The Summer Of Our Lives, chapter 8
As soon as a startled little yelp escaped me, I knew I wasn't dreaming. Usually when I dream, I try to scream but my throat gets all choked up and no sound comes out. But it would have made a lot more sense for this to have been a dream, because it was by far strange enough.
I said the first, incredibly smart, thing that came into my head:
"Why are you in my house?" For Green Day had stepped inside and shut the door behind them.
"We got lost," said Billie.
"You got lost," I repeated.
"The best punk rock band in the history of the world shows up on my front porch because they got lost. Somehow I have a hard time believing that."
Liv seemed to regain her voice.
"Cassie," she hissed in my ear, keeping a fake smile on her face and her eyes wide, looking at the three guys in front of us
"What are you doing? Do you want them to LEAVE?"
"Of course not," I said, keeping the same wide-eyed fake smile,
"I just think it's weird that they seem to have stopped for directions at MY house, don't you?"
"Um," said Mike,
"You know we can hear you."
"Uh," I said, in a moment of sheer witticism.
"Well, uh, maybe you should tell us why you're here then."
"I'll tell." It was Billie.
"We were driving through your town, and, uh, I guess the map sucked, because we have no idea where we are."
"Let me see the map," I said, grabbing it.
"Well DUH!" Liv exclaimed.
"It's from the eighties! Why do you even have this?"
Mike and Billie looked at Tre, who had been silent the whole time, looking around my parents' house.
"Uhh....." Tre said.
"Well, it was an honest mistake! How was I supposed to know all the maps we had of the whole New York area were from 1985?"
Billie said, "Well, the label on it might have been a good place to start."
"Um," I said, trying to possibly salvage the situation,
"Do you guys want to, I don't know, sit down?" I took them into my kitchen, where Tre promptly walked over to the counter, said,
"Huh, cool, root beer," and cracked open a can.
Liv and I looked at each other. This was weird.
"Well, uh, my mom's kinda not here. Do you think we should, I don't know, call her, or something?"
"NO!" yelled Liv, Mike, Tre, and Billie all at once.
"Okay," I said sheepishly.
"So," Liv said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"What are we going to do?" Awkward silence. I said so.
"Awkward silence; a gay baby is born."
Tre laughed. "Ha ha! A gay baby! That's funny!"
"Where are you guys going to stay?" Liv asked.
"I don't think we even have a map or anything to lend you, either." She looked at me.
"Do you?"
"No," I said.
"We keep them in the car, and my mom took that."
Liv sighed.
"I guess we could pull up something off MapQuest, but I hear that sucks."
I wondered what to do next.
"Do you want anything to eat?" I said, guessing this would be the best thing to say.
Tre jumped up. "Beer!" he said excitedly.
"Tre, chill," Mike said.
"Two thirteen-year-old girls are not giving you beer. By the way," he said to Liv and me,
"I don't think we even know your names."
"Oh!" Liv said. She turned bright red.
"I'm Olivia, you can call me Liv."
"Cassie," I said.
"Hey, guys look, they're even wearing our T-shirts!" Billie said.
"Were you guys at the concert?"
"Yeah!" I said excitedly.
"Our boyfriends were there, too."
"Aww," Tre said, making a pretend pout.
"They already have boyfriends."
Mike whacked him on the back of the head.
"Shut up, Tre."
"Fine." Tre got up and started digging through our fridge.
"You got anything else to eat around here?"
"Hmm," Liv mused.
"So, where are you guys gonna stay? There's a guest room upstairs, but it only has one bed."
"Uh, Liv, can I see you a second?" I said, pulling her towards my laundry room.
"Liv!" I snapped, as soon as we were inside with the door shut firmly behind us.
"Are you crazy? They cannot stay at my house! My mom barely let us go their concert! They cannot stay HERE!"
"But Cassie," Liv whined, fixing me with a puppy-dog face,
"They have no where to go! Please, can we keep them?"
I giggled in spite of myself, and then became serious.
"Here's what we'll do. We'll hang out with them for a while, then we'll send them to that Holiday Inn out on Route 39, meet them at the mall tomorrow, and then give them a map out of suburbia and back to civilization."
"Okay, fine," Liv said. We walked out of the laundry room to find the guys from Green Day having their own mini-party in my kitchen. Tre had the blender going, and was yelling in a singsong voice,
"Who wants an orange mocha frappaccino?"
