Ring the Alarm

"It's over." Billie couldn't say the words fast enough. Like the quicker he ended things, the less it would hurt.

"Excuse me?!" Abigail coughed in surprise. "Over?!"

"Yes Abigail. Over." He turned from her front door and went to head back to his car, only for Abigail to grab his sleeve and drag him back.

"A fucking explanation would be nice you prick. You can't just say that we're over and then walk away!"

"Don't make this harder than needs be Abigail." Billie exhaled deeply and rubbed his temples.

"But---I just don't understand why?! Why is it over? What's made you change your mind? It was only a couple of weeks ago that you were considering a future with me! What's changed since then? What have I done?!"

Wincing at all her questions, Billie glanced at his watch. It was going to be a longer conversation than he would have liked. "We better go inside," he sighed as he pushed past Abigail to go into her house.

As soon as she shut the front door, she fired her questions again. "Is this why I haven't seen you in two weeks? Because you've chosen her over me?!"

He placed one finger over her lips to silence her. "You wanted an explanation, so please let me speak Abigail." He went and perched on the arm of the couch, not wanting to get too comfortable for fear of changing his mind about the whole thing. "Look---you know how I feel about you right? You know I think you're great; one of the best people I've ever met. But---Adrienne is my wife and I can't just ignore that. We've been through too much for me to just leave her now. And even though I'm still not one hundred percent sure of this decision, I don't think it's fair to keep you waiting until I've decided who I want---"

A silence passed for what seemed to last an eternity; leaving Billie on the verge of what he thought was a heart attack as he waited for Abigail's response. Finally she sighed and moved from standing in front of him to sitting opposite to him on her other sofa.

"As much as I hate to say it Billie Joe---I understand. I mean, we do seem to be good together but I think deep inside of me I've always had my doubts about whether we would really work out or not! I consider myself a real dreamer and I just want to be swept off my feet you know? That might make me a big loser, but it's just me. And I've just realised that if you were going to be the one who was going to sweep me off my feet, then you would have realised that you wanted me a couple of weeks ago when we first had the conversation about us."

"Don't think that this is easy for me Abigail. You totally deserve to be swept off your feet! You're beautiful, kind, sweet and incredibly sexy!" Billie grinned cheekily at her, but shook his head and signalled for her not to interrupt when she began to say something. "I've already told you that with the way that you have made me doubt everything in my life just shows how much of an impact you have made on me. And then when I hear people at the studio telling me how great you are and how good it is to see us get along then it only makes this decision harder because I begin to question everything again."

"I know how this must screw you up Billie Joe. But only you can decide what you want. I mean, I think you're great too. You make me laugh and smile more than anyone else can---" she got up from her seat and crawled to kneel in front of Billie, taking his hands into her own and resting her chin on his knees. "I love the way we kiss. I love the sex. And I love the way your hands make me go crazy when you touch me---" on cue, she moved one of his hands to cup her cheek. She gently kissed his palm and exhaled deeply. "I've already said that I don't want to be the other woman and I'm not going to be the one to beg for you to leave Adrienne, so----I understand."

Whispering gently now, Billie tenderly stroked her cheek with his thumb. "In an ideal world we would be together with the kisses and the sex---and my hands! But we need to remember that we don't live in an ideal world and cooling things off is the only way that I'm going to be able to sort myself out. I'm sorry." He bent his head and kissed her forehead before moving to stand, and pulling Abigail up into a hug with him.

It was as they were hugging that Abigail tried kissing him. Billie raised his eyebrows apologetically as he dodged out of the way. "This already a difficult decision---a kiss might make me change my mind. Let me go while I'm still strong."

Silently, she released him from her arms and went to open the front door to let him out. Neither of them had anything else to say as Billie trudged to his car and slowly drove away.

---

Adrienne shook with shock and anger; hurt and disgust. 'How could he do this to me?' she thought as her eyes raked over the words in the emails for the millionth time.

In them, Billie had called Abigail things like, 'perfect' and 'gorgeous'; 'cute' and sexy'. She in turn, had said that Billie was, 'hot' and 'cheeky'; 'great in bed' and had 'sexy hands.' They talked of kissing and sex and how they were both glad that they had met each other. Billie had also admitted to Abigail that he was unsure of what he wanted in life and that it was the strength of his feelings for her that had made him question his marriage.

