Rebellious, chapter 3
If the Universe wants two people to meet...or three people to meet... anyway, the Universe helps situations.
HELEN
Having a mom and a dad who are divorcing each other has its moments. They don't pay any attention to me so I can come to Lane's whenever I want, and ever since they let me sleep over Nora's house they're very flexible with me staying at other people's places.
Dep's especially because her mom knows my mom and all. So when Lane called me saying that there was something I needed to hear I was able to get out without even a conversation about it. Just a "I'm going to Lane's okay?" And then a grunt from my dad meaning 'okay'.
"Where did you get this?" I ask, holding the record in my hands.
"Margaret and Anna of course!"
"Why did they buy it?"
"I don't know really. I heard them saying something about a guy who told them to get it, and one of them likes that guy but anyway...this is unbelievable."
"Wow, it really got you excited."
"It's amazing! It's like nothing we've listened so far, you won't believe it. And they must be from this town too, the band I mean, because that's what Ann said. Anyway it's so so great!!"
"Okay! Put the record on!"
I've never seen Lane like this; I have seen her getting too enthusiastic over something before and all, but this time...wow. I mean I know she likes music and all but this record must have something really special in it.
"Green Day?"
"The name of the band."
"Weird."
"I know. I'll look it up afterwards. Okay are you ready?"
"Shoot."
I see the back of the record and the first song is called "At the Library". As the music starts I can tell Lane was right about one thing: this is nothing like we have ever heard before.
She puts her hands over her mouth, something she doesn't do very often unless she is super happy and all. I must have left my mouth drop and I have to sit down to listen to the rest of it and one more thing comes to my head right now: Dep is going to go crazy with this stuff. If it makes Lane like this and Dep is the zany one she is going to go nuts. It will be really cool.
I keep listening to "At the Library" and I don't say anything even though Lane looks at me, waiting. To tell the truth I don't know exactly what I feel about it. I have no words and I hate it when that happens; especially when I am at school and I'm stuck and all. It's really annoying. Anyway this band does the same thing to me.
"What makes me feel so much pain? What makes me go so insane? What is it about you that I adore?"
Those lyrics are cool because that's how I feel about Nick. Lane is now lying on her bed and her hands are covering her entire face. I don't know why she gets so excited. I mean they're just a band. An unusual band, but still a band and all. Whoever plays bass is cool though.
Dep and Nora come half an hour later, both very curious and by this time Lane is jumping from joy. As I thought, Dep loves it. And she shows it too because she dances around (I don't know if I can exactly say 'dancing' but whatever) and screams that they are totally awesome.
"Yeah they're pretty good. You and your wonderful discoveries... " says Nora, looking at the record intensely. Nora does that; she always examines things and she talks much better than us even though my grades in math and history are better than hers.
She never gets stuck like I do and she has something to say all the time. And the others believe that she has the best hair, after me, because it's curly. But I am the only blonde of my class and that's why Nick likes me. Haven't I already told you that? Anyway I'm quite proud of it.
***
BILLIE
We got two hours before we can get to the studio and Gilman is not opened so that means we have some time to kill if Tre doesn't kill us first, 'cause we make fun of his hair.
I still haven't eaten breakfast because Mike woke me up and fucking drug me out, without letting me even take a piss.
"Let's go get a bite. I'm starved."
"Yeah man me too." But of course Tre didn't need to say that; he's always hungry.
"Alright then. Let's go to All's Pancake World and eat something." Sometimes Mike behaves like our mom, maybe because he's bigger than me and Tre and most of the time I like it, because he gets us out of dead ends. This time however I want to smack his head to the nearest wall because first of all he woke me up and he knew very well I hadn't slept a wink 'till four a.m, secondly he has a girlfriend and I don't, and thirdly, girls check him out anyway!
"Sure. Let's go there." I have wasted all my energy on Tre's blue hair so I am definitely not in the mood of disagreeing.
"I am sensing a little...lack of...lightness in the air which is very unusual for us," Tre says. "And you seem like you want to rip each other's guts off." He gestures between me and Mike.
"You're talking shit." As I said I am not in the mood of arguing.
"Yeah, we're fine," Mike agrees.
"And Tre honestly, I am nineteen years old, man. I don't need anyone treating me like my fucking mom."
"Got your point." Mike pats my back but I shrug it off, because I am feeling really aggressive and I certainly don't like being touched right now.
Thankfully we reach All's place and that means I won't need to talk.
***
LANE
My twin sisters are really funny. No, I don't mean I have twin sisters like I have two other girls who look like me and we were born on the same day etc., but I have two older sisters who are twins. I have to get this straight before you get confused.
