Wake Me Up When the Sun Rises, chapter 3
Adrienne came in and scooted around the three men rolling around on the ground like 7-year-olds. "Come on guys, break it up. What kind of example is this for your kids?" she scolded. Billie Joe stood up, pulling Tre, whom he had in a full-nelson, up with him.
"Alright." He whined, dropping Tre to his knees. Tre jumped up energetically and brushed himself off.
"Yes mommy," he said smartly, flicking Billie Joe on the ear. "We'll continue this on the playground after school, big daddy." Billie Joe took a playful swing at Tre and went over to the kitchen cabinet to take out two more plates. Mike Dirnt took notice of me and sat down across from me.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Tori Craven." I said nervously. He smiled charmingly and stuck out a long tattooed arm.
"I'm Mike." Like I needed to know! Tre twisted around to see who he was talking to and bounded over, sliding into a chair next to him. He looked at me intently until I blushed and looked away.
"Oh yeah, this is Tori Craven. Joey's rescue victim." Said Billie Joe placing a cup of coffee in front of Mike, a glass of chocolate milk in front of Tre who licked his lips eagerly, and a plate in front of each of them. "Dig in guys. Tori, what do you drink? Coffee, chocolate milk, juice?" He asked as everyone else started piling food on their plates.
"Coffee would be nice. Black is fine." I said.
"Really?" Said Tre thickly through a bite of pancake. He swallowed difficultly and took a swig of chocolate milk. "I didn't know little girls drank coffee. Especially black coffee. Shit I thought Mike was the only one who was disgusting enough to drink it black." He nudged Mike who smiled at me.
Mike sliced into his stack of pancakes and cleared his throat. "Now, what do you mean, rescue victim?" He asked. I swallowed the bite of pancakes I had just taken and looked up.
"Well I was walking, saw something I shouldn't have, and nearly got a knife held to my throat for it." I said uncomfortably. "Joey, I guess, saw it and uh sort of saved me. He brought me here and, here I am." I said taking the mug of steaming coffee Adrienne had brought over to me. "Thanks." She nodded and took a seat on the other side of Joey.
"Wow, good way to start off the day."
"Yeah." I said laughing slightly as Billie Joe sat on my other side. The table was quiet for a moment, except for the light clinking of silverware on plates.
"Whoa! What the hell happened to your arm?" asked Tre. I looked up startled, not knowing who he was talking to. Everyone was looking at me and I noticed the robe Adrienne had given me had slipped off my shoulder, revealing a large livid bruise my father had given me two nights ago when he was drunk. I pulled the robe up hastily and looked down at my plate.
"It's nothing." I said hurriedly.
"Like hell it's nothing!" I looked up again and Billie Joe hushed him. He looked at me, frowning slightly and turned to his food.
"Tell me something, Tori. Who do you live with?" He asked conversationally.
"My dad." I replied, picking up my cup of coffee. I put it to my lips and he asked quietly.
"Does he hit you?" I sputtered and choked on my coffee. The hot liquid fell down my chin and I wiped it away quickly. The table had gone suddenly quiet.
"Excuse me!" I said, feeling both angry and caught off guard. Billie Joe chewed slowly.
"I had a friend when I was little."
"Really! I had no idea!" Said Tre trying to be funny. Mike looked at him sternly and he deflated a bit and went to get more chocolate milk.
Billie Joe continued. "His dad used to beat him, bad. Pissed me off something awful. Know what happened in the end?" I shook my head no. "His old man came home, shit faced and pissed. Ended up beating his own kid to death. He wasn't any older than you and Joey. So I'll ask again; does he hit you?"
"Dad!" said Joey. I felt my face burning and turned to him.
"Look, I'm grateful for you hospitality and all, your son did save my life, and I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Armstrong."
"Billie Joe." he interrupted.
"Fine, Billie Joe. But I really don't think that's any of your damn business." I said. I felt embarrased and defensive as he shrugged. Joey was looking at his lap like it was going to do some kind of magic trick.
"You're right. Sorry." He shrugged. The rest of the meal was tense. No one, even Tre, said a word and I jumped when the dryer with my clothes in it went off. Adrienne handed me my clothes and I excused myself to get dressed. I came back down, now in my still warm clothes, and found Joey waiting for me.
"I'm so sorry for that." he said blushing. "It wasn't my dad's place to accuse your dad."
"No, it's alright and its not like he wasn't right." I sighed. Joey looked at me intently.
"Your dad does beat you then?" he said and I nodded. I sighed and rubbed his face. "Wow." he said.
We walked back to the kitchen. "Um thanks for breakfast, but I'm gonna start walking home. Thanks for rescuing me, prince charming." I said kissing Joey on the cheek and turning to walk out the door.
"Hang on, I said we definitely weren't letting you leave on your own, so I'll drive you home." said Billie Joe standing up and grabbing some keys off of the counter. "Guys I'll be back in a bit." He said. He ushered me into a huge garage and opened a car door. for me. Joey ended up coming with us and I gave directions to my house.
He pulled up to my dumpy little home and I suddenly realized how shitty it must look compared to that mansion he called a house. "Thanks again." I said quickly, wanting to get the hell out of there.
"Tori, if something ever happens and you need help. Call." Said Billie Joe handing me a slip of paper with a phone number on it. I could tell he was implying about my father and said yeah. I closed the car door behind me and practically ran to the front door. When I was safely inside, I heard the car pull away and sighed with relief.
