Chem Street Kids
01
Kristin
"Yo!" My band-mate,and roommate,yelled as he walked into Chemical 7 with a few other people.
"Goddammit,Halen! How many times do we have to tell you! You're not allowed in until we open!" Martha yelled at him across the room where she was setting up tables.
"She's right,Hay." I sighed,taking a drag of my e-cig at my spot at one of the bar stools."What do you want?"
"Look who's in town!"He said with a stupid smiling. I glanced behind him to see a familiar face I hadn't seen in two years.
"Stevie!"I exclaimed,jumping up and hugging him."Dude,it's been so long! How have you been?"
"I've been doing okay. Umm...i know it's been a long time,but I kinda came to ask a favor of you."
"Anything I can do,I'll do it. You know that."
"Well,ummm..me and my friend Phil kinda need a place to stay for a while. Washington kinda drained us and we couldn't afford living there anymore with just the two of us."
"Oh,well,I don't have any open rooms. Unless you guys are up for sharing."I smiled softly.
"I'm fine with that. I'm sure Phil will be too. We'll be fine with anything as long as it's a roof over our head for a little while."
"I'm happy to help you guys out."I smiled."I might be able to set up a makeshift room in the basement and there's a couch in my room one of you can sleep on."
"Thank you,so much.We owe you."He smiled.
"Tell you what,you help me here around Chemical 7 and we'll call it even."
"Deal."He smiled again before walking out with Halen.
"Come by later tonight with everyone!"I yelled after them.
"He's hot."Martha said,leaning next to me against the bar as i took another drag of my e-cig.
"Eh,Stevie is Stevie. I know he's available and he's an awesome guy."
"Uh-oh. Hot,available guy living in your house with me. I'm gonna die!"
I just laughed,going back to the inventory order forms and puffing at my e-cig.
The bar was buzzing tonight,which wasn't surprising,since it was Friday. I smiled to myself as I popped the tops on a couple beers for some guy. I was so proud of this place. Martha and I had the idea of owning a bar since we were sixteen,and just a few short months ago,that dream came true. Chemical 7 had become a pretty popular place rather fast,probably due to the promotion we gave during shows.
"Hey,Kris,you should sing that one Icon for Hire song tonight."Martha nuged me.
"I probably will. It's been in my head all fucking day."I laughed.
Martha had always liked doing karaoke,so we had a karaoke night on Fridays and we both agreed that we both had to sing at least once by ourselves and one duet.
"What song are we both doing tonight?" she asked. "It's your turn to pick."
"Can we do '20 Dollar Nose Bleed'?"
"Sure. You want Patrick or Brendon?"
"I can do the growl,so Brendon and I'll do the speaking part at the end as well."
"Awesome,let's go start if off!" She smiled,heading over to turn everything on.
"Hey,Cali! Watch the bar for a little bit!"I called to one of my employees before going to help Martha.
After a few minutes,she handed me the second mic before she hit play and the words came up on the screen.
Martha:
Have you ever wanted to disappear?
And join a monastery
Go out and preach on Manic Street?
Who will I be when I wake up next to a stranger
On a passenger plane?
Kristin:
Permanent jet lag
Please take me back
Please take me back
I'm a stray dog sick
Please let me in
The mad key's tripping
singing vows before we exchange smoke rings
Both:
Give me a pen
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam and
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Martha:
It feels like fourteen carats but no clarity
When I look at the man who would be king
The man who would be king
Goes to the desert the same war his dad rehearsed
Came back with flags on coffins and said
"We won, oh we won"
Kristin
Permanent jet lag
Please take me back
Please take me back
I'm a stray dog sick
Please let me in
The mad key's tripping
singing vows before we exchange smoke rings
Both:
Give me a pen
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam and
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Ba ba ba ba benzedrine
Bla bla bla benzedrine
Ba ba ba ba ba benzedrine ah
Ba ba ba ba benzedrine
Bla bla bla benzedrine
Ba ba ba ba ba benzedrine ah
Martha:
Only one book really matters
The rest of the proof is on the television, on the...
both:
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Martha:
Have you ever wanted to disappear?
Kristin:
It's not me, it's you
Actually, it's the taxidermy of you and me
Untie the balloons from around my neck and ground me
I'm just a racehorse on the track
Send me back to the glue factory
Always thought I'd float away
And never come back
But I've got enough miles on my car
To fly the boys home on my own
But you know me: I like being all alone
And keeping you all alone
And the charts are boring
And the kids are snoring
And the girl's in a sling
You say you're not listening and I said I'm wishing...
And I said... I said...
"Hey,guys,who is everyone?!"I smiled. "I'm just gonna get my song for tonight over with."
