Destination Beautiful
VI ***ing Hell
Starbucks? Why the fuck had he said Starbucks? It’s not like he was Mike, longing for a coffee every minute of the day.
As he hit yet another chord wrong, Billie Joe sighed in frustration and called out for a break. He noticed Mike and Tré shared yet another one of those looks they seemed to have a lot recently. As if a strange behaving girlfriend wasn’t enough.
“I’m gonna go grab a bite to eat,” Billie Joe announced as he put away his guitar.
“Good idea, I’m starving,” Tré said, getting up and following Billie outside.
“You coming too?” he asked, looking at Mike over his shoulder.
“No Tré, it’s okay, you guys go. I think I’m gonna give Becca a call,” Mike replied.
Tré nodded, and wiggled his eyebrows before stepping outside, closing the door behind him.
“So, where are we heading?”
Billie Joe shrugged as they headed downtown Berkeley. He’d stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground, obviously not there with his thoughts.
“Youknow I was thinking, maybe some Pizza Hut. That’s been long,” Tré continued.
He waited for a reply, but when he still didn’t get one after a few minutes, Tré turned his head to look at Billie.
“Bill?”
Billie Joe looked up.
“You know what, Tré? I cannot use you right now okay? So, go and bother someone else with your Pizza Hut, please,” He snapped.
“Oh,” Tré said, remaining silent for a few seconds.
“Should I save you a piece?”
”I don’t care about the fucking pizza, man. I just want to be alone. Is it really that hard? Just go.”
“Right,” he mumbled.
“Bill, are you-“
“Jesus Christ Tré, just shut the fuck up and go get your fucking pizza!”
“Okay, okay,” Tré said, defensively holding up his hands in the air. “I’m already gone,” he said as he turned around.
Billie Joe rolled his eyes as he continued his walk. He’d made up his mind and had decided to call Adrienne today, despite the fact she had said she’d call him back the last time they spoke. Searching for a telephone booth, he finally found one in the city park after ten minutes of walking around.
He took a breath and got in, dialing Adrienne’s number.
After what seemed like forever, someone answered.
“Hello?”
What the..?
“Ehm, hi. Can I speak to Adrienne?”
He waited for an answer, but instead heard some rumbling and background noises, before her familiar voice came out.
“Hello?”
”Adie? Hey, it’s me,” he said.
“Oh. Hi Billie.”
“I just wanted to call you to see what’s up. I know you said you’d call me back, but well it’s been a while and stuff..”
”Yeah..”
Silence overtook the conversation, and after a while he heard some buzzing and something that sounded like a giggle from her, followed by a ‘stop it’.
What the hell?
“So.. what’s up?”
“Well youknow, just the regular.. youknow Billie, I don’t- wait,” Adrienne said, before he could hear her putting her hand on the phone.
”Look, I’m just.. no it won’t be long. Don’t worry ‘bout it babe, it’ll be fine”
Babe. He’d heard it. She could’ve spoken as softly as she could and he’d have heard it.
“Adie? What’s going on?”
“Listen, Billie, now is not a good time to talk. How about I call you back tomorrow?”
He bit his lip, thinking of a decent answer.
He took a breath, before answering.
“Youknow it’s never a good time to talk. How do I know you will call back tomorrow? What’s going on Adie? I think I have a right to know.”
“Nothing’s going on, listen I-“
“Is there something I should know? Do you-," he paused, "do you even want to do this anymore?”
Silence for a moment.
“Billie, I really can’t talk right now. I gotta go.” And with that she hung up.
“Adie? .. Adie.. Fuck!” he yelled out as he heard the phone beep. He threw the phone back on it’s holder and slammed his fist against the glass.
“fuck fuck fuck fuck.”
He left the booth, kicking it’s door close, and turned around walking further into the park. She’d left him confused, sad and angry, and right now he had nowhere he wanted to go, no one he wanted to turn to and nothing he wanted to do. Except for being with her and wanting everything to be fine. Like it used to be.
After a walk of what seemed ages, he sat down on the nearest bench, tired of everything and in need of clearing his mind. He let out a sigh. “Fucking hell,” he muttered.
***
I looked aside as I noticed someone had sat down next to me, and was sorta shocked when I saw who was there. How did he get there? Had he noticed I was there? He didn’t seem to. Did he even remember me? He seemed to be quite upset. Was this really him? I thought I was the one to get upset.
