Cricket, chapter 17
*Pinole Valley High*
Billie rushed through the double doors of the high school. He saw Marcus outside already, with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.
"Hey Marcus," he said, patting him on the back. Marcus didn't say anything. This confused Billie, for Marcus ALWAYS talked. AND talked. AND talked. AND talked some MORE. Sometimes, not even Tré could get him to shut up. But now? Marcus was silent.
"Um, Marcus? You okay, man?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Is somethin' wrong?"
"Nope."
"Whoa! When's the last time you smoked a fucking cigarette? I thought you hated smoking!"
Marcus sighed and dropped his smoke onto the concrete, stomping on it and glaring at it.
"Dude...?" Billie said.
"Look Bill, I don't think this Christian kid is good news, man."
"Neither do I, but it's almost like he can make you do whatever he wants you to."
"Bullshit. Not me."
"I wouldn't expect you to, Marcus."
"DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE CALLED ME?!"
"Yes. That was pretty harsh, but still. The kid's fucked up. Don't kill him."
"I won't. I'll get Kiefer to."
"Marcus..."
"Oh fine."
"MARCUSSSSSS! BILLIEEEEEEE! HEY YOU GUYS!" Tré sped into them, giving them a big hug.
"Tré, you ass! Get offa me!" Billie laughed.
"I'll take that as a hello."
"Hey Tré, guess what!"
"What?"
"Green Day's gonna record the EP's and the album in a couple days!" Billie said, with a wide smile plastered on his face.
"I get the first copy!" Tré yelled, waving his finger in the air. He then stared at Marcus.
"What's with you?"
"Nothin'."
"Oh. Why aren't you talking?"
"Cause I don't got nothin' to say. Gotta problem with that?"
"Uhh. No." Tré then turned back to Billie.
"Anyway, LOOK! I GOT MY NIPPLE PIERCED!" he squealed.
He lifted up his shirt and there was the ring. Billie just gazed, mouth wide-open in amazement, and Marcus glared in jealousy.
"Ain't it the most adorablest, most awesomest thang you eva seen, bitches?" Tré bragged.
"YEAH, Tré. It's so awesome, I'm almost jealous," Billie sighed sarcastically.
"I WANT ONE!" Marcus roared, pinning Tré to the ground. Marcus began tugging and tugging at his ring and Tré was screaming like a little girl.
"MARCUS, GET OFF OF HIM!" Billie shrieked, pulling Marcus away from Tré. "You're gonna rip his fucking nipple off!"
"But I wannit," Marcus whined, sniffling a little bit.
"It's okay, Tré. Don't go nuts on me, 'kay?" Billie whispered, trying to soothe a very freaked out Tré, who had managed to crawl into Billie's t-shirt. Now Billie looked like he had two asses and four legs.
"HEY GUYS!" Christina's voice echoed through the courtyard. She stopped in front of the three and stared at them.
"Umm?" she said, looking at the Tré-shaped lump in Billie's shirt.
"Don't ask," Billie muttered, trying to get Tré out.
"C'mon Tré, c'mon out boy," Christina coaxed. Tré mumbled no and shook his head.
"Why don't you show Christina your new ring?" Billie suggested. Tré ducked out of Billie's shirt quickly at this and lifted his own shirt up to proudly reveal the nipple ring to Christina.
"Sexy, Tré. Very, very sexy," Christina giggled, putting her arm around Tré's shoulder and poking at his pierced nipple playfully.
"Why, thank you, Cricket," Tré said in a deep, dark sexy voice. Billie took Christina away from Tré and hugged her.
"What's up babe?" he mumbled.
"Not much. How 'bout you?"
"I'm doing pretty good. Hey wanna spend the night at my house tonight?"
"Whaddaya think, Bill? Course I wanna. And I will, too."
"Yay!" he cheered, hugging her tighter. "How bout a movie marathon, pizza, and..." He grinned slyly at her. "A nice make-out session?"
"Mr. Armstrong, how can I resist that face?"
"Wow. I'm on a roll. Hey baby, will you give me a massage and maybe drive me to a strip club?"
"You're pushin' it, Billie."
"Oh shut up, I'm only kiddin'."
