Sequel: Hold On

Life As It Is

It's All Too Complicated

Ella almost choked on her saliva. She coughed and tried to take in what Adrienne had just said.

"Y-You mean as in Mike Dirnt, Billie's best friend and band mate?" She said as her fingers trembled a little.

Adrienne nodded as she wiped away her guilty tears.

The younger woman was still in shock. Mike? MIKE? Out of all the people, it could not get any worse.

"Oh my god," Ella muttered for the second time that day. "Holly and Billie are going to go crazy."

"I know." Adrienne said, obviously hearing her mutters.

"W-Why'd you do it? What happened?" Another batch of questions was circling through Ella's mind.

"It's a long story."

The thirty-three year old looked at her watch. "I have enough time."

It was just another December day spent in Adrienne's new home. Blankly watching television, she heard the doorbell ring. She got up lazily and passed by the hall mirror to check if her appearance looked decent and fixed her dreadlocks a little bit. She opened the screen door and the official front door to find a casual Mike Dirnt on the doorstep.

"Hey Adie," he said with a warm smile. He was sympathizing with all she was going through.

"Hey," she said, leaning against the door. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing really... just wanted to give you some company and sort of getting my own. Holly went to go meet up with some friends. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Adrienne turned around and led the bassist into the living room where they both sat together on the couch.

"So... how've you been?"

"To be honest," the older woman said as she turned off the television. "I've been horrible, Mike. Just horrible."

The younger man gave her a sympathetic look.

"You're gonna get through this, trust me. I mean I got out of a divorce not too long ago and now, I'm really happy."

"I know I will but—" Adrienne paused and the tears started coming out for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "I got out of a ten year marriage. And I'm still in love with him." Him, meaning Billie Joe.

"Yeah. That's the tough part."

Adrienne sniffled. "I know that I was the one to suggest we get a divorce but I had no other choice. Even if he had told me he had knocked up Ella earlier I would've done the same thing. God this is so hard."

"I wish I knew what to say. I've never been in a ten year marriage before."

She nodded. "The hardest part is that I know somewhere deep down he still loves me too. But on Thanksgiving, the looks he was giving Ella just made me realize how much he loves her. And the looks he gave her were ones I don't think I've ever witnessed him give me in all our years together."

Mike at that point didn't know what to say.

"Well then I guess you guys are gonna have to move on... " he shrugged.

"I think he's definitely ready to move on. And I don't blame him. He has every right to even if it's pretty soon."

"I don't know. My last wife seemed to have moved on pretty quickly. Everyone's different," the thirty-two year old winced at the thought of his ex-wife.

"I know. But I'm so messed up," she rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

The bassist reached over and rubbed her back a little.

"It's going to get better, Adie. Believe me."

She opened her eyes, picked her head up and looked at him.

"Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate your help," the thirty-five year woman reached over and hugged him softly.

When they parted, Adrienne kept looking at him. And without any warning, she reached over and kissed him right on the lips.

"Adie I—I have a girlfriend... "

The two went right at it and a little while later they found themselves getting redressed.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Mike muttered. "I can't believe we did that."

"I'm so, so sorry," she shook her head.

"So am I. You were vulnerable but I love Holly and I can't believe we did that. I'm sorry."

He darted out of them room guiltily, leaving Adrienne to ponder what she had just done.


"Holy shit." Ella finally said, amazed by what the woman had just told her.

"I feel so guilty."

"Does he know that you're—" She couldn't even say it.

Adrienne nodded.

So this is why Mike's been showering Holly with gifts. Out of guilt.

The younger woman looked at her watch. It was almost time to meet up with Billie Joe and everyone else. At this point, after learning what she had just learned, she didn't think she could do it. But she had to.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I have to uhh get going," Adrienne nodded again.

Ella got up and so did she.

"Listen, please don't tell Billie. He's going to be devastated but it's my responsibility to tell him."

"I wasn't planning to anyway."

"Ok, thanks. And thanks for letting me sort of tell you—I needed to get it off my chest to someone else."

"No problem."

The two walked to the front door as Ella exited. She walked down the street feeling incredibly upset. How did she go from extremely happy to extremely upset? And how come it was always her to end up hiding something big from her boyfriend.

First it had been her parents abusing her. Then it was Al leaving the band. And now this.

She knew the minute Billie Joe and Holly were to find out; things weren't going to be as peachy anymore.

* * *
When she arrived in front of the Armstrong home, she found that her boyfriend was already there, waiting for her.

"Hey," he said with a smile on his face but immediately noticed her expression. "What's wrong, babe?"

