Its Not Easy Being Jimmy, chapter 2
I gently dabbed the scars and bruises on my face and body with anti-septic and cold water. I hadn't paid for the heating for months so I wasn't surprised when the water would never warm up. I patted my face dry and pulled the t-shirt over my head then lit up a cigarette and dropped into the shabby sofa in front of the TV. My aching body hurt a bit as I reached for my backpack lying on the floor. I got out a my tobacco, rizlers and a lighter from it and placed it in my pocket then grabbed an apple and headed out towards the front door making sure I locked it securely.
I looked at my green watch. It was 6.51 and pouring down with rain. Should I just go in or wait for them to come out? How the hell was I supposed to know?
I paced up and down the ground a few times then ran my fingers through my hair and headed for the backdoor exit. Fuck it. I tried opening the door but it was locked.
"Damn." I whispered to myself.
Yet again I ran my fingers through my wet hair. There wasn't really anything else I could do so this started to become a habit. I tried knocking on the door to see if there was anyone that could open it for me. I waited for a few seconds. No answer I tried again but still no answer. I sighed and was about to go home but heard a voice coming from behind the van that was parked next to the building.
"Hey."
He was wearing a grey hoodie and black drainpipes and was smoking a spliff. I looked closer trying to see who it was. My eyes squinting. Who was it? I couldn't see. It was to dark so I stepped closer until I saw who it was. It was Billie Joe. My eyes widened in shock at the same time as my stomach grew butterflies. I was in complete trance and wasn't speaking or moving.
"You gonna say 'Hi' back or are you just going to stand there?"
"Oh, hi. Sorry about that. I didn't see who it was just then." I secretly smiled to myself as the words came out.
He laughed slightly then took another toke off his spliff. I watched carefully as he drew back his breath and let all the smoke out whilst closing his eyes softly and leaning his head back on the wall, letting the rainfall down on his face. He looked at me with a smile.
"You want some?" he said offering me it.
"Yeah sure." I took it from his fingers. Mine were trembling.
I took a toke whilst looking him straight into his deep green eyes. There was a silence as we stood looking at each other. I just couldn't keep my eyes off him.
The door opened breaking our stare.
"Billie are you... ?" Tre interrupted when he saw me. "Hey... " He said insecurely, probably not knowing who the hell I was.
"Yeah, I'm ready! Coming?" he asked me. I nodded and followed him in.
"What? Who is... ?"
"Its err... err... you know, the guy from the diner." He studied me then said, "I never caught your name."
"Its Jimmy." I said offering my hand to Billie.
He shook it firmly then stepped out of the cold rain and into a room that was quite small but very cozy. The walls were graffitid with meaning less words and pictures. There were two sofas in one corner with a coffee table with popcorn and several beer bottles and cans on it. I walked in and run my fingers through my hair. This time to get the water out of it. Not out of nervousness.
"So this is backstage." Billie said taking off his drenched hoodie. The t-shirt underneath got caught on it revealing his well-toned upper body. I coughed and itched my nose awkwardly. None of the other guys seemed to take any notice of how fit he was. And part of me was glad. Now it meant I could have him all to myself. I had started to accept the fact that I was gay, even though it had only been a few hours. Now that I understood who I was I was beginning to accept and even like who I was. It had been so confusing before. Now it was all clear to me and I was happy for it.
"Sit down then." Billie Joe said from the sofa looking at me weirdly. Shit! How long had I been standing there for?
"Uh, ok."
"You play anything?"
"Uh, yeah, I play the drums."
"Hey, so do I!" Tre said with the biggest grin I'd seen for a long time.
I smiled back raising my eyebrows.
"Cool." Billie said biting his lip. He looked so damn sexy I wanted to have him right there and then. I tensed up my fist and held it on my lap. He kept staring at me for what seemed like a million years but was probably only for 30 seconds or so. My heart beat faster. Almost as fast as when Harvey was going to first take a blow at me. Billie finally stopped staring at me as a man walked in.
"Okay guys, your on in five minutes!" he shouted whilst clapping his hands together firmly.
"All right. Could you get a ticket for Jimmy?" Billie said turning towards the man.
"Uh, yeah sure." He ran into a small room whilst Mike, Tre and Billie started to get ready. I sat on the sofa not knowing what to do. Either I'd sit there and be lazy or I'd get up and help them but just be in the way. I couldn't win but decided to stay on the sofa until that guy came back with a ticket. I waited impatiently until finally he came back.