Liv elbowed me in the ribs.
"Live a little," she said to me.
"Um," I said,
"I'll take one, I guess."
I said the first, incredibly smart, thing that came into my head:
"Why are you in my house?" For Green Day had stepped inside and shut the door behind them.
"We got lost," said Billie.
"You got lost," I repeated.
"The best punk rock band in the history of the world shows up on my front porch because they got lost. Somehow I have a hard time believing that."
Liv seemed to regain her voice.
"Cassie," she hissed in my ear, keeping a fake smile on her face and her eyes wide, looking at the three guys in front of us
"What are you doing? Do you want them to LEAVE?"
"Of course not," I said, keeping the same wide-eyed fake smile,
"I just think it's weird that they seem to have stopped for directions at MY house, don't you?"
"Um," said Mike,
"You know we can hear you."
"Uh," I said, in a moment of sheer witticism.
"Well, uh, maybe you should tell us why you're here then."
"I'll tell." It was Billie.
"We were driving through your town, and, uh, I guess the map sucked, because we have no idea where we are."
"Let me see the map," I said, grabbing it.
"Well DUH!" Liv exclaimed.
"It's from the eighties! Why do you even have this?"
Mike and Billie looked at Tre, who had been silent the whole time, looking around my parents' house.
"Uhh....." Tre said.
"Well, it was an honest mistake! How was I supposed to know all the maps we had of the whole New York area were from 1985?"
Billie said, "Well, the label on it might have been a good place to start."
"Um," I said, trying to possibly salvage the situation,
"Do you guys want to, I don't know, sit down?" I took them into my kitchen, where Tre promptly walked over to the counter, said,
"Huh, cool, root beer," and cracked open a can.
Liv and I looked at each other. This was weird.
"Well, uh, my mom's kinda not here. Do you think we should, I don't know, call her, or something?"
"NO!" yelled Liv, Mike, Tre, and Billie all at once.
"Okay," I said sheepishly.
"So," Liv said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"What are we going to do?" Awkward silence. I said so.
"Awkward silence; a gay baby is born."
Tre laughed. "Ha ha! A gay baby! That's funny!"
"Where are you guys going to stay?" Liv asked.
"I don't think we even have a map or anything to lend you, either." She looked at me.
"Do you?"
"No," I said.
"We keep them in the car, and my mom took that."
Liv sighed.
"I guess we could pull up something off MapQuest, but I hear that sucks."
I wondered what to do next.
"Do you want anything to eat?" I said, guessing this would be the best thing to say.
Tre jumped up. "Beer!" he said excitedly.
"Tre, chill," Mike said.
"Two thirteen-year-old girls are not giving you beer. By the way," he said to Liv and me,
"I don't think we even know your names."
"Oh!" Liv said. She turned bright red.
"I'm Olivia, you can call me Liv."
"Cassie," I said.
"Hey, guys look, they're even wearing our T-shirts!" Billie said.
"Were you guys at the concert?"
"Yeah!" I said excitedly.
"Our boyfriends were there, too."
"Aww," Tre said, making a pretend pout.
"They already have boyfriends."
Mike whacked him on the back of the head.
"Shut up, Tre."
"Fine." Tre got up and started digging through our fridge.
"You got anything else to eat around here?"
"Hmm," Liv mused.
"So, where are you guys gonna stay? There's a guest room upstairs, but it only has one bed."
"Uh, Liv, can I see you a second?" I said, pulling her towards my laundry room.
"Liv!" I snapped, as soon as we were inside with the door shut firmly behind us.
"Are you crazy? They cannot stay at my house! My mom barely let us go their concert! They cannot stay HERE!"
"But Cassie," Liv whined, fixing me with a puppy-dog face,
"They have no where to go! Please, can we keep them?"
I giggled in spite of myself, and then became serious.
"Here's what we'll do. We'll hang out with them for a while, then we'll send them to that Holiday Inn out on Route 39, meet them at the mall tomorrow, and then give them a map out of suburbia and back to civilization."
"Okay, fine," Liv said. We walked out of the laundry room to find the guys from Green Day having their own mini-party in my kitchen. Tre had the blender going, and was yelling in a singsong voice,
"Who wants an orange mocha frappaccino?"
Liv elbowed me in the ribs.
"Live a little," she said to me.
"Um," I said,
"I'll take one, I guess."
