Stuck with me!, chapter 9

A few years later

I dropped out of school soon after we got Sweet Children back together.

John reluctantly agreed to be back in the band. I devoted my life to my music and wrote even more songs. We used to play them at the diner where my mum worked.

I had heard nothing about my step dad. I knew I was safe.

Katie and I still go out. We have a really strong relationship and she regularly slept in my bed. We still hadn't had sex yet but we were still really strong.

My mum was quite mad about how I dropped out of school. She was disappointed but what the fuck was the point in it. I only cared about music and music was my life.

I sat outside school waiting for Mike and Katie to come out. Mike stayed living at my house. We discussed getting our own place after mike had finished school. Mike, Katie and I. It'd be great!

I felt the grass under my fingers and glanced up as I heard the door bang open. Lots of people ran out of school to get home, some acknowledged me on their way out. I nodded to them friendly.

Everybody knew me as a dropout, a failure. But I knew it was my job to be a musician.

Like always, Mike was last out of school normally being chased by a teacher for back chatting. But this time it was Katie being chased by the teacher.


She kept her head down to hide her laughs as Mr Asshole shouted at her for joking about with Mike.

Mr Asshole looked down at me slumped on the floor. I waved sarcastically as he stared at me.

"Drop out" he muttered.

"Bastard!!" I shouted at him as Katie giggled and Mike laughed at the look on his face.

Mr Asshole finished shouting at Katie, gave me one last look on the floor and stormed off.

Katie pulled me up off the floor as I hugged her tightly and kissed her. Mike came over to me and hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek.

"I love you Billie Joe!" he said in a high-pitched girly voice.

I stared at him and laughed. He laughed along to and started walking. He swung his bag around and started to whack me with it.

Katie laughed and hit me with her bag too chanting, "Drop out drop out!"

Mike joined in too. I swept my hair out of my eyes as Katie flicked hers.

"Joking!! What's wrong?" she said realising my face had drooped.

Mike walked on ahead leaving us some space.

"Nothing, well am I a drop out?" I questioned.

"No!! Billie we were joking. You're going to be a punk star!!" she said linking our arms together.

"I hope so!" I laughed kissing her head.

Her hair was warm and prickled my face.

"You coming to mine?" I asked her as she stroked my arm slowly.

"Sure" she said tickling the palm of my hand.

I held out her hand and ran my finger over it. It quivered as I reached her fingers. She looked up at me holding my face, kissing it tenderly.

We reached home and Mike walked to his room humming our new song Dry Ice that I wrote about Katie. Katie normally came to my house after she finished school. We usually played some songs on my guitar or did other things that we enjoyed just as much!

I lay on my bed with my hands behind my head watching Katie walk over and lay next to me.

She huddled up to me squeezing me tighter and tighter until it felt like she wasn't going to let go. I started to kiss her vigorously and started to undress.

"I think I'm ready Billie Joe," she said breathing heavily from the kissing.

"You sure?" I questioned her.

This was it this was our moment we were about to have sex. I was 18 and soon she was to be 18 and was finishing school in less than a month.

She nodded as she hugged me tightly.

I stripped her and we got protection. I held her in my arms nervous of what to do. It was gentle at first and I kissed her softly. Her face tensed and her hands rested on my back. I started to thrust harder which made her start to whimper.

After we reached our climax I lay with her stroking her hands, calming her down, watching her chest rise and fall quickly.

"Amazing" she panted.

"I know, I love you Katie," I whispered.

"I love you," she whispered back.

Waking up to her face looking at me was great.

She caressed my face brushing the hair out of my eyes, twiddling it. I held her tight breathing down her neck watching her shiver. I wrapped her with my covers and my arms, she rubbed her legs against mine and I shivered.

I left her to sleep in my bed as I got dressed and headed to see Mike. Well to boast to Mike.

I opened the door with a big smile on my face.

"What's wrong with you?!" Mike laughed.

"Nothing!" I said laughing back and sitting down.

"You and Katie had sex didn't you!"

"Maybe!" I chuckled.

"Billie Joe Armstrong!" he said tackling me to the floor and spitting on my face.

He reminded me of a ten year old. Well he reminded me of the Mike I met for the first time. We used to wrestle all the time and gave each other wedgies.

These thought ran through my mind just as Mike gave me a wedgie.

"Your such a kid still!" I laughed after he pinned me to the ground.

I pinned him and sat back up. I sat on his bed. Memories of us two running through my mind.

"You okay?" Mike said sitting next to me.

"God I've known you for 8 years!" I put an arm around Mike.

"We'll still stay together though!" he said patting my back.

"Yeah!"

We sat there for a few minutes talking about all the memories we had. We soon moved on to the subject of when I first met Katie and what an idiot I was around her.

The door creaked open and Katie entered and sat by me. Mike 'awwed' as she sat and kissed me on the cheek.

"Did I say you could wear my top!" I laughed pulling at my t-shirt that she had on.

"No but I'm your girlfriend!" she laughed back as I kissed her softly.

*

We all got dressed and headed for the diner where my mum worked.

