When He Came Around, chapter 31
As the twins birthday neared, Mercedes, having some free time to herself, decided to finally do the inevitable and pick up something for them. Mike had taken the kids out with him for the day and Estelle reluctantly went back to Anastasia's for the next three days. So, dressed in simple attire, with her pregnant stomach starting to bulge from the other side of her shirt, Mercedes headed into town and walked down the crowded streets.
As she passed some of the major stores, she stopped and walked into music store. And stepping inside, she was a bit overwhelmed. There were posters of Green Day everywhere and apparently they were scheduled for a disc signing in two weeks. She assumed that today was the day that you could come in and get some sort of pass to meet the band and the store was full, on both floors even, of people wearing Green Day shirts, hats, bags and everything imaginable. When she felt something bump into her, she turned as saw a young girl, maybe in her late teens. "I'm sorry... it's just so crowded in here."
Mercedes nodded. "Tell me about it. What's going on?"
The girl's face lit up. "They're giving tickets to go see Green Day in concert. They're doing a small show and tickets are only sold here now. I think you can get some over the phone, but still. I've been waiting since this morning."
"Oh, and you got some tickets already?"
"Just one... none of my friends are really into punk music, so I couldn't really find anyone that wanted to go with me," she said a little sadly.
Mercedes watched the girl and felt a little pang of sadness for her. The look on her face only seemed to light up when Green Day was mentioned and Mercedes could tell that she really loved their music. "When's the concert?" Mercedes asked.
"On the twenty-fifth."
That's the twin's birthday. Damn.
"Oh... I see," Mercedes said.
"Are you going?"
Mercedes looked at the girl. "Oh I don't know yet. Maybe."
"Maybe? That's crazy! Who would 'maybe' want to go to a Green Day concert."
Mercedes laughed and then the girl spoke again. "My name's Allie by the way."
"Mercedes," she said and from the look on her face, almost regretted it.
"That's the same name as Mike's wife... wait, are you?"
"Allie!"
The girl turned and Mercedes saw what must have been her mother, standing there and waiting for her daughter to leave. Just from the look of it, her mother was the impatient type. As Allie turned back to face Mercedes, she gave her one last look before leaving to the direction her mother was already walking. She waved a quick goodbye and Mercedes watched until she was completely out of the store before snapping back to reality.
It was the first time that she had been almost recognized. She wasn't famous... yet here she was, after only dropping her name, had some girl put two and two together. Deciding to get out of the store sooner rather than later, Mercedes exited and found herself in her own little world again, looking around the toy store for something that Liam and Joey had both asked for.
*
Tre didn't usually like to shop, but when he did, he preferred to do it alone. Most of the time he would listen to music and shop alone, letting his mind just unravel and all the worries fly out the window. As he walked down the street, he passed a small coffee shop and stopped dead in his tracks. Mercedes had always been an easy person to take notice of.
"Mind if I join you?"
Mercedes looked up and saw Tre smiling at her. She nodded her head and swallowed the hot coffee that was in her mouth, burning her tongue. When she winced, Tre laughed and sat down. "I'll buy you some ice cream after for that."
"Thanks," she retorted with a smile.
"What brings you to this side of town?" he asked as the waiter set down a cup of coffee for him. "Thanks," he said to the waiter.
Mercedes cleared her throat. "Just picking up something for Joey and Liam... they're obsessed with Star Wars and they wanted these little whatever they are."
"They grow up so fast don't they?" Tre asked.
"So very fast."
Tre took a sip of his black coffee and watched as Mercedes added more milk to her own. "Mike has the kids today?"
"Save for Estelle, yeah."
"Gives you a nice break doesn't it?"
Mercedes raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Like you wouldn't believe."
Their little coffee break was interrupted when Tre's phone rang. He looked at the name and shot one look at Mercedes and flipped his phone open. "Hey Billie," he said.
Mercedes looked away and concentrated on diluting her coffee once more.
"She what? Are you sure? And... how are you?"
Even when Mercedes couldn't add more milk to her coffee, she thought of ways that she could add something else to it. Just anything to get her mind off...
"Actually I'm with her now. Seriously. Alright... I'll call you later."
Tre hung up his phone and shoved back into his pocket. "How is Billie?" she asked.
Tre sighed. "He's... I won't lie to you... he's shit right now."
Mercedes lowered her gaze and sighed. Tre noticed this decline in her character and reached over, taking her hand in his own. "It's not you... you know that right?"
Mercedes looked up and frowned. "I am responsible... to some part."
Tre squeezed her hand gently and then licked his lips.
"I regret it all the time," Tre said seriously.
Mercedes looked up at the drummer with wide eyes. She didn't know what to say, but instead, opened her mouth and then closed it.
