What Are You Going To Do, Billie?...Kill Me?, chapter 9
"Billie let go!" She yelled, he finally gave up and passed out on the bed. She sighed and got up, but before she walked out the door she was stopped by Billie mumbling something into his pillow.
"Can we be friends?... But I'll understand... Because we hate it each other.. Y'know?" She heard him, she leant up against the door frame.
"Yeah... I know, I don't think we're meant to be friends," Although he was out of his mind by the weed he still understood.
He lifted his head up from the pillow and looked at her, his eyelids half closed.
"What if I make you a deal?" She raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of deal? What the hell?" He giggled and put his head back down on the pillow, he was starting to get a headache, he could feel the pain pumping in his mind. That's when he started to feel the beer he drank come back up, it filled his mouth and he quickly got up pushing Cali out of the way and running to the bathroom. She laughed as she watched him rush to the toilet.
She stood out in the hallway listening to Billie puke his guts out, she found it quite funny. The toilet flushed, and then the tap at the sink was turned on and off, he opened the door and stumbled out.
"I can't be fucked to think of something, but if I think of something you can get payback for all the shit I did to you..." He said as he stumbled back into his bedroom, she leant up against the wall and thought.
Payback?
"Well seeing as though you won't remember any of this I will think of something, and if I get payback on you we can be friends and forget the whole thing ever happened...What do you think?" She said as she made he way to his room, he was spread out like star fish and the bed sheets where tangled. He lifted his head, and gave a weak smile.
"Okay, we can..." He yawned, his mouth opened and his eyes shut. "Yeah..." He finished, and with that he was knocked out cold. She shook her head and left the room, and then the house. As she walked back home she couldn't stop thinking about how fucked up he was, it made her laugh. She thought he was cute when he was drunk, but she shook that thought away. Everything about him seemed to capture, the way he walked. How he laughed, the way he said 'y'know' with almost everything he said.
She walked up to her front door, she stopped before she turned the doorknob.
Her dad wouldn't be happy about her coming home at almost 4 in the morning.
So she went around to the backyard and opened the gate trying not to make a sound. She went over to her bedroom window, which was one story up.
"Thank fuck that dickhead put it here..." She whispered to herself, referring to her dad about putting a grape vine fence against the wall. She climbed up it carefully, making sure she wasn't going to put her foot in the wrong place and fall off. She made it to her bedroom window without slipping. Her bedroom window was opened a crack, so she opened it and jumped in. Falling straight on the bed hoping to get some sleep, but after an hour of tossing and turning and falling off the bed she just couldn't. Why couldn't she get him out of her mind?
*
An hour of sleep went by for Billie after Cali left, but he woke up with a killer headache and thoughts of her...Cali.
He didn't want to think about her but he did anyway, just everything about her.
The thing that he thought about most was how she stuck up for herself, it was making him more sick thinking about her, not in a bad way. He just kept thinking about her. More and more with each hour that went by.
***
When the sun came up Cali was still awake getting sick and tired of thinking about him. She laid back in her bed and turned her head to her alarm clock.
7:46 AM
She couldn't even remember what day it was, until she went through her mind of the days she went to school. It was Saturday, no worrying about getting up and catching the bus.
"Cali?" She heard knocks on the door. She sat up and stretched, not wanting to open the door for her dad.
"Yeah?" She replied.
"Breakfast is up...We have to go to a graduation... Lucy teaches at the school and I want to go with her," Her dad spoke from behind the closed door. Cali rolled her eyes.
"I can't go...I um, have homework to do and I have to go see my friends," She said. Homework was a lie, but seeing her friends wasn't.
"Well..." She heard him sigh, "I guess you can stay, but we won't be back until late tonight." With that he left and went downstairs. She hated Lucy and just looking at her made her want to beat the living shit out of her. Her stomach rumbled and felt a pang of emptiness. So she decided to go downstairs and grab something to eat and run back up to her room, avoiding any contact with Lucy.
She walked into the kitchen and then put some bread in the toaster.
*
Billie lay in his bed for awhile when the sun came up, he drifted asleep for awhile before it came up, the tiredness catching up with him.
He sat up and again felt something from his stomach come up. He rushed to the toilet and barfed. It made him feel better, but the thumping in his head got worse, he washed out his mouth and brushed his teeth to get rid of the smell.
He heard someone tip toeing down the hall, he walked out of the bathroom and saw his mom trying to be quiet.
"What did I tell you about staying out late? You were meant to come back a 12..." He said pretending to be wearing the pants in the household. She turned around and laughed.
"Sorry dad...I was just out with some friends. What are you doing up so early? You don't look so good...Do you want some pain killers?" She asked as she put her palm on his forehead.
"I just had a big night out. I think pain killers would be good...But I'll get them, you can go get some sleep, you're more of a party animal then I am." She smiled, he walked downstairs to the kitchen, trying to remember what happened last night. He could only remember a few things, like being dragged across the floor by Cali. He opened up a cuboard and found the pain killers, he got a cup and filled it up with water and drank it with the pills. He thought about Kelly, he missed her. Too much, he wondered if she would ever talk to him again. It was only a kiss, to him it didn't mean anything. At least that what he told himself, Kelly was what he wanted back.
*
The phone rang as Cali waited for the toast, Lucy came rushing in. Cali thinking quickly decided to piss her off by picking it up before she even got to it.
"Hello?" She said giving Lucy a cheeky grin, Lucy huffed and waited to see who it was.
"Hey Cali...It's Tré, hope you don't mind me calling. Erinn gave me your number,"
Cali stuck out her tongue to Lucy.
"Hey...TRE, of course I don't mind," Lucy got the hint it wasn't for her so she stormed off.
"Well I just rang to tell ya that I can't come and see you today...My cousin has her graduation in some fucked up school and our family is going, and I'm being handcuffed with pink fluffy police cuffs and getting dragged there." She laughed, she really wanted to see him today.
"It's okay, I guess we'll have to make it another time. At least you will look pretty with the handcuffs," She joked, she heard him laugh and then they didn't say anything.
"Well...I'll see you next time?"
She smiled.
"Yeah no doubt about it-"
"CALI GET OFF THE PHONE! LUCY IS WAITING FOR A CALL!" She heard her dad yell, she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
"You hear that? Lucy had to wait for a call...In my house...So I have to get off,"
"Don't worry about her. From what I hear she is a blonde bitch," She laughed, and nodded even though he couldn't see her.
