Carpe Diem, chapter 2
My boyfriend, Josh, and I were coming home to Oakland for the summer from college. I was halfway through; two years behind me, two ahead. Last year, I'd traveled the world, so I hadn't seen my family for the entire time since they'd dropped me off at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I doubted that I'd be using my degree once I graduated; I was planning on being a musician, like my dad, and nothing was deterring me from that dream.
We got off the plane, and I took Josh's hand as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder, and I looked down at myself. I realized that in the two years I hadn't seen my family, Mom, Dad, Joey, Jake, and of course, Mike and Tré, I'd changed a lot. We went towards baggage claim, got our bags, and then stepped through the gates to where Dad was supposed to meet us. I saw him, close to the exit, head down, cabbie hat crammed over his now black hair, and big, dark sunglasses disguising him from the potential teenie.
"There he is," I grinned, and pulled my boyfriend and my bags towards my father. He looked up as we came closer and opened his arms, and I fell into his inviting and familiar hug. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Josh."
"Hi, Josh," Dad said obediently. I could tell that under the sunglasses, he was watching Josh's every move.
"Hello sir," Josh answered.
"So, Dad," I said, letting him take my suitcase for me, "What're we doing tonight?"
"Your mother didn't feel like cooking, so we're going to a restaurant," he muttered, unlocking his BMW, "We're going straight there."
I stopped short. "Dad, I'm not wearing anything to go to a restaurant in," I whined.
"You look fine," he replied, "Besides, I'm Billie Joe Armstrong. I'll just sign some autographs to get you in."
We got in the car, Josh in back so Dad and I could talk. "Dad, that's abusing your rock star power."
He pushed his sunglasses down his nose and looked at me over them. "Rules are made to be broken, young lady," he said, "And it's not like my 'rock star power' actually does much. You want power, you talk to Bono, or the Rolling Stones, or Tré Cool, for fuck's sake! But not me."
"Speaking of said Cool man, are he and Mike coming to dinner?"
"You better believe it," Dad grinned, turning off the highway. He swerved when someone cut him off, and then honked and flipped him off.
I giggled. "Good. The last time I talked to either of them was when Tré sent me all those broken drumsticks for Christmas and told me he was regifting," I mumbled, "Where are we going, by the way?"
"It's a local bar," Dad explained, pulling into a parking lot.
"Bar, or club?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright, fine, it's a club," he murmured, "Tré's idea."
"Figures," I yawned as we got out of the car, and I grabbed Josh's hand as we went inside. Dad pointed to where Mom, Mike and Tré were all sitting at the bar. I led the way over to them and hugged each of them in turn. "Mom, uh...men, this is Josh," I called over the pulsing music. They all shook hands and after a while Josh and I went to dance. We got back and I had to go to the bathroom.
As I was washing my hands, the door banged open, and two people, glued together by the lips, came through. They slammed up against a wall and suddenly I recognized Josh as the one feeling the girl up.
I kicked him in the back of the leg and then left the bathroom, hearing him follow me out and call my name.
I didn't quite manage to get all the way back to my family before he grabbed my arm and spun me around. "Wait, Billee, listen," he said.
"No, fuck you," I replied, "You're not even drunk and I find you about to fuck some other girl? Sorry, Josh, I'm not that kinda girl." I turned and ran back to everyone, straight into my father's arms. He hugged me protectively, although I knew he was confused. And then Josh tried to touch me again, and I whipped around and belted him in the jaw.
Before I got a chance to hit him again, the bartender was yelling at us to get out. We did, all six of us. I followed Josh out, and as soon as we were away from the club, I grabbed his shirt and slammed him up against a wall. "What the fuck were you doing?" I screamed. As much as he tried to get away, I was strong. In the past two years, I'd gotten myself so into shape that I could hold my 160-pound football playing boyfriend against a wall without trying. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't have caught you?"
"Frankly, no," he whimpered.
"You were in the women's bathroom, you retard," I yelled, "If you're gonna cheat, do it in the men's room, where I can't catch you!"
"Wait, you were cheating?" Dad asked, "On my daughter?"