Mike gave Katie a piggyback there. I held her hand on the way stroking her skin.

I was carrying Blue with me and Mike held his bass. We were going to play a few songs for a small audience. We hadn't had a good audience in years. But regardless we set up at the diner.

Katie went and talked to my mum and helped her served people. Katie had a job here to get closer to my mum. I smiled at her putting on the apron laughing along with my mum.

Mike clicked his fingers in front of me; I shook my head and plugged Blue in.

Once again we had a tiny audience. I sighed whilst playing a song. I didn't feel like playing but I still gave it a hundred percent.

At the end we sat on the floor. I could feel the end of my music career near. A man walked over to us and I pushed myself off the ground.

"Hey I just heard you play and you're good! I want to invite you to play at a little place on Gilman Street!" he said shaking our hands.

My mouth dropped and Mike's eyes widened, John whacked the drum kit. I turned to them both and they nodded.

"Yeah we'll play!" I shouted.

"Great, we needed some new bands, in a couple of months I'll ring you and then you can play!" he said.

He shook our hands again and walked out the door leaving me, Mike and John stood there with our mouths open.

I stroked Blue's fingerboard thinking of how my life was going to change. I watched Katie wipe the last table and put the chairs up.

"Can you believe it?" John said flipping his drumsticks in the air.

"No" Mike replied scratching his head.

I stared at them both smiling.

John walked home with Mike while I waited for Katie to finish. She took off her apron and walked over to me.

"Who was that man you were talking to?" she asked as I twisted my fingers in hers.

"Well... he wants to play a gig at a place on Gilman Street!!!" I shouted. She leapt on me screaming so loud it hurt.

"Oh my God!!!" she kept screaming hugging me tightly.

I locked her in my arms and pressed my lips against hers.

A few weeks later I ran out of bed and into Mike's room.

"WAKE UP GRADUATION DAY MIKE!!!" I screamed.

He sat bolt upright and threw a pillow at me. I jumped up and down on his bed hitting him on the arm. He pushed me off and got up stretching his arms and yawning.

"Why are you so excited? It's not your graduation day!" he yelled.

"I don't know, because we can practice everyday!!" I said running around. "Come on get ready!" I ran back to my room and changed.

I waited for Mike to come out of his room and when he did I pulled him along and ran to Katie's house.

She walked out of the door as soon as we turned the corner. Mike stood panting and wiping the sweat off his forehead. She walked up to us laughing.

"Why are you so excited Billie Joe!" she laughed.

"I don't know!!! I can spend all my time with you now!"

"Great" she said sarcastically. "Joke!" she giggled when she saw my face drop.

I clutched her hand and walked both of them to school. I followed them to the hall to watch the leaving assembly. I sat on the back row where nobody could see me.

I saw all of my year in their robes. I sighed about being a dropout but I knew that my good music had only come from dropping out.

It was time for everybody to collect his or her diplomas.

I watched Mike make a small speech making everybody laugh then I watched Katie. Her eyes were glistening with tears but she looked beautiful. I watched her in admiration thinking of how much I needed her.

She came over to me at the end holding my hand. She was shaking and tears rolled down her face. She said her goodbye's to her other friends while I said mine. I made it up with Liam and said bye to others.

"Good luck with your music two dollar Bill!" one said.

I laughed and finally walked home with Katie and Mike my two best friends.

***

The time had gone by quickly. It was tonight that Sweet Children was playing its first gig at Gilman Street.

I walked up with Katie and Mike and we met John there.

It was strange to see Mike nervous. Mike was normally really brave. His bottom lip was quivering.

I was nervous but I had Katie to keep me calm. She sat on my knee stroking my arms softly. I was scared about the gig but I was scared about something else.

"Sweet Children your up!" the man said.

Katie gave Mike, John and me a kiss each while we walked on stage.

I saw her go over to the bar and order a lot of drinks.

My hand slipped on Blue's neck, my voice blocked and my lip quivered. I gazed at the crowd watching Katie look up at me I gulped and began.

"Late last night I had a dream and she was in it again" I carried on singing Dry Ice while the crowd moshed.

I got a new feeling and I loved it. I looked over at Mike and he looked back loving it. I turned at John and he hit the drum smiling.

Yeah I was pretty happy here. We finished playing a few songs before our last applause. I jumped off the stage and was running to Katie I couldn't see her anywhere.

John pulled me back and pulled Mike back to.

"Guys I have something to tell you," he said looking at the ground.

Mike and me stood anxiously waiting to what he had to say.

"I'm going to college so I have to leave Sweet Children." He shouted over the noise.

I stood with my mouth open.

"Why college!" I screamed.

"I want to have a good education unlike some drop outs"

I lunged for him with my fists. Mike grabbed me.

"Fuck you!!" I screamed as John walked off. Mike let go of me and walked to the bar.
I put my hand in the pocket and felt what was there. I walked to find Katie. I made my way through the moshing crowd. They pushed me over on the floor and I tried to hold my balance.

Then I saw her.

There she was.

Katie with somebody else's arms around her.

Somebody else's lips kissing hers.

I dropped a little box with an engagement ring inside it and ran away.