The Summer I Got A Life, chapter 18
I was never invited to any parties in high school. Okay, I went over to Mary's house on Halloween in my sophomore year and some kids in her neighborhood had come over and we literally just sat in her backyard and stared at each other. But still, that really doesn't qualify as an actual "party".
So, naturally, I was pretty excited. Well, maybe a bit more than just excited. It was more like I was a bee and I had just found an endless field of fresh flowers. Except that I was, you know, not a bee.
Doing shows had become even more exhilarating for some reason, maybe I was just overexcited about the whole party thing, or that these would be my last few shows with Green Day. September had started, so there were only a limited number of shows left, which did make me feel kind of sad. I mean, sure, living on a bus does suck sometimes. For instance, the fact that there was only one bathroom wasn't necessarily a pleasant experience, since there was almost always a line for it. Not to mention that it was always annoying when the bus hit a pothole in the road and you spilled the cup of boiling-hot coffee right down your shirt, soaking your bra and forcing you to change. But even if there was God-knows-what on the bathroom floor and hot coffee in my bra, I still wouldn't give up doing the concerts for anything.
The days passed by way too quickly for my liking. As much as I wanted to go to that party, Mary was right in a way: Guitar was my life. I had never felt like I had belonged anywhere as much as I did here, not even in my own home. I wasn't looking forward to our last show, on September thirteenth in San Francisco.
I woke up on the thirteenth wondering why it felt as though an anchor were in my stomach. I then remembered: today was our last show. I didn't know if I would play guitar onstage in the future, but for now, I didn't want this to end. I got up then and walked out to the front and got my coffee and sat down next to Billie Joe on the sofa like I usually did. Oh, God, I thought, this will be the last time I talk to Billie Joe on this couch. I became so consumed in this realization that I didn't notice that Billie was talking to me.
"Kim? Earth to Kim. Are you okay?" he asked.
I snapped out of my trance and said "Yeah. It's just that I don't want this to end. Not today, at least. I don't want today to be my last show".
"Whoever said that today would be your VERY LAST show? With your talent, I'm sure you'll have many more shows to come. Hell, you might become one of the most famous guitarists in history someday, and if you want to feel a bit better, you really are better than that Cassandra Clemens in that band Swimming Souls. She's terrible. Come here you", Billie said, putting his arms around me and embracing me in a hug.
Billie and I talked for a few more minutes (with his arms around me, too) until the bus came to a stop and parked, which meant it was a good idea for us to put our stage uniforms on. I got to keep my uniform, which I was grateful for.
Hours later, I stood on the stage of San Francisco, getting ready to open up with American Idiot with Billie, Tre, Mike, and the rest of the guys doing instruments for concerts. The crowd roared as I stood onstage checking my guitar and drinking in the sensation of thousands of audience members screaming. Soon afterwards, Billie Joe started American Idiot and I began to rock out, playing each song as though a hit man were waiting outside and he was going to shoot and kill me as soon as the concert was over. I aimed for perfection, and I got it.
About two hours later, Billie finished with Good Riddance and all of the people onstage took a bow. For one last time, I drank up the roar of the crowd as they cheered. When everyone was offstage, we all threw our arms around each other in a group hug and cheered. "Okay, everyone, we're going home!" Mike yelled and we all hurried onto the bus. We all climbed on and when we were sure everyone was the bus, we took off and headed home. For the next few hours, we packed up all of our stuff laying around the bus, brought it out to the front, and talked the rest of the way. When the bus pulled away from Mike's house, Billie and I were the only two people left.
A few minutes later, the bus stopped in front of a house. However, this wasn't an ordinary house. It was a MANSION. A big and beautiful mansion with the cleanest windows I have ever seen.
"Looks like Adrienne didn't clean the windows before they left", Billie said. What was he talking about; they were spotless compared to the windows at my house!
Billie took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. When the door was open, he held it for me, and I stepped inside. It was just magnificent, and I was only in the front room. The ceiling stretched up to at least seventeen feet and a huge crystal chandelier hung from a silver chain. The floor was an aquamarine colored tile as blue as the ocean. My eyes swerved around in their sockets as Billie said, "Welcome home, Kim".
