Sequel: Tensions ›
The Other Woman
Apparitions
Meanwhile, in the Armstrong household, hell was about to invade the earth.
Billie Joe lay on the floor, embellished with a bloody nose and busted lip. His eye was beginning to bruise as well, and if it weren’t for Adrienne kneeling in front of him, Tre would have finished him off for good.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Tre!” she screamed at the younger drummer. Joey and Jakob lay to the side of their father, both as scared and confused as ever.
He didn’t mean to knock Billie Joe out in front of his God son’s, but the rage he felt at the mere sight of the lead guitarist was too much to bear, it had to be released somehow.
“Fuckin hell,” Billie Joe groaned, placing a hand to cup his nose which felt out of place at the moment.
“What’s going on Tre?” Adrienne yelled once more, cradling her husband’s head in her hands. “What did Billie do to you?”
“I’m not gonna say anything in front of them,” he seethed, then pointed to Joey and a now crying Jakob who were curled beside their father. “I don’t want them to hate him like I do,”
“Joey, send Jakob and yourself upstairs now!” she demanded. Neither child bothered to protest and immediately ran upstairs.
Billie Joe knew all to well what was about to occur in front of his eyes. Tears were already welling up, and his stomach had begun lurching back and forth by now. Nothing he could’ve done would lead Tre to acting so violent and enraged. And he really couldn’t blame his band mate either. If he had found out that Tre and Adrienne had slept together, just once even, Tre would be nonexistent. Billie Joe sat up off the floor and started to stand.
“You better stay on that fucking floor, before I put you back on it,” Tre spat, already approaching a bloodied Billie Joe, who did just that.
“What the hell is going on?” Adrienne sighed as she stood up, surprised that her husband was taking orders, which meant he was in the wrong in whatever had taken place.
“Tell her you fucking dick!” Tre snarled, “Tell her what you’ve been doing behind her back! To what you’ve been doing to my fucking girlfriend!” he roared.
Tre couldn’t help but lunge at Billie Joe once more at the mention of Serenity. He tackled him once more, being able to get a sucker punch in to the older man’s jaw before Billie Joe began to actually fight back. They rolled around a bit, with Adrienne yelling for them to stop in the background, threatening that she’d call the police.
And when she finally managed to pry them apart, Tre’s nose was bleeding as well.
“Get the FUCK outta my house!” Billie Joe stammered as he stood up, raising his head so the blood could stop falling from his nose.
“You fucking asshole,” Tre bit back, pointing his index finger at his ex-best friend. “Tell your fucking wife what you’ve been doing! I’m sorry, WHO you’ve been doing!”
“Billie, what is he talking about?” Adrienne asked, anxious nerves starting to take hold of her.
“Tell her how you knocked up my girlfriend Billie! Tell her how you and Serenity have been fucking before I even met her!” Tre barked through angry tears, and then looked at Billie Joe’s and Adrienne’s horrid reaction.
“Oh my!” Tre gasped mockingly, covering his mouth with his hand. “You didn’t know, did you Adrienne?”
She looked crushed and confused. Neither man wanted to see her like this.
“What?’ she repeated, looking dazed as her eyes went back and forth between her husband and Tre.
“Billie?” she turned and asked her husband who had his arm slung over her shoulder the entire time. He didn’t know what to say…what to do…
He removed his arm from around her shoulder and couldn’t even look into her eyes. He only nodded before hearing her gasp and then her crying. She covered her face with her hands as she stumbled to the sofa just a few feet away to sit down before her legs gave up and she would crash to the floor.
Tre only shook his head before disappearing outside the Armstrong abode. Maybe he should’ve never opened his mouth.
And as he slammed the door shut, Billie Joe sighed and crept to sit beside his distraught wife.
And as soon as his ass hit the leather, she was removing hers to stand up. “You cheated on me with Tre’s girlfriend?!” she screamed.
“I’m so sorry Adie, it—“ and he couldn’t even get to finish his apology before she backhanded his left cheek.
“You bastard!” she sobbed, “y-you’ve been s-s-screwing round with her. She w-was your mi-mistress,” she finished, her breathing becoming erratic. And that’s when Billie Joe began to fully cry.
“Adrienne, please let me explain” he tried to reach out to her, but she stepped away from his advances. “EXPLAIN WHAT!” she roared, “THERES NOTHING TO EXPLAIN!”
“While I’ve b-been at home b-by m-m-myself w-with the kids, y-you’ve been out sl-sl-sleeping with other w-women!” she sobbed, right before slapping him once more across his other cheek.
“Bu—“
“I don’t want you in this house, g-get out,” she wailed, pushing at his chest. And when her crying husband didn’t budge she went crazy.
“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!” she shrieked, slapping at his chest.
“But –“
“Get out!”
“Get out!”
“Get out!” and the crying beauty eyed anything in sight which just so happened to be a small potted plant, before grabbing it and flinging it at her husband. Billie quickly dodged the potted gardenia, his ears pounding as it shattered against the wall behind him.