"Well I have to go, I'll see ya sometime."
"Yeah, okay, see ya."
*
Billie was sunk into the ratty old couch in the garage, playing blue and thinking. The pounding in his head starting to die down.
"Hey Billie Joe...What are you doing?" He heard his mom ask as she came down the steps. She sat down next to him, she was dressed up and was going to work after about 1 hour of sleep.
"Nothing," She sighed.
"Sounds like fun, I wish I was doing nothing..." Billie laughed, then lit up a cigarette.
Ollie, being the mom she is, took it away from him and stubbed it out. "You know what these will do to you," He let out a big sigh, putting his guitar down and putting his head in his hands. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Y'know how me and the guys are finally getting somewhere with the band?"
"Yeah with the LB or whatever..."
"LP mom...Yeah, well, I was thinking about dropping school. It's not like I care about it and I don't listen anyway. It's just... I don't know, I don't want to do it. The band is what I wanna focus on..." Ollie gave a weak smile.
"Billie, I know it's been hard and I know that school can be stupid at your age, but you have to think about the future. What happens if Sweet Children-"
"Mom it's Green Day..."
"Yeah...If you don't get anywhere with it? It's not going to put food on the table when you get a family..."
"It's not about putting food on the table...I can't give my music you y'know, it's all I want to do. Besides, what can I be that makes money? A school nurse? I don't really think so." He said, she laughed.
"Billie, if that's what you want to be than be it, I don't mind. I'm actually happy you're making your own choices.."
"What, about me being a school nurse?"
"No...About you sticking with music," She looked at her watch. "I have to go, we'll talk later..." She said getting up and rushing out to her car. "Just think about what you want to do about school!"
*
"Okay Cali we're leaving!" Her dad yelled through her closed bedroom door, she sat down the plate and opened the door.
"Don't yell..." She said standing in front of her dad.
"Oh, before I leave I need to talk to you." He said walking into her room and sitting on her bed. She stood there and leant up against the door frame.
"Yeah what is it?"
"You know that call Lucy was going to get?" She nodded, "Well she got it, her and I were talking over the few days and that call was the principal of your new school..." Cali's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"Look I know you won't like it at first but it's best for you..." She shook her head.
"I have friends there! Oh my fucking god! I can't believe this! Lucy talked you into this!.. Didn't she?!"
"No! It was my choice too! You're dropping down in your grades!" He stood up, trying to get his point across.
"I have fucking friends there!" Her dad started to get angry.
"Don't use those words with me!" She rolled her eyes.
"And not to freak'n mention how far across town I have to walk from here to there and fucking back!" He looked down.
"You don't have to worry about that...It's a boarding school," Her eyes widened.
"IT'S A FUCKING WHAT?!" She screamed, he looked down at his watch.
"Look...It's not as bad as you think...We'll talk about this some other time, your're not going there yet. I have to go now, I'll take the boys.."
Once he had left she screamed and broke things, punched the walls and screamed some more. Now she hated her dad, nothing could change that now, he cheated on her mom with some blonde bimbo slut and now he listened to that slut and put her in a bording school.
Once she had calmed down the phone rang again, she sighed and ran down to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" She said more than annoyed.
"Hey Cali? What's wrong?" Her friend Erinn.
"You won't fucking believe this! My dad put me in a fucking bording school!"
"Look I can't really talk now, we'll come over now. We have to leave this afternoon."
"Okay, come over now...okat, see ya."
"See ya."
*
Billie was still sitting on the couch. He was wondering where the hell Mike was, but Mike was over at his girlfriend Liza's house.
He sat back, strumming a few chords on his guitar thinking about the night before and early this morning. He did remember telling Cali about making a deal, but he couldn't think of anything to make it even between the two. He wanted to straighten things out or he wouldn't stop thinking about it, so he sat blue down and grabbed his cigarettes off the table and walked out of the garage and down the street. As he was walking down the footpath he lit up a cigarette and kept thinking of ways to make it up to her. But he couldn't think of anything, so he sat down on the curb and thought about it in detail.
*
"So he said that you're definitely going to boarding school?" Lauren asked after being told the news. Cali nodded, litting up a cigarette, the 3 friends were sitting in Cali's room smoking and talking.
"Yeah, he said I'm not going there yet but he was being serious so I know I'm going. And there is only one boarding school around and that's in Berkeley... Fucking hell why can't Rodeo fucking have a fucking boarding school?!" Cali screamed.
"At least it's not in San Fran...and it's closer to where we live, and you can go to that Gilman place without driving 20 minutes." Erinn said trying to put a silver lining to the problem.
"But the teachers are fucking strict! And I will hardly get to go anywhere with getting dad okay for the school!"
"Your mom will let you...They can't lock you up in a dog house and throw away the fucking key..." Lauren said stubbing out the butt of her cigarette in the ashtray.
"I'll just have to call mom about it...I'm going to empty the tray out on the drive away and blame it on Lucy when dad sees it..." Cali said taking the ashtray.
*
"Okay so what you're going to say is this Billie, 'Hey Cali, I thought of a deal..'" Billie said to himself as he walked up the porch steps of her house. "What are you fucking doing? She doesn't give a shit...Just forget about it.." He argued with himself as he walked back down the steps. As he started walking back down he thought again. "But I'll keep fucking thinking about it if I fucking don't./." He said again and turned back around and walked up the steps again. He went to knock on the door, but yet again stopped himself. He felt the nerves rush through him, "I'll do it when her folks ain't home..." He said making an excuse, he turned around once again and walked back down the steps.
"Billie?" He whipped his head around. Nerves building up inside of him, he looked at Cali. She was holding an ashtray,
He turned around completely.
"Um hey..." She smiled weakly then walked down the steps and to the driveway, dumping the ashes on it, he watched her do this. He couldn't stand the nerves so he lit up another cigarette.
Once she finished she walked over to him and stood there, wanting to know what he wanted. They both didn't say anything so she gave up and started to walk back up the steps.
"Wait!" He stopped her, she turned around.
"What is it?" She said raising and eyebrow.
"I just wanted to say thanks...For last night...That sounds dirty. Um, I mean about helping me out, I got too trashed..." She nodded and then turned around, he bit his bottem lip. "I thought of a deal!" He said stopping her once again, she smiled and turned around.
