Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, chapter 14
"Morning," Billie Joe smiled as he stretched out on the bed.
"Hey ho... " Jane said lazily.
"Someone's tired... "
"Yes... bearing in mind someone woke up from a coma yesterday... "
"So someone should have had all the sleep they need after being asleep for about a month... "
"Shut up... " Jane rolled over onto her side and tried to get back to sleep. Minutes later she opened her eyes and scowled. "Stop looking at me."
"Why?"
"Because it's keeping me awake."
"Aaaw you're all moody... "
"No I'm tired... so you know... quit staring... "
"Why d'you get that tattoo?" Jane sighed and rolled onto her back.
"You're not gonna let me sleep are you?"
"No," Billie Joe replied grinning impishly. "So why'd you get the tattoo?"
"Which one?" she asked.
"There's more than one?"
"Yahuh. So which one?"
"Where's the other one? Like the one that doesn't say plain Jane." Jane shifted and pulled her ankle out of the top of the bed sheets. There was butterfly covering her ankle and underneath the words read 'fly away to freedom'. "Why d'you get that one?"
"Because I needed to get out... it was my first tattoo and I felt really trapped at home. So I decided to get out and when I moved out I got the butterfly the same day so it reminded me of it."
"How old were you?"
"Eighteen. It was when I went university so I had to move away."
"It's pretty." Jane smiled weakly and moved her foot back under the covers. "What about the plain Jane one?"
"I got that because I felt like it... dunno why, just liked the rhyme and stuff."
"Well you know it's not true... "
"Yeah not now, with hair like this? Blimey there aren't many people with this colour hair in this town."
"It's not the hair... " Billie said smiling slightly.
"Well what is it then?" Jane asked grinning.
"Someone's fishing for compliments... "
"And what if I am?"
"Well I might just have to give them to you... " Billie Joe shifted so his body was
half covering hers and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Or this is good too... " Jane said before pulling him in for a more passionate kiss.
"What d'you want for lunch? Or breakfast... at one in the afternoon... "
"I wanna go out. With you. Right now. And we can have lunch. In a restaurant. Because you know... we're allowed to. And also we can go and... do something else... like... go take in a show... "
"Urgh Broadway? Come on you don't really wanna go see a show there do you?"
"Why not?"
"Because it's all too bright... and colourful... and just... nah. Not my cup of tea."
"Well it's a good thing I didn't get Broadway tickets then isn't it?"
"Oooh! What d'you get tickets for?"
"Umm... well... let's see... their name begins with an M... "
"Maroon 5?" Jane asked. When Billie didn't reply she grinned. "You're obsessed with them aren't you? You're gonna be their new fan girl."
"Except I'm a guy... "
"Coulda fooled me."
"Hey... but no it's not Maroon 5, I'm kinda over that now... but you have one more guess."
"I dunno." Billie Joe sighed and grabbed her hand leading her down to the basement.
"Look at that wall. And tell me who we're gonna see," he said gesturing to the wall of posters opposite them. Jane stayed silent and he sighed exasperatedly walking up to the wall and pointing at Gerard Way's ghostly face. "My Chemical Romance! They are playing! And we are going! I thought you were smart!"
"I am, just wanted to see how much patience you have. Which is not a lot."
"Hey, I'm allowed to rant after being held captive for 5 days."
"That was a month ago... most people would be over it by now... " Jane smiled as Billie Joe wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Yeah well most people don't have the girl they're in love with almost die in their arms. And that's something you can never get over." Jane bit her lip as Billie Joe rested his chin on her shoulder. What if she had died? What would have happened? She wouldn't be with Billie Joe; she wouldn't be doing a lot of things. She rested her hand on his and stroked her thumb across the back of his hand
gently. "What you thinking about?" Billie Joe asked quietly.
"Nothing... it's nothing... " Jane said in almost a whisper. She knew Billie Joe didn't believe that for one second but he left it all the same. He had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking about anyway. Billie Joe kissed her softly on the shoulder and held her tightly closing his eyes.
"Hey man, you ok?" Jane smiled as Gerard Way talked to Billie Joe like they were old friends. Which they were...
"Yeah I'm great. Fantastic show, as always," he grinned like a kid and Gerard returned the smile.
"Thanks man, who's your friend?"
"Jane, isn't she sexy?" Jane spun around to look at Billie Joe frowning. "Well you are you know... "
"Ignore him, he's an asshole." Jane said to Gerard who laughed loudly.
