Sequel: Hold On ›
Life As It Is
Billie Joe the Songwriter
When Billie Joe came home, he found Mike, An, and Ollie cleaning up. He also saw Tre greedily eating candy,
"Grab a trash can and clean up." Ollie said when she saw her son walk in.
"I can't believe you let Tre off the hook!" Billie Joe said as he grabbed a trash can.
"He was getting a little bit too hyper and almost attacked me." Ollie chuckled a little.
Billie Joe, Mike, Al, and Ollie continued to clean for a few more minutes until they all finished and propped themselves on the couch.
"I'm never gonna understand you Tre." Mike said as Tre was gobbling down candy. He rolled his eyes and continued chewing.
"So that Ella is a very nice girl. You two would make a good couple." Ollie said.
"Mom... We're just friends..." Billie Joe began to say.
"Admit it dude... You like her!" Mike teased.
How could Billie Joe not lie? He liked her a lot of course.
"Dude shut up." He said nonchalantly.
"Well I'm off to bed everybody." Ollie announced as she yawned.
"'Night mom." Billie Joe said as he lead the other guys to the door. Well in Tre's case, kick him out and make him stop stealing candy.
As Billie Joe walked up to his room, his thoughts obviously wandered to Ella when all of a sudden a guitar part for a possible beginning to a song came to mind. He quickly ran into his room and got a pen and paper to write it on. As he wrote it, he started to get all sorts of metaphors down onto paper as well. He looked over the first verse:
"I wish I could tell you,
But the words would come out wrong,
Oh if you only knew,
They way I felt for so long,
I know that we're worlds apart,
But I just don't seem to care,
These feelings in my heart,
Only with you I want to share"
And that's how the song "Only of You" was written.
* * * * * * **
Ella walked to school the next morning as usual. All she could really think about was Billie Joe. She definitely knew she liked him more than a friend. Ella was scared to tell him how she felt. Most of all she was scared of what almost everyone is of--rejection.
"Ella!" A familiar voice.
She turned around and saw Mike coming towards her with a bookbag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey!" Ella said smiling," Where's Billie Joe."
"No idea. He's probably ditching for the whole day." Mike shrugged.
"Oh." Ella said kind of sadly.
That's when Mike realized that she probably liked Billie Joe. Who wouldn't? Whenever they were at Gilman Street, girls went crazy for his best friend. He and Al didn't have that but it wasn't as if Billie Joe was a prick because of it.
And thinking about the night before, if Billie Joe's knee or shoulder brushed against Ella she would blush a little.
"Mike?" Ella said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yeah? Uh... Let's walk." Mike said trying to focus on getting to school.
At the end of the day, Ella and Mike met up again.
"Damn I guess Billie Joe ditched all day." Mike said as he and Ella walked together.
"Yeah, I guess so." Ella shrugged, still kind of disappointed.
When the two approached Ella's house, Ella told Mike she would see him probably tomorrow because she had to catch up on homework--which in fact was the truth.
Ella walked into her house knowing that nothing would happen today because she had done a good job of avoiding her parents in the morning which they did as well.
* * * * * * * *
Mike rang the doorbell of Billie Joe's house knowing that he was probably working on a song.
"Hey man." Billie Joe said as he opened the front door, letting his best friend in.
"So why'd ya skip today? Song?" Mike asked.
"Sorta..." Billie Joe didn't want Mike to know about the song he wrote last night and the one he wrote today.
"What do you mean 'sorta'?" Mike glanced over at the coffee table to see a pen and paper filled with writing. Mike ran over to it before Billie Joe had a chance to stop him.
"I knew you liked Ella! These are about her aren't they?"
"Yeah..." Billie Joe groaned.
"You're gonna tell her right?" Mike said, handing Billie Joe the paper and pen.
"I don't know. I'll think of something." Billie Joe was saved by the ring of the phone. It was Al calling to tell them they were booked for a show on Friday.
"We should play those 2 new songs on Friday." Mike suggested.
Billie Joe was already thinking up a plan. As he was writing these 2 songs, he knew he would have to tell Ella sooner or later.
