When My Saints Go Marching In, chapter 1
I'd done it. I'd just dropped out of college, and I was going to spend a whole month going everywhere. I could to try to follow Green Day on their tour. Well everywhere in America I could at least.
My name is Kayla, and I'm nineteen. As I already said I dropped out of college, and I almost dropped out of high school once, but I thought about Green Day and that helped me. I've loved Green Day ever since I was introduced to their music in sixth grade. It was the night before my departure, and I was packing my bags and humming "Warning." I couldn't wait for tomorrow. When it is time for me to board that plane to LA. I think I'll freak out, or just get really nervous.
"Kayla," my mom called.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing, getting packed?" she said in a pissed off tone. She wasn't excited about me dropping out.
"Of course, what do you think, I am weird?"
"Well," she said, popping her head into the room.
"Don't answer the question."
"I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too, as soon as I remember you."
"Hey."
"Just kidding."
"I still don't like the idea of you going to so many different places. Are you sure you won't go back to school?"
"No. Hey, it's cool. Besides, it's time to get away from school. I won't miss anything but another year and a half of nothing. This way I'll have fun. It won't be an ordinary year; it'll be the year of my dreams. I can see it now."
"Ok, if your quite finished rambling on about that, I'll just leave," and without anymore, she did just that.
When I finally decided to go to sleep, I realized I couldn't after about half an hour. I jumped out of bed and turned my light on, hurrying over to my stereo to play all of my Green Day CD's. I sat there for hours listening to the songs, anticipating the moment when I would get to leave this hellhole.
I looked over at the clock, to find it was 4:30, only three hours until I was to board the plane.
"Wake up," my mom said. I rolled over and looked at the clock, 5:30. With only one hour of sleep, I rolled out of bed and slipped into some clothes. I stumbled downstairs tired.
"Will you have anything to eat?" my mom asked.
"Not hungry," I said yawning.
"Ok then, it's not my fault if you get hungry later."
"I'll be fine."
"Whatever you say. Get your bags and I'll take you to the airport."
When we arrived at the airport, I looked out the window watching the planes take off and land, knowing I would soon be boarding one just like it.
When I got my flight arrangements worked out, my mom led me to the boarding station. We both said our goodbyes -hers being a bit more dramatic than mine- and I boarded the plane to paradise.
On the plane, I took my seat next a very cute stranger.
He looked over at me and smiled. "Hi, I'm Mikey."
"Kayla."
"Nice to meet you."
I looked at him and smiled; also taking notice he was wearing a Green Day shirt. "I like your shirt."
"Oh, thanks. Yeah, I'm like a Green Day freak."
"Me too. That's actually why I'm headed To LA."
"So you're going to the concert too then?"
"Yeah, I might be, I don't know."
"Well I thought you said you were going to LA for Green Day."
"Yeah, well I am. I don't know if for the concert, but I dropped out of college and I'm following them on their tour."
He sat there with his mouth hanging open for a few moments before speaking. "You are like the luckiest person in the world," he said loud enough to make a few of the other passengers stare. Well, what could I say, I totally agreed with him.
We spent the entire trip talking about Green Day, and occasionally taking short breaks to listen to our I-Pods.
When the flight landed at about ten, I got off the plane and said goodbye to Mikey. I found a tall man holding a piece of paper with someone's name on it wondering whom he was waiting for. I walked over passed him and he looked down at me.
I went to go get my bags. I went to the bag pickup place, standing very silent. I waited for my bags to come around, and grabbed them when they did. I headed outside and saw a limo. I got very excited, expecting to see someone famous when the guy opened the door, but there was nothing but an empty limo.
I slid a taxi in while the man put my bags in the trunk. When he was done he slid in to the driver's seat and the car took off. As he was flipping through the stations, Green Day was on and he stopped changing the station and began humming with the song. That cheered me up a little bit.
We arrived at a hotel a couple of minutes later. The man, whose name I did not know, got my bags and led me into the hotel. I got my room arrangement settled and I noticed he was still standing there. We went over to the elevator and he pressed the up button and the door opened. We stepped inside and as soon as the doors closed I said, "You didn't have to help me."
"It's ok," he answered.
The man and I stood outside a room as I fiddled around with the key card, eventually getting it to go into the slot. As we entered the room the man pretended to trip. I laughed at this, and he put my bags down, and I gave him a tip before he left. I looked around, and decided to go explore the city.
As I got outside the hotel, I noticed everything around me was constantly moving and I liked it. I made my way down the street, and didn't make it far before something happened to me.
-Let me just take a moment and ask why, when I'm just about to have fun, does something bad happen to me? Anyway, back to the story-
I was walking down the street taking in my surroundings when something -correction someone- hit me from behind causing me to fall and scrape my knee. "Oh my God," the man said as he stopped to help me up, "I'm so sorry. Can I do anything for you?" I didn't answer because I was checking out my knee, and found it was bleeding incredibly badly. "Here, come with me."
"No, it's fine, really."
"No, let me take you in my hotel room and get you cleaned up," and before I could reject his offer again, he tugged my arm and headed inside the very hotel I had just come out of.
On the elevator ride up -to the top floor I might add- I asked why he was here.
"I'm a band manager, we're on tour right now."
"Cool," I said, "what band?"
He was hesitant in answering this question, but finally said, "Green Day."
"Oh my God, really? They are totally like my favorite band ever! That's why I'm here, I was going to go to the concert, and follow them for the rest of their tour. I'm staying in this hotel too."
"Cool." We stood in silence for another moment and then he said, "Hey, to make up for this, what do you say you travel with the band instead of following us on your own?"
"Well, it's a little much for a scraped knee, but why the hell not?"
"Sick, and what did you say your name was?" he said as the doors opened.
"Kayla, yours?"
"Pat," he said opening the door to Green Day's room.
When he pushed the door open, I felt like I was going to puke, but decided not to for the sake of me and everyone else.
The room was huge well, it was like a condo or something- it was almost the size of my house.
"Honey I'm home," Pat yelled when we both stepped inside. I saw Mike peek around the corner and look at me then said,
"Who's this?"
"This is Kayla, I accidentally ran into her, and she fell as you can see," he said, directing Mike's attention to my knee.
"Oh."
Pat led me to the bathroom and helped me on to the counter to wash my knee off. Moments later Mike showed up in the bathroom with Billie Joe and Tre Cool.
"I heard what happened," Billie Joe said, "I'm sorry. Can we make it up to you?"
"That's ok," I mumbled as a result of being star struck.
"This is Kayla everyone. She's coming on tour with us, so that's how we're repaying her. She was going to be following us on tour anyway, so I figured, hell why not bring her. This is Mike Dirnt," he said, standing up after he was done cleaning my leg, and Mike stepped forward and shook my hand. "This is Billie Joe," he said, and Billie Joe shook my hand and smiled at me. I wasn't going to let go of his hand, but decided to, as to not make a bad first impression. "This," Jason said, "is Tre Cool, and if you give me your key card I'll get your bags," and after I handed it to him and told him my room number he left. Tre stepped forward to shake my hand as well after Pat got out of the way, but also gave me a quick hug, which I found kind of creepy, but pretty funny.
Then I started thinking what he could have been on to do a thing like that, but dropped the subject when Billie Joe asked me to follow him, and I did of course. Who wouldn't? Well except someone that might have heard a rumor that he was a mass murderer on the loose and refused to stop his diabolical plan to destroy every person, one soul at a time.... sorry, off topic. But I would probably still follow him then, but then again he would never do that... I hope...
On our trip down the hall, we passed several doors in which he pointed out. "This one's Tres room." And, "That might be important to know if I didn't want to die." We reached the end of the hall and he showed me the couch in someone's room where I'd be sleeping. The room was slightly larger than my room at home and very nice if I did say so myself. I decided to go see what everyone else was up to after he had left.
