"Hi, I'm Your Neighbour.", chapter 6
I woke up in the morning, seeing Billie and Mike just beginning to rub their eyes too. Before they could stop me, I went downstairs and saw the boxes. Wait, what? There were now-huh?-two boxes. What was the second one? It looked exactly like Billie's special box I had seen last night. Yeah, there was only one last night. What now? Then Billie came behind me, down the stairs. Mike had climbed out the window again to sneak back home.
"What are the boxes?" he asked me.
"I don't know." I answered. I wasn't fully lying, I didn't know what was in the second box. A box of accessories, like a strap or something? I didn't know.
"Good morning Billie Joe, Nicole." Mr. Armstrong said, almost scaring me shit-less because I hadn't noticed he was in here.
"Hi, Dad!" Billie said, hugging his dad.
"Hey, Andy." I said, a little tiredly. I didn't sleep much. Actually, last night was a great night's sleep to me, I slept almost all night. I was usually my insomniac self, not sleeping. But not last night. Maybe it was because I felt secure around Billie Joe.
"Hey Dad," Billie Joe began, "what are those boxes for?"
"Those, son, are a surprise for you and Nicole."
WHAT the FUCK?!?! A surprise for me AND him?!? There was no mention of this last night!
"Well, kids, open them up!"
So we tore at the boxes, me knowing what Billie Joe was getting. I just didn't know what I was getting. Billie opened his box and found a blue Stratocaster. And he absolutely loved it. Good for him, I thought. Now Beej has something to start his band with. He'll be happy. I stared at my box with my wide green eyes, wondering what the fuck it was. Andy prodded me to open it, and I finally did. Oh. My. God. A new guitar. Same as Billie's. I gasped and stared down at it. Wow. Mr. Armstrong bought Billie, and me, a new guitar? I could never repay him. I sat it down and ran into him in a hug, and so did Billie. When Billie Joe's and my faces saw each other, we smiled a bright big smile.
* * * * *
Three months later, I was at my house comfortably sitting on my living room floor, just thinking to myself. When my parents went out to get drunk, I always did this. Sat in the middle of the floor and thought about everything that was going on. Then, I heard some kid, running and screaming sobbing, run up to my door, and start pounding on it. Dammit. I thought. This kid is ruining my thinking time!
So, I went and checked through the peephole to see who it was. And to my astonishment, it was Billie Joe. I unlocked the door and he immediately jumped on me, gripping on me like there was no tomorrow.
"Billie, what's wrong? Calm down, Beej, just tell what's wrong." I pouted to him. He gently got off me and sat down in the middle of the floor, next to where I had been sitting before he came along. He knew I always sat in that same exact spot when I thought, and he sometimes sat with me in his spot. I went and sat next to him, patting his back. After he calmed down, he began to tell me what had happened.
"My...dad...he's-gone." he gasped, still trying a little to catch his breath.
"I mean, I know you've gone through this before, but I just-can't believe it." he sobbed.
And it was true. The reason I had a stepfather was because my real father, the one who loved me no matter what I did, had passed away of two heart attacks when I was 8. Hopefully, even though since Billie was a little older than I was, he wouldn't still be more emotional.
"What are the boxes?" he asked me.
"I don't know." I answered. I wasn't fully lying, I didn't know what was in the second box. A box of accessories, like a strap or something? I didn't know.
"Good morning Billie Joe, Nicole." Mr. Armstrong said, almost scaring me shit-less because I hadn't noticed he was in here.
"Hi, Dad!" Billie said, hugging his dad.
"Hey, Andy." I said, a little tiredly. I didn't sleep much. Actually, last night was a great night's sleep to me, I slept almost all night. I was usually my insomniac self, not sleeping. But not last night. Maybe it was because I felt secure around Billie Joe.
"Hey Dad," Billie Joe began, "what are those boxes for?"
"Those, son, are a surprise for you and Nicole."
WHAT the FUCK?!?! A surprise for me AND him?!? There was no mention of this last night!
"Well, kids, open them up!"
So we tore at the boxes, me knowing what Billie Joe was getting. I just didn't know what I was getting. Billie opened his box and found a blue Stratocaster. And he absolutely loved it. Good for him, I thought. Now Beej has something to start his band with. He'll be happy. I stared at my box with my wide green eyes, wondering what the fuck it was. Andy prodded me to open it, and I finally did. Oh. My. God. A new guitar. Same as Billie's. I gasped and stared down at it. Wow. Mr. Armstrong bought Billie, and me, a new guitar? I could never repay him. I sat it down and ran into him in a hug, and so did Billie. When Billie Joe's and my faces saw each other, we smiled a bright big smile.
* * * * *
Three months later, I was at my house comfortably sitting on my living room floor, just thinking to myself. When my parents went out to get drunk, I always did this. Sat in the middle of the floor and thought about everything that was going on. Then, I heard some kid, running and screaming sobbing, run up to my door, and start pounding on it. Dammit. I thought. This kid is ruining my thinking time!
So, I went and checked through the peephole to see who it was. And to my astonishment, it was Billie Joe. I unlocked the door and he immediately jumped on me, gripping on me like there was no tomorrow.
"Billie, what's wrong? Calm down, Beej, just tell what's wrong." I pouted to him. He gently got off me and sat down in the middle of the floor, next to where I had been sitting before he came along. He knew I always sat in that same exact spot when I thought, and he sometimes sat with me in his spot. I went and sat next to him, patting his back. After he calmed down, he began to tell me what had happened.
"My...dad...he's-gone." he gasped, still trying a little to catch his breath.
"I mean, I know you've gone through this before, but I just-can't believe it." he sobbed.
And it was true. The reason I had a stepfather was because my real father, the one who loved me no matter what I did, had passed away of two heart attacks when I was 8. Hopefully, even though since Billie was a little older than I was, he wouldn't still be more emotional.
