Violence of Summer, chapter 6
"I've had two reports of the two of you smoking that stuff behind the school field, which is completely un-acceptable on school grounds especially during your lessons! Also I've heard from two people of which names I will not say that you Mr Armstrong have actually been selling these things to my students!"
Billie hung his head trying to keep a straight face looking over at Mike who shrugged lightly. Charlie and Sid stood next to them as they glanced at each other nervously.
"To top it all off." The principal said taking in a breath walking around his desk. "I've got a report of you abusing school property."
"What?" Billie said looking up.
"Don't back chat young man. Unless you want four months in-school suspension!"
"That is totally un call for!" Billie said his mouth dropping.
"I make the calls here Armstrong! I'm suspending you from all in-school activity and I think I'm going to advise you're mother to suspend you from outer school activities as well. You're grades have been dropping like nothing I've ever seen!"
"You can't do that!" Billie said loudly as Mike looked at Charlie and Sid cautiously. "I don't give a shit about in school suspension or not doing activities in school but you can't suspend me from out of school activities!"
"Oh yes I can, and don't use that language with me you rude arrogant little child."
Charlie's mouth dropped slightly waiting for this argument to continue. She knew what was coming and she wasn't wrong...
"The last thing we need in this school are worthless boys like you who take everything for granted."
"Well guess what." Billie said through gritted teeth. "There's one less of them. This is the last I'll see of this shit hole. I'm dropping out!"
Sid, Mike and Charlie turned their heads to look at Billie with a look of shock on their faces.
"You wanna make that official Armstrong?" The principal said quite taken aback but probably not very surprised.
"Hell yeah. This is my last day. You can count on that!" Billie shouted before storming out of the principal's office slamming the door behind him.
Silence fell over the room as the principal breathed in heavily going back over to his desk as Mike, Sid and Charlie all looked at each other not quite knowing what to do. The end of school bell had already gone an hour ago and they were all anxious to get out of his office the sooner the better. They knew that Billie had gone for good, and Mike knew it had been coming for a while. He knew Billie wouldn't be able to hold it out to the end.
"Well... " the principal said after a while. "I'd like to see you all back here on Monday morning; you're in-school suspension starts then. An hour after school for three weeks. I'll be calling all you're parents.
***
"And then I said hey, you listen to me you little shit! No one tells me what to do!" Billie slurred slamming his drink down on the table so it spilled everywhere. He was explaining to the group and a couple of other friends how he had dropped out of school the previous day, slightly over-exaggerating the story how ever.
Tre laughed at him looking over at Charlie and Sid who were laughing at him. The group of friends were sat in their usual table at their favorite club, Gilman Street.
After Billie Joe had finished explaining his story and had, had a booster up of his ego from people complimenting his performance he ordered some more drinks for his four friends necking the remainder of his. Sid was sat in Mike's lap and they were sucking each others faces off while Sid kept giggling when Mike's hand kept creeping up her skirt. Charlie scoffed at them picking up her drink as Tre moved closer to her.
"Fancy doin' some that ourselves?" Tre whispered in her ear sending shivers down Charlie's spine.
"Keep on dreamin' Edwin Wright." Charlie said simply.
"I'm running out of clean sheets Charlie." Tre said cocking an eyebrow.
Charlie tried not to laugh at his funny but gross compliment shoving him in the shoulder.
"Hey it's the guys of Green Day!" a very drugged up weird looking punk suddenly said sitting down next to Mike and Sid shoving them a bit, interrupting their making out session. "How you guys doin'?" he asked as none of them looked very interested or quite with it.
"Bored... " Billie mumbled. "When are the good bands gonna come on man!?" he said loudly jerking his head towards a couple of guys up on stage who weren't very exhilarating.
"So I take it you guys aren't on the bill tonight then?" the guy asked.
"Nope." Tre said picking up his beer.
"I guess... if you could... you'd wanna play every night right?" the guy asked leaning forward as Charlie yawned resting her head on Tre's shoulder.
