Fragments Of Yesterday, chapter 31
Joey and Katie talked quietly at lunch, oblivious to anyone around then. They really couldn't be bothered with much of anything at the moment, considering Katie was "knocked up," as she put it. She didn't mean it in a bad way or as a sleight against Joey, but she was still scared. To be fifteen and pregnant was something that she had always scoffed openly at, and now she had become it. That was the least f her worries however; Billie was her biggest.
They were discussing his possible reactions, Joey trying to look on the positive side of things even though he knew better, and Katie not even bothering to sugarcoat, but maybe exaggerating a little here and there. "You never know," Joey shrugged. "Mom took it pretty well, and I didn't think she would. Dad might be the same."
"Joey," Katie groaned. "I've known Billie for a year, and I know better. So do you honestly believe that he's going to take this well, you knowing him all your life." Joey only shrugged, giving nothing away.
"You never know," he answered plainly. The bell rang, signaling everyone from lunch back to class. Katie let out a heavy sigh as she stood.
"I don't want to know," she muttered, grabbing her books and heading off with Joey. The couple split at the middle of the hallway, Katie having Algebra and Joey having English right across the hall. He gave her a small peck on the lips before walking off, making Katie smiled as she walked into math.
"Aww, how cute," a sneering voice said from behind Katie, following her to class. Katie didn't even bother to look around, not even feeling half in the mood to deal with Claire. Joey had made her promise not to get in a fight because she was pregnant, so she knew she would have to just grit her teeth and bear it. "The two rejects in the hallway."
"Claire," Katie said, turning as she set her books down, "I'm not the dumbass who is STILL in Freshman English in my Junior year." Claire's mouth twitched, her malicious grin only slightly faltering.
"I'll let that comment go for now," she said airily. "Because I know something that has made my entire year." Claire grinned knowingly, sitting down and never taking her eyes off of Katie. Katie's stomach sank as she slid into her own desk, hoping that Claire hadn't somehow found out that she was pregnant. That would be complete suicide, because if that leaked out, and it leaked out that it was Joey's baby, then Billie could possibly find out by means other than Katie telling him herself. The entire class went on, Claire sneaking mocking looks over at Katie, and Katie trying desperately to think of any possible way Claire could have found out.
It was sheer misery until the bell rang at the end of the day, and never before had Katie been so relieved to hear that annoying metallic clang ring out through the halls. She found Joey quickly at his locker and together they went outside, where Adrienne was waiting in the car to pick them up. "What's the matter?" he asked her quietly as they hopped into the car, Katie discreetly shaking her head and giving him a look that said she'd tell him when they got home.
It didn't take long for Joey to accost Katie in her room when they got home. She shut the door behind him as he walked in, settling down on her bed. She turned and smiled a little despite herself, really surprised at how much he had changed since she had first arrived there. She remembered the short, fourteen year old with the boyish face and the kiddish grin. Over the summer, he had gotten taller and leaner, his face losing a lot of its boyishness, and all around he looked more mature.
"So what's bugging you?" Joey questioned again, moving over so Katie could plot down next to him. Her face immediately fell and darkened a little.
"I think that Claire knows," Katie explained, emphasizing the word 'know.' Joey frowned as well but shook his head.
"How would she know?" he asked in confusion. "We haven't told anyone." Katie glared off at nothing, a heavy feeling still in her stomach even though there was no proof of anything.
"I don't know," Katie shrugged. "But somehow she knows."
"I think you're just paranoid," Joey said, earning himself a significant look from Katie. "Come on, Kay, there's no way she could have found out," he quickly defended. He wrapped an arm around her tentatively. "I think you're just overstressed because Dad doesn't know yet, and it's making you edgy."
"I still think she knows," Katie repeated. Joey sat up a little and looked her in the eyes.
"How?" he asked, obviously wanting proof.
"She said that she knew something that would make her year," Katie replied. Joey let out a small laugh, but not out of amusement.
"That could mean a million things," he pointed out. "She could have found out something stupid from another school you went to or something. There's no guarantee that it's this." He placed his hand on her stomach, wondering why she was so convinced otherwise.
"You just don't understand communication between girls," Katie mumbled. "Especially when it's done out of spite. The way she looked at me... " Katie looked down and fiddled with a small ring on her finger. "It's something big," she finished, looking up. "And there isn't anything bigger that's happened to me, really, other than this." She put her hand over top of his, staring deeply into his eyes.
"Don't worry about it," Joey assured, leaning forward and kissing her softly. He stood up. "I've got a shitload of homework to do, so I'll talk to you later."
"Okay," Katie answered, watching him as he left.
***
"Hey baby," Billie answered when he saw it was Adrienne on the caller ID of his cell. He had had a pretty annoying day with an interview with some magazine that asked annoying questions about anything not pertaining to music, and then what seemed to be an eternity of photo shoots.
"Hey," Adrienne replied, and immediately Billie knew that something was up. She gave nothing away in her voice, but after almost fifteen years of marriage, he knew. He also knew better than to press her for answers right away, so he avoiding asking that 'what's wrong' question.
"How's everything going?" Billie asked, hoping that he could figure out what it was to a certain degree without actually having to ask. It was almost like phone charades, and he must admit, he was pretty damn good at it by now.
"Good," Adrienne answered, Billie still not getting anything.
"The kids?"
"Fine." There had been a slight hesitation in the answer, and Billie pinpointed that to be the source of what was bothering her. "How's tour?"
"It's tour," Billie replied, shrugging for his own benefit. "I get to come home for a little while on the 18th."
"Great," Adrienne said, a little to quickly this time. Whatever was going on with the kids, he figured out someone needed to tell him something. He figured that someone had gotten into some kind of trouble at school, probably Katie. They talked for a long while before Billie had to go for more interview hell, hopefully about music this time. He would find out what was going on in time, but right now he had a job to do.