"Here you go." He said as he passed it to me.
"Thanks." I took it from his hands and stood up. "Hey Bill. I'm going now."
"Yeah ok. Come see us after the show and we'll hang out."
"Yeah sure, why not?" I said smiling. He smiled back at me making the hairs on my neck stand up straight.
"Good luck." I said as I walked out the door and into the cold, dark night. There were a few streetlights here and there and a couple of vans standing parked against the wall. I walked round the building until I found the entrance.
"Ticket please." Said the bouncer in a deep voice.
I reached into my pocket.
"Yeah. Hold on a second." It wasn't there. I tried in all my other pockets but the ticket wasn't in any of them.
"Shit." I whispered to myself.
"Sorry, can't let you in without a ticket."
"Look, I know the lead singer. He gave me the ticket just 10 minutes ago or so, if you just let me in ill be back with the ticket in no time." I said as I tried pushing past him. He grabbed my arm and pushed me back in front of him.
"Nice try buddy. No ticket, no Green Day."
"But I need to see it."
"Rules are rules. Now get out of here before I call the cops."
I was going to debate with him but decided it would probably be better if I just left it. I sighed.
"Thanks for your help."
I walked back round the building and sat myself under a streetlight and started making a roll-up.
It had been almost 45 minutes I had been sitting there. I sighed then snapped my head up at the sound of footsteps in the distance. It wasn't just one person. It must have been 4 or 5 people minimum. I looked around trying to find what direction they were coming from. In front of me a gang started to appear. It was Harvey. I swallowed hard knowing what was coming my way. I got up and started walking backwards keeping my eyes on them the whole time. I turned around and was about to run but found a beefy guy standing there looking down at me smirking. I was in deep shit. I tried calling for help but nothing came out. I turned around again. Harvey was standing less than 1 meter away from me with what looked like 8 or 10 other guys around him. I tried begging.
"Harvey, please, why can't... "
There were no conversations today. He drew his fist back and hit me in the face with all his might. I fell to the ground with a thud and within the 3rd blow I was knocked out. In some ways I was happy for this because if I was conscious whilst they beat me up for the rest of the night I don't know what I would do. When they had done the job they rolled me into a puddle and left me as the rain started to fall on my bruised and wounded body. If I'll survive, I have no idea.
I looked at my green watch. It was 6.51 and pouring down with rain. Should I just go in or wait for them to come out? How the hell was I supposed to know?
I paced up and down the ground a few times then ran my fingers through my hair and headed for the backdoor exit. Fuck it. I tried opening the door but it was locked.
"Damn." I whispered to myself.
Yet again I ran my fingers through my wet hair. There wasn't really anything else I could do so this started to become a habit. I tried knocking on the door to see if there was anyone that could open it for me. I waited for a few seconds. No answer I tried again but still no answer. I sighed and was about to go home but heard a voice coming from behind the van that was parked next to the building.
"Hey."
He was wearing a grey hoodie and black drainpipes and was smoking a spliff. I looked closer trying to see who it was. My eyes squinting. Who was it? I couldn't see. It was to dark so I stepped closer until I saw who it was. It was Billie Joe. My eyes widened in shock at the same time as my stomach grew butterflies. I was in complete trance and wasn't speaking or moving.
"You gonna say 'Hi' back or are you just going to stand there?"
"Oh, hi. Sorry about that. I didn't see who it was just then." I secretly smiled to myself as the words came out.
He laughed slightly then took another toke off his spliff. I watched carefully as he drew back his breath and let all the smoke out whilst closing his eyes softly and leaning his head back on the wall, letting the rainfall down on his face. He looked at me with a smile.
"You want some?" he said offering me it.
"Yeah sure." I took it from his fingers. Mine were trembling.
I took a toke whilst looking him straight into his deep green eyes. There was a silence as we stood looking at each other. I just couldn't keep my eyes off him.
The door opened breaking our stare.
"Billie are you... ?" Tre interrupted when he saw me. "Hey... " He said insecurely, probably not knowing who the hell I was.
"Yeah, I'm ready! Coming?" he asked me. I nodded and followed him in.
"What? Who is... ?"
