose passion lay in what Addison had preached, would pass this chance up.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, nobody can be as cool as me but they come pretty close." She nodded solemnly before waving a dismissive hand. She was so not cool. She was the anti-cool. If anything, Riley was the cool one, rocking that short hair and the grungey guitar rocking goddess look like a charm.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Addison switched off her keyboard and looked to Riley. "So think it over. Give me a call if you decide to join us." She nodded and started packing up. "I am actually heading there right now. I was supposed to be there like fifteen minutes ago to be honest. You don't have to come but you're welcome to?"

[Riley Forrester]

Riley laughed at Addison's remark on being cool. "Then that's definitely good enough. I'd love to meet em." Riley said honestly. Seriously, if the people Addison knew were as fun and friendly then Riley would join in a heartbeat just for that. She liked meeting new people that were nice. Especially ones who loved music.

The crowd started leaving, and it looked like Addison was too as she started packing up. But apparently she was headed for the place she mentioned, and she offered Riley to come along if she wanted. Riley thought on it for a couple of seconds before shrugging and standing. "Sure! Why not? I'm curious now." She said with a lopsided grin as she put her guitar in it's case and slung its strap over her shoulder