***
"Oh fuck," Katie chanted under her breath. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck." Joey smiled faintly at her, somehow finding amusement in the fact that she was more nervous about his dad coming home than he was. Granted, Joey was terrified about telling his dad that he had gotten Katie pregnant, but he spent all his time trying to keep Katie calm, so he rarely had time to let himself freak out about it.
"You don't have to be nervous yet," he whispered in her ear, gripping her arm lightly before letting go. They were in the middle of the airport with Adrienne and Jakob, waiting for Billie's plane to come in. "At least wait until we get home to be nervous; unless you want Dad to question you before we even get to the car."
Katie looked Joey over for a moment before placing her hands on her hips in annoyance. "You're awfully calm," she observed, the agitation leaking out through her voice. The corner of Joey's mouth twitched a little at the corners, trying to suppress a smile. He looked off a moment.
"That's because you've got enough panic for the both of us." A smack on the arm from Katie prompted Joey's words.
"Jackass," she muttered.
Adrienne watched this from a small distance, unable to hear the words but easily seeing the body language. She had to admit that they were good together-she could tell that from the beginning. Brushing a dreadlock out of her face, she wondered how Billie would take the news. It surely wouldn't be a good reaction, given the kids' ages, and especially since Katie was almost two months along. Adrienne had surprised herself by taking things so well, but what she had said to Katie and Joey had been for the most part true-one of them had to be calm, and prior experience showed that it was going to have to be Adrienne.
Adrienne looked up as her youngest son shouted "Dad!" and he name was called simultaneously. She watched as Jakob took off, leading her line of sight to her husband.
"Hey kiddo," Billie said, his arms enveloping Jakob as he ran into them. He started telling Billie some long story, just like he had always done as a small child, but Billie was only half listening. Jakob was talking too fast for him anyway, so even if he had listened he would have caught nothing.
Billie smiled and kindly pulled away from his son as he saw Adrienne walking over, a slow grin appearing on her face. "Hey baby," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the lips. "How was the flight?"
"Long," he explained. "There was this little bastard sitting in the seat behind me that kept pulling my hair." The couple continued to talk quietly as Katie and Joey watched from afar, Katie having almost bitten off all of her fingernails.
Katie paused, however, watching Adrienne and Billie for a moment. "I want that," she said quietly, not even meaning to say it out loud. Joey looked over at her and then what she was looking at.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, mishearing her completely. Katie looked over, startled for a second, and then shook her head.
"Nothing," she smiled. She took in a breath and nodded. "Okay... let's go say hi." Katie went to grab Joey's hand out of habit but had to stop herself in mid-motion. Joey saw this and offered a comforting look as Katie took in another breath.
"Hey Billie," Katie said, walking up to him. Billie broke away from Adrienne and grinned even wider, pulling Katie into a hug. They talked for a few moments, and anyone who didn't know the situation wouldn't have realized that there was ever anything wrong with Katie. None of her nervousness leaked through.
Joey watched for a moment, the nervousness in himself peaking. He hadn't really felt it until he was standing right here in front of his dad, and now he almost wanted to turn and run. Billie turned his eyes on him suddenly, making Joey's stomach lurch forward. "Hey Dad," Joey said, absentmindedly running a nervous hand through the back of his hair.
"How's everything been, Joey?" Billie asked, pulling his oldest into a hug. Joey talked with Billie about small things, keeping everything pretty short and unintentionally coming off as a little reluctant. Billie took it all in stride for the moment, however, and didn't let on that he knew something was wrong.
The Armstrong family headed home after grabbing Billie's luggage from baggage claim. The drive home was extremely quiet except for Jakob and Billie, who were talking about pretty much everything that had gone on. Joey and Katie had pointedly stuck Jakob in the middle between them, not wanting to give anything away yet.
Nothing happened until two days after Billie got home. He had spent this time sitting back and trying to get a perspective on the situation, which was handicapped by the fact that he was still on the process of figuring out what the situation was. He had hoped someone would come to him and just tell him, but when that didn't happen, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew that whatever it was, Joey was a big part of it by the way he had been acting for the past couple of days.
Joey was walking through the room, rather quickly, but Billie intercepted him before he made it to the kitchen. "Joey, sit down," Billie said calmly. He saw his son gulp reflexively as he did so. "I know that there's something going on." This was stated plainly and calmly, so as not to make Joey even more nervous about telling him than he already was. "I just don't know what it is."
"Dad--"
"Come on, Joey," Billie said, sitting beside him, "I'm sure it's nothing we can't figure out."
"Dad--" Joey said, shaking his head with a little nervous laughter in his voice.
"So just tell me what it is, and I can help you," Billie assured him.
"Dad--" Joey said for the third time, but Billie cut him off again by holding up a hand.
"And if you think I'll get mad, whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing worse than what I've done." Joey gaped at Billie for a long moment, soaking in the irony of that statement and trying to think of the best way to drop the bomb. He had thought that Katie was going to be here with him, as well as his mom, but Billie had backed him into a corner.
"Me and Katie... " Joey muttered, the words getting lost on Billie in the lack of volume.
"Just say it," Billie urged, suppressing the agitation of wanting to know in his voice.
"Fine," Joey said, feeling that he was being rushed. "Me and Katie have been going out ever since before you left." Billie raised an eyebrow and leaned back, nodding.
"See, was it that hard?" Billie asked, looking over at Joey. "I mean, I kinda figured, but I wasn't really sure." There was a pause as he noticed the still reluctant look on Joey's face. "What? Did you think I'd be mad? I actually think it's great."
"No, I didn't really think you'd be mad at that," Joey answered. He let out a breath and looked away as he said: "I thought you'd be mad that I got her pregnant." There was an entire ten second gap to where the words were still trying to penetrate Billie's head, the small smile even still playing on Billie's lips. It was blissful to Joey and yet anxiety ridden, because he knew that Billie would inevitably realize what he had just said, what that meant, and then flip out.
Ten seconds were up.
