Zoe, Her Father, and The Guys, chapter 10
"Hey Zoe, I saw you and Pete. You two look cute together." Billie greeted.
"He's cool. They all are. The only bad thing is, I can see three out of five like me." I said, dropping my smile at the last part.
"Who?" Tre asked, leaning forward over the bar.
"Andy, Aaron, and Pete. Zac is kind of flirtatious but I think he just wants to be friends. Then Joey, he never or rarely talks to me. I can't tell what he is thinking by looking at his eyes like I can with the others. Joe is different. He is secluded and I don't think he likes me being around. I think he is jealous of me. For hanging with his friends, and him not being the center of attention like he was." I calculated, thinking while saying everything about him at that one moment.
"He'll get over it. Do you want me to talk to him?" Billie asked, taking a sip if him soda.
"No, I can handle Joe. I know I can. He just needs to sit down with me and no one else around. I can break his shell if I can achieve that. I just know it." I replied, looking at him.
"Hey Dad, can we go back to my old house and get my drums and bass? I just promised the guys I would teach them guitar, bass, and drums. We are going to start a band." I asked, excited and sad at the same time.
"Sure, but I can't take you. I have a thing tonight. Ask Mike or BJ." He said, leaving the room.
"What is with him?" I asked, looking to and from Mike and Billie Joe.
"Don't know. Anyways, I can take you." Mike replied.
"Thanks Mike, just let me touch up my make-up." I said, before leaving to go to my room.
Mike's POV
"Billie, do you think she is afraid to go back to that house she was beat so many times in? It seems like she should but she seems to be excited to go back." I pondered the question before looking to Billie for his answer.
"I don't know but you do have a point. She did seem excited to go back. Maybe she forgot something important to her. Other than her bass and drum kit. She is definitely Tre's kid." He answered.
"Ready." Zoe said, obviously excited.
"Okay. Be back in about an hour, if that." I reported, before waving at Bill.
We walked out of the house and to my black BMW.
We both hopped in and headed for her last home she knew.
"Zoe, you seem eager to return to a nightmare. Why?" I asked, this pondering my question.
"I missed my bass and drums." She answered.
"Yeah. Is that it?" I asked once again.
"Yeah. I just want to get this band together as soon as possible." She returned, a little agitated.
"Okay, just curious." I said, ending the conversation.
I stepped inside a vacant and dark house. Zoe rushed past me and up the stairs. I kept an eye on her, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt.
We entered a room that was painted dark green, covered in Green Day and Fall Out Boy posters. She was defiantly a fan. She got her ultimate wish I guess. I looked around.
"You going to take any of these posters?" I questioned, seeing a mural painted on an easel.
"Yeah, I guess I should take that. It is the first and last painting I ever painted. And I will probably take my memory box. Then my bass and drums." She answered, sliding the bass into a soft shell carrying case.
Then she rolled the drum kit over to the bed.
She pulled some cases out from under the bed and started packing them up.
"Here, you get the painting, box, and posters and I will pack these and take them to the car. Take what you can to the car when you get it together." I said, taking a case out of her hands.
"Okay. Thanks Mike." She said, going to the closet.
I could only smile. She was a great kid. She turned out nice for having a fucked up life.
She came back to the bed with a small shoe box.
"Mike, how long has Dad been a jokester?" She asked, serious.
"As long as I've known him. Why?" I answered.
"Because mom would always silently talk about a 'big kid' that she used to date and he was never serious. She had broken up with him and then he won her back. I just thought about that and I think she was meaning Tre. It just worries me a little because if he jokes around all the time, when is he going to be serious?" She explained, looking directly into my eyes. She was a little sad, a little worried, and a little of something I couldn't decipher.
"Zoe, you don't ever have to worry about Tre being serious. Inside he is just a big kid, but he is really a sensitive, caring, and just an all-around big softy. He loves you and he will always be there for you. And so will me and Billie Joe. We promise. I promise." I said as I pulled her into a hug. She was like a daughter to me already. I missed her mom as well. She always made me laugh.
"Thanks Mike." She said into my stomach.
"Your welcome sweetheart. Zoe." I replied, letting her out of my hug.
She just looked up at me and smiled. I returned it.
We packed the remaining drums and loaded them and her other items. We left the house for our last time. Her room was bare.
"We're back "Mike yelled out into the house.
"I'm in the kitchen " Someone bellowed out in answer.
We headed to the kitchen.
Entering it, finding Billie Joe sitting at the bar, talking on the cell and writing something on a piece of paper.
"Oh, that reminds me, I have to call Pete." Zoe said, leaving the room in a hurry.
She went into the living room.
I waited on Billie to finish.
He snapped the cell closed and looked at me.
"What was that?" I asked, curious.
"Shhhhhh. It was about a computer for Zoe. Don't say anything. Tre went out and is purchasing a computer. Flat screen. Can you get Zoe out of here for about an hour?" Billie explained.
"Yeah, but where do I take her?" I asked, a little excited for her.
"Find out were Pete or Andy lives. Or take her to my house. She can sit with Jakob or hang with Joey." I concluded.
I nodded and left the room.
"Zoe." I said.
"Hold on Pete." She said, then putting the phone on her shoulder.
"Find out were Pete lives. There is going to be a surprise for you and I need to get you out of here. I don't know what it is though." I explained shortly and quickly.
She nodded and returned to her phone call.
"Hey Pete, what is your address. Mike is trying to get me out of the house. It is probably an early b-day present. I need someplace to go for about two hours." She explained
shortly.
"Okay Pete, thanks. I'll see you in a little bit." She thanked before she hung up.
"Let's go." She said, excited. I bet she and Pete were going somewhere. As in a relationship.
I put an arm around Zoe and headed out.
