Billie Joe's Love Life, chapter 2
It had been one year, four months, three weeks, and twenty-seven days (and approximately twelve hours) since Billie Joe had first kissed Jen, and since then, the couple had become inseperable. Every week they'd go down to the cinema, and occasionally they'd wreak havoc and chaos upon the place, throwing sticky toffee popcorn on the people in front of them, and "accidentally"; spilling Coke in peoples laps.
Billie Joe and Jen had just walked out of the cinema, after a young, pimply usher had forced them out because of a prank Jen had just played, which had involved bubblegum and people's hair, and a prank Billie Joe had done which had involved soda and a teenager's low-cut top. (No prizes for guessing where Billie Joe spilled it! )
Billie Joe checked his watch. It was 10:30pm. Jen had to be home in half an hour according to her dad. Somehow, looking at the watch made Billie Joe remember the night he had met Jen's parents.
Billie Joe remembered how Jen's mother had greeted him very kindly with a hug, and then how her father had greeted him with a bone-breaking handshake and an obvioulsy forced smile.
Her mother was nice. Short and plump, very sweet, and a great chef. Billie Joe had got along very well with Jen's mother, but unfortunately, Jen's father wasn't as happy to let her daughter date. He was a quiet buisnessman who did nothing but give Billlie Joe very stern looks, sometimes probing Billie Joe unusual questions which would make poor Billie Joe almost deflate under his piercing stare as he answered them. Billie Joe was scared on Jen's father. He felt as he almost needed to prove himself worthy of his beautiful, beloved daughter.
Billie Joe took Jen's hand and led her outside the enormous shopping mall where there were white lights in the trees and lots of people talking to their friends. Billie Joe hailed a cab and let Jen slide in before getting in himself. He told the driver where to go, and he was off. The driver talked alot, but Billie Joe realised that he was talking a bit slurrish. Wondering when he'd shut up, Billie Joe looked at Jen. She was looking a bit scared as the driver accelerated and the car exeeded the speed limit.
"Dude, can you slow down a bit?" Billie Joe asked, gripping the seat tightly.
"So I was saying to him you can go fu-" the driver said sloppily, obviously not hearing Billie Joe.
Jen screamed shrilly. Billie Joe swore loudly, the driver swerved madly, a car horn blasted, and a couple of headlights nearly blinded Billie Joe'svision.
SMASH
Black. Everything was black. He could see nothing. He could feel nothing but himself being pushed on a gurney, hear nothig but the beeping of machines and Jen crying, "Billie Joe! Oh my god! Billie Joe! Wake up! Please wake up!"
"Jen..." was all that could quietly escape from his lips.
Billie Joe opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but it slowly came back into focus. He was being pushed on a hospital gurney though a long, wide corridor. Doors opened as the gurney pushed though them.
Billie Joe's mother and Jen were walking with about five doctors who were steering the gurney. Billie Joe's mother gasped.
"He's awake! Billie Joe!"
"Please keep your voice down ma'am. It's eleven at night, and other patients are trying to sleep."
Billie Joe closed his eyes, waiting for the gurney to stop.
The gurney stopped three minutes later. Billie Joe opened his eyes. He was in a small room with peach walls and tiles, with a small mounted TV opposite him and a large window on one side.
Jen and his mother were standing on either side of his bed.
"How are you feeling?" his mother asked.
"Just... Just weak." Billie Joe said, managing a small smile.
Jen held onto his hand, a black tear sliding down her face.
"I'm fine." Billie Joe assured her. "I swear."
She nodded, wiping the tear away.
The doctor cleared his throat. All three of them looked at the doctor, a tall dark man in a white coat.
"Billie Joe I'm Doctor Stanford. We just need to ask some questions, okay?"
Billie Joe nodded.
"Billie Joe, do you remember what happened?" he asked.
"Yeah," Billie Joe said. "I was with Jen at the mall. We got a cab and the bastard driver was drunk-"
"Billie Joe." Billie Joe's mother said sternly.