Billie jumped up in one fluid motion, face red and a small vein popping out on his forehead. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?" he yelled. Joey sank further back into the couch cushions, unable to move or say anything. He really didn't have to; Billie kept yelling. "YOU GOT KATIE WHAT? I'M SURE I DIDN'T HEAR YOU CORRECTLY, BECAUSE I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT YOU SAID YOU GOT HER PREGNANT!" Billie paused, taking a breath and staring at his son.
Joey only nodded sheepishly.
"I guess you were right then," Billie said softly, his voice already strained from the yelling. "BECAUSE I AM FUCKING UPSET THAT MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD SON KNOCKED UP HIS GIRLFRIEND, WHO SHOULD BE MORE LIKE A SISTER THAN A PIECE OF ASS."
Joey opened his mouth to protest, his pale face getting a slightly red shade out of anger.
"WHAT?" Billie spouted. "ARE YOU GETTING MAD? BECAUSE I'M MAD. WE CAN START A CLUB. WE'LL CALL IT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INFERNALLY PISSED OFF AT THEIR FAMILY CLUB. AND I'LL MAKE MYSELF PRESIDENT AND YOU CAN BE VICE PRESIDENT AND WE'LL JUST BE A LARGE FUCKING ANGRY ASS GROUP OF PEOPLE. WE CAN GO OUT AND BEAT HOBOS AND KICK KITTENS, BUT NOT BEFORE WE SLAP OUR MOTHERS AND YELL ABOUT HOW ANGRY WE ARE."
Billie stopped yelling, chest heaving. Joey could only gape, the redness from his face disappearing somewhere between kicking kittens and slapping mothers. Joey had anticipated his dad's anger, sure; he hadn't anticipated the crazy that would come along with it. He looked down at his hands, waiting for his dad to start yelling again about festivities that would probably land him in an asylum. When he didn't, Joey looked up. "I'm sorry that it happened," he offered in a very small voice. "But I'm not sorry that I love Katie. I know it happened and I know I--"
"You fucked up," Billie seethed, his voice coming out as a harsh growl from the yelling. "I can't fucking believe this, Joey. You're sixteen... hell, Katie's fifteen. How the fuck can I not be angry at that?"
"I don't expect you to be not angry," Joey provided. "But I never expected you would say that I was only looking for a piece of ass." The last sentence came out with a lot of anger, and Billie shot a glare in his direction.
"Don't even fucking try to get any tone with me," Billie warned. "I'm pissed off and I'm feeling a little irrational right now, so don't even push me." Joey's temper had flared up, but he forcibly retracted himself back a little. "I can't believe this," Billie muttered, more to himself. "I'm not even forty yet and I'm going to be a grandfather." He sighed, having calmed himself down from raging mad to pissed off. He looked up at Joey. "When did this happen?"
"Two months ago," Joey answered without thinking.
"WHAT?" Billie shouted. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS HAPPENED TWO MONTHS AGO AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME? JESUS CHRIST, JOSEPH! DID YOU THINK YOU COULD HIDE IT FOREVER?"
"I told them not to say anything," Adrienne said in a loud voice, coming into the room. Billie turned to look at his wife, his glare turning on her. "Don't even give me that look, Billie Joe." Billie settled his expression into a deep frown. "I told them not to tell because I know how you are. I know how you would react, and you were on tour. I wanted to wait until you got home."
"So how long have you known?" Billie spat.
"For a month, which is about as long as Katie knew," Adrienne said calmly. Billie shook his head and looked away, disbelieving. Adrienne walked over and placed a hand on his arm, which he jerked away violently.
"Don't."
"Billie," Adrienne said in a rational voice. "Billie," she said again when he didn't look at her the first time. "I know that you're mad, but you need to calm down.
"DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM!"
"AND DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME," Adrienne shouted right back.
"WOULD YOU BOTH FUCKING STOP!" Katie yelled, coming into the room. Everything fell silent as they both turned to her. She had heard the entire thing from the top of the stairs, but had been too scared to come down right away. She felt like a coward for not being there with Joey as he told Billie, and now she was trying to amend that. "You two are acting like this is something between you guys." Katie looked between Adrienne and Billie, who both looked angry. "It happened to us. Me and Joey. We didn't do this on purpose--"
"And I suppose you accidentally fell onto one another," Billie retorted with a sarcasm that made Katie flinch.
"Love," Katie said. "We did it because we love each other. I thought that of all people, you would understand what that is." Billie's face relaxed slightly, though still invariably angry. "I know we weren't careful, but we never set out to have a baby, either." Katie felt a presence beside her and didn't have to even look to know it was Joey. She felt all the more stronger for it, so she kept going. "I know you're mad, but we can't do this by ourselves. I'm sorry this happened, but it did, so now we have to deal with it."
"Honey, you don't have to do anything by yourself," Adrienne said, walking over and putting her arms around Katie. It took her a moment to realize that Adrienne had been crying. As she hugged Katie with one arm, Adrienne pulled Joey into the hug with the other, bringing all three of them together and inadvertently leaving Billie out. Billie watched this for a while, still angry but slowly feeling it subside.
After all, what good would the anger do him? Whether he liked it or not, he was going to become a grandparent. And through all the anger, he would be there for them just like Adrienne would be there for them. Billie noticed how Joey and Katie stood together, observing for the first time that their hands were linked together and Joey was beside her somewhat protectively. There was no doubt in his mind that they truly cared for each other now, and there was no way that he could force himself to be angry anymore. Just pleasantly pissed off.
Katie pulled away from Adrienne, wiping a few stray tears from her own face, and walked over to Billie. She stood before him probably like she would stand in front of God in the halls of judgment--not moving or speaking but awaiting fate. Billie stared at her for a long time before pulling her into a hug as well. "I'm sorry," Billie muttered to her. He could feel that she was shaking slightly from all the tension, fear, anxiety and altogether emotion.
"I don't want you to be angry with us," Katie murmured, slightly muffled by Billie's shoulder. Billie hugged her tighter.
