When He Came Around, chapter 2
As Billie Joe was finished from being ushered through the backstage of the stadium, he heard Tre already banging away on the drums. Smiling, he quickened his pace and ran out onto the stage where Jason White, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were standing, along with some other people that were there for technical support. "You're early," Mike commented.
Billie Joe looked down at his watch and saw that he was a mere five minutes before four. Shaking his head, he removed his coat and picked up the guitar. Jason was being checked first, so Billie Joe walked over to Mike. "Any luck finding something for Estelle?"
Mike frowned. "So, so. I just want to get her something different you know. Something that has thought and love behind it. I'm just glad that this tour is over so I can spend some good time with her."
Billie Joe nodded his head and plucked one or two strings. "I know what you mean. Trust me."
Mike noticed the slightly distanced look in his friend's eyes. "What do you mean? Hey, where were you today?"
Billie looked up with a smile. "Well, I met this girl today... "
Before he could finish, Tre came up beside them. "You're married!" he cried in mock horror.
Billie Joe laughed. "Her name is Mercedes. I was at the guitar shop and as I was leaving, the car that I rented for today wouldn't start. So I noticed that there was a recording studio across the street... it's just some small place, but it was really nice. I went in and I'm telling you, I want to record our next album there... it's really nice in there. And there's some crazy basses. I think I saw your signature one in there actually."
Mike's face lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah. So anyways, I was looking around, and this woman came up and I'm telling you she was beautiful. She's young though, like early twenties. She was wearing an Operation Ivy t-shirt and I explained my problem. But there were no phone lines there yet, cause of the weather, so she drove me to her apartment and I called the garage from there, but they said they were going to be a while and shit. So she made me lunch and stuff. Turns out that she owns that recording studio."
"What's her name? Mercedes?" Mike asked.
"Mercedes Delisle. She's great. She has two boys, well, they're not hers, they're her nephews, but her sister overdosed a few years back, so they live with her. They remind me so much of Joey and Jacob."
"So... where's the car?" Tre asked.
Billie looked at his guitar and tuned it a bit. "Still there. The mechanic never came, so Mercedes and the boys just drove me here not that long ago. She makes the best macaroni and cheese. And the best gingerbreads and hot chocolate."
"Sounds like a fucking feast," Tre joked.
Billie Joe and Mike laughed. "No, seriously, walking into her apartment is like walking into the perfect little home... the Christmas tree and the decorations... it was a nice change. It just made me really want to get home to Adrienne and the boys."
"That was still really nice of that girl though," Mike commented.
"Mercedes?" Billie Joe asked. When Mike nodded, he smiled. "I invited her to come tonight, and to bring the two boys. She was apparently supposed to come, but the person that was supposed to watch her kids cancelled so she sold her ticket off."
"Think she'll come?" Tre asked.
"I hope so. She seriously makes some fucking good gingerbread men."
"Billie Joe!"
Billie turned to the technician who was motioning for Billie Joe to take the center stage and to go over his part. He started to play the opening chords for 'American Idiot' and was joined in by the Jason.
* * *
Mercedes finished cleaning the kitchen and let the freshly cooked gingerbread men cool down before she would decorate them for the guys tonight. She popped in her 'Kerplunk!' CD and laughed to herself. Here she was, baking cookies for the Green Day band. A band that she's admired and grew up on for the last while. She still replayed the events of the afternoon in her mind and couldn't believe any of it. Looking at her two boys, her smile widened. She had taken them too the barber shop, but as soon as they entered, both boys didn't want to cut their hair and decided they wanted it to look like 'the funny Armstrong man'.
The mechanic for Billie Joe's rental car finally came and she paid the bill without hesitation. It wasn't that much and it was Billie Joe for crying out loud! The afternoon passed relatively fast, as Mercedes finished some of the bills for the studio and decorated the gingerbread men. At six, she decided to shower and get ready.
Once her hair fell in loose waves as it always did, she looked around her closet and picked out her outfit. Dark blue jeans and a navy blue hooded sweater. She didn't want to put on a lot of makeup, besides, it wasn't a date with the men from Green Day, it was a concert, and her children were with her. As she looked in the mirror however, she frowned. She looked like a young graduate from her school, which she was, but on the flipside, she was already running a successful recording studio and had two children to her name. Not that anything was wrong, but the thing that Mercedes frowned over was the fact that there was no one to share any of this with. There was no one that would sleep beside her at night and no one to wake up to in the morning. Shaking her thoughts, she put on her Converse shoes and her glasses. Making sure that Joey and Liam were also cleaned up from a messy dinner fight, she put on their hats and scarves, grabbed her purse and her container of freshly smiling gingerbread men, and with the boys in tow, left for the Green Day concert.