"OW! MARCUS GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" Tré screamed behind them.
Christina and Billie exchanged bored glances and then walked over to the two to pry Marcus off of Tré's sore chest.
* * *
Christina headed up the front porch and rang Billie's doorbell. The front door creaked open and a strange man she had never met before glared at her.
"Who are you, bitch? Whaddaya want?"
"Uhh yeah. Is Billie Joe here?" she asked him.
"Who are ya? His bitch?" the man asked.
"No. And who are you?"
"I'm Dick. I'm Billie's dad."
Christina glared at him when he said that.
"You ain't his dad."
"Then who am I? A rapist? A burglar? A murderer, maybe?"
"No. You're his stepfather."
"Damn right."
"Lemme in, Pops," Christina said coldly.
Dick glared at her and opened the door so she could walk in.
"He's in the shower. Go wait in his room," he said.
"Thanks," Christina mumbled, heading towards Billie's room. She walked in and flopped down onto his bed. It was really comfy. It was big enough for two, and the pillows were stuffed full of soft feathers. She buried her head in one and dreamed about Billie, who was only ten feet away in the bathroom, the shower hissing and steam creeping through the crack under the door.
Finally, the hissing stream of water stopped and he stepped out of the bathroom, clouds of steam erupting behind him. He almost looked holy, the way he stood with the steam flowing behind and past him. A sweet smile crept across his face when he saw her.
"Aww, hey baby," he said, grabbing a pair of boxers and slipping them on under his towel.
"Hey sweetie."
"What's up?" he asked as he struggled to pull them up.
"Not much."
"So, did you, uhh, meet Dick?" he asked.
"Yup. He was a REAL friendly person," she said sarcastically.
"I know we've been going out for a year or so, but you've never met him cause he's usually down at some bar or strip club or in a motel fucking his brains out with my momma or some other whore."
"Does he get drunk a lot?"
"Yep. Better believe it."
"Do you guys get along?"
"Not really. Let's just say he keeps his enemies closer than his friends," he explained, jumping onto the bed.
"Oh." Christina wasn't exactly sure what he meant, so she just nodded and snuggled up with him.
"So what movies you wanna watch?" Billie asked.
"Dunno. How 'bout somethin' scary?"
"Alright. Hey, this one's supposed to be scary. Well, it should be," he said, scanning the box.
He pulled away from her and popped the tape into the VCR. After he took the remote, he sat back on the bed and laid his head against Christina's.
"You get scared, I'm right here."
"Ha! Me? Get scared? You're crazy."
The movie began to play, and within the first hour, Christina was sitting there, emotionless. Billie, however, was freaked out. His whole face was buried in Christina's shirt.
"Billie, are you scared or are you staring at my tits?"
"Umm. Lemme think 'bout it," came the muffled reply.
"Billie! Okay, now I'm scared, I think I will stick my head down your boxers because I'm so scared," Christina said sarcastically. Billie snapped away from her and stretched out his boxers with a stupid grin.
"C'mon in, be my guest!" he said, his eyes shimmering.
"I was kidding."
"Aww man," he mumbled, his smile flipping upside down into a pleading frown.
"Nah, I was lying!" Christina laughed. "C'mon!"
"But, Christina! There's still an hour left of the movie!" Billie teased.
"Billie!" she whined, giving him the 'sad' face.
"Oh alright," he laughed, clicking off the TV. He opened his door and peered downstairs. Dick was gone.
Must be at the bar. Thank God.
Billie closed the door gently. He turned back to Christina, smiling his infamous goofy grin. He bounced back on the bed and kissed her. Each passing second became more and more intimate. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, he pulled off her shirt and began to undo her jeans, she doing the same to him.
After a minute or two, clothes were scattered all over his bedroom floor. He snatched a condom from under his bed and put it on. After about a half-hour, Billie stared out his window. He thought he saw someone, but he shook the thought away and turned back to his girlfriend. She smiled at him.
He is awesome. Very hot when naked, too. Adorable. Why can't people like him just run in the streets naked? He's so sweet, and he's perfect in every way possible. I love him so much.
Billie gazed at Christina. He smiled back.