I went out to the main room where every one was watching TV. I went over and stood by the couch, and no one noticed me besides Mike. "Sit down," he said, and pushed Tre Cool off the couch. I looked at Tre for a couple of seconds before taking a seat on the couch next to Billie Joe. The next thing I knew Tre sat on top of Mike, and I laughed while the two wrestled.
"You think that's funny?" Tre asked with an evil gleam in his eyes. I nodded slowly, and his response was very odd. He stretched himself across everyone on the couch and ended with his head on me. He looked up at me before closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his head, "This is comfortable," he said with a smirk on his face. I looked at the other two, and they both nodded at each other and pushed Tre off us. "This is comfortable too," Tre said with his face buried in the ground. At that instant Pat walked in with my bags.
"Let's go get lunch," Billie Joe said, and we all said ok and headed out the door.
"So what do you think of Tre?" Billie Joe asked.
"Oh," I said, looking down the hall at Tre ahead of us dancing in circles, "well um..."
"Yeah that's what most people say at first, but you'll get used to him."
"Whatever you say, guess you'd have to get used to him though. I mean you spend like most of your time with him, right?"
"Well... . Yeah I do. He's pretty cool though. He actually starts to seem a lot more normal as you get to know him."
"That truly almost seems impossible."
"Yeah, but just almost."
"Thanks," I said as Billie Joe held the front door of the hotel open for me. He smiled in response and we all piled into the van outside the hotel.
Minutes later, the van pulled up in front of a restaurant and we all got out. Our waitress led us to a booth and we all piled in. I tried to sit next to Billie Joe so I could talk to him some more because I found it interesting that I got comfortable around him so fast. What can I say, it sucks being shorter than Mike, you get stepped in front of, so I ended up sitting next to Tre instead. She gave us our menus, and I looked over to notice Tre quickly hide behind his, and then wondered what that was all about. After she left, Tre tapped me on the shoulder, and nodded toward the bathroom. I had no idea what he wanted, but followed anyway.
"Okay," he said, "last night I was at a bar with everyone else, and our waitress was there. She kept pestering me, so I told her I had a girlfriend that wasn't there at the moment. Now if she finds out I don't know what will happen. I don't want to find out what will happen!"
"So, from listening to your story, which is actually rather sad, I suspect you want me to pose as your girlfriend."
"Yeah, you don't mind if I use you do you?"
"Sure, what the heck? Besides, I like being used. So whatever fancies your tickle."
"Cool, thanks," he said and we headed back to the table.
We all got into conversation and Tre kept putting his arm around me, but I went along with it for the sake of him. Every once in a while he would put his head on my shoulder in a playful way that made me laugh, probably because the waitress would scowl at me and the sight of angry people makes me laugh.
After we paid we got up to leave, and a group of people rushed up to us, -well them- and started bugging them for their pictures and autographs. I leaned against the wall while they were signing stuff, and started to drift off to sleep until Billie Joe grabbed me by the arm and led me to the door.
"Tired?" Mike asked as we all got into the van.
"Yeah," I yawned, "only one hour of sleep last night."
"Oh," he said, "What was that stuff you and Tre were doing in there?"
"Remember that girl last night at the bar?" Tre said to Mike.
"The one that you told you had a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, that one. Well I used Kayla as my girlfriend, because I didn't want any trouble from that other girl."
"You can't use someone you don't even know as your girlfriend," Billie Joe protested.
"She is my girlfriend," Tre said, and I looked at him stunned, as well as everyone else until he finished his sentence, "a girl that's my friend. Besides, she said she liked being used."
"Yeah," I broke in, "I told him he could do whatever fancied his tickle."
"I like that, fancies your tickle. Ok whatever you two say then," Billie Joe said.
The rest of the ride back to the hotel was pretty quiet, except for Tre trying to burp the national anthem.
When we pulled up to the hotel, everyone was about to get out when Pat said, "Hey, let's go to the park and play football."
"Sure, but we don't have a football," Mike said.
"The football's on me if Tre quits the burping," Pat said. We went to a local store and Pat ran in, because we all decided that, no offense to him, he wouldn't cause a public scene.
He ran in and bought a football and came back out. We drove around for about fifteen minutes before we found a park.
"You can throw, right Tre?" I asked him.
"I hope so."
I smiled and we all spread out and started tossing it around. I threw it to Tre and accidentally over threw it so he had to run for it. "Sorry," I yelled. He ran up to it and tried to pick it up, but missed and tripped over the ball. I tried to hold back my laughter because I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't help it, it was just too funny. I dropped down to my knees and started laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face. By this time everyone else was done laughing, but once I start laughing, I can't stop.
Billie Joe came over to me and helped me up, then said, "Are you done laughing yet?"
"Almost, hold on." I finally stopped laughing, and we continued playing. I was able to stay serious until Tre once again succeeded in making me have an uncontrollable laughing fit. He ran for the ball and actually caught it. He kept running and jumped and slipped in this huge mud puddle. We all laughed, and finally made our way over to him.
"Are you ok?" Billie Joe asked him.
"Yeah, but my foot's stuck."
"Hold on, I'll help." He slowly made his way out, being careful not to get too muddy. He reached Tre, and in an instant, Tre pulled him down, soaking him in mud. I started laughing, and then Billie Joe said, "What's so funny?"
"I don't know," I said, "but you're looking pretty dirty out there."
Everyone laughed, and then Billie Joe got up and started chasing me. We ran around for a couple of minutes until he finally caught up with me and grabbed me from behind. I screamed as I felt mud get all over me, and then he let me go.
We both went back to everyone else, and Tre and Billie Joe decided it would be funny to get me in to their muddy group hug, and they succeeded -but I gave in to it because I had never been that close to someone famous. I do have to say, Billie Joe looked good in mud.
We all got back to the hotel, and took showers and Tre ordered Chinese food, and we sat down in the main room and ate it. "Sorry about the mud," Billie Joe said.
"That's ok," I said, "It was fun."
"Yeah, but it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Never do that again! I was so worried!" Tre said, being over dramatic and pretending to cry.
"Yes mom," I said.
"What did you say about my mom?" Tre said, standing up.
"I said your momma."
"My mom loves me!" Tre said, getting a few laughs.
We finished eating and talked for a little while and then decided to go to bed because the concert was tomorrow.
"Hey," Billie Joe said as I was walking down the hall to my room, "you've been to one of our concerts before right?"
"Well, I was going to go when you guys came through Sac, but it was my mom's birthday and I felt I should be with her."
"That's sweet."
"Yeah, well if it wasn't her birthday, I would have been there."
"How evil."
"Well, it's your guys' fault for having good music."
"Thanks."
"Good night. Oh, and if you send someone to wake me up, please don't send Tre. I like to be woken up gently, not to a nuclear war."
"Sure thing," he said and headed off to his room yawning. I followed behind him and went into the room he showed me earlier. Then it hit me. Oh my God, I was sleeping on the couch in his room.
"I'm sleeping in your room?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing," I said, but truly was thinking that was sweet he was willing to share his room with a complete stranger.
I went to the bathroom, and put my pajamas on and when I got back to where I was supposed to sleep and saw Billie Joe had already given me a pillow and blanket off his bed. I climbed in my makeshift bed thinking about how cool this had been so far. And it was only day one! I started thinking about how much more fun and cooler the guys were in person. Then I thought about Billie Joe and how much more perfect he was than I ever thought he would be. I thought about a lot more things and finally drifted off to sleep.
"Kayla?" someone said, shaking me lightly. "Kayla, wake up." I opened my eyes to see the heavenly figure of Billie Joe standing over me. "Morning sleepyhead. Come on out for breakfast." I sat up on the couch and stretched before following him out to the large room.
"Thanks for waking me up," I said, finding it sweet that he remembered my request.
"No problem," he said stretching. "You want to go wake Tre up?"
"Sure," I said, "but how?"
"Just figure out something."
