These Friends Of Mine, chapter 22
"How about... A month from now?" he asked her.
"When would that be?" she questioned.
"April 3rd." he replied.
"My birthday? I don't think so." she laughed.
He blushed. "I knew that... What about April 1st?"
"April fool's day? Are you kidding me?"
"Okay okay, May 4th."
"... Mike. That's your birthday. Let's just go with the nice, safe date of April 20th. Nothing happens then."
"Alright. April 20th it is."
He smiled and the phone in the kicthen rang. Jade set the calender she was holding down and got to her feet, wondering who could be calling. Maybe Billie Joe and Adrienne found a nice house. That would be cool.
She made her way through the kitchen and to the phone. It was on the third ring by the time she got to it. She picked it up hurridley, not wanting to miss the call, and then she listend to the voice on the other line.
"Um, is this the Smith residance?" a rather familiar voice asked.
"Yeah." she replied.
"Jade! Hi, It's Matthew Dean." he said.
"Oh really? Hi. Jumped up on the offer to call me pretty quick, huh?"
"Well, I'm in town and I was just wondering if-"
"What the hell are you doing 'in town'? I thought you were over seas still."
"It's a long story. Camprien let me get some time off because of everything that happend and I decided that I wanted to visit you. I didn't get a chance to apologize."
"Alright alright. Where are you?"
"On this street called Gilman."
"Okay then you're pretty close."
"Does that mean I can come over?"
"Let me make some phone calls to see if it's alright with my room mates. I'll call you then. Bye."
She hung up the phone and called for Mike. A few seconds later he came strolling out of the study, looking a little confused. What'd she want? Who had called? He thought on those questions as he walked up to her.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Uh... Is it alright if a military friend of mine comes over for a visit? He's in town and I just wanted to make sure it was alright for him-"
"Jade. What are you talking about? Of course he can come over." he cut her off.
"Well, I still have to check with Billie and Tre. It's like you guys forget that you're rock-stars sometimes." she sighed.
She turned back to the phone and called Billie's cell. When he answerd she talked it over with him, and in the end it was okay for Matt to come over. Next she called Tre and he said it was fine with him. Finally, she called Matt back.
She gave him the address, hung up, and walked into the living room with Mike. They plopped down on the couch together and waited for everyone to show up. Adie and Billie said they wanted to meet Matt, same with Tre, and they all chose to drive back home. Just wonderful. She was going to have a hell of time explaining herself to Matt about rock-stars living in her house.
After five minutes there was knock at the door. 'Must be him. ' she thought as she got up to answer it. 'Why would the others knock? ' She pulled back the door,
Reveavling a sunburned Matthew behind it. Guess he wasn't used to the heat.
With a slight laugh she let him inside. His jaw dropped. Like she hadn't seen that look before... She closed the door behind him and let him look around. When his eyes met Mike's he was unfazed. Maybe he didn't listen to rock music.
That would be great.
"Um..." she said as she joined Mike. "This is my fiance, Mike."
"Hello Mike. You look familiar, what's your last name?" he asked.
"Pritchard." he replied shortly. "Micheal Ryan Pritchard. And your name is?"
"Matthew Alexander Dean. Nice to meet you." they shook hands. "I swear to god you look just like Mike Di-"
"That's because I am Mike Dirnt, but that's just my stage name. Guess you figured me out though."
"Holy shit. Jade, why didn't you tell me? This is so-"
The door flew open and Tre ran inside. He raced over to Jade screaming; 'I wanna meet the newb! I wanna meet the newb! ' The Armstrong family enterd less dramaticly, carefully closing the door behind them and joining everyone else in the living room.
"The lovely couple would be Billie Joe and Adrienne with their son Joseph. Oh, and that thing is Tre." Jade joked.
Matt grinned. "Hi. I'm Matthew." he told them.
"So you're the bastard who shot Jade? Come here you stupid fuck!" Tre shouted. Billie held him back.
"Tre, calm down. It was an accident." he reasoned. "Back off."
"I am so going to kick his ass before he heads back to... Where ever the hell he's from."
"Michigan?" Matt asked.
"Yes, thank you... Hey, shut up!"
Billie did everything in his power to restrian Tre. He never saw him get pissed off so easily. The newb just took a step back, away from Tre. He didn't want anything to do with an angry punk rock drummer.
After awhile Tre cooled off and things went back to normal. Matt asked Mike if it was alright if he could steal Jade for a few moments, just for a walk around town. Mike allowed it, but he made Adrienne tag along to make sure he didn't try anything. Billie brought Joseph up to a room he and Adie had turned into a paly room and then they sat around downstairs.
Tre was neglecting eye contact with either of them. Billie knew why. He really didn't trust Matt. The truth was, neither did he. He didn't understand why, there was just a weird feeling Matt gave him. It was very strange.
The thought of Matt made Billie put his head down and neglect eye contact too. There was something about him that he didn't like, something he had to be hiding. What pissed him off was the fact that he couldn't figure out what that something was.
"Okay, what's going on. You both have been dead silent for five minutes." Mike stated.
Tre lifted his head. "I don't like him." he said flatly.
"I don't trust him." Billie confessed. "Mike, I'm scared for Jade. Something is going on with that guy."
"What are you talking about?"
"Put it together man. He comes all the way from Iraq just to see Jade, calls her the day after he shoots her, then he wants to be alone with her for awhile. He has something up his sleeve!" Tre yelled.
"You guys are over-reacting. He's perfectly normal."
Billie shrugged. "Normal or not, he's holding something from us. If I were you, I would definatly keep an eye on him..."