"I'm surprised you remembered Jillie Boe," He crinkled his nose, not knowing what she was going on about.
"Only a bit...Y'know..." She couldn't help the smile that creeped up on her lips.
"Yeah I know..." She waited for what he had to say, he took one last draw of his cigarette and threw the rest away, he took a deep breath.
"I'm willing to let you beat the living shit out of me..." He said looking down. The biggest grin came to her smile.
"That's it? Just one time?"
"For the rest of the day...You can kick, punch, slap, scatch whatever you want to do to hurt me."
"But that's not all that fun for you...Hmm, what about you also be my slave for the rest of the day? You have to do whatever the hell I want you to do..." He sighed and nodded.
"Yes...I will be your slave."
"And I can beat you up without you beating me?"
"Yes, but once you use me...We have to become friends and not fight. I swear on my guitars life that I won't hurt you ever again..."
There was silence as Cali thought to herself.
Then...
She walked down to Billie and pushed him over, as hard as she could. He fell back onto the ground. He laughed, but he was in pain. He saw her coming closer, she kicked him in the stomach. He coughed, then she made him stand up. She punched him in the arm.
"Ow..." He whined. She punched him in the gut.
"Paybacks a bitch ain't it!" She said as she kicked him in the in the balls.
"Ow fuck!" He yelped as he bent over. She lifted him up and pushed him again. "You're just loving this!" She laughed and stood him up again, digging her fingers into his arm.
"Yes I am!" Then she tackled him to the ground. She sat on top of him and then got up and kicked him. She picked him up.
"HEY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" Erinn said rushing down, then Lauren came.
"It's Billie's payback! Come and join the fun!"
"Hey I never got anyone to gang up on you with me!" Billie pleaded.
"But you can't beat on girls Billie!" Erinn said running in and punching him in the arm, really hard.
"Okay! Fine then!" Lauren was in a laughing fit. So she ran over and punched him to the ground.
"I hope this day teaches you a fucking lesson!" Cali yelled.
"And this ones for me!" Erinn said kicking him once again in the private area.
"Holy shit! Arg!" He screamed in pain.
"Okay he has had enough for now...Now only I may torcher him..." Cali said.
Billie was on the ground rolling in pain.
"Thank fuck!" He yelled. Cali got him by his arm and pulled him up.
"Doesn't feel so good does it?" He shook his head as he limped across the grass.
"Shit!" Lauren screamed out, Cali turned around.
"What?"
"She has that meeting for her job...We have to go or she'll be late..." Erinn told her.
"Aw do you have to?"
"Yeah...I need that job. How about we come the next weekend and we'll hang out?" Lauren suggested, Cali nodded.
"Come on give us a hug!" Erinn yelled out with her arms wide open.
After the to friends left Cali was left with Billie.
"What the fuck did I get myself into?!"
"It's Billie's payback!" She said as she threw another tennis ball at him as he mowed the lawn in the backyard. She threw the ball as hard as she could. It hit his back. He sighed an kept the mower moving.
Once he was finished he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his now dirty Ramones shirt. "I feel hungry..." She said as he walked over to her.
"Well get something to eat then..." She grinned and punched his arm as hard as she could, leaving a red mark on his skin.
"Don't make fucked up remarks Armstong!"
"Yes Miss Right..." She laughed.
"I love it when you say that!" He smiled, and shook his head.
"Don't be a smart ass!" She punched his arm again.
"Ow," She puched him again.
"Don't whine baby...You're not 2..." She lifted her fist up again, expecting him to say something that will get him punched.
"Okay, okay...I'm sorry Miss Right!" He said trying to make her not punch. He must admit it was hurting him, after all she was a girl.
"Okay. now have you got any money?" She asked.
"Yeah, but I only have 10 dollars..." She grinned.
"That's good enough...You're going to buy me lunch," She smiled, showing her white teeth, that were almost perfectly straight.
"Okay..." He sighed, she raised her eyebrows.
"What was that sigh about Armstrong?" She loved this!
"Nothing...I'll buy you lunch!"
After she told him where to take her he did, by carrying her, or giving her a piggy back ride...All the way there...And back.
As he walked along while carrying her on his back they started to talk.
"So the teacher kicked Mike out of the school for eating candy one Valentines Day?" She asked, he kept walking along.
"Yeah...she was a fucker of a teacher it was only in grade 5 too, the cunt!" She laughed.
They heard a car pull up behind them on the road. Billie stopped and turned around.
It was Mike.
"Do you guys need a lift?" Mike asked, laughing. Billie opened his mouth but got cut off by Cali.
"No...We're fine. Don't get any ideas...I hate Billie and I needed a ride and he didn't bring his car so he is kind enough to take me home..." Cali said, Mike laughed again. Billie felt hurt when she said 'hate', it hurt him more than the pain he was having. That made him hate her back.
"But isn't home that way?" He pointed to where Billie had walked from.
Billie once again opened his mouth to speak.
"We're just taking a walk around the block..." Cali anwsered.
"Well...I guess I'll see you at home then BJ...Have fun!" Mike drove off.
They finally reached the little corner shop near their homes.
"So do I have to carry you through there?" She shook her head and got off.
"I have legs. I'll be fine...It's just I need a ride home...So you'll be taking me..." She punched him in the arm again. As she walked ahead he rubbed his arm.
They walked through the little aisle of the store, Billie following Cali as she picked up bags of potato chips and candy.
"How much is this gonna cost?" He said looking at all the things she had.
"About 7 dollors...But I need a drink..." He knew that she wasn't going to give him anything so he just followed her.
After paying for the stuff, he only had 50 cents left.
To their surprise the sun was setting as they walked out.
"I guess this is dinner then.." She said holding the plastic bag with the food and a bottle of coke. He stood in front of her, waiting for her to get on his back so he could give her a 'ride' home. "That's okay Armstrong, I'll give you rest..." She smiled. He sighed a sigh of relief and they started walking.
She opened the glass bottle of coke and drank it, now he was getting really thirsty.
She started to laugh when she looked at him, he looked up.
"What's so funny?" She grinned.
"Are you thirsty?" She asked, he nodded. "Well I need my slave to be well for the rest of the night..." She said giving him the bottle.
"I thought the deal was for the rest of the day?" She shook her head as he drank.
