Mixtape For The End of the World

21. Gabe and Joe beat up Neo-Nazis at Fall Out Bros. Pizza.

21. Gabe and Joe beat up Neo-Nazis at Fall Out Bros. Pizza.

"Pete, if any Neo-Nazis show up at Fall Out Bros., I will beat them up," Gabe said over the phone. "There's nothing that you or anyone else can do to stop me."

"So I'm going to have to find a way to keep them from coming to Fall Out Bros. in the first place," I said.

"Exactly," Gabe said. "Maybe you could put up signs in front of the shop or something."

"That's a pretty good idea," I said. "I'll ask Billie Joe about it."

"Please do," Gabe said. "I'm far too young to die, but I want revenge too, and I will teach those Nazis a lesson if they ever mess with my best friend again."

I smiled, glad that Gabe was looking out for me, even after our argument at Vegan Square. My cuts and bruises from when the Neo-Nazis had beaten me up at the Sunshine Riptide had faded, but it still hurt to think about that night. Sometimes, I wondered if the pain would ever go away.

The next day, I went to talk to Billie Joe immediately when I arrived at Fall Out Bros. "Hey Pete," Billie said when he saw me rushing over to him. "What's going on?"

"I was wondering if we could put up some signs to keep Neo-Nazis out of the restaurant," I said.

Billie Joe gave me a strange look. "Y'know, I hate Neo-Nazis as much as anyone else, but we have never had any of them come to Fall Out Bros.," he said. "Putting up signs would just be unnecessary."

"It's only a precaution," I said.

"Is there any particular reason why you want to keep Neo-Nazis out of Fall Out Bros., Pete?" Billie Joe asked.

I thought about for a moment - I couldn't tell Billie Joe about Gabe's visions. It had gone horribly wrong when I had tried to tell Patrick, so there was no way that I could tell my boss. However, I could tell Billie a different secret. "A group of Neo-Nazis beat me up outside the Sunshine Riptide a little over a week ago," I said.

"So that's where you got that black eye," Billie said solemnly. Then, he did the last thing that I expected him to do - he gave me a hug. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep them out of here, Pete," Billie said. "I'll make signs, or whatever you want. I think I have 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' by Dead Kennedys around here somewhere - I'll play that on repeat if it will keep those Illinois Nazis from coming to my restaurant."

I spent most of the remainder of my shift helping Billie Joe make signs to put in front of Fall Out Bros. Billie drew a swastika with a giant red X through it, while I made a sign that said "Neo-Nazis Not Welcome Here." By far, my favorite sign was one that said, "No Racism, No Sexism, No Homophobia." As promised, he played Dead Kennedys on repeat, and I got through the whole shift without seeing a single Neo-Nazi, thanks to my supportive boss.

Three days went by, and it seemed like my plan was working. The Neo-Nazis were staying away from Fall Out Bros. Pizza. Despite the fact that I had been at the restaurant every single day since Billie Joe and I had put up the signs, I hadn't seen any Nazis. However, at the end of my shift that day, just as I was about to leave with a slice of deep dish pizza, I saw Patrick sitting by himself. I took a seat across from him and smiled. "Hey, Trick," I said. "What's up?"

"Not much," Patrick said. "I've missed you."

A kick drum was beating in my chest again. "I've missed you too," I said. "I'm sorry about what happened on Sunday."

"It's okay," Patrick said. "Why does your boss keep playing the same song over and over again? It's really starting to bother some of our customers."