* * *
Billie Joe was drinking his bottle of water when his phone rang. Looking down at the number, he frowned, unable to identify it. "Hello?" he asked slowly.
"Hi... Billie?"
"Mercedes!" he said happily. "Please tell me you're on your way here."
Mike and Tre, who were sitting with Billie Joe, stopped their conversation and looked at him with curious smiles.
"Um... no, I'm not on my way."
Billie Joe frowned and his tone of voice went down in excitement significantly. "Why not?"
Laughing, Mercedes answered him. "I'm already here. I'm in the parking lot with Joey and Liam. I was just wondering the best way to come in from, because I don't know if you've seen this, but the line is disgustingly never ending."
Billie Joe laughed and stood up. He quickly gave her directions on whom to speak to and told her that he was going to meet her near the entrance. Billie Joe turned to Mike and Tre. "I'll be right back... seriously guys, she's great."
Mike and Tre watched their friend leave the room and smiled at each other. "You'd think it was Adrienne that was waiting for him."
Tre nodded in agreement. "Although, he's definitely sparked my interest. I mean, he hasn't acted like this about anyone, male or female, in since... forever. She must be something."
Mike smiled and leaned back. "Must be."
* * *
Mercedes stood with a very polite security guard named Peter. He was showing an amazed Joey and Liam the different ways he could make his arm muscles move around and it slightly disgusted Mercedes, but she stayed silent. "There you are!"
Mercedes turned around and felt Billie Joe's arms wrap around her, pulling her into a hug. "What happened with the car?" he asked as they pulled apart.
"Oh, they came about a hour after I got back home. Great service. It's fine, I signed the papers, don't worry about it."
"And the bill?"
"I said don't worry about it."
Billie Joe shook his head. "You didn't have to."
"I never said that I was forced to either. It's fine. It wasn't that much anyways. Besides, you have other things to concentrate on... like a concert in front of 15,000 people."
Billie laughed. "Yeah," he said rubbing his hair. "Thanks again... I know it's beginning to sound redundant, but thanks. Hey guys!"
Joey and Liam tore their eyes away from Peter's muscles to look up at Billie Joe. "I thought they were going to get their hair cut after?" Billie Joe asked Mercedes.
Mercedes sighed as her two boys giggled. "They were, only they decided they wanted their hair to look like someone else's."
"Who?" Billie asked.
"The funny Armstrong man," she whispered.
Billie Joe grinned in amusement and shook his head. "C'mon. I'll introduce you to Mike and Tre."
Mercedes walked with Joey and Liam holding each of her hands and Joey holding onto the fresh Christmas cookies. Billie continued to talk about the show and some of the things that he was still worried about, but Mercedes shushed him when she told him that none of their shows have ever been disappointing in the least bit to any fan. Touched, Billie Joe opened the door slowly, revealing his other two band mates.
Billie Joe walked in first and Mike and Tre were seated exactly how he left them ten minutes ago. Joey and Liam jetted into the room like two rockets, but Billie calmly walked in and held the door open for Mercedes. When she walked in, Tre felt his jaw loosen and his eyes widen.
The woman was beautiful. Her hair sparkled from the snowflakes that had gently melted onto her golden brown locks. Her eyes sparkled with a sort of innocent youthfulness, yet the way she held herself together radiated nothing short of maturity. Her lips were full and pink, matching the little rosy tint on her cheeks and nose that the crisp coldness from outside had given her. She was so much more than any of Billie Joe's words could have described and this was just looking at her face. She was marvelous.
"This is Mercedes," Billie politely introduced. Mercedes stepped forward and Mike took her hand and shook it. "I'm Mike."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she responded.
Mercedes moved over to Tre and held out her hand just the same. Tre quickly snapped out of his trance before anyone could notice and took her hand in his. "It's nice to finally put a face with the name. Billie hasn't shut up about you all day."
Mercedes laughed and Tre internally cursed himself. He was falling for this woman, and fast. "Have you?" she asked as she turned to face Billie. "I wasn't aware that I was the famous one here."
