Adeline Street, chapter 8
A few months passed and I rocked millions of people. I was still in a slight daze from all the hype I was getting. I woke one cold, crisp morning in a hotel room in Providence, Rhode Island and went over to Billie and Adie's room next door. Adie must have left but Billie was in the shower. I knew it was him because I heard him singing. He did it all the time. I stifled a laugh and stood outside the door. He was singing something I never ever thought I would here him sing.
I got me a car
It's as big as a whale
And we're heading on down to the Love Shack
I got me a Chrysler
It seats about twenty
So come on and bring your jukebox money
I started to sing with him, quietly at first then I couldn't stay quiet. He never even noticed. I opened the door and walked in, still singing with him. He stopped and poked his head from behind the curtain.
"Enjoying yourself?" I asked him, laughing.
"I was." He smiled.
I laughed and shook my head. "I can't believe you like The B-52's. You just don't seem the type."
"Yeah, man, their great," he said. He had continued his shower. I'm sure you'd think it was weird that I was in the bathroom with him, but actually over the time that I had been there, we all got overly comfortable with each other's nakedness, so neither he nor I cared.
"Where's Adie?" I asked.
"Shopping with the boys. School clothes or something. Man time has really flown. Only 2 more concerts and you're done. How about that?"
"Wow! I haven't thought about it," I said. "I'm gonna bawl my eyes out I just know it."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I did too at the end of the American Idiot tour. It'll be ok though. You'll take a break for a while, go back to school for a few months and then get back into it. It'll be time again just like that. Since we're working on our album now, maybe you can tour with us next."
"That would be cool," I said whole heartedly. Adie came in.
"What is this?" she asked, looking from me to him.
"I heard him singing "Love Shack" so I had to investigate," I assured her. It had been several months since our kiss incident, but Adie hadn't forgotten; though she fully forgave me she still pokes it at us when she gets the chance.
"Well, me and the boys are about to go eat. Just came to see if you two were awake yet and if you wanted to go."
"I do. I'm starved. I'll go get dressed." I went to my room and put on a sweater and jeans and my Adeline jacket. I grabbed my shades on the way out and headed back to Billie and Adie's room. Joey and Jakob were arguing back and forth about something.
"No it's not, idiot!" Joey said.
"Is too!" Jakob cried back.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Tell him that spiders aren't arachnophobic?!" Joey asked.
I looked at him funny. "What?"
"This guy downstairs had a huge tarantula downstairs and he was messing with Jakob and said not to let him see his reflection in his sunglasses because spiders are arachnophobic."
"Um...no," I said.
"Ha! Told you!"
"What's that even mean?!" Jakob asked.
"Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. So for a spider to be arachnophobic is retarded," I said.
We continued our conversation out to the car and on the way to the restaurant. In this conversation, Joey proceeded to ask Billie Joe if gay people could be homophobic.
"I thought we had this settled, Joey!" I told him.
"I was just wondering. That's spiders- this is people."
"I've never heard of a homosexual homophobic," Billie said, trying not to let Joey see him laughing.
This was the most random conversation I had ever been in, but it was fun. The rest of the night went something like this...Random and fun.
Two days later, after my penultimate concert (that means next to last- hell yeah I used a big word. Ok sorry back to the story) I stood outside before the show, smoking. This was it- the last show. I was in Telstra, Australia, the same stage Billie Joe nearly broke down on this time last year at his final concert of American Idiot. I sighed deeply.
Billie appeared at my side. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sad, but pumped." I smiled, taking a long drag.
He smiled. "Same as me. But like I said, in no time at all you'll be right back at it."
"I can't wait." I smiled. I stamped out my cigarette and gave him a hug.
"I wanna do something special for you tonight. Be prepared for anything, ok."
He cocked an eyebrow at me. I hit him in the arm. "Not that! At the concert!"
"Oh...ok." He laughed. I smiled and rolled my eyes and he hugged me again and ruffled my hair. "Good luck, kiddo."
We walked back in to Tre and Mike standing at the opening of the stage. Tre picked me up and bear hugged me. "Do it!"
Mike hugged me and kissed me on the forehead. "Good luck." I nodded and took a deep breath and stepped on the stage one final time...
I thought I may lose it a couple of times, but I pulled it together enough to play the 2 hour set. I came out with my acoustic, but I wasn't playing "31 Days".
"Guys, you don't know how awesome this tour has been and how awesome the fans have made it, thank you so much!" They roared with cheers.
"Usually this is when I play the song "31 Days, but tonight is kinda special, so I'm gonna ask Billie, Mike and Tre to come out here and sing with me."
The whole place went berserk. Billie, Mike and Tre appeared from backstage and they each hugged me. I whispered the song to them and they smiled and nodded. The whole place went quiet. I began picking the opening of "Time of Your Life". And we sang.
Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you were to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable but it the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
We sang like we had been at it for years. We finished the song and tears escaped my eyes before I could stop them, as they did Billie's. He hugged me tight. The other two joined in. That was possibly the happiest I had ever been.
I got me a car
It's as big as a whale
And we're heading on down to the Love Shack
I got me a Chrysler
It seats about twenty
So come on and bring your jukebox money
I started to sing with him, quietly at first then I couldn't stay quiet. He never even noticed. I opened the door and walked in, still singing with him. He stopped and poked his head from behind the curtain.
"Enjoying yourself?" I asked him, laughing.
"I was." He smiled.
I laughed and shook my head. "I can't believe you like The B-52's. You just don't seem the type."
"Yeah, man, their great," he said. He had continued his shower. I'm sure you'd think it was weird that I was in the bathroom with him, but actually over the time that I had been there, we all got overly comfortable with each other's nakedness, so neither he nor I cared.
"Where's Adie?" I asked.
"Shopping with the boys. School clothes or something. Man time has really flown. Only 2 more concerts and you're done. How about that?"
"Wow! I haven't thought about it," I said. "I'm gonna bawl my eyes out I just know it."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I did too at the end of the American Idiot tour. It'll be ok though. You'll take a break for a while, go back to school for a few months and then get back into it. It'll be time again just like that. Since we're working on our album now, maybe you can tour with us next."
"That would be cool," I said whole heartedly. Adie came in.
"What is this?" she asked, looking from me to him.
"I heard him singing "Love Shack" so I had to investigate," I assured her. It had been several months since our kiss incident, but Adie hadn't forgotten; though she fully forgave me she still pokes it at us when she gets the chance.
"Well, me and the boys are about to go eat. Just came to see if you two were awake yet and if you wanted to go."
"I do. I'm starved. I'll go get dressed." I went to my room and put on a sweater and jeans and my Adeline jacket. I grabbed my shades on the way out and headed back to Billie and Adie's room. Joey and Jakob were arguing back and forth about something.
"No it's not, idiot!" Joey said.
"Is too!" Jakob cried back.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Tell him that spiders aren't arachnophobic?!" Joey asked.
I looked at him funny. "What?"
"This guy downstairs had a huge tarantula downstairs and he was messing with Jakob and said not to let him see his reflection in his sunglasses because spiders are arachnophobic."
"Um...no," I said.
"Ha! Told you!"
"What's that even mean?!" Jakob asked.
"Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. So for a spider to be arachnophobic is retarded," I said.
We continued our conversation out to the car and on the way to the restaurant. In this conversation, Joey proceeded to ask Billie Joe if gay people could be homophobic.
"I thought we had this settled, Joey!" I told him.
"I was just wondering. That's spiders- this is people."
"I've never heard of a homosexual homophobic," Billie said, trying not to let Joey see him laughing.
This was the most random conversation I had ever been in, but it was fun. The rest of the night went something like this...Random and fun.
Two days later, after my penultimate concert (that means next to last- hell yeah I used a big word. Ok sorry back to the story) I stood outside before the show, smoking. This was it- the last show. I was in Telstra, Australia, the same stage Billie Joe nearly broke down on this time last year at his final concert of American Idiot. I sighed deeply.
Billie appeared at my side. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sad, but pumped." I smiled, taking a long drag.
He smiled. "Same as me. But like I said, in no time at all you'll be right back at it."
"I can't wait." I smiled. I stamped out my cigarette and gave him a hug.
"I wanna do something special for you tonight. Be prepared for anything, ok."
He cocked an eyebrow at me. I hit him in the arm. "Not that! At the concert!"
"Oh...ok." He laughed. I smiled and rolled my eyes and he hugged me again and ruffled my hair. "Good luck, kiddo."
We walked back in to Tre and Mike standing at the opening of the stage. Tre picked me up and bear hugged me. "Do it!"
Mike hugged me and kissed me on the forehead. "Good luck." I nodded and took a deep breath and stepped on the stage one final time...
I thought I may lose it a couple of times, but I pulled it together enough to play the 2 hour set. I came out with my acoustic, but I wasn't playing "31 Days".
"Guys, you don't know how awesome this tour has been and how awesome the fans have made it, thank you so much!" They roared with cheers.
"Usually this is when I play the song "31 Days, but tonight is kinda special, so I'm gonna ask Billie, Mike and Tre to come out here and sing with me."
The whole place went berserk. Billie, Mike and Tre appeared from backstage and they each hugged me. I whispered the song to them and they smiled and nodded. The whole place went quiet. I began picking the opening of "Time of Your Life". And we sang.
Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you were to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable but it the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
We sang like we had been at it for years. We finished the song and tears escaped my eyes before I could stop them, as they did Billie's. He hugged me tight. The other two joined in. That was possibly the happiest I had ever been.