Anyway as I was saying, they are really funny because they are nothing alike but they seem to be into the same boys and they always fight about them and in the end they find out that whoever they fancy, doesn't like neither of them.
This time however I have to say thank God they liked this guy and bought the Green Day record. I know I may be acting silly getting so excited but I don't know what this music does to me. It makes you wanting to jump on your bed and never stop. Margaret and Anna just listened to two or three songs and then they went out, so that means they won't need the record ever again. And even if they do and they start looking for it, I'll just put it back and then they will fight.
Back to Green Day anyway, they are amazing. I come up with the same words all the time but they really are. I don't know how they look like because there are only some drawings of them on the back of the record but I am sure that the singer is handsome. He must be or he wouldn't be writing like that right?
Dep is the only one who seems to believe they are awesome just as much as I do, because Nora just sits and shakes her head to the beat smiling and Helen doesn't say anything.
"You look tired," Nora tells me.
"I'm not tired of anything. We're on vacation."
"I mean from all the dancing. You sure you don't want to sit down?" Sometimes Nora behaves like our mom which is nice because when we have a problem she is able to find the solution fast enough and everything but now I get a little mad at her because...well I just wish she would look a little more excited about my new discovery.
"I am hungry. What about you?" she continues. Helen looks up and nods and I am even more mad because Green Day seem to start fading away. They both look at me and Dep. I shrug, wanting them to understand just how angry I am and Dep thinks about it.
"Well All's pancake world is close enough... " Nora talks again. "I mean we can go there alone without your mom or anything. And when we come back we can continue listening to this and then see a movie or something... "
"Yeah it sounds cool," Helen agrees. Dep is ready to say yes too so I don't have any other choice but to let my new treasure alone for some time.
"Pancakes it is," I mumble and walk to the door without looking at them so they understand I am still mad. All's place is indeed very close to me and that is one of the reasons I love my house so much. That and the fact I have my own room while Margie and Ann are sharing one. And they are sixteen!
We are there in three minutes (I count 60 Mississippi's three times) and it seems like it is empty. There are just three guys with two guitars, two old ladies and a group of five girls our age. One of them goes to our school so we stop a minute to say hi. Then I see those three guys with the guitars and they look like they don't like being here. I don't understand why though, All's pancakes are the best!
We sit three tables away from them and Nora grabs a menu because every time we come here she orders something different. I always have blueberry pancakes.
"Okay I think I'm going to order a strawberry milkshake and a turkey sandwich." We all look at her and Dep has this hilarious face on that is like 'What?' and I can't help but laugh for a moment and then they all look at me funny but I turn the attention back to Nora, cleverly enough.
"You won't have pancakes?"
"Ah, no. I'm surprisingly, very hungry so I think a sandwich would be better."
"But they don't make sandwiches here," Dep tells her and she still has the goofy face on. Helen is looking out the window during all this but we know she wants pancakes with honey on them.
"Yes they do. Look." Nora shows both of us the menu and she is right! All's pancake world does not only make pancakes!
There are sandwiches and burgers and pies! All these years living 60 Mississippi's, three times away and I didn't know.
"Maybe I'll order the kidney pie... " Dep says.
"Ew gross!" Helen makes her way to the conversation.
"Yeah I agree on that one." Nora is still going through the dishes and Dep who sits next to her gets a sneak peak. Helen and I have to wait for them to finish so we can get the menu also. I look at the three guys with the two guitars again and they eat very ugly. Especially the one with the blue hair. Who would he dye his hair blue anyway?
Nora is settled: She will have a strawberry milkshake and a turkey sandwich. Dep is going to have a cheeseburger and since there are other things besides pancakes to eat I decide I'll have a cheeseburger too and fries and a coke. Helen still wants her honey pancakes. As usual I am the one who has to go all the way to the counter and order because Helen is too shy, Nora says she can't co-operate with the waiter because he never understands her and finally Dep always manages to make someone mad.
The weirdest thing is that one of the three guys with the two guitars goes to the counter as well, the same time as me so I don't know whose turn it is, mine or his because we did arrive on the same time.
"Go on," He says but he doesn't even look at me.
"If you want to go first that's fine, I have a lot of things to order." Now if mom had seen me she would have been proud, I was really polite. And the guy turns and looks at me and I notice that his eyes sparkle a lot. I mean they are so bright green it looks like they are not real. And he also smiles at me.
"Go ahead. Make your order." He talks to me like I am two years old which is always very annoying but I can't tell him that like I tell it to my mother when she does the same because I am not allowed to have conversations with strangers.