"I like you, you're funny," he said when he'd finished laughing.
"Are all rock stars as weird as you guys?"
"Jay can you like... not call me that? It's stupid but I just... don't worry." Jane turned to look at Billie who was looking sad, his eyes full of hurt. Gerard looked at Jane questioningly but she shrugged her shoulders. She took his hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze and they walked in silence to the dressing room.
"I'm sorry I didn't know it would upset you," Jane said quietly in the car a few hours later.
"You didn't know. It's not your fault. It's just it brings back memories... "
"What memories?" she asked quietly.
"After we hit it big, people'd start chanting when I walked down the street in Oakland. They'd be all 'rock star, rock star, rock star' and then one morning I came down to my front yard and everything was destroyed and they'd spray painted the front of my house. And I think you know what it said... "
"Rock star... "
"Yeah, so we had to move into downtown Oakland where nobody would know where we lived. Bear in mind Joey was a couple of months old at this time. And then I went back to Gilman with a friend after hours and it said 'Billie Joe must
die' in the bathroom and then someone had written underneath 'cause he's a fucking rock star'. They don't even let us in Gilman to watch bands now. Just
shows you who your real friends are."
"You have no idea how much I wanna hug you right now but I'm driving so ya know, if I did things could turn out nasty."
"Yeah, blood splattered windscreen and all that."
"Well I was thinking more along the lines of spilling my coke but blood splattered windscreen's still pretty bad," he laughed slightly and Jane smiled.
"I don't wanna go... " Billie Joe said quietly as he held onto Jane tightly.
"I don't want you to go either but I'm sure about ten hundred million kids want you to go. They don't want to have to listen to Simple Plan all night." Billie Joe smiled slightly and let go of her. "The cab's here."
"Take care. I'll call you whenever I can." Jane smiled slightly. "Jay I... "
"I know Billie, I know." She stroked his face lovingly and his eyes locked with hers. "Get out of here before you miss your flight." Billie Joe smiled sadly, zipped up his jacket and after a final kiss he turned around and walked out of the door.
Jane closed the door quietly as the cab rolled away and leant against the thick wood, sliding down to the floor slowly, coming to rest on the welcome mat.
She missed him already. And it had been less than a minute. Feeling totally pathetic, she wrapped her arms around her knees and tried not to cry.
"Hey ho... " Jane said lazily.
"Someone's tired... "
"Yes... bearing in mind someone woke up from a coma yesterday... "
"So someone should have had all the sleep they need after being asleep for about a month... "
"Shut up... " Jane rolled over onto her side and tried to get back to sleep. Minutes later she opened her eyes and scowled. "Stop looking at me."
"Why?"
"Because it's keeping me awake."
"Aaaw you're all moody... "
"No I'm tired... so you know... quit staring... "
"Why d'you get that tattoo?" Jane sighed and rolled onto her back.
"You're not gonna let me sleep are you?"
"No," Billie Joe replied grinning impishly. "So why'd you get the tattoo?"
"Which one?" she asked.
"There's more than one?"
"Yahuh. So which one?"
"Where's the other one? Like the one that doesn't say plain Jane." Jane shifted and pulled her ankle out of the top of the bed sheets. There was butterfly covering her ankle and underneath the words read 'fly away to freedom'. "Why d'you get that one?"
"Because I needed to get out... it was my first tattoo and I felt really trapped at home. So I decided to get out and when I moved out I got the butterfly the same day so it reminded me of it."
"How old were you?"
"Eighteen. It was when I went university so I had to move away."
"It's pretty." Jane smiled weakly and moved her foot back under the covers. "What about the plain Jane one?"
"I got that because I felt like it... dunno why, just liked the rhyme and stuff."
"Well you know it's not true... "
"Yeah not now, with hair like this? Blimey there aren't many people with this colour hair in this town."
"It's not the hair... " Billie said smiling slightly.
"Well what is it then?" Jane asked grinning.
"Someone's fishing for compliments... "
"And what if I am?"
"Well I might just have to give them to you... " Billie Joe shifted so his body was
half covering hers and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Or this is good too... " Jane said before pulling him in for a more passionate kiss.
"What d'you want for lunch? Or breakfast... at one in the afternoon... "
"I wanna go out. With you. Right now. And we can have lunch. In a restaurant. Because you know... we're allowed to. And also we can go and... do something else... like... go take in a show... "
"Urgh Broadway? Come on you don't really wanna go see a show there do you?"
"Why not?"
