In a smoky one-bedroom apartment in downtown Macon, the ever-present television glow illuminates the lime green neon paint that Korie Buckwhalter splattered on the walls. The trail of paint crawls down the wall onto the furniture. The 19-year old's penchant for colorful improvisation has transformed the stark, stale atmosphere of this windowless room.

Korie shares his apartment with friends Jackie Morris, 19, and Timmy West, 18. All three grew up restless in their respective small towns and all three have landed here. Armed with GEDs, fortified by abandoned career aspirations (Julliard for music composition and teaching little kids are a few), the three met in West Plains, Missouri, and have ambled through small towns in the Midwest, sometimes together and sometimes apart. They converged in Macon less than a year ago where they shared a tent by the lake.

Through hanging out and scraping by, the three have created an unexpected family structure of small-town wanderers: Korie the breadwinner, Jackie the sensitive caretaker and Timmy the spunky little brother. Ironically, their shared support, both financial and emotional, allows them to retain their spontaneous ways.

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With the Cartoon Network's late-night programming winding down, Timmy West, 18, is the only one awake on the full-size bed he sometimes shares with Jackie Morris, 19, and Korie Buckwhalter, 19. While it is Korie's apartment, Jackie and Timmy helped furnish the place by collecting hand-me-downs from friends and family. The love seat and the floor provide other sleeping options in the place where "sleep where you fall" philosophy is popular.