Billie Joe innocently shrugged and Mercedes called over her two boys who had found a set of Tre's drumsticks and began 'sword fighting' with them. "Boys... " Joey and Liam turned and looked like a pair of deer in the headlights. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
They lowered their 'swords' and walked over, each on one side of Mercedes. They looked at the other men and Joey spoke first. "I'm Joey."
Mike and Tre both chuckled and lowered themselves to their height. "I'm Tre... and this is... "
"... tall," Liam blurted out.
Mike jokingly looked offended and stood up to his full height, which to two three and quarter year olds, was indeed, tall. "That's Mike," Tre finished as he laughed and stood up to his full height. Within moments however, the two boys called them 'Mr. Dirnt' and 'Mr. Cool', just like Mercedes had told them to call Billie Joe 'Mr. Armstrong'.
Billie within only a matter of seconds had discovered the container of gingerbread men and quickly shoved two into his mouth and sighing as he chewed. "They're so good," he commented.
Mike and Tre also had some, as did Jason, who later entered and was introduced. The seven of them sat in the room, just talking aimlessly, more getting to know Mercedes, eating the best gingerbread men they had ever tasted, and for Jason, the only ones he had ever tasted.
Loud cheering could already be heard as the opening band started their last song. Billie stood up and stretched as he finished his last cookie. "You know you shouldn't have eaten so much Billie Joe," Mike joked. "With all that running around on stage and masturbation, you should wait at least half an hour."
The adults in the room started to laugh, but Joey looked confused. "Mommy, what's masturbation?"
The men laughed even harder, but Mercedes cleared her throat and looked at Joey. "Something I never want to hear out of your mouth again."
"Like 'asshole'?" Liam asked.
Needless to say, the men were thrown into a fit of laughter at the curiosity and the 'innocent' questions they were asking. Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Right Liam... I don't want you two to say those words alright?"
The boys both nodded like nothing was wrong and someone had come in to remind the guys to be ready. Jason stood up as well and placed his hand on Mercedes' shoulder. "If I don't see you after the show, it was very nice meeting you. Take care of yourself."
"The very same to you Jason," she replied.
"Bye Mr. White," the boys chimed.
Jason laughed and waved at the two boys. Mike, slightly nervous, approached Mercedes. "Well Billie has your number, so don't be surprised if I decide to give you a call sometime," he smiled.
Mercedes stood up as well at this point and Mike pulled her into a hug. "You're a very sweet girl, so the next time we talk, I pray that you won't be any different."
"I won't... I promise."
Mike turned to the boys and picked them both up, one in each arm. "You guys better be nice to your mommy, no more swearing alright!" he teased.
The boys laughed and Mike set them down. "Wish me luck you two."
"Good luck!" they screamed at the top of their lungs, making Mike partially regret asking them for luck.
Mike passed by Mercedes once more and kissed her softly on the cheek as he made his way out. When Mercedes turned her attention back to the remaining people in the room, she saw that Tre was playing with the boys, trying to coax them to give him back his drumsticks. Billie Joe came up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Again, thanks for coming... and the cookies."
Mercedes waved it off. "Thanks for inviting me. Honestly, this definitely beats being at home and going through some paperwork for the studio."
Billie Joe smiled and nodded. "Tre, you coming?"
Tre looked up and the two boys stopped moving. Upon noticing their mother's glare, they handed back the drumsticks to Tre, and yelled 'good luck' once more, possibly breaking all of their eardrums. Tre stood up and walked towards the doorway, stopping in front of Mercedes. "Thanks, by the way, for the cookies and you know... being here?" he finished nervously.
Mercedes smiled and Tre felt his knees buckle. "I've been a fan since you guys came out with 'Kerplunk!', so you can blame my brother."
"You know, I know Billie invited you here, but I still want to keep in touch with you... you know, you seem really nice and stuff and I was just wondering... " Tre wanted to melt into the floor. He had never had a problem talking to woman before. Why was she so different?
Billie Joe, still waiting for Tre, stood in the doorway and watched the godfather of his children. Tre Cool was blushing. Billie shook his head in disbelief and noticed that Tre continued to shift his weight from one foot to the next, twirling his drumstick around his fingers. Tre Cool, the Tre Cool, was shy.
