What Becomes of a Tragedy?, chapter 6
I am sure that anybody who knows Green Day well enough knew what Tre was going to tell me. Yes, his girlfriend was pregnant. Yes, it hurt when he told me, but I was happy for him. Even though he was scared as hell to, I was the first person he had told.
Billie Joe and Adie's wedding was beautiful. And not too long after their wedding we (a group of friends) found out that Adie was also pregnant. It was just a few weeks of extremely great news.
When we were all over at Billie and Adie's house, Adie pulled me aside into one of the side rooms and close the door.
"Hey, you. Congratulations. On the wedding and the pregnancy."
"Thank you. But are you okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because I know you still love Tre and I know this is killing you."
"Yeah, it bothers me a little bit, but I'm happy for him. I'm happy he found somebody he could be happy with."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Am I sure of what?"
"That he's happy."
"What is that supposed to mean, Adie?"
"Holly, do you really think that Tre got over you that fast? Do you really think he is happy? The only reason he still pretends to have fun, except on stage, is because you didn't leave. He does everything for you, to prove to you that he is what you want him to be. To prove to you that he can handle thier career, which has taken off like a bat out of hell, and a serious relationship. He wants you to see that he's growing up and can be the man you want him to be."
"Why are you telling me this? Is this supposed to make me feel bad? Is this supposed to make me regret breaking up with him? Well, I have news for you and everybody who is now listening outside this door." I walk over to the door, open it and see everybody listening in.
"I do feel bad for breaking up with you, Tre. I still love you and I regret it every damn day I breathe. I am glad you could find somebody who could deal with you being gone so long. I broke up with you because I could never have dealt with you being gone for months at a time. I hope everybody here is happy. I hope all of you lead wonderful lives and thank you for all you have ever done for me. And now that I have spilt my guts. I am going home, packing my shit, and going back to Indiana so I can spill my guts to everybody there and then disappear." I walk out of the room, grab my keys and my purse, get to my car and leave.
- Back Inside -
Billie was the first to speak up. "Who is going to stop her? We can't let her leave." They all look at eachother in silence, but Tre gets the most glances.
"I'm not going. You really think she'll listen to me? One of you go." He points to Billie Joe and Mike. "You've known her just as long as I have."
Mike wasn't too thrilled about that statement, "You think just because we've known her as long as you have, that we know her better. You the one who dated her, you dumb shit." Mike ran out of the house to follow me.
Tre looks confused. "What did I say?"
"What do you mean? 'What did I day? ' Tre, of all people she would listen to you. It should be you running after her, not Mike."
"Why do you say that, Billie?" But Tre's pregnant girlfriend, who has been quiet the whole time speaks up.
"Because you two are still in love with eachother." Tre turns around to face her. Billie, Adie and Mike's girlfriend sneak out of the room so they could talk. "Is that what I am to you - a rebound?"
"No, it was never like that. I fell in love with you. I do love you." He knew lying was the only way to save one relationship tonight.
"But you never fell out of love with her, did you?"
"I still love her, but I am with you. She wouldn't make the commitment that you and I have. (Another lie) I love you. We're going to have a child together." Then, he does something he didn't want to do, because he could tell she wasn't buying it. "Would you marry me?"
- Back To My House -
I walk in and collapse against the wall right inside the door. Not even five minutes go by before I hear the doorbell ring. I don't answer it. Now there is knocking at the door and a voice, but not the one I was expecting to follow me home. "Holly, it's Mike. Can you let me in so we can talk?" I stand up and let Mike in. "Are you okay?"
"Come in the kitchen. I'm thirsty. You want anything?"
"Glass of water. Holly, I got a phone call from Tre on my way here."
"Yeah, what did he say? She's having twins, their getting married, what?" But Mike didn't respond, he just looked at the glass of water like if he took his eyes off it, it would disappear. "Mike? What did he say?"