"The rest of the day is until 12 AM. Don't you listen in school?" She asked, he dragged his feet along the foot path.
"Not really...I knew that...But yeah, school isn't my thing to be in I guess." He gave her the almost empty bottle back.
"So you're not going back there I'm guessing," He shook his head.
"I can't focus on school if music is the one thing I want to do I s'pose, y'know?"
"I get what you mean. I hate school myself...But without it I have no future," He looked at her. She was talking to him?!
"That's not completly true...I mean school isn't the only thing that will get you somewhere."
"For you that might be true 'cause you have an awesome band. It will get you somewhere because you love it.. I have to get a 9 to 5 job and wish I was off doing something else rather than putting band aids on little kids knees at the same school I went to when I was younger..." He smiled, it was weird who he was talking about the same thing when he talked with Ollie.
"I guess you don't want to be a school nurse then..." She laughed.
"No I don't Armstong. Now you wanna sit out here and watch the sun set and eat potato chips?" She asked, he didn't even notice that he was back at her house. He never noticed how cool she could be to talk to.
"Okay.. You wanna sit on the curb?" She nodded.
They both sat there outside on the curb eating chips.
"So you put 409 in her coffee maker and when she drank it you got expelled 'cause she found out and it's her fault?" She asked with a laugh.
"It is! If she wasn't such a fucker I wouldn't of done it!" Silence fell over them as they sat there and looked at the stars, she looked over to him. The green in his eyes had the reflection of the stars on them. She looked down at her shoes, looking at his eyes gave her a feeling that she had never felt before...
He looked down.
"Do you ever think about aliens?" He asked, she cracked up laughing and punched him in the arm.
"Don't scare me Armstrong!" She laughed, he rubbed his arm and let out a giggle.
"What's there to be scared about? If there was aliens they would of already came here..." She rolled her eyes.
"ET came..." He blurted out laughing. "Shut up!" She punched him again.
"Okay...I can't believe you watched that movie..." He muttered under his breath, she raised an eyebrow and slapped his arm. Hard.
"You must of watched it to know who it is..."
"Okay so I watched it twice...It's a stupid addictive movie that should be burned, and to believe that, that Drew girl is now a druggie at 12," She laughed. She felt that she could connect with him, it was making her feel happy.
"I really do think Green Day will get somewhere y'know?" She said, he looked over to her, smiled and looked back up at the stars.
"How do you know?"
"I guess no one knows...But I can tell," He felt shivers run down his spine.
"No one knows..." He shrugged.
"Shit! I forgot to get the clothes off the line!" Cali said getting up. "You know what that means Armstrong?" He stood up.
"Yes...I do..."
She watched him take the pegs of the clothes and fold them up in the way she showed him to.
"I read that book, I didn't like it. So you wrote a song about it?" She asked, he took one of her shirts of the line.
"Yeah, who wrote Holden Caulfield?. It's one of the best songs I've ever written!"
"You'll have to play it for me...Sounds pretty good."
They went inside, it was the first time Billie saw inside her house, it was pretty poor like.
"Awww I can only hurt you and tell you what to do for another 5 minutes..." She said once she saw the time...
11:55 PM
"All things come to an end..." He said giving a big smile. She punched his arm again, he couldn't rub it because he was holding the washing basket full of clothes.
"Still 5 more minutes..."
"Yes Miss Right..." She laughed.
"I'm sick of that. Just call me Cali..." She said leading him to where she wanted to put the basket.
"Is that short for California?" He asked following. She turned her head but kept walking.
"Yeah, I hate it." She stopped walking and turned around. "Is Billie Joe short for-"
"No it's not short for William. It's just plain old' Billie Joe."
"Or Jillie Boe," She turned back around and kept on walking until she got to a stair case. "Or Billiam..."
"Oh for fuck-" She smiled and lifted her fist. "I mean yes...Billiam..."
They both walked up the stair case until they got up to a hallway. She walked down there with him following her. She turned around, but he walked into her and the washing basket fell to the ground, the clothes went all over the floor.
They both bent down to pick it up.
"I'll get-" She said but stopped when both of their heads hit each others.
"Ow!" He said rubbing his forehead. She giggled, then their eyes both caught each others glimpes. They both looked away and stood up.
"Don't worry, I'll get it..." She said picking up the basket putting to the side.
"I'll help, I have been all day..." She smiled and bent down to pick up the clothes.
As she picked the clothes up and folded them, he did the same. As she picked the clothes up, he couldn't help but look at her. He started to catch fire when he looked at her eyes. She looked at him. The same feeling caught her, they found themselves stopping to pick the shit up and didn't even notice.
Then...
Billie found himself getting closer and closer to her, he couldn't help it. It was all going in slow motion, he brought his hand slowly up to her cheek and his lips slowly came to hers as he didn't lose eye conatact with her. But once his lips touched hers their eyes shut. And so did her heart..
His soft lips moved against hers, she couldn't breath.
Just the touch of her skin made him blow up, his mind was set on her and his heart was racing..
As the kiss got deeper and deeper they found them selves lying on the floor, he was on top of her, his tongue glided along her bottom lip and found itself sliding against hers. Her hand went through his hair, his neck to his back making his skin get goosebumps. They pulled apart, took a breath she sat up as did he.
He stood her up biting his bottom lip and waiting for her to say somehting.
"I think it's past 12..." She said not looking away from the green glimer that shot from his eyes.
His hand rested on her neck and he brought his lips up to her ear.
"That means we're friends..." She bit her bottom lip, her hand rested on his chest, her lips against his and punched him back against the wall and kissed him hard. Their tongues meeting and sliding against each others. The kiss got faster and faster, he pushed himself off the wall and she started to walk down the hallway. Not breaking the breath taking kiss, they bumped into walls until they found themselves at her bedroom door. He held her up against the door, breaking the kiss.
"We can't tell anyone about this..." She whispered, he nodded. He couldn't pull away from what was going on, even though there was that voice in the back of his mind.
Loving to hate each other, was about to get more serious.
They went back into the kiss. She opened the door and then clothes started to fly off.
She fell back onto the bed and he was on top of her. He kissed her neck as he searched through his wallet. He pulled out protection, their kisses got more and more wet as the minute passed. His hands traveled her skin, he kissed her neck and trailed down to her chest and back up her neck and to her lips ang let out a moan. He pulled his mouth to her ear.