I twisted a hand through Josh's shirt and dragged him to Dad's car. "Dad, trunk," I called. He pressed a button on the key and the trunk opened. I tossed Josh's bags onto the sidewalk. "Now, I suggest you get the Hell away from this town," I muttered, "Because if you don't, you're gonna get hurt."
I got into the passengers' seat of Dad's car and watched as my father spat at Josh and then got in too. The drive home was silent as tears spilled from my eyes into my hands. In the rearview mirror, I could see Mom's car and Mike's and Tré's cars following us home. When we got there, we went inside, Dad paid the babysitter, and then Dad and I stood in the hallway, Dad holding me as I cried. I didn't even let go when Mom, Tré, and Mike walked in and joined our hug.
*Tré Cool's POV*
I couldn't believe that guy would cheat on her. She was...amazing.
...what? ...Alright, you got me. I admit, I loved her. I had since the day I almost ran over her six years ago. Or at least, at that point, she was illegal, unavailable, but oh so tempting. Over the years I grew to love her, not as a daughter, or a niece, but as a girl, or a woman, I should say. And an enchanting one at that.
*Billee Jo's POV*
The next couple of weeks I spent in bed, unless the boys made me get up to eat. Or when Tré did. He always knew how to make me smile, and was the only one who could do so at that point. But I barely ate and didn't sleep much, either.
Finally, about two weeks later, Mike came in to see me. He sat beside me on my bed and I looked up at him. I'd never thought of him as Uncle Mike, nor Tré, as Joey and Jakob did, although that could be attested to the fact that I was a girl and at the point when they came into my life, I'd found them attractive. Living with them around didn't help any, maybe just made me appreciate a sexy man even more.
"You gotta get out of bed," he said.
"But I like my bed," I whined, "It's warm and comfy and a perfect place for me to lay."
He laughed, "But I wanna take you out somewhere."
"What, like a date?" I giggled.
"It'll just be you and me, if that's what you mean," he shrugged innocently.
"And what'll we be doing on said 'date'?" I asked.
"We'd go to dinner, maybe go and see Last Tango In Paris, which is playing at the drive-in," he answered nonchalantly.
"Mmm, alright, I'll go," I replied, and sat up.
"Alright, so meet me downstairs at seven, okay?" he got off the bed. I nodded and he left. I checked my watch and went to take a shower.
I was getting dressed when someone knocked on the door. "Hold on," I called, finished up, and opened the door. "Oh, hey, Tré, what's up?"
"I, uh, gotta talk to you," he said. He came in and closed the door behind him.
"Go ahead," I said, and sat down on my bed, and he sat beside me.
He cleared his throat and we sat in silence for a few minutes. "You okay, Tré?" I asked.
"Uh..." he scratched his neck, "Wow, this is a lot harder to say than I thought it was gonna be. I...uh...I love you, Billee."
"Okay, Tré, good one, but I'm already out of bed," I grinned.
"No. It's not a joke," he muttered, "I love you."
"Tré, love and lust are two very different things."
"Not like that," he mumbled, and then chuckled. "Alright, who am I kidding? I'm Tré fucking Cool, of course it's like that. I admit it. I want to learn the contours of your body. I wanna touch you, hold you, kiss you. I want to please you. But..." he broke off, looking around the room for words. "But it's more than that. I wanna be the one who keeps you safe. I wanna watch you fall asleep and I wanna wake you up in the morning with breakfast made for you. I wanna hold your hand on those tough days. I wanna hold your hand anyways."
I opened my mouth to say something but found my voice gone. I turned away and put a hand to my forehead. "Tré..."
"You don't have to love me back," he sighed, "At least, not right away. All I want is one date. One chance to make you want to be around me. and then, who knows, maybe it'll progress from there."
"Alright," I murmured, and leaned against the door to the hall. "I'll give it a chance. But I can't tonight."
"Whatcha doin' tonight?" he smiled.
"Mike's taking me out for dinner," I responded. The smile left his face. "Tré, he asked me earlier. Wait here till I get home. And then you can tell me what we're gonna do on this date. Okay? Just wait till I get home."