"Because it's all too bright... and colourful... and just... nah. Not my cup of tea."
"Well it's a good thing I didn't get Broadway tickets then isn't it?"
"Oooh! What d'you get tickets for?"
"Umm... well... let's see... their name begins with an M... "
"Maroon 5?" Jane asked. When Billie didn't reply she grinned. "You're obsessed with them aren't you? You're gonna be their new fan girl."
"Except I'm a guy... "
"Coulda fooled me."
"Hey... but no it's not Maroon 5, I'm kinda over that now... but you have one more guess."
"I dunno." Billie Joe sighed and grabbed her hand leading her down to the basement.
"Look at that wall. And tell me who we're gonna see," he said gesturing to the wall of posters opposite them. Jane stayed silent and he sighed exasperatedly walking up to the wall and pointing at Gerard Way's ghostly face. "My Chemical Romance! They are playing! And we are going! I thought you were smart!"
"I am, just wanted to see how much patience you have. Which is not a lot."
"Hey, I'm allowed to rant after being held captive for 5 days."
"That was a month ago... most people would be over it by now... " Jane smiled as Billie Joe wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Yeah well most people don't have the girl they're in love with almost die in their arms. And that's something you can never get over." Jane bit her lip as Billie Joe rested his chin on her shoulder. What if she had died? What would have happened? She wouldn't be with Billie Joe; she wouldn't be doing a lot of things. She rested her hand on his and stroked her thumb across the back of his hand
gently. "What you thinking about?" Billie Joe asked quietly.
"Nothing... it's nothing... " Jane said in almost a whisper. She knew Billie Joe didn't believe that for one second but he left it all the same. He had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking about anyway. Billie Joe kissed her softly on the shoulder and held her tightly closing his eyes.
"Hey man, you ok?" Jane smiled as Gerard Way talked to Billie Joe like they were old friends. Which they were...
"Yeah I'm great. Fantastic show, as always," he grinned like a kid and Gerard returned the smile.
"Thanks man, who's your friend?"
"Jane, isn't she sexy?" Jane spun around to look at Billie Joe frowning. "Well you are you know... "
"Ignore him, he's an asshole." Jane said to Gerard who laughed loudly.
"I like you, you're funny," he said when he'd finished laughing.
"Are all rock stars as weird as you guys?"
"Jay can you like... not call me that? It's stupid but I just... don't worry." Jane turned to look at Billie who was looking sad, his eyes full of hurt. Gerard looked at Jane questioningly but she shrugged her shoulders. She took his hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze and they walked in silence to the dressing room.
"I'm sorry I didn't know it would upset you," Jane said quietly in the car a few hours later.
"You didn't know. It's not your fault. It's just it brings back memories... "
"What memories?" she asked quietly.
"After we hit it big, people'd start chanting when I walked down the street in Oakland. They'd be all 'rock star, rock star, rock star' and then one morning I came down to my front yard and everything was destroyed and they'd spray painted the front of my house. And I think you know what it said... "
"Rock star... "
"Yeah, so we had to move into downtown Oakland where nobody would know where we lived. Bear in mind Joey was a couple of months old at this time. And then I went back to Gilman with a friend after hours and it said 'Billie Joe must
die' in the bathroom and then someone had written underneath 'cause he's a fucking rock star'. They don't even let us in Gilman to watch bands now. Just
shows you who your real friends are."
"You have no idea how much I wanna hug you right now but I'm driving so ya know, if I did things could turn out nasty."
"Yeah, blood splattered windscreen and all that."
"Well I was thinking more along the lines of spilling my coke but blood splattered windscreen's still pretty bad," he laughed slightly and Jane smiled.
"I don't wanna go... " Billie Joe said quietly as he held onto Jane tightly.
"I don't want you to go either but I'm sure about ten hundred million kids want you to go. They don't want to have to listen to Simple Plan all night." Billie Joe smiled slightly and let go of her. "The cab's here."
"Take care. I'll call you whenever I can." Jane smiled slightly. "Jay I... "
"I know Billie, I know." She stroked his face lovingly and his eyes locked with hers. "Get out of here before you miss your flight." Billie Joe smiled sadly, zipped up his jacket and after a final kiss he turned around and walked out of the door.
Jane closed the door quietly as the cab rolled away and leant against the thick wood, sliding down to the floor slowly, coming to rest on the welcome mat.
She missed him already. And it had been less than a minute. Feeling totally pathetic, she wrapped her arms around her knees and tried not to cry.