"Just between us..." He whispered, she bit her lip and kissed him hard pulling her closer to him as the sheets slid over them...
"Can we be friends?... But I'll understand... Because we hate it each other.. Y'know?" She heard him, she leant up against the door frame.
"Yeah... I know, I don't think we're meant to be friends," Although he was out of his mind by the weed he still understood.
He lifted his head up from the pillow and looked at her, his eyelids half closed.
"What if I make you a deal?" She raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of deal? What the hell?" He giggled and put his head back down on the pillow, he was starting to get a headache, he could feel the pain pumping in his mind. That's when he started to feel the beer he drank come back up, it filled his mouth and he quickly got up pushing Cali out of the way and running to the bathroom. She laughed as she watched him rush to the toilet.
She stood out in the hallway listening to Billie puke his guts out, she found it quite funny. The toilet flushed, and then the tap at the sink was turned on and off, he opened the door and stumbled out.
"I can't be fucked to think of something, but if I think of something you can get payback for all the shit I did to you..." He said as he stumbled back into his bedroom, she leant up against the wall and thought.
Payback?
"Well seeing as though you won't remember any of this I will think of something, and if I get payback on you we can be friends and forget the whole thing ever happened...What do you think?" She said as she made he way to his room, he was spread out like star fish and the bed sheets where tangled. He lifted his head, and gave a weak smile.
"Okay, we can..." He yawned, his mouth opened and his eyes shut. "Yeah..." He finished, and with that he was knocked out cold. She shook her head and left the room, and then the house. As she walked back home she couldn't stop thinking about how fucked up he was, it made her laugh. She thought he was cute when he was drunk, but she shook that thought away. Everything about him seemed to capture, the way he walked. How he laughed, the way he said 'y'know' with almost everything he said.
She walked up to her front door, she stopped before she turned the doorknob.
Her dad wouldn't be happy about her coming home at almost 4 in the morning.
So she went around to the backyard and opened the gate trying not to make a sound. She went over to her bedroom window, which was one story up.
"Thank fuck that dickhead put it here..." She whispered to herself, referring to her dad about putting a grape vine fence against the wall. She climbed up it carefully, making sure she wasn't going to put her foot in the wrong place and fall off. She made it to her bedroom window without slipping. Her bedroom window was opened a crack, so she opened it and jumped in. Falling straight on the bed hoping to get some sleep, but after an hour of tossing and turning and falling off the bed she just couldn't. Why couldn't she get him out of her mind?
*
An hour of sleep went by for Billie after Cali left, but he woke up with a killer headache and thoughts of her...Cali.
He didn't want to think about her but he did anyway, just everything about her.
The thing that he thought about most was how she stuck up for herself, it was making him more sick thinking about her, not in a bad way. He just kept thinking about her. More and more with each hour that went by.
***
When the sun came up Cali was still awake getting sick and tired of thinking about him. She laid back in her bed and turned her head to her alarm clock.
7:46 AM
She couldn't even remember what day it was, until she went through her mind of the days she went to school. It was Saturday, no worrying about getting up and catching the bus.
"Cali?" She heard knocks on the door. She sat up and stretched, not wanting to open the door for her dad.
"Yeah?" She replied.
"Breakfast is up...We have to go to a graduation... Lucy teaches at the school and I want to go with her," Her dad spoke from behind the closed door. Cali rolled her eyes.
"I can't go...I um, have homework to do and I have to go see my friends," She said. Homework was a lie, but seeing her friends wasn't.
"Well..." She heard him sigh, "I guess you can stay, but we won't be back until late tonight." With that he left and went downstairs. She hated Lucy and just looking at her made her want to beat the living shit out of her. Her stomach rumbled and felt a pang of emptiness. So she decided to go downstairs and grab something to eat and run back up to her room, avoiding any contact with Lucy.
She walked into the kitchen and then put some bread in the toaster.
*
Billie lay in his bed for awhile when the sun came up, he drifted asleep for awhile before it came up, the tiredness catching up with him.
He sat up and again felt something from his stomach come up. He rushed to the toilet and barfed. It made him feel better, but the thumping in his head got worse, he washed out his mouth and brushed his teeth to get rid of the smell.
He heard someone tip toeing down the hall, he walked out of the bathroom and saw his mom trying to be quiet.
"What did I tell you about staying out late? You were meant to come back a 12..." He said pretending to be wearing the pants in the household. She turned around and laughed.
"Sorry dad...I was just out with some friends. What are you doing up so early? You don't look so good...Do you want some pain killers?" She asked as she put her palm on his forehead.
"I just had a big night out. I think pain killers would be good...But I'll get them, you can go get some sleep, you're more of a party animal then I am." She smiled, he walked downstairs to the kitchen, trying to remember what happened last night. He could only remember a few things, like being dragged across the floor by Cali. He opened up a cuboard and found the pain killers, he got a cup and filled it up with water and drank it with the pills. He thought about Kelly, he missed her. Too much, he wondered if she would ever talk to him again. It was only a kiss, to him it didn't mean anything. At least that what he told himself, Kelly was what he wanted back.
*
The phone rang as Cali waited for the toast, Lucy came rushing in. Cali thinking quickly decided to piss her off by picking it up before she even got to it.
"Hello?" She said giving Lucy a cheeky grin, Lucy huffed and waited to see who it was.
"Hey Cali...It's Tré, hope you don't mind me calling. Erinn gave me your number,"
Cali stuck out her tongue to Lucy.
"Hey...TRE, of course I don't mind," Lucy got the hint it wasn't for her so she stormed off.
"Well I just rang to tell ya that I can't come and see you today...My cousin has her graduation in some fucked up school and our family is going, and I'm being handcuffed with pink fluffy police cuffs and getting dragged there." She laughed, she really wanted to see him today.
"It's okay, I guess we'll have to make it another time. At least you will look pretty with the handcuffs," She joked, she heard him laugh and then they didn't say anything.
"Well...I'll see you next time?"
She smiled.
"Yeah no doubt about it-"
"CALI GET OFF THE PHONE! LUCY IS WAITING FOR A CALL!" She heard her dad yell, she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
"You hear that? Lucy had to wait for a call...In my house...So I have to get off,"
"Don't worry about her. From what I hear she is a blonde bitch," She laughed, and nodded even though he couldn't see her.
