Someone To Look Up To, chapter 1
"Dad, stop, what the hell are you doing?!" I screamed as I watched my dad in terror from the other side of the kitchen. I was fifteen at the time, and had two younger twin siblings that were ten named Brianna and J.D. My mom couldn't handle that many children though I guess and abandoned us when I was twelve. After that my dad became an alcoholic, and my siblings had no one else to look up to. Right now we had a serious problem though.
"Just give me one day, or maybe even an hour, and all three of else will be gone, just let him go!" I pleaded, clutching my little sister as if he was just going to reach out and snatch her too. But he didn't put the gun down, and it didn't look like he had any intention to. All of a sudden I jolted forward, in my bed. A nightmare, another one anyway. I looked at my mattress to see my sheets were all messed up from tossing and turning. I looked over at Brianna who was still sound asleep. I stood up, trying not to loose my balance from shaking. "You need to walk somewhere," I told myself, walking always helped me forget the thought of that horrible day for J.D. So I grabbed her hoody and my CD player and started down the stairs.
Once on the road I started off for Wanda's Coffee Shop, I always went there when she woke up in the middle of the night, and Wanda didn't care. I saw the sign for it and she started thinking about the dream and her eyes filled with tears. I hated crying, too many people looked up to me to trust myself to cry, so I just closed her eyes and walked in. I knew where all the tables were and sat in the closest one without looking up, and laid my head on the table. I could here Wanda preparing my usual, when I heard something else. I looked up and instead of the normal 'Welcome to Wanda's' sign I saw a guy sitting across from me, around eighteen or nineteen, like me. He had his head on the table too, but looking at me curiously.
"Sorry," I muttered, beginning to get up.
"No its okay, I needed the company anyway," he said, grabbing her arm. She looked at him a little astonished. He looked really familiar though. She had definitely seen him somewhere. "What brings you here at this time of night?" he asked.
"Nightmares, kinda," I answered, not wanting to give much detail. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted more information though, or he was just really bored. She figured though that telling someone might do her good. "When I was younger, my mom abandoned me and my two siblings, because of this my dad became an alcoholic. I trained my brother and sister what to do and not do when we were around him to keep our skins safe, but one day my dad brought a gun out of his room and grabbed J.D., my little brother. I told him that if he would let him go that all three of us would leave, but he just wanted to hurt... .kill... J.D. for the fun of it. I tried to convince him to let him go but I couldn't, he shot J.D. and me and Brianna grabbed all the money and ran."
He looked surprised. Like I was possessed and blurting my life long story out. Shit, he was just bored.
"Wow," he said sipping on his coffee. "That would suck, I mean to just standing there and watching your brother die, not knowing what to do... "
"Every night," I interrupted, before he could say anything else. This was the first time anyone had said that before. He actually sounded like he cared a little, the way he said it. Instead of saying, 'I'm sorry for your loss' and moving on, he actually tried sorting in out in his mind. Wanda soon came out with my drink, and gave him a refill. "So, you know my story, what's yours?"
"Couldn't sleep," he said simply, sipping on his coffee.
"So you come to a coffee shop? That doesn't help any," I stated trying to get the truth out of him.
"Hot chocolate," he said, taking another sip.
"Oh," I said as if not thinking anything of it. I was laughing inside though. Wanda always thought that the idea of having hot chocolate at a coffee shop was the dumbest thing ever. But sometimes when they begged, she would give them some anyway, but the cost was double the highest thing on her list. Maybe she just thought he was cute.
"Did you happen to beg for that or did she just give it to you?" I asked, prepared for the worst.
"Oh I begged a little."
Hahaha, sucker. He broke my thoughts though with another question.
"So what do you think would be the thing you're most thankful that you brought?" he asked.
It felt like an interview, interviews were fun. "Well, all we brought was all the money we could grab in the shortest amount of time and my CD player and case. Probably the CD stuff cause I couldn't live without music.
"Oh really, whose your favorite band?" he asked again. Someone actually wanted to know something about me, it's been a while.
"Well, used to be Nirvana and The Jets and some other bands like that, but now I'm really obsessed with Green Day. My sister gives me grief all the time. I was even listening to them now!" I said showing him my CD player that contained Nimrod. "Yeah, it just always seems like they understand how I feel, I mean I know they're talking about one of their dumb ex-girlfriends or something but it just seems like... I don't know... . that they just know! If that makes any sense."
"Oh, yeah I like them too," he said with a smile, "yeah, I've been listening to them since they started. Have you ever been to one of their concerts?"
"No are you kidding me, I work at McDonalds flipping burgers and live in an apartment with my sister and two other people that I haven't even met?" I laughed. He seemed so familiar, with his hat pulled down passed his forehead and his jacket. "What is your name? I've seen you somewhere!"
"Uhh Joey" he said, "Sorry, I'm a little tired."
