The Summer Of Our Lives, chapter 7
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right,
I hope you had the time of your life."
As Green Day finished their final song, I was screaming the lyrics, tears streaming down my face. Mostly because this was by far the coolest night of my life and I never wanted it to end, but also slightly because I was struck by the fact that I had known all the words to this song since I was about five, and I had just now realized it was by Green Day. The lights and sounds all sort of blurred around me, until I wiped my eyes and stared up at Green Day playing the song, which I decided was sad and happy at the same time, which was how I was feeling right now. I was having - what else - the time of my life, but I never, ever wanted this concert to end.
Looking up at the stage directly in front of me, I realized that there was something wet on Billie Joe's face. Was he crying? It sure seemed like it. This made me cry harder, for reasons I can't even explain. This was the coolest night of my life (except for maybe the night I found out Kevin liked me). Nothing this awesome had ever happened to me before, and I was pretty sure nothing this awesome would ever happen again.
Or so I thought.
**After the Concert**
"Cassie, Peter has a late game tonight," my mom said, picking up her purse and car keys and heading out the door. "It starts at nine thirty, should be over by ten thirty. I'll call you if we run into anything that'll make us late. Are you sure you two will be fine here alone for the night?"
"Mom," I said, laughing, "We survived a huge concert in the middle of New York with just our boyfriends. I think we can handle staying home alone for the night."
"Just making sure," my mom said, backing out the door into the garage where my brother was already waiting anxiously to go to his basketball game. As she left I heard her muttering something about people scheduling games late when children needed to sleep.
"Finally," I said, slamming the door behind her. Liv was sleeping over at my house. Still in our jeans and concert T-shirts, we wandered the kitchen looking for a snack.
"That was so freakin' AWESOME!" Liv said from the freezer. "Oh my God, that was the coolest concert EVER! I love Green Day, I love all the songs, I loved this whole night!" Liv collapsed on a kitchen chair with a box of strawberry PopTarts in her hand.
"I know!" I found a six-pack of root beer in the fridge and tore off one of the shiny brown cans. I cracked it open and stood with the foaming soda halfway to my lips. "Hey, did you see during "Time of Your Life" that wet stuff on Billie Joe's face? Was he really crying, or was I imaging it?"
"Oh my God, he WAS!" Liv said. "I thought I was sweat or something, but now that I think of it, you're right." Liv bit down on a PopTart. "Eew, I hate it when they're frozen."
"Well what did you expect? You pulled them from the freezer."
Liv was about to retort when the doorbell rang. I just took a sip of root beer.
"Well?" Liv said, "Aren't you going to go answer it?"
"Hello," I said, "my mom isn't here! Where were you a few minutes ago?" Liv looked at me. "Okay fine. I'll look out the window and see who it is. If it's someone I know, I'll answer it." I walked to the living room window and looked out. It was just my annoying next-door neighbor, Gavin, and two guys I assumed were his friends. I couldn't really tell, since the porch light was off.
"It's okay, it's just my neighbor."
Liv shot me an I-told-you-so look from the kitchen as I went to answer the door.
When I opened it, I stood back and folded my arms across my chest. "Wow, Gavin," I said, impressed. "I know you like to pretend you're Billie Joe Armstrong, but this now you've really gone out of your way." I said this on account of Gavin being dressed exactly like Green Day's singer and guitar player. "And look," I continued, "You even brought Mike and Tre look-alikes, too. Geez, Gavin, exactly how obsessed ARE you?
"What's going on?" Liv said from behind me, still gnawing on the frozen PopTart.
"Who's Gavin?" said the rather confused guy at my doorstep. His voice was familiar, but it wasn't Gavin's.
Behind me, I heard the sound of Liv's piece of PopTart hitting the ground as her jaw dropped.
I hope you had the time of your life."
As Green Day finished their final song, I was screaming the lyrics, tears streaming down my face. Mostly because this was by far the coolest night of my life and I never wanted it to end, but also slightly because I was struck by the fact that I had known all the words to this song since I was about five, and I had just now realized it was by Green Day. The lights and sounds all sort of blurred around me, until I wiped my eyes and stared up at Green Day playing the song, which I decided was sad and happy at the same time, which was how I was feeling right now. I was having - what else - the time of my life, but I never, ever wanted this concert to end.
Looking up at the stage directly in front of me, I realized that there was something wet on Billie Joe's face. Was he crying? It sure seemed like it. This made me cry harder, for reasons I can't even explain. This was the coolest night of my life (except for maybe the night I found out Kevin liked me). Nothing this awesome had ever happened to me before, and I was pretty sure nothing this awesome would ever happen again.
Or so I thought.
**After the Concert**
"Cassie, Peter has a late game tonight," my mom said, picking up her purse and car keys and heading out the door. "It starts at nine thirty, should be over by ten thirty. I'll call you if we run into anything that'll make us late. Are you sure you two will be fine here alone for the night?"
"Mom," I said, laughing, "We survived a huge concert in the middle of New York with just our boyfriends. I think we can handle staying home alone for the night."
"Just making sure," my mom said, backing out the door into the garage where my brother was already waiting anxiously to go to his basketball game. As she left I heard her muttering something about people scheduling games late when children needed to sleep.
"Finally," I said, slamming the door behind her. Liv was sleeping over at my house. Still in our jeans and concert T-shirts, we wandered the kitchen looking for a snack.
"That was so freakin' AWESOME!" Liv said from the freezer. "Oh my God, that was the coolest concert EVER! I love Green Day, I love all the songs, I loved this whole night!" Liv collapsed on a kitchen chair with a box of strawberry PopTarts in her hand.
"I know!" I found a six-pack of root beer in the fridge and tore off one of the shiny brown cans. I cracked it open and stood with the foaming soda halfway to my lips. "Hey, did you see during "Time of Your Life" that wet stuff on Billie Joe's face? Was he really crying, or was I imaging it?"
"Oh my God, he WAS!" Liv said. "I thought I was sweat or something, but now that I think of it, you're right." Liv bit down on a PopTart. "Eew, I hate it when they're frozen."
"Well what did you expect? You pulled them from the freezer."
Liv was about to retort when the doorbell rang. I just took a sip of root beer.
"Well?" Liv said, "Aren't you going to go answer it?"
"Hello," I said, "my mom isn't here! Where were you a few minutes ago?" Liv looked at me. "Okay fine. I'll look out the window and see who it is. If it's someone I know, I'll answer it." I walked to the living room window and looked out. It was just my annoying next-door neighbor, Gavin, and two guys I assumed were his friends. I couldn't really tell, since the porch light was off.
"It's okay, it's just my neighbor."
Liv shot me an I-told-you-so look from the kitchen as I went to answer the door.
When I opened it, I stood back and folded my arms across my chest. "Wow, Gavin," I said, impressed. "I know you like to pretend you're Billie Joe Armstrong, but this now you've really gone out of your way." I said this on account of Gavin being dressed exactly like Green Day's singer and guitar player. "And look," I continued, "You even brought Mike and Tre look-alikes, too. Geez, Gavin, exactly how obsessed ARE you?
"What's going on?" Liv said from behind me, still gnawing on the frozen PopTart.
"Who's Gavin?" said the rather confused guy at my doorstep. His voice was familiar, but it wasn't Gavin's.
Behind me, I heard the sound of Liv's piece of PopTart hitting the ground as her jaw dropped.