“Billie Joe?”
As he hit yet another chord wrong, Billie Joe sighed in frustration and called out for a break. He noticed Mike and Tré shared yet another one of those looks they seemed to have a lot recently. As if a strange behaving girlfriend wasn’t enough.
“I’m gonna go grab a bite to eat,” Billie Joe announced as he put away his guitar.
“Good idea, I’m starving,” Tré said, getting up and following Billie outside.
“You coming too?” he asked, looking at Mike over his shoulder.
“No Tré, it’s okay, you guys go. I think I’m gonna give Becca a call,” Mike replied.
Tré nodded, and wiggled his eyebrows before stepping outside, closing the door behind him.
“So, where are we heading?”
Billie Joe shrugged as they headed downtown Berkeley. He’d stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground, obviously not there with his thoughts.
“Youknow I was thinking, maybe some Pizza Hut. That’s been long,” Tré continued.
He waited for a reply, but when he still didn’t get one after a few minutes, Tré turned his head to look at Billie.
“Bill?”
Billie Joe looked up.
“You know what, Tré? I cannot use you right now okay? So, go and bother someone else with your Pizza Hut, please,” He snapped.
“Oh,” Tré said, remaining silent for a few seconds.
“Should I save you a piece?”
”I don’t care about the fucking pizza, man. I just want to be alone. Is it really that hard? Just go.”
“Right,” he mumbled.
“Bill, are you-“
“Jesus Christ Tré, just shut the fuck up and go get your fucking pizza!”
“Okay, okay,” Tré said, defensively holding up his hands in the air. “I’m already gone,” he said as he turned around.
Billie Joe rolled his eyes as he continued his walk. He’d made up his mind and had decided to call Adrienne today, despite the fact she had said she’d call him back the last time they spoke. Searching for a telephone booth, he finally found one in the city park after ten minutes of walking around.
He took a breath and got in, dialing Adrienne’s number.
After what seemed like forever, someone answered.
“Hello?”
What the..?
“Ehm, hi. Can I speak to Adrienne?”
He waited for an answer, but instead heard some rumbling and background noises, before her familiar voice came out.
“Hello?”
”Adie? Hey, it’s me,” he said.
“Oh. Hi Billie.”
“I just wanted to call you to see what’s up. I know you said you’d call me back, but well it’s been a while and stuff..”
”Yeah..”
Silence overtook the conversation, and after a while he heard some buzzing and something that sounded like a giggle from her, followed by a ‘stop it’.
What the hell?
“So.. what’s up?”
“Well youknow, just the regular.. youknow Billie, I don’t- wait,” Adrienne said, before he could hear her putting her hand on the phone.
”Look, I’m just.. no it won’t be long. Don’t worry ‘bout it babe, it’ll be fine”
Babe. He’d heard it. She could’ve spoken as softly as she could and he’d have heard it.
“Adie? What’s going on?”
“Listen, Billie, now is not a good time to talk. How about I call you back tomorrow?”
He bit his lip, thinking of a decent answer.
He took a breath, before answering.
“Youknow it’s never a good time to talk. How do I know you will call back tomorrow? What’s going on Adie? I think I have a right to know.”
“Nothing’s going on, listen I-“
“Is there something I should know? Do you-," he paused, "do you even want to do this anymore?”
Silence for a moment.
“Billie, I really can’t talk right now. I gotta go.” And with that she hung up.
“Adie? .. Adie.. Fuck!” he yelled out as he heard the phone beep. He threw the phone back on it’s holder and slammed his fist against the glass.
“fuck fuck fuck fuck.”
He left the booth, kicking it’s door close, and turned around walking further into the park. She’d left him confused, sad and angry, and right now he had nowhere he wanted to go, no one he wanted to turn to and nothing he wanted to do. Except for being with her and wanting everything to be fine. Like it used to be.
After a walk of what seemed ages, he sat down on the nearest bench, tired of everything and in need of clearing his mind. He let out a sigh. “Fucking hell,” he muttered.
***
I looked aside as I noticed someone had sat down next to me, and was sorta shocked when I saw who was there. How did he get there? Had he noticed I was there? He didn’t seem to. Did he even remember me? He seemed to be quite upset. Was this really him? I thought I was the one to get upset.
“Billie Joe?”