"Whatever we had... I don't normally look back in the past. It's not the Green Day way to look back, but here I am. And this is the only time that I'm ever going to look back. I do regret it immensely."
Mercedes looked at him and frowned. "I didn't know it was that bad," she stated solemnly.
Tre looked at the woman before him. She had become so completely different since he had first met her backstage, but yet, she was exactly the same in every way. "On the contrary... it was that good."
Mercedes looked at the drummer with a new expression of confusion written on her face. "You lost me," she said simply.
Tre smiled. "You're damn right I lost you. Mercedes... you were probably the best thing that ever happened to me."
As Tre finished those words, there was a new meaning to the words 'awkward silence'. Mercedes just watched as Tre sat there, perfectly comfortable. When Tre saw that she was beyond confused, he tapped a beat on his knees. "For so long after Claudia and I split, I just lacked something in every way. I would have never admitted it to anyone and you're the first and only person I've told this too... but that's why I love you so damn much. You're the only person to whom I could talk to about this... well, sometimes the guys, but that's besides the point. What I mean though, is that when I saw you, I started to remember why I appreciated the closeness of having someone at my side with me." Tre's smile widened mischievously and he winked at Mercedes. "Not to mention that the sex was mind-blowing."
Mercedes shook her head and looked back up at Tre as he continued. "Being with you made me be myself again, and I only wished that I had done something differently... like maybe staying with you."
Flattered and happy that she had this new sense of closure, she smiled faintly. "Really?"
Tre nodded. "You're what any man could ask for... I wouldn't have seen a reason for you and I to really split, but then again, Mike came to you and I went to Claudia. Things are retarded in this world. And the most retarded is love."
"You're more than anyone could ask for... you're, sometimes, too much for anyone to handle and that's probably your best quality. That's why me, Mike and even Billie Joe have all fallen a little head over heels for you. You've made a permanent weak spot in the Green Day heart," he finished with a laugh.
Mercedes however, wasn't laughing and Tre noticed it almost too soon. "Have you spoken to him?"
Mercedes shook he head. "Not really... all I know is that Adrienne isn't around anymore."
Tre could see how the entire Armstrong situation was causing a sore spot with Mercedes, but then again, a wound could only be treated with attention. "You know that you're not to blame here, right?"
Mercedes looked up at Tre. "Am I?"
Tre shook his head. "You're not. You can't help it if you and Billie Joe have become friends... just on Billie's side, you've become a little more. And that's something that's out of your control. Hell, that concert when he dedicated that song to you... he's never outright even done that for Adie... or at least not to my knowledge. There's just something different about you. We all know it... even Jason's mentioned this. There's a lot that we guys talk about when we're on tour."
Mercedes looked down at her coffee and half eaten muffin. "So where does this place me?"
Tre leaned against the back of his chair and let his fingers tap against the table. "Same place as you always were. Except, if it'll make you feel better, have a talk to Adrienne? Or better, Billie Joe."
Mercedes looked up and frowned. "But what would I have to say."
Tre smiled. "I never said that you'd be the one doing the talking. I think what both of those two need is someone to listen, namely each other, but then again, they've always been the two most stubborn people that I've ever met in my entire life."
Mercedes shivered a bit and pulled her sweater closer to her body. Tre noticed this instantly and pulled off his sweater and stood up, to go over to the other side of the table and place his own warm sweater over her shoulders. "The pregnant look suits you," Tre teased as he sat back down.
Mercedes muttered a 'thanks' for the sweater and held it close to her skin. "Are you saying I look better fat?" she laughed.
"Well if the shoe fits... " he started.
"Tre!"
The drummer laughed and shrugged his shoulder, as if he had said nothing wrong. "The pregnant look... meaning the mother look... the look only women can get. That cliché glow or whatever the fuck it is... you wear it well. It's probably you're best look yet."
"Thank you," she replied warmly.
"Or being naked. That's pretty nice too."
"Tre!"
Tre laughed. "Hey... I can't say that shit when Mike's around cause he'll kick my ass... so at least let me have my fun."
Mercedes shook her head and sighed. "You want me to take you home?" Tre asked her.
"Sure."
Tre nodded and as Mercedes was pulling out money from her pocket, he had already beat her to it, throwing the bill with a more than generous tip onto the table. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't pay for you?"
"Any other man," she teased.
Tre rolled his eyes and leaned down to pick up Mercedes' bags, saving her from the trouble. And for anyone in the coffee shop that day or anyone who was watching, right there, Tre and Mercedes seemed more like a married couple expecting their own child than best friends. But yet that's all they were. Best friends with a little bit of history between them that no one else knew or could ever understand. There was more between them than ever before.