"Sure. I really like you guys, more than I thought I would, honestly. Now, considering that the opening band finished a few minutes ago, I think you should get ready. I mean, I know for you, 15,000 people isn't a lot... " she joked.
Tre felt his lips curl upwards and then he leaned in, planning to kiss Mercedes on the cheek just like Mike had. However, from unseen circumstances, Mercedes turned her head to look over at Liam and Joey and felt Tre's lips immediately on hers. Shocked, neither of them moved. And secretly, neither of them wanted to.
When they slowly pulled away, Mercedes quickly lowered her gaze and felt her cheeks turn rosier than before from the cold. However, Tre couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He grinned widely and then leaned in again, kissing her on her blushing cheek. "I'll, um, see you later then," he whispered to her.
Mercedes looked up again and on her toes, she leaned up and placed another kiss on Tre's lips. She quickly backed away and smiled, "15,000 people... "
"I know I know!" Tre called and went out the door, stopping only once to look back at Mercedes standing in the room, looking as beautiful as she ever did, if not, possibly even more.
As Tre closed the door behind him, Billie Joe was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "I thought you were getting ready?" Tre asked.
Billie Joe opened his eyes and looked at his friend. "What's the point of getting ready when you're not ready yet either?"
At first, Tre took that question as a somewhat anger-inspired question, but noticed the smile playing on the singer's lips. "You like her?" Billie Joe asked next.
Tre looked up and shook his head. "Who?"
"Oh come on, Mercedes!"
Tre couldn't control the sudden rise in heat in his face. "Maybe," he muttered.
Billie Joe, not completely satisfied with that answer, sighed. "Good then, cause I do too."
"I wasn't aware that I needed your approval," the drummer said humorously.
"You'll always need my approval."
* * *
During the show, Mike, Jason, Billie Joe and Tre all kept looking back to where Mercedes, Joey, and Liam were standing. Mercedes stood there, with her two boys, wondering when had luck changed in her favor. Here she was, standing on the sidelines of the greatest punk-rock show that had been put on in a long while. Green Day was performing and she was right there, as if she had known them forever. They had taken to her like parasites almost, but if they were parasites, then Mercedes would play host as long as she could.
"This next song is dedicated to a very special woman who we all met tonight... Mercedes... this is for you."
The opening beats for 'Extraordinary Girl' started and Mercedes could do nothing else but stand at the side of the Green Day stage, and grin.
Billie Joe looked down at his watch and saw that he was a mere five minutes before four. Shaking his head, he removed his coat and picked up the guitar. Jason was being checked first, so Billie Joe walked over to Mike. "Any luck finding something for Estelle?"
Mike frowned. "So, so. I just want to get her something different you know. Something that has thought and love behind it. I'm just glad that this tour is over so I can spend some good time with her."
Billie Joe nodded his head and plucked one or two strings. "I know what you mean. Trust me."
Mike noticed the slightly distanced look in his friend's eyes. "What do you mean? Hey, where were you today?"
Billie looked up with a smile. "Well, I met this girl today... "
Before he could finish, Tre came up beside them. "You're married!" he cried in mock horror.
Billie Joe laughed. "Her name is Mercedes. I was at the guitar shop and as I was leaving, the car that I rented for today wouldn't start. So I noticed that there was a recording studio across the street... it's just some small place, but it was really nice. I went in and I'm telling you, I want to record our next album there... it's really nice in there. And there's some crazy basses. I think I saw your signature one in there actually."
Mike's face lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah. So anyways, I was looking around, and this woman came up and I'm telling you she was beautiful. She's young though, like early twenties. She was wearing an Operation Ivy t-shirt and I explained my problem. But there were no phone lines there yet, cause of the weather, so she drove me to her apartment and I called the garage from there, but they said they were going to be a while and shit. So she made me lunch and stuff. Turns out that she owns that recording studio."
"What's her name? Mercedes?" Mike asked.
"Mercedes Delisle. She's great. She has two boys, well, they're not hers, they're her nephews, but her sister overdosed a few years back, so they live with her. They remind me so much of Joey and Jacob."
"So... where's the car?" Tre asked.
Billie looked at his guitar and tuned it a bit. "Still there. The mechanic never came, so Mercedes and the boys just drove me here not that long ago. She makes the best macaroni and cheese. And the best gingerbreads and hot chocolate."
"Sounds like a fucking feast," Tre joked.