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
Typical, typical, tongue tied and weak willed
Stuck on the sedative, evidently to sleep well
But I haven't slept in days, I haven't dreamt in nights
I've been busy building theories I just can't wait to try
See, I think the beat's made to drown out the sound of the boom boom
While they shoot our last hope down
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
Check out them men in suits, they're working overtime,
Memorizing what you buy, analyzing what you like
I think the beat's made to clash and distract while they cha ching
Try and buy our loyalties back
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
Counting down the minutes 'til my heartbeat stops
Fooling myself is a full-time job
[x3]
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
Counting down the minutes 'til my heartbeat stops
Fooling myself is a full-time job
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
I handed my mic to Martha before taking my spot back at the bar,getting complements for customers as they got orders.After a few minutes,Halen and Stevie walked up to the bar with another guy.
That guy had glasses,spikey brown hair,blue eyes and he was skinny and tall.He smiled softly at me as I just started at him. I was trying to remember my own name.
"earth to Kristin!"Halen shouted,waving a hand in front of my face,causing me to shake my head.
"huh?"
"I said,nice performance."
"Oh,thanks. So,Stevie,ready to get to work?"I smiled at him.He nodded.
"Cool. Go talk to Martha over at the karaoke computer. You'll be helping her out to tonight and she's gonna be training you on what you need to do." He nodded again before heading in her direction.
Halen trailed off down the bar to talk to Cali,making me roll my eyes. Cali hated him,but he insisted on hitting on her anyway. The other guy that was with them sat down in front of me.
"Can I get a beer?" I didn't replied,instead just grabbed one,popping the top and handing it to him.
"O-on the house."
"thanks. I'm Phil,Stevie's friend. I really appreciate you letting us stay with you for a little while."
"It's no problem. I used to take care of Stevie a lot when we lived back in Kansas.well,I tried to."
"Yeah,he can be hard to handle."
"Agreed. Oh,excuse me,I got a bar to run."I shot him a smile before heading off to get more drinks made for people.
"Yo!" My band-mate,and roommate,yelled as he walked into Chemical 7 with a few other people.
"Goddammit,Halen! How many times do we have to tell you! You're not allowed in until we open!" Martha yelled at him across the room where she was setting up tables.
"She's right,Hay." I sighed,taking a drag of my e-cig at my spot at one of the bar stools."What do you want?"
"Look who's in town!"He said with a stupid smiling. I glanced behind him to see a familiar face I hadn't seen in two years.
"Stevie!"I exclaimed,jumping up and hugging him."Dude,it's been so long! How have you been?"
"I've been doing okay. Umm...i know it's been a long time,but I kinda came to ask a favor of you."
"Anything I can do,I'll do it. You know that."
"Well,ummm..me and my friend Phil kinda need a place to stay for a while. Washington kinda drained us and we couldn't afford living there anymore with just the two of us."
"Oh,well,I don't have any open rooms. Unless you guys are up for sharing."I smiled softly.
"I'm fine with that. I'm sure Phil will be too. We'll be fine with anything as long as it's a roof over our head for a little while."
"I'm happy to help you guys out."I smiled."I might be able to set up a makeshift room in the basement and there's a couch in my room one of you can sleep on."
"Thank you,so much.We owe you."He smiled.
"Tell you what,you help me here around Chemical 7 and we'll call it even."
"Deal."He smiled again before walking out with Halen.
"Come by later tonight with everyone!"I yelled after them.
"He's hot."Martha said,leaning next to me against the bar as i took another drag of my e-cig.
"Eh,Stevie is Stevie. I know he's available and he's an awesome guy."
"Uh-oh. Hot,available guy living in your house with me. I'm gonna die!"
I just laughed,going back to the inventory order forms and puffing at my e-cig.
The bar was buzzing tonight,which wasn't surprising,since it was Friday. I smiled to myself as I popped the tops on a couple beers for some guy. I was so proud of this place. Martha and I had the idea of owning a bar since we were sixteen,and just a few short months ago,that dream came true. Chemical 7 had become a pretty popular place rather fast,probably due to the promotion we gave during shows.
"Hey,Kris,you should sing that one Icon for Hire song tonight."Martha nuged me.
"I probably will. It's been in my head all fucking day."I laughed.
Martha had always liked doing karaoke,so we had a karaoke night on Fridays and we both agreed that we both had to sing at least once by ourselves and one duet.
"What song are we both doing tonight?" she asked. "It's your turn to pick."
"Can we do '20 Dollar Nose Bleed'?"
"Sure. You want Patrick or Brendon?"
