Can I Be Your Anything?, chapter 9
The day went by incredibly slowly for Adrienne... she sat around, watched TV, and at 3 o'clock went to touch up her hair and make-up, since Billie Joe would be home at 3:30. She walked to Mike's 'apartment', and on her way spotted Billie's door wide-open. Unable to resist, she walked in. She was instantaneously hit with a strong cologne scent.
"Woah," she muttered to herself. The house was empty. Maria, Mike, and Billie Joe were all at school, and Linda and Brad were at work. She took in her surroundings. The blue bedspread lay in a massive pile at the foot of the bed. The single pillow was hanging half-way out of it's dingy white pillowcase. There were few pictures on the fake wood walls... a poster of The Beatles stuck out above the bed. Next to the bed was a short wooden nightstand, with a lamp and a green lampshade. An electronic alarm clock was blinking at 5:58. J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher In The Rye" was the only other object on the nightstand. Three shelves hung symmetrically, one above the other, above the nightstand. Adrienne shut the door behind her. A poster of The Clash was on the door. There was a dresser with four drawers beside the open closet. One of the drawers was half-open. She pulled it open. It was a sock and boxer drawer. Embarrassed, Adrienne shut it quickly. Something snagged. She kneeled down. A photograph stuck partially out of the drawer. She pulled it out backwards. There was writing on the back.
"The love of my life" it said in messy script. She turned it over. The picture showed a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes in Billie's arms. He stood about four inches taller than her. She wore a tight white tank top and a short, almost whorish denim skirt. There was a crowd behind them, and fireworks reflecting in the pond before them. The date on the bottom said "July 4, 1988".
"That explains the fireworks," she murmered. She dug deeper in the drawer, and found a stack of about ten photographs. One was Mike, Billie, and John in a tight hug. One was Linda and Brad at their wedding. One was a man Adrienne didn't recognized. She turned the photograph over. "Dad" it said simply. Another photo showed the blonde girl again, her long hair flung over her left shoulder. Her smile was genuine. Her blue eyes shone brightly. She flipped it over. "Lilianna" it said.
"So that's the girl they were talking about earlier," Adrienne said. A few more pictures of Mike and John, one of Linda and Mike, one of Billie and five other kids. She recognized one as Maria, the girl she met earlier. She figured the other four were his brothers and sisters. Then there was a group picture. She picked out Billie, Mike, John, and there were four other guys. She recognized one more of them.
"Dillon!" She exclaimed, horrified. "Please, please, no," she pleaded, crossing her fingers and turning the worn photograph over. She read the names aloud.
"Me, Mike, John, Cameron, Jeff, Dillon, Craig. Shit!" She then remembered what had been tugging at her memory all morning. Dillion had been transferred to Rodeo High. Dillon Michaels. Dillion Michaels, who on that one warm spring night, took Adrienne's virginity.
The front door slammed.
"We're here!" Billie yelled. Adrienne froze.
"Woah," she muttered to herself. The house was empty. Maria, Mike, and Billie Joe were all at school, and Linda and Brad were at work. She took in her surroundings. The blue bedspread lay in a massive pile at the foot of the bed. The single pillow was hanging half-way out of it's dingy white pillowcase. There were few pictures on the fake wood walls... a poster of The Beatles stuck out above the bed. Next to the bed was a short wooden nightstand, with a lamp and a green lampshade. An electronic alarm clock was blinking at 5:58. J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher In The Rye" was the only other object on the nightstand. Three shelves hung symmetrically, one above the other, above the nightstand. Adrienne shut the door behind her. A poster of The Clash was on the door. There was a dresser with four drawers beside the open closet. One of the drawers was half-open. She pulled it open. It was a sock and boxer drawer. Embarrassed, Adrienne shut it quickly. Something snagged. She kneeled down. A photograph stuck partially out of the drawer. She pulled it out backwards. There was writing on the back.
"The love of my life" it said in messy script. She turned it over. The picture showed a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes in Billie's arms. He stood about four inches taller than her. She wore a tight white tank top and a short, almost whorish denim skirt. There was a crowd behind them, and fireworks reflecting in the pond before them. The date on the bottom said "July 4, 1988".
"That explains the fireworks," she murmered. She dug deeper in the drawer, and found a stack of about ten photographs. One was Mike, Billie, and John in a tight hug. One was Linda and Brad at their wedding. One was a man Adrienne didn't recognized. She turned the photograph over. "Dad" it said simply. Another photo showed the blonde girl again, her long hair flung over her left shoulder. Her smile was genuine. Her blue eyes shone brightly. She flipped it over. "Lilianna" it said.
"So that's the girl they were talking about earlier," Adrienne said. A few more pictures of Mike and John, one of Linda and Mike, one of Billie and five other kids. She recognized one as Maria, the girl she met earlier. She figured the other four were his brothers and sisters. Then there was a group picture. She picked out Billie, Mike, John, and there were four other guys. She recognized one more of them.
"Dillon!" She exclaimed, horrified. "Please, please, no," she pleaded, crossing her fingers and turning the worn photograph over. She read the names aloud.
"Me, Mike, John, Cameron, Jeff, Dillon, Craig. Shit!" She then remembered what had been tugging at her memory all morning. Dillion had been transferred to Rodeo High. Dillon Michaels. Dillion Michaels, who on that one warm spring night, took Adrienne's virginity.
The front door slammed.
"We're here!" Billie yelled. Adrienne froze.