Wow, she has the cutest smile. Cute when naked too. Everything is cute about her. Everything I been through with her I'd do again. I love her so much.
He looked toward the window again and saw the face again. Though he only caught a quick glimpse because the person had ducked, he could tell who it was. Billie pulled away from her, and turned toward the window.
"Christina, someone is spying on us."
"What!?"
"No joke. Hold on."
Billie went to the window and threw it open.
"MARCUS, YOU LITTLE BASTARD, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" he shouted.
Outside, Christina could hear a voice yell, "WOOHOO! BILLIE GOT LAID!" She stifled a small laugh. Marcus was crazy.
"Hey! Who's that guy with you!?" Billie yelled. "Oh my God. MARCUS, ARE YOU CRAZY?"
"HE FORCED ME TO!" Christina heard Marcus bellow.
"CHRISTIAN HILL, GET THE HELL OUTTA MY LAWN OR I'LL CALL THE COPS!" Billie shouted, his angry face turning redder by the second. He listened for a moment before he heard the reply: "EVERY WORD FEELS LIKE A DYING BREATH, LOBOALPHA!"
Billie shook his head, stressed out by this encounter, and closed and covered the window. He crawled back onto the bed with Christina. He put his head on her shoulder and gazed at her lovingly.
"What was that all about? Was Marcus SPYING on us? Was he seriously watching us?" Christina asked. Billie held up his hand.
"Yes, Marcus was spying on us and watching us. But he was taping it too. Christian told him to."
"Well, if Christian is THAT jealous, maybe he should try a TicTac. My God," Christina mumbled, shuddering at the thought of him.
"But it's only Marcus. He'll just watch it, laugh, put it in his attic, and do the same thing ten years later."
"But Christian made him do it."
"Marcus won't let him have it. Did you see how he nearly ripped Tré's nipple off today?"
"One nipple, one ball," Christina snickered.
"Yeah, yeah. Point is Marcus can be violent and he won't take no shit. Especially not from Christian."
"Amen."
Billie chuckled and rested his chin on her shoulder. She smiled at him and ruffled his dark brown hair. She loved his messy hair. He kissed her bare shoulder sweetly and smiled. His eyes were still a glittering green in the dim light and they carried the innocence of a small child. Beautiful and fragile. Someone that would never hurt anyone without a good reason to. Christina smiled and put her hand on his cheek, one of her fingers dancing around in his long strands of dark hair draped over his forehead.
"Shall we get back to business?" he asked her.
"I was just gonna ask you that, sweetie," she laughed.
And there they were the entire night, a perfect portrayal of love uncovering before their very eyes.
* * *
Billie woke up the next morning with a huge yawn.
"Mmm, what time 'zit?" he mumbled. 8:46 am. He gazed down at his chest, where Christina's head laid gently against it. She was out cold. He laughed to himself. She was snoring only a little bit and had somehow managed to get two of her fingers caught in Billie's pick necklace. She looked happy, which made him happy too.
"Aww. What did I do to win you? What did I do to deserve you? 'Venus, goddess of beauty and love,'" he whispered with a snicker. The A/C was on high, and Christina began to shiver in her sleep.
With a loving smile on his face, he pulled the covers over her bare back and began to play with loose strands of her hair. His moment of complete bliss was interrupted when a loud series of knocks from the door echoed through his room. Christina jumped, wide-awake, and hugged Billie tight.
"BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" the angry voice boomed.
"Christina get out of here, now!" Billie ordered.
"Why?"
"He's drunk and suspicious. Take my white Op Ivy shirt and just put it on. You'll be covered enough. Now go climb out and run home. I'm sorry about this. I love you so so much," he muttered, giving her one last kiss.
"Billie? Is Dick...?"
"Just go! I'll explain later!" he hissed. She pulled over the Op Ivy shirt, gathered her own clothes, and kissed his forehead.
"Love you."
"Love you more," he mumbled, smiling weakly. "Now go, sweetie!"
"BILLIE JOE! WAKE UP AND OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Dick yelled.
"Prick," Billie muttered, watching Christina jump from the window and landing on her feet just fine. She waved and he waved back. And in a flash, she was gone.