"Oh, sorry," Billie Joe said. "The wonderful, sweet driver was driving hell fast and he crashed."
There was a silence.
"Who did he crash into?" Billie Joe'smother asked the doctor.
"A couple fo girls. I'm afraid Billie Joe got the most damage out of the three in the car. Jen here only got a bad arm, the driver's neck is being fixed, and his-"
"What about the girls?" ; Billie Joe cut through. The doctor looked as if he was wondering how to say what he was meant to say.
"They're dead, aren't they?" Billie Joe said. The doctor nodded sadly.
"There was nothing we could do." The doctor said. "They were found dead in the car when the ambulance arrived."
More silence. Then-
"Billie Joe, you need surgery. Serious surgery."
Billie snapped his head upwards. His mother clapped her hand over her mouth, and Jen let aout a horrified cry and fell back onto a chair, her head in her hands.
"What sort of surgery?" Billie Joe asked, trying to stay calm.
"You got some rather bad damage to your brain. Your cerebral cortex."
More silence.
"Is it dangerous?" Billie Joe asked.
The doctor nodded. "It can be dangerous if the procedure isn't done right."
"You mean I'll die?"
"Yes."
"And if I don't want to go through with it?"
"You'll die anyway. After all, it's brain surgery."
"I guess I have no choice." Billie Joe sighed.
"If you want a chance to live, then no, you don't have a choice but to go through with it, I'm afraid."
*
The surgery date was set in the operating theatre a week later. Billie Joe was trying to make the most out of the week, knowing that if the surgeon made a mistake, he would be dead.
He spent a full day with each of his closest family and most special friends. One day with mum, three days with his siblings (three days since there were five siblings to spend time with! ) One day with Mike, and of course, one day with Jen. The day with Jen was the most emotional day, as the two of them spent an hour or so at Je'ns house, sitting on her bed, crying their eyes out, and telling each other that they'd still love each other even if anything was to happen to Billie Joe.
"Don't leave me, Billie Joe..." Jen wept onto his shoulder. Billie Joe gently patted her back, trying to hold his tears back.
"I won't..." he assured her. "I won't ever leave you, Jen, I won't."
Jen leaned forward and kissed Billie Joe as if it was the last kiss she'd ever get from him. Billie Joe reached into his pocket. He drew out a silver charm bracelet and hooked it onto her wrist.
"Just to make sure you never forget me." Billie Joe smiled.
"I'll never forget you, Billie Joe." Jen said, holding up her wrist to her eye-level and looking at the bracelet as if it was covered in diamonds. Billie Joe could see the bracelet reflecting in her eyes. Without thinking, Billie Joe held onto her shoulders and gently pushed her backwards onto her bed, his hands sliding under her top as he kissed her neck. Jen removed his top and ran her fingers over his torso, gasping for breath.
Billie Joe was feeling passionate and hot when Jen's door opened.
It was Jen's father.
He took one look at Billie Joe and Jen, who looked up at Jen's dad fearfully.
Jen's father stormed up to the couple, grabbed Billie Joe's arm and dragged him off his daughter, and led him roughly out of the room, down the stairs, and stopped at the front door. He took one look at Billie Joe's bare top half and said in a dangerous voice, "You disgust me, Billie Joe. I knew you didn't deserve my daughter ever since I first saw you. Never, ever, EVER go anyway near her again. You two are over. She deserves better than you. If I see her anywhere near you," Jen's father let go of his arm roughly.
"I'll kill you."
"You've always hated me," Billie Joe said, trying to sound calm. "Ever since I stepped into your house. You don't even know much about me but you hate me. But I don't care if you do. And I don't care if you always will." Billie Joe took a deep breath and continued.
"I love your daughter. I always have, ever since I saw her. I always will. But when I was on my way to meet you, I hoped that her kindness was passed on by her genes." Billie Joe gave Jens father a very dark look.