Bruised, crying, bleeding, and depressed Billie Joe picked his phone up from off the floor and grabbed his car keys, before trudging himself out of his home…and before Adrienne threw anything else at him.
Meanwhile, a lifeless receptionist had just handed me a key to room 231 at a small motel somewhere in Oakland. I wasn’t even sure of its name, just happy that I had a room to stay in for the night, or what was left of it anyway. She hadn’t asked why I was so soaking wet or why my lips were trembling with buried sobs.
The room was tiny and a tad dirty. A family of brown and black speckled moths was glued to a small corner of the wall and I could hear the sink dripping faintly from inside the tight bathroom.
I didn’t care though, all that mattered was that a roof was above my head for the night. I hadn’t stopped crying yet and I was afraid to look into a mirror to see what ghastly image would be reflected back. Sniffling, I lay myself on the crispy sheeted bed, rubbing my hands down my face. I didn’t even have any dry clothes to change into.
One of the moths began to flutter on the wall before migrating to a smudgy window. The remaining moths stayed firmly to the wall.
My mind was numb. I couldn’t stop thinking about Tre or Billie Joe. How hurt and upset Tre looked as he dragged me out his home, how much he hated me at the moment…
It was all too much for me to bear. And with one last sniffle my tears finally take a hiatus. Rubbing my hands down my tired face, I take a deep breath. I had to get through this.
Plenty of men had broken up with me before, what was so special about this one? Oh yeah, because I cheated on him with his best friend and he kicked me out of his house…
After moping about and taking a lukewarm shower, I lay atop the crinkly sheeted bed, only in a white towel which the motel miraculously provided. My clothes were still soaking wet, hanging over the railing of the shower to dry. It completely sucks having nothing, I feel nearly homeless. That night, I crawl under the covers of the bed, wanting nothing to do with myself. I could still see the fury and hurt etched out on Tre’s face… I could still hear the loud thump of Tre’s fist connecting with Billie’s jaw across the phone…
It was too much, and I find myself replaying these horrible images and events endlessly in my mind. It torments me through the night as I try my best to fall asleep. But the tears and pain are overwhelming.
“I don’t believe this shit,” Jennifer huffs for the millionth time today, tossing around wads of paper around the living room.
“Believe what?” I ask, finally deciding to turn off the television when nothing of interests appears.
She sighs exasperatingly, “look at the paper work they’re making me do. This is ridiculous AND it all has to be done by fucking Thursday!”
I find myself nearly grinning, but not fully. I cant even remember the last time I had laughed, grinned, or smiled for that matter. The morning after the devastating fight at Tre’s house, I had spoken and cried, well mostly cried to Jennifer over the phone. I was afraid and confused about what to do. In the end, I came home, obviously since no one in California didn’t want anything to do with me.
I had been home and depressed now for four days straight. I was also a little worried as well, I had no idea of sorts of what happened to Billie Joe or Tre, and I wasn’t planning on calling either to figure it out. The news of the cancellation of the remainder of their tour wasn’t surprising at all. It seemed as if Billie Joe had come down with ‘strep throat’ and wouldn’t be able to sing and perform for the small remainder of their U.S tour.
Strep throat my ass.
“Not to sound harsh or unsympathetic, but when are you planning on getting out of your funk?” Jen inquires, placing her stack of papers and pamphlets on the coffee table for the time being.
I shrug my shoulders, feeling angry all of a sudden. How could I NOT be depressed?!
My boyfriend just kicked my whoring ass to the curb.
I just ruined Billie’s marriage and probably the band
Tre hated me
Adrienne hated me
Mike hated me
I hated me
Who could possibly be happy and ecstatic with joy at such a time?
“Not to sound harsh or unsympathetic” I start, “but you sound like a selfish bitch,”
She sighs, not surprised by my response. “You haven’t eaten a thing Serenity, and you took time off work to mope around the house. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but I’m tired of seeing you like this. Hell, I’ve never even seen you like this before…” she trails on.
She just didn’t get it.
“Do you know what the hell happened to me that night?” I question rhetorically, glaring at her with hate. “Do you know what the fuck I went through?!” I raise my voice. “Try having your boyfriend kick you out in a fucking storm! Try vomiting on his fucking lawn! Try fucking hearing a bunch of kids scream because your friend is being pummeled to fucking death by their godfather! Try having everyone motherfucker out there hating you! Try it Jennifer!” I wail, hot tears and memories springing to my eyes.
She can’t respond and the silence sickens me. I rip myself from the confines of the couch only to venture outside, slamming the door shut.
I take my regular seat on the stony paint chipped step on a nearby staircase. The night air is warm and breezy. Music was beating somewhere nearby, someone probably throwing a party on the floor above us.
Sighing, I place my head in my hands. I was so tired of crying. Tired of feeling this way. I wanted to feel his arms around me again, to have his lips on mine again, to hear his voice mumble in my ears…just to be happy.
“Long time no see,” says a smooth talking voice, belonging to none other than Jose.