I wanted her in my arms all morning long... you stupid prick, Dick. You ruined it.
He faked a yawn and opened the door, pretending that he had just awakened.
"Wha'ya wan', Dick?" he yawned.
"Yer mom says she thought she heard ya fuckin' all night long. That stupid bitch here?"
"I didn't fuck nobody. We watched movies all night and she left before you got home!" Billie countered.
Dick glared at him and smacked him across the face.
"Why don't I believe ya?" he growled.
"'Cause you hate me and wish I would die!"
"Maybe, or maybe cause yer LYING!" he said, punching Billie so hard that the wind was knocked out of him. "Ya know, Bill, yer mother was right. Yer a drugged up, sexed up, lyin', stealin', troublemakin' failure! A FAILURE!"
Billie hated that word. Failure. A flashing neon sign displaying his weaknesses to the world. His vulnerability. The soft, genuine part of him was hidden under a hard shell of drugs, booze, and anger, and a tough-guy-don't-mess-with-me image he longed to have. Punk on the inside? Absolutely. Punk on the outside? Yes, but also hiding his weakness, his sensitive side.
"Yer nothin' but a fag, Billie. When you die on them California streets as a hobo, I'll be laughin' my arse off. I don't think ya realize how much me n' yer mother despise you and your decisions."
"That's cause she leads a double life, just like you," Billie snarled, earning him another hard punch to the ground.
"Don't EVER talk to yer stepfather like that, son. You still got a year n' a half to live with us. You best be good for me, or I'll make you regret that you was even BORN."
"Step-fucker's more like it," Billie mumbled, hot tears stinging his tired eyes.
"THAT'S IT! I AM TIRED OF YOU AND YOUR SASS, ARMSTRONG!"
Dick tackled Billie and began beating the living shit out of him, blood spattering everywhere and bruises forming rapidly.
"Agh," Billie whimpered after Dick withdrew. Everything was hurting. Dick stood up, kicked him hard in the balls one more time before heading out the door.
"That's why you treat me with respect, son," he growled.
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door and leaving a beaten down Billie on the floor.
Billie rushed through the double doors of the high school. He saw Marcus outside already, with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.
"Hey Marcus," he said, patting him on the back. Marcus didn't say anything. This confused Billie, for Marcus ALWAYS talked. AND talked. AND talked. AND talked some MORE. Sometimes, not even Tré could get him to shut up. But now? Marcus was silent.
"Um, Marcus? You okay, man?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Is somethin' wrong?"
"Nope."
"Whoa! When's the last time you smoked a fucking cigarette? I thought you hated smoking!"
Marcus sighed and dropped his smoke onto the concrete, stomping on it and glaring at it.
"Dude...?" Billie said.
"Look Bill, I don't think this Christian kid is good news, man."
"Neither do I, but it's almost like he can make you do whatever he wants you to."
"Bullshit. Not me."
"I wouldn't expect you to, Marcus."
"DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE CALLED ME?!"
"Yes. That was pretty harsh, but still. The kid's fucked up. Don't kill him."
"I won't. I'll get Kiefer to."
"Marcus..."
"Oh fine."
"MARCUSSSSSS! BILLIEEEEEEE! HEY YOU GUYS!" Tré sped into them, giving them a big hug.
"Tré, you ass! Get offa me!" Billie laughed.
"I'll take that as a hello."
"Hey Tré, guess what!"
"What?"
"Green Day's gonna record the EP's and the album in a couple days!" Billie said, with a wide smile plastered on his face.
"I get the first copy!" Tré yelled, waving his finger in the air. He then stared at Marcus.
"What's with you?"
"Nothin'."
"Oh. Why aren't you talking?"
"Cause I don't got nothin' to say. Gotta problem with that?"
"Uhh. No." Tré then turned back to Billie.
"Anyway, LOOK! I GOT MY NIPPLE PIERCED!" he squealed.
He lifted up his shirt and there was the ring. Billie just gazed, mouth wide-open in amazement, and Marcus glared in jealousy.
"Ain't it the most adorablest, most awesomest thang you eva seen, bitches?" Tré bragged.