"Ok," I said and headed toward Tres room, opening the door quietly. I tiptoed over to his bed where I found him snoring loudly. I looked at him and almost laughed at his sleeping position. He was bunched in a ball with his butt in the air.
I thought for a second then decided to stick to the classics. I took a couple steps back, ran and jumped on his bed causing him to wake with a start.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"For being you. Well, Billie Joe told me to wake you up using my imagination, so I stuck to the usual. Time to eat anyway," I said, strolling out of his room.
"See your up," Billie Joe said to Tre.
"Coffee," he said, acting like a zombie and going to get some.
We ate then all got dressed and headed to the arena where the concert was going to be. "You guys really have to come this early? The concert is in seven hours for god's sake!"
"Well, we have people- I mean stuff to do before the concert," Tre said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, like play through the songs, check out the set, get dressed, you know, the whole sha-bang. Besides we come early sometimes just to goof around," Billie Joe said.
"Whatever, you're the professionals," I said.
I watched them fool around for about an hour, and then Billie Joe asked me to follow them to check out the set, so I did.
The set was amazing! It was a stage with a black backdrop, two giant screens, and a big light up sign that said Green Day. Mike explained how during the show there were going to be a lot of pyro moments and I thought that was cool.
For the next four hours we fooled around, threw stuff, and finally ended up chasing each other through the backstage area. When I was it, I ran around a corner and saw Tre, who stuck his tongue out at me, and continued running. I followed him out on to the stage, and we circled around the drum set a couple of times, and that's when it happened. I almost had him when my pant leg got caught on the floor tom. I tripped and hit the floor incredibly hard, it didn't hurt at all, but just for laughs, I thought I would do my world-famous fake cry. I buried my face in my hands, and began to sob, and then I heard the pounding feet of Tre head my way and stop right in front of me.
"Holy shit," he said, "I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry."
"What did you do now Tre?" I heard Billie Joe say. Then I heard him gasp." What the hell? What did you do?" he said, putting a hand on my back. -Wow, I must be good at this, they really think I'm hurt, I thought.
"Well, we were playing, and her pant leg got caught on the floor tom. Are you Ok?" he asked me in a worried voice.
-I'm too good at this, I thought, then sat up and said, "Yeah, fine. But I think I bit my lip."
"What, how did you do that? I thought you were crying."
"That, my friend," I said standing up and putting my arm around him," is what I like to call my world-famous fake cry."
"Wow, that's good, just don't do it again, you scared the living shit out of me."
"Excuse your French," Billie Joe said from behind us.
"Hey, it's cool," I said turning around heading towards Billie Joe, and going back stage, "I hear more from my eleven year old brother."
"Creepy," Tre said.
"Come on," Mike said, "they want us dressed soon."
"Here I come. Super me!" Tre said doing a super hero leap into the dressing room. We followed him and they got dressed, while I waited for them.
"Hey guys time for the count down, only thirty minutes," Billie Joe said, heading to the room next to the dressing room. As I followed the three, I could hear the people crowding into the arena. I walked in the room where Billie Joe was holding his Gibson Les Paul Custom -black of course- I stood there like an idiot staring at it. "Like it?" he asked.
"Duh! That thing is awesome, I've always wanted one ever since I started playing."
"You play?"
"Of course, I've been playing for like nine years."
"Cool. Maybe if I feel nice later I'll let you play one," he said, smiling. They all gathered in a circle and Billie Joe started playing Jesus of Suburbia. They were all singing, and I was sitting on a couch listening when Mike pulled me up by the arm and told me to sing along. I was shy at first, but got over myself, and started singing.
"Pretty good," Mike said as we finished the song.
"Thanks," I said and then a lady tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a pass that allowed me to come back stage.
"Hey," Tre said, "Right before we go on, go out on stage and hop off the front, the security guard will let you hop over the barricades if you show him the pass."
"Okay," I said.
We came out of the rehearsal room when there was only five minutes to go. We all bumped fists, and got each other psyched. I ran out to the end of the stage and hopped down.
"Whoa, whoa," the security guard said, "What are you doing?" I showed him the pass and he nodded and helped me over the barricades.
Minutes later, Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike came out on stage as well as the rest of the band. The whole crowd went crazy as they burst right into American Idiot. We all sang along with that song and the band went into Jesus of Suburbia.
"Holiday!" Billie Joe yelled over the crowd and everyone went wild. "This song is a big fuck off to all the liberals and communists out there!"
"Hear the sound of the falling rain, comin' down like an Armageddon flame, the shame, the ones who died without a name. Hear the dogs howlin' out of key, to a hymn called faith and misery and bleed the company lost the war today!" Billie Joe sang over the crowd, "I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives on holidaaaaaayyyyyyyy! Hear the drum pounding out of time, another protester has crossed the line, to find the money's on the other side. Can I get another amen?"
"AMEN!" the crow screamed.
"There's a flag wrapped around a score of men, a gag, a plastic bag on a monument, I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives, on holiday!.... Lights out!" the lights instantly went out, and Billie Joe shone a red spotlight over the audience.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag..." he said in a menacing tone, "of the United States of America... and to the republic for which it stands... one nation... under god... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all... ! Are you ready?! The representative from California has the floor, Zeig hail to the president gasman, bombs away is your punishment! Pulverize the Eiffel Towers who criticize your government, bang bang goes the broken glass, kill all the fags that don't agree, trials by fire setting fire, it's not a way that's meant for me, just 'cause, just 'cause, because were outlaws yeah, I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives this is our lives on holidaaaaaayyyyyyyy!" With the last note, a huge explosion of fire ended the song.
I screamed my brains out with the rest of the crowd as Billie Joe smiled over the audience and the rest of the band broke into St. Jimmy. As soon as the song started, people started pushing me around and I somehow ended up in the mosh pit. Just for laughs, I decided to go along with it, but that's where I went wrong. I got pushed around, rammed into and finally tackled. As the person tackled me, I tried to catch myself and it worked, until I felt something in my wrist crack. I winced, and tears came out of my eyes. I tried to hide it as I made my way back to the front of the crowd, by the barricades. When I finally managed to push my way through I found a security guard and showed him my pass. He shrugged, and I pointed to my wrist and he nodded and helped me over the barricade, and led me to a door that said backstage.
"What happened?" he asked as he called one of the paramedics over.
"Someone tackled me in the mosh pit."
"Yeah, that happens a lot."
The paramedic came over and told me it wasn't broken, but I'd have to take it easy for a couple days. He put my arm in a sling, and I waited backstage for the rest of the show.
"What the hell happened to you?" Mike asked, being the first one backstage.
"Oh my god!" Billie Joe exclaimed rushing over to me. "What happened?"
"Well, you know how mosh pits can get," I said.
"What the hell were you doing in a mosh pit?!" Tre said.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, I got pushed into it."
"Well, it's not broken, is it?" Billie Joe asked, sounding concerned.
"No, the paramedic said to take it easy for a couple days though."
"Well, good thing it's not broken. So did you enjoy the part of the show you got to see?"
"Oh my God yes!" I said getting slightly over-excited and hugging Billie Joe. He didn't seem to mind too much, but I felt kind of weird though.
"Sorry," I said, looking down at me feet.
"That's ok," he said, smiling and laughing at the same time.
"Hey," Tre said, "I don't get a hug?" I looked up at him, and he smiled a cute smile that no one could resist so I had to give him a hug. "When did you hurt it anyway?"
"During 'St. Jimmy'," I said.
"I figured," Tre said rather thoughtfully.
"Well, let's go guys," Mike said.
"Where," I asked.
"You'll see," Tre said dragging me along by my uninjured arm...
We ended up at a bar, and I got in as well, after Tre bribed, or threatened the guard, I don't know which. We went and sat at a table in the back, as not to be disturbed.
The guys ordered their first round of drinks, and I sat there as they talked.
