2028, chapter 4
"... I believe, this may call for a proper introduction... " Ellie sang, searching through boxes. She had never really liked Panic! At the Disco, but thinking about Green Day had gotten her thinking about other bands of the day, setting her off on some serious nostalgia.
"Elle, honey," Joey groaned, forgetting about his wife's love of pop-punk, "Just shut up and unpack."
"Your face should shut up and unpack!" Ellie retorted after a second, in the style of a twelve-year-old girl from 2005.
"Whatever," Joey rolled his eyes, somewhat dismayed that his wife was turning into such a freak.
"Aha!" Ellie smiled, finding a box labeled 'Ellie's Random, Private Stuff: Fragile' in a bold, messy scrawl. She grinned wider, opening it and pulling out an old red CD case.
"Ellie have you had that all this time?" Joey asked, looking at the faded Green Day sticker cut up to read 'Gay Nerd' on the side.
"Yeah... I highly doubt you'll like the contents though... it's a lot of Green Day," she warned but nevertheless, opened it whilst Joey looked on. Inside, were nowhere near pristine copies of all the nine Green Day CDs up to American Idiot. The most used, by far, was a slightly scratched version of Kerplunk with the liner notes stuffed in the sleeve behind it, their staples broken and cracked, the pages bent and ripped. Sure, Ellie's CDs had seen better days and some, she thought, couldn't even play three songs without skipping a bit, but there were memories with each one. She had saved up for weeks to buy that old copy of International Superhits, and sacrificed her babysitting money for American Idiot. She had biked down to the store for the genuine first edition Kerplunk, and begged for Warning as a present for her birthday.
"Damn, where are all the post-American Idiot albums?"
"I dunno, I met you right after American Idiot and all... so with the Green Day hating gig, I didn't get much time to listen to them."
"Ellie, shut up! You listened to them live just about every day after school for goddamn sake. Please."
"Whatever," Ellie rolled her eyes and picked up a tour shirt, a DVD player and a copy of a DVD, "Let's see if you can handle this!" she giggled, with an evil grin. Then, turning on the DVD player she stuck in the DVD and pressed Play.
"Music to me... " said a voice as Joey realized what she was playing.
"Ellie!" he yelled.
"Sorry, but it's mine. You can't turn it off," Ellie smiled delightfully.
"Goddammit I'm gonna kill this!"
"Uh-uh. It's mine, and it's not insured. It's worth a buncha' money."
"Ellie, turn it off right now!" Joey roared, towering over his wife literally by an inch or so, but to her it seemed feet above her head. Despite this she stood her ground.
"NO!" she screamed back, "I'll play whatever the fuck I fucking want! Just because you and your Green Day problems-"
"Don't bring him into this! This has nothing to do with him!"
"Really? Does it really Joey? Billie Joe Armstrong is your father! Face the fucking facts, nothing's gonna change."
Unnoticed by the two, was another, standing in the shadows of Bay Area dusk, half behind a door, eyes wide.
"This is not about him!"
Ellie stood back, her hip sticking out, with one eyebrow arched high and a skeptical look in her eye.
"I'll be back later," Joey grumbled, and stormed out of the house.
The figure cringed and a tear slipped from her eye, as she too ran out of the house, Ellie never noticing.
"Elle, honey," Joey groaned, forgetting about his wife's love of pop-punk, "Just shut up and unpack."
"Your face should shut up and unpack!" Ellie retorted after a second, in the style of a twelve-year-old girl from 2005.
"Whatever," Joey rolled his eyes, somewhat dismayed that his wife was turning into such a freak.
"Aha!" Ellie smiled, finding a box labeled 'Ellie's Random, Private Stuff: Fragile' in a bold, messy scrawl. She grinned wider, opening it and pulling out an old red CD case.
"Ellie have you had that all this time?" Joey asked, looking at the faded Green Day sticker cut up to read 'Gay Nerd' on the side.
"Yeah... I highly doubt you'll like the contents though... it's a lot of Green Day," she warned but nevertheless, opened it whilst Joey looked on. Inside, were nowhere near pristine copies of all the nine Green Day CDs up to American Idiot. The most used, by far, was a slightly scratched version of Kerplunk with the liner notes stuffed in the sleeve behind it, their staples broken and cracked, the pages bent and ripped. Sure, Ellie's CDs had seen better days and some, she thought, couldn't even play three songs without skipping a bit, but there were memories with each one. She had saved up for weeks to buy that old copy of International Superhits, and sacrificed her babysitting money for American Idiot. She had biked down to the store for the genuine first edition Kerplunk, and begged for Warning as a present for her birthday.
"Damn, where are all the post-American Idiot albums?"
"I dunno, I met you right after American Idiot and all... so with the Green Day hating gig, I didn't get much time to listen to them."
"Ellie, shut up! You listened to them live just about every day after school for goddamn sake. Please."
"Whatever," Ellie rolled her eyes and picked up a tour shirt, a DVD player and a copy of a DVD, "Let's see if you can handle this!" she giggled, with an evil grin. Then, turning on the DVD player she stuck in the DVD and pressed Play.
"Music to me... " said a voice as Joey realized what she was playing.
"Ellie!" he yelled.
"Sorry, but it's mine. You can't turn it off," Ellie smiled delightfully.
"Goddammit I'm gonna kill this!"
"Uh-uh. It's mine, and it's not insured. It's worth a buncha' money."
"Ellie, turn it off right now!" Joey roared, towering over his wife literally by an inch or so, but to her it seemed feet above her head. Despite this she stood her ground.
"NO!" she screamed back, "I'll play whatever the fuck I fucking want! Just because you and your Green Day problems-"
"Don't bring him into this! This has nothing to do with him!"
"Really? Does it really Joey? Billie Joe Armstrong is your father! Face the fucking facts, nothing's gonna change."
Unnoticed by the two, was another, standing in the shadows of Bay Area dusk, half behind a door, eyes wide.
"This is not about him!"
Ellie stood back, her hip sticking out, with one eyebrow arched high and a skeptical look in her eye.
"I'll be back later," Joey grumbled, and stormed out of the house.
The figure cringed and a tear slipped from her eye, as she too ran out of the house, Ellie never noticing.