"I just... I was shocked. I didn't mean to blow up like I did," he said. He pulled away and brushed the tears that were making the free fall down her face. "And you need to quit doing this so damn much," he added with a hint of a smile, making Katie sniff and laugh.
"Yeah, I know," Katie replied. "I'm just crying all the time. I can blame it on hormones now, though." Billie laughed slightly at that before looking to Joey.
"Looks like you're going to have a lot to handle," Billie said to him. Joey only nodded, still not really knowing what the safe responses to make were or how to act. Somehow, within twenty minutes, Billie had gone from screaming mad to making jokes, and Joey was almost under the impression that it was his dad that was pregnant and not Katie. Billie picked up on Joey's hesitation and walked over to him, hugging him briefly. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that."
"I know," Joey replied.
"And you're allowed to be mad," Billie allowed.
"I am," Joey agreed.
"I love you anyway," Billie smiled, seeing a lot of himself in Joey at that moment. Joey looked up at Billie in the eyes for the first time since he got home. "I'll be here for you two."
"We both will," Adrienne agreed, slipping an arm around her husband. She looked over at Billie. "Katie actually has a doctor's appointment on Thursday. Why don't you take her?" Billie looked over at Katie to make sure that was okay, and Katie fervently nodded her agreement.
***
From outside the house, Jake waited. He watched as the black BMW pulled out of the driveway and took off towards town, and briefly he caught a glimpse of familiar red hair as the car passed. He sneered to no one as he gripped the wheel of his car, his knuckles turning white.
"Revenge," Jake said to himself. "I can't wait to take it out on you." He smiled at the thought of what he had in the trunk of his car, and what exactly he was going to do once he got a hold of that little bitch who got him thrown into prison. He had a promise to keep, and he was going to keep it.
***
"Katie," the nurse said, "the doctor will see you now." Billie smiled and gripped her hand as they both stood up and walked into the room.
"Good morning, Katie," the female doctor greeted.
"Morning," Katie greeted in return. The doctor turned to Billie.
"Hello," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Elena Evans. And you are... ?"
"I'm--"
"This is my dad," Katie interjected.
"Billie Joe Armstrong," he finished with a grin.
"Please to meet you," she said. "We're just going to run a check up on Katie and see that everything is going okay. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them." They went through the routine checkup, making sure that everything was going along as it should. At the end, Dr. Evans gave Katie prescription for iron pills and sent the two on their way.
"So how do you feel?" Billie asked as they got into the BMW. Katie glanced over at him.
"Fine," she answered.
"I mean about all of this," he asked, the tone in his voice becoming serious. "About the thought of being a mother." Katie looked up and took a breath, shrugging.
"Scared," she answered truthfully. "I never thought I would ever have kids, let alone at the age of sixteen." She smiled. "I couldn't have better circumstances, though. At least I'm not alone, and at least I can actually take care of a baby."
Billie studied her for a long time. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"Yes," she replied, without hesitation. Billie nodded.
"Okay then," he said, starting the car. "Off to the drug store for nasty pills and then back home."
"You don't actually expect me to take those," Katie asked, repulsed. "I mean, I've smelled those things... and that alone makes me want to puke."
"Every damn one of them, sweetheart," Billie said.
***
Billie pulled into the driveway, Katie still complaining about the iron pills. As they got out of the car, neither of them noticed the black vehicle that was parked on the opposite site of the road. Neither of them noticed the man that was sitting behind the wheel, nor did they notice when he got out with a hand in his pocket, making his way towards them.
"I'm really glad you went with me," Katie said as she shut the car door, peering over the roof of the car at Billie. Billie smiled at her.
"I'm glad too," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm still not a little upset, but... like you said, there isn't much we can do about it."
"Yeah," Katie agreed. She didn't even get to spit out her next sentence before an arm grabbed her around her throat, and a hand jutted something hard in the small of her back. Billie turned to her, having had been looking off in another direction at the moment that he had grabbed her.
"Don't fucking move," a voice sneered in her ear. Katie's eyes grew wide with fear and realization.
"Jake," she breathed, unable to say more.
"Hey!" Billie shouted, making his way around the car towards Katie.
"I wouldn't do that," Jake warned, pulling the gun up to the side of Katie's head. "I suggest you just walk inside your house and let me have her."
"Who the fuck are you?" Billie demanded, stepping forward. Jake pressed the gun harder against her head, making Katie whimper and Billie stop dead in his tracks.
"My name is Jake Lawrence," Jake answered, not even trying to conceal his name. "And now I'm going to take her and be on my way."
"You aren't taking her anywhere," Billie growled lowly. Jake, running short on patience, pointed the gun at Billie.
"My fight's not with you, hero," he said. "My fight is with this little bitch right here." Jake ran the gun along her face, Katie limply hanging in his grasp. She knew better not to fight back, and her submissive state was returning.
"And what the hell did she ever do to you, you sadistic son of a bitch?" Billie questioned. "You were the one who beat her to the point of running away with nothing but what she had on and a backpack full of stuff. You were the one who made her life hell, and made her not care if she had nothing, just so long as she was away from you."
"Are you pulling towards a bullet in your brain?" Jake spat. "Because if you really want one that bad, I'd be more than happy to oblige."
"Just let him take me," Katie whimpered, causing both Jake and Billie to look at her. She had tears running down her face, which was both shocked and panic stricken.
"No," Billie said firmly. "I saved you from him once, and I'll be damned if I don't do it again."
"I'd listen to the little bitch," Jade suggested. "She knows what kind of devil she's dealing with-what kind of devil she fucked with. You have no clue."
"You have no clue what kind of devil I am, either," Billie said, right before he lunged. Katie saw this coming and dropped to the ground, praying that Billie wasn't doing something stupid.
Both of the men fell to the ground, Billie pounding anywhere that he could connect his fist with. Jake was trying to do the same, but Billie was on top of him. The gun lay abandoned on the ground within arms reach, and Jake took an opportunity to reach over and retrieve it with his right hand as he punched Billie with his left.