"Here," Tre offered some of whatever he was drinking to me and I looked at it for a second and took it. I swirled it around in the glass, before taking a huge gulp of it. It was the strongest shit I had ever tasted in my life.
"What the hell is this," I asked, handing it back to him.
"It's a Cheech," he said, smiling at the expression on my face from the shock of how strong it was. I watched him whisper something in Billie Joe's ear, and Billie Joe smiled before standing up and tapping my shoulder, motioning for me to follow.
I followed him not far to the bathrooms ."Careful what you drink," he said, "especially anything Tre gives you. Some of that shit can seriously fuck you up."
"Ok," I said nodding.
"Just stick to light stuff for now, you know, beer, Smirnoff Ice." I nodded, and followed him back to the table.
"Wait," I said shortly before we reached the table, "I'm not supposed to drink until I'm twenty-one right? Won't I get arrested or something?"
"They don't know that," he said, looking down at me and smiling slyly.
As I was sitting down, Tre threw a beer at me and I looked at Billie Joe. He nodded telling me it was all right to drink it. I opened it and began taking long swigs of it.
Three beers and a half later, I was starting to feel hot and slightly horny, but we won't go there. I felt like I could do anything at the moment, but didn't, just kept the drinks coming. I watched Billie Joe demonstrate his drunken sailor dance, and heard the usual stuff from Tre.
Mike got up, and looked at me, expecting me to follow him. I got up and followed him to the same spot where Billie Joe had talked to me earlier.
"You know Sherlie....," he said, pulling me closer to him. I looked at him as to say what the hell, and then he kissed me, deeply and passionately. He pulled away and smiled at me.
"What the fuck?!" I said, startled at his behavior.
"God damnit Mike," Billie Joe said, obviously having got up and followed us after we had taken so long. He pulled me away from him and I stumbled either from the drinks, or still being under shock from what Mike had just done. "Leave her alone, I think you've had too much to drink. Go outside and cool down," he said, leading me away.
As we walked back to the table I heard the voice of a drunken Mike say, "I haven't been laid in years. You'll never get away Sheryl, never!"
"What the hell?" I managed to get out half way back to the table.
"That's what I'm saying," Billie Joe said, turning to me. As he spoke I could smell alcohol on his breath, and I saw eyeliner smeared around his eyes from the show earlier. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen, the way his green eyes sparkled, and his teeth were so perfectly crooked... sorry of topic. Where was I? Oh yeah Billie Joe was talking. "I can't believe he did that. I'll have to talk to him in the morning, you know, about having you around. We don't have girls on tour with us that often, and he starts to get in extremely high spirits when he drinks too much."
"Don't we all," I said, smiling and recalling my mood from earlier.
I made it through the rest of the night feeling fine after having about five beers. When we left, I was pretty tired and couldn't stay standing for more than two seconds. I had to lean on Tre and Billie Joe on the way back to the van. I couldn't stop talking for five minutes, and then dozed off to sleep.
*Billie Joe's POV*
We finally arrived at the hotel everyone having calmed down; especially Kayla, who couldn't stop talking for most of the trip. I looked over at her and noticed she was sleeping, I shook her to wake her up, and tried for a couple minutes, but I had to face there was no waking her up.
"What are we gonna do," Tre asked, slurring his words together so much he forgot to put a question mark at the end of the sentence.
"I'll get her," I offered. I picked her up out of the van being careful not to hurt her arm. I carried her to the front door of the hotel and Mike opened the door for me and we all headed over to the elevator. The elevator ride up was pretty quiet, except for Tre pretending there was an earthquake. I spent the ride up looking at Kayla, thinking that it was funny that she passed out. It was funny watching young people drink sometimes; so naive. I know I wasn't supposed to let her do it, but I could always blame it on Tre. But then again, I would get blamed for letting him do that, so it was useless. We weren't in trouble though, so no need to worry.
We got off the elevator and Pat opened the door while everyone else filed in. I took her to my room and put her on the couch. I covered her with the blanket, and made my way over to my bed before collapsing on it, too tired to change out of my clothes.
*My POV*
I woke up slowly and unaware of where I was. I opened my eyes, and wondered what the hell I was doing on a couch, then moments later, remembered what had happened over the past couple days and smiled. I sat up only to feel extremely light-headed for a second before returning to my normal state. I looked over and saw Billie Joe sprawled on his bed with his yesterday's clothes still on. He looked so cute when he slept, almost like a baby... actually forget I said that. He looked like an angel, the most perfect angel ever. I stood up and began to feel nauseous, and an extremely bad headache started to form in my head. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash, so I went to investigate. I came out to find Tre on the floor in front of the door.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I tripped. Gonna help me up?"
I reached for his hand and totally felt like I was going to puke. "Hold that thought," I said, stepping over him to get to the bathroom.
After that mess in the bathroom was over, I came out and saw Tre out in the main room.
"Hangover?" he asked, not looking up from the TV.
"What do you think?"
"Here," he said, handing me the cup of coffee he was drinking, "It'll help."
"Thanks," I said, gratefully taking a sip from the cup.
"No problem," he said.
I finished the cup of coffee, and then Mike came out seeming very nervous around me. He sat down next to Tre with his coffee and watched the TV, glancing at me when he thought I wasn't looking. He got up to refill his cup, and looked at me then at the kitchen wanting me to follow him.
"Hey, sorry about last night, I wasn't thinking. I was way too drunk. So, sorry," he said, looking down at his feet.
"It's ok Mike. It's not you're fault you haven't been laid in years," I said, smiling brightly at him.
"Hey, that's not true, where'd you hear that?"
"You said it last night as I was walking away."
"Really?"
"Yeah," I said, giggling.
"Be quiet you," he said, chasing me out of the kitchen.
"What are you two up to?" Billie Joe asked, coming out of the hallway.
"Nothing," we said, and Mike left to go sit with Tre.
"How's your arm?" Billie Joe asked.
"Pretty good," I said, "still kinda hurts, but its ok none the less."
"Good," he said, and we joined Tre and Mike in the main room.
We all sat around for a couple more hours until Pat came out of his room.
"Hey," Billie Joe said to him, "Aren't we supposed to leave today?"
"Yeah, well the thing is Joe Joe-."
"Did you just call me Joe Joe?" Billie Joe asked.
"Yes, now as I was saying, I was gonna tell you guys last night, but I don't think you would have remembered. I got a call saying that the band that was supposed to play tonight had to move it to tomorrow, and I told them it was ok with us, so now we play in two days. So we can either stay here for today, and leave tomorrow, or get a head start, and leave today. So, let's take a vote all for leaving today?" Tre and Mike raised their hands. "Ok, today it is then. Start getting your stuff together." Tre immediately jumped up and ran to his room, while Mike followed, but not as fast.
I stood up, and went to Billie Joe's room to get dressed, and get my things in order. I picked out a Misfits shirt, and well, pants. I gathered my things and finished when Billie Joe came in.
"Is that my shirt?" he asked.
"No, this is mine; it was in with my stuff."
"Oh, I have a shirt exactly like it. I was actually going to wear it today, but since you're wearing it..."
"Oh, no, its fine. Hey, we could match, you know for fun."
"Yeah, ok sure," he said, going over to his stuff and pulling his shirt out. Sure enough, it was exactly like mine.
We both got our stuff packed away, and carried it out to the main room, where Mike was waiting with his stuff. Tre came in right behind us and we were left waiting for Pat.
"Hey, are you guys wearing the same shirt?" Mike said after awhile.
"Yeah, we found out we had the same shirt, and he thought this was his, and then I told him to wear his, and he did," I said.
"Awwwww, how cute, you guys match," Tre said.
"Shut-up Tre," Billie Joe said, smacking him upside the head. I laughed at this, and then Pat came out. "Finally, what took you so long dude?"
"I had to find a pair of underwear I was missing."
"Gross," Mike said. "Well, did you find it?"
"Yeah, it was under my bed."
"How in the hell does a pair of underwear find its way under your bed?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said, thinking.
