Rum and Coke

Stereotypical Youth didn’t introduce themselves, nor did they wait for the crowd to calm down. Ryan took his seat behind his kit and began pounding away. The rest of the band joined him and immediately launched into Rioters Anonymous.

“I took a walk the other day
Got battered and bruised
Thrown to a stoop, with the words
“Seek and you shall find the promise of a better day”
Engraved into the side.

Right in front of me stood a man,
Calling people to his cause.
He said:
“I can help you dear, but for a price.
It’s not your money I want. It’s your life.”
So

So come one, come all
Gather ‘round and
Listen while you still can
I’ve got something to say
Oh, I’ve got something to say”

Ellie grabbed the mic and began screaming obscenities into it as she got up onto the “ego boosters.” The crowd went wild and the band began to feed off of them. Ellie jumped and slammed her way across the stage before going back to the stand and replacing her mic so that she could do her solo. The crowd grew even wilder. After a few more verses, the song ended and she wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Did you like that Long Beach?” Ellie asked the crowd.

They screamed in response.

“That song is called Rioters Anonymous and we’re Stereotypical Youth! Are you ready for another?”

They screamed again.

Ellie looked back at her band members, who shook their heads. “Well, the guys don’t think so, tell me again how much you want another?”

They screamed louder.

Ellie laughed into the mic. “Ok, this song is Burn it Down.”

Ryan, again, kicked off the beat before Bailey and Mark joined in. Ellie walked back towards the amps and swallowed some water before joining her band in the song. They played a few more heavy songs before Ellie put down Izzy and went back to the mic stand.

“All right, fuckers, we’re going to slow it down a little bit so that we can catch our breaths. This song is dedicated to two outstanding young men who died in a fight that they shouldn’t have had to be a part of in the first place. This is Oh, Little Sister.” Ellie looked over at Bailey, who had already changed to her acoustic. Ellie nodded at her as she began her slow and melodic intro. Ryan and Mark slowly joined in, their volumes low,

“He gives me a hug and a promise
To come home when all is said and done.

I squeeze him back as tears ran down my face
I know he has to leave,
But that doesn’t stop me from wanting him to stay

The letters come slowly, but it’s ok.
He’s alive and well-
Missing me everyday
And always ending it with:
‘Oh, little sister, I’ll be home soon
Until then, keep your head up and shoulders back-
Don’t let anyone bring you down’

So, I’m squaring up my shoulders
Stretching my head higher
Growing a little taller
Walking a little bolder
Waiting for a letter that says
He’ll be home tomorrow”

Ellie stepped back from the mic and let the music swallow her whole. It took all her strength to keep her tears at bay. She looked over in one of the wings, noticing for the first time that the stage crew and all of Avenged Sevenfold. Matt and Brian gave her a thumbs up and a cheesy smile. She gave them a quizzical look before going back to the mic stand. The music had already reached its peak and was now beginning to slowly simmer down to a little below its original volume.

“Oh, little sister, I’ll be home soon
Until then, keep your head up and shoulders back-
Don’t let anyone bring you down

It’s been two months with no word.
I run to the mailbox everyday to get some hope- any hope
I’m terrified to answer the door
My sanity is slipping away from me-
My shoulders are slumping-
My head is dropping-
I’m stumbling more and more each day-

Another month and the doorbell rings
He gives me two letters:
One saying -
‘Oh, little sister, I’ll be home soon
Until then, keep your head up and shoulders back-
Don’t let anyone bring you down’
The other saying he’ll be home tomorrow”

The music began to swell again, and she could no longer keep her tears in check. Ellie ripped the mic out if its holder and walked to the edge of the stage. She didn’t care anymore if the fans saw the identical marks running down her cheeks.

“I can’t stand any taller-
Hold my head higher-
Walk any better-
Oh, this isn’t how I thought’d it’d be
Oh, you promised me we had more time together
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be
Because the letters told me you’d return to me”

The music died down to a barely audible level so that she could sing the last verse.

“A folded up flag wasn’t worth the pain
And I’ve become deaf from the guns’ rings
And they fuel the fears that I have
When the letters say:
‘Oh, little sister, I’ll be home soon’”

Ellie’s voice rang out through the audience and slowly died. Ellie stood still, looking at the lights on the second beam as her voice was replaced with the clapping and cheering from the crowd.

“Pst. Ellie. We got another song, remember?” a voice called to her from upstage.
Ellie looked over and saw that it was Mark. “Yea, one song.”

He nodded at her before handing her Izzy. He took her mic out of her hand and put it back in its holder.

Ellie walked back to the stand. “Thanks for letting us play. We’ve got one more song for you before we hand you over to Avenged fucking Sevenfold!”

That earned some major cheers.

“And, trust me guys, they haven’t lost their touch.”

More cheers.

Ellie grinned. “This is Rainbow Alert, Ryan, take us away!”
Ryan rocketed them off with the heavy beat before Bailey and Ellie joined in with a slide, leaving Mark trailing behind.

“Thank you, Long Beach! You’ve been a great crowd! If you liked what you heard, find us on Music Connection! Oh, and we have an album coming out in a few weeks entitled One Shot. One Chance. Thanks again. This is Stereotypical Youth signing out!” then Ellie booked it off-stage.

Jimmy wrapped his lanky arms around her, preventing her planned escape. “You guys were so great!” came several voices all at once.

Ellie untangled herself from the mass of limbs and escaped into the green room.