“Who Would've Thought Getting Knocked Down Would End So Well?”, chapter 15
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Tre, Mike, Billie Joe and I settled ourselves into a booth in the back of a small restaurant. The waitress passed each of us a menu and I began to flip through, trying to decide what to have for dinner. I took a sip of water and looked at Mike. He was not looking through the menu. Slightly confused, I wanted to know why.
"Mike, you're not hungry?"
"I just know what I want. Steak. And nothing else. Mmm... Beefy."
"I like the way you think, Mikey, I want steak too." Tre put his menu down.
"Well I want Jambalaya actually." Billie Joe looked at me with a satisfied grin. "What are you going to have?"
I shrugged and continued to look through the menu; I had no idea what to get, there were so many choices. I was not sure how the guys chose so quickly when there were so many options. Minutes later, the waitress came back to our table and I decided on getting the spinach and ricotta manicotti. She took our orders and our menus and went back to the kitchen.
It was a nice restaurant, small with dim lighting; it had a cozy feel to it. The walls were a deep burgundy colour and the tables were adorned with candles. Customers were scattered throughout the establishment and a few looks of recognition were aimed in our general direction, but no one approached the guys, which I knew they appreciated once in a while. Billie Joe, Mike and Tre adored their fans, but sometimes they just wanted to be able to eat a meal in public without being disturbed.
"I'll be back." I slid out of the booth and walked to the bathroom. I was washing my hands when I heard two girls talking to each other through their adjoining stalls.
The first girl asked, "Wasn't that Green Day out there? And who was that girl with them? She looked pretty close to Billie Joe but that's not Adrienne!"
The second girl paused before answering. "I don't think that's them. I mean, what would they be doing here? They could go to any restaurant they wanted. And I heard he's not even with Adie anymore!"
"You think she's with Billie Joe? Why her?"
The second girl paused before answering. "I don't know, why not me? How did she meet them anyway? She's probably a gold digger or something."
They continued to talk about the possibility that Green Day was sitting in their restaurant and questioned my presence with them. I easedropped at first, curious about what they were saying, noting that I would be talking and thinking the same way if I were in their situation. I realized that not too long ago, I was in their situation, hoping to even catch a glimpse of Green Day, if even at a concert, on a video, during an interview on television. And now I was dating Billie Joe, and I couldn't be happier. Sometimes I still could not believe it.
The first girl flushed the toilet and prepared to get out of the stall. I left before they saw me. I was not sure why, but I was uncomfortable with them talking about me, it was so weird; I was a nobody, why did they care so much?
As I left the bathroom and walked back toward the guys, I heard them talking about something I could not follow. I stopped and listened in.
"... So I'm going to ask soon." Billie Joe was finishing his sentence. He seemed apprehensive about the decision he had to make.
Tre piped up. "But how are you going to do it? You can't just spring that on her, man."
"I think it's a great idea." Mike replied. Tre's and Mike's answers provided no insight. They continued to discuss the issue at hand and were still arguing about it when I slid back into the booth, next to Billie Joe.
"What's a great idea?"
"... Uhh, nothing. Just band stuff." Billie Joe avoided my gaze.
They were obviously lying but I dropped the subject because it was clear that no one was going to tell me; maybe it was none of my business anyway. The waitress arrived with our food, setting our plates in front of us. We all mumbled thanks as she sped away to tend to another table. The four of us began to devour our meals, eating in silence. Tre looked at his steak, then looked at Mike's.
"Hey Mikey, wanna try my meal?"
Mike looked at Tre, confused. They'd ordered the exact same thing. Mike rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly, but decided to humour Tre.
"Sure."
And they tried each other's steaks, each tasting exactly the same. Tre piped up, "I'm going to get that next time."
Billie Joe chuckled and continued to eat. The food was mouth watering. When I became full, I placed my knife and fork on the plate, pushing the plate away from me. Billie Joe looked at my nearly full plate then looked at me.
"Is that really all you're going to have, babe?"
I smiled inwardly at his concern. "Yeah, I'm just not that hungry, I have no appetite."