"Hell yeah. I love getting up there and playing for people ya know... gives me a sense of... life... " Billie shrugged.
Mike chuckled at him as Sid shuffled out of his lap resting on the seat in between Mike and Charlie.
"You guys ever been on tour?" the man asked.
Mike glanced at Tre and Billie raising an eyebrow as Billie answered the question.
"No... we were gonna go on tour after the slapped out album, but we just didn't have the money you know. Then Al left... " Billie trailed.
"Oh well I guess you bumped into the right person." The guy smiled.
"We didn't bump into you. You came and sat at our table." Tre pointed out.
The guy laughed at Tre sitting back in his chair getting out a cigarette. "I'm Bob Fersons. I'm a tour co-coordinator for Lookout! Records. Basically what I do is check out some new stuff that's been going around, and see if it's good enough to go out on tour, and I stumbled upon a demo of Kerplunk and you guys are... something else... "
Billie, Tre and Mike all looked at each other speechless waiting for this Bob guy to continue.
"I really think you guys are gonna make enough money out of this album to tour. I mean it's got a small budget and you guys are gonna have to provide yourself with a van of some sort... but we'll get you the gigs... that's all you gotta worry about."
"Wait so all we've gotta do is make the album in like... what a week?" Mike asked.
"Maybe less. We've got a budget of three thousand dollars which gives you about three days max."
The three boys exchanged looks once more before looking back at Bob. "I've talked to your producer guys. He thinks it's a good idea just like I do. All you gotta say is the word. You know the number. Give us a call." With that Bob nodded at the guys smiling, getting up off his chair.
Charlie and Sid looked at each other not quite sure what that was all about but they waited for the boys to react.
"Holy shit guys... " Mike said after a while. "A fucking tour!"
"A tour... as in playing somewhere different... getting out of this shit hole... playing in different clubs... " Billie said looking down at his drink.
"We gotta take this opportunity. We can make that record in three days no problem, dude we'll kick ass." Tre said moving forward. "Think about it... a tour... like as in other states... "
Billie hung his head trying to keep a straight face looking over at Mike who shrugged lightly. Charlie and Sid stood next to them as they glanced at each other nervously.
"To top it all off." The principal said taking in a breath walking around his desk. "I've got a report of you abusing school property."
"What?" Billie said looking up.
"Don't back chat young man. Unless you want four months in-school suspension!"
"That is totally un call for!" Billie said his mouth dropping.
"I make the calls here Armstrong! I'm suspending you from all in-school activity and I think I'm going to advise you're mother to suspend you from outer school activities as well. You're grades have been dropping like nothing I've ever seen!"
"You can't do that!" Billie said loudly as Mike looked at Charlie and Sid cautiously. "I don't give a shit about in school suspension or not doing activities in school but you can't suspend me from out of school activities!"
"Oh yes I can, and don't use that language with me you rude arrogant little child."
Charlie's mouth dropped slightly waiting for this argument to continue. She knew what was coming and she wasn't wrong...
"The last thing we need in this school are worthless boys like you who take everything for granted."
"Well guess what." Billie said through gritted teeth. "There's one less of them. This is the last I'll see of this shit hole. I'm dropping out!"
Sid, Mike and Charlie turned their heads to look at Billie with a look of shock on their faces.
"You wanna make that official Armstrong?" The principal said quite taken aback but probably not very surprised.
"Hell yeah. This is my last day. You can count on that!" Billie shouted before storming out of the principal's office slamming the door behind him.
Silence fell over the room as the principal breathed in heavily going back over to his desk as Mike, Sid and Charlie all looked at each other not quite knowing what to do. The end of school bell had already gone an hour ago and they were all anxious to get out of his office the sooner the better. They knew that Billie had gone for good, and Mike knew it had been coming for a while. He knew Billie wouldn't be able to hold it out to the end.