"But now I know that it was her mother's genes, not yours." And without a word, Billie Joe stormed away from the house.
*
Back at his own house, Billie Joe lay down on his bed, crying. He could never see Jen again. Never. But he had to. He couldn't live without her. He jumped up, went to the phone and dialled her number. Praying that her father wouldn't answer, he waited. Then someone picked up. A sobbing person.
"Jen, I need to talk to you, could you come over?" Billie Joe rushed.
Jen continued to sob.
"Jen?" Billie Joe asked. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Billie Joe, it's Cleo."
Billie Joe'sheart thumped. Jen's mother was on the other end.
"Oh, hi, um what's wrong?"
Jens mother continued to cry.
"Jen's not here, dear." She sobbed, crying more then ever.
"Oh. Is she on her way here?" Billie Joe aked timidly, wondering why Jen's mother was in such distress.
"Billie Joe, dear, I'm so sorry."
"For what? What's the matter?" Billie Joe asked desperately.
"She... She... She committed suicide, Billie Joe."
Billie Joe's heart stopped. He was numb, he couldn't believe his ears.
"No, she couldn't have, she wouldn't have." Billie Joe said, tears silently streaming down his face.
"She did, Billie Joe. I found her dead in her bed."
"What did she do?"
"Sleeping pills."
There was a long silence.
"Billie Joe?"
"Yeah?"
"She left a note."
There was another silence.
"In the note, she said she loved you."
Billie Joe couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." Billie Joe said tearfully.
"That's okay, dear, I have to go too."
"Oh, um, Cleo?"
"Yes dear?"
"I am sorry."
*
Billie Joe spent the next day thinking alot. Not just about Jen's ended life, but his own life. His life had been so crap before Jen came into it, waved her magic wand and turned bread and water into tea and cakes. (that was a figure of speech)
The surgery date was set for tomorrow. Billie Joe was surprised tat he wasn't scared. He was just imagining what might happen during teh surgery when a thought struck him. If his life had been so crap before Jen came into it, then that would mean that his life would be crap from now on. He'd never see Jen again, and he'd get depressed.
He's decided.
He's not going through with the surgery.
He's going to see Jen in the afterlife.
And his father.
Billie Joe and Jen had just walked out of the cinema, after a young, pimply usher had forced them out because of a prank Jen had just played, which had involved bubblegum and people's hair, and a prank Billie Joe had done which had involved soda and a teenager's low-cut top. (No prizes for guessing where Billie Joe spilled it! )
Billie Joe checked his watch. It was 10:30pm. Jen had to be home in half an hour according to her dad. Somehow, looking at the watch made Billie Joe remember the night he had met Jen's parents.
Billie Joe remembered how Jen's mother had greeted him very kindly with a hug, and then how her father had greeted him with a bone-breaking handshake and an obvioulsy forced smile.
Her mother was nice. Short and plump, very sweet, and a great chef. Billie Joe had got along very well with Jen's mother, but unfortunately, Jen's father wasn't as happy to let her daughter date. He was a quiet buisnessman who did nothing but give Billlie Joe very stern looks, sometimes probing Billie Joe unusual questions which would make poor Billie Joe almost deflate under his piercing stare as he answered them. Billie Joe was scared on Jen's father. He felt as he almost needed to prove himself worthy of his beautiful, beloved daughter.
Billie Joe took Jen's hand and led her outside the enormous shopping mall where there were white lights in the trees and lots of people talking to their friends. Billie Joe hailed a cab and let Jen slide in before getting in himself. He told the driver where to go, and he was off. The driver talked alot, but Billie Joe realised that he was talking a bit slurrish. Wondering when he'd shut up, Billie Joe looked at Jen. She was looking a bit scared as the driver accelerated and the car exeeded the speed limit.
"Dude, can you slow down a bit?" Billie Joe asked, gripping the seat tightly.
"So I was saying to him you can go fu-" the driver said sloppily, obviously not hearing Billie Joe.