"You feeling ok?" Mike asked. The three of them were now staring at me.
"Don't worry, guys, I'm fine. But thanks."
Tre shrugged. "Your loss." And he grabbed my plate, finishing its contents.
"Mike, you're not hungry?"
"I just know what I want. Steak. And nothing else. Mmm... Beefy."
"I like the way you think, Mikey, I want steak too." Tre put his menu down.
"Well I want Jambalaya actually." Billie Joe looked at me with a satisfied grin. "What are you going to have?"
I shrugged and continued to look through the menu; I had no idea what to get, there were so many choices. I was not sure how the guys chose so quickly when there were so many options. Minutes later, the waitress came back to our table and I decided on getting the spinach and ricotta manicotti. She took our orders and our menus and went back to the kitchen.
It was a nice restaurant, small with dim lighting; it had a cozy feel to it. The walls were a deep burgundy colour and the tables were adorned with candles. Customers were scattered throughout the establishment and a few looks of recognition were aimed in our general direction, but no one approached the guys, which I knew they appreciated once in a while. Billie Joe, Mike and Tre adored their fans, but sometimes they just wanted to be able to eat a meal in public without being disturbed.
"I'll be back." I slid out of the booth and walked to the bathroom. I was washing my hands when I heard two girls talking to each other through their adjoining stalls.
The first girl asked, "Wasn't that Green Day out there? And who was that girl with them? She looked pretty close to Billie Joe but that's not Adrienne!"
The second girl paused before answering. "I don't think that's them. I mean, what would they be doing here? They could go to any restaurant they wanted. And I heard he's not even with Adie anymore!"
"You think she's with Billie Joe? Why her?"
The second girl paused before answering. "I don't know, why not me? How did she meet them anyway? She's probably a gold digger or something."
They continued to talk about the possibility that Green Day was sitting in their restaurant and questioned my presence with them. I easedropped at first, curious about what they were saying, noting that I would be talking and thinking the same way if I were in their situation. I realized that not too long ago, I was in their situation, hoping to even catch a glimpse of Green Day, if even at a concert, on a video, during an interview on television. And now I was dating Billie Joe, and I couldn't be happier. Sometimes I still could not believe it.
The first girl flushed the toilet and prepared to get out of the stall. I left before they saw me. I was not sure why, but I was uncomfortable with them talking about me, it was so weird; I was a nobody, why did they care so much?
As I left the bathroom and walked back toward the guys, I heard them talking about something I could not follow. I stopped and listened in.
"... So I'm going to ask soon." Billie Joe was finishing his sentence. He seemed apprehensive about the decision he had to make.
Tre piped up. "But how are you going to do it? You can't just spring that on her, man."
"I think it's a great idea." Mike replied. Tre's and Mike's answers provided no insight. They continued to discuss the issue at hand and were still arguing about it when I slid back into the booth, next to Billie Joe.
"What's a great idea?"
"... Uhh, nothing. Just band stuff." Billie Joe avoided my gaze.
They were obviously lying but I dropped the subject because it was clear that no one was going to tell me; maybe it was none of my business anyway. The waitress arrived with our food, setting our plates in front of us. We all mumbled thanks as she sped away to tend to another table. The four of us began to devour our meals, eating in silence. Tre looked at his steak, then looked at Mike's.
"Hey Mikey, wanna try my meal?"
Mike looked at Tre, confused. They'd ordered the exact same thing. Mike rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly, but decided to humour Tre.
"Sure."
And they tried each other's steaks, each tasting exactly the same. Tre piped up, "I'm going to get that next time."
Billie Joe chuckled and continued to eat. The food was mouth watering. When I became full, I placed my knife and fork on the plate, pushing the plate away from me. Billie Joe looked at my nearly full plate then looked at me.
"Is that really all you're going to have, babe?"
I smiled inwardly at his concern. "Yeah, I'm just not that hungry, I have no appetite."
"You feeling ok?" Mike asked. The three of them were now staring at me.
"Don't worry, guys, I'm fine. But thanks."
Tre shrugged. "Your loss." And he grabbed my plate, finishing its contents.