"Joey," I told myself digging for thoughts, then it hit me. "Is that your middle name, Joey?"
"Yes," he said a little quieter than usual.
I started to smile, "What's your first?"
"Whys it matter?"
"Because I want to know!"
"You already know!" he yelled starting to laugh. "You had to of known by now!"
There was a pause, I couldn't believe it. I started thinking of how it couldn't be possible, same place, same time, and same day? No way, he was just some guy that wanted to be mean.
"YOU ASSHOLE!!" I yelled and punched him across the face. "You knew I had been having a horrible day, so you go and act like someone I would die for just to see!"
"What the hell!" he yelled holding his face, "You want proof? Here!" and he pull off his jacket and revealed all his tattoos. "You must like us enough to know what tattoos I have!"
I looked at his tattoos in horror, the stars, the little JA block he had on his left arm, the All Ages sign on his right. "Oh my god! I just punched Billie Joe Armstrong!" I whispered to myself.
"No way!" he yelled sarcastically, still touching his face and looking at his reflection in the window.
"I am so sorry," I pleaded, "I'll pay for it if anything's broken!"
"No, it hurts bad, but not that bad," he laughed. "Here, if you don't punch me anymore, I feel a little bad for you because of your history, if you want to, I have to make sure its ok but you and your sister can crash at my place for a little while, to say you have or something, just long enough to get enough money for a house though. And I will keep track. It'll make me feel like I made a difference though. We're touring though so you wouldn't get in the way much."
I looked at him in shock, she had to convince herself that he was Billie Joe Armstrong or she would have punched him again. "Ok," she said slowly, trying to make it all sink in. "I guess, umm, holy shit, SERIOUSLY!" she screamed. She didn't usually flip out if something happened that excited her, most of the time she just kept it all in.
He started to laugh, "Yeah, and because you look like your enjoying it, I'll just make your day even better and let you have some tickets to our next concert.
"Oh my god!" she had to take action before something happened and he changed his mind. "Okay, wait here and I'll go pay for my drink and get my sister and our belongings and stuff and I'll meet you back here," okay, if he was kidding, he would tell my now.
He smiled, "Ok, see you in a few then."
I looked at him waiting, and then laughed. I went and paid for my drink, and started to leave. As I was leaving I heard him yell, "Holy shit! $15.50 for two cups of hot chocolate?"
I turned around before getting the door and laughed "You had to beg!" He just looked me and laughed, handing her a twenty. I couldn't believe it, I was actually going to live at Billie Joe's house. Probably in the basement or something but who cared? I'd live in his yard if I could! It was definitely the best day of my life.
"Just give me one day, or maybe even an hour, and all three of else will be gone, just let him go!" I pleaded, clutching my little sister as if he was just going to reach out and snatch her too. But he didn't put the gun down, and it didn't look like he had any intention to. All of a sudden I jolted forward, in my bed. A nightmare, another one anyway. I looked at my mattress to see my sheets were all messed up from tossing and turning. I looked over at Brianna who was still sound asleep. I stood up, trying not to loose my balance from shaking. "You need to walk somewhere," I told myself, walking always helped me forget the thought of that horrible day for J.D. So I grabbed her hoody and my CD player and started down the stairs.
Once on the road I started off for Wanda's Coffee Shop, I always went there when she woke up in the middle of the night, and Wanda didn't care. I saw the sign for it and she started thinking about the dream and her eyes filled with tears. I hated crying, too many people looked up to me to trust myself to cry, so I just closed her eyes and walked in. I knew where all the tables were and sat in the closest one without looking up, and laid my head on the table. I could here Wanda preparing my usual, when I heard something else. I looked up and instead of the normal 'Welcome to Wanda's' sign I saw a guy sitting across from me, around eighteen or nineteen, like me. He had his head on the table too, but looking at me curiously.
"Sorry," I muttered, beginning to get up.
"No its okay, I needed the company anyway," he said, grabbing her arm. She looked at him a little astonished. He looked really familiar though. She had definitely seen him somewhere. "What brings you here at this time of night?" he asked.
"Nightmares, kinda," I answered, not wanting to give much detail. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted more information though, or he was just really bored. She figured though that telling someone might do her good. "When I was younger, my mom abandoned me and my two siblings, because of this my dad became an alcoholic. I trained my brother and sister what to do and not do when we were around him to keep our skins safe, but one day my dad brought a gun out of his room and grabbed J.D., my little brother. I told him that if he would let him go that all three of us would leave, but he just wanted to hurt... .kill... J.D. for the fun of it. I tried to convince him to let him go but I couldn't, he shot J.D. and me and Brianna grabbed all the money and ran."
He looked surprised. Like I was possessed and blurting my life long story out. Shit, he was just bored.