"When would that be?" she questioned.
"April 3rd." he replied.
"My birthday? I don't think so." she laughed.
He blushed. "I knew that... What about April 1st?"
"April fool's day? Are you kidding me?"
"Okay okay, May 4th."
"... Mike. That's your birthday. Let's just go with the nice, safe date of April 20th. Nothing happens then."
"Alright. April 20th it is."
He smiled and the phone in the kicthen rang. Jade set the calender she was holding down and got to her feet, wondering who could be calling. Maybe Billie Joe and Adrienne found a nice house. That would be cool.
She made her way through the kitchen and to the phone. It was on the third ring by the time she got to it. She picked it up hurridley, not wanting to miss the call, and then she listend to the voice on the other line.
"Um, is this the Smith residance?" a rather familiar voice asked.
"Yeah." she replied.
"Jade! Hi, It's Matthew Dean." he said.
"Oh really? Hi. Jumped up on the offer to call me pretty quick, huh?"
"Well, I'm in town and I was just wondering if-"
"What the hell are you doing 'in town'? I thought you were over seas still."
"It's a long story. Camprien let me get some time off because of everything that happend and I decided that I wanted to visit you. I didn't get a chance to apologize."
"Alright alright. Where are you?"
"On this street called Gilman."
"Okay then you're pretty close."
"Does that mean I can come over?"
"Let me make some phone calls to see if it's alright with my room mates. I'll call you then. Bye."
She hung up the phone and called for Mike. A few seconds later he came strolling out of the study, looking a little confused. What'd she want? Who had called? He thought on those questions as he walked up to her.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Uh... Is it alright if a military friend of mine comes over for a visit? He's in town and I just wanted to make sure it was alright for him-"
"Jade. What are you talking about? Of course he can come over." he cut her off.
"Well, I still have to check with Billie and Tre. It's like you guys forget that you're rock-stars sometimes." she sighed.
She turned back to the phone and called Billie's cell. When he answerd she talked it over with him, and in the end it was okay for Matt to come over. Next she called Tre and he said it was fine with him. Finally, she called Matt back.
She gave him the address, hung up, and walked into the living room with Mike. They plopped down on the couch together and waited for everyone to show up. Adie and Billie said they wanted to meet Matt, same with Tre, and they all chose to drive back home. Just wonderful. She was going to have a hell of time explaining herself to Matt about rock-stars living in her house.
After five minutes there was knock at the door. 'Must be him. ' she thought as she got up to answer it. 'Why would the others knock? ' She pulled back the door,
Reveavling a sunburned Matthew behind it. Guess he wasn't used to the heat.
With a slight laugh she let him inside. His jaw dropped. Like she hadn't seen that look before... She closed the door behind him and let him look around. When his eyes met Mike's he was unfazed. Maybe he didn't listen to rock music.
That would be great.
"Um..." she said as she joined Mike. "This is my fiance, Mike."
"Hello Mike. You look familiar, what's your last name?" he asked.
"Pritchard." he replied shortly. "Micheal Ryan Pritchard. And your name is?"
"Matthew Alexander Dean. Nice to meet you." they shook hands. "I swear to god you look just like Mike Di-"
"That's because I am Mike Dirnt, but that's just my stage name. Guess you figured me out though."
"Holy shit. Jade, why didn't you tell me? This is so-"
The door flew open and Tre ran inside. He raced over to Jade screaming; 'I wanna meet the newb! I wanna meet the newb! ' The Armstrong family enterd less dramaticly, carefully closing the door behind them and joining everyone else in the living room.
"The lovely couple would be Billie Joe and Adrienne with their son Joseph. Oh, and that thing is Tre." Jade joked.
Matt grinned. "Hi. I'm Matthew." he told them.
"So you're the bastard who shot Jade? Come here you stupid fuck!" Tre shouted. Billie held him back.
"Tre, calm down. It was an accident." he reasoned. "Back off."
"I am so going to kick his ass before he heads back to... Where ever the hell he's from."
"Michigan?" Matt asked.
"Yes, thank you... Hey, shut up!"
Billie did everything in his power to restrian Tre. He never saw him get pissed off so easily. The newb just took a step back, away from Tre. He didn't want anything to do with an angry punk rock drummer.
After awhile Tre cooled off and things went back to normal. Matt asked Mike if it was alright if he could steal Jade for a few moments, just for a walk around town. Mike allowed it, but he made Adrienne tag along to make sure he didn't try anything. Billie brought Joseph up to a room he and Adie had turned into a paly room and then they sat around downstairs.
Tre was neglecting eye contact with either of them. Billie knew why. He really didn't trust Matt. The truth was, neither did he. He didn't understand why, there was just a weird feeling Matt gave him. It was very strange.
The thought of Matt made Billie put his head down and neglect eye contact too. There was something about him that he didn't like, something he had to be hiding. What pissed him off was the fact that he couldn't figure out what that something was.
"Okay, what's going on. You both have been dead silent for five minutes." Mike stated.
Tre lifted his head. "I don't like him." he said flatly.
"I don't trust him." Billie confessed. "Mike, I'm scared for Jade. Something is going on with that guy."
"What are you talking about?"
"Put it together man. He comes all the way from Iraq just to see Jade, calls her the day after he shoots her, then he wants to be alone with her for awhile. He has something up his sleeve!" Tre yelled.
"You guys are over-reacting. He's perfectly normal."
Billie shrugged. "Normal or not, he's holding something from us. If I were you, I would definatly keep an eye on him..."