Mike looked up from his glass of water and looked me in the eyes. "After you and I left, Tre proposed to her." Mike's eyes went back to his glass of water.
"What?" That was all I could say. My heart was crushed. I was standing my the fridge at the time. I leaned against it and slid to the floor and started crying. Mike, who didn't know what to say or do, came over, sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "Mike, why? I know he still loves me. Why?"
"I don't know, Holly. I don't know." Mike and I just sat there in silence for an hour or so, until Mike spoke up. "Holly, can you promise me that you won't leave?"
"Why? So my heart can break everytime I see him?"
"No, so his heart can break everytime he sees you. So, Tre can see what he gave up the second he asked her to marry him." I look up at him. "Billie, Adie, and I will help you through this. You are a beautiful woman who knows what she wants and you can show that everyday. Even though you are hurting on the inside. I need you to show Tre that you can be okay without him. Can you please promise me you'll stay? We are all your friends, it wasn't only Tre. If you leave because of him, you'll leave us too, when we did nothing wrong. Please stay. You have a great opportunity at work and plus, how could we throw amazing parties if the DJ isn't there?" We both laugh.
- Again, anybody who know's Green Day well enough knows how the next few years went. Tre and Lisea got married in March '95. Also that March, Billie and Adie brought Joseph into the world. Also in '95, the band released 'Insomniac. '
But it was after 'Nimrod', 'Warning', 'International Superhits', and 'Shenanigans' came out that this story picks back up.
Yes, I kept my promise to Mike. I got my promotion at work and I am now the second in line of management. Mike has been married and divorced and has a beautiful girl. Billie Joe and Adie are still happily married and now have two sons.
Tre has been married and divorced twice and and one child with each of his wives, one girl and one boy. And I have never been married, don't have any children, and still live alone.
I've had relationships in the past, but nothing could touch what Tre and I had.
Billie and Mike are 32 and Tre and I are 31. It is August of 2004 - the month before 'American Idiot' hits stores and we're all at the release party. And while I'm trying to avoid Tre at all costs, he's trying to find me, but what happened when we finally "ran into" eachother was enough to make me cry...
Billie Joe and Adie's wedding was beautiful. And not too long after their wedding we (a group of friends) found out that Adie was also pregnant. It was just a few weeks of extremely great news.
When we were all over at Billie and Adie's house, Adie pulled me aside into one of the side rooms and close the door.
"Hey, you. Congratulations. On the wedding and the pregnancy."
"Thank you. But are you okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because I know you still love Tre and I know this is killing you."
"Yeah, it bothers me a little bit, but I'm happy for him. I'm happy he found somebody he could be happy with."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Am I sure of what?"
"That he's happy."
"What is that supposed to mean, Adie?"
"Holly, do you really think that Tre got over you that fast? Do you really think he is happy? The only reason he still pretends to have fun, except on stage, is because you didn't leave. He does everything for you, to prove to you that he is what you want him to be. To prove to you that he can handle thier career, which has taken off like a bat out of hell, and a serious relationship. He wants you to see that he's growing up and can be the man you want him to be."
"Why are you telling me this? Is this supposed to make me feel bad? Is this supposed to make me regret breaking up with him? Well, I have news for you and everybody who is now listening outside this door." I walk over to the door, open it and see everybody listening in.
"I do feel bad for breaking up with you, Tre. I still love you and I regret it every damn day I breathe. I am glad you could find somebody who could deal with you being gone so long. I broke up with you because I could never have dealt with you being gone for months at a time. I hope everybody here is happy. I hope all of you lead wonderful lives and thank you for all you have ever done for me. And now that I have spilt my guts. I am going home, packing my shit, and going back to Indiana so I can spill my guts to everybody there and then disappear." I walk out of the room, grab my keys and my purse, get to my car and leave.
- Back Inside -
Billie was the first to speak up. "Who is going to stop her? We can't let her leave." They all look at eachother in silence, but Tre gets the most glances.