"Wow," he said sipping on his coffee. "That would suck, I mean to just standing there and watching your brother die, not knowing what to do... "
"Every night," I interrupted, before he could say anything else. This was the first time anyone had said that before. He actually sounded like he cared a little, the way he said it. Instead of saying, 'I'm sorry for your loss' and moving on, he actually tried sorting in out in his mind. Wanda soon came out with my drink, and gave him a refill. "So, you know my story, what's yours?"
"Couldn't sleep," he said simply, sipping on his coffee.
"So you come to a coffee shop? That doesn't help any," I stated trying to get the truth out of him.
"Hot chocolate," he said, taking another sip.
"Oh," I said as if not thinking anything of it. I was laughing inside though. Wanda always thought that the idea of having hot chocolate at a coffee shop was the dumbest thing ever. But sometimes when they begged, she would give them some anyway, but the cost was double the highest thing on her list. Maybe she just thought he was cute.
"Did you happen to beg for that or did she just give it to you?" I asked, prepared for the worst.
"Oh I begged a little."
Hahaha, sucker. He broke my thoughts though with another question.
"So what do you think would be the thing you're most thankful that you brought?" he asked.
It felt like an interview, interviews were fun. "Well, all we brought was all the money we could grab in the shortest amount of time and my CD player and case. Probably the CD stuff cause I couldn't live without music.
"Oh really, whose your favorite band?" he asked again. Someone actually wanted to know something about me, it's been a while.
"Well, used to be Nirvana and The Jets and some other bands like that, but now I'm really obsessed with Green Day. My sister gives me grief all the time. I was even listening to them now!" I said showing him my CD player that contained Nimrod. "Yeah, it just always seems like they understand how I feel, I mean I know they're talking about one of their dumb ex-girlfriends or something but it just seems like... I don't know... . that they just know! If that makes any sense."
"Oh, yeah I like them too," he said with a smile, "yeah, I've been listening to them since they started. Have you ever been to one of their concerts?"
"No are you kidding me, I work at McDonalds flipping burgers and live in an apartment with my sister and two other people that I haven't even met?" I laughed. He seemed so familiar, with his hat pulled down passed his forehead and his jacket. "What is your name? I've seen you somewhere!"
"Uhh Joey" he said, "Sorry, I'm a little tired."
"Joey," I told myself digging for thoughts, then it hit me. "Is that your middle name, Joey?"
"Yes," he said a little quieter than usual.
I started to smile, "What's your first?"
"Whys it matter?"
"Because I want to know!"
"You already know!" he yelled starting to laugh. "You had to of known by now!"
There was a pause, I couldn't believe it. I started thinking of how it couldn't be possible, same place, same time, and same day? No way, he was just some guy that wanted to be mean.
"YOU ASSHOLE!!" I yelled and punched him across the face. "You knew I had been having a horrible day, so you go and act like someone I would die for just to see!"
"What the hell!" he yelled holding his face, "You want proof? Here!" and he pull off his jacket and revealed all his tattoos. "You must like us enough to know what tattoos I have!"
I looked at his tattoos in horror, the stars, the little JA block he had on his left arm, the All Ages sign on his right. "Oh my god! I just punched Billie Joe Armstrong!" I whispered to myself.
"No way!" he yelled sarcastically, still touching his face and looking at his reflection in the window.
"I am so sorry," I pleaded, "I'll pay for it if anything's broken!"
"No, it hurts bad, but not that bad," he laughed. "Here, if you don't punch me anymore, I feel a little bad for you because of your history, if you want to, I have to make sure its ok but you and your sister can crash at my place for a little while, to say you have or something, just long enough to get enough money for a house though. And I will keep track. It'll make me feel like I made a difference though. We're touring though so you wouldn't get in the way much."
I looked at him in shock, she had to convince herself that he was Billie Joe Armstrong or she would have punched him again. "Ok," she said slowly, trying to make it all sink in. "I guess, umm, holy shit, SERIOUSLY!" she screamed. She didn't usually flip out if something happened that excited her, most of the time she just kept it all in.
He started to laugh, "Yeah, and because you look like your enjoying it, I'll just make your day even better and let you have some tickets to our next concert.
"Oh my god!" she had to take action before something happened and he changed his mind. "Okay, wait here and I'll go pay for my drink and get my sister and our belongings and stuff and I'll meet you back here," okay, if he was kidding, he would tell my now.
He smiled, "Ok, see you in a few then."
I looked at him waiting, and then laughed. I went and paid for my drink, and started to leave. As I was leaving I heard him yell, "Holy shit! $15.50 for two cups of hot chocolate?"
I turned around before getting the door and laughed "You had to beg!" He just looked me and laughed, handing her a twenty. I couldn't believe it, I was actually going to live at Billie Joe's house. Probably in the basement or something but who cared? I'd live in his yard if I could! It was definitely the best day of my life.