Immediately noticing that she hadn't done well hiding her upset emotions, she had to cover it all up.

"Nothing, just sort of tired."

"Oh ok," he still studied her face. "How'd it go with Adie?"

"Good," she nodded.

"I'm glad."

Billie Joe grabbed her and gave her a quick kiss before heading inside the house to grab all of their belongings.

After a few moments of waiting outside, a van drove up to the home. Being the gentleman that he was, the rock star put the baggage and everything else himself.

Ella went inside to find Mike, Holly, and Tre already there. She watched as her best friend whispered in her boyfriend's ear as Green Day's drummer sat next to them, grinning with a scrunched up face and head banging.

"Hey guys... " she said. After finding out what her best friend's boyfriend did, she felt horrible. "What the fuck are you doing, Tre?"

Noticing the pregnant woman's presence, the three immediately looked up.

"I'm not doing anything... " Tre said as he gave a shifty face.

"Hey!" Holly said with a grin which made Ella's stomach do a somersault.

"Hey, you sent Billie boy to do all the work for you?" Mike chuckled.

"Yep. I have an excuse," she gave a smile and found a seat for her to sit in. "So where else are we headed?"

"We're picking up the rest of the guys and then we're off to our smokin' private jet," the bassist said with much sarcasm.

Billie Joe got into the van and slid the door closed.

"Tre, will you stop acting like you're watching porn. Jesus, you really need to get laid," he said as he slid into the seat next to his girlfriend and put his arm around her.

"Well for your information—" the drummer paused to think of something witty. "You're right." He finished off quietly.

The van drove off, picked up the rest of the Green Day crew, and headed off to their private jet.

The couple found the best seat and sat together.

"El, are you sure you're okay?" The front man asked as she looked out the window.

She turned to face him with a smile. "Yeah. It's just that I'm getting easily tired. First I get laid," which she said loud enough to tick off Tre.

"And then I walk a block or two to Adrienne's and back. So I'm done for the day."

He gave her a devilish smile.

"We still have a long flight to New York. So I'm not done with you yet."

She giggled, suddenly forgetting about the events prior to the plane taking off.

"Meet me in the bathroom in ten minutes," she whispered with another giggle as she made her way to the bathroom, beating anyone who was thinking of going.

"Ella's been in the bathroom for a while now... " Jason White said after exactly ten minutes.

"Yeah well she's pregnant and stuff. I'll uhh—go check on her," Billie Joe getting up as Holly mouthed to him that he was a sly dog.

He knocked on the door innocently, even though nobody was looking at him.

"It's me," he called over the door.

His girlfriend slowly opened the bathroom door with a grin and led him inside. As soon as they locked the door, Ella was the one this time to push him against the wall and start kissing him.

"My, my," he said, whispering and giggling. "Aren't you a horny pregnant lady?"

"Mmm-hmm. Yes I am. Can't deny it. Don't really care," she started kissing his neck as quickly as she could while he seemed to have been doing the same.

Their lips met again as Ella pulled him back from the wall a little and tugged on his hair with a grin. She started unbuttoning his shirt and kissed his chest as she did it and he then—.

"Can you guys stop having sex there so some of us can go take a piss?" a complaining Tre called out.

The two giggled. "We weren't even close to that," Billie Joe whispered to her as she gave him a grin.

"We're coming out Tre, keep your hands where we can see them," Ella called out as her boyfriend buttoned up his shirt again.

They opened the door for the drummer who rushed inside. They giggled as the rest of their friends gave them looks.

"We still have time, don't worry," Billie Joe said.

During their next attempt at intimacy, they succeeded.

"You guys are worse than bunnies," Holly shook her head.

* * *
After answering countless questions about his divorce with Adrienne, Billie Joe was relieved to get it out of the way. Upon announcing that and how he was expecting another child with another woman, he found it shocking that his fans were taking it well. He had seen the countless talk on the internet (All thanks to Ella, because he was clueless when it came to computers.) but concluded that they all had to move on because it was his marriage, not theirs.

He felt great after the New York Times event as well, seeing that he accomplished the day's work.

When he and his girlfriend got to their hotel room, they were both clearly exhausted.

Ella took her side of the bed and immediately tried to fall asleep after changing.

"Going to sleep already?" he asked her as he stripped down from his pants into his boxers and then changing into a Misfits shirt.

"Yeah... I'm just done for today," she said as she closed her eyes and yawned.

"Me too." He crawled into bed next to her and kissed her neck and shoulder that was facing him as she gave him a distant smile.

