Are you leaving home?, chapter 4
*Kayleigh's P.O.V.*
I had just had the weirdest morning. I was dreaming about Billie Joe, again, when I woke up suddenly. It must have been sometime past midnight as it was freezing cold and pitch black. I was hungry, alone and scared. I looked at my thin jumper and wondered how I ever thought I would keep warm in it. I couldn't go back to sleep now, so I went for a walk... as you do!
Trouble was, once I'd started walking I didn't want to stop. I just kept going and going, hoping that I might find a magic path home, so I could go in my bed and pretend this never happened.
I was tired though, and my legs didn't want to walk, so I slumped down in an alleyway watching the odd few cars drive by. I didn't get anymore sleep, I was just in a sort of daze, neither asleep nor awake. Gradually, the sun came up and I began to wonder what I was going to do with myself, I mean, I couldn't just sit here all day and all night for the rest of my life.
Just then, I heard someone singing. It was a song I knew well, it was a Green Day song, in fact. I turned round to see who it was singing and I just couldn't believe it. I knew I hadn't slept, but I couldn't be hallucinating yet. I slowly walked up to him and he went quiet.
"Tré, Tré Cool?"
He ignored me,
"Hello?" I asked again.
There was still no answer. I was getting worried now. I was sure I was imagining this. I turned round to walk away.
"BOO!" He jumped on my back.
Oh my god. That was not funny.
"Are you OK, Tré?" I asked.
I was really concerned about him, I mean, when I met Billie yesterday, It was kind of how imagined it. He was being cool and polite and I was acting like a complete idiot and asking the most stupid questions. This though, was something completely different. The roles had been reversed. And although I was happy not to be acting like a fool, I think I preferred it that way.
Tré leant on my shoulder.
"Do you like candy? I like Candy!" he said.
Why couldn't my mother be like this when she was drunk? I thought to myself.
"Umm, yes I like candy," I replied.
"Cool. I like candy, do you like candy?"
"You already asked me that."
"Did I? Well do you?"
"Do I what?" I replied, completely confused.
"Like candy!" he said.
I hadn't a clue what to do, I mean I couldn't leave him here on his own, but I didn't know what other choices I had. I mean, I don't know where he's staying and I can't exactly look after him. I sat down again. The least I could do was to make sure he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
"Is that my nose?" he asked, picking a piece of junk off the road.
***
So, the morning went by. I had heard all stories of his childhood. His first day at school, his favourite T-shirt... he was definitely getting worse. He was almost crying. I don't know where he went last night, but I'm guessing it wasn't for an evening stroll. He just started telling me the story of the red bike he wanted for Christmas when I saw a familiar face.
"Billie?" I asked.
This was getting so strange, and when I looked into the cab he had come from and saw Mike in there too I was so confused. All that could happen now would be for a cheery television presenter to appear from nowhere and tell me it was all a joke and I'd be shown on TV. Then all three of them would pull their pretend masks off and...
"Kayleigh?" Billie asked.
I didn't know what else to do apart from tell Billie I'd found Tré, but the reaction I got was the most unexpected.
"No, no!" Billie said, becoming angry. "I don't even know you Kayleigh, but I assumed you were a nice girl. But to do this to him... " he trailed off. What did he think I'd done? I was upset and confused. I couldn't reply.
"Come on Mike, help me get him in the car. And you... " he said, looking at me, "You disgust me. I never, ever, want to see your face again."
I burst into tears as the cab pulled away. All I'd done was try and help, but obviously that was wrong. All my beliefs and dreams were based on Billie and they'd all been shattered. I thought he was a nice guy but I couldn't have been more wrong.
I had just had the weirdest morning. I was dreaming about Billie Joe, again, when I woke up suddenly. It must have been sometime past midnight as it was freezing cold and pitch black. I was hungry, alone and scared. I looked at my thin jumper and wondered how I ever thought I would keep warm in it. I couldn't go back to sleep now, so I went for a walk... as you do!
Trouble was, once I'd started walking I didn't want to stop. I just kept going and going, hoping that I might find a magic path home, so I could go in my bed and pretend this never happened.
I was tired though, and my legs didn't want to walk, so I slumped down in an alleyway watching the odd few cars drive by. I didn't get anymore sleep, I was just in a sort of daze, neither asleep nor awake. Gradually, the sun came up and I began to wonder what I was going to do with myself, I mean, I couldn't just sit here all day and all night for the rest of my life.
Just then, I heard someone singing. It was a song I knew well, it was a Green Day song, in fact. I turned round to see who it was singing and I just couldn't believe it. I knew I hadn't slept, but I couldn't be hallucinating yet. I slowly walked up to him and he went quiet.
"Tré, Tré Cool?"
He ignored me,
"Hello?" I asked again.
There was still no answer. I was getting worried now. I was sure I was imagining this. I turned round to walk away.
"BOO!" He jumped on my back.
Oh my god. That was not funny.
"Are you OK, Tré?" I asked.
I was really concerned about him, I mean, when I met Billie yesterday, It was kind of how imagined it. He was being cool and polite and I was acting like a complete idiot and asking the most stupid questions. This though, was something completely different. The roles had been reversed. And although I was happy not to be acting like a fool, I think I preferred it that way.
Tré leant on my shoulder.
"Do you like candy? I like Candy!" he said.
Why couldn't my mother be like this when she was drunk? I thought to myself.
"Umm, yes I like candy," I replied.
"Cool. I like candy, do you like candy?"
"You already asked me that."
"Did I? Well do you?"
"Do I what?" I replied, completely confused.
"Like candy!" he said.
I hadn't a clue what to do, I mean I couldn't leave him here on his own, but I didn't know what other choices I had. I mean, I don't know where he's staying and I can't exactly look after him. I sat down again. The least I could do was to make sure he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
"Is that my nose?" he asked, picking a piece of junk off the road.
***
So, the morning went by. I had heard all stories of his childhood. His first day at school, his favourite T-shirt... he was definitely getting worse. He was almost crying. I don't know where he went last night, but I'm guessing it wasn't for an evening stroll. He just started telling me the story of the red bike he wanted for Christmas when I saw a familiar face.
"Billie?" I asked.
This was getting so strange, and when I looked into the cab he had come from and saw Mike in there too I was so confused. All that could happen now would be for a cheery television presenter to appear from nowhere and tell me it was all a joke and I'd be shown on TV. Then all three of them would pull their pretend masks off and...
"Kayleigh?" Billie asked.
I didn't know what else to do apart from tell Billie I'd found Tré, but the reaction I got was the most unexpected.
"No, no!" Billie said, becoming angry. "I don't even know you Kayleigh, but I assumed you were a nice girl. But to do this to him... " he trailed off. What did he think I'd done? I was upset and confused. I couldn't reply.
"Come on Mike, help me get him in the car. And you... " he said, looking at me, "You disgust me. I never, ever, want to see your face again."
I burst into tears as the cab pulled away. All I'd done was try and help, but obviously that was wrong. All my beliefs and dreams were based on Billie and they'd all been shattered. I thought he was a nice guy but I couldn't have been more wrong.