In the warm air of a California afternoon, a gunshot rang out through the air.
They were discussing his possible reactions, Joey trying to look on the positive side of things even though he knew better, and Katie not even bothering to sugarcoat, but maybe exaggerating a little here and there. "You never know," Joey shrugged. "Mom took it pretty well, and I didn't think she would. Dad might be the same."
"Joey," Katie groaned. "I've known Billie for a year, and I know better. So do you honestly believe that he's going to take this well, you knowing him all your life." Joey only shrugged, giving nothing away.
"You never know," he answered plainly. The bell rang, signaling everyone from lunch back to class. Katie let out a heavy sigh as she stood.
"I don't want to know," she muttered, grabbing her books and heading off with Joey. The couple split at the middle of the hallway, Katie having Algebra and Joey having English right across the hall. He gave her a small peck on the lips before walking off, making Katie smiled as she walked into math.
"Aww, how cute," a sneering voice said from behind Katie, following her to class. Katie didn't even bother to look around, not even feeling half in the mood to deal with Claire. Joey had made her promise not to get in a fight because she was pregnant, so she knew she would have to just grit her teeth and bear it. "The two rejects in the hallway."
"Claire," Katie said, turning as she set her books down, "I'm not the dumbass who is STILL in Freshman English in my Junior year." Claire's mouth twitched, her malicious grin only slightly faltering.
"I'll let that comment go for now," she said airily. "Because I know something that has made my entire year." Claire grinned knowingly, sitting down and never taking her eyes off of Katie. Katie's stomach sank as she slid into her own desk, hoping that Claire hadn't somehow found out that she was pregnant. That would be complete suicide, because if that leaked out, and it leaked out that it was Joey's baby, then Billie could possibly find out by means other than Katie telling him herself. The entire class went on, Claire sneaking mocking looks over at Katie, and Katie trying desperately to think of any possible way Claire could have found out.
It was sheer misery until the bell rang at the end of the day, and never before had Katie been so relieved to hear that annoying metallic clang ring out through the halls. She found Joey quickly at his locker and together they went outside, where Adrienne was waiting in the car to pick them up. "What's the matter?" he asked her quietly as they hopped into the car, Katie discreetly shaking her head and giving him a look that said she'd tell him when they got home.
It didn't take long for Joey to accost Katie in her room when they got home. She shut the door behind him as he walked in, settling down on her bed. She turned and smiled a little despite herself, really surprised at how much he had changed since she had first arrived there. She remembered the short, fourteen year old with the boyish face and the kiddish grin. Over the summer, he had gotten taller and leaner, his face losing a lot of its boyishness, and all around he looked more mature.
"So what's bugging you?" Joey questioned again, moving over so Katie could plot down next to him. Her face immediately fell and darkened a little.
"I think that Claire knows," Katie explained, emphasizing the word 'know.' Joey frowned as well but shook his head.
"How would she know?" he asked in confusion. "We haven't told anyone." Katie glared off at nothing, a heavy feeling still in her stomach even though there was no proof of anything.
"I don't know," Katie shrugged. "But somehow she knows."
"I think you're just paranoid," Joey said, earning himself a significant look from Katie. "Come on, Kay, there's no way she could have found out," he quickly defended. He wrapped an arm around her tentatively. "I think you're just overstressed because Dad doesn't know yet, and it's making you edgy."
"I still think she knows," Katie repeated. Joey sat up a little and looked her in the eyes.
"How?" he asked, obviously wanting proof.
"She said that she knew something that would make her year," Katie replied. Joey let out a small laugh, but not out of amusement.
"That could mean a million things," he pointed out. "She could have found out something stupid from another school you went to or something. There's no guarantee that it's this." He placed his hand on her stomach, wondering why she was so convinced otherwise.
"You just don't understand communication between girls," Katie mumbled. "Especially when it's done out of spite. The way she looked at me... " Katie looked down and fiddled with a small ring on her finger. "It's something big," she finished, looking up. "And there isn't anything bigger that's happened to me, really, other than this." She put her hand over top of his, staring deeply into his eyes.
"Don't worry about it," Joey assured, leaning forward and kissing her softly. He stood up. "I've got a shitload of homework to do, so I'll talk to you later."
"Okay," Katie answered, watching him as he left.
***
"Hey baby," Billie answered when he saw it was Adrienne on the caller ID of his cell. He had had a pretty annoying day with an interview with some magazine that asked annoying questions about anything not pertaining to music, and then what seemed to be an eternity of photo shoots.
"Hey," Adrienne replied, and immediately Billie knew that something was up. She gave nothing away in her voice, but after almost fifteen years of marriage, he knew. He also knew better than to press her for answers right away, so he avoiding asking that 'what's wrong' question.
"How's everything going?" Billie asked, hoping that he could figure out what it was to a certain degree without actually having to ask. It was almost like phone charades, and he must admit, he was pretty damn good at it by now.
"Good," Adrienne answered, Billie still not getting anything.
"The kids?"
"Fine." There had been a slight hesitation in the answer, and Billie pinpointed that to be the source of what was bothering her. "How's tour?"
"It's tour," Billie replied, shrugging for his own benefit. "I get to come home for a little while on the 18th."
"Great," Adrienne said, a little to quickly this time. Whatever was going on with the kids, he figured out someone needed to tell him something. He figured that someone had gotten into some kind of trouble at school, probably Katie. They talked for a long while before Billie had to go for more interview hell, hopefully about music this time. He would find out what was going on in time, but right now he had a job to do.
***
"Oh fuck," Katie chanted under her breath. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck." Joey smiled faintly at her, somehow finding amusement in the fact that she was more nervous about his dad coming home than he was. Granted, Joey was terrified about telling his dad that he had gotten Katie pregnant, but he spent all his time trying to keep Katie calm, so he rarely had time to let himself freak out about it.