"I'll have two cheeseburgers, one strawberry milkshake, one coke, fries and pancakes with honey," I tell the waiter. The guitar guy starts to laugh.
"What?" I ask.
"That's not a lot of food."
"But it is. We are all hungry today so we ordered a lot of stuff."
"Look at this little girl." Ah, I hate being called a little girl. He points at his table where there are half empty plates everywhere and his friends are still eating. "And we're not even on our best day," He continues.
"Well we're younger than you and we are girls."
"I can see that." He sits there looking at his shoes and at this point I am sure he must be a little stupid.
"Aren't you going to order something? Isn't that why you came up here?" I tell him.
"Right. One lemon pie and two more meatball subs."
"And some coke too Beej!" The boy next to the blue-haired guy shouts.
"And a coke," He says to the waiter.
"Beej? What kind of a name is that?"
"It's a nickname I have. Don't your friends give you nicknames?"
"Nah. Only Nora has. We call her 'baby' because she's the youngest or 'princess'
because she's rich and has an awesome room. But they just call me Lane."
"Nice to meet you Lane. I'm, well, Beej." Beej gives me his hand and I shake it. He seems alright after all.
"This is a cool pin you have," I say. He has a pin on his jacket with a blue guitar on it, similar to the big one he has on the table.
"Oh this? Well a friend I used to have has given it to me."
"Ex girlfriend?"
"Hey you're pretty straight forward for a kid." There he goes again saying I'm little!
"Maybe. Tell me."
"Well yeah."
"I knew it. It's really nice anyway."
"You want it?"
"What?"
"If you like it so much, just take it."
"But your girlfriend gave it to you... "
"I'm sure that if I see her again she'll be fine with it."
"Wow thanks." Beej takes the pin off his jacket and gives it to me just when an enormous tray comes with all our food.
"It was nice meeting you Beej."
"Nice meeting you too Lane. And my real name is Billie Joe."
"That sounds familiar."
"Déjà vu."
"What does that mean?"
"Don't worry it doesn't matter. Until we meet again."
"Yeah. Bye!"
So I take my tray, smile to the grown up I just had a nice talk with and go back to my friends, making a mental note that mom can not see my pin because she'll kill me for accepting things from someone I don't know. And all of a sudden, I feel hungrier than before.
HELEN
Having a mom and a dad who are divorcing each other has its moments. They don't pay any attention to me so I can come to Lane's whenever I want, and ever since they let me sleep over Nora's house they're very flexible with me staying at other people's places.
Dep's especially because her mom knows my mom and all. So when Lane called me saying that there was something I needed to hear I was able to get out without even a conversation about it. Just a "I'm going to Lane's okay?" And then a grunt from my dad meaning 'okay'.
"Where did you get this?" I ask, holding the record in my hands.
"Margaret and Anna of course!"
"Why did they buy it?"
"I don't know really. I heard them saying something about a guy who told them to get it, and one of them likes that guy but anyway...this is unbelievable."
"Wow, it really got you excited."
"It's amazing! It's like nothing we've listened so far, you won't believe it. And they must be from this town too, the band I mean, because that's what Ann said. Anyway it's so so great!!"
"Okay! Put the record on!"
I've never seen Lane like this; I have seen her getting too enthusiastic over something before and all, but this time...wow. I mean I know she likes music and all but this record must have something really special in it.
"Green Day?"
"The name of the band."
"Weird."
"I know. I'll look it up afterwards. Okay are you ready?"
"Shoot."
I see the back of the record and the first song is called "At the Library". As the music starts I can tell Lane was right about one thing: this is nothing like we have ever heard before.
She puts her hands over her mouth, something she doesn't do very often unless she is super happy and all. I must have left my mouth drop and I have to sit down to listen to the rest of it and one more thing comes to my head right now: Dep is going to go crazy with this stuff. If it makes Lane like this and Dep is the zany one she is going to go nuts. It will be really cool.
I keep listening to "At the Library" and I don't say anything even though Lane looks at me, waiting. To tell the truth I don't know exactly what I feel about it. I have no words and I hate it when that happens; especially when I am at school and I'm stuck and all. It's really annoying. Anyway this band does the same thing to me.
"What makes me feel so much pain? What makes me go so insane? What is it about you that I adore?"
Those lyrics are cool because that's how I feel about Nick. Lane is now lying on her bed and her hands are covering her entire face. I don't know why she gets so excited. I mean they're just a band. An unusual band, but still a band and all. Whoever plays bass is cool though.
