2028, chapter 5
Once out of the house, Katie ran towards Billie Joe's house, having left him there when they walked back. She could barely see anything, her eyes so blurred with tears, and her feet carried her faster than she could go. She was confused, Billie Joe was her father's father? That couldn't be possible... could it? Her mother said her that her dad had 'personal' problems with Green Day and her dad never could stand his father. She arrived at his house and banged on the door urgently. He finally opened it, a confused look on his face.
"Marcicano," she panted.
"What?" he asked.
"Marcicano. Joseph Marcicano Armstrong, it's your son's name, you haven't seen him in fifteen years."
Billie looked taken aback, once again. "Uh, yeah. How do you know?"
Katie, however, was beyond answering. She began to cry, the noise bringing Adrienne into this odd scene.
"Billie... ?" she questioned, but then she looked at the girl, "Fuck! She looks like... like Joey."
"Oh my God," Billie realized, "She does... Katie what's the matter?"
"I... she... he... they... " she stuttered.
"Billie, bring the poor girl in and get her some water. Maybe she'll tell us what's the matter after that," Adrienne scolded and ushered Katie inside.
Billie Joe gave Katie water in as she sat on the couch, wiping her tears away.
"C'mon, tell us what happened," Adrienne encouraged, rubbing the girl's back.
"They were fighting... and he left... and now I don't know what's going on!"
"Who honey? Who was fighting?"
"My... my parents."
"Aw, honey. Why?"
"'Cause... " Katie mumbled something incoherent, and Billie Joe suddenly had an idea.
"Katie, how'd you know my son's name and how long it's been since I've seen him?"
She answered the question with a question, as she calmed down a bit, "Do you know anything about your son's life after age eighteen?"
"I asked first."
"My question's more important."
"Okay, fine," Billie sighed.
"We know that he's back here, that he just moved back here."
"Do you know he had a kid at age nineteen, while his girlfriend was only seventeen so they got married at eighteen? Do you know that for the first few years of their daughter's life they lived with his wife's parents in order to go to school? Or that by the time their daughter was ten, they lived in four different cities, each house getting steadily nicer?"
Billie and Adrienne were speechless.
**
Joey found himself walking fast and towards a park in the area, a park he had played in a lot as a child and hung out in as a teenager trying to isolate himself from his father and find out who he was. Before he had quite realized what was happening, he had passed a swing, vacant and frail looking, obviously it had seen much better days. He remembered sitting in that very swing, a girl on his lap, as they kissed and made out against a background of stars and trees. It took him very little time to remember that that girl had been Ellie, and at the time he was seventeen and she fifteen.
He remembered a scene long before this one as well. He was ten again, and his father was home for a few months in the summer, taking a break from being The Billie Joe Armstrong and just being Billie Joe, father and husband for a bit. He and his father had come to Lake Temescal, the park, out of boredom and seeking an outlet for pent up summer energy. They had walked around the lake and talked, it had been one of the best times of his childhood life.
Joey sighed and sat on the swing. Suddenly, he thought he heard his name called.
"Joey?" a voice shouted. It was a voice he recognized from a long time ago, and he couldn't quite place it.
"Joey!" it shouted again. He turned around, and to his utter amazement was his brother.
"Holy fuck!" Joey exclaimed, "Jakob, what the hell?"
"Joey, that was my question to you. Fifteen fucking years Joe, fifteen years," Jakob exclaimed, shaking his head.
Joey said nothing, merely surveyed his brother. He was taller than him, by a few inches and he had lost both the buckteeth and baby fat that he had when he was seven. It was hard to believe that this man was little Jakob Armstrong, the little kid who got to go to the Kids Choice Awards at age seven, causing him to become on of the most sought after seven-year-olds in the world of younger children.
"I can't believe you," Jakob muttered, "I was only fifteen you dumb fuck, I didn't get it. One day I woke up and you were just... gone."
"Jake, I'm sorry. Please, it wasn't fun for me either!" Joey pleaded.
"Your daughter is only one year younger than I was! Think about that!" Jakob pointed out, talking loudly.
"How do you know I had a daughter?" Joey asked, after taking this into consideration. He was right.
"I'm not stupid Joey, neither is Ellie. She was my friend to! In fact, she was my friend first."
This, Joey had to admit, was true. Ellie had been a year older than Jakob in school, and the two had been friends for a while, until Joey and Ellie got together, Jakob had felt a bit left out then. But when Ellie thought she was pregnant, it was Jakob she went to first, before telling Joey. And, days before she moved back to California, she had sent Jakob an email telling him that they were 'coming home', as she put it.
"Oh, fuck," Jakob muttered, never one to hold a grudge, "C'mon, I wanna know everything."