"Whatever then," Mike said, "let's get out of here."
My name is Kayla, and I'm nineteen. As I already said I dropped out of college, and I almost dropped out of high school once, but I thought about Green Day and that helped me. I've loved Green Day ever since I was introduced to their music in sixth grade. It was the night before my departure, and I was packing my bags and humming "Warning." I couldn't wait for tomorrow. When it is time for me to board that plane to LA. I think I'll freak out, or just get really nervous.
"Kayla," my mom called.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing, getting packed?" she said in a pissed off tone. She wasn't excited about me dropping out.
"Of course, what do you think, I am weird?"
"Well," she said, popping her head into the room.
"Don't answer the question."
"I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too, as soon as I remember you."
"Hey."
"Just kidding."
"I still don't like the idea of you going to so many different places. Are you sure you won't go back to school?"
"No. Hey, it's cool. Besides, it's time to get away from school. I won't miss anything but another year and a half of nothing. This way I'll have fun. It won't be an ordinary year; it'll be the year of my dreams. I can see it now."
"Ok, if your quite finished rambling on about that, I'll just leave," and without anymore, she did just that.
When I finally decided to go to sleep, I realized I couldn't after about half an hour. I jumped out of bed and turned my light on, hurrying over to my stereo to play all of my Green Day CD's. I sat there for hours listening to the songs, anticipating the moment when I would get to leave this hellhole.
I looked over at the clock, to find it was 4:30, only three hours until I was to board the plane.
"Wake up," my mom said. I rolled over and looked at the clock, 5:30. With only one hour of sleep, I rolled out of bed and slipped into some clothes. I stumbled downstairs tired.
"Will you have anything to eat?" my mom asked.
"Not hungry," I said yawning.
"Ok then, it's not my fault if you get hungry later."
"I'll be fine."
"Whatever you say. Get your bags and I'll take you to the airport."
When we arrived at the airport, I looked out the window watching the planes take off and land, knowing I would soon be boarding one just like it.
When I got my flight arrangements worked out, my mom led me to the boarding station. We both said our goodbyes -hers being a bit more dramatic than mine- and I boarded the plane to paradise.
On the plane, I took my seat next a very cute stranger.
He looked over at me and smiled. "Hi, I'm Mikey."
"Kayla."
"Nice to meet you."
I looked at him and smiled; also taking notice he was wearing a Green Day shirt. "I like your shirt."
"Oh, thanks. Yeah, I'm like a Green Day freak."
"Me too. That's actually why I'm headed To LA."
"So you're going to the concert too then?"
"Yeah, I might be, I don't know."
"Well I thought you said you were going to LA for Green Day."
"Yeah, well I am. I don't know if for the concert, but I dropped out of college and I'm following them on their tour."
He sat there with his mouth hanging open for a few moments before speaking. "You are like the luckiest person in the world," he said loud enough to make a few of the other passengers stare. Well, what could I say, I totally agreed with him.
We spent the entire trip talking about Green Day, and occasionally taking short breaks to listen to our I-Pods.
When the flight landed at about ten, I got off the plane and said goodbye to Mikey. I found a tall man holding a piece of paper with someone's name on it wondering whom he was waiting for. I walked over passed him and he looked down at me.
I went to go get my bags. I went to the bag pickup place, standing very silent. I waited for my bags to come around, and grabbed them when they did. I headed outside and saw a limo. I got very excited, expecting to see someone famous when the guy opened the door, but there was nothing but an empty limo.
I slid a taxi in while the man put my bags in the trunk. When he was done he slid in to the driver's seat and the car took off. As he was flipping through the stations, Green Day was on and he stopped changing the station and began humming with the song. That cheered me up a little bit.
We arrived at a hotel a couple of minutes later. The man, whose name I did not know, got my bags and led me into the hotel. I got my room arrangement settled and I noticed he was still standing there. We went over to the elevator and he pressed the up button and the door opened. We stepped inside and as soon as the doors closed I said, "You didn't have to help me."
"It's ok," he answered.
The man and I stood outside a room as I fiddled around with the key card, eventually getting it to go into the slot. As we entered the room the man pretended to trip. I laughed at this, and he put my bags down, and I gave him a tip before he left. I looked around, and decided to go explore the city.
As I got outside the hotel, I noticed everything around me was constantly moving and I liked it. I made my way down the street, and didn't make it far before something happened to me.
-Let me just take a moment and ask why, when I'm just about to have fun, does something bad happen to me? Anyway, back to the story-
I was walking down the street taking in my surroundings when something -correction someone- hit me from behind causing me to fall and scrape my knee. "Oh my God," the man said as he stopped to help me up, "I'm so sorry. Can I do anything for you?" I didn't answer because I was checking out my knee, and found it was bleeding incredibly badly. "Here, come with me."
"No, it's fine, really."
"No, let me take you in my hotel room and get you cleaned up," and before I could reject his offer again, he tugged my arm and headed inside the very hotel I had just come out of.
On the elevator ride up -to the top floor I might add- I asked why he was here.
"I'm a band manager, we're on tour right now."
"Cool," I said, "what band?"
He was hesitant in answering this question, but finally said, "Green Day."
"Oh my God, really? They are totally like my favorite band ever! That's why I'm here, I was going to go to the concert, and follow them for the rest of their tour. I'm staying in this hotel too."
"Cool." We stood in silence for another moment and then he said, "Hey, to make up for this, what do you say you travel with the band instead of following us on your own?"
"Well, it's a little much for a scraped knee, but why the hell not?"
"Sick, and what did you say your name was?" he said as the doors opened.
"Kayla, yours?"
"Pat," he said opening the door to Green Day's room.
When he pushed the door open, I felt like I was going to puke, but decided not to for the sake of me and everyone else.
The room was huge well, it was like a condo or something- it was almost the size of my house.
"Honey I'm home," Pat yelled when we both stepped inside. I saw Mike peek around the corner and look at me then said,
"Who's this?"
"This is Kayla, I accidentally ran into her, and she fell as you can see," he said, directing Mike's attention to my knee.
"Oh."
Pat led me to the bathroom and helped me on to the counter to wash my knee off. Moments later Mike showed up in the bathroom with Billie Joe and Tre Cool.
"I heard what happened," Billie Joe said, "I'm sorry. Can we make it up to you?"
"That's ok," I mumbled as a result of being star struck.
"This is Kayla everyone. She's coming on tour with us, so that's how we're repaying her. She was going to be following us on tour anyway, so I figured, hell why not bring her. This is Mike Dirnt," he said, standing up after he was done cleaning my leg, and Mike stepped forward and shook my hand. "This is Billie Joe," he said, and Billie Joe shook my hand and smiled at me. I wasn't going to let go of his hand, but decided to, as to not make a bad first impression. "This," Jason said, "is Tre Cool, and if you give me your key card I'll get your bags," and after I handed it to him and told him my room number he left. Tre stepped forward to shake my hand as well after Pat got out of the way, but also gave me a quick hug, which I found kind of creepy, but pretty funny.
Then I started thinking what he could have been on to do a thing like that, but dropped the subject when Billie Joe asked me to follow him, and I did of course. Who wouldn't? Well except someone that might have heard a rumor that he was a mass murderer on the loose and refused to stop his diabolical plan to destroy every person, one soul at a time.... sorry, off topic. But I would probably still follow him then, but then again he would never do that... I hope...
On our trip down the hall, we passed several doors in which he pointed out. "This one's Tres room." And, "That might be important to know if I didn't want to die." We reached the end of the hall and he showed me the couch in someone's room where I'd be sleeping. The room was slightly larger than my room at home and very nice if I did say so myself. I decided to go see what everyone else was up to after he had left.
I went out to the main room where every one was watching TV. I went over and stood by the couch, and no one noticed me besides Mike. "Sit down," he said, and pushed Tre Cool off the couch. I looked at Tre for a couple of seconds before taking a seat on the couch next to Billie Joe. The next thing I knew Tre sat on top of Mike, and I laughed while the two wrestled.