He nodded. I smiled and pushed off the door so I could open it, but before I'd turned the knob, he kissed me gently. It didn't last long, but it felt like it lasted minutes, his lips pressed to mine and his hands on my hips. Finally we came apart, still staring into each others' eyes. I backed away and as I left the room, I thought I heard him say, "I'll wait forever for you."
I went downstairs and Dad and Mike were standing in the kitchen. "Hey, you two," I said, concealing my confusion.
"Finally you're ready," Mike muttered, "Let's go."
"Wait, this is your date?" Dad said, "You're dating my daughter?"
"I won't cheat on her," Mike smiled innocently, "I promise."
"You tell me if he tries anything," Dad sighed, "And I want you home by midnight. We're having a chat about this later."
"Yes, Daddy," I answered, kissing his cheek, and then we were gone.
Mike took me to dinner and then, like he said, we went to the drive-in and saw Last Tango In Paris. Then he took me home. Outside the door he kissed me.
"I had a great time, Mike, thanks," I smiled.
"Me too," he grinned, and kissed me again. I went inside and waved as he drove away. I closed the door and turned around and jumped.
"Hi Dad," I said.
"You're late," he muttered, "It's 12:02."
"Dad, it's two freaking minutes."
"Go to your room."
"But Dad..."
"Room."
"God, what crawled up your ass and died?" I murmured, starting up the stairs.
"Hm, maybe it's the fact that you're dating my best friend!" he whispered fiercely, following me. "Who happens to be 14 years older than you."
"Chill, Dad, I'm not a kid anymore," I mumbled, "I can deal with my own love life."
"You're dating my best friend!" Dad repeated.
"I know," I yawned, "Listen, I'm going to bed. Let's talk about this in the morning." I went into my room and closed the door. I heard the door close across the hall and knew Dad was in bed. I turned on the light and looked around to see Tré sitting on my bed. "Tré! You waited!"
"Yes I did," he nodded, "And I've decided that tomorrow night, I'm taking you out for dinner. Dress nice."
"Okay."
"I should go," he murmured quietly, "See you tomorrow." I nodded and he slid out my door. I watched the front door open and close quietly before closing my door and going to bed.
We got off the plane, and I took Josh's hand as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder, and I looked down at myself. I realized that in the two years I hadn't seen my family, Mom, Dad, Joey, Jake, and of course, Mike and Tré, I'd changed a lot. We went towards baggage claim, got our bags, and then stepped through the gates to where Dad was supposed to meet us. I saw him, close to the exit, head down, cabbie hat crammed over his now black hair, and big, dark sunglasses disguising him from the potential teenie.
"There he is," I grinned, and pulled my boyfriend and my bags towards my father. He looked up as we came closer and opened his arms, and I fell into his inviting and familiar hug. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Josh."
"Hi, Josh," Dad said obediently. I could tell that under the sunglasses, he was watching Josh's every move.
"Hello sir," Josh answered.
"So, Dad," I said, letting him take my suitcase for me, "What're we doing tonight?"
"Your mother didn't feel like cooking, so we're going to a restaurant," he muttered, unlocking his BMW, "We're going straight there."
I stopped short. "Dad, I'm not wearing anything to go to a restaurant in," I whined.
"You look fine," he replied, "Besides, I'm Billie Joe Armstrong. I'll just sign some autographs to get you in."
We got in the car, Josh in back so Dad and I could talk. "Dad, that's abusing your rock star power."
He pushed his sunglasses down his nose and looked at me over them. "Rules are made to be broken, young lady," he said, "And it's not like my 'rock star power' actually does much. You want power, you talk to Bono, or the Rolling Stones, or Tré Cool, for fuck's sake! But not me."
"Speaking of said Cool man, are he and Mike coming to dinner?"
"You better believe it," Dad grinned, turning off the highway. He swerved when someone cut him off, and then honked and flipped him off.
I giggled. "Good. The last time I talked to either of them was when Tré sent me all those broken drumsticks for Christmas and told me he was regifting," I mumbled, "Where are we going, by the way?"