Billie Joe and Mike laughed. "No, seriously, walking into her apartment is like walking into the perfect little home... the Christmas tree and the decorations... it was a nice change. It just made me really want to get home to Adrienne and the boys."
"That was still really nice of that girl though," Mike commented.
"Mercedes?" Billie Joe asked. When Mike nodded, he smiled. "I invited her to come tonight, and to bring the two boys. She was apparently supposed to come, but the person that was supposed to watch her kids cancelled so she sold her ticket off."
"Think she'll come?" Tre asked.
"I hope so. She seriously makes some fucking good gingerbread men."
"Billie Joe!"
Billie turned to the technician who was motioning for Billie Joe to take the center stage and to go over his part. He started to play the opening chords for 'American Idiot' and was joined in by the Jason.
* * *
Mercedes finished cleaning the kitchen and let the freshly cooked gingerbread men cool down before she would decorate them for the guys tonight. She popped in her 'Kerplunk!' CD and laughed to herself. Here she was, baking cookies for the Green Day band. A band that she's admired and grew up on for the last while. She still replayed the events of the afternoon in her mind and couldn't believe any of it. Looking at her two boys, her smile widened. She had taken them too the barber shop, but as soon as they entered, both boys didn't want to cut their hair and decided they wanted it to look like 'the funny Armstrong man'.
The mechanic for Billie Joe's rental car finally came and she paid the bill without hesitation. It wasn't that much and it was Billie Joe for crying out loud! The afternoon passed relatively fast, as Mercedes finished some of the bills for the studio and decorated the gingerbread men. At six, she decided to shower and get ready.
Once her hair fell in loose waves as it always did, she looked around her closet and picked out her outfit. Dark blue jeans and a navy blue hooded sweater. She didn't want to put on a lot of makeup, besides, it wasn't a date with the men from Green Day, it was a concert, and her children were with her. As she looked in the mirror however, she frowned. She looked like a young graduate from her school, which she was, but on the flipside, she was already running a successful recording studio and had two children to her name. Not that anything was wrong, but the thing that Mercedes frowned over was the fact that there was no one to share any of this with. There was no one that would sleep beside her at night and no one to wake up to in the morning. Shaking her thoughts, she put on her Converse shoes and her glasses. Making sure that Joey and Liam were also cleaned up from a messy dinner fight, she put on their hats and scarves, grabbed her purse and her container of freshly smiling gingerbread men, and with the boys in tow, left for the Green Day concert.
* * *
Billie Joe was drinking his bottle of water when his phone rang. Looking down at the number, he frowned, unable to identify it. "Hello?" he asked slowly.
"Hi... Billie?"
"Mercedes!" he said happily. "Please tell me you're on your way here."
Mike and Tre, who were sitting with Billie Joe, stopped their conversation and looked at him with curious smiles.
"Um... no, I'm not on my way."
Billie Joe frowned and his tone of voice went down in excitement significantly. "Why not?"
Laughing, Mercedes answered him. "I'm already here. I'm in the parking lot with Joey and Liam. I was just wondering the best way to come in from, because I don't know if you've seen this, but the line is disgustingly never ending."
Billie Joe laughed and stood up. He quickly gave her directions on whom to speak to and told her that he was going to meet her near the entrance. Billie Joe turned to Mike and Tre. "I'll be right back... seriously guys, she's great."
Mike and Tre watched their friend leave the room and smiled at each other. "You'd think it was Adrienne that was waiting for him."
Tre nodded in agreement. "Although, he's definitely sparked my interest. I mean, he hasn't acted like this about anyone, male or female, in since... forever. She must be something."
Mike smiled and leaned back. "Must be."
* * *
Mercedes stood with a very polite security guard named Peter. He was showing an amazed Joey and Liam the different ways he could make his arm muscles move around and it slightly disgusted Mercedes, but she stayed silent. "There you are!"
Mercedes turned around and felt Billie Joe's arms wrap around her, pulling her into a hug. "What happened with the car?" he asked as they pulled apart.
"Oh, they came about a hour after I got back home. Great service. It's fine, I signed the papers, don't worry about it."
"And the bill?"
"I said don't worry about it."
Billie Joe shook his head. "You didn't have to."
"I never said that I was forced to either. It's fine. It wasn't that much anyways. Besides, you have other things to concentrate on... like a concert in front of 15,000 people."