Tre reached the door first and held it open for Mercedes, placing his free hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek. "After you milady," he smiled at her as the two walked down the Californian streets, Tre holding her bags and offering his arm to her, to which Mercedes happily accepted. "Now let me get you some ice cream that I promised."
As she passed some of the major stores, she stopped and walked into music store. And stepping inside, she was a bit overwhelmed. There were posters of Green Day everywhere and apparently they were scheduled for a disc signing in two weeks. She assumed that today was the day that you could come in and get some sort of pass to meet the band and the store was full, on both floors even, of people wearing Green Day shirts, hats, bags and everything imaginable. When she felt something bump into her, she turned as saw a young girl, maybe in her late teens. "I'm sorry... it's just so crowded in here."
Mercedes nodded. "Tell me about it. What's going on?"
The girl's face lit up. "They're giving tickets to go see Green Day in concert. They're doing a small show and tickets are only sold here now. I think you can get some over the phone, but still. I've been waiting since this morning."
"Oh, and you got some tickets already?"
"Just one... none of my friends are really into punk music, so I couldn't really find anyone that wanted to go with me," she said a little sadly.
Mercedes watched the girl and felt a little pang of sadness for her. The look on her face only seemed to light up when Green Day was mentioned and Mercedes could tell that she really loved their music. "When's the concert?" Mercedes asked.
"On the twenty-fifth."
That's the twin's birthday. Damn.
"Oh... I see," Mercedes said.
"Are you going?"
Mercedes looked at the girl. "Oh I don't know yet. Maybe."
"Maybe? That's crazy! Who would 'maybe' want to go to a Green Day concert."
Mercedes laughed and then the girl spoke again. "My name's Allie by the way."
"Mercedes," she said and from the look on her face, almost regretted it.
"That's the same name as Mike's wife... wait, are you?"
"Allie!"
The girl turned and Mercedes saw what must have been her mother, standing there and waiting for her daughter to leave. Just from the look of it, her mother was the impatient type. As Allie turned back to face Mercedes, she gave her one last look before leaving to the direction her mother was already walking. She waved a quick goodbye and Mercedes watched until she was completely out of the store before snapping back to reality.
It was the first time that she had been almost recognized. She wasn't famous... yet here she was, after only dropping her name, had some girl put two and two together. Deciding to get out of the store sooner rather than later, Mercedes exited and found herself in her own little world again, looking around the toy store for something that Liam and Joey had both asked for.
*
Tre didn't usually like to shop, but when he did, he preferred to do it alone. Most of the time he would listen to music and shop alone, letting his mind just unravel and all the worries fly out the window. As he walked down the street, he passed a small coffee shop and stopped dead in his tracks. Mercedes had always been an easy person to take notice of.
"Mind if I join you?"
Mercedes looked up and saw Tre smiling at her. She nodded her head and swallowed the hot coffee that was in her mouth, burning her tongue. When she winced, Tre laughed and sat down. "I'll buy you some ice cream after for that."
"Thanks," she retorted with a smile.
"What brings you to this side of town?" he asked as the waiter set down a cup of coffee for him. "Thanks," he said to the waiter.
Mercedes cleared her throat. "Just picking up something for Joey and Liam... they're obsessed with Star Wars and they wanted these little whatever they are."
"They grow up so fast don't they?" Tre asked.
"So very fast."
Tre took a sip of his black coffee and watched as Mercedes added more milk to her own. "Mike has the kids today?"
"Save for Estelle, yeah."
"Gives you a nice break doesn't it?"
Mercedes raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Like you wouldn't believe."
Their little coffee break was interrupted when Tre's phone rang. He looked at the name and shot one look at Mercedes and flipped his phone open. "Hey Billie," he said.
Mercedes looked away and concentrated on diluting her coffee once more.
"She what? Are you sure? And... how are you?"
Even when Mercedes couldn't add more milk to her coffee, she thought of ways that she could add something else to it. Just anything to get her mind off...
"Actually I'm with her now. Seriously. Alright... I'll call you later."
Tre hung up his phone and shoved back into his pocket. "How is Billie?" she asked.
Tre sighed. "He's... I won't lie to you... he's shit right now."
Mercedes lowered her gaze and sighed. Tre noticed this decline in her character and reached over, taking her hand in his own. "It's not you... you know that right?"
Mercedes looked up and frowned. "I am responsible... to some part."
Tre squeezed her hand gently and then licked his lips.
"I regret it all the time," Tre said seriously.
Mercedes looked up at the drummer with wide eyes. She didn't know what to say, but instead, opened her mouth and then closed it.
"Whatever we had... I don't normally look back in the past. It's not the Green Day way to look back, but here I am. And this is the only time that I'm ever going to look back. I do regret it immensely."
