Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

20. Cleveland Rocks

It's such a crude attitude - Ian Hunter

11:12 AM, Wednesday, December 22, 2021

"HARRY!!!!" Dozens of fans scream at them as Harry, Chele, Hélène, Jeffrey, and Glenne exit the SUV. There was no way the band was going to miss a private tour at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so two vehicles had been required.

As the musicians pile out of the other car, the girls standing outside the pyramid-shaped building freak out even further if that's possible. Some run to Harry, but Jeffrey heads them off. Others step to Mitch, holding out paper and phones. Chele watches as the guitarist freezes, hands in pockets, like a scared bunny rabbit caught stealing carrots from the frightening farmer.

"I'll take one photo with each of you. No autographs," Harry states, "and no posting the photos until after the concert starts tonight."

"Oh, come on, Harry! Those terms suck," says one of the young women.

"Take it or leave it," Harry responds. "I'm more than happy to get on with my day without taking pictures with anyone."

A taller girl muscles in front of the complainant. "Ignore her, H. Thanks for stopping."

He stands next to her as she takes a selfie, then asks, "How did you know where we were going to be?"

"Duh. Dude, we know that Chele tries to pick out the most obscure places. Everyone discusses it on social media, but I said there was no way you were coming to the North Coast and skipping the H of F. A bunch of fans are camping out over at the house from Christmas Story, but I knew you'd be here, and I was right!"

"You read Moore on Tour?" he inquires, curious.

"Religiously! Man, I cannot even imagine having that job. Wait. She's here, isn't she? That's Glenne." She points to the women in turn. "That's Hélène. That's Sarah. So SHE must be Chele. Can I take a picture with her? Do you think she'd let me?"

Harry attempts to hold back his smile, but the corners of his mouth turn up anyway. "Yeah," he tells the young lady. "I think she would be honored."

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11:15 AM, Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Chele attempts to merge into the background, taking notes as the fans approach Harry. This is a part of the experience she hasn't been able to capture yet, but there's a great blog article lurking right here in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

When the young woman marches in her direction, Chele assumes that she is simply seeking a new vantage point from which to watch Harry.

"You're Chele, aren't you?"

Caught off guard, she smiles at the girl warily. "Yeeeeeessss."

"Cool. I love your blog. It's so awesome that you get to travel with Harry! How can I get a job like that?"

Tongue-tied, Chele fumbles for an answer. "I wish I knew the answer to that question. I've been scratching my head and trying to figure out my good luck since the day I got the job."

"But like, what did you study at school?"

"Oh." Insecure, she tries for an honest answer. It's what Glenne had suggested. Maybe it would work in this situation too? After all, knowing Harry prior to getting the job hadn't actually helped her. "Well, I studied journalism. For this position, though, public relations would have been just as effective because I work for his PR team. I did a lot of writing, submitting my articles to a bunch of publications."

"You did?" Incredulity marks the girl's voice.

"Yeah, and I got rejected a lot." Chele is warming up to the topic. It's all true.