A Fresh Start In Misery, chapter 1
Billie Joe sat in a chair doing nothing. He had found himself doing that a lot lately. He missed something. Or someone. He took a deep breath of the smoky air and glanced out the window. The sight that met him used to cheer him up, but today he just looked away. He knew what he missed. He knew who he missed.
Many years earlier...
She leant against the cheep chicken wire fence and watched how the late afternoon sunshine gave eveything a golden glow. Everything looked beautiful, even the gutter that was lying spread all over the driveway looked nice in a weird way. She closed her eyes and bit her lip thoughtfully. The sun felt warm to her skin, much warmer than she was used to. Californian sun, she thought and a smile crossed her lips.
"Hey..."
She jumped when she heard a voice behind her. She turned to see who it belonged to, and the sight of a smiling guy met her. He had big, green eyes and buxom lips twisted in a smile.
"Hey," she said and got up from the trashcan she'd been sitting on. She crossed her arms and wondered how the hell the boy had got so close to her without her noticing it.
"Didn't mean to scare you..." he said.
"That's okay," she said, and took a step closer to the chicken wire fence that divided them. The sun caused chicken-wire-shaped shadows to fall across his face, and his eyes to sparkle.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Billie Joe...Armstrong." he said, and asked her back:
"What's yours?"
"Amy...Smith"
"That's nice," he said, even though she didn't think he really meant it.
"Billie...William?" she asked, just to be polite and seem interested.
"Heh...No, it's just Billie..."
Amy sat back down on the garbage can, and Billie sat down on the on on his side of the fence. She started watching the sun again, and Billie joined her. He lit a cigarette, and took a drag as he watched the glowing circle come closer and closer to the horizon.
Watching the sunset made Amy feel calm and relaxed. She didn't feel so responsible when she saw the sun. It was so big, she was so small. What difference did it make what she did?
It had the opposite effect on Billie Joe. When he saw the sun touching the horizon with gentle sparks of red fire, he couldn't stop thinking that this was just another wasted day about to end, a fresh start down the drain. There was so much he could've done that he hadn't, so much he could've said that he hadn't said.
"Do you live here?" Amy asked and nodded her head to the house on Billie's side of the fence.
"Uh huh, 'fraid so...And you? I heard that they finally have sold that house..." he said and nodded his head to the house on her side of the fence.
"Yup...Today I'm only here today because Kathleen, my stepmother, had to sort something out with the plummer...We're not moving in for at least a week, I think." Amy said and glanced at the house that was about to be her new home.
"And I just needed some fresh air..." she finished and gave the cigarette in Billie Joe's hand a sarcastically look.
"Yeah, sorry bout' that..." he said, but didn't look to sorry. He smiled. "My mom isn't to happy about my smoking."
"Which mom is?"
"Heh, you tell me...She kicks me out to smoke..."
"The sunset down here is so beautiful..." Amy sighed, and Billie Joe looked at her.
"Down here?"
"Uh huh...I used to live up north. Everybody is going on and on about how great midnight sun is, but there is nothing beating the Californian sunset. Really."
"Up nort, huh...Where?"
"Skandinavia." Amy said, and smiled when she saw the sudden interest in Billie Joe's eyes.
"How's it like there? Snowy?"
"No, no, not at all!" Amy lauged. "No polarbears, no Eskimos, no iglos...And no snow in summer. There are barely any in winter..."
She slid her hands into her pockets and thought of her old home for a moment. She really missed it, and her friends. She hadn't got any in America yet, but after all, she had only been in the country for a month or so. She would surely get new friends, she thought.
Before they got the chance to discuss the subject any further, a female voice called for Billie Joe, saying something about a Shane on the phone. He called back that he was coming, and turned back to Amy.
"I got to go," he said. "Guess I'll see you around, now that you're about to be the girl next door and stuff," he smiled. He dropped the stub of his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it.
"And I hope things work out for you and your stepmother..."
Amy smiled. She really hoped things worked out, too.
Many years earlier...
She leant against the cheep chicken wire fence and watched how the late afternoon sunshine gave eveything a golden glow. Everything looked beautiful, even the gutter that was lying spread all over the driveway looked nice in a weird way. She closed her eyes and bit her lip thoughtfully. The sun felt warm to her skin, much warmer than she was used to. Californian sun, she thought and a smile crossed her lips.
"Hey..."
She jumped when she heard a voice behind her. She turned to see who it belonged to, and the sight of a smiling guy met her. He had big, green eyes and buxom lips twisted in a smile.
"Hey," she said and got up from the trashcan she'd been sitting on. She crossed her arms and wondered how the hell the boy had got so close to her without her noticing it.
"Didn't mean to scare you..." he said.
"That's okay," she said, and took a step closer to the chicken wire fence that divided them. The sun caused chicken-wire-shaped shadows to fall across his face, and his eyes to sparkle.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Billie Joe...Armstrong." he said, and asked her back:
"What's yours?"
"Amy...Smith"
"That's nice," he said, even though she didn't think he really meant it.
"Billie...William?" she asked, just to be polite and seem interested.
"Heh...No, it's just Billie..."
Amy sat back down on the garbage can, and Billie sat down on the on on his side of the fence. She started watching the sun again, and Billie joined her. He lit a cigarette, and took a drag as he watched the glowing circle come closer and closer to the horizon.
Watching the sunset made Amy feel calm and relaxed. She didn't feel so responsible when she saw the sun. It was so big, she was so small. What difference did it make what she did?
It had the opposite effect on Billie Joe. When he saw the sun touching the horizon with gentle sparks of red fire, he couldn't stop thinking that this was just another wasted day about to end, a fresh start down the drain. There was so much he could've done that he hadn't, so much he could've said that he hadn't said.
"Do you live here?" Amy asked and nodded her head to the house on Billie's side of the fence.
"Uh huh, 'fraid so...And you? I heard that they finally have sold that house..." he said and nodded his head to the house on her side of the fence.
"Yup...Today I'm only here today because Kathleen, my stepmother, had to sort something out with the plummer...We're not moving in for at least a week, I think." Amy said and glanced at the house that was about to be her new home.
"And I just needed some fresh air..." she finished and gave the cigarette in Billie Joe's hand a sarcastically look.
"Yeah, sorry bout' that..." he said, but didn't look to sorry. He smiled. "My mom isn't to happy about my smoking."
"Which mom is?"
"Heh, you tell me...She kicks me out to smoke..."
"The sunset down here is so beautiful..." Amy sighed, and Billie Joe looked at her.
"Down here?"
"Uh huh...I used to live up north. Everybody is going on and on about how great midnight sun is, but there is nothing beating the Californian sunset. Really."
"Up nort, huh...Where?"
"Skandinavia." Amy said, and smiled when she saw the sudden interest in Billie Joe's eyes.
"How's it like there? Snowy?"
"No, no, not at all!" Amy lauged. "No polarbears, no Eskimos, no iglos...And no snow in summer. There are barely any in winter..."
She slid her hands into her pockets and thought of her old home for a moment. She really missed it, and her friends. She hadn't got any in America yet, but after all, she had only been in the country for a month or so. She would surely get new friends, she thought.
Before they got the chance to discuss the subject any further, a female voice called for Billie Joe, saying something about a Shane on the phone. He called back that he was coming, and turned back to Amy.
"I got to go," he said. "Guess I'll see you around, now that you're about to be the girl next door and stuff," he smiled. He dropped the stub of his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it.
"And I hope things work out for you and your stepmother..."
Amy smiled. She really hoped things worked out, too.