"I'm not going. You really think she'll listen to me? One of you go." He points to Billie Joe and Mike. "You've known her just as long as I have."
Mike wasn't too thrilled about that statement, "You think just because we've known her as long as you have, that we know her better. You the one who dated her, you dumb shit." Mike ran out of the house to follow me.
Tre looks confused. "What did I say?"
"What do you mean? 'What did I day? ' Tre, of all people she would listen to you. It should be you running after her, not Mike."
"Why do you say that, Billie?" But Tre's pregnant girlfriend, who has been quiet the whole time speaks up.
"Because you two are still in love with eachother." Tre turns around to face her. Billie, Adie and Mike's girlfriend sneak out of the room so they could talk. "Is that what I am to you - a rebound?"
"No, it was never like that. I fell in love with you. I do love you." He knew lying was the only way to save one relationship tonight.
"But you never fell out of love with her, did you?"
"I still love her, but I am with you. She wouldn't make the commitment that you and I have. (Another lie) I love you. We're going to have a child together." Then, he does something he didn't want to do, because he could tell she wasn't buying it. "Would you marry me?"
- Back To My House -
I walk in and collapse against the wall right inside the door. Not even five minutes go by before I hear the doorbell ring. I don't answer it. Now there is knocking at the door and a voice, but not the one I was expecting to follow me home. "Holly, it's Mike. Can you let me in so we can talk?" I stand up and let Mike in. "Are you okay?"
"Come in the kitchen. I'm thirsty. You want anything?"
"Glass of water. Holly, I got a phone call from Tre on my way here."
"Yeah, what did he say? She's having twins, their getting married, what?" But Mike didn't respond, he just looked at the glass of water like if he took his eyes off it, it would disappear. "Mike? What did he say?"
Mike looked up from his glass of water and looked me in the eyes. "After you and I left, Tre proposed to her." Mike's eyes went back to his glass of water.
"What?" That was all I could say. My heart was crushed. I was standing my the fridge at the time. I leaned against it and slid to the floor and started crying. Mike, who didn't know what to say or do, came over, sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "Mike, why? I know he still loves me. Why?"
"I don't know, Holly. I don't know." Mike and I just sat there in silence for an hour or so, until Mike spoke up. "Holly, can you promise me that you won't leave?"
"Why? So my heart can break everytime I see him?"
"No, so his heart can break everytime he sees you. So, Tre can see what he gave up the second he asked her to marry him." I look up at him. "Billie, Adie, and I will help you through this. You are a beautiful woman who knows what she wants and you can show that everyday. Even though you are hurting on the inside. I need you to show Tre that you can be okay without him. Can you please promise me you'll stay? We are all your friends, it wasn't only Tre. If you leave because of him, you'll leave us too, when we did nothing wrong. Please stay. You have a great opportunity at work and plus, how could we throw amazing parties if the DJ isn't there?" We both laugh.
- Again, anybody who know's Green Day well enough knows how the next few years went. Tre and Lisea got married in March '95. Also that March, Billie and Adie brought Joseph into the world. Also in '95, the band released 'Insomniac. '
But it was after 'Nimrod', 'Warning', 'International Superhits', and 'Shenanigans' came out that this story picks back up.
Yes, I kept my promise to Mike. I got my promotion at work and I am now the second in line of management. Mike has been married and divorced and has a beautiful girl. Billie Joe and Adie are still happily married and now have two sons.
Tre has been married and divorced twice and and one child with each of his wives, one girl and one boy. And I have never been married, don't have any children, and still live alone.
I've had relationships in the past, but nothing could touch what Tre and I had.
Billie and Mike are 32 and Tre and I are 31. It is August of 2004 - the month before 'American Idiot' hits stores and we're all at the release party. And while I'm trying to avoid Tre at all costs, he's trying to find me, but what happened when we finally "ran into" eachother was enough to make me cry...
