She Is My Baby, I Love Her So, But It's Too Late Now, I've Let Her Go, chapter 10
Bailey was woken up by someone pounding on the back door. She was lying in the big TV room, with all the lights off. When she had fallen asleep, Bam Magera had been ratifying a new state on MTV. It was now half past one in the morning. Billie Joe, Adie and the rest of Green Day were at some awards show (again), and her half brothers were staying at Billie's mother's house. Calling to Beanpole, Bailey made her way to the door, and flicked on the lights. She wondered who it was- Naomi had gone with Rob to New York for three days and Chalky had flown back to England to spend some time with his own dad. PeeWee was supposedly at his girlfriend's.
"Nibs, if that's you waking me up, you are SO gonna die!" Bailey warned as she opened the door.
"Not me who's dying today, Bambi girl." A dark figure was standing just out of the light, but Bailey knew who it was. She could see his face. And the gun in his hand.
"Oh my God." Bailey whispered. "Liam."
Three hours earlier, up at the awards show bar, Tre was contemplating his beer. Adie came up behind him, and pinched him gently on the shoulder. Tre jumped.
"What the- Adie, hi." Tre patted the stool next to him, and Adie sat down.
"I want to talk to you, Tre." Tre just nodded, so Adie continued. "About Bailey." Tre sat up straight, slopping his beer.
"You know?"
"Yeah. I guessed. And Bailey admitted it."
Tre picked at the label on his beer bottle. "Umm, who else knows?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but failed.
"Just Naomi and me. And you and Bailey obviously." Adie touched his elbow. "Billie Joe has no idea if that's what you meant. But I really think you should tell him before he finds out and freaks."
"Yeah." Tre pulled of the label and began to tear it. "But either way, he'll murder me."
"Or, you just finish with Bailey." Tre looked at Adie in shock.
"WHAT? No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No way. I don't want to that."
"Tre, please listen. She is way too young for you. I mean, God, she's too young for... what you've been doing. Fifteen, Tre. Too young in both America and England."
Tre didn't respond. He had his head in his hands. He wanted to tell Adie to eff off, but he knew she was right.
"I know, I know." Tre got up. "Right, I've only had one beer. I'm going back to yours and I'm going to talk to Bailey right now."
Adie nodded. "Please don't tell her I said anything."
"Whatever. I may come back to the hotel, but I may go back to mine." And possibly kill myself, he added silently.
It took Tre just over two and a half hours to drive back to Billie Joe's. He sat just down the street in his car, trying to decide whether he should take Adie's advice, or go back to his place and finish getting drunk. Did he still have that little baggie of hash somewhere? Tre knew he had finished the vodka last week, but hadn't used up the hash.
He was still thinking when he saw a vaguely familiar deep blue Jeep pull up outside the house. Tre squinted into his rear-view mirror, and then at the digital clock on the dash. Why was Liam going round the back of the house at twenty past one in the morning? And what was the dark thing in his hand?
Tre slid quietly from his own car, and took his phone from the glove box. He punched in 911, and held his thumb over the 'send call' button.
"Hi, yeah, I think I need the police. I'm at my friend's house, and I think his daughter's ex boyfriend is trying to break in. With a gun." Tre gave the operator the address, and moved in after Liam, even though the operator said not to.
He peeked in at the kitchen window, and saw Liam push past Bailey, the gun raised. Bailey held up her hands, trying to calm Liam down. From the way Liam lurched around, he was obviously drunk, and loadsa drugs in him. He dragged Bailey through to the TV room. Tre moved around the corner. Joey had left the golf clubs Tre had 'given' him last Christmas on the steps, so Tre picked out the heaviest, and entered the house.
He could now hear Liam screaming something at Bailey. The nineteen year old guy now had her pinned down on the sofa, his gun lying next to his ankle on the floor. Tre kicked open the door, and swung the club at Liam's head. Liam ducked, and kicked Tre hard. Bailey leapt up, but Liam had wrenched the club away from Tre, and knocked her out cold with it. Tre snatched up the gun, and punched Liam as hard as he possibly could. And with the muscles he had built up from drumming over the years, he could hit pretty damn hard. Liam fell backwards, and cracked his head on the window sill. He was unconscious too. Tre peeked out of the window. Three police squad cars had just pulled up, along with an ambulance.