"I can do the growl,so Brendon and I'll do the speaking part at the end as well."
"Awesome,let's go start if off!" She smiled,heading over to turn everything on.
"Hey,Cali! Watch the bar for a little bit!"I called to one of my employees before going to help Martha.
After a few minutes,she handed me the second mic before she hit play and the words came up on the screen.
Martha:
Have you ever wanted to disappear?
And join a monastery
Go out and preach on Manic Street?
Who will I be when I wake up next to a stranger
On a passenger plane?
Kristin:
Permanent jet lag
Please take me back
Please take me back
I'm a stray dog sick
Please let me in
The mad key's tripping
singing vows before we exchange smoke rings
Both:
Give me a pen
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam and
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Martha:
It feels like fourteen carats but no clarity
When I look at the man who would be king
The man who would be king
Goes to the desert the same war his dad rehearsed
Came back with flags on coffins and said
"We won, oh we won"
Kristin
Permanent jet lag
Please take me back
Please take me back
I'm a stray dog sick
Please let me in
The mad key's tripping
singing vows before we exchange smoke rings
Both:
Give me a pen
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam and
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Ba ba ba ba benzedrine
Bla bla bla benzedrine
Ba ba ba ba ba benzedrine ah
Ba ba ba ba benzedrine
Bla bla bla benzedrine
Ba ba ba ba ba benzedrine ah
Martha:
Only one book really matters
The rest of the proof is on the television, on the...
both:
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor in
I wanna blow off steam
Call me
Mr. Benzedrine
But don't let the doctor
Don't let the doctor in
Martha:
Have you ever wanted to disappear?
Kristin:
It's not me, it's you
Actually, it's the taxidermy of you and me
Untie the balloons from around my neck and ground me
I'm just a racehorse on the track
Send me back to the glue factory
Always thought I'd float away
And never come back
But I've got enough miles on my car
To fly the boys home on my own
But you know me: I like being all alone
And keeping you all alone
And the charts are boring
And the kids are snoring
And the girl's in a sling
You say you're not listening and I said I'm wishing...
And I said... I said...
"Hey,guys,who is everyone?!"I smiled. "I'm just gonna get my song for tonight over with."
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
Typical, typical, tongue tied and weak willed
Stuck on the sedative, evidently to sleep well
But I haven't slept in days, I haven't dreamt in nights
I've been busy building theories I just can't wait to try
See, I think the beat's made to drown out the sound of the boom boom
While they shoot our last hope down
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
And the beat goes on, drone drone like a metronome
Day in and day out I know how the story gonna go
Check out them men in suits, they're working overtime,
Memorizing what you buy, analyzing what you like
I think the beat's made to clash and distract while they cha ching
Try and buy our loyalties back
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
Counting down the minutes 'til my heartbeat stops
Fooling myself is a full-time job
[x3]
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
'Cause I'm not like you, I'm immune, I'm immune
Say it over and over until it comes true
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
And we all act like we see right through it
When we all know we're addicted to it
Counting down the minutes 'til my heartbeat stops
Fooling myself is a full-time job
Pop culture does nothing for me
The American dream mainstream just bores me
I handed my mic to Martha before taking my spot back at the bar,getting complements for customers as they got orders.After a few minutes,Halen and Stevie walked up to the bar with another guy.
That guy had glasses,spikey brown hair,blue eyes and he was skinny and tall.He smiled softly at me as I just started at him. I was trying to remember my own name.
"earth to Kristin!"Halen shouted,waving a hand in front of my face,causing me to shake my head.
"huh?"
"I said,nice performance."
"Oh,thanks. So,Stevie,ready to get to work?"I smiled at him.He nodded.
"Cool. Go talk to Martha over at the karaoke computer. You'll be helping her out to tonight and she's gonna be training you on what you need to do." He nodded again before heading in her direction.
Halen trailed off down the bar to talk to Cali,making me roll my eyes. Cali hated him,but he insisted on hitting on her anyway. The other guy that was with them sat down in front of me.
"Can I get a beer?" I didn't replied,instead just grabbed one,popping the top and handing it to him.
"O-on the house."
"thanks. I'm Phil,Stevie's friend. I really appreciate you letting us stay with you for a little while."
"It's no problem. I used to take care of Stevie a lot when we lived back in Kansas.well,I tried to."
"Yeah,he can be hard to handle."
"Agreed. Oh,excuse me,I got a bar to run."I shot him a smile before heading off to get more drinks made for people.
♠ ♠ ♠
for those of you who have never heard any of the songs mentioned in this chapter(or any future chapters) I'll have link down here to them20 Dollar Nose Bleed
Pop Culture