"Yeah... I know. That's when I'm gonna tell Ella how I feel," Billie Joe said at last," Whether she feels the same way or not."
"Grab a trash can and clean up." Ollie said when she saw her son walk in.
"I can't believe you let Tre off the hook!" Billie Joe said as he grabbed a trash can.
"He was getting a little bit too hyper and almost attacked me." Ollie chuckled a little.
Billie Joe, Mike, Al, and Ollie continued to clean for a few more minutes until they all finished and propped themselves on the couch.
"I'm never gonna understand you Tre." Mike said as Tre was gobbling down candy. He rolled his eyes and continued chewing.
"So that Ella is a very nice girl. You two would make a good couple." Ollie said.
"Mom... We're just friends..." Billie Joe began to say.
"Admit it dude... You like her!" Mike teased.
How could Billie Joe not lie? He liked her a lot of course.
"Dude shut up." He said nonchalantly.
"Well I'm off to bed everybody." Ollie announced as she yawned.
"'Night mom." Billie Joe said as he lead the other guys to the door. Well in Tre's case, kick him out and make him stop stealing candy.
As Billie Joe walked up to his room, his thoughts obviously wandered to Ella when all of a sudden a guitar part for a possible beginning to a song came to mind. He quickly ran into his room and got a pen and paper to write it on. As he wrote it, he started to get all sorts of metaphors down onto paper as well. He looked over the first verse:
"I wish I could tell you,
But the words would come out wrong,
Oh if you only knew,
They way I felt for so long,
I know that we're worlds apart,
But I just don't seem to care,
These feelings in my heart,
Only with you I want to share"
And that's how the song "Only of You" was written.
* * * * * * **
Ella walked to school the next morning as usual. All she could really think about was Billie Joe. She definitely knew she liked him more than a friend. Ella was scared to tell him how she felt. Most of all she was scared of what almost everyone is of--rejection.
"Ella!" A familiar voice.
She turned around and saw Mike coming towards her with a bookbag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey!" Ella said smiling," Where's Billie Joe."
"No idea. He's probably ditching for the whole day." Mike shrugged.
"Oh." Ella said kind of sadly.
That's when Mike realized that she probably liked Billie Joe. Who wouldn't? Whenever they were at Gilman Street, girls went crazy for his best friend. He and Al didn't have that but it wasn't as if Billie Joe was a prick because of it.
And thinking about the night before, if Billie Joe's knee or shoulder brushed against Ella she would blush a little.
"Mike?" Ella said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yeah? Uh... Let's walk." Mike said trying to focus on getting to school.
At the end of the day, Ella and Mike met up again.
"Damn I guess Billie Joe ditched all day." Mike said as he and Ella walked together.
"Yeah, I guess so." Ella shrugged, still kind of disappointed.
When the two approached Ella's house, Ella told Mike she would see him probably tomorrow because she had to catch up on homework--which in fact was the truth.
Ella walked into her house knowing that nothing would happen today because she had done a good job of avoiding her parents in the morning which they did as well.
* * * * * * * *
Mike rang the doorbell of Billie Joe's house knowing that he was probably working on a song.
"Hey man." Billie Joe said as he opened the front door, letting his best friend in.
"So why'd ya skip today? Song?" Mike asked.
"Sorta..." Billie Joe didn't want Mike to know about the song he wrote last night and the one he wrote today.
"What do you mean 'sorta'?" Mike glanced over at the coffee table to see a pen and paper filled with writing. Mike ran over to it before Billie Joe had a chance to stop him.
"I knew you liked Ella! These are about her aren't they?"
"Yeah..." Billie Joe groaned.
"You're gonna tell her right?" Mike said, handing Billie Joe the paper and pen.
"I don't know. I'll think of something." Billie Joe was saved by the ring of the phone. It was Al calling to tell them they were booked for a show on Friday.
"We should play those 2 new songs on Friday." Mike suggested.
Billie Joe was already thinking up a plan. As he was writing these 2 songs, he knew he would have to tell Ella sooner or later.
"Yeah... I know. That's when I'm gonna tell Ella how I feel," Billie Joe said at last," Whether she feels the same way or not."