So, naturally, I was pretty excited. Well, maybe a bit more than just excited. It was more like I was a bee and I had just found an endless field of fresh flowers. Except that I was, you know, not a bee.
Doing shows had become even more exhilarating for some reason, maybe I was just overexcited about the whole party thing, or that these would be my last few shows with Green Day. September had started, so there were only a limited number of shows left, which did make me feel kind of sad. I mean, sure, living on a bus does suck sometimes. For instance, the fact that there was only one bathroom wasn't necessarily a pleasant experience, since there was almost always a line for it. Not to mention that it was always annoying when the bus hit a pothole in the road and you spilled the cup of boiling-hot coffee right down your shirt, soaking your bra and forcing you to change. But even if there was God-knows-what on the bathroom floor and hot coffee in my bra, I still wouldn't give up doing the concerts for anything.
The days passed by way too quickly for my liking. As much as I wanted to go to that party, Mary was right in a way: Guitar was my life. I had never felt like I had belonged anywhere as much as I did here, not even in my own home. I wasn't looking forward to our last show, on September thirteenth in San Francisco.
I woke up on the thirteenth wondering why it felt as though an anchor were in my stomach. I then remembered: today was our last show. I didn't know if I would play guitar onstage in the future, but for now, I didn't want this to end. I got up then and walked out to the front and got my coffee and sat down next to Billie Joe on the sofa like I usually did. Oh, God, I thought, this will be the last time I talk to Billie Joe on this couch. I became so consumed in this realization that I didn't notice that Billie was talking to me.
"Kim? Earth to Kim. Are you okay?" he asked.
I snapped out of my trance and said "Yeah. It's just that I don't want this to end. Not today, at least. I don't want today to be my last show".
"Whoever said that today would be your VERY LAST show? With your talent, I'm sure you'll have many more shows to come. Hell, you might become one of the most famous guitarists in history someday, and if you want to feel a bit better, you really are better than that Cassandra Clemens in that band Swimming Souls. She's terrible. Come here you", Billie said, putting his arms around me and embracing me in a hug.
Billie and I talked for a few more minutes (with his arms around me, too) until the bus came to a stop and parked, which meant it was a good idea for us to put our stage uniforms on. I got to keep my uniform, which I was grateful for.
Hours later, I stood on the stage of San Francisco, getting ready to open up with American Idiot with Billie, Tre, Mike, and the rest of the guys doing instruments for concerts. The crowd roared as I stood onstage checking my guitar and drinking in the sensation of thousands of audience members screaming. Soon afterwards, Billie Joe started American Idiot and I began to rock out, playing each song as though a hit man were waiting outside and he was going to shoot and kill me as soon as the concert was over. I aimed for perfection, and I got it.
About two hours later, Billie finished with Good Riddance and all of the people onstage took a bow. For one last time, I drank up the roar of the crowd as they cheered. When everyone was offstage, we all threw our arms around each other in a group hug and cheered. "Okay, everyone, we're going home!" Mike yelled and we all hurried onto the bus. We all climbed on and when we were sure everyone was the bus, we took off and headed home. For the next few hours, we packed up all of our stuff laying around the bus, brought it out to the front, and talked the rest of the way. When the bus pulled away from Mike's house, Billie and I were the only two people left.
A few minutes later, the bus stopped in front of a house. However, this wasn't an ordinary house. It was a MANSION. A big and beautiful mansion with the cleanest windows I have ever seen.
"Looks like Adrienne didn't clean the windows before they left", Billie said. What was he talking about; they were spotless compared to the windows at my house!
Billie took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. When the door was open, he held it for me, and I stepped inside. It was just magnificent, and I was only in the front room. The ceiling stretched up to at least seventeen feet and a huge crystal chandelier hung from a silver chain. The floor was an aquamarine colored tile as blue as the ocean. My eyes swerved around in their sockets as Billie said, "Welcome home, Kim".
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