* * *
A few days later, everyone found themselves on the road for the next leg of the American Idiot Tour. Ella was slowly trying to forget what Adrienne had told her before she and everyone else had taken off for New York. But she just couldn't.

During one afternoon before the band would head to their next gig for a sound check, Mike sat down next to Ella in her and Billie Joe's hotel room, where everyone had somehow gotten in to crash.

"Hey," he said, looking towards her.

She looked over at Billie Joe talking to Holly. She watched as they were probably discussing music since her best friend was practically shoving a CD into her boyfriend's face.

"Hey," she said back as she was now looking at him.

"Can we go outside and talk?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

They told everyone they'd be right outside as they got up and left the room. The two both stepped out into the quiet hallway of the hotel.

"Did I uhh, say or do anything to you lately?"

She gave the bassist a confused look.

"No... why?"

"It seems like lately you've been trying to avoid me for some reason," he shrugged.

As a matter of fact, he was partly right. Ella had somehow just completely shut down when Mike would approach her or whatnot. She was completely distant from the guy who she once used to get drunk with a lot.
She sighed.

"It's because, I know," Ella looked down.

"Know what?"

"About what happened with you and Adrienne," she said quietly, hoping no one in the hotel room had heard that.

She looked up to find Mike shoving his hands down to the front pockets of his pants.

"How'd you find out?" his tone was suddenly different.

"I was at her house and I found the pregnancy test in the trash, asked her about it and she told me. Everything."

The thirty-two year old man cursed under his breath.

"I can't believe you would do that, Mike. Holly loves you. I thought you did too," Ella shook her head.

His light blue eyes met her chocolate brown eyes.

"I do, El. I do. Things just sort of happened fast with Adrienne and I didn't know we were headed down that road. It all—just happened fast," he shrugged.

She sighed again, not really knowing what else to say.

"Listen. When Holly and Billie find out, they're gonna be devastated and hurt. And I hate having to know and having to keep this from them," she slowly fought the tears.

"I know, I know."

"And I can't see Holly heartbroken for the second time in her entire life."

"What do you mean?"

Ella took a deep breath and gave him his answer.

"A few years ago, Hol' was engaged to the guy she thought was her one and only. They were in love and were so close to getting married. A few weeks before the ceremony, she caught him having sex with another woman. And it killed her Mike. She couldn't be with anyone or ever get attached like that again. Until you came along."

Mike breathed deeply.

"I never knew that," he said quietly.

"Now you do."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with her and Billie."

"If I knew what was going to happen, I'd tell you. But I guess we have to find out sooner or later," he nodded.

The door suddenly swung open and they both saw Tre excitedly exit the room.

"Come on, Mikey boy. Time to hit the road."

The Green Day crew got out, one by one along with Holly. Billie Joe had stopped and walked up to his girlfriend.

"You sure you don't wanna come tonight?" he asked her as he happily gave her a kiss.

"Yeah. I'm sure. I feel tired, again," she gave him a devilish smile, reminding him of what had happened the night before.

She kissed him again before they said good-bye to one another.

"Go get 'em," she said as she smacked his ass, making him walk off grinning like an idiot.

Holly waved to her best friend before catching up with her boyfriend and grabbing his hand. Ella stood there, with her arms crossed, smiling. This was her life now.

She opened the door to the hotel room and somehow had fallen asleep. The next time she had awoken, she heard the door quietly close and someone starting to walk inside.

When she opened her eyes, she saw two green ones staring right back at her.

"Hey," she said groggily, slowly getting up.

"Hey, stay down. I'm heading off to bed anyway," Billie Joe said. He was on his knees, obviously about to give his girlfriend a kiss regardless if she was awake or not. And so he did.

"How was the show?" she asked, snuggling up in bed again.

"Awesome. Mind if I sleep sweaty and shirtless next to you?" he asked, chuckling at what he just asked her.

"Are you kidding me? Of course! It's every twelve year old girl's dream to hear that from you," she said sarcastically with a grin as he unbutton his shirt, slipped into his boxers and landed in bed right next to her.

"Not the sarcasm again. Note to Ella: stop watching Gilmore Girls."

"Ha! That shall never happen."

Billie Joe turned off the light he had turned on when he had come in.

"Don't even think about putting your arms around me. Twelve year old girls like a sweaty, shirtless Billie Joe Armstrong sleep next to them, but they don't like getting the sweat on them," she said as her boyfriend gave a groan. She laughed.

"You're so lucky I love you to death," he closed his eyes and tried to rest.

The two were at the point where nothing could come between them ever again. They were fine. But there were other things with other people where they would both have to overcome as many obstacles as they did once upon a time.