Dep and Nora come half an hour later, both very curious and by this time Lane is jumping from joy. As I thought, Dep loves it. And she shows it too because she dances around (I don't know if I can exactly say 'dancing' but whatever) and screams that they are totally awesome.
"Yeah they're pretty good. You and your wonderful discoveries... " says Nora, looking at the record intensely. Nora does that; she always examines things and she talks much better than us even though my grades in math and history are better than hers.
She never gets stuck like I do and she has something to say all the time. And the others believe that she has the best hair, after me, because it's curly. But I am the only blonde of my class and that's why Nick likes me. Haven't I already told you that? Anyway I'm quite proud of it.
***
BILLIE
We got two hours before we can get to the studio and Gilman is not opened so that means we have some time to kill if Tre doesn't kill us first, 'cause we make fun of his hair.
I still haven't eaten breakfast because Mike woke me up and fucking drug me out, without letting me even take a piss.
"Let's go get a bite. I'm starved."
"Yeah man me too." But of course Tre didn't need to say that; he's always hungry.
"Alright then. Let's go to All's Pancake World and eat something." Sometimes Mike behaves like our mom, maybe because he's bigger than me and Tre and most of the time I like it, because he gets us out of dead ends. This time however I want to smack his head to the nearest wall because first of all he woke me up and he knew very well I hadn't slept a wink 'till four a.m, secondly he has a girlfriend and I don't, and thirdly, girls check him out anyway!
"Sure. Let's go there." I have wasted all my energy on Tre's blue hair so I am definitely not in the mood of disagreeing.
"I am sensing a little...lack of...lightness in the air which is very unusual for us," Tre says. "And you seem like you want to rip each other's guts off." He gestures between me and Mike.
"You're talking shit." As I said I am not in the mood of arguing.
"Yeah, we're fine," Mike agrees.
"And Tre honestly, I am nineteen years old, man. I don't need anyone treating me like my fucking mom."
"Got your point." Mike pats my back but I shrug it off, because I am feeling really aggressive and I certainly don't like being touched right now.
Thankfully we reach All's place and that means I won't need to talk.
***
LANE
My twin sisters are really funny. No, I don't mean I have twin sisters like I have two other girls who look like me and we were born on the same day etc., but I have two older sisters who are twins. I have to get this straight before you get confused.
Anyway as I was saying, they are really funny because they are nothing alike but they seem to be into the same boys and they always fight about them and in the end they find out that whoever they fancy, doesn't like neither of them.
This time however I have to say thank God they liked this guy and bought the Green Day record. I know I may be acting silly getting so excited but I don't know what this music does to me. It makes you wanting to jump on your bed and never stop. Margaret and Anna just listened to two or three songs and then they went out, so that means they won't need the record ever again. And even if they do and they start looking for it, I'll just put it back and then they will fight.
Back to Green Day anyway, they are amazing. I come up with the same words all the time but they really are. I don't know how they look like because there are only some drawings of them on the back of the record but I am sure that the singer is handsome. He must be or he wouldn't be writing like that right?
Dep is the only one who seems to believe they are awesome just as much as I do, because Nora just sits and shakes her head to the beat smiling and Helen doesn't say anything.
"You look tired," Nora tells me.
"I'm not tired of anything. We're on vacation."
"I mean from all the dancing. You sure you don't want to sit down?" Sometimes Nora behaves like our mom which is nice because when we have a problem she is able to find the solution fast enough and everything but now I get a little mad at her because...well I just wish she would look a little more excited about my new discovery.
"I am hungry. What about you?" she continues. Helen looks up and nods and I am even more mad because Green Day seem to start fading away. They both look at me and Dep. I shrug, wanting them to understand just how angry I am and Dep thinks about it.
"Well All's pancake world is close enough... " Nora talks again. "I mean we can go there alone without your mom or anything. And when we come back we can continue listening to this and then see a movie or something... "
"Yeah it sounds cool," Helen agrees. Dep is ready to say yes too so I don't have any other choice but to let my new treasure alone for some time.
"Pancakes it is," I mumble and walk to the door without looking at them so they understand I am still mad. All's place is indeed very close to me and that is one of the reasons I love my house so much. That and the fact I have my own room while Margie and Ann are sharing one. And they are sixteen!
We are there in three minutes (I count 60 Mississippi's three times) and it seems like it is empty. There are just three guys with two guitars, two old ladies and a group of five girls our age. One of them goes to our school so we stop a minute to say hi. Then I see those three guys with the guitars and they look like they don't like being here. I don't understand why though, All's pancakes are the best!