No matter how many times she squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them, hoping to wish away the incriminating words in front of her; the emails still remained. What hurt Adrienne the most was not, in fact, the apparent betrayal of trust; but Billie's openness of his feelings towards Abigail. Adrienne couldn't remember the last time Billie had called her beautiful; let alone perfect and sexy! It cut her in two that he had found these qualities in someone else.

She had worked herself up into a shaking, tearful mess by the time she heard Billie's car pull up again outside. With total disregard of her heavily pregnant state, she flew down the stairs with a fury that would have set the house alight. She reached the bottom just as Billie stepped inside. With all her strength, she pulled her arm back and struck him across the face.

"You fucking bastard! You lying, fucking bastard! How could you do this to me?!" She didn't care that she was screaming. Nor did she care that Billie's lip was bleeding heavily thanks to the force of her strike. She was just so, so angry.

"You SWORE that you were just friends Billie! You PROMISED me that nothing was going on between you two! And now you've made me look like an IDIOT by carrying on with her behind my back! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE you!"

Surprisingly, Billie didn't need to ask why Adrienne hated him. But he was confused as to how she'd found out. He had been so careful with his cell phone and he was sure she had never caught them together. But the confusion was soon drowned by worry and concern for his wife's health as she frantically ran back up the stairs, still sobbing manically.

"Adrienne--wait! Adrienne, you need to explain to me what's happened!" He flew up after her as fast as he could. When he rounded the landing and went into the bedroom he stopped short when he saw Adrienne stood pointing at the computer screen.

'Shit,' he thought as the realisation of consequences hit him as hard as she had downstairs. "I can explain--" he began, approaching her slowly, holding his hands up.

Adrienne pushed past him and made towards the closet. "You better---because you've got until this suitcase is full to make your point and then I want you to get your lying, cheating ass out of this house!"

Billie watched as she dragged his heavy suitcase that he used when Green Day were on tour, from out of the closet and began to tear down his shirts and pants from their hangers and throw them inside. Billie knew her blood pressure was at boiling point so spoke calmly and softly as he explained himself.

"I know how it seems Adrienne. But you need to believe that nothing has happened between Abigail and I."

She scoffed in disgust. "You must really think I'm stupid Billie Joe! I've read what you've put for gods sakes! She said you were great in bed! And you talk about kisses and sex! You don't fool me."

He made his way over to the bed and closed the suitcase, leaning all his weight on it so she couldn't pack any more of his things. And when Adrienne decided to throw this clothes in face, he took this as an opportunity to race around to her side to take hold of her wrists to make her look at him.

"Adrienne---sweetheart---I SWEAR to you on the life of our baby that I haven't cheated on you!"

Just as his insides filled with hatred for his own lying ass, one of Adrienne's hands broke free and struck him again hard across the face.

"Don't you DARE make promises like that when I know that you're lying! The truth is right there in front of me in black and white!"

"And I've told you it's not how it seems! Yes, I'll admit that I've been meeting up with Abigail, but we are just friends. I wouldn't do that to you because I love you!"

Seeing how close Billie had got to her again, she pushed him away. "If it's not how it seems then explain why you told her that she had made you doubt your marriage because you had strong feelings for you!"

At remembering this, she sank to the floor and started to sob again. She felt Billie crouch in front of her but couldn't find the strength between the sobs to push him away. Instead, she tensed up and wouldn't let herself fall into his attempt to hug her.

"Baby---I need you to look at me while I tell you the truth. Please Adrienne---please---"

Still tense, Adrienne lifted her head and nodded for him to begin.

"Ok---yes---I'll admit that recently, I've been feeling things for Abigail. But you need to know that it's over now. I promise. And I'm not going to lie anymore and tell you that when I went out earlier I didn't go to get beer for the party; I went round to see her. But before you can hit me again---I went round there to end it. I don't want her. I want you. I NEED you Adrienne. I love you."

Adrienne looked up from her arms and for the first time, Billie saw the heartbreak etched on her face in the mascara tracks that coloured her cheeks. "Why Billie?" she whispered, her voice cracking with the overload of emotion. "Why now? Why her?"

"I don't know why, Adrienne. I guess I let the pressure of having a baby and releasing a new album, get to me. I felt trapped, like everything was moving so fast and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Then Abigail came along and gave me a shoulder to cry on. It was new and refreshing and I confused these feelings with my feelings for you. Deep down I knew I was never in doubt about this marriage---it just took me a while to realise it."