"Well I have to go, I'll see ya sometime."
"Yeah, okay, see ya."
*
Billie was sunk into the ratty old couch in the garage, playing blue and thinking. The pounding in his head starting to die down.
"Hey Billie Joe...What are you doing?" He heard his mom ask as she came down the steps. She sat down next to him, she was dressed up and was going to work after about 1 hour of sleep.
"Nothing," She sighed.
"Sounds like fun, I wish I was doing nothing..." Billie laughed, then lit up a cigarette.
Ollie, being the mom she is, took it away from him and stubbed it out. "You know what these will do to you," He let out a big sigh, putting his guitar down and putting his head in his hands. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Y'know how me and the guys are finally getting somewhere with the band?"
"Yeah with the LB or whatever..."
"LP mom...Yeah, well, I was thinking about dropping school. It's not like I care about it and I don't listen anyway. It's just... I don't know, I don't want to do it. The band is what I wanna focus on..." Ollie gave a weak smile.
"Billie, I know it's been hard and I know that school can be stupid at your age, but you have to think about the future. What happens if Sweet Children-"
"Mom it's Green Day..."
"Yeah...If you don't get anywhere with it? It's not going to put food on the table when you get a family..."
"It's not about putting food on the table...I can't give my music you y'know, it's all I want to do. Besides, what can I be that makes money? A school nurse? I don't really think so." He said, she laughed.
"Billie, if that's what you want to be than be it, I don't mind. I'm actually happy you're making your own choices.."
"What, about me being a school nurse?"
"No...About you sticking with music," She looked at her watch. "I have to go, we'll talk later..." She said getting up and rushing out to her car. "Just think about what you want to do about school!"
*
"Okay Cali we're leaving!" Her dad yelled through her closed bedroom door, she sat down the plate and opened the door.
"Don't yell..." She said standing in front of her dad.
"Oh, before I leave I need to talk to you." He said walking into her room and sitting on her bed. She stood there and leant up against the door frame.
"Yeah what is it?"
"You know that call Lucy was going to get?" She nodded, "Well she got it, her and I were talking over the few days and that call was the principal of your new school..." Cali's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"Look I know you won't like it at first but it's best for you..." She shook her head.
"I have friends there! Oh my fucking god! I can't believe this! Lucy talked you into this!.. Didn't she?!"
"No! It was my choice too! You're dropping down in your grades!" He stood up, trying to get his point across.
"I have fucking friends there!" Her dad started to get angry.
"Don't use those words with me!" She rolled her eyes.
"And not to freak'n mention how far across town I have to walk from here to there and fucking back!" He looked down.
"You don't have to worry about that...It's a boarding school," Her eyes widened.
"IT'S A FUCKING WHAT?!" She screamed, he looked down at his watch.
"Look...It's not as bad as you think...We'll talk about this some other time, your're not going there yet. I have to go now, I'll take the boys.."
Once he had left she screamed and broke things, punched the walls and screamed some more. Now she hated her dad, nothing could change that now, he cheated on her mom with some blonde bimbo slut and now he listened to that slut and put her in a bording school.
Once she had calmed down the phone rang again, she sighed and ran down to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" She said more than annoyed.
"Hey Cali? What's wrong?" Her friend Erinn.
"You won't fucking believe this! My dad put me in a fucking bording school!"
"Look I can't really talk now, we'll come over now. We have to leave this afternoon."
"Okay, come over now...okat, see ya."
"See ya."
*
Billie was still sitting on the couch. He was wondering where the hell Mike was, but Mike was over at his girlfriend Liza's house.
He sat back, strumming a few chords on his guitar thinking about the night before and early this morning. He did remember telling Cali about making a deal, but he couldn't think of anything to make it even between the two. He wanted to straighten things out or he wouldn't stop thinking about it, so he sat blue down and grabbed his cigarettes off the table and walked out of the garage and down the street. As he was walking down the footpath he lit up a cigarette and kept thinking of ways to make it up to her. But he couldn't think of anything, so he sat down on the curb and thought about it in detail.
*
"So he said that you're definitely going to boarding school?" Lauren asked after being told the news. Cali nodded, litting up a cigarette, the 3 friends were sitting in Cali's room smoking and talking.
"Yeah, he said I'm not going there yet but he was being serious so I know I'm going. And there is only one boarding school around and that's in Berkeley... Fucking hell why can't Rodeo fucking have a fucking boarding school?!" Cali screamed.
"At least it's not in San Fran...and it's closer to where we live, and you can go to that Gilman place without driving 20 minutes." Erinn said trying to put a silver lining to the problem.
"But the teachers are fucking strict! And I will hardly get to go anywhere with getting dad okay for the school!"
"Your mom will let you...They can't lock you up in a dog house and throw away the fucking key..." Lauren said stubbing out the butt of her cigarette in the ashtray.
"I'll just have to call mom about it...I'm going to empty the tray out on the drive away and blame it on Lucy when dad sees it..." Cali said taking the ashtray.
*
"Okay so what you're going to say is this Billie, 'Hey Cali, I thought of a deal..'" Billie said to himself as he walked up the porch steps of her house. "What are you fucking doing? She doesn't give a shit...Just forget about it.." He argued with himself as he walked back down the steps. As he started walking back down he thought again. "But I'll keep fucking thinking about it if I fucking don't./." He said again and turned back around and walked up the steps again. He went to knock on the door, but yet again stopped himself. He felt the nerves rush through him, "I'll do it when her folks ain't home..." He said making an excuse, he turned around once again and walked back down the steps.
"Billie?" He whipped his head around. Nerves building up inside of him, he looked at Cali. She was holding an ashtray,
He turned around completely.
"Um hey..." She smiled weakly then walked down the steps and to the driveway, dumping the ashes on it, he watched her do this. He couldn't stand the nerves so he lit up another cigarette.
Once she finished she walked over to him and stood there, wanting to know what he wanted. They both didn't say anything so she gave up and started to walk back up the steps.
"Wait!" He stopped her, she turned around.
"What is it?" She said raising and eyebrow.
"I just wanted to say thanks...For last night...That sounds dirty. Um, I mean about helping me out, I got too trashed..." She nodded and then turned around, he bit his bottem lip. "I thought of a deal!" He said stopping her once again, she smiled and turned around.
"I'm surprised you remembered Jillie Boe," He crinkled his nose, not knowing what she was going on about.
