Life As It Is

"Fuck," They both said in frustration.

"Ok, there has to be a way out... " Ella said as she paced around the room.

"Yeah, if you pace around anymore you'll make a hole on the floor." Billie Joe said sarcastically.

"Billie this isn't funny! Even though that was funny," She finished off quietly.

Billie Joe tried to open the door again but nothing happened. The couple tried everything.

"What about the window?" Ella asked as she looked towards it.

"It won't work," He said and then continued on. "We'll break our fucking necks."

"It can't be such a bad jump... "

"Mike and I have jumped out of there too many times and practically broke our necks."

"Ok never mind."

They both sat in silence, trying to figure out what to do.

"Umm... what time does Ollie get out of work?"

"She won't be home till fucking six!" Billie Joe exclaimed and threw himself on his bed.

"So let's make the most of this."

"The most of what?"

"Our last night together. Come on Billie, don't play stupid. I think it's a sign."

"Why?"

"Because, we've been trying to avoid this conversation for a while now."

Billie Joe was silent for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah, you're right," He said quietly.

They both glanced over at the clock on Billie Joe's nightstand to show that it was soon to be dark out. Ella laughed.

"What?"

"Everyone is gonna think we ditched them."

"Ha-ha... true."

It seemed like an hour had gone by but really, it was five minutes.

"I'm bored." Ella said as she sat on the edge of Billie Joe's bed.

"Well for one thing, get the fuck next to me; I don't bite unless I wanna." Billie Joe grinned at his girlfriend as she crawled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Soo... have any good food stashed in here?" Ella laughed as she asked her boyfriend.

"Just pot and a bag of chips." He shrugged, got up from the bed and went into one of his closets, then came out to reveal a big bag of chips.

"Why the big bag of chips?"

"I crave chips when I get high sometimes," He said as he smirked.

* * *
About an hour later, the couple was still bored.

"Well... if it's our last night together. Then we might as well take a trip down memory lane." Ella suggested.

"Aww man, why memory lane?"

Ella hit her boyfriend playfully.

"Because we have nothing better to do."

"Ok... then ask me a question. Annyyy question you can think of." This stumped Billie Joe's girlfriend for a second.

"Did you only start liking me because you felt sorry for me?"

"El. Come on, that's the stupidest question I've ever heard. Of course not, why do you think I wrote 'Only of You' and all those other songs? Because I fell for you. Don't tell me you've been wondering that the whole time we've been together." Billie Joe said as he faced his girlfriend.

"I don't know, I just never really thought of it till now." Ella shrugged.

"My turn!" Billie Joe was giddy.

"Shoot."

"What was your first impression of me?" He grinned, dying to know the answer.

"Umm... that you were a bad boy... ?"

"A bad boy?" Billie Joe exclaimed, exploding into laughter.

"I didn't know better! I thought you were out to get me like the rest of the student body."

"Yeah the student body's a real bitch."

They both laughed and Billie Joe reached over and picked a strand of Ella's hair and tucked it behind her ear. She reached over and kissed him like she usually did and then buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"It kills me Billie," She whispered. "What we have to do."

"I know, I know." He whispered back, his arm on her back.

The two both laid the way they were and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms for about two hours. Billie Joe groaned and slightly shook Ella.

"Hey... " He whispered. "Wake up."

Ella slowly opened her eyes and realized she had been crying. That was weird.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Hmm? Yeah... " She sniffled and sat up in bed. She took a glance outside where it was still dark, then at the clock to reveal it was 9 o'clock.

"Chips?"

"Sure why not." Ella said and shared the bag of chips.

"I'd play for ya but Blue's in the van we're gonna be touring in."

"Right. Yeah. It's ok."

They sat around again, just kind of enjoying each other's presence. Ella dozed off again and Billie Joe let her sleep.

A little while later, she awoke again to two green eyes staring right back at her. She grinned.

"Why are you sitting on top of me Billie?"

He shrugged. "Got bored again."

He leaned in and kissed her. Each kiss was much more passionate than the other.

"Billie," Ella whispered. "Condom."

"Right, yea," He whispered back and a few minutes later were both going at it again.

* * *
This time, they both ended up sleeping until five o'clock. Billie Joe, who of course had his arms around Ella tightly, watched her sleep. He never really noticed how she slept until now. She slept peacefully without any noise, he liked when she just breathed in and out.