Jen screamed shrilly. Billie Joe swore loudly, the driver swerved madly, a car horn blasted, and a couple of headlights nearly blinded Billie Joe'svision.
SMASH
Black. Everything was black. He could see nothing. He could feel nothing but himself being pushed on a gurney, hear nothig but the beeping of machines and Jen crying, "Billie Joe! Oh my god! Billie Joe! Wake up! Please wake up!"
"Jen..." was all that could quietly escape from his lips.
Billie Joe opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but it slowly came back into focus. He was being pushed on a hospital gurney though a long, wide corridor. Doors opened as the gurney pushed though them.
Billie Joe's mother and Jen were walking with about five doctors who were steering the gurney. Billie Joe's mother gasped.
"He's awake! Billie Joe!"
"Please keep your voice down ma'am. It's eleven at night, and other patients are trying to sleep."
Billie Joe closed his eyes, waiting for the gurney to stop.
The gurney stopped three minutes later. Billie Joe opened his eyes. He was in a small room with peach walls and tiles, with a small mounted TV opposite him and a large window on one side.
Jen and his mother were standing on either side of his bed.
"How are you feeling?" his mother asked.
"Just... Just weak." Billie Joe said, managing a small smile.
Jen held onto his hand, a black tear sliding down her face.
"I'm fine." Billie Joe assured her. "I swear."
She nodded, wiping the tear away.
The doctor cleared his throat. All three of them looked at the doctor, a tall dark man in a white coat.
"Billie Joe I'm Doctor Stanford. We just need to ask some questions, okay?"
Billie Joe nodded.
"Billie Joe, do you remember what happened?" he asked.
"Yeah," Billie Joe said. "I was with Jen at the mall. We got a cab and the bastard driver was drunk-"
"Billie Joe." Billie Joe's mother said sternly.
"Oh, sorry," Billie Joe said. "The wonderful, sweet driver was driving hell fast and he crashed."
There was a silence.
"Who did he crash into?" Billie Joe'smother asked the doctor.
"A couple fo girls. I'm afraid Billie Joe got the most damage out of the three in the car. Jen here only got a bad arm, the driver's neck is being fixed, and his-"
"What about the girls?" ; Billie Joe cut through. The doctor looked as if he was wondering how to say what he was meant to say.
"They're dead, aren't they?" Billie Joe said. The doctor nodded sadly.
"There was nothing we could do." The doctor said. "They were found dead in the car when the ambulance arrived."
More silence. Then-
"Billie Joe, you need surgery. Serious surgery."
Billie snapped his head upwards. His mother clapped her hand over her mouth, and Jen let aout a horrified cry and fell back onto a chair, her head in her hands.
"What sort of surgery?" Billie Joe asked, trying to stay calm.
"You got some rather bad damage to your brain. Your cerebral cortex."
More silence.
"Is it dangerous?" Billie Joe asked.
The doctor nodded. "It can be dangerous if the procedure isn't done right."
"You mean I'll die?"
"Yes."
"And if I don't want to go through with it?"
"You'll die anyway. After all, it's brain surgery."
"I guess I have no choice." Billie Joe sighed.
"If you want a chance to live, then no, you don't have a choice but to go through with it, I'm afraid."
*
The surgery date was set in the operating theatre a week later. Billie Joe was trying to make the most out of the week, knowing that if the surgeon made a mistake, he would be dead.
He spent a full day with each of his closest family and most special friends. One day with mum, three days with his siblings (three days since there were five siblings to spend time with! ) One day with Mike, and of course, one day with Jen. The day with Jen was the most emotional day, as the two of them spent an hour or so at Je'ns house, sitting on her bed, crying their eyes out, and telling each other that they'd still love each other even if anything was to happen to Billie Joe.
"Don't leave me, Billie Joe..." Jen wept onto his shoulder. Billie Joe gently patted her back, trying to hold his tears back.
"I won't..." he assured her. "I won't ever leave you, Jen, I won't."