"Only a bit...Y'know..." She couldn't help the smile that creeped up on her lips.
"Yeah I know..." She waited for what he had to say, he took one last draw of his cigarette and threw the rest away, he took a deep breath.
"I'm willing to let you beat the living shit out of me..." He said looking down. The biggest grin came to her smile.
"That's it? Just one time?"
"For the rest of the day...You can kick, punch, slap, scatch whatever you want to do to hurt me."
"But that's not all that fun for you...Hmm, what about you also be my slave for the rest of the day? You have to do whatever the hell I want you to do..." He sighed and nodded.
"Yes...I will be your slave."
"And I can beat you up without you beating me?"
"Yes, but once you use me...We have to become friends and not fight. I swear on my guitars life that I won't hurt you ever again..."
There was silence as Cali thought to herself.
Then...
She walked down to Billie and pushed him over, as hard as she could. He fell back onto the ground. He laughed, but he was in pain. He saw her coming closer, she kicked him in the stomach. He coughed, then she made him stand up. She punched him in the arm.
"Ow..." He whined. She punched him in the gut.
"Paybacks a bitch ain't it!" She said as she kicked him in the in the balls.
"Ow fuck!" He yelped as he bent over. She lifted him up and pushed him again. "You're just loving this!" She laughed and stood him up again, digging her fingers into his arm.
"Yes I am!" Then she tackled him to the ground. She sat on top of him and then got up and kicked him. She picked him up.
"HEY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!" Erinn said rushing down, then Lauren came.
"It's Billie's payback! Come and join the fun!"
"Hey I never got anyone to gang up on you with me!" Billie pleaded.
"But you can't beat on girls Billie!" Erinn said running in and punching him in the arm, really hard.
"Okay! Fine then!" Lauren was in a laughing fit. So she ran over and punched him to the ground.
"I hope this day teaches you a fucking lesson!" Cali yelled.
"And this ones for me!" Erinn said kicking him once again in the private area.
"Holy shit! Arg!" He screamed in pain.
"Okay he has had enough for now...Now only I may torcher him..." Cali said.
Billie was on the ground rolling in pain.
"Thank fuck!" He yelled. Cali got him by his arm and pulled him up.
"Doesn't feel so good does it?" He shook his head as he limped across the grass.
"Shit!" Lauren screamed out, Cali turned around.
"What?"
"She has that meeting for her job...We have to go or she'll be late..." Erinn told her.
"Aw do you have to?"
"Yeah...I need that job. How about we come the next weekend and we'll hang out?" Lauren suggested, Cali nodded.
"Come on give us a hug!" Erinn yelled out with her arms wide open.
After the to friends left Cali was left with Billie.
"What the fuck did I get myself into?!"
"It's Billie's payback!" She said as she threw another tennis ball at him as he mowed the lawn in the backyard. She threw the ball as hard as she could. It hit his back. He sighed an kept the mower moving.
Once he was finished he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his now dirty Ramones shirt. "I feel hungry..." She said as he walked over to her.
"Well get something to eat then..." She grinned and punched his arm as hard as she could, leaving a red mark on his skin.
"Don't make fucked up remarks Armstong!"
"Yes Miss Right..." She laughed.
"I love it when you say that!" He smiled, and shook his head.
"Don't be a smart ass!" She punched his arm again.
"Ow," She puched him again.
"Don't whine baby...You're not 2..." She lifted her fist up again, expecting him to say something that will get him punched.
"Okay, okay...I'm sorry Miss Right!" He said trying to make her not punch. He must admit it was hurting him, after all she was a girl.
"Okay. now have you got any money?" She asked.
"Yeah, but I only have 10 dollars..." She grinned.
"That's good enough...You're going to buy me lunch," She smiled, showing her white teeth, that were almost perfectly straight.
"Okay..." He sighed, she raised her eyebrows.
"What was that sigh about Armstrong?" She loved this!
"Nothing...I'll buy you lunch!"
After she told him where to take her he did, by carrying her, or giving her a piggy back ride...All the way there...And back.
As he walked along while carrying her on his back they started to talk.
"So the teacher kicked Mike out of the school for eating candy one Valentines Day?" She asked, he kept walking along.
"Yeah...she was a fucker of a teacher it was only in grade 5 too, the cunt!" She laughed.
They heard a car pull up behind them on the road. Billie stopped and turned around.
It was Mike.
"Do you guys need a lift?" Mike asked, laughing. Billie opened his mouth but got cut off by Cali.
"No...We're fine. Don't get any ideas...I hate Billie and I needed a ride and he didn't bring his car so he is kind enough to take me home..." Cali said, Mike laughed again. Billie felt hurt when she said 'hate', it hurt him more than the pain he was having. That made him hate her back.
"But isn't home that way?" He pointed to where Billie had walked from.
Billie once again opened his mouth to speak.
"We're just taking a walk around the block..." Cali anwsered.
"Well...I guess I'll see you at home then BJ...Have fun!" Mike drove off.
They finally reached the little corner shop near their homes.
"So do I have to carry you through there?" She shook her head and got off.
"I have legs. I'll be fine...It's just I need a ride home...So you'll be taking me..." She punched him in the arm again. As she walked ahead he rubbed his arm.
They walked through the little aisle of the store, Billie following Cali as she picked up bags of potato chips and candy.
"How much is this gonna cost?" He said looking at all the things she had.
"About 7 dollors...But I need a drink..." He knew that she wasn't going to give him anything so he just followed her.
After paying for the stuff, he only had 50 cents left.
To their surprise the sun was setting as they walked out.
"I guess this is dinner then.." She said holding the plastic bag with the food and a bottle of coke. He stood in front of her, waiting for her to get on his back so he could give her a 'ride' home. "That's okay Armstrong, I'll give you rest..." She smiled. He sighed a sigh of relief and they started walking.
She opened the glass bottle of coke and drank it, now he was getting really thirsty.
She started to laugh when she looked at him, he looked up.
"What's so funny?" She grinned.
"Are you thirsty?" She asked, he nodded. "Well I need my slave to be well for the rest of the night..." She said giving him the bottle.
"I thought the deal was for the rest of the day?" She shook her head as he drank.
"The rest of the day is until 12 AM. Don't you listen in school?" She asked, he dragged his feet along the foot path.