"Then why didn't you come to me Billie?! I'm your wife---you should talk to me about these things! Especially when it's things about the baby!"

"I know that now Adie. I know that I did wrong in turning to Abigail instead of you! But I was afraid that you wouldn't understand or that you would get angry at me."

"You're even more stupid than I thought Billie Joe Armstrong! Of course I wouldn't have gotten mad because I'm just as scared as you! I know things have moved fast for us. Hell, it hasn't even been a year since I graduated college and now I'm married and pregnant and living two thousand miles away from my family! So don't even think about saying that I wouldn't understand about how scared you are, because the truth is, I'm just as scared, if not more scared than you! I'm the one who has had to give everything up to be here with you, but I wouldn't have it any other way! And if ever I've got a problem you're the first person I talk to---you should have come to ME!"

"I know that now Adie---I know! I'm a bastard for ever putting you through this---"

Hearing this, Adrienne suddenly found her strength and got to her feet. The speed at which she did this knocked Billie Joe away from her and onto his back. She contemplated stamping on his head before snarling angrily at him and resumed getting his clothes out of the closet.

"Bastard is an understatement! For the last two months you've made me feel like shit! You've been so cold and unloving and had me thinking that it was because of something I had done! I've always battled with the thought that I wasn't good enough for you---a geeky college girl with the cool punk star never works out! And now when I see what you've called her, you've just made me think it even more!"

"Never, EVER think that you're not good enough for me Adie because it's not true. In fact, you're TOO good for me! You're smart and beautiful and have way too much about you for you to be wasting your life with a two bit musician! Me and everyone else knows that I don't deserve someone like you!"

"Too right you don't Billie--that's why I want you to take this suitcase and get the fuck out of my life. I'm done putting up with your shit! Me and the baby are better off without your lying, cheating ass."

With the last bit of force that lingered in her muscles, she somehow managed to pick the case up off the bed and drop it in Billie's lap as he still sat on the floor.

"Leave. Now."

"Adrienne---please don't do this. I haven't cheated on you! I've told you I was just confused but now I know who I really want---who I've always wanted! And when the emails talk about sex and kissing, Abigail and I are not talking about them as if we've done them together. We're just talking about how we like to do them in general!"

"Only someone as fucked up as you can think of a lie that pathetic Billie Joe. I don't need to tell you that I don't believe you ---now get out."

"No. I'm not leaving until you listen to me Adie. I don't want to throw this marriage away over something as stupid as this. It's all a big misunderstanding---and it's all because of me not coming and talking to you about my feelings. I know I've done wrong but it's made me realise that I can't ever be without you. Please---don't make me go. We need to work this out."

"No---you need to get out of here before I give you more than a busted lip. I don't care how pregnant I am; I'll kick your sorry ass all the way out of the house and down the street if I have to---if that's what it takes to get you away from me! You make me SICK and I want you to leave!"

Seeing the anger return to her eyes, Billie shivered at the conviction in Adrienne's words. He threw the case from his lap and crawled over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in her lap. "Baby, I love you. Adie, I'm sorry. Please---listen to me---"

He could feel her trying to break one of her legs free to kick him, but Billie squeezed even tighter. He knew if he let her go then he would also be letting go of his marriage. He could sense Adrienne's hate for him in every syllable that she spoke; but this was nothing compared to the hate that he felt towards himself. He knew he was worse than a bastard. He knew that Adrienne had every right to want to throw him out. If he was a decent enough man then he knew he would take his things, and do as Adrienne wished. But he knew he was far too selfish to leave.

He loved her too much. And without her, he was nothing. She was the driving force behind his songs. It was his love for her that made him work as hard as he did because he never wanted her to go without. It was true, she had given up everything to be with him and he had vowed a lifetime of servitude to her so she would never regret the decision. Now, as he watched her shake in anger and turn away from him in disgust, he wished he had never been born as so to have never brought this misery upon her.

Of all the things he was sorry for, the pain on her face now, was what he was sorry for the most.

He was just about to apologise and beg again when Adrienne let out a bloodcurdling scream. Clutching her stomach, she dropped to her knees. Sobs of anger were replaced by screams of agony. Hastily moving away from her, for fear it was him that had physically hurt her, he frantically scanned her body for signs of injury.

His heart almost exploded from his chest in fright, when he saw the dark crimson, almost black blood, oozing down Adrienne's leg.

"NO!" he cried, whipping her up into his arms. "The baby!"