She Is My Baby, I Love Her So, But It's Too Late Now, I've Let Her Go, chapter 11
(Bailey has just turned seventeen. Eighteen months had passed since Liam broke in. He had been sentenced to five years in prison. ) (Also, can't re
"Looking good, Bailey." Billie Joe commented. He was talking about the new Sweet Children tour bus, which Bailey, Naomi and the boys were adding the finishing touches to.
The band had done quite a good job of redecorating it. Originally a basic, boring black double decker, they had sprayed it all. The roof and walls of the top deck remained black, but below, they had painted it silver, with their band logos in metallic red. Bailey had found some glass paint, and each band member had painted in a window each, one in each of their room/ closets. Nibs had a massive drum kit (original! ) Chalky had a big, Goth scene, PeeWee had a half-naked, porn star-esque woman, and Bailey had painted hers in a wormhole spiral style, all the different colours looping over each other. Inside, she had painted it red with a black border at the top of the walls and a black ceiling, with a big union jack flag over her bed and lyrics from her favourite songs, quotes, one- liners and stupid slogans written in magic marker. It was kind of like the punk guy's room in the video for Jesus Of Suburbia video, which would make sense, seeing as the video room was based on her tour bus room. The back of it was completely silver, with 'Sweet Children' sprayed in massive metallic red letters. Bailey and Nibs had gotten bored that morning, and added a flaming hand that was sticking it's middle finger up, in memory of last week's gig, when Bailey had gotten 'slightly' drunk (i. E. VERY drunk) and set fire to her fingerless glove. Which she happened to be wearing at the time.
Naomi was staying over that night, so she and Bailey decided to sleep in the bus, and loaded it up with the necessities: Ben and Jerry ice cream, popcorn, chocolate and loads of DVDs.
Bailey flopped onto her bed, closely followed by Naomi and Beanpole. Naomi fell down beside Bailey, and Beanpole crawled into his doggy basket under Bailey's bed. Naomi watched Bailey flick the ringpull of her can, a frown on her pretty, pale face.
''What's up? ''
"Huh?" Bailey started; she had been lost in thought. "Oh, nothing. Just, I think Tre has been acting weirdly. ''
"Yeah, I saw that. Have you two argued or something?"
Bailey shook her head violently. "That's what's so weird. Since the whole Liam thing that night, Tre's just seemed, kinda, well DISTANT, I guess. Ugh. Do you think he may be going off me?"
It was Naomi's turn to shake her head. 'Definitely not. You only see him when you're looking, if that makes sense? ' Bailey looked blank. 'Well, when you've got your back to him, I see him looking at you like he always does, like there is no-one else in the world. Like he is totally in love with you! '
Bailey had a dumb, goofy smile on her face for all of three seconds, before she crumpled again. 'So WHY is he being so weird? ' she screamed, thumping her pillow for emphasis.
''Ask him. '' Naomi gulped down her drink. Bailey stared at her.
''I can't do that. ''
''Sure you can. ''
''I CAN'T!" Bailey sighed. "You expect me just to walk up to him and be all "Tre Cool, why are you being such a weirdo?" Naomi shrugged. "OmiGOD, you DO?"
''Yes. ''
''Naomi... Just, UGH! Fine. '' Bailey sat up. "Nai, you haven't said anything to him? Have you? ''
Naomi spluttered indignantly. "How bloody DARE you, Bailey? No way would I do that!"
Bailey shook her head. "No, sorry." She flicked the ringpull again, when a thought occurred to her. "Hey, you don't think Adie would've, do you?"
Naomi began to speak, but was cut off by Nibs thumping on the door.
"Bailey," Nibs called. "Move yo arse. We're re-spraying outside your window."
"'Kay. I'm coming, just gimme a sec."
"'Kay."
Naomi and Bailey sat outside, watching the boys outline a big, red 'S' in silver. Bailey's phone bleeped. It was another text from Tre, asking her to come to his house. Now.
"It's OK." Naomi said. "I'll meet you later. Go talk to him now."
