Best Thing In Town, chapter 2
"I think this benefit concert's a great idea," Tre commented as he adjusted himself, while he and the other two guys stood in the elevator of their hotel. "All proceeds go toward cancer research, and rock fans get to, well, rock out. And we get our hotel stay free and all the drinks we want."
Mike smirked as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out onto their floor. "I don't know about you but I think that rehearsal was pretty awesome, don't you?"
"Yeah," Billie Joe agreed. "I just hope that this interview with this journalist is quick because, shit, they're always the same. 'What's you're favorite color?'" he asked with a mocking, whiny voice. Pulling out the card key, he slid it through the slot to open the door to his main hotel suite. The door swung open and all three sauntered in and were greeted by their tour manager Doug Goodman.
"Hey Doug," Tre said in a singsongy voice. "What are you doing here? And did you come bearing gifts? Preferably strippers?"
Doug laughed. "No, just let the interviewer in. And be gentle. I've been talking to her and she's never interviewed anyone who's known worldwide. She's only done the local scene here in Buffalo."
"Well, it's not like we bite," Billie smirked.
"Not hard, anyway," Tre added.
"She's in the sitting area," Doug informed.
Tre trucked right in. Not as if they were two rooms away, but Mike only faintly heard the drummer announce himself as 'Hey, I'm Tre Cool, and I bite.' Mike just rolled his eyes and stepped into Billie Joe's sitting area with his hands in his pockets. He couldn't see the interviewer's face because the other two were in front of him but when it was his turn to shake the interviewer's hand he almost stopped dead in his tracks.
"Economy Class," he muttered.
It was the girl from the plane a few months earlier. She furrowed her brow and smiled as she shook his hand. "Small world, Poor Circulation Guy."
Tre got a confused look on his face. "Wait. You two know each other or something?"
"Uh, no. Not really. We talked on the plane back from the UK two months ago, then in the bar during our layover."
"Ah, the infamous disappearing girl," Billie Joe nodded with realization.
"I'm infamous?" Audrey asked, taking her seat with a tape recorder in her lap along with a notebook and pen. Her hazel eyes locked with Mike's blue ones as he took a seat on the couch with Tre and Billie Joe.
"I made mention of you, yeah," Mike replied.
"Well, I'm Audrey Lehsten. I'm with the Buffalo News. And I guess I should welcome you to the City of Good Neighbors, especially because of why you're here."
"Thanks, it's great to be here," Billie Joe commented. Mike just nodded, Tre twiddled his thumbs.
"What made you decide to take part in this benefit concert?" Audrey asked.
"Well, it's a cause that just hit home for me, personally," Billie Joe began. "My father died of cancer when I was ten, and we've heard some pretty good stuff about the Roswell Cancer Institute and the research they've done. It was something I know I felt compelled to be a part of."
Audrey smiled. "What do you think of the other bands and musicians taking part in this as well?"
"The Goo Goo Dolls, they're good guys, they play decent music, but they're hometown boys here so our guess is that they'll be the favored ones," Mike joked.
"Yeah, we're the sloppy seconds," Tre added.
The interview went on for about an hour, and the guys were generally impressed that the questions weren't the typical ones they were asked in every single interview they've ever been in. The questions were inventive and even funny. And Mike loved watching Audrey ask her questions. She fumbled over her words here and there, adding an 'uh' or 'um' here and there; her amateur reporting showing through. But Mike thought it was cute. Endearing. She hadn't been jaded by the media world.
Yet.
When the interview was over and done with, she stood up and shook all their hands again. Inwardly, Mike was disappointed. Something in the back of his mind wanted him to speak up and ask her if she was gonna come see their set at the benefit concert later that night.
"Hey, you gonna come see us play so you can write some more glorious stuff about us for your article?" Tre asked, mirroring what Mike had been thinking.
"Actually, yeah. The paper gave me a ticket, so...yeah. I'll be there. And after this interview, there's no way I'd miss it now," she smiled.
She began to walk out of the sitting area and Doug was leading her out to the door, when Mike's nerves finally got the best of him. "Uh, wait. I'll walk you to the elevator," he offered.
Audrey stopped and turned to look at him. Never in his life did he think a woman with her hair back in a loose ponytail, a starchy blouse and dress slacks, and glasses would get to him so much. She gave him a lopsided smile and nodded. "Uh, okay. Thanks."