"You think that's funny?" Tre asked with an evil gleam in his eyes. I nodded slowly, and his response was very odd. He stretched himself across everyone on the couch and ended with his head on me. He looked up at me before closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his head, "This is comfortable," he said with a smirk on his face. I looked at the other two, and they both nodded at each other and pushed Tre off us. "This is comfortable too," Tre said with his face buried in the ground. At that instant Pat walked in with my bags.
"Let's go get lunch," Billie Joe said, and we all said ok and headed out the door.
"So what do you think of Tre?" Billie Joe asked.
"Oh," I said, looking down the hall at Tre ahead of us dancing in circles, "well um..."
"Yeah that's what most people say at first, but you'll get used to him."
"Whatever you say, guess you'd have to get used to him though. I mean you spend like most of your time with him, right?"
"Well... . Yeah I do. He's pretty cool though. He actually starts to seem a lot more normal as you get to know him."
"That truly almost seems impossible."
"Yeah, but just almost."
"Thanks," I said as Billie Joe held the front door of the hotel open for me. He smiled in response and we all piled into the van outside the hotel.
Minutes later, the van pulled up in front of a restaurant and we all got out. Our waitress led us to a booth and we all piled in. I tried to sit next to Billie Joe so I could talk to him some more because I found it interesting that I got comfortable around him so fast. What can I say, it sucks being shorter than Mike, you get stepped in front of, so I ended up sitting next to Tre instead. She gave us our menus, and I looked over to notice Tre quickly hide behind his, and then wondered what that was all about. After she left, Tre tapped me on the shoulder, and nodded toward the bathroom. I had no idea what he wanted, but followed anyway.
"Okay," he said, "last night I was at a bar with everyone else, and our waitress was there. She kept pestering me, so I told her I had a girlfriend that wasn't there at the moment. Now if she finds out I don't know what will happen. I don't want to find out what will happen!"
"So, from listening to your story, which is actually rather sad, I suspect you want me to pose as your girlfriend."
"Yeah, you don't mind if I use you do you?"
"Sure, what the heck? Besides, I like being used. So whatever fancies your tickle."
"Cool, thanks," he said and we headed back to the table.
We all got into conversation and Tre kept putting his arm around me, but I went along with it for the sake of him. Every once in a while he would put his head on my shoulder in a playful way that made me laugh, probably because the waitress would scowl at me and the sight of angry people makes me laugh.
After we paid we got up to leave, and a group of people rushed up to us, -well them- and started bugging them for their pictures and autographs. I leaned against the wall while they were signing stuff, and started to drift off to sleep until Billie Joe grabbed me by the arm and led me to the door.
"Tired?" Mike asked as we all got into the van.
"Yeah," I yawned, "only one hour of sleep last night."
"Oh," he said, "What was that stuff you and Tre were doing in there?"
"Remember that girl last night at the bar?" Tre said to Mike.
"The one that you told you had a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, that one. Well I used Kayla as my girlfriend, because I didn't want any trouble from that other girl."
"You can't use someone you don't even know as your girlfriend," Billie Joe protested.
"She is my girlfriend," Tre said, and I looked at him stunned, as well as everyone else until he finished his sentence, "a girl that's my friend. Besides, she said she liked being used."
"Yeah," I broke in, "I told him he could do whatever fancied his tickle."
"I like that, fancies your tickle. Ok whatever you two say then," Billie Joe said.
The rest of the ride back to the hotel was pretty quiet, except for Tre trying to burp the national anthem.
When we pulled up to the hotel, everyone was about to get out when Pat said, "Hey, let's go to the park and play football."
"Sure, but we don't have a football," Mike said.
"The football's on me if Tre quits the burping," Pat said. We went to a local store and Pat ran in, because we all decided that, no offense to him, he wouldn't cause a public scene.
He ran in and bought a football and came back out. We drove around for about fifteen minutes before we found a park.
"You can throw, right Tre?" I asked him.
"I hope so."
I smiled and we all spread out and started tossing it around. I threw it to Tre and accidentally over threw it so he had to run for it. "Sorry," I yelled. He ran up to it and tried to pick it up, but missed and tripped over the ball. I tried to hold back my laughter because I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't help it, it was just too funny. I dropped down to my knees and started laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face. By this time everyone else was done laughing, but once I start laughing, I can't stop.
Billie Joe came over to me and helped me up, then said, "Are you done laughing yet?"
"Almost, hold on." I finally stopped laughing, and we continued playing. I was able to stay serious until Tre once again succeeded in making me have an uncontrollable laughing fit. He ran for the ball and actually caught it. He kept running and jumped and slipped in this huge mud puddle. We all laughed, and finally made our way over to him.
"Are you ok?" Billie Joe asked him.
"Yeah, but my foot's stuck."
"Hold on, I'll help." He slowly made his way out, being careful not to get too muddy. He reached Tre, and in an instant, Tre pulled him down, soaking him in mud. I started laughing, and then Billie Joe said, "What's so funny?"
"I don't know," I said, "but you're looking pretty dirty out there."
Everyone laughed, and then Billie Joe got up and started chasing me. We ran around for a couple of minutes until he finally caught up with me and grabbed me from behind. I screamed as I felt mud get all over me, and then he let me go.
We both went back to everyone else, and Tre and Billie Joe decided it would be funny to get me in to their muddy group hug, and they succeeded -but I gave in to it because I had never been that close to someone famous. I do have to say, Billie Joe looked good in mud.
We all got back to the hotel, and took showers and Tre ordered Chinese food, and we sat down in the main room and ate it. "Sorry about the mud," Billie Joe said.
"That's ok," I said, "It was fun."
"Yeah, but it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Never do that again! I was so worried!" Tre said, being over dramatic and pretending to cry.
"Yes mom," I said.
"What did you say about my mom?" Tre said, standing up.
"I said your momma."
"My mom loves me!" Tre said, getting a few laughs.
We finished eating and talked for a little while and then decided to go to bed because the concert was tomorrow.
"Hey," Billie Joe said as I was walking down the hall to my room, "you've been to one of our concerts before right?"
"Well, I was going to go when you guys came through Sac, but it was my mom's birthday and I felt I should be with her."
"That's sweet."
"Yeah, well if it wasn't her birthday, I would have been there."
"How evil."
"Well, it's your guys' fault for having good music."
"Thanks."
"Good night. Oh, and if you send someone to wake me up, please don't send Tre. I like to be woken up gently, not to a nuclear war."
"Sure thing," he said and headed off to his room yawning. I followed behind him and went into the room he showed me earlier. Then it hit me. Oh my God, I was sleeping on the couch in his room.
"I'm sleeping in your room?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing," I said, but truly was thinking that was sweet he was willing to share his room with a complete stranger.
I went to the bathroom, and put my pajamas on and when I got back to where I was supposed to sleep and saw Billie Joe had already given me a pillow and blanket off his bed. I climbed in my makeshift bed thinking about how cool this had been so far. And it was only day one! I started thinking about how much more fun and cooler the guys were in person. Then I thought about Billie Joe and how much more perfect he was than I ever thought he would be. I thought about a lot more things and finally drifted off to sleep.
"Kayla?" someone said, shaking me lightly. "Kayla, wake up." I opened my eyes to see the heavenly figure of Billie Joe standing over me. "Morning sleepyhead. Come on out for breakfast." I sat up on the couch and stretched before following him out to the large room.
"Thanks for waking me up," I said, finding it sweet that he remembered my request.
"No problem," he said stretching. "You want to go wake Tre up?"
"Sure," I said, "but how?"
"Just figure out something."
"Ok," I said and headed toward Tres room, opening the door quietly. I tiptoed over to his bed where I found him snoring loudly. I looked at him and almost laughed at his sleeping position. He was bunched in a ball with his butt in the air.