"You don't have to be nervous yet," he whispered in her ear, gripping her arm lightly before letting go. They were in the middle of the airport with Adrienne and Jakob, waiting for Billie's plane to come in. "At least wait until we get home to be nervous; unless you want Dad to question you before we even get to the car."
Katie looked Joey over for a moment before placing her hands on her hips in annoyance. "You're awfully calm," she observed, the agitation leaking out through her voice. The corner of Joey's mouth twitched a little at the corners, trying to suppress a smile. He looked off a moment.
"That's because you've got enough panic for the both of us." A smack on the arm from Katie prompted Joey's words.
"Jackass," she muttered.
Adrienne watched this from a small distance, unable to hear the words but easily seeing the body language. She had to admit that they were good together-she could tell that from the beginning. Brushing a dreadlock out of her face, she wondered how Billie would take the news. It surely wouldn't be a good reaction, given the kids' ages, and especially since Katie was almost two months along. Adrienne had surprised herself by taking things so well, but what she had said to Katie and Joey had been for the most part true-one of them had to be calm, and prior experience showed that it was going to have to be Adrienne.
Adrienne looked up as her youngest son shouted "Dad!" and he name was called simultaneously. She watched as Jakob took off, leading her line of sight to her husband.
"Hey kiddo," Billie said, his arms enveloping Jakob as he ran into them. He started telling Billie some long story, just like he had always done as a small child, but Billie was only half listening. Jakob was talking too fast for him anyway, so even if he had listened he would have caught nothing.
Billie smiled and kindly pulled away from his son as he saw Adrienne walking over, a slow grin appearing on her face. "Hey baby," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the lips. "How was the flight?"
"Long," he explained. "There was this little bastard sitting in the seat behind me that kept pulling my hair." The couple continued to talk quietly as Katie and Joey watched from afar, Katie having almost bitten off all of her fingernails.
Katie paused, however, watching Adrienne and Billie for a moment. "I want that," she said quietly, not even meaning to say it out loud. Joey looked over at her and then what she was looking at.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, mishearing her completely. Katie looked over, startled for a second, and then shook her head.
"Nothing," she smiled. She took in a breath and nodded. "Okay... let's go say hi." Katie went to grab Joey's hand out of habit but had to stop herself in mid-motion. Joey saw this and offered a comforting look as Katie took in another breath.
"Hey Billie," Katie said, walking up to him. Billie broke away from Adrienne and grinned even wider, pulling Katie into a hug. They talked for a few moments, and anyone who didn't know the situation wouldn't have realized that there was ever anything wrong with Katie. None of her nervousness leaked through.
Joey watched for a moment, the nervousness in himself peaking. He hadn't really felt it until he was standing right here in front of his dad, and now he almost wanted to turn and run. Billie turned his eyes on him suddenly, making Joey's stomach lurch forward. "Hey Dad," Joey said, absentmindedly running a nervous hand through the back of his hair.
"How's everything been, Joey?" Billie asked, pulling his oldest into a hug. Joey talked with Billie about small things, keeping everything pretty short and unintentionally coming off as a little reluctant. Billie took it all in stride for the moment, however, and didn't let on that he knew something was wrong.
The Armstrong family headed home after grabbing Billie's luggage from baggage claim. The drive home was extremely quiet except for Jakob and Billie, who were talking about pretty much everything that had gone on. Joey and Katie had pointedly stuck Jakob in the middle between them, not wanting to give anything away yet.
Nothing happened until two days after Billie got home. He had spent this time sitting back and trying to get a perspective on the situation, which was handicapped by the fact that he was still on the process of figuring out what the situation was. He had hoped someone would come to him and just tell him, but when that didn't happen, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew that whatever it was, Joey was a big part of it by the way he had been acting for the past couple of days.
Joey was walking through the room, rather quickly, but Billie intercepted him before he made it to the kitchen. "Joey, sit down," Billie said calmly. He saw his son gulp reflexively as he did so. "I know that there's something going on." This was stated plainly and calmly, so as not to make Joey even more nervous about telling him than he already was. "I just don't know what it is."
"Dad--"
"Come on, Joey," Billie said, sitting beside him, "I'm sure it's nothing we can't figure out."
"Dad--" Joey said, shaking his head with a little nervous laughter in his voice.
"So just tell me what it is, and I can help you," Billie assured him.
"Dad--" Joey said for the third time, but Billie cut him off again by holding up a hand.
"And if you think I'll get mad, whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing worse than what I've done." Joey gaped at Billie for a long moment, soaking in the irony of that statement and trying to think of the best way to drop the bomb. He had thought that Katie was going to be here with him, as well as his mom, but Billie had backed him into a corner.
"Me and Katie... " Joey muttered, the words getting lost on Billie in the lack of volume.
"Just say it," Billie urged, suppressing the agitation of wanting to know in his voice.
"Fine," Joey said, feeling that he was being rushed. "Me and Katie have been going out ever since before you left." Billie raised an eyebrow and leaned back, nodding.
"See, was it that hard?" Billie asked, looking over at Joey. "I mean, I kinda figured, but I wasn't really sure." There was a pause as he noticed the still reluctant look on Joey's face. "What? Did you think I'd be mad? I actually think it's great."
"No, I didn't really think you'd be mad at that," Joey answered. He let out a breath and looked away as he said: "I thought you'd be mad that I got her pregnant." There was an entire ten second gap to where the words were still trying to penetrate Billie's head, the small smile even still playing on Billie's lips. It was blissful to Joey and yet anxiety ridden, because he knew that Billie would inevitably realize what he had just said, what that meant, and then flip out.
Ten seconds were up.
Billie jumped up in one fluid motion, face red and a small vein popping out on his forehead. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?" he yelled. Joey sank further back into the couch cushions, unable to move or say anything. He really didn't have to; Billie kept yelling. "YOU GOT KATIE WHAT? I'M SURE I DIDN'T HEAR YOU CORRECTLY, BECAUSE I COULD HAVE SWORN THAT YOU SAID YOU GOT HER PREGNANT!" Billie paused, taking a breath and staring at his son.