"Bout bloody time too." Tre muttered. Bailey began to stir, a thin trickle of blood running down her cheek. Tre scooped her up, and helped her stand.
"You OK?"
Bailey touched her head where Liam hit her. "Headache." She said in a small voice. She looked at Tre in surprise. "Why are you here?"
Tre shook his head. "Just was, I guess."
"Lucky."
"Yeah."
"Nibs, if that's you waking me up, you are SO gonna die!" Bailey warned as she opened the door.
"Not me who's dying today, Bambi girl." A dark figure was standing just out of the light, but Bailey knew who it was. She could see his face. And the gun in his hand.
"Oh my God." Bailey whispered. "Liam."
Three hours earlier, up at the awards show bar, Tre was contemplating his beer. Adie came up behind him, and pinched him gently on the shoulder. Tre jumped.
"What the- Adie, hi." Tre patted the stool next to him, and Adie sat down.
"I want to talk to you, Tre." Tre just nodded, so Adie continued. "About Bailey." Tre sat up straight, slopping his beer.
"You know?"
"Yeah. I guessed. And Bailey admitted it."
Tre picked at the label on his beer bottle. "Umm, who else knows?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but failed.
"Just Naomi and me. And you and Bailey obviously." Adie touched his elbow. "Billie Joe has no idea if that's what you meant. But I really think you should tell him before he finds out and freaks."
"Yeah." Tre pulled of the label and began to tear it. "But either way, he'll murder me."
"Or, you just finish with Bailey." Tre looked at Adie in shock.
"WHAT? No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No way. I don't want to that."
"Tre, please listen. She is way too young for you. I mean, God, she's too young for... what you've been doing. Fifteen, Tre. Too young in both America and England."
Tre didn't respond. He had his head in his hands. He wanted to tell Adie to eff off, but he knew she was right.
"I know, I know." Tre got up. "Right, I've only had one beer. I'm going back to yours and I'm going to talk to Bailey right now."
Adie nodded. "Please don't tell her I said anything."
"Whatever. I may come back to the hotel, but I may go back to mine." And possibly kill myself, he added silently.
It took Tre just over two and a half hours to drive back to Billie Joe's. He sat just down the street in his car, trying to decide whether he should take Adie's advice, or go back to his place and finish getting drunk. Did he still have that little baggie of hash somewhere? Tre knew he had finished the vodka last week, but hadn't used up the hash.
He was still thinking when he saw a vaguely familiar deep blue Jeep pull up outside the house. Tre squinted into his rear-view mirror, and then at the digital clock on the dash. Why was Liam going round the back of the house at twenty past one in the morning? And what was the dark thing in his hand?
Tre slid quietly from his own car, and took his phone from the glove box. He punched in 911, and held his thumb over the 'send call' button.
"Hi, yeah, I think I need the police. I'm at my friend's house, and I think his daughter's ex boyfriend is trying to break in. With a gun." Tre gave the operator the address, and moved in after Liam, even though the operator said not to.
He peeked in at the kitchen window, and saw Liam push past Bailey, the gun raised. Bailey held up her hands, trying to calm Liam down. From the way Liam lurched around, he was obviously drunk, and loadsa drugs in him. He dragged Bailey through to the TV room. Tre moved around the corner. Joey had left the golf clubs Tre had 'given' him last Christmas on the steps, so Tre picked out the heaviest, and entered the house.
He could now hear Liam screaming something at Bailey. The nineteen year old guy now had her pinned down on the sofa, his gun lying next to his ankle on the floor. Tre kicked open the door, and swung the club at Liam's head. Liam ducked, and kicked Tre hard. Bailey leapt up, but Liam had wrenched the club away from Tre, and knocked her out cold with it. Tre snatched up the gun, and punched Liam as hard as he possibly could. And with the muscles he had built up from drumming over the years, he could hit pretty damn hard. Liam fell backwards, and cracked his head on the window sill. He was unconscious too. Tre peeked out of the window. Three police squad cars had just pulled up, along with an ambulance.
"Bout bloody time too." Tre muttered. Bailey began to stir, a thin trickle of blood running down her cheek. Tre scooped her up, and helped her stand.
"You OK?"
Bailey touched her head where Liam hit her. "Headache." She said in a small voice. She looked at Tre in surprise. "Why are you here?"
Tre shook his head. "Just was, I guess."
"Lucky."
"Yeah."