"Well... " the principal said after a while. "I'd like to see you all back here on Monday morning; you're in-school suspension starts then. An hour after school for three weeks. I'll be calling all you're parents.
***
"And then I said hey, you listen to me you little shit! No one tells me what to do!" Billie slurred slamming his drink down on the table so it spilled everywhere. He was explaining to the group and a couple of other friends how he had dropped out of school the previous day, slightly over-exaggerating the story how ever.
Tre laughed at him looking over at Charlie and Sid who were laughing at him. The group of friends were sat in their usual table at their favorite club, Gilman Street.
After Billie Joe had finished explaining his story and had, had a booster up of his ego from people complimenting his performance he ordered some more drinks for his four friends necking the remainder of his. Sid was sat in Mike's lap and they were sucking each others faces off while Sid kept giggling when Mike's hand kept creeping up her skirt. Charlie scoffed at them picking up her drink as Tre moved closer to her.
"Fancy doin' some that ourselves?" Tre whispered in her ear sending shivers down Charlie's spine.
"Keep on dreamin' Edwin Wright." Charlie said simply.
"I'm running out of clean sheets Charlie." Tre said cocking an eyebrow.
Charlie tried not to laugh at his funny but gross compliment shoving him in the shoulder.
"Hey it's the guys of Green Day!" a very drugged up weird looking punk suddenly said sitting down next to Mike and Sid shoving them a bit, interrupting their making out session. "How you guys doin'?" he asked as none of them looked very interested or quite with it.
"Bored... " Billie mumbled. "When are the good bands gonna come on man!?" he said loudly jerking his head towards a couple of guys up on stage who weren't very exhilarating.
"So I take it you guys aren't on the bill tonight then?" the guy asked.
"Nope." Tre said picking up his beer.
"I guess... if you could... you'd wanna play every night right?" the guy asked leaning forward as Charlie yawned resting her head on Tre's shoulder.
"Hell yeah. I love getting up there and playing for people ya know... gives me a sense of... life... " Billie shrugged.
Mike chuckled at him as Sid shuffled out of his lap resting on the seat in between Mike and Charlie.
"You guys ever been on tour?" the man asked.
Mike glanced at Tre and Billie raising an eyebrow as Billie answered the question.
"No... we were gonna go on tour after the slapped out album, but we just didn't have the money you know. Then Al left... " Billie trailed.
"Oh well I guess you bumped into the right person." The guy smiled.
"We didn't bump into you. You came and sat at our table." Tre pointed out.
The guy laughed at Tre sitting back in his chair getting out a cigarette. "I'm Bob Fersons. I'm a tour co-coordinator for Lookout! Records. Basically what I do is check out some new stuff that's been going around, and see if it's good enough to go out on tour, and I stumbled upon a demo of Kerplunk and you guys are... something else... "
Billie, Tre and Mike all looked at each other speechless waiting for this Bob guy to continue.
"I really think you guys are gonna make enough money out of this album to tour. I mean it's got a small budget and you guys are gonna have to provide yourself with a van of some sort... but we'll get you the gigs... that's all you gotta worry about."
"Wait so all we've gotta do is make the album in like... what a week?" Mike asked.
"Maybe less. We've got a budget of three thousand dollars which gives you about three days max."
The three boys exchanged looks once more before looking back at Bob. "I've talked to your producer guys. He thinks it's a good idea just like I do. All you gotta say is the word. You know the number. Give us a call." With that Bob nodded at the guys smiling, getting up off his chair.
Charlie and Sid looked at each other not quite sure what that was all about but they waited for the boys to react.
"Holy shit guys... " Mike said after a while. "A fucking tour!"
"A tour... as in playing somewhere different... getting out of this shit hole... playing in different clubs... " Billie said looking down at his drink.
"We gotta take this opportunity. We can make that record in three days no problem, dude we'll kick ass." Tre said moving forward. "Think about it... a tour... like as in other states... "