Ten minutes later, Bailey pulled up at Tre's house on her brand new, black and pink Harley Davidson motorbike. She marched up to his door, and knocked gently. Tre let her in.
"So what's... " Tre held up his hand, cutting her off.
"Bailey, please. Um, look, I really... I mean... You and me... Shit." Tre sat down heavily on the sofa. Bailey continued to stand by the door. She knew where this was going, and she wanted to make a quick exit.
"What I'm trying to say is... "
"What you're trying to say is, me and you can't do that anymore." Bailey finished in a low voice.
"Yeah, exactly." Tre gave a half-hearted laugh, then stopped as he saw the look in Bailey's eyes. She was doing a pretty good job of keeping her face blank, but she couldn't disguise the small tears in the corners of her greeny hazel eyes. Tre felt he should try to explain.
"Please, Honey Bee, it's just, you're so much younger than me, and I mean, there's your dad to consider. And, well, I already should be in prison for child molestation. I just don't think it would work, Bee."
"Funny." Bailey's voice was low. "I thought it was working."
"Bailey, I don't want to do this, but... '
'Too late, Tre, you did it. '
'No, I would never change what we did, but what I'm doing now. Finishing this. '
Bailey exploded. "So why ARE you then? ' Bailey couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. She jammed her helmet over her head, and threw open the door. She stopped, though. She always had to have the last word.
"And you can't finish anything, Tre. We never had anything to finish. We were just... Let's say friends who fucked, yeah?" Bailey could be a seriously cold- hearted bitch when she wanted to be.
Tre stepped forward, and slammed the door, Bailey still in his front hall. Tre put his face just a few inches from Bailey's.
"Just what was I to you?" Tre asked in a whisper.
Bailey took a deep breath. What could she say? She couldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing just how much she loved him. How much she STILL loved him. A small, cold, bitchy smile spread over her face.
"To quote your own video, Tre, you'll be a great memory." Bailey stepped out into the corridor. This time, however, it would be Tre who had the last word.
"This isn't the music video, Bailey. The difference is, I did love you. And I still do."
And he shut the door.
"Looking good, Bailey." Billie Joe commented. He was talking about the new Sweet Children tour bus, which Bailey, Naomi and the boys were adding the finishing touches to.
The band had done quite a good job of redecorating it. Originally a basic, boring black double decker, they had sprayed it all. The roof and walls of the top deck remained black, but below, they had painted it silver, with their band logos in metallic red. Bailey had found some glass paint, and each band member had painted in a window each, one in each of their room/ closets. Nibs had a massive drum kit (original! ) Chalky had a big, Goth scene, PeeWee had a half-naked, porn star-esque woman, and Bailey had painted hers in a wormhole spiral style, all the different colours looping over each other. Inside, she had painted it red with a black border at the top of the walls and a black ceiling, with a big union jack flag over her bed and lyrics from her favourite songs, quotes, one- liners and stupid slogans written in magic marker. It was kind of like the punk guy's room in the video for Jesus Of Suburbia video, which would make sense, seeing as the video room was based on her tour bus room. The back of it was completely silver, with 'Sweet Children' sprayed in massive metallic red letters. Bailey and Nibs had gotten bored that morning, and added a flaming hand that was sticking it's middle finger up, in memory of last week's gig, when Bailey had gotten 'slightly' drunk (i. E. VERY drunk) and set fire to her fingerless glove. Which she happened to be wearing at the time.
Naomi was staying over that night, so she and Bailey decided to sleep in the bus, and loaded it up with the necessities: Ben and Jerry ice cream, popcorn, chocolate and loads of DVDs.
Bailey flopped onto her bed, closely followed by Naomi and Beanpole. Naomi fell down beside Bailey, and Beanpole crawled into his doggy basket under Bailey's bed. Naomi watched Bailey flick the ringpull of her can, a frown on her pretty, pale face.