"And where were you?" Uh-oh
"Alright." He whined, dropping Tre to his knees. Tre jumped up energetically and brushed himself off.
"Yes mommy," he said smartly, flicking Billie Joe on the ear. "We'll continue this on the playground after school, big daddy." Billie Joe took a playful swing at Tre and went over to the kitchen cabinet to take out two more plates. Mike Dirnt took notice of me and sat down across from me.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Tori Craven." I said nervously. He smiled charmingly and stuck out a long tattooed arm.
"I'm Mike." Like I needed to know! Tre twisted around to see who he was talking to and bounded over, sliding into a chair next to him. He looked at me intently until I blushed and looked away.
"Oh yeah, this is Tori Craven. Joey's rescue victim." Said Billie Joe placing a cup of coffee in front of Mike, a glass of chocolate milk in front of Tre who licked his lips eagerly, and a plate in front of each of them. "Dig in guys. Tori, what do you drink? Coffee, chocolate milk, juice?" He asked as everyone else started piling food on their plates.
"Coffee would be nice. Black is fine." I said.
"Really?" Said Tre thickly through a bite of pancake. He swallowed difficultly and took a swig of chocolate milk. "I didn't know little girls drank coffee. Especially black coffee. Shit I thought Mike was the only one who was disgusting enough to drink it black." He nudged Mike who smiled at me.
Mike sliced into his stack of pancakes and cleared his throat. "Now, what do you mean, rescue victim?" He asked. I swallowed the bite of pancakes I had just taken and looked up.
"Well I was walking, saw something I shouldn't have, and nearly got a knife held to my throat for it." I said uncomfortably. "Joey, I guess, saw it and uh sort of saved me. He brought me here and, here I am." I said taking the mug of steaming coffee Adrienne had brought over to me. "Thanks." She nodded and took a seat on the other side of Joey.
"Wow, good way to start off the day."
"Yeah." I said laughing slightly as Billie Joe sat on my other side. The table was quiet for a moment, except for the light clinking of silverware on plates.
"Whoa! What the hell happened to your arm?" asked Tre. I looked up startled, not knowing who he was talking to. Everyone was looking at me and I noticed the robe Adrienne had given me had slipped off my shoulder, revealing a large livid bruise my father had given me two nights ago when he was drunk. I pulled the robe up hastily and looked down at my plate.
"It's nothing." I said hurriedly.
"Like hell it's nothing!" I looked up again and Billie Joe hushed him. He looked at me, frowning slightly and turned to his food.
"Tell me something, Tori. Who do you live with?" He asked conversationally.
"My dad." I replied, picking up my cup of coffee. I put it to my lips and he asked quietly.
"Does he hit you?" I sputtered and choked on my coffee. The hot liquid fell down my chin and I wiped it away quickly. The table had gone suddenly quiet.
"Excuse me!" I said, feeling both angry and caught off guard. Billie Joe chewed slowly.
"I had a friend when I was little."
"Really! I had no idea!" Said Tre trying to be funny. Mike looked at him sternly and he deflated a bit and went to get more chocolate milk.
Billie Joe continued. "His dad used to beat him, bad. Pissed me off something awful. Know what happened in the end?" I shook my head no. "His old man came home, shit faced and pissed. Ended up beating his own kid to death. He wasn't any older than you and Joey. So I'll ask again; does he hit you?"
"Dad!" said Joey. I felt my face burning and turned to him.
"Look, I'm grateful for you hospitality and all, your son did save my life, and I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Armstrong."
"Billie Joe." he interrupted.
"Fine, Billie Joe. But I really don't think that's any of your damn business." I said. I felt embarrased and defensive as he shrugged. Joey was looking at his lap like it was going to do some kind of magic trick.
"You're right. Sorry." He shrugged. The rest of the meal was tense. No one, even Tre, said a word and I jumped when the dryer with my clothes in it went off. Adrienne handed me my clothes and I excused myself to get dressed. I came back down, now in my still warm clothes, and found Joey waiting for me.
"I'm so sorry for that." he said blushing. "It wasn't my dad's place to accuse your dad."
"No, it's alright and its not like he wasn't right." I sighed. Joey looked at me intently.
"Your dad does beat you then?" he said and I nodded. I sighed and rubbed his face. "Wow." he said.
We walked back to the kitchen. "Um thanks for breakfast, but I'm gonna start walking home. Thanks for rescuing me, prince charming." I said kissing Joey on the cheek and turning to walk out the door.
"Hang on, I said we definitely weren't letting you leave on your own, so I'll drive you home." said Billie Joe standing up and grabbing some keys off of the counter. "Guys I'll be back in a bit." He said. He ushered me into a huge garage and opened a car door. for me. Joey ended up coming with us and I gave directions to my house.
He pulled up to my dumpy little home and I suddenly realized how shitty it must look compared to that mansion he called a house. "Thanks again." I said quickly, wanting to get the hell out of there.
"Tori, if something ever happens and you need help. Call." Said Billie Joe handing me a slip of paper with a phone number on it. I could tell he was implying about my father and said yeah. I closed the car door behind me and practically ran to the front door. When I was safely inside, I heard the car pull away and sighed with relief.
"And where were you?" Uh-oh