Joey only nodded sheepishly.
"I guess you were right then," Billie said softly, his voice already strained from the yelling. "BECAUSE I AM FUCKING UPSET THAT MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD SON KNOCKED UP HIS GIRLFRIEND, WHO SHOULD BE MORE LIKE A SISTER THAN A PIECE OF ASS."
Joey opened his mouth to protest, his pale face getting a slightly red shade out of anger.
"WHAT?" Billie spouted. "ARE YOU GETTING MAD? BECAUSE I'M MAD. WE CAN START A CLUB. WE'LL CALL IT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INFERNALLY PISSED OFF AT THEIR FAMILY CLUB. AND I'LL MAKE MYSELF PRESIDENT AND YOU CAN BE VICE PRESIDENT AND WE'LL JUST BE A LARGE FUCKING ANGRY ASS GROUP OF PEOPLE. WE CAN GO OUT AND BEAT HOBOS AND KICK KITTENS, BUT NOT BEFORE WE SLAP OUR MOTHERS AND YELL ABOUT HOW ANGRY WE ARE."
Billie stopped yelling, chest heaving. Joey could only gape, the redness from his face disappearing somewhere between kicking kittens and slapping mothers. Joey had anticipated his dad's anger, sure; he hadn't anticipated the crazy that would come along with it. He looked down at his hands, waiting for his dad to start yelling again about festivities that would probably land him in an asylum. When he didn't, Joey looked up. "I'm sorry that it happened," he offered in a very small voice. "But I'm not sorry that I love Katie. I know it happened and I know I--"
"You fucked up," Billie seethed, his voice coming out as a harsh growl from the yelling. "I can't fucking believe this, Joey. You're sixteen... hell, Katie's fifteen. How the fuck can I not be angry at that?"
"I don't expect you to be not angry," Joey provided. "But I never expected you would say that I was only looking for a piece of ass." The last sentence came out with a lot of anger, and Billie shot a glare in his direction.
"Don't even fucking try to get any tone with me," Billie warned. "I'm pissed off and I'm feeling a little irrational right now, so don't even push me." Joey's temper had flared up, but he forcibly retracted himself back a little. "I can't believe this," Billie muttered, more to himself. "I'm not even forty yet and I'm going to be a grandfather." He sighed, having calmed himself down from raging mad to pissed off. He looked up at Joey. "When did this happen?"
"Two months ago," Joey answered without thinking.
"WHAT?" Billie shouted. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS HAPPENED TWO MONTHS AGO AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME? JESUS CHRIST, JOSEPH! DID YOU THINK YOU COULD HIDE IT FOREVER?"
"I told them not to say anything," Adrienne said in a loud voice, coming into the room. Billie turned to look at his wife, his glare turning on her. "Don't even give me that look, Billie Joe." Billie settled his expression into a deep frown. "I told them not to tell because I know how you are. I know how you would react, and you were on tour. I wanted to wait until you got home."
"So how long have you known?" Billie spat.
"For a month, which is about as long as Katie knew," Adrienne said calmly. Billie shook his head and looked away, disbelieving. Adrienne walked over and placed a hand on his arm, which he jerked away violently.
"Don't."
"Billie," Adrienne said in a rational voice. "Billie," she said again when he didn't look at her the first time. "I know that you're mad, but you need to calm down.
"DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM!"
"AND DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME," Adrienne shouted right back.
"WOULD YOU BOTH FUCKING STOP!" Katie yelled, coming into the room. Everything fell silent as they both turned to her. She had heard the entire thing from the top of the stairs, but had been too scared to come down right away. She felt like a coward for not being there with Joey as he told Billie, and now she was trying to amend that. "You two are acting like this is something between you guys." Katie looked between Adrienne and Billie, who both looked angry. "It happened to us. Me and Joey. We didn't do this on purpose--"
"And I suppose you accidentally fell onto one another," Billie retorted with a sarcasm that made Katie flinch.
"Love," Katie said. "We did it because we love each other. I thought that of all people, you would understand what that is." Billie's face relaxed slightly, though still invariably angry. "I know we weren't careful, but we never set out to have a baby, either." Katie felt a presence beside her and didn't have to even look to know it was Joey. She felt all the more stronger for it, so she kept going. "I know you're mad, but we can't do this by ourselves. I'm sorry this happened, but it did, so now we have to deal with it."
"Honey, you don't have to do anything by yourself," Adrienne said, walking over and putting her arms around Katie. It took her a moment to realize that Adrienne had been crying. As she hugged Katie with one arm, Adrienne pulled Joey into the hug with the other, bringing all three of them together and inadvertently leaving Billie out. Billie watched this for a while, still angry but slowly feeling it subside.
After all, what good would the anger do him? Whether he liked it or not, he was going to become a grandparent. And through all the anger, he would be there for them just like Adrienne would be there for them. Billie noticed how Joey and Katie stood together, observing for the first time that their hands were linked together and Joey was beside her somewhat protectively. There was no doubt in his mind that they truly cared for each other now, and there was no way that he could force himself to be angry anymore. Just pleasantly pissed off.
Katie pulled away from Adrienne, wiping a few stray tears from her own face, and walked over to Billie. She stood before him probably like she would stand in front of God in the halls of judgment--not moving or speaking but awaiting fate. Billie stared at her for a long time before pulling her into a hug as well. "I'm sorry," Billie muttered to her. He could feel that she was shaking slightly from all the tension, fear, anxiety and altogether emotion.
"I don't want you to be angry with us," Katie murmured, slightly muffled by Billie's shoulder. Billie hugged her tighter.
"I just... I was shocked. I didn't mean to blow up like I did," he said. He pulled away and brushed the tears that were making the free fall down her face. "And you need to quit doing this so damn much," he added with a hint of a smile, making Katie sniff and laugh.