''What's up? ''
"Huh?" Bailey started; she had been lost in thought. "Oh, nothing. Just, I think Tre has been acting weirdly. ''
"Yeah, I saw that. Have you two argued or something?"
Bailey shook her head violently. "That's what's so weird. Since the whole Liam thing that night, Tre's just seemed, kinda, well DISTANT, I guess. Ugh. Do you think he may be going off me?"
It was Naomi's turn to shake her head. 'Definitely not. You only see him when you're looking, if that makes sense? ' Bailey looked blank. 'Well, when you've got your back to him, I see him looking at you like he always does, like there is no-one else in the world. Like he is totally in love with you! '
Bailey had a dumb, goofy smile on her face for all of three seconds, before she crumpled again. 'So WHY is he being so weird? ' she screamed, thumping her pillow for emphasis.
''Ask him. '' Naomi gulped down her drink. Bailey stared at her.
''I can't do that. ''
''Sure you can. ''
''I CAN'T!" Bailey sighed. "You expect me just to walk up to him and be all "Tre Cool, why are you being such a weirdo?" Naomi shrugged. "OmiGOD, you DO?"
''Yes. ''
''Naomi... Just, UGH! Fine. '' Bailey sat up. "Nai, you haven't said anything to him? Have you? ''
Naomi spluttered indignantly. "How bloody DARE you, Bailey? No way would I do that!"
Bailey shook her head. "No, sorry." She flicked the ringpull again, when a thought occurred to her. "Hey, you don't think Adie would've, do you?"
Naomi began to speak, but was cut off by Nibs thumping on the door.
"Bailey," Nibs called. "Move yo arse. We're re-spraying outside your window."
"'Kay. I'm coming, just gimme a sec."
"'Kay."
Naomi and Bailey sat outside, watching the boys outline a big, red 'S' in silver. Bailey's phone bleeped. It was another text from Tre, asking her to come to his house. Now.
"It's OK." Naomi said. "I'll meet you later. Go talk to him now."
Ten minutes later, Bailey pulled up at Tre's house on her brand new, black and pink Harley Davidson motorbike. She marched up to his door, and knocked gently. Tre let her in.
"So what's... " Tre held up his hand, cutting her off.
"Bailey, please. Um, look, I really... I mean... You and me... Shit." Tre sat down heavily on the sofa. Bailey continued to stand by the door. She knew where this was going, and she wanted to make a quick exit.
"What I'm trying to say is... "
"What you're trying to say is, me and you can't do that anymore." Bailey finished in a low voice.
"Yeah, exactly." Tre gave a half-hearted laugh, then stopped as he saw the look in Bailey's eyes. She was doing a pretty good job of keeping her face blank, but she couldn't disguise the small tears in the corners of her greeny hazel eyes. Tre felt he should try to explain.
"Please, Honey Bee, it's just, you're so much younger than me, and I mean, there's your dad to consider. And, well, I already should be in prison for child molestation. I just don't think it would work, Bee."
"Funny." Bailey's voice was low. "I thought it was working."
"Bailey, I don't want to do this, but... '
'Too late, Tre, you did it. '
'No, I would never change what we did, but what I'm doing now. Finishing this. '
Bailey exploded. "So why ARE you then? ' Bailey couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. She jammed her helmet over her head, and threw open the door. She stopped, though. She always had to have the last word.
"And you can't finish anything, Tre. We never had anything to finish. We were just... Let's say friends who fucked, yeah?" Bailey could be a seriously cold- hearted bitch when she wanted to be.
Tre stepped forward, and slammed the door, Bailey still in his front hall. Tre put his face just a few inches from Bailey's.
"Just what was I to you?" Tre asked in a whisper.
Bailey took a deep breath. What could she say? She couldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing just how much she loved him. How much she STILL loved him. A small, cold, bitchy smile spread over her face.
"To quote your own video, Tre, you'll be a great memory." Bailey stepped out into the corridor. This time, however, it would be Tre who had the last word.
"This isn't the music video, Bailey. The difference is, I did love you. And I still do."
And he shut the door.