I thought for a second then decided to stick to the classics. I took a couple steps back, ran and jumped on his bed causing him to wake with a start.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"For being you. Well, Billie Joe told me to wake you up using my imagination, so I stuck to the usual. Time to eat anyway," I said, strolling out of his room.
"See your up," Billie Joe said to Tre.
"Coffee," he said, acting like a zombie and going to get some.
We ate then all got dressed and headed to the arena where the concert was going to be. "You guys really have to come this early? The concert is in seven hours for god's sake!"
"Well, we have people- I mean stuff to do before the concert," Tre said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, like play through the songs, check out the set, get dressed, you know, the whole sha-bang. Besides we come early sometimes just to goof around," Billie Joe said.
"Whatever, you're the professionals," I said.
I watched them fool around for about an hour, and then Billie Joe asked me to follow them to check out the set, so I did.
The set was amazing! It was a stage with a black backdrop, two giant screens, and a big light up sign that said Green Day. Mike explained how during the show there were going to be a lot of pyro moments and I thought that was cool.
For the next four hours we fooled around, threw stuff, and finally ended up chasing each other through the backstage area. When I was it, I ran around a corner and saw Tre, who stuck his tongue out at me, and continued running. I followed him out on to the stage, and we circled around the drum set a couple of times, and that's when it happened. I almost had him when my pant leg got caught on the floor tom. I tripped and hit the floor incredibly hard, it didn't hurt at all, but just for laughs, I thought I would do my world-famous fake cry. I buried my face in my hands, and began to sob, and then I heard the pounding feet of Tre head my way and stop right in front of me.
"Holy shit," he said, "I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry."
"What did you do now Tre?" I heard Billie Joe say. Then I heard him gasp." What the hell? What did you do?" he said, putting a hand on my back. -Wow, I must be good at this, they really think I'm hurt, I thought.
"Well, we were playing, and her pant leg got caught on the floor tom. Are you Ok?" he asked me in a worried voice.
-I'm too good at this, I thought, then sat up and said, "Yeah, fine. But I think I bit my lip."
"What, how did you do that? I thought you were crying."
"That, my friend," I said standing up and putting my arm around him," is what I like to call my world-famous fake cry."
"Wow, that's good, just don't do it again, you scared the living shit out of me."
"Excuse your French," Billie Joe said from behind us.
"Hey, it's cool," I said turning around heading towards Billie Joe, and going back stage, "I hear more from my eleven year old brother."
"Creepy," Tre said.
"Come on," Mike said, "they want us dressed soon."
"Here I come. Super me!" Tre said doing a super hero leap into the dressing room. We followed him and they got dressed, while I waited for them.
"Hey guys time for the count down, only thirty minutes," Billie Joe said, heading to the room next to the dressing room. As I followed the three, I could hear the people crowding into the arena. I walked in the room where Billie Joe was holding his Gibson Les Paul Custom -black of course- I stood there like an idiot staring at it. "Like it?" he asked.
"Duh! That thing is awesome, I've always wanted one ever since I started playing."
"You play?"
"Of course, I've been playing for like nine years."
"Cool. Maybe if I feel nice later I'll let you play one," he said, smiling. They all gathered in a circle and Billie Joe started playing Jesus of Suburbia. They were all singing, and I was sitting on a couch listening when Mike pulled me up by the arm and told me to sing along. I was shy at first, but got over myself, and started singing.
"Pretty good," Mike said as we finished the song.
"Thanks," I said and then a lady tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a pass that allowed me to come back stage.
"Hey," Tre said, "Right before we go on, go out on stage and hop off the front, the security guard will let you hop over the barricades if you show him the pass."
"Okay," I said.
We came out of the rehearsal room when there was only five minutes to go. We all bumped fists, and got each other psyched. I ran out to the end of the stage and hopped down.
"Whoa, whoa," the security guard said, "What are you doing?" I showed him the pass and he nodded and helped me over the barricades.
Minutes later, Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike came out on stage as well as the rest of the band. The whole crowd went crazy as they burst right into American Idiot. We all sang along with that song and the band went into Jesus of Suburbia.
"Holiday!" Billie Joe yelled over the crowd and everyone went wild. "This song is a big fuck off to all the liberals and communists out there!"
"Hear the sound of the falling rain, comin' down like an Armageddon flame, the shame, the ones who died without a name. Hear the dogs howlin' out of key, to a hymn called faith and misery and bleed the company lost the war today!" Billie Joe sang over the crowd, "I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives on holidaaaaaayyyyyyyy! Hear the drum pounding out of time, another protester has crossed the line, to find the money's on the other side. Can I get another amen?"
"AMEN!" the crow screamed.
"There's a flag wrapped around a score of men, a gag, a plastic bag on a monument, I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives, on holiday!.... Lights out!" the lights instantly went out, and Billie Joe shone a red spotlight over the audience.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag..." he said in a menacing tone, "of the United States of America... and to the republic for which it stands... one nation... under god... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all... ! Are you ready?! The representative from California has the floor, Zeig hail to the president gasman, bombs away is your punishment! Pulverize the Eiffel Towers who criticize your government, bang bang goes the broken glass, kill all the fags that don't agree, trials by fire setting fire, it's not a way that's meant for me, just 'cause, just 'cause, because were outlaws yeah, I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies, this is the dawning of the rest of our lives this is our lives on holidaaaaaayyyyyyyy!" With the last note, a huge explosion of fire ended the song.
I screamed my brains out with the rest of the crowd as Billie Joe smiled over the audience and the rest of the band broke into St. Jimmy. As soon as the song started, people started pushing me around and I somehow ended up in the mosh pit. Just for laughs, I decided to go along with it, but that's where I went wrong. I got pushed around, rammed into and finally tackled. As the person tackled me, I tried to catch myself and it worked, until I felt something in my wrist crack. I winced, and tears came out of my eyes. I tried to hide it as I made my way back to the front of the crowd, by the barricades. When I finally managed to push my way through I found a security guard and showed him my pass. He shrugged, and I pointed to my wrist and he nodded and helped me over the barricade, and led me to a door that said backstage.
"What happened?" he asked as he called one of the paramedics over.
"Someone tackled me in the mosh pit."
"Yeah, that happens a lot."
The paramedic came over and told me it wasn't broken, but I'd have to take it easy for a couple days. He put my arm in a sling, and I waited backstage for the rest of the show.
"What the hell happened to you?" Mike asked, being the first one backstage.
"Oh my god!" Billie Joe exclaimed rushing over to me. "What happened?"
"Well, you know how mosh pits can get," I said.
"What the hell were you doing in a mosh pit?!" Tre said.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, I got pushed into it."
"Well, it's not broken, is it?" Billie Joe asked, sounding concerned.
"No, the paramedic said to take it easy for a couple days though."
"Well, good thing it's not broken. So did you enjoy the part of the show you got to see?"
"Oh my God yes!" I said getting slightly over-excited and hugging Billie Joe. He didn't seem to mind too much, but I felt kind of weird though.
"Sorry," I said, looking down at me feet.
"That's ok," he said, smiling and laughing at the same time.
"Hey," Tre said, "I don't get a hug?" I looked up at him, and he smiled a cute smile that no one could resist so I had to give him a hug. "When did you hurt it anyway?"
"During 'St. Jimmy'," I said.
"I figured," Tre said rather thoughtfully.
"Well, let's go guys," Mike said.
"Where," I asked.
"You'll see," Tre said dragging me along by my uninjured arm...
We ended up at a bar, and I got in as well, after Tre bribed, or threatened the guard, I don't know which. We went and sat at a table in the back, as not to be disturbed.
The guys ordered their first round of drinks, and I sat there as they talked.
"Here," Tre offered some of whatever he was drinking to me and I looked at it for a second and took it. I swirled it around in the glass, before taking a huge gulp of it. It was the strongest shit I had ever tasted in my life.
