Nuclear Family

Rita Mae was standing at the small merch stand with her brother on Friday night, helping him set up before she had to get ready to hit the stage within the next half hour. She was a bundle of nerves, both excited and worried at the same time.

Jack looked at his sister appraisingly, taking in her cutoff Oakland Raiders shirt, denim shorts, and black MacBeth sneakers. Her hair was straightened expertly and her makeup was done up for the occasion, and Jack knew that she was more than ready for the show.

"C'mere, sis." Jack held his arms open, grinning boyishly when his sister gave him a warm hug that he gladly returned.

"Thanks, Dange. I really can't thank you enough for helping us out, from the designs to actually manning our table. You're the best." She smiled brightly, noticing how much she loved her brother's little grin.

"Alright, alright. We're getting too mushy right now. Why don't you go do your rock and roll thing while I make some gas money for you guys to hit the road."

Rita laughed- she and the guys had talked about driving down to LA and San Diego to play a few shows on the weekends, but they had to establish a 'road fund.' Nodding enthusiastically, she gave her brother one more hug before heading off to find Drew, Matt, and Logan.

"You ready, Mae?" Logan asked as she tuned her guitar and tried to quell her nerves. They were opening for a few other local Bay Area bands, but there were two bands on before them.

"Yep. I'm just glad my mom had to host a gig at RPM and my dad is off doing who knows what. It's easier to forgive myself if I mess up without them here." Rita shrugged, readjusting the sunglasses that sat on top of her head.

---

Billie Joe was standing in the crowd, watching as Rita tuned her guitar with such precision that it amazed him. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face a somewhat tall, husky teenager with dark hair and equally dark eyes.

"Uh- can I help you?" Billie didn't want to be rude, but he noticed that the kid was wearing a jacket that had a few Green Day patches on it.

"I was just wondering if you had a minute to talk. I'm a huge fan and feel like I can't miss the chance to talk to you- I never meet anyone remotely important." The kid's voice was obnoxious and Billie rolled his eyes slightly.

As much as he loved his fans and all they did, he hated people with a passion. If he wasn't having an intelligent or insightful conversation, he didn't want to be talking at all.

"Look, kid, I'm just here to see my daughter play her set. Sorry- maybe some other time." Billie went to turn his attention back to the stage, but the boy was relentless.

"Mr. Armstrong, please? Just two or three minutes?" The kid pressured, but Billie stood his ground, shaking his head and holding up his hand dismissively.

"I told you, not tonight, man. Respect my decision to and back off. I'm sure you'll see me around another time. Then I'll be glad to talk to you or whatever. Enjoy the show."

Billie saw the kid stalking off in the corner of his eye and noticed that he was muttering to himself about how no one disrespected him. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he quickly refocused his attention and waited for the Milford Men to start their show.

---

Milford Men took the stage around 9 o'clock, and donning her white rimmed plastic sunglasses, Rita Mae scanned the crowd before glancing down at the set list and starting the first song.

It wasn't until halfway through their set that Rita noticed her father standing about three people deep in the crowd, nodding his head along to the beat Matt was playing on drums. She quickly tugged off her shades and hung them from the collar of her shirt, trying to make sure that it was really him.

Billie Joe was wearing the huge overcoat that he normally wore during Foxboro Hot Tubs shows, along with a Milford Men shirt that he had scored from Jack a few weeks ago. He had a Raiders hat covering his dark hair, and he was going generally unnoticed by the rest of the people in the venue.

He was more than excited to be at the show without Rita knowing. Billie wanted to surprise her afterwards, but she had spotted him before he got the chance.

Their set had been going well, despite the fact that they only had a little over half an hour to play. There was a big playbill for the night, so Billie knew that they wouldn't get much stage time and saw that they were making the most of their short time.

"Mae over here is gonna play us a little cover song- it's one of her favorites, so sing along if you know the words!"

Rita Mae stared down at her hands on the keyboard, taking a deep breath and releasing it as her fingers pressed down, gliding across the keys before she began to sing, making Billie Joe grin.

"I have (I have) you breathing down my neck (breathing down my neck)
I don't (don't know) what you could possibly expect under this condition so
I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)
Pick us up off the floor
What did you possibly expect under this condition so

Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning down
Dark blue (dark blue)
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..
Just dark blue"

When their set was finished, Billie watched as the four kids began cleaning up their instruments and equipment. Out of nowhere, a full, closed water bottle whizzed above Billie's head and pegged Rita Mae in the back.

The girl whirled around, a glare on her face as she tried to figure out where the water bottle had come from. She hadn't expected to be pelted with stuff at a place like the New Parish.

Billie looked behind him, spotting a kid that was laughing and whispering with his friends further back in the crowd. He quickly noticed that it was the guy that had pestered him earlier and made his way over to the kid and his friends, a stern look on his face.

"You're the punk that threw the water bottle at my daughter?"

"Uh- no, Mr. Armstrong. I would never do that on purpose! I was trying to throw it to someone up front, but missed."

Billie wanted to ease up a bit, if it had been an accident, but one of the kid's "friends" ratted him out.

"Don't listen to him, man. He told us he was gonna bean her as hard as he could. We didn't believe him, but he said he was pissed about something or another."

That was all he needed. Billie Joe grabbed the kid's shirt collar and dragged him through the venue and out the red front doors, tossing him out onto the sidewalk.

"If I ever catch you near a venue my kid is playing at, I won't hesitate to get cops involved. A restraining order won't look good on your college applications, now will they?" Billie resisted the urge to spit on the kid, holding his old ways back with tight reins.

"How am I gonna get home? My ride is still in there…" The kid groaned to himself, but Billie overheard.

"There's a bus stop down on 19th Street. I suggest you start walking."

Billie headed back into the venue, flashing a smile at the security guard that let him in and walking over to the merch table, where Rita, Jack, and Drew were hanging out. Logan and Matt were apparently trying to work their way up to the front for the next set.

"I took care of the water bottle fiend. How's your back?" Billie asked, and Rita shrugged, saying that it was fine.

"I'm more surprised that you're here, actually…" Her voice held a shy, nervous air to it as she took a sip of water.

"Why? I wouldn't miss one of your gigs for the world!" Billie grinned proudly, but in the back of his mind he wondered if she didn't want him to be there.

"Who told you that we were playing?" Rita was curious as to who spilled the details, and she watched her father's eyes flick from hers to Drew before he looked back to her.

"I'm not at liberty to say, young lady. Was I not invited?"

"You're always on our guest list, Mr. A! We're glad you could make it!" Drew began running interference, trying to keep a fight from starting.

"You guys wouldn't be up for chicken and waffles after this, would you? There's a place in the Jack London district…" Billie Joe said in a passive manner, shoving his hands into his front pockets.

"Oh man. Waffles sound so good right now…" Jack was practically drooling, making his sister laugh and agree.

"As great as that sounds, Mr. A, I gotta be home before my curfew. I wouldn't hear the end of it if I weren’t on time. And Matt and Logan have to be home soon, too."

Billie Joe looked bummed out, so Rita quickly recovered the situation by saying that she and Jack would still go. There was no way either Armstrong child would pass up chicken or waffles, let alone both dishes together.

When Rita saw the look on Billie's face and saw that he was excited, she smiled too. It really was the little things that kept him happy, and she and her brother were the same way.

Once the entire show was over, Rita Mae grabbed her guitar case while Billie took her keyboard, and the three Armstrong’s walked down the street to the car and set off for the House of Chicken and Waffles.