Mercedes looked at him and frowned. "I didn't know it was that bad," she stated solemnly.
Tre looked at the woman before him. She had become so completely different since he had first met her backstage, but yet, she was exactly the same in every way. "On the contrary... it was that good."
Mercedes looked at the drummer with a new expression of confusion written on her face. "You lost me," she said simply.
Tre smiled. "You're damn right I lost you. Mercedes... you were probably the best thing that ever happened to me."
As Tre finished those words, there was a new meaning to the words 'awkward silence'. Mercedes just watched as Tre sat there, perfectly comfortable. When Tre saw that she was beyond confused, he tapped a beat on his knees. "For so long after Claudia and I split, I just lacked something in every way. I would have never admitted it to anyone and you're the first and only person I've told this too... but that's why I love you so damn much. You're the only person to whom I could talk to about this... well, sometimes the guys, but that's besides the point. What I mean though, is that when I saw you, I started to remember why I appreciated the closeness of having someone at my side with me." Tre's smile widened mischievously and he winked at Mercedes. "Not to mention that the sex was mind-blowing."
Mercedes shook her head and looked back up at Tre as he continued. "Being with you made me be myself again, and I only wished that I had done something differently... like maybe staying with you."
Flattered and happy that she had this new sense of closure, she smiled faintly. "Really?"
Tre nodded. "You're what any man could ask for... I wouldn't have seen a reason for you and I to really split, but then again, Mike came to you and I went to Claudia. Things are retarded in this world. And the most retarded is love."
"You're more than anyone could ask for... you're, sometimes, too much for anyone to handle and that's probably your best quality. That's why me, Mike and even Billie Joe have all fallen a little head over heels for you. You've made a permanent weak spot in the Green Day heart," he finished with a laugh.
Mercedes however, wasn't laughing and Tre noticed it almost too soon. "Have you spoken to him?"
Mercedes shook he head. "Not really... all I know is that Adrienne isn't around anymore."
Tre could see how the entire Armstrong situation was causing a sore spot with Mercedes, but then again, a wound could only be treated with attention. "You know that you're not to blame here, right?"
Mercedes looked up at Tre. "Am I?"
Tre shook his head. "You're not. You can't help it if you and Billie Joe have become friends... just on Billie's side, you've become a little more. And that's something that's out of your control. Hell, that concert when he dedicated that song to you... he's never outright even done that for Adie... or at least not to my knowledge. There's just something different about you. We all know it... even Jason's mentioned this. There's a lot that we guys talk about when we're on tour."
Mercedes looked down at her coffee and half eaten muffin. "So where does this place me?"
Tre leaned against the back of his chair and let his fingers tap against the table. "Same place as you always were. Except, if it'll make you feel better, have a talk to Adrienne? Or better, Billie Joe."
Mercedes looked up and frowned. "But what would I have to say."
Tre smiled. "I never said that you'd be the one doing the talking. I think what both of those two need is someone to listen, namely each other, but then again, they've always been the two most stubborn people that I've ever met in my entire life."
Mercedes shivered a bit and pulled her sweater closer to her body. Tre noticed this instantly and pulled off his sweater and stood up, to go over to the other side of the table and place his own warm sweater over her shoulders. "The pregnant look suits you," Tre teased as he sat back down.
Mercedes muttered a 'thanks' for the sweater and held it close to her skin. "Are you saying I look better fat?" she laughed.
"Well if the shoe fits... " he started.
"Tre!"
The drummer laughed and shrugged his shoulder, as if he had said nothing wrong. "The pregnant look... meaning the mother look... the look only women can get. That cliché glow or whatever the fuck it is... you wear it well. It's probably you're best look yet."
"Thank you," she replied warmly.
"Or being naked. That's pretty nice too."
"Tre!"
Tre laughed. "Hey... I can't say that shit when Mike's around cause he'll kick my ass... so at least let me have my fun."
Mercedes shook her head and sighed. "You want me to take you home?" Tre asked her.
"Sure."
Tre nodded and as Mercedes was pulling out money from her pocket, he had already beat her to it, throwing the bill with a more than generous tip onto the table. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't pay for you?"
"Any other man," she teased.
Tre rolled his eyes and leaned down to pick up Mercedes' bags, saving her from the trouble. And for anyone in the coffee shop that day or anyone who was watching, right there, Tre and Mercedes seemed more like a married couple expecting their own child than best friends. But yet that's all they were. Best friends with a little bit of history between them that no one else knew or could ever understand. There was more between them than ever before.
Tre reached the door first and held it open for Mercedes, placing his free hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek. "After you milady," he smiled at her as the two walked down the Californian streets, Tre holding her bags and offering his arm to her, to which Mercedes happily accepted. "Now let me get you some ice cream that I promised."