**
Katie sat in a room in Billie Joe and Adrienne's house, staring at a photo album. She had decided to do something, and she was determined to do it if it was the last thing she did. She, Katherine Armstrong was going to reunite Green Day.
"Marcicano," she panted.
"What?" he asked.
"Marcicano. Joseph Marcicano Armstrong, it's your son's name, you haven't seen him in fifteen years."
Billie looked taken aback, once again. "Uh, yeah. How do you know?"
Katie, however, was beyond answering. She began to cry, the noise bringing Adrienne into this odd scene.
"Billie... ?" she questioned, but then she looked at the girl, "Fuck! She looks like... like Joey."
"Oh my God," Billie realized, "She does... Katie what's the matter?"
"I... she... he... they... " she stuttered.
"Billie, bring the poor girl in and get her some water. Maybe she'll tell us what's the matter after that," Adrienne scolded and ushered Katie inside.
Billie Joe gave Katie water in as she sat on the couch, wiping her tears away.
"C'mon, tell us what happened," Adrienne encouraged, rubbing the girl's back.
"They were fighting... and he left... and now I don't know what's going on!"
"Who honey? Who was fighting?"
"My... my parents."
"Aw, honey. Why?"
"'Cause... " Katie mumbled something incoherent, and Billie Joe suddenly had an idea.
"Katie, how'd you know my son's name and how long it's been since I've seen him?"
She answered the question with a question, as she calmed down a bit, "Do you know anything about your son's life after age eighteen?"
"I asked first."
"My question's more important."
"Okay, fine," Billie sighed.
"We know that he's back here, that he just moved back here."
"Do you know he had a kid at age nineteen, while his girlfriend was only seventeen so they got married at eighteen? Do you know that for the first few years of their daughter's life they lived with his wife's parents in order to go to school? Or that by the time their daughter was ten, they lived in four different cities, each house getting steadily nicer?"
Billie and Adrienne were speechless.
**
Joey found himself walking fast and towards a park in the area, a park he had played in a lot as a child and hung out in as a teenager trying to isolate himself from his father and find out who he was. Before he had quite realized what was happening, he had passed a swing, vacant and frail looking, obviously it had seen much better days. He remembered sitting in that very swing, a girl on his lap, as they kissed and made out against a background of stars and trees. It took him very little time to remember that that girl had been Ellie, and at the time he was seventeen and she fifteen.
He remembered a scene long before this one as well. He was ten again, and his father was home for a few months in the summer, taking a break from being The Billie Joe Armstrong and just being Billie Joe, father and husband for a bit. He and his father had come to Lake Temescal, the park, out of boredom and seeking an outlet for pent up summer energy. They had walked around the lake and talked, it had been one of the best times of his childhood life.
Joey sighed and sat on the swing. Suddenly, he thought he heard his name called.
"Joey?" a voice shouted. It was a voice he recognized from a long time ago, and he couldn't quite place it.
"Joey!" it shouted again. He turned around, and to his utter amazement was his brother.
"Holy fuck!" Joey exclaimed, "Jakob, what the hell?"
"Joey, that was my question to you. Fifteen fucking years Joe, fifteen years," Jakob exclaimed, shaking his head.
Joey said nothing, merely surveyed his brother. He was taller than him, by a few inches and he had lost both the buckteeth and baby fat that he had when he was seven. It was hard to believe that this man was little Jakob Armstrong, the little kid who got to go to the Kids Choice Awards at age seven, causing him to become on of the most sought after seven-year-olds in the world of younger children.
"I can't believe you," Jakob muttered, "I was only fifteen you dumb fuck, I didn't get it. One day I woke up and you were just... gone."
"Jake, I'm sorry. Please, it wasn't fun for me either!" Joey pleaded.
"Your daughter is only one year younger than I was! Think about that!" Jakob pointed out, talking loudly.
"How do you know I had a daughter?" Joey asked, after taking this into consideration. He was right.
"I'm not stupid Joey, neither is Ellie. She was my friend to! In fact, she was my friend first."
This, Joey had to admit, was true. Ellie had been a year older than Jakob in school, and the two had been friends for a while, until Joey and Ellie got together, Jakob had felt a bit left out then. But when Ellie thought she was pregnant, it was Jakob she went to first, before telling Joey. And, days before she moved back to California, she had sent Jakob an email telling him that they were 'coming home', as she put it.
"Oh, fuck," Jakob muttered, never one to hold a grudge, "C'mon, I wanna know everything."
**
Katie sat in a room in Billie Joe and Adrienne's house, staring at a photo album. She had decided to do something, and she was determined to do it if it was the last thing she did. She, Katherine Armstrong was going to reunite Green Day.