"Yeah, I know," Katie replied. "I'm just crying all the time. I can blame it on hormones now, though." Billie laughed slightly at that before looking to Joey.
"Looks like you're going to have a lot to handle," Billie said to him. Joey only nodded, still not really knowing what the safe responses to make were or how to act. Somehow, within twenty minutes, Billie had gone from screaming mad to making jokes, and Joey was almost under the impression that it was his dad that was pregnant and not Katie. Billie picked up on Joey's hesitation and walked over to him, hugging him briefly. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that."
"I know," Joey replied.
"And you're allowed to be mad," Billie allowed.
"I am," Joey agreed.
"I love you anyway," Billie smiled, seeing a lot of himself in Joey at that moment. Joey looked up at Billie in the eyes for the first time since he got home. "I'll be here for you two."
"We both will," Adrienne agreed, slipping an arm around her husband. She looked over at Billie. "Katie actually has a doctor's appointment on Thursday. Why don't you take her?" Billie looked over at Katie to make sure that was okay, and Katie fervently nodded her agreement.
***
From outside the house, Jake waited. He watched as the black BMW pulled out of the driveway and took off towards town, and briefly he caught a glimpse of familiar red hair as the car passed. He sneered to no one as he gripped the wheel of his car, his knuckles turning white.
"Revenge," Jake said to himself. "I can't wait to take it out on you." He smiled at the thought of what he had in the trunk of his car, and what exactly he was going to do once he got a hold of that little bitch who got him thrown into prison. He had a promise to keep, and he was going to keep it.
***
"Katie," the nurse said, "the doctor will see you now." Billie smiled and gripped her hand as they both stood up and walked into the room.
"Good morning, Katie," the female doctor greeted.
"Morning," Katie greeted in return. The doctor turned to Billie.
"Hello," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Elena Evans. And you are... ?"
"I'm--"
"This is my dad," Katie interjected.
"Billie Joe Armstrong," he finished with a grin.
"Please to meet you," she said. "We're just going to run a check up on Katie and see that everything is going okay. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them." They went through the routine checkup, making sure that everything was going along as it should. At the end, Dr. Evans gave Katie prescription for iron pills and sent the two on their way.
"So how do you feel?" Billie asked as they got into the BMW. Katie glanced over at him.
"Fine," she answered.
"I mean about all of this," he asked, the tone in his voice becoming serious. "About the thought of being a mother." Katie looked up and took a breath, shrugging.
"Scared," she answered truthfully. "I never thought I would ever have kids, let alone at the age of sixteen." She smiled. "I couldn't have better circumstances, though. At least I'm not alone, and at least I can actually take care of a baby."
Billie studied her for a long time. "You really do love him, don't you?"
"Yes," she replied, without hesitation. Billie nodded.
"Okay then," he said, starting the car. "Off to the drug store for nasty pills and then back home."
"You don't actually expect me to take those," Katie asked, repulsed. "I mean, I've smelled those things... and that alone makes me want to puke."
"Every damn one of them, sweetheart," Billie said.
***
Billie pulled into the driveway, Katie still complaining about the iron pills. As they got out of the car, neither of them noticed the black vehicle that was parked on the opposite site of the road. Neither of them noticed the man that was sitting behind the wheel, nor did they notice when he got out with a hand in his pocket, making his way towards them.
"I'm really glad you went with me," Katie said as she shut the car door, peering over the roof of the car at Billie. Billie smiled at her.
"I'm glad too," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm still not a little upset, but... like you said, there isn't much we can do about it."
"Yeah," Katie agreed. She didn't even get to spit out her next sentence before an arm grabbed her around her throat, and a hand jutted something hard in the small of her back. Billie turned to her, having had been looking off in another direction at the moment that he had grabbed her.
"Don't fucking move," a voice sneered in her ear. Katie's eyes grew wide with fear and realization.
"Jake," she breathed, unable to say more.
"Hey!" Billie shouted, making his way around the car towards Katie.
"I wouldn't do that," Jake warned, pulling the gun up to the side of Katie's head. "I suggest you just walk inside your house and let me have her."
"Who the fuck are you?" Billie demanded, stepping forward. Jake pressed the gun harder against her head, making Katie whimper and Billie stop dead in his tracks.
"My name is Jake Lawrence," Jake answered, not even trying to conceal his name. "And now I'm going to take her and be on my way."
"You aren't taking her anywhere," Billie growled lowly. Jake, running short on patience, pointed the gun at Billie.
"My fight's not with you, hero," he said. "My fight is with this little bitch right here." Jake ran the gun along her face, Katie limply hanging in his grasp. She knew better not to fight back, and her submissive state was returning.
"And what the hell did she ever do to you, you sadistic son of a bitch?" Billie questioned. "You were the one who beat her to the point of running away with nothing but what she had on and a backpack full of stuff. You were the one who made her life hell, and made her not care if she had nothing, just so long as she was away from you."
"Are you pulling towards a bullet in your brain?" Jake spat. "Because if you really want one that bad, I'd be more than happy to oblige."
"Just let him take me," Katie whimpered, causing both Jake and Billie to look at her. She had tears running down her face, which was both shocked and panic stricken.
"No," Billie said firmly. "I saved you from him once, and I'll be damned if I don't do it again."
"I'd listen to the little bitch," Jade suggested. "She knows what kind of devil she's dealing with-what kind of devil she fucked with. You have no clue."
"You have no clue what kind of devil I am, either," Billie said, right before he lunged. Katie saw this coming and dropped to the ground, praying that Billie wasn't doing something stupid.
Both of the men fell to the ground, Billie pounding anywhere that he could connect his fist with. Jake was trying to do the same, but Billie was on top of him. The gun lay abandoned on the ground within arms reach, and Jake took an opportunity to reach over and retrieve it with his right hand as he punched Billie with his left.
In the warm air of a California afternoon, a gunshot rang out through the air.