Doug stepped aside and winked at Mike who gave the tour manager a mock scowl in return as he stepped out into the hallway with Audrey. He closed the door behind them and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"So, um..."
"I think the interview went well," Audrey said suddenly with a small smile. "I'm sure I messed up a bunch, but you guys were great. Made me feel at ease. But I have to admit I was pretty nervous. I mean, I knew who Green Day was, I know your music. But I never actually paid attendion to who you were as people. I'd never actually seen pictures of you...so...that explains why I acted like a human being when I met you on the plane and not like a fan."
"You're not a fan?" he asked with a smirk.
"No. I mean, no, I'm a fan. I like your music. It's...it's fun. Upbeat, good to move to. I was always just this classic rock fan. As in Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Eagles, David Bowie..." She dipped her head as they reached the elevator. "And yeah, I'm pretty much a dork," she added, biting her lip.
"I don't think so," Mike insisted. "You're unique."
"Which is a nice way of saying 'you're a big honkin' dork,'" she smirked.
"How old are you?"
"Why? Do I come off as immature?"
"No," Mike laughed. "Just asking."
"I'm 26."
"Nice age."
Audrey narrowed her eyes. "Why's that?"
Shrugging, Mike tilted his head back and smiled. "No reason," he answered when he looked back at her; once again smitten with this awkward beauty.
"Well, I really should be going. I gotta drive back downtown and see what I can do with all this," she announced, holding up her tape recorder and notebook that she was trying to stuff into her satchel.
"Okay, well...uh...it was nice seeing you again. And...see you at the show tonight," he said, pressing the elevator button for her.
"Alright. And thanks," she added, gesturing to the button. When the doors slid open, she stepped in and turned around to face him; her back up against the wall. "Bye."
"Bye." The doors began to slide shut as Mike remembered something else. "Oh, wait..." he stuck his hand out and held the doors open. "You wanna come backstage after the show?"
Audrey's small smile crept into an amused grin as she nodded her head. "Sure. That'd be great."
"Okay, cool. I'll get you on the list," Mike nodded with a smile all his own. He withdrew his hand, watching the doors shut and seeing her wave at him last minute. With a slightly puffed out chest, Mike walked with a bit of s skip in his step back toward Billie Joe's hotel suite.
Mike smirked as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out onto their floor. "I don't know about you but I think that rehearsal was pretty awesome, don't you?"
"Yeah," Billie Joe agreed. "I just hope that this interview with this journalist is quick because, shit, they're always the same. 'What's you're favorite color?'" he asked with a mocking, whiny voice. Pulling out the card key, he slid it through the slot to open the door to his main hotel suite. The door swung open and all three sauntered in and were greeted by their tour manager Doug Goodman.
"Hey Doug," Tre said in a singsongy voice. "What are you doing here? And did you come bearing gifts? Preferably strippers?"
Doug laughed. "No, just let the interviewer in. And be gentle. I've been talking to her and she's never interviewed anyone who's known worldwide. She's only done the local scene here in Buffalo."
"Well, it's not like we bite," Billie smirked.
"Not hard, anyway," Tre added.
"She's in the sitting area," Doug informed.
Tre trucked right in. Not as if they were two rooms away, but Mike only faintly heard the drummer announce himself as 'Hey, I'm Tre Cool, and I bite.' Mike just rolled his eyes and stepped into Billie Joe's sitting area with his hands in his pockets. He couldn't see the interviewer's face because the other two were in front of him but when it was his turn to shake the interviewer's hand he almost stopped dead in his tracks.
"Economy Class," he muttered.
It was the girl from the plane a few months earlier. She furrowed her brow and smiled as she shook his hand. "Small world, Poor Circulation Guy."
Tre got a confused look on his face. "Wait. You two know each other or something?"
"Uh, no. Not really. We talked on the plane back from the UK two months ago, then in the bar during our layover."
"Ah, the infamous disappearing girl," Billie Joe nodded with realization.
"I'm infamous?" Audrey asked, taking her seat with a tape recorder in her lap along with a notebook and pen. Her hazel eyes locked with Mike's blue ones as he took a seat on the couch with Tre and Billie Joe.
"I made mention of you, yeah," Mike replied.