"What the hell is this," I asked, handing it back to him.
"It's a Cheech," he said, smiling at the expression on my face from the shock of how strong it was. I watched him whisper something in Billie Joe's ear, and Billie Joe smiled before standing up and tapping my shoulder, motioning for me to follow.
I followed him not far to the bathrooms ."Careful what you drink," he said, "especially anything Tre gives you. Some of that shit can seriously fuck you up."
"Ok," I said nodding.
"Just stick to light stuff for now, you know, beer, Smirnoff Ice." I nodded, and followed him back to the table.
"Wait," I said shortly before we reached the table, "I'm not supposed to drink until I'm twenty-one right? Won't I get arrested or something?"
"They don't know that," he said, looking down at me and smiling slyly.
As I was sitting down, Tre threw a beer at me and I looked at Billie Joe. He nodded telling me it was all right to drink it. I opened it and began taking long swigs of it.
Three beers and a half later, I was starting to feel hot and slightly horny, but we won't go there. I felt like I could do anything at the moment, but didn't, just kept the drinks coming. I watched Billie Joe demonstrate his drunken sailor dance, and heard the usual stuff from Tre.
Mike got up, and looked at me, expecting me to follow him. I got up and followed him to the same spot where Billie Joe had talked to me earlier.
"You know Sherlie....," he said, pulling me closer to him. I looked at him as to say what the hell, and then he kissed me, deeply and passionately. He pulled away and smiled at me.
"What the fuck?!" I said, startled at his behavior.
"God damnit Mike," Billie Joe said, obviously having got up and followed us after we had taken so long. He pulled me away from him and I stumbled either from the drinks, or still being under shock from what Mike had just done. "Leave her alone, I think you've had too much to drink. Go outside and cool down," he said, leading me away.
As we walked back to the table I heard the voice of a drunken Mike say, "I haven't been laid in years. You'll never get away Sheryl, never!"
"What the hell?" I managed to get out half way back to the table.
"That's what I'm saying," Billie Joe said, turning to me. As he spoke I could smell alcohol on his breath, and I saw eyeliner smeared around his eyes from the show earlier. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen, the way his green eyes sparkled, and his teeth were so perfectly crooked... sorry of topic. Where was I? Oh yeah Billie Joe was talking. "I can't believe he did that. I'll have to talk to him in the morning, you know, about having you around. We don't have girls on tour with us that often, and he starts to get in extremely high spirits when he drinks too much."
"Don't we all," I said, smiling and recalling my mood from earlier.
I made it through the rest of the night feeling fine after having about five beers. When we left, I was pretty tired and couldn't stay standing for more than two seconds. I had to lean on Tre and Billie Joe on the way back to the van. I couldn't stop talking for five minutes, and then dozed off to sleep.
*Billie Joe's POV*
We finally arrived at the hotel everyone having calmed down; especially Kayla, who couldn't stop talking for most of the trip. I looked over at her and noticed she was sleeping, I shook her to wake her up, and tried for a couple minutes, but I had to face there was no waking her up.
"What are we gonna do," Tre asked, slurring his words together so much he forgot to put a question mark at the end of the sentence.
"I'll get her," I offered. I picked her up out of the van being careful not to hurt her arm. I carried her to the front door of the hotel and Mike opened the door for me and we all headed over to the elevator. The elevator ride up was pretty quiet, except for Tre pretending there was an earthquake. I spent the ride up looking at Kayla, thinking that it was funny that she passed out. It was funny watching young people drink sometimes; so naive. I know I wasn't supposed to let her do it, but I could always blame it on Tre. But then again, I would get blamed for letting him do that, so it was useless. We weren't in trouble though, so no need to worry.
We got off the elevator and Pat opened the door while everyone else filed in. I took her to my room and put her on the couch. I covered her with the blanket, and made my way over to my bed before collapsing on it, too tired to change out of my clothes.
*My POV*
I woke up slowly and unaware of where I was. I opened my eyes, and wondered what the hell I was doing on a couch, then moments later, remembered what had happened over the past couple days and smiled. I sat up only to feel extremely light-headed for a second before returning to my normal state. I looked over and saw Billie Joe sprawled on his bed with his yesterday's clothes still on. He looked so cute when he slept, almost like a baby... actually forget I said that. He looked like an angel, the most perfect angel ever. I stood up and began to feel nauseous, and an extremely bad headache started to form in my head. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash, so I went to investigate. I came out to find Tre on the floor in front of the door.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I tripped. Gonna help me up?"
I reached for his hand and totally felt like I was going to puke. "Hold that thought," I said, stepping over him to get to the bathroom.
After that mess in the bathroom was over, I came out and saw Tre out in the main room.
"Hangover?" he asked, not looking up from the TV.
"What do you think?"
"Here," he said, handing me the cup of coffee he was drinking, "It'll help."
"Thanks," I said, gratefully taking a sip from the cup.
"No problem," he said.
I finished the cup of coffee, and then Mike came out seeming very nervous around me. He sat down next to Tre with his coffee and watched the TV, glancing at me when he thought I wasn't looking. He got up to refill his cup, and looked at me then at the kitchen wanting me to follow him.
"Hey, sorry about last night, I wasn't thinking. I was way too drunk. So, sorry," he said, looking down at his feet.
"It's ok Mike. It's not you're fault you haven't been laid in years," I said, smiling brightly at him.
"Hey, that's not true, where'd you hear that?"
"You said it last night as I was walking away."
"Really?"
"Yeah," I said, giggling.
"Be quiet you," he said, chasing me out of the kitchen.
"What are you two up to?" Billie Joe asked, coming out of the hallway.
"Nothing," we said, and Mike left to go sit with Tre.
"How's your arm?" Billie Joe asked.
"Pretty good," I said, "still kinda hurts, but its ok none the less."
"Good," he said, and we joined Tre and Mike in the main room.
We all sat around for a couple more hours until Pat came out of his room.
"Hey," Billie Joe said to him, "Aren't we supposed to leave today?"
"Yeah, well the thing is Joe Joe-."
"Did you just call me Joe Joe?" Billie Joe asked.
"Yes, now as I was saying, I was gonna tell you guys last night, but I don't think you would have remembered. I got a call saying that the band that was supposed to play tonight had to move it to tomorrow, and I told them it was ok with us, so now we play in two days. So we can either stay here for today, and leave tomorrow, or get a head start, and leave today. So, let's take a vote all for leaving today?" Tre and Mike raised their hands. "Ok, today it is then. Start getting your stuff together." Tre immediately jumped up and ran to his room, while Mike followed, but not as fast.
I stood up, and went to Billie Joe's room to get dressed, and get my things in order. I picked out a Misfits shirt, and well, pants. I gathered my things and finished when Billie Joe came in.
"Is that my shirt?" he asked.
"No, this is mine; it was in with my stuff."
"Oh, I have a shirt exactly like it. I was actually going to wear it today, but since you're wearing it..."
"Oh, no, its fine. Hey, we could match, you know for fun."
"Yeah, ok sure," he said, going over to his stuff and pulling his shirt out. Sure enough, it was exactly like mine.
We both got our stuff packed away, and carried it out to the main room, where Mike was waiting with his stuff. Tre came in right behind us and we were left waiting for Pat.
"Hey, are you guys wearing the same shirt?" Mike said after awhile.
"Yeah, we found out we had the same shirt, and he thought this was his, and then I told him to wear his, and he did," I said.
"Awwwww, how cute, you guys match," Tre said.
"Shut-up Tre," Billie Joe said, smacking him upside the head. I laughed at this, and then Pat came out. "Finally, what took you so long dude?"
"I had to find a pair of underwear I was missing."
"Gross," Mike said. "Well, did you find it?"
"Yeah, it was under my bed."
"How in the hell does a pair of underwear find its way under your bed?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said, thinking.
"Whatever then," Mike said, "let's get out of here."