"YEAH, Tré. It's so awesome, I'm almost jealous," Billie sighed sarcastically.
"I WANT ONE!" Marcus roared, pinning Tré to the ground. Marcus began tugging and tugging at his ring and Tré was screaming like a little girl.
"MARCUS, GET OFF OF HIM!" Billie shrieked, pulling Marcus away from Tré. "You're gonna rip his fucking nipple off!"
"But I wannit," Marcus whined, sniffling a little bit.
"It's okay, Tré. Don't go nuts on me, 'kay?" Billie whispered, trying to soothe a very freaked out Tré, who had managed to crawl into Billie's t-shirt. Now Billie looked like he had two asses and four legs.
"HEY GUYS!" Christina's voice echoed through the courtyard. She stopped in front of the three and stared at them.
"Umm?" she said, looking at the Tré-shaped lump in Billie's shirt.
"Don't ask," Billie muttered, trying to get Tré out.
"C'mon Tré, c'mon out boy," Christina coaxed. Tré mumbled no and shook his head.
"Why don't you show Christina your new ring?" Billie suggested. Tré ducked out of Billie's shirt quickly at this and lifted his own shirt up to proudly reveal the nipple ring to Christina.
"Sexy, Tré. Very, very sexy," Christina giggled, putting her arm around Tré's shoulder and poking at his pierced nipple playfully.
"Why, thank you, Cricket," Tré said in a deep, dark sexy voice. Billie took Christina away from Tré and hugged her.
"What's up babe?" he mumbled.
"Not much. How 'bout you?"
"I'm doing pretty good. Hey wanna spend the night at my house tonight?"
"Whaddaya think, Bill? Course I wanna. And I will, too."
"Yay!" he cheered, hugging her tighter. "How bout a movie marathon, pizza, and..." He grinned slyly at her. "A nice make-out session?"
"Mr. Armstrong, how can I resist that face?"
"Wow. I'm on a roll. Hey baby, will you give me a massage and maybe drive me to a strip club?"
"You're pushin' it, Billie."
"Oh shut up, I'm only kiddin'."
"OW! MARCUS GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" Tré screamed behind them.
Christina and Billie exchanged bored glances and then walked over to the two to pry Marcus off of Tré's sore chest.
* * *
Christina headed up the front porch and rang Billie's doorbell. The front door creaked open and a strange man she had never met before glared at her.
"Who are you, bitch? Whaddaya want?"
"Uhh yeah. Is Billie Joe here?" she asked him.
"Who are ya? His bitch?" the man asked.
"No. And who are you?"
"I'm Dick. I'm Billie's dad."
Christina glared at him when he said that.
"You ain't his dad."
"Then who am I? A rapist? A burglar? A murderer, maybe?"
"No. You're his stepfather."
"Damn right."
"Lemme in, Pops," Christina said coldly.
Dick glared at her and opened the door so she could walk in.
"He's in the shower. Go wait in his room," he said.
"Thanks," Christina mumbled, heading towards Billie's room. She walked in and flopped down onto his bed. It was really comfy. It was big enough for two, and the pillows were stuffed full of soft feathers. She buried her head in one and dreamed about Billie, who was only ten feet away in the bathroom, the shower hissing and steam creeping through the crack under the door.
Finally, the hissing stream of water stopped and he stepped out of the bathroom, clouds of steam erupting behind him. He almost looked holy, the way he stood with the steam flowing behind and past him. A sweet smile crept across his face when he saw her.
"Aww, hey baby," he said, grabbing a pair of boxers and slipping them on under his towel.
"Hey sweetie."
"What's up?" he asked as he struggled to pull them up.
"Not much."
"So, did you, uhh, meet Dick?" he asked.
"Yup. He was a REAL friendly person," she said sarcastically.
"I know we've been going out for a year or so, but you've never met him cause he's usually down at some bar or strip club or in a motel fucking his brains out with my momma or some other whore."
"Does he get drunk a lot?"
"Yep. Better believe it."
"Do you guys get along?"
"Not really. Let's just say he keeps his enemies closer than his friends," he explained, jumping onto the bed.
"Oh." Christina wasn't exactly sure what he meant, so she just nodded and snuggled up with him.