We pulled up to 8616 Holiday Blvd., and she hopped out.
"He's cool. They all are. The only bad thing is, I can see three out of five like me." I said, dropping my smile at the last part.
"Who?" Tre asked, leaning forward over the bar.
"Andy, Aaron, and Pete. Zac is kind of flirtatious but I think he just wants to be friends. Then Joey, he never or rarely talks to me. I can't tell what he is thinking by looking at his eyes like I can with the others. Joe is different. He is secluded and I don't think he likes me being around. I think he is jealous of me. For hanging with his friends, and him not being the center of attention like he was." I calculated, thinking while saying everything about him at that one moment.
"He'll get over it. Do you want me to talk to him?" Billie asked, taking a sip if him soda.
"No, I can handle Joe. I know I can. He just needs to sit down with me and no one else around. I can break his shell if I can achieve that. I just know it." I replied, looking at him.
"Hey Dad, can we go back to my old house and get my drums and bass? I just promised the guys I would teach them guitar, bass, and drums. We are going to start a band." I asked, excited and sad at the same time.
"Sure, but I can't take you. I have a thing tonight. Ask Mike or BJ." He said, leaving the room.
"What is with him?" I asked, looking to and from Mike and Billie Joe.
"Don't know. Anyways, I can take you." Mike replied.
"Thanks Mike, just let me touch up my make-up." I said, before leaving to go to my room.
Mike's POV
"Billie, do you think she is afraid to go back to that house she was beat so many times in? It seems like she should but she seems to be excited to go back." I pondered the question before looking to Billie for his answer.
"I don't know but you do have a point. She did seem excited to go back. Maybe she forgot something important to her. Other than her bass and drum kit. She is definitely Tre's kid." He answered.
"Ready." Zoe said, obviously excited.
"Okay. Be back in about an hour, if that." I reported, before waving at Bill.
We walked out of the house and to my black BMW.
We both hopped in and headed for her last home she knew.
"Zoe, you seem eager to return to a nightmare. Why?" I asked, this pondering my question.
"I missed my bass and drums." She answered.
"Yeah. Is that it?" I asked once again.
"Yeah. I just want to get this band together as soon as possible." She returned, a little agitated.
"Okay, just curious." I said, ending the conversation.
I stepped inside a vacant and dark house. Zoe rushed past me and up the stairs. I kept an eye on her, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt.
We entered a room that was painted dark green, covered in Green Day and Fall Out Boy posters. She was defiantly a fan. She got her ultimate wish I guess. I looked around.
"You going to take any of these posters?" I questioned, seeing a mural painted on an easel.
"Yeah, I guess I should take that. It is the first and last painting I ever painted. And I will probably take my memory box. Then my bass and drums." She answered, sliding the bass into a soft shell carrying case.
Then she rolled the drum kit over to the bed.
She pulled some cases out from under the bed and started packing them up.
"Here, you get the painting, box, and posters and I will pack these and take them to the car. Take what you can to the car when you get it together." I said, taking a case out of her hands.
"Okay. Thanks Mike." She said, going to the closet.
I could only smile. She was a great kid. She turned out nice for having a fucked up life.
She came back to the bed with a small shoe box.
"Mike, how long has Dad been a jokester?" She asked, serious.
"As long as I've known him. Why?" I answered.
"Because mom would always silently talk about a 'big kid' that she used to date and he was never serious. She had broken up with him and then he won her back. I just thought about that and I think she was meaning Tre. It just worries me a little because if he jokes around all the time, when is he going to be serious?" She explained, looking directly into my eyes. She was a little sad, a little worried, and a little of something I couldn't decipher.
"Zoe, you don't ever have to worry about Tre being serious. Inside he is just a big kid, but he is really a sensitive, caring, and just an all-around big softy. He loves you and he will always be there for you. And so will me and Billie Joe. We promise. I promise." I said as I pulled her into a hug. She was like a daughter to me already. I missed her mom as well. She always made me laugh.
"Thanks Mike." She said into my stomach.
"Your welcome sweetheart. Zoe." I replied, letting her out of my hug.
She just looked up at me and smiled. I returned it.
We packed the remaining drums and loaded them and her other items. We left the house for our last time. Her room was bare.
"We're back "Mike yelled out into the house.
"I'm in the kitchen " Someone bellowed out in answer.
We headed to the kitchen.
Entering it, finding Billie Joe sitting at the bar, talking on the cell and writing something on a piece of paper.
"Oh, that reminds me, I have to call Pete." Zoe said, leaving the room in a hurry.
She went into the living room.
I waited on Billie to finish.
He snapped the cell closed and looked at me.
"What was that?" I asked, curious.
"Shhhhhh. It was about a computer for Zoe. Don't say anything. Tre went out and is purchasing a computer. Flat screen. Can you get Zoe out of here for about an hour?" Billie explained.
"Yeah, but where do I take her?" I asked, a little excited for her.
"Find out were Pete or Andy lives. Or take her to my house. She can sit with Jakob or hang with Joey." I concluded.
I nodded and left the room.
"Zoe." I said.
"Hold on Pete." She said, then putting the phone on her shoulder.
"Find out were Pete lives. There is going to be a surprise for you and I need to get you out of here. I don't know what it is though." I explained shortly and quickly.
She nodded and returned to her phone call.
"Hey Pete, what is your address. Mike is trying to get me out of the house. It is probably an early b-day present. I need someplace to go for about two hours." She explained
shortly.
"Okay Pete, thanks. I'll see you in a little bit." She thanked before she hung up.
"Let's go." She said, excited. I bet she and Pete were going somewhere. As in a relationship.
I put an arm around Zoe and headed out.
We pulled up to 8616 Holiday Blvd., and she hopped out.