"It's a local bar," Dad explained, pulling into a parking lot.
"Bar, or club?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright, fine, it's a club," he murmured, "Tré's idea."
"Figures," I yawned as we got out of the car, and I grabbed Josh's hand as we went inside. Dad pointed to where Mom, Mike and Tré were all sitting at the bar. I led the way over to them and hugged each of them in turn. "Mom, uh...men, this is Josh," I called over the pulsing music. They all shook hands and after a while Josh and I went to dance. We got back and I had to go to the bathroom.
As I was washing my hands, the door banged open, and two people, glued together by the lips, came through. They slammed up against a wall and suddenly I recognized Josh as the one feeling the girl up.
I kicked him in the back of the leg and then left the bathroom, hearing him follow me out and call my name.
I didn't quite manage to get all the way back to my family before he grabbed my arm and spun me around. "Wait, Billee, listen," he said.
"No, fuck you," I replied, "You're not even drunk and I find you about to fuck some other girl? Sorry, Josh, I'm not that kinda girl." I turned and ran back to everyone, straight into my father's arms. He hugged me protectively, although I knew he was confused. And then Josh tried to touch me again, and I whipped around and belted him in the jaw.
Before I got a chance to hit him again, the bartender was yelling at us to get out. We did, all six of us. I followed Josh out, and as soon as we were away from the club, I grabbed his shirt and slammed him up against a wall. "What the fuck were you doing?" I screamed. As much as he tried to get away, I was strong. In the past two years, I'd gotten myself so into shape that I could hold my 160-pound football playing boyfriend against a wall without trying. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't have caught you?"
"Frankly, no," he whimpered.
"You were in the women's bathroom, you retard," I yelled, "If you're gonna cheat, do it in the men's room, where I can't catch you!"
"Wait, you were cheating?" Dad asked, "On my daughter?"
I twisted a hand through Josh's shirt and dragged him to Dad's car. "Dad, trunk," I called. He pressed a button on the key and the trunk opened. I tossed Josh's bags onto the sidewalk. "Now, I suggest you get the Hell away from this town," I muttered, "Because if you don't, you're gonna get hurt."
I got into the passengers' seat of Dad's car and watched as my father spat at Josh and then got in too. The drive home was silent as tears spilled from my eyes into my hands. In the rearview mirror, I could see Mom's car and Mike's and Tré's cars following us home. When we got there, we went inside, Dad paid the babysitter, and then Dad and I stood in the hallway, Dad holding me as I cried. I didn't even let go when Mom, Tré, and Mike walked in and joined our hug.
*Tré Cool's POV*
I couldn't believe that guy would cheat on her. She was...amazing.
...what? ...Alright, you got me. I admit, I loved her. I had since the day I almost ran over her six years ago. Or at least, at that point, she was illegal, unavailable, but oh so tempting. Over the years I grew to love her, not as a daughter, or a niece, but as a girl, or a woman, I should say. And an enchanting one at that.
*Billee Jo's POV*
The next couple of weeks I spent in bed, unless the boys made me get up to eat. Or when Tré did. He always knew how to make me smile, and was the only one who could do so at that point. But I barely ate and didn't sleep much, either.
Finally, about two weeks later, Mike came in to see me. He sat beside me on my bed and I looked up at him. I'd never thought of him as Uncle Mike, nor Tré, as Joey and Jakob did, although that could be attested to the fact that I was a girl and at the point when they came into my life, I'd found them attractive. Living with them around didn't help any, maybe just made me appreciate a sexy man even more.
"You gotta get out of bed," he said.
"But I like my bed," I whined, "It's warm and comfy and a perfect place for me to lay."
He laughed, "But I wanna take you out somewhere."
"What, like a date?" I giggled.
"It'll just be you and me, if that's what you mean," he shrugged innocently.
"And what'll we be doing on said 'date'?" I asked.
"We'd go to dinner, maybe go and see Last Tango In Paris, which is playing at the drive-in," he answered nonchalantly.
"Mmm, alright, I'll go," I replied, and sat up.
