A Troubled Trip, chapter 1
Mike lay back on the couch, and Tre called from the kitchen, "Hey, What're you doing here?" Mike lifted himself up to see Billie Joe walking through the door, back from vacation a few days early. Mike grinned and shoved himself over the back of the couch. He jogs into the kitchen.
“Woah, Billie Joe! You’re back! Why are you here early though, and why aren’t you at home?� Mike questioned, patting Billie on the shoulder. Billie Joe walked past both of them to the fridge, grabbing a drink.
“Well, you’ll never believe this, but… I guess I could tell you guys,� He walks over to the living room, collapsing on the couch. He pops the top of the can, delighting at the wonderful chtshhhhh sound it makes. Tre and Mike soon join him. Mike stands behind the couch with his hands holding his lower back, and Tre sits on the table in front of the couch, ready to listen.
“Come on Billie, spill it,� Tre commands, leaning back and supporting him self with his arms. Billie Joe takes a deep drink from his beer and looks around the room looking for inspiration.
“Well, let’s see…
“I was going to a press conference, more promoting for American Idiot. I got in my car, deciding to drive it, seeing as it was just in Seattle. I kiss Adrienne and Joseph and Jakob good bye, get in the car, and got out on the road. I get about 20 minutes from the house, and realized I had to make a rest stop. You know…. And I get out of the car, and walk up to this service station, and I go in the door. Naturally I’m laughing because there’s a bid ‘Self-Service’ sign, and it’s hanging right above the men’s restroom.
“Some big guy comes up to me, and he asks me what I think is so funny, and he grabs me by the shirt. I’m not really worried about it, because most of those big guys just want to give you a kiss, so they hide it by hitting you, you know? I tell him that nothing’s funny, and I say, ‘Hey, big boy, If you’ve got too much pent-up anger, I’m sure Old Jimmy out back will be more than happy to work out his tension.’
“He didn’t really find that funny, so he drug me out the door, and took me out back. He reached in his pocket, and I said, ‘He man, I don’t know which you prefer, but I don’t swing that way.’ Again, he didn’t find that too funny, and he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. He turned me around and slammed me up against the wall. My nose started bleeding then, and he started laughing.
“Next think I know I hear this clicking and he’s putting the handcuffs on me. He tells me I’d better be quiet, and so I was, and he walked me over to a pair of cellar doors. He threw me down the stairs and I rolled for a few seconds before landing on something dry and soft. I was just relieved I hadn’t broken my neck, so I kind of didn’t realize the smell all around me.�
Billie Joes pauses, taking another drink and draining the can. Mike is now sitting beside him, eyes wide, and Tre is staring raptly at him. He takes a deep breath and begins again,
“So I spend a day or two in there, I think, and I’m getting pretty hungry. Next thing I know, I hear these sirens going off, and they’re just, you know, constantly, just blaring and just going and going. I never thought I’d be happy to hear cop sirens, but they were the first noises I’d heard in a few days.
“Next thing I know there’s this blinding light, and these cops are down there, and they’re beating me with their nightsticks. Any ways, after a second or two, one of them realizes I’m cuffed, and he calls the others off.
“So they find the key to the cuffs, and they unlock me. At this point I can see, And it turns out the whole room is buried in pot. As it turns out, these guys were the leaders of some underground drug ring. So the cops let me go, and I came straight back here,� Billie Joe finishes. He sets the can next to Tre, who is still staring, wide-eyed. Mike shakes his head.
“Oh my god, is that true?� He asked, putting his hand on Billie Joe’s shoulder. Billie looks over at him, his face a grave expression.
He shakes his head, grinning. “No, man, I was fucking with you. They just cancelled the interview, so I came back.�
“Woah, Billie Joe! You’re back! Why are you here early though, and why aren’t you at home?� Mike questioned, patting Billie on the shoulder. Billie Joe walked past both of them to the fridge, grabbing a drink.
“Well, you’ll never believe this, but… I guess I could tell you guys,� He walks over to the living room, collapsing on the couch. He pops the top of the can, delighting at the wonderful chtshhhhh sound it makes. Tre and Mike soon join him. Mike stands behind the couch with his hands holding his lower back, and Tre sits on the table in front of the couch, ready to listen.
“Come on Billie, spill it,� Tre commands, leaning back and supporting him self with his arms. Billie Joe takes a deep drink from his beer and looks around the room looking for inspiration.
“Well, let’s see…
“I was going to a press conference, more promoting for American Idiot. I got in my car, deciding to drive it, seeing as it was just in Seattle. I kiss Adrienne and Joseph and Jakob good bye, get in the car, and got out on the road. I get about 20 minutes from the house, and realized I had to make a rest stop. You know…. And I get out of the car, and walk up to this service station, and I go in the door. Naturally I’m laughing because there’s a bid ‘Self-Service’ sign, and it’s hanging right above the men’s restroom.
“Some big guy comes up to me, and he asks me what I think is so funny, and he grabs me by the shirt. I’m not really worried about it, because most of those big guys just want to give you a kiss, so they hide it by hitting you, you know? I tell him that nothing’s funny, and I say, ‘Hey, big boy, If you’ve got too much pent-up anger, I’m sure Old Jimmy out back will be more than happy to work out his tension.’
“He didn’t really find that funny, so he drug me out the door, and took me out back. He reached in his pocket, and I said, ‘He man, I don’t know which you prefer, but I don’t swing that way.’ Again, he didn’t find that too funny, and he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. He turned me around and slammed me up against the wall. My nose started bleeding then, and he started laughing.
“Next think I know I hear this clicking and he’s putting the handcuffs on me. He tells me I’d better be quiet, and so I was, and he walked me over to a pair of cellar doors. He threw me down the stairs and I rolled for a few seconds before landing on something dry and soft. I was just relieved I hadn’t broken my neck, so I kind of didn’t realize the smell all around me.�
Billie Joes pauses, taking another drink and draining the can. Mike is now sitting beside him, eyes wide, and Tre is staring raptly at him. He takes a deep breath and begins again,
“So I spend a day or two in there, I think, and I’m getting pretty hungry. Next thing I know, I hear these sirens going off, and they’re just, you know, constantly, just blaring and just going and going. I never thought I’d be happy to hear cop sirens, but they were the first noises I’d heard in a few days.
“Next thing I know there’s this blinding light, and these cops are down there, and they’re beating me with their nightsticks. Any ways, after a second or two, one of them realizes I’m cuffed, and he calls the others off.
“So they find the key to the cuffs, and they unlock me. At this point I can see, And it turns out the whole room is buried in pot. As it turns out, these guys were the leaders of some underground drug ring. So the cops let me go, and I came straight back here,� Billie Joe finishes. He sets the can next to Tre, who is still staring, wide-eyed. Mike shakes his head.
“Oh my god, is that true?� He asked, putting his hand on Billie Joe’s shoulder. Billie looks over at him, his face a grave expression.
He shakes his head, grinning. “No, man, I was fucking with you. They just cancelled the interview, so I came back.�
