I hummed softly to myself, my iPod ear buds in my ears filling my step with bounce and rhythm, it was Saturday, my day off and I was out about the city alone. It had been a week since my first outing with the guys and there had been two others in that short span of time. I found myself enjoying their company and how they seemed to grow on you whether you liked it or not.

Frankie had a special place in my heart with his antics, and I loved how Bob instigated everything even though he didn't seem the type. I was fond of Ray, and Mikey was almost like my brother from another mother. And Gerard, well Gerard was perplexing and I had yet to figure him out to me. He was an anomaly, an enigma to me, we spoke a similar language he said, but I was always at a loss when he opened his mouth and spoke. I don't know how I felt about Gerard as a whole, as a person, but I was falling in love with his words.

I was currently window shopping with no particular goal in mind except to at some point end up at the museum for a bit. I smiled at the passers by who bumped my shoulders and shared concrete with me as I meandered. I liked walking about aimlessly, it made me feel like I had purpose, which is a massive contradiction. But then again so was I as I was beginning to find out.

I took a drag from my nearly finished cigarette and looked in the large plate glass windows I was passing. As I continued to walk passed I stopped dead in my tracks and backtracked a few steps and peered in again. Inside woman and girls were sitting around in chairs with various looking torture devices implemented on their heads. Refocusing my eyes so that I was staring at my own reflection in the glass I lifted a hand to my longish plain red hair and ran my fingers through it, undoing my partial up do with pens. How I always wore my hair since the beginning of college, which I realized wasn't me anymore. Staring at my reflection and making a face I then smiled and stored my hair pens in my cloth bag and then walked into the salon, sending the door bell chiming.

"I need to find the new me in my hair. Help," I said to the funky woman behind the desk who had stars tattooed around her eyes.

"Gladly. Let's go find you in there," she said with a sparkle in her eyes as she eyed my mass of hair as she pointed at it.
-xXx-
"Alright let's see what you think of the new you," Star, the stylist was properly named I felt, said as she turned my chair around.

I glanced at the person looking back at me in the large mirror and had to do a double take to make sure it was me. She had cut a large part of my length right off, and had thinned it down considerably. It was now much shorter in the back than the pieces in the front, which themselves only reached my chin. It angled sharply, like severely, from the front to the back, but I liked it. She had brightened my already natural bright shade of red, making it now pop like fire. Then she had added large chunks of WHITE blonde and then bits of bright yellow and small streaks of orange. My head looked like it was on fire. And I loved it, it was me. It felt right, I felt right in my skin suddenly, something I hadn't realized I didn't before. I smiled.

"I love it," I said as I beamed Star a glowing smile.

I got up as she took off the salon apron and went to get my bag from the chair beside me. As I leaned to grab it the sleeve of my tattered linen, pale blue, lavender and white checkered button up shirt caught my eyes. I stood up straight and looked down at my outfit, my loose fitting, full of holes fav shirt was hanging off me, only partially buttoned with the sleeves rolled up. Underneath I had on a white wife beater and for pants I had on very pale worn out loose fitting carpenter jeans with massive frayed holed in the knees. Holding them barely on I had a well loved and worn looking brown leather belt and then then thick brown flip flops. It's not that I disliked my outfit, because that wasn't the case, it was very much me. It's just that it didn't fit my new hair that Star had styled and straightened and then ruffled to give it that poof, just roll out of bed look.

I made a face as I stood up and turned to face Star at the desk to pay.

"What? Don't like it?" Star asked worriedly as she took my cash.

"Oh no, the hair is perfect. It's," I said and then opened up my arms to show off my attire.

"Ahh, got it. Here," she said as she bent down and then threw something black and soft at me.

Confused I opened it up to see what it was. It was a black hoodie, but not just any black hoodie. It was one of one of my favorite bands, The Cure. I looked up at her with my mouth agape.

"Take off your outer shirt and slip that on. It'll make you match your hair a bit more then now," she said with a smile on her face.