"Its err... err... you know, the guy from the diner." He studied me then said, "I never caught your name."
"Its Jimmy." I said offering my hand to Billie.
He shook it firmly then stepped out of the cold rain and into a room that was quite small but very cozy. The walls were graffitid with meaning less words and pictures. There were two sofas in one corner with a coffee table with popcorn and several beer bottles and cans on it. I walked in and run my fingers through my hair. This time to get the water out of it. Not out of nervousness.
"So this is backstage." Billie said taking off his drenched hoodie. The t-shirt underneath got caught on it revealing his well-toned upper body. I coughed and itched my nose awkwardly. None of the other guys seemed to take any notice of how fit he was. And part of me was glad. Now it meant I could have him all to myself. I had started to accept the fact that I was gay, even though it had only been a few hours. Now that I understood who I was I was beginning to accept and even like who I was. It had been so confusing before. Now it was all clear to me and I was happy for it.
"Sit down then." Billie Joe said from the sofa looking at me weirdly. Shit! How long had I been standing there for?
"Uh, ok."
"You play anything?"
"Uh, yeah, I play the drums."
"Hey, so do I!" Tre said with the biggest grin I'd seen for a long time.
I smiled back raising my eyebrows.
"Cool." Billie said biting his lip. He looked so damn sexy I wanted to have him right there and then. I tensed up my fist and held it on my lap. He kept staring at me for what seemed like a million years but was probably only for 30 seconds or so. My heart beat faster. Almost as fast as when Harvey was going to first take a blow at me. Billie finally stopped staring at me as a man walked in.
"Okay guys, your on in five minutes!" he shouted whilst clapping his hands together firmly.
"All right. Could you get a ticket for Jimmy?" Billie said turning towards the man.
"Uh, yeah sure." He ran into a small room whilst Mike, Tre and Billie started to get ready. I sat on the sofa not knowing what to do. Either I'd sit there and be lazy or I'd get up and help them but just be in the way. I couldn't win but decided to stay on the sofa until that guy came back with a ticket. I waited impatiently until finally he came back.
"Here you go." He said as he passed it to me.
"Thanks." I took it from his hands and stood up. "Hey Bill. I'm going now."
"Yeah ok. Come see us after the show and we'll hang out."
"Yeah sure, why not?" I said smiling. He smiled back at me making the hairs on my neck stand up straight.
"Good luck." I said as I walked out the door and into the cold, dark night. There were a few streetlights here and there and a couple of vans standing parked against the wall. I walked round the building until I found the entrance.
"Ticket please." Said the bouncer in a deep voice.
I reached into my pocket.
"Yeah. Hold on a second." It wasn't there. I tried in all my other pockets but the ticket wasn't in any of them.
"Shit." I whispered to myself.
"Sorry, can't let you in without a ticket."
"Look, I know the lead singer. He gave me the ticket just 10 minutes ago or so, if you just let me in ill be back with the ticket in no time." I said as I tried pushing past him. He grabbed my arm and pushed me back in front of him.
"Nice try buddy. No ticket, no Green Day."
"But I need to see it."
"Rules are rules. Now get out of here before I call the cops."
I was going to debate with him but decided it would probably be better if I just left it. I sighed.
"Thanks for your help."
I walked back round the building and sat myself under a streetlight and started making a roll-up.
It had been almost 45 minutes I had been sitting there. I sighed then snapped my head up at the sound of footsteps in the distance. It wasn't just one person. It must have been 4 or 5 people minimum. I looked around trying to find what direction they were coming from. In front of me a gang started to appear. It was Harvey. I swallowed hard knowing what was coming my way. I got up and started walking backwards keeping my eyes on them the whole time. I turned around and was about to run but found a beefy guy standing there looking down at me smirking. I was in deep shit. I tried calling for help but nothing came out. I turned around again. Harvey was standing less than 1 meter away from me with what looked like 8 or 10 other guys around him. I tried begging.
"Harvey, please, why can't... "
There were no conversations today. He drew his fist back and hit me in the face with all his might. I fell to the ground with a thud and within the 3rd blow I was knocked out. In some ways I was happy for this because if I was conscious whilst they beat me up for the rest of the night I don't know what I would do. When they had done the job they rolled me into a puddle and left me as the rain started to fall on my bruised and wounded body. If I'll survive, I have no idea.
