Without A Bass Player, chapter 2
The first day back to school wasn't anything special, just the same dull place it had always been. Luckily Billie and Mike signed up for five of the same classes, so it wasn't too bad. During English, instead of writing about his first day back to high school, Billie was doing what he probably would be doing any place else, writing lyrics. Every so often he would turn to Mike and ask him what he thought of a line. The only thing on Mike's mind though was Ginger. He wasn't sure what he thought of her, she was just stuck in his mind, and he couldn't help thinking of her.
At lunch, Billie and Mike found some old friends from last year and ran behind back to smoke a joint.
Some guy approached Billie and asked, "Hey Bill, do you still sell joints for cheap?"
"Yeah." Billie replied, as he pulled out a joint, the other kid nonchalantly handed him two one dollar bills. "They don't call me 'Two Dollar Bill' for nothing." Billie joked.
***
When the final bell rang, the boys headed back to Billie's house. Mrs. Armstrong still wasn't home.
"Let me go get my bass." Mike said.
"Okay, but hurry up, John will be here soon, and you know how he is."
Mike ran upstairs to his/Billie's room and grabbed his bass out of the corner of the room, he loved his bass, he treated it as a person. Sometimes when he would accidentally hit his bass against a wall he was out of habit say, "Ouch!"
As soon as Mike got to the bottom of the stairs, he heard a knock on the front door.
"Help me get my stuff out of my van." Was the first thing John said to Mike when he opened the door. Mike followed John to his white van parked in front of the house. Billie was already in the garage practicing his guitar, and going over lyrics.
"Put your fucking guitar down Billie, and help us out with my shit!" John yelled to Billie. Billie did what he was told and set Blue down very carefully.
Mike loved band practice. It was so fun, yet it was his sacred thing to where he didn't have to worry. He loved Sweet Children, and he didn't know what he'd do without them.
An hour into practice, Mrs. Armstrong drove up in her beat up Oldsmobile. Even though her feet ached from standing on them all day, she still walked up to both and Mike and Billie, and hugged and kissed both boys. As she walked into the house she quietly yelled, "Rock on!"
"Thanks Mom." Billie said, a little embarrassed.
***
School was dreadful. Billie absolutely loathed it. He kept chatting away to Mike telling him as soon as he could, he was going to drop out. This angered Mike a little bit because he knew education was important. Of course, Mike knew that as soon as Billie turned 18 in February, he would leave, even though he would only need four more months until he would graduate, Billie didn't care, all he cared about was Sweet Children.
The only thing Mike seemed to like more and more since school started was the bus ride there. Him and Ginger had been getting into deep conversations, and growing quite close, even though they had only known each other a week. Mike invited Ginger one day to band practice. This in fact infuriated Billie.
"What the hell is your problem Mike? That chick is a sleezbag! I don't see what you see in her!" Billie screamed.
"Billie listen, she's a nice girl, you just have to get to know her, I've heard those rumors too about her, she's really not like that!" Mike screamed back in his defense.
"Mike, that Ginger chick is bad news, she's bossy, she's mean, she's a plain BITCH!" Billie concluded as he stormed out of the room.
"Dammit, what the hell is wrong with Billie?" Mike mumbled to himself.
At lunch, Billie and Mike found some old friends from last year and ran behind back to smoke a joint.
Some guy approached Billie and asked, "Hey Bill, do you still sell joints for cheap?"
"Yeah." Billie replied, as he pulled out a joint, the other kid nonchalantly handed him two one dollar bills. "They don't call me 'Two Dollar Bill' for nothing." Billie joked.
***
When the final bell rang, the boys headed back to Billie's house. Mrs. Armstrong still wasn't home.
"Let me go get my bass." Mike said.
"Okay, but hurry up, John will be here soon, and you know how he is."
Mike ran upstairs to his/Billie's room and grabbed his bass out of the corner of the room, he loved his bass, he treated it as a person. Sometimes when he would accidentally hit his bass against a wall he was out of habit say, "Ouch!"
As soon as Mike got to the bottom of the stairs, he heard a knock on the front door.
"Help me get my stuff out of my van." Was the first thing John said to Mike when he opened the door. Mike followed John to his white van parked in front of the house. Billie was already in the garage practicing his guitar, and going over lyrics.
"Put your fucking guitar down Billie, and help us out with my shit!" John yelled to Billie. Billie did what he was told and set Blue down very carefully.
Mike loved band practice. It was so fun, yet it was his sacred thing to where he didn't have to worry. He loved Sweet Children, and he didn't know what he'd do without them.
An hour into practice, Mrs. Armstrong drove up in her beat up Oldsmobile. Even though her feet ached from standing on them all day, she still walked up to both and Mike and Billie, and hugged and kissed both boys. As she walked into the house she quietly yelled, "Rock on!"
"Thanks Mom." Billie said, a little embarrassed.
***
School was dreadful. Billie absolutely loathed it. He kept chatting away to Mike telling him as soon as he could, he was going to drop out. This angered Mike a little bit because he knew education was important. Of course, Mike knew that as soon as Billie turned 18 in February, he would leave, even though he would only need four more months until he would graduate, Billie didn't care, all he cared about was Sweet Children.
The only thing Mike seemed to like more and more since school started was the bus ride there. Him and Ginger had been getting into deep conversations, and growing quite close, even though they had only known each other a week. Mike invited Ginger one day to band practice. This in fact infuriated Billie.
"What the hell is your problem Mike? That chick is a sleezbag! I don't see what you see in her!" Billie screamed.
"Billie listen, she's a nice girl, you just have to get to know her, I've heard those rumors too about her, she's really not like that!" Mike screamed back in his defense.
"Mike, that Ginger chick is bad news, she's bossy, she's mean, she's a plain BITCH!" Billie concluded as he stormed out of the room.
"Dammit, what the hell is wrong with Billie?" Mike mumbled to himself.