"Well, I'm Audrey Lehsten. I'm with the Buffalo News. And I guess I should welcome you to the City of Good Neighbors, especially because of why you're here."
"Thanks, it's great to be here," Billie Joe commented. Mike just nodded, Tre twiddled his thumbs.
"What made you decide to take part in this benefit concert?" Audrey asked.
"Well, it's a cause that just hit home for me, personally," Billie Joe began. "My father died of cancer when I was ten, and we've heard some pretty good stuff about the Roswell Cancer Institute and the research they've done. It was something I know I felt compelled to be a part of."
Audrey smiled. "What do you think of the other bands and musicians taking part in this as well?"
"The Goo Goo Dolls, they're good guys, they play decent music, but they're hometown boys here so our guess is that they'll be the favored ones," Mike joked.
"Yeah, we're the sloppy seconds," Tre added.
The interview went on for about an hour, and the guys were generally impressed that the questions weren't the typical ones they were asked in every single interview they've ever been in. The questions were inventive and even funny. And Mike loved watching Audrey ask her questions. She fumbled over her words here and there, adding an 'uh' or 'um' here and there; her amateur reporting showing through. But Mike thought it was cute. Endearing. She hadn't been jaded by the media world.
Yet.
When the interview was over and done with, she stood up and shook all their hands again. Inwardly, Mike was disappointed. Something in the back of his mind wanted him to speak up and ask her if she was gonna come see their set at the benefit concert later that night.
"Hey, you gonna come see us play so you can write some more glorious stuff about us for your article?" Tre asked, mirroring what Mike had been thinking.
"Actually, yeah. The paper gave me a ticket, so...yeah. I'll be there. And after this interview, there's no way I'd miss it now," she smiled.
She began to walk out of the sitting area and Doug was leading her out to the door, when Mike's nerves finally got the best of him. "Uh, wait. I'll walk you to the elevator," he offered.
Audrey stopped and turned to look at him. Never in his life did he think a woman with her hair back in a loose ponytail, a starchy blouse and dress slacks, and glasses would get to him so much. She gave him a lopsided smile and nodded. "Uh, okay. Thanks."
Doug stepped aside and winked at Mike who gave the tour manager a mock scowl in return as he stepped out into the hallway with Audrey. He closed the door behind them and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"So, um..."
"I think the interview went well," Audrey said suddenly with a small smile. "I'm sure I messed up a bunch, but you guys were great. Made me feel at ease. But I have to admit I was pretty nervous. I mean, I knew who Green Day was, I know your music. But I never actually paid attendion to who you were as people. I'd never actually seen pictures of you...so...that explains why I acted like a human being when I met you on the plane and not like a fan."
"You're not a fan?" he asked with a smirk.
"No. I mean, no, I'm a fan. I like your music. It's...it's fun. Upbeat, good to move to. I was always just this classic rock fan. As in Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Eagles, David Bowie..." She dipped her head as they reached the elevator. "And yeah, I'm pretty much a dork," she added, biting her lip.
"I don't think so," Mike insisted. "You're unique."
"Which is a nice way of saying 'you're a big honkin' dork,'" she smirked.
"How old are you?"
"Why? Do I come off as immature?"
"No," Mike laughed. "Just asking."
"I'm 26."
"Nice age."
Audrey narrowed her eyes. "Why's that?"
Shrugging, Mike tilted his head back and smiled. "No reason," he answered when he looked back at her; once again smitten with this awkward beauty.
"Well, I really should be going. I gotta drive back downtown and see what I can do with all this," she announced, holding up her tape recorder and notebook that she was trying to stuff into her satchel.
"Okay, well...uh...it was nice seeing you again. And...see you at the show tonight," he said, pressing the elevator button for her.
"Alright. And thanks," she added, gesturing to the button. When the doors slid open, she stepped in and turned around to face him; her back up against the wall. "Bye."
"Bye." The doors began to slide shut as Mike remembered something else. "Oh, wait..." he stuck his hand out and held the doors open. "You wanna come backstage after the show?"
Audrey's small smile crept into an amused grin as she nodded her head. "Sure. That'd be great."
"Okay, cool. I'll get you on the list," Mike nodded with a smile all his own. He withdrew his hand, watching the doors shut and seeing her wave at him last minute. With a slightly puffed out chest, Mike walked with a bit of s skip in his step back toward Billie Joe's hotel suite.