Jen leaned forward and kissed Billie Joe as if it was the last kiss she'd ever get from him. Billie Joe reached into his pocket. He drew out a silver charm bracelet and hooked it onto her wrist.
"Just to make sure you never forget me." Billie Joe smiled.
"I'll never forget you, Billie Joe." Jen said, holding up her wrist to her eye-level and looking at the bracelet as if it was covered in diamonds. Billie Joe could see the bracelet reflecting in her eyes. Without thinking, Billie Joe held onto her shoulders and gently pushed her backwards onto her bed, his hands sliding under her top as he kissed her neck. Jen removed his top and ran her fingers over his torso, gasping for breath.
Billie Joe was feeling passionate and hot when Jen's door opened.
It was Jen's father.
He took one look at Billie Joe and Jen, who looked up at Jen's dad fearfully.
Jen's father stormed up to the couple, grabbed Billie Joe's arm and dragged him off his daughter, and led him roughly out of the room, down the stairs, and stopped at the front door. He took one look at Billie Joe's bare top half and said in a dangerous voice, "You disgust me, Billie Joe. I knew you didn't deserve my daughter ever since I first saw you. Never, ever, EVER go anyway near her again. You two are over. She deserves better than you. If I see her anywhere near you," Jen's father let go of his arm roughly.
"I'll kill you."
"You've always hated me," Billie Joe said, trying to sound calm. "Ever since I stepped into your house. You don't even know much about me but you hate me. But I don't care if you do. And I don't care if you always will." Billie Joe took a deep breath and continued.
"I love your daughter. I always have, ever since I saw her. I always will. But when I was on my way to meet you, I hoped that her kindness was passed on by her genes." Billie Joe gave Jens father a very dark look.
"But now I know that it was her mother's genes, not yours." And without a word, Billie Joe stormed away from the house.
*
Back at his own house, Billie Joe lay down on his bed, crying. He could never see Jen again. Never. But he had to. He couldn't live without her. He jumped up, went to the phone and dialled her number. Praying that her father wouldn't answer, he waited. Then someone picked up. A sobbing person.
"Jen, I need to talk to you, could you come over?" Billie Joe rushed.
Jen continued to sob.
"Jen?" Billie Joe asked. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Billie Joe, it's Cleo."
Billie Joe'sheart thumped. Jen's mother was on the other end.
"Oh, hi, um what's wrong?"
Jens mother continued to cry.
"Jen's not here, dear." She sobbed, crying more then ever.
"Oh. Is she on her way here?" Billie Joe aked timidly, wondering why Jen's mother was in such distress.
"Billie Joe, dear, I'm so sorry."
"For what? What's the matter?" Billie Joe asked desperately.
"She... She... She committed suicide, Billie Joe."
Billie Joe's heart stopped. He was numb, he couldn't believe his ears.
"No, she couldn't have, she wouldn't have." Billie Joe said, tears silently streaming down his face.
"She did, Billie Joe. I found her dead in her bed."
"What did she do?"
"Sleeping pills."
There was a long silence.
"Billie Joe?"
"Yeah?"
"She left a note."
There was another silence.
"In the note, she said she loved you."
Billie Joe couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." Billie Joe said tearfully.
"That's okay, dear, I have to go too."
"Oh, um, Cleo?"
"Yes dear?"
"I am sorry."
*
Billie Joe spent the next day thinking alot. Not just about Jen's ended life, but his own life. His life had been so crap before Jen came into it, waved her magic wand and turned bread and water into tea and cakes. (that was a figure of speech)
The surgery date was set for tomorrow. Billie Joe was surprised tat he wasn't scared. He was just imagining what might happen during teh surgery when a thought struck him. If his life had been so crap before Jen came into it, then that would mean that his life would be crap from now on. He'd never see Jen again, and he'd get depressed.
He's decided.
He's not going through with the surgery.
He's going to see Jen in the afterlife.
And his father.
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