"Not really...I knew that...But yeah, school isn't my thing to be in I guess." He gave her the almost empty bottle back.
"So you're not going back there I'm guessing," He shook his head.
"I can't focus on school if music is the one thing I want to do I s'pose, y'know?"
"I get what you mean. I hate school myself...But without it I have no future," He looked at her. She was talking to him?!
"That's not completly true...I mean school isn't the only thing that will get you somewhere."
"For you that might be true 'cause you have an awesome band. It will get you somewhere because you love it.. I have to get a 9 to 5 job and wish I was off doing something else rather than putting band aids on little kids knees at the same school I went to when I was younger..." He smiled, it was weird who he was talking about the same thing when he talked with Ollie.
"I guess you don't want to be a school nurse then..." She laughed.
"No I don't Armstong. Now you wanna sit out here and watch the sun set and eat potato chips?" She asked, he didn't even notice that he was back at her house. He never noticed how cool she could be to talk to.
"Okay.. You wanna sit on the curb?" She nodded.
They both sat there outside on the curb eating chips.
"So you put 409 in her coffee maker and when she drank it you got expelled 'cause she found out and it's her fault?" She asked with a laugh.
"It is! If she wasn't such a fucker I wouldn't of done it!" Silence fell over them as they sat there and looked at the stars, she looked over to him. The green in his eyes had the reflection of the stars on them. She looked down at her shoes, looking at his eyes gave her a feeling that she had never felt before...
He looked down.
"Do you ever think about aliens?" He asked, she cracked up laughing and punched him in the arm.
"Don't scare me Armstrong!" She laughed, he rubbed his arm and let out a giggle.
"What's there to be scared about? If there was aliens they would of already came here..." She rolled her eyes.
"ET came..." He blurted out laughing. "Shut up!" She punched him again.
"Okay...I can't believe you watched that movie..." He muttered under his breath, she raised an eyebrow and slapped his arm. Hard.
"You must of watched it to know who it is..."
"Okay so I watched it twice...It's a stupid addictive movie that should be burned, and to believe that, that Drew girl is now a druggie at 12," She laughed. She felt that she could connect with him, it was making her feel happy.
"I really do think Green Day will get somewhere y'know?" She said, he looked over to her, smiled and looked back up at the stars.
"How do you know?"
"I guess no one knows...But I can tell," He felt shivers run down his spine.
"No one knows..." He shrugged.
"Shit! I forgot to get the clothes off the line!" Cali said getting up. "You know what that means Armstrong?" He stood up.
"Yes...I do..."
She watched him take the pegs of the clothes and fold them up in the way she showed him to.
"I read that book, I didn't like it. So you wrote a song about it?" She asked, he took one of her shirts of the line.
"Yeah, who wrote Holden Caulfield?. It's one of the best songs I've ever written!"
"You'll have to play it for me...Sounds pretty good."
They went inside, it was the first time Billie saw inside her house, it was pretty poor like.
"Awww I can only hurt you and tell you what to do for another 5 minutes..." She said once she saw the time...
11:55 PM
"All things come to an end..." He said giving a big smile. She punched his arm again, he couldn't rub it because he was holding the washing basket full of clothes.
"Still 5 more minutes..."
"Yes Miss Right..." She laughed.
"I'm sick of that. Just call me Cali..." She said leading him to where she wanted to put the basket.
"Is that short for California?" He asked following. She turned her head but kept walking.
"Yeah, I hate it." She stopped walking and turned around. "Is Billie Joe short for-"
"No it's not short for William. It's just plain old' Billie Joe."
"Or Jillie Boe," She turned back around and kept on walking until she got to a stair case. "Or Billiam..."
"Oh for fuck-" She smiled and lifted her fist. "I mean yes...Billiam..."
They both walked up the stair case until they got up to a hallway. She walked down there with him following her. She turned around, but he walked into her and the washing basket fell to the ground, the clothes went all over the floor.
They both bent down to pick it up.
"I'll get-" She said but stopped when both of their heads hit each others.
"Ow!" He said rubbing his forehead. She giggled, then their eyes both caught each others glimpes. They both looked away and stood up.
"Don't worry, I'll get it..." She said picking up the basket putting to the side.
"I'll help, I have been all day..." She smiled and bent down to pick up the clothes.
As she picked the clothes up and folded them, he did the same. As she picked the clothes up, he couldn't help but look at her. He started to catch fire when he looked at her eyes. She looked at him. The same feeling caught her, they found themselves stopping to pick the shit up and didn't even notice.
Then...
Billie found himself getting closer and closer to her, he couldn't help it. It was all going in slow motion, he brought his hand slowly up to her cheek and his lips slowly came to hers as he didn't lose eye conatact with her. But once his lips touched hers their eyes shut. And so did her heart..
His soft lips moved against hers, she couldn't breath.
Just the touch of her skin made him blow up, his mind was set on her and his heart was racing..
As the kiss got deeper and deeper they found them selves lying on the floor, he was on top of her, his tongue glided along her bottom lip and found itself sliding against hers. Her hand went through his hair, his neck to his back making his skin get goosebumps. They pulled apart, took a breath she sat up as did he.
He stood her up biting his bottom lip and waiting for her to say somehting.
"I think it's past 12..." She said not looking away from the green glimer that shot from his eyes.
His hand rested on her neck and he brought his lips up to her ear.
"That means we're friends..." She bit her bottom lip, her hand rested on his chest, her lips against his and punched him back against the wall and kissed him hard. Their tongues meeting and sliding against each others. The kiss got faster and faster, he pushed himself off the wall and she started to walk down the hallway. Not breaking the breath taking kiss, they bumped into walls until they found themselves at her bedroom door. He held her up against the door, breaking the kiss.
"We can't tell anyone about this..." She whispered, he nodded. He couldn't pull away from what was going on, even though there was that voice in the back of his mind.
Loving to hate each other, was about to get more serious.
They went back into the kiss. She opened the door and then clothes started to fly off.
She fell back onto the bed and he was on top of her. He kissed her neck as he searched through his wallet. He pulled out protection, their kisses got more and more wet as the minute passed. His hands traveled her skin, he kissed her neck and trailed down to her chest and back up her neck and to her lips ang let out a moan. He pulled his mouth to her ear.
"Just between us..." He whispered, she bit her lip and kissed him hard pulling her closer to him as the sheets slid over them...