"So what movies you wanna watch?" Billie asked.
"Dunno. How 'bout somethin' scary?"
"Alright. Hey, this one's supposed to be scary. Well, it should be," he said, scanning the box.
He pulled away from her and popped the tape into the VCR. After he took the remote, he sat back on the bed and laid his head against Christina's.
"You get scared, I'm right here."
"Ha! Me? Get scared? You're crazy."
The movie began to play, and within the first hour, Christina was sitting there, emotionless. Billie, however, was freaked out. His whole face was buried in Christina's shirt.
"Billie, are you scared or are you staring at my tits?"
"Umm. Lemme think 'bout it," came the muffled reply.
"Billie! Okay, now I'm scared, I think I will stick my head down your boxers because I'm so scared," Christina said sarcastically. Billie snapped away from her and stretched out his boxers with a stupid grin.
"C'mon in, be my guest!" he said, his eyes shimmering.
"I was kidding."
"Aww man," he mumbled, his smile flipping upside down into a pleading frown.
"Nah, I was lying!" Christina laughed. "C'mon!"
"But, Christina! There's still an hour left of the movie!" Billie teased.
"Billie!" she whined, giving him the 'sad' face.
"Oh alright," he laughed, clicking off the TV. He opened his door and peered downstairs. Dick was gone.
Must be at the bar. Thank God.
Billie closed the door gently. He turned back to Christina, smiling his infamous goofy grin. He bounced back on the bed and kissed her. Each passing second became more and more intimate. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, he pulled off her shirt and began to undo her jeans, she doing the same to him.
After a minute or two, clothes were scattered all over his bedroom floor. He snatched a condom from under his bed and put it on. After about a half-hour, Billie stared out his window. He thought he saw someone, but he shook the thought away and turned back to his girlfriend. She smiled at him.
He is awesome. Very hot when naked, too. Adorable. Why can't people like him just run in the streets naked? He's so sweet, and he's perfect in every way possible. I love him so much.
Billie gazed at Christina. He smiled back.
Wow, she has the cutest smile. Cute when naked too. Everything is cute about her. Everything I been through with her I'd do again. I love her so much.
He looked toward the window again and saw the face again. Though he only caught a quick glimpse because the person had ducked, he could tell who it was. Billie pulled away from her, and turned toward the window.
"Christina, someone is spying on us."
"What!?"
"No joke. Hold on."
Billie went to the window and threw it open.
"MARCUS, YOU LITTLE BASTARD, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" he shouted.
Outside, Christina could hear a voice yell, "WOOHOO! BILLIE GOT LAID!" She stifled a small laugh. Marcus was crazy.
"Hey! Who's that guy with you!?" Billie yelled. "Oh my God. MARCUS, ARE YOU CRAZY?"
"HE FORCED ME TO!" Christina heard Marcus bellow.
"CHRISTIAN HILL, GET THE HELL OUTTA MY LAWN OR I'LL CALL THE COPS!" Billie shouted, his angry face turning redder by the second. He listened for a moment before he heard the reply: "EVERY WORD FEELS LIKE A DYING BREATH, LOBOALPHA!"
Billie shook his head, stressed out by this encounter, and closed and covered the window. He crawled back onto the bed with Christina. He put his head on her shoulder and gazed at her lovingly.
"What was that all about? Was Marcus SPYING on us? Was he seriously watching us?" Christina asked. Billie held up his hand.
"Yes, Marcus was spying on us and watching us. But he was taping it too. Christian told him to."
"Well, if Christian is THAT jealous, maybe he should try a TicTac. My God," Christina mumbled, shuddering at the thought of him.
"But it's only Marcus. He'll just watch it, laugh, put it in his attic, and do the same thing ten years later."
"But Christian made him do it."
"Marcus won't let him have it. Did you see how he nearly ripped Tré's nipple off today?"
"One nipple, one ball," Christina snickered.
"Yeah, yeah. Point is Marcus can be violent and he won't take no shit. Especially not from Christian."
"Amen."