How was he ever going to move on?

Billie Joe regretfully nudged his girlfriend so they had enough time to let Ollie know they were locked in. But to his luck, someone was hitting the window with small little pebbles.

He smiled to himself, remembering how he had done that to his girlfriend back when they were just friends.

To his surprise, it was Mike who looked pretty hung over.

"Where were you guys last night?" Mike asked as Billie Joe slowly opened the window.

"We're stuck in here," He said.

"Oh shit!" Mike called back.

"Dude, get the key under the doormat and get us out."

Mike nodded and walked around to the front door. Ella stirred from her sleep.

"Hey," She said raspy as got up.

"Hey," He said in return. "Mike's gonna get us out."

"Awesome." She smiled. And they both knew that today was the day they'd been dreading for a while now. But what had to be done, had to be done.

A moment later, they both heard a grunt outside their door and the door was immediately opened by a red-faced Mike who was trying to catch his breath.

"Thanks man," Billie Joe said as Mike nodded.

"Why are you up so early anyway?" Ella asked Mike.

"Tre got really sick if you catch my drift."

Billie Joe and Ella nodded.

"Umm... I'll go put in any other stuff I need to take with me." Ella said as Billie Joe nodded. She then headed her room.

Ella took a look around what she had called her room for about a year now. It had once belonged to one of Billie Joe's sisters and she had dominated it when she had moved in. A lot of good and bad memories surrounded it. But it was a good place to always crash no matter what.

She'd miss it just like she would be missing her friends, the house, Ollie, and of course—Billie Joe.

* * *
It was nearing sometime between noon when Ella and Billie Joe took off to the airport. Most of the morning was spent packing things into Green Day's tour van to be ready to take off after Billie Joe took Ella to the airport.

One by one, they each hugged her. Ollie of course was first.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me," She said as she wiped a tear away.

"No problem kiddo. Good luck in New York."

It was now onto Mike.

"Remember me when you're famous." She grinned at Billie Joe's best friend.

He laughed. "Yeah... and in four years we'll have cool mansions."

Hey, never say never.

They said goodbye to one another and hugged again.

It was onto Al and then last but not least, Tre.

"I'm gonna miss you hot stuff!" He said loudly, tightening her into a hug.

"I'll miss you too but Tre, you're gonna kill me if you keep doing this... " She grasped for air after Mike and Billie Joe pulled him off of her.
Ella sighed and took one last look at the house. The last time she'd ever see it. She slowly went into Billie Joe's car quietly as he put in the rest of her luggage.

There was silence in the car as they were driving.

"This is gonna be tough," He said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. She said quietly.

"But we've been over this a million times."

"Yeah... "

Billie Joe slowly parked into an available parking space and helped Ella with her luggage. They both walked inside the airport onto the uncomfortable chairs to wait for her flight. She started sniffling.

"El... " Billie Joe began and put his arm around her. Then he had an idea.

"Wait, I'll be right back." He started to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"You'll see," He said and gave a grin for the first time that day.

A few minutes later he returned and was holding something in his hands.

"Here," He said and handed Ella a necklace.

"A one dollar necklace?"

"That way you'll remember me—sweet and cheap."

She smiled and let him put it on. She felt his hands on her neck and felt all tingly inside.

They spent a few more minutes just talking. Then finally, her flight was called. They both got up and felt like their stomach was doing a back flip.

"Well," She said as she felt the tears stinging in her eyes. "That's my flight."

Billie Joe nodded and they both hugged and kissed.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," She said as she let her head rest on his chest.

"Me too."

"I love you Billie."

"I love you too Ella."

Ella was crying. The tears were running down quickly. Billie Joe slowly wiped them away.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now you know."

"I know and if it weren't for you, I'd probably not have someone like you to always be there."

"You just watch Billie Joe," Ella said as she sniffled again. "People who are meant to be always end up together in the end." She gave a smile.

He gave a smile too.

The flight was called again and that was Ella's cue to leave. They said goodbye for the final time.

Billie Joe watched her walk away as she was trying to stop crying. He could feel his own tears forming. How he was ever lucky to end up with her, he would never know.

He changed her life once before. But he would soon change her life again in the future.