"Alright, so meet me downstairs at seven, okay?" he got off the bed. I nodded and he left. I checked my watch and went to take a shower.
I was getting dressed when someone knocked on the door. "Hold on," I called, finished up, and opened the door. "Oh, hey, Tré, what's up?"
"I, uh, gotta talk to you," he said. He came in and closed the door behind him.
"Go ahead," I said, and sat down on my bed, and he sat beside me.
He cleared his throat and we sat in silence for a few minutes. "You okay, Tré?" I asked.
"Uh..." he scratched his neck, "Wow, this is a lot harder to say than I thought it was gonna be. I...uh...I love you, Billee."
"Okay, Tré, good one, but I'm already out of bed," I grinned.
"No. It's not a joke," he muttered, "I love you."
"Tré, love and lust are two very different things."
"Not like that," he mumbled, and then chuckled. "Alright, who am I kidding? I'm Tré fucking Cool, of course it's like that. I admit it. I want to learn the contours of your body. I wanna touch you, hold you, kiss you. I want to please you. But..." he broke off, looking around the room for words. "But it's more than that. I wanna be the one who keeps you safe. I wanna watch you fall asleep and I wanna wake you up in the morning with breakfast made for you. I wanna hold your hand on those tough days. I wanna hold your hand anyways."
I opened my mouth to say something but found my voice gone. I turned away and put a hand to my forehead. "Tré..."
"You don't have to love me back," he sighed, "At least, not right away. All I want is one date. One chance to make you want to be around me. and then, who knows, maybe it'll progress from there."
"Alright," I murmured, and leaned against the door to the hall. "I'll give it a chance. But I can't tonight."
"Whatcha doin' tonight?" he smiled.
"Mike's taking me out for dinner," I responded. The smile left his face. "Tré, he asked me earlier. Wait here till I get home. And then you can tell me what we're gonna do on this date. Okay? Just wait till I get home."
He nodded. I smiled and pushed off the door so I could open it, but before I'd turned the knob, he kissed me gently. It didn't last long, but it felt like it lasted minutes, his lips pressed to mine and his hands on my hips. Finally we came apart, still staring into each others' eyes. I backed away and as I left the room, I thought I heard him say, "I'll wait forever for you."
I went downstairs and Dad and Mike were standing in the kitchen. "Hey, you two," I said, concealing my confusion.
"Finally you're ready," Mike muttered, "Let's go."
"Wait, this is your date?" Dad said, "You're dating my daughter?"
"I won't cheat on her," Mike smiled innocently, "I promise."
"You tell me if he tries anything," Dad sighed, "And I want you home by midnight. We're having a chat about this later."
"Yes, Daddy," I answered, kissing his cheek, and then we were gone.
Mike took me to dinner and then, like he said, we went to the drive-in and saw Last Tango In Paris. Then he took me home. Outside the door he kissed me.
"I had a great time, Mike, thanks," I smiled.
"Me too," he grinned, and kissed me again. I went inside and waved as he drove away. I closed the door and turned around and jumped.
"Hi Dad," I said.
"You're late," he muttered, "It's 12:02."
"Dad, it's two freaking minutes."
"Go to your room."
"But Dad..."
"Room."
"God, what crawled up your ass and died?" I murmured, starting up the stairs.
"Hm, maybe it's the fact that you're dating my best friend!" he whispered fiercely, following me. "Who happens to be 14 years older than you."
"Chill, Dad, I'm not a kid anymore," I mumbled, "I can deal with my own love life."
"You're dating my best friend!" Dad repeated.
"I know," I yawned, "Listen, I'm going to bed. Let's talk about this in the morning." I went into my room and closed the door. I heard the door close across the hall and knew Dad was in bed. I turned on the light and looked around to see Tré sitting on my bed. "Tré! You waited!"
"Yes I did," he nodded, "And I've decided that tomorrow night, I'm taking you out for dinner. Dress nice."
"Okay."
"I should go," he murmured quietly, "See you tomorrow." I nodded and he slid out my door. I watched the front door open and close quietly before closing my door and going to bed.