Billie laughed. "Yeah," he said rubbing his hair. "Thanks again... I know it's beginning to sound redundant, but thanks. Hey guys!"
Joey and Liam tore their eyes away from Peter's muscles to look up at Billie Joe. "I thought they were going to get their hair cut after?" Billie Joe asked Mercedes.
Mercedes sighed as her two boys giggled. "They were, only they decided they wanted their hair to look like someone else's."
"Who?" Billie asked.
"The funny Armstrong man," she whispered.
Billie Joe grinned in amusement and shook his head. "C'mon. I'll introduce you to Mike and Tre."
Mercedes walked with Joey and Liam holding each of her hands and Joey holding onto the fresh Christmas cookies. Billie continued to talk about the show and some of the things that he was still worried about, but Mercedes shushed him when she told him that none of their shows have ever been disappointing in the least bit to any fan. Touched, Billie Joe opened the door slowly, revealing his other two band mates.
Billie Joe walked in first and Mike and Tre were seated exactly how he left them ten minutes ago. Joey and Liam jetted into the room like two rockets, but Billie calmly walked in and held the door open for Mercedes. When she walked in, Tre felt his jaw loosen and his eyes widen.
The woman was beautiful. Her hair sparkled from the snowflakes that had gently melted onto her golden brown locks. Her eyes sparkled with a sort of innocent youthfulness, yet the way she held herself together radiated nothing short of maturity. Her lips were full and pink, matching the little rosy tint on her cheeks and nose that the crisp coldness from outside had given her. She was so much more than any of Billie Joe's words could have described and this was just looking at her face. She was marvelous.
"This is Mercedes," Billie politely introduced. Mercedes stepped forward and Mike took her hand and shook it. "I'm Mike."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she responded.
Mercedes moved over to Tre and held out her hand just the same. Tre quickly snapped out of his trance before anyone could notice and took her hand in his. "It's nice to finally put a face with the name. Billie hasn't shut up about you all day."
Mercedes laughed and Tre internally cursed himself. He was falling for this woman, and fast. "Have you?" she asked as she turned to face Billie. "I wasn't aware that I was the famous one here."
Billie Joe innocently shrugged and Mercedes called over her two boys who had found a set of Tre's drumsticks and began 'sword fighting' with them. "Boys... " Joey and Liam turned and looked like a pair of deer in the headlights. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
They lowered their 'swords' and walked over, each on one side of Mercedes. They looked at the other men and Joey spoke first. "I'm Joey."
Mike and Tre both chuckled and lowered themselves to their height. "I'm Tre... and this is... "
"... tall," Liam blurted out.
Mike jokingly looked offended and stood up to his full height, which to two three and quarter year olds, was indeed, tall. "That's Mike," Tre finished as he laughed and stood up to his full height. Within moments however, the two boys called them 'Mr. Dirnt' and 'Mr. Cool', just like Mercedes had told them to call Billie Joe 'Mr. Armstrong'.
Billie within only a matter of seconds had discovered the container of gingerbread men and quickly shoved two into his mouth and sighing as he chewed. "They're so good," he commented.
Mike and Tre also had some, as did Jason, who later entered and was introduced. The seven of them sat in the room, just talking aimlessly, more getting to know Mercedes, eating the best gingerbread men they had ever tasted, and for Jason, the only ones he had ever tasted.
Loud cheering could already be heard as the opening band started their last song. Billie stood up and stretched as he finished his last cookie. "You know you shouldn't have eaten so much Billie Joe," Mike joked. "With all that running around on stage and masturbation, you should wait at least half an hour."
The adults in the room started to laugh, but Joey looked confused. "Mommy, what's masturbation?"
The men laughed even harder, but Mercedes cleared her throat and looked at Joey. "Something I never want to hear out of your mouth again."
"Like 'asshole'?" Liam asked.
Needless to say, the men were thrown into a fit of laughter at the curiosity and the 'innocent' questions they were asking. Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Right Liam... I don't want you two to say those words alright?"
The boys both nodded like nothing was wrong and someone had come in to remind the guys to be ready. Jason stood up as well and placed his hand on Mercedes' shoulder. "If I don't see you after the show, it was very nice meeting you. Take care of yourself."
"The very same to you Jason," she replied.
"Bye Mr. White," the boys chimed.
Jason laughed and waved at the two boys. Mike, slightly nervous, approached Mercedes. "Well Billie has your number, so don't be surprised if I decide to give you a call sometime," he smiled.
