Chapter 1: First Performance

Town Square, New York City: A young man with black hair and hazel eyes was currently setting up his instrument. He put the microphone on the stand and wore his maple guitar. He skimmed through the crowd, no one was paying attention to him.

There are many street performers in New York City, thus it wasn't that surprising to see a new performer. 

'This is embarrassing, but this is the first step for me to clear the first objective.'

Ethan Pattel calmed himself, it was his first time performing in New York. He smiled slightly seeing some tourists take a picture of him. Ethan began strumming his guitar, a soft tune immediately started forming.

'You can do this Ethan!' He thought to himself as he drew his mouth closer to the microphone. As the melody began forming, Ethan immediately started singing.

"Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes…But it's the only thing that I know."

A smile grew wider on Ethan's face.

"When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes...It is the only thing that makes us feel alive"

Some children began pouring coins, even passersby stopped to hear the eye-catching song.

"We keep this love in a photograph, we made these memories for ourselves, where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken and time's forever frozen still…"

The crowd listened intently to the lyrics and a warm, gentle smile spread across their faces. Pictures and photographs were the only visual memories they had of their deceased loved ones. These images captured precious moments, such as families smiling and laughing together. They were a permanent reminder of their loved ones, frozen in time and forever preserved.

Seeing a crowd forming made Ethan's heart pump with excitement. He smiled as the amount of tips kept pouring in. 

'Great! I knew choosing this song was a hit!' Ethan thought to himself happily.

He skimmed through the crowd, some tourists were taking a video and some passersby stopped for his performance.

"So you can keep me, Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans...Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet…You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home.."

Although a photograph cannot replace a loved one who has passed away, their photos serve as a reminder that they will always be loved and remembered.

Some couples and those who could understand the meaning behind the lyrics held their phones. The pictures inside of their phones of their family and loved ones reminded them of their time spent with one another.

"Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul and it's the only thing that I know, know...I swear it will get easier remember that with every piece of ya Hmm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die."

Some individuals who had lost loved ones listened to the song. While memories may linger, photographs hold a special significance since they never fade over time.

"Hmm, we keep this love in this photograph, We made these memories for ourselves, Where our eyes are never closing, hearts were never broken, and time's forever frozen, still"

"So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans holding me closer 'til our eyes meet you won't ever be alone..."

"And if you hurt me that's okay, baby, only words bleed, inside these pages, you just hold me"

"And I won't ever let you go"

"Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home

Wait for me to come home"

"Oh, you can fit me inside the necklace, you got when you were sixteen next to your heartbeat where I should be...keep it deep within your soul.."

An old man sitting at a wooden bench hearing the performance, touched the pendant. His hands trembling, he slowly opened the necklace, a young woman smiling. The photo was black in white with a few scratches. The old man smiled as he touched the necklace watching the performance.

"And if you hurt me well, that's okay, baby, only words bleed inside these pages, you just hold me and I won't ever let you go.."

"When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me under the lamppost back on Sixth Street...Hearing you whisper through the phone

'Wait for me to come home'..."

As the performance finished, immediate rounds of applause filled the crowd. Some put dollar bills on the hat. The hat was filled with coins and dollar bills.

"Wow, he's amazing.." One of the girls with short-black hair said as she pointed at the young man who looked to be the same age as them bowing in front of the crowd.

"Yeah, he's really good. The song was amazing, but it's kind of sad that he couldn't move on and still keeps the picture with him." One of the girls with blonde hair added.

"Huh? Where did you get that idea?" The short-black hair girl with question marks asked her friend.

"Duh, that was what the song was about." The blonde hair girl proudly stated and rolled her eyes as if she was stating the obvious.

"My god, I'm friends with a dumbass." Jane the one with short-black hair facepalmed. "Anyways, Alexa what did-what the? Why are you crying?"

"Yeah, your eyes look like you were stung by a bee!" Hannah stated giving a disgusted look.

"Really Hannah? Can't you show some empathy?" Jane immediately took out a white handkerchief and gave it to her friend. "Here wipe your umm…snot with this.."

"Thanks.." Alexa was still sobbing. Her father recently passed away, and when the sentence in which the singer spoke of remembering a kiss, she remembered how her father used to kiss her on the cheek when she was a young girl.

"You shouldn't cry anymore, you look fucking ugly," Hannah said.

"Oh my god Hannah! Can't you keep your fucking mouth shut? Her father recently died and here you are being a mean bitch!" Jane added as she glanced back at Alexa who was wiping her snot. "Don't listen to that bitch Alexa."

"It's alright...I think I should keep this since it's covered in snot." Alexa chuckled as she glanced back at the young man who was once again strumming his guitar.