We sit three tables away from them and Nora grabs a menu because every time we come here she orders something different. I always have blueberry pancakes.
"Okay I think I'm going to order a strawberry milkshake and a turkey sandwich." We all look at her and Dep has this hilarious face on that is like 'What?' and I can't help but laugh for a moment and then they all look at me funny but I turn the attention back to Nora, cleverly enough.
"You won't have pancakes?"
"Ah, no. I'm surprisingly, very hungry so I think a sandwich would be better."
"But they don't make sandwiches here," Dep tells her and she still has the goofy face on. Helen is looking out the window during all this but we know she wants pancakes with honey on them.
"Yes they do. Look." Nora shows both of us the menu and she is right! All's pancake world does not only make pancakes!
There are sandwiches and burgers and pies! All these years living 60 Mississippi's, three times away and I didn't know.
"Maybe I'll order the kidney pie... " Dep says.
"Ew gross!" Helen makes her way to the conversation.
"Yeah I agree on that one." Nora is still going through the dishes and Dep who sits next to her gets a sneak peak. Helen and I have to wait for them to finish so we can get the menu also. I look at the three guys with the two guitars again and they eat very ugly. Especially the one with the blue hair. Who would he dye his hair blue anyway?
Nora is settled: She will have a strawberry milkshake and a turkey sandwich. Dep is going to have a cheeseburger and since there are other things besides pancakes to eat I decide I'll have a cheeseburger too and fries and a coke. Helen still wants her honey pancakes. As usual I am the one who has to go all the way to the counter and order because Helen is too shy, Nora says she can't co-operate with the waiter because he never understands her and finally Dep always manages to make someone mad.
The weirdest thing is that one of the three guys with the two guitars goes to the counter as well, the same time as me so I don't know whose turn it is, mine or his because we did arrive on the same time.
"Go on," He says but he doesn't even look at me.
"If you want to go first that's fine, I have a lot of things to order." Now if mom had seen me she would have been proud, I was really polite. And the guy turns and looks at me and I notice that his eyes sparkle a lot. I mean they are so bright green it looks like they are not real. And he also smiles at me.
"Go ahead. Make your order." He talks to me like I am two years old which is always very annoying but I can't tell him that like I tell it to my mother when she does the same because I am not allowed to have conversations with strangers.
"I'll have two cheeseburgers, one strawberry milkshake, one coke, fries and pancakes with honey," I tell the waiter. The guitar guy starts to laugh.
"What?" I ask.
"That's not a lot of food."
"But it is. We are all hungry today so we ordered a lot of stuff."
"Look at this little girl." Ah, I hate being called a little girl. He points at his table where there are half empty plates everywhere and his friends are still eating. "And we're not even on our best day," He continues.
"Well we're younger than you and we are girls."
"I can see that." He sits there looking at his shoes and at this point I am sure he must be a little stupid.
"Aren't you going to order something? Isn't that why you came up here?" I tell him.
"Right. One lemon pie and two more meatball subs."
"And some coke too Beej!" The boy next to the blue-haired guy shouts.
"And a coke," He says to the waiter.
"Beej? What kind of a name is that?"
"It's a nickname I have. Don't your friends give you nicknames?"
"Nah. Only Nora has. We call her 'baby' because she's the youngest or 'princess'
because she's rich and has an awesome room. But they just call me Lane."
"Nice to meet you Lane. I'm, well, Beej." Beej gives me his hand and I shake it. He seems alright after all.
"This is a cool pin you have," I say. He has a pin on his jacket with a blue guitar on it, similar to the big one he has on the table.
"Oh this? Well a friend I used to have has given it to me."
"Ex girlfriend?"
"Hey you're pretty straight forward for a kid." There he goes again saying I'm little!
"Maybe. Tell me."
"Well yeah."
"I knew it. It's really nice anyway."
"You want it?"
"What?"
"If you like it so much, just take it."
"But your girlfriend gave it to you... "
"I'm sure that if I see her again she'll be fine with it."
"Wow thanks." Beej takes the pin off his jacket and gives it to me just when an enormous tray comes with all our food.
"It was nice meeting you Beej."
"Nice meeting you too Lane. And my real name is Billie Joe."
"That sounds familiar."
"Déjà vu."
"What does that mean?"
"Don't worry it doesn't matter. Until we meet again."
"Yeah. Bye!"
So I take my tray, smile to the grown up I just had a nice talk with and go back to my friends, making a mental note that mom can not see my pin because she'll kill me for accepting things from someone I don't know. And all of a sudden, I feel hungrier than before.
