American Idiots

A shock of thunder startled me when I woke up. It was dark out but it hadn’t started to rain. I put my keys into the ignition but the car wouldn’t start. It was just my luck. I was hot and sweating. My makeup was smudged and I was all clogged up from crying in my sleep.

Although I didn’t think it was a good idea, I had no other choice but to get out of my car and knock on any door I could. I went over to a bar looking place. Music was being blasted.
When I knocked, there was a rocker at the door. His hair was black, he wore black ripped up clothes. He looked worried. “Hi, can I help you?”

“My car broke down and I was wondering if I could maybe use a phone. Like an idiot, I didn’t charge my phone.”

“Sure, and while you’re here, come inside and get freshened up. I promise there are others inside, other girls.” He pulled a smile together.

I found the place oddly comforting. There was graffiti everywhere and it was dark. There was a large stage with equipment on it. People were jamming out and just all together having an awesome time. I felt well at home. Everyone had awesome styles and seemed to be the outcasts of the world. A wide smile appeared on my face as I awakened to the smell of freedom.

“How about you go get cleaned up.” The stranger said and lead me into the girls bathroom. For a few minutes, I washed myself up and reapplied my makeup. When I finished up, I went back out to be greeted by that same guy.

“I’m Tom.” The guy screamed to put his voice over the music.

“I’m Jordan. This is going to sound strange, but what state is this?”

Tom smiled. “You’re right, that is strange. This is Chicago!”

Chicago. Never in a million years did I see myself landing in Chicago. “Now, that’s not true. I may have driven for many hours, but not this long. What time is it?” I asked as I took out my cellphone from my pocket, charged it till it turned on. There were hundreds of missed calls from my parents and John. Before I could start crying, I checked the time. It was almost four am.
I looked all around in awe and complete shock. “What kind of place are we in?”

“A beaten down club. We bought it when the place went out of business. Many of us live in here. It’s like a safe haven for runaways and musicians. We’re all one big family.”

A pout came to my face but Tom stopped me when he saw that there was a problem. “You’re free to stay here if you wish.”

I then smiled sincerely. “You must be kidding me. Here? This is too good to be true! Usually when it seems this good, it’s really not.”

“You be the judge of that. Stay here if you need to though, just for a few days and see if you like it. Not too many people leave here unhappy though. We’re free spirits here. We’re American idiots.”

After agreeing, I got all my stuff from the car and went to the room that I was brought to. It wasn’t exactly fresh and new, but it was exactly what I loved. It was just totally punk rock.

There was a girl in the bed across the room, looking at the ceiling. She had a blunt in her mouth and she was laughing. It was almost like she seemed to not notice that I was standing right there.

I dropped my stuff off in the room and picked up my guitar and brought it downstairs. Tom was now with a couple of people, at the bar and having some drinks. He saw me and introduced me to everyone but I couldn’t remember anyone’s name at the moment.

“Tom, I hate to complain but my roommate is. . .”

He sighed. “Raina is smoking weed. I know. Do you want a new roommate?” He sounded rather irritated. “Just forget about it. If you want, I can talk to her about it.”

“No, forget it. I’ll be ok.”

Tom stared at my guitar and smiled. “Do you want to play with me?”

I was startled by this question for a second until I realized he was talking about my guitar, Drella Besitos.

He brought me up to the stage and introduced me to the crowd. “No Tom. I’m not playing, especially not without a band.”

“You need to be fully initiated in to the group. Ok, how about you play and I’ll play the drums and sing. Would you feel comfortable then?”

I nodded hesitantly and we picked a song to play. Once we were done performing, a clap splattered against the walls and cheers rang throughout the bar. I smiled and got off the stage quickly.

People were telling me how awesome the song was and trying to start conversations with me. They didn’t last too long and I was truly thankful for that.

Tom got a beer from the fridge and threw it to me. It shocked me. Tom was fairly older than me. He seemed to be reaching his 30’s. Yet he was offering me a beer.

“I’m not of legal age if you want to know the truth. I turn 20 in October.”

“Who cares how old you are. You’re old enough to drink. Plus, wasn’t this country formed upon freedom’s wing?”

After the beer, I felt really tired. Everyone was feeling this way and slowly, people were walking away.

Once Tom left me and I was alone in the large room that was falling apart, I laid down on the edge of the stage. My left leg was dangling down. This place was a home that I could get used to.