"I can't take this, it's a Cure hoodie. And your hoodie place in fact, I can't," I stumbled.

"Nah just take it, it'll look good on you and I can always get another at some point," she said waving it off with her hand like it was a bothersome fly.

I turned the hoodie around in my hands to get a better look at it. There were a few buttons and patches on it. I couldn't take this.

"I," I started to say but was silenced with the cut of her hand through the air.

"Shush. I have spoken. Now put it on and go get yourself something new to go with the new you do. Wow, that even sounded weird to say," she said as she cracked a lopsided smile and then glared at me till I started unbuttoning my top shirt.

Sliding it off I rolled up my shirt and stuffed it into my large cloth bag and then slipped on the hoodie, which fit like a leather glove, and zipped it up partially, allowing some of my beater underneath to peak through.

"Tada! Perfection. Now there's this great shop about three blocks down, it's got killer threads and way killer prices that won't break the bank. It's called Waste of Breath. You can't miss it, tell em Star sent ya," Star said as she went to answer the phone that just started ringing.

I nodded my head in understanding and thanks and then waved and made my way out the door, Star gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up and then I exited the salon. Outside I paused and lit a cigarette before looking into the salon window one last time. Star was sitting on the top of the desk, legs swinging back and forth off the edge, with a planner in her lap and twirling a pen between her fingers. Taking out my camera I set a shot, messing with the focus so as to get the salon's name on the window in the shot and clicked.

Walking a block I found a park bench real quick and sat down and got out my journal. Opening it I lit another cigarette and picked up my pen.

"Lost my hair and found part of an identity. I sport fire for tresses and Pictures of You warms my body. I saw an old lady sporting purple streaks in her curls and someone literally gave me the shirt off their back. Jersey's voice is speaking to me in colors."

Smiling I clicked my pen closed and closed my book and proceeded to put it all away before getting up and making my way to this store. I had been working for Reta for over three weeks and since she refused to take money from me for rent I had enough money that I could splurge on something new for my body besides my hair.

"Can I help you?" a woman asked from behind me.

I had arrived at Waste of Breath and fell in love with it even before I walked through it's doors. Now see, I don't really have a certain style, I just wear what works for me at the current moment, hence my outfit today. I was fairly laid back most of the time and hated having to put too much effort into my attire, I found it a waste of time.

I had been carousing the racks of clothing and accessories for about five or so minutes at this point before the voice came behind me. I turned and smiled at the outrageously clad, pierced and tattooed sales person.

"Oh I hope so, Star sent me down, saying this was the best place to buy threads. So here I am," I said shrugging my shoulders with a smile.

"Makes sense, I thought I recognized Star's touch on your hair. Not to mention the Cure hoodie," the woman said teasingly as she pointed at my new piece of attire.

"Yeah I just came from her. She literally gave me this off her back for the most part, and she did literally throw it at me. Think she'll take it back? I mean I can't keep this," I said, hoping the lady would have something useful on the subject.

"Hun the hoodie's yours now, it's just how we are in this community. To give it back would add insult to injury. I'm guessing you're not use to this where you come from? And besides, don't you like the Cure?" the lady asked.

"Oh of course I do, they're one of my favorite all time bands. I guess I'm just not use to people literally giving you the shirt off their backs," I said, finding I liked the vibes coming of the sales lady as she grinned at me.

"Well you're going to have to get use to it here, this part of Jersey we tend to look out for our own, to look out for those like us. And Star is just that way naturally ten fold. So what are looking for exactly?" she asked as she as she placed her hand on a rack to the side of us.

"I'm looking for, well I'm searching for myself and I'm hoping to find it in Jersey. And so far, so good," I said as I fluffed my hair dramatically.

"Well if that's the case then you've come to the right place. Let's cruise shall we?" she said as she took my elbow and lead me deeper into the retail.

Notes

Yay shopping!!!