Billie chuckled and rested his chin on her shoulder. She smiled at him and ruffled his dark brown hair. She loved his messy hair. He kissed her bare shoulder sweetly and smiled. His eyes were still a glittering green in the dim light and they carried the innocence of a small child. Beautiful and fragile. Someone that would never hurt anyone without a good reason to. Christina smiled and put her hand on his cheek, one of her fingers dancing around in his long strands of dark hair draped over his forehead.
"Shall we get back to business?" he asked her.
"I was just gonna ask you that, sweetie," she laughed.
And there they were the entire night, a perfect portrayal of love uncovering before their very eyes.
* * *
Billie woke up the next morning with a huge yawn.
"Mmm, what time 'zit?" he mumbled. 8:46 am. He gazed down at his chest, where Christina's head laid gently against it. She was out cold. He laughed to himself. She was snoring only a little bit and had somehow managed to get two of her fingers caught in Billie's pick necklace. She looked happy, which made him happy too.
"Aww. What did I do to win you? What did I do to deserve you? 'Venus, goddess of beauty and love,'" he whispered with a snicker. The A/C was on high, and Christina began to shiver in her sleep.
With a loving smile on his face, he pulled the covers over her bare back and began to play with loose strands of her hair. His moment of complete bliss was interrupted when a loud series of knocks from the door echoed through his room. Christina jumped, wide-awake, and hugged Billie tight.
"BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" the angry voice boomed.
"Christina get out of here, now!" Billie ordered.
"Why?"
"He's drunk and suspicious. Take my white Op Ivy shirt and just put it on. You'll be covered enough. Now go climb out and run home. I'm sorry about this. I love you so so much," he muttered, giving her one last kiss.
"Billie? Is Dick...?"
"Just go! I'll explain later!" he hissed. She pulled over the Op Ivy shirt, gathered her own clothes, and kissed his forehead.
"Love you."
"Love you more," he mumbled, smiling weakly. "Now go, sweetie!"
"BILLIE JOE! WAKE UP AND OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Dick yelled.
"Prick," Billie muttered, watching Christina jump from the window and landing on her feet just fine. She waved and he waved back. And in a flash, she was gone.
I wanted her in my arms all morning long... you stupid prick, Dick. You ruined it.
He faked a yawn and opened the door, pretending that he had just awakened.
"Wha'ya wan', Dick?" he yawned.
"Yer mom says she thought she heard ya fuckin' all night long. That stupid bitch here?"
"I didn't fuck nobody. We watched movies all night and she left before you got home!" Billie countered.
Dick glared at him and smacked him across the face.
"Why don't I believe ya?" he growled.
"'Cause you hate me and wish I would die!"
"Maybe, or maybe cause yer LYING!" he said, punching Billie so hard that the wind was knocked out of him. "Ya know, Bill, yer mother was right. Yer a drugged up, sexed up, lyin', stealin', troublemakin' failure! A FAILURE!"
Billie hated that word. Failure. A flashing neon sign displaying his weaknesses to the world. His vulnerability. The soft, genuine part of him was hidden under a hard shell of drugs, booze, and anger, and a tough-guy-don't-mess-with-me image he longed to have. Punk on the inside? Absolutely. Punk on the outside? Yes, but also hiding his weakness, his sensitive side.
"Yer nothin' but a fag, Billie. When you die on them California streets as a hobo, I'll be laughin' my arse off. I don't think ya realize how much me n' yer mother despise you and your decisions."
"That's cause she leads a double life, just like you," Billie snarled, earning him another hard punch to the ground.
"Don't EVER talk to yer stepfather like that, son. You still got a year n' a half to live with us. You best be good for me, or I'll make you regret that you was even BORN."
"Step-fucker's more like it," Billie mumbled, hot tears stinging his tired eyes.
"THAT'S IT! I AM TIRED OF YOU AND YOUR SASS, ARMSTRONG!"
Dick tackled Billie and began beating the living shit out of him, blood spattering everywhere and bruises forming rapidly.
"Agh," Billie whimpered after Dick withdrew. Everything was hurting. Dick stood up, kicked him hard in the balls one more time before heading out the door.
"That's why you treat me with respect, son," he growled.
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door and leaving a beaten down Billie on the floor.