Billie Joe lay on the floor, embellished with a bloody nose and busted lip. His eye was beginning to bruise as well, and if it weren’t for Adrienne kneeling in front of him, Tre would have finished him off for good.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Tre!” she screamed at the younger drummer. Joey and Jakob lay to the side of their father, both as scared and confused as ever.
He didn’t mean to knock Billie Joe out in front of his God son’s, but the rage he felt at the mere sight of the lead guitarist was too much to bear, it had to be released somehow.
“Fuckin hell,” Billie Joe groaned, placing a hand to cup his nose which felt out of place at the moment.
“What’s going on Tre?” Adrienne yelled once more, cradling her husband’s head in her hands. “What did Billie do to you?”
“I’m not gonna say anything in front of them,” he seethed, then pointed to Joey and a now crying Jakob who were curled beside their father. “I don’t want them to hate him like I do,”
“Joey, send Jakob and yourself upstairs now!” she demanded. Neither child bothered to protest and immediately ran upstairs.
Billie Joe knew all to well what was about to occur in front of his eyes. Tears were already welling up, and his stomach had begun lurching back and forth by now. Nothing he could’ve done would lead Tre to acting so violent and enraged. And he really couldn’t blame his band mate either. If he had found out that Tre and Adrienne had slept together, just once even, Tre would be nonexistent. Billie Joe sat up off the floor and started to stand.
“You better stay on that fucking floor, before I put you back on it,” Tre spat, already approaching a bloodied Billie Joe, who did just that.
“What the hell is going on?” Adrienne sighed as she stood up, surprised that her husband was taking orders, which meant he was in the wrong in whatever had taken place.
“Tell her you fucking dick!” Tre snarled, “Tell her what you’ve been doing behind her back! To what you’ve been doing to my fucking girlfriend!” he roared.
Tre couldn’t help but lunge at Billie Joe once more at the mention of Serenity. He tackled him once more, being able to get a sucker punch in to the older man’s jaw before Billie Joe began to actually fight back. They rolled around a bit, with Adrienne yelling for them to stop in the background, threatening that she’d call the police.
And when she finally managed to pry them apart, Tre’s nose was bleeding as well.
“Get the FUCK outta my house!” Billie Joe stammered as he stood up, raising his head so the blood could stop falling from his nose.
“You fucking asshole,” Tre bit back, pointing his index finger at his ex-best friend. “Tell your fucking wife what you’ve been doing! I’m sorry, WHO you’ve been doing!”
“Billie, what is he talking about?” Adrienne asked, anxious nerves starting to take hold of her.
“Tell her how you knocked up my girlfriend Billie! Tell her how you and Serenity have been fucking before I even met her!” Tre barked through angry tears, and then looked at Billie Joe’s and Adrienne’s horrid reaction.
“Oh my!” Tre gasped mockingly, covering his mouth with his hand. “You didn’t know, did you Adrienne?”
She looked crushed and confused. Neither man wanted to see her like this.
“What?’ she repeated, looking dazed as her eyes went back and forth between her husband and Tre.
“Billie?” she turned and asked her husband who had his arm slung over her shoulder the entire time. He didn’t know what to say…what to do…
He removed his arm from around her shoulder and couldn’t even look into her eyes. He only nodded before hearing her gasp and then her crying. She covered her face with her hands as she stumbled to the sofa just a few feet away to sit down before her legs gave up and she would crash to the floor.
Tre only shook his head before disappearing outside the Armstrong abode. Maybe he should’ve never opened his mouth.
And as he slammed the door shut, Billie Joe sighed and crept to sit beside his distraught wife.
And as soon as his ass hit the leather, she was removing hers to stand up. “You cheated on me with Tre’s girlfriend?!” she screamed.
“I’m so sorry Adie, it—“ and he couldn’t even get to finish his apology before she backhanded his left cheek.
“You bastard!” she sobbed, “y-you’ve been s-s-screwing round with her. She w-was your mi-mistress,” she finished, her breathing becoming erratic. And that’s when Billie Joe began to fully cry.
“Adrienne, please let me explain” he tried to reach out to her, but she stepped away from his advances. “EXPLAIN WHAT!” she roared, “THERES NOTHING TO EXPLAIN!”
“While I’ve b-been at home b-by m-m-myself w-with the kids, y-you’ve been out sl-sl-sleeping with other w-women!” she sobbed, right before slapping him once more across his other cheek.
“Bu—“
“I don’t want you in this house, g-get out,” she wailed, pushing at his chest. And when her crying husband didn’t budge she went crazy.
“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!” she shrieked, slapping at his chest.
“But –“
“Get out!”
“Get out!”
“Get out!” and the crying beauty eyed anything in sight which just so happened to be a small potted plant, before grabbing it and flinging it at her husband. Billie quickly dodged the potted gardenia, his ears pounding as it shattered against the wall behind him.
Bruised, crying, bleeding, and depressed Billie Joe picked his phone up from off the floor and grabbed his car keys, before trudging himself out of his home…and before Adrienne threw anything else at him.
Meanwhile, a lifeless receptionist had just handed me a key to room