Mercedes stood up as well at this point and Mike pulled her into a hug. "You're a very sweet girl, so the next time we talk, I pray that you won't be any different."
"I won't... I promise."
Mike turned to the boys and picked them both up, one in each arm. "You guys better be nice to your mommy, no more swearing alright!" he teased.
The boys laughed and Mike set them down. "Wish me luck you two."
"Good luck!" they screamed at the top of their lungs, making Mike partially regret asking them for luck.
Mike passed by Mercedes once more and kissed her softly on the cheek as he made his way out. When Mercedes turned her attention back to the remaining people in the room, she saw that Tre was playing with the boys, trying to coax them to give him back his drumsticks. Billie Joe came up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Again, thanks for coming... and the cookies."
Mercedes waved it off. "Thanks for inviting me. Honestly, this definitely beats being at home and going through some paperwork for the studio."
Billie Joe smiled and nodded. "Tre, you coming?"
Tre looked up and the two boys stopped moving. Upon noticing their mother's glare, they handed back the drumsticks to Tre, and yelled 'good luck' once more, possibly breaking all of their eardrums. Tre stood up and walked towards the doorway, stopping in front of Mercedes. "Thanks, by the way, for the cookies and you know... being here?" he finished nervously.
Mercedes smiled and Tre felt his knees buckle. "I've been a fan since you guys came out with 'Kerplunk!', so you can blame my brother."
"You know, I know Billie invited you here, but I still want to keep in touch with you... you know, you seem really nice and stuff and I was just wondering... " Tre wanted to melt into the floor. He had never had a problem talking to woman before. Why was she so different?
Billie Joe, still waiting for Tre, stood in the doorway and watched the godfather of his children. Tre Cool was blushing. Billie shook his head in disbelief and noticed that Tre continued to shift his weight from one foot to the next, twirling his drumstick around his fingers. Tre Cool, the Tre Cool, was shy.
"Sure. I really like you guys, more than I thought I would, honestly. Now, considering that the opening band finished a few minutes ago, I think you should get ready. I mean, I know for you, 15,000 people isn't a lot... " she joked.
Tre felt his lips curl upwards and then he leaned in, planning to kiss Mercedes on the cheek just like Mike had. However, from unseen circumstances, Mercedes turned her head to look over at Liam and Joey and felt Tre's lips immediately on hers. Shocked, neither of them moved. And secretly, neither of them wanted to.
When they slowly pulled away, Mercedes quickly lowered her gaze and felt her cheeks turn rosier than before from the cold. However, Tre couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He grinned widely and then leaned in again, kissing her on her blushing cheek. "I'll, um, see you later then," he whispered to her.
Mercedes looked up again and on her toes, she leaned up and placed another kiss on Tre's lips. She quickly backed away and smiled, "15,000 people... "
"I know I know!" Tre called and went out the door, stopping only once to look back at Mercedes standing in the room, looking as beautiful as she ever did, if not, possibly even more.
As Tre closed the door behind him, Billie Joe was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "I thought you were getting ready?" Tre asked.
Billie Joe opened his eyes and looked at his friend. "What's the point of getting ready when you're not ready yet either?"
At first, Tre took that question as a somewhat anger-inspired question, but noticed the smile playing on the singer's lips. "You like her?" Billie Joe asked next.
Tre looked up and shook his head. "Who?"
"Oh come on, Mercedes!"
Tre couldn't control the sudden rise in heat in his face. "Maybe," he muttered.
Billie Joe, not completely satisfied with that answer, sighed. "Good then, cause I do too."
"I wasn't aware that I needed your approval," the drummer said humorously.
"You'll always need my approval."
* * *
During the show, Mike, Jason, Billie Joe and Tre all kept looking back to where Mercedes, Joey, and Liam were standing. Mercedes stood there, with her two boys, wondering when had luck changed in her favor. Here she was, standing on the sidelines of the greatest punk-rock show that had been put on in a long while. Green Day was performing and she was right there, as if she had known them forever. They had taken to her like parasites almost, but if they were parasites, then Mercedes would play host as long as she could.
"This next song is dedicated to a very special woman who we all met tonight... Mercedes... this is for you."
The opening beats for 'Extraordinary Girl' started and Mercedes could do nothing else but stand at the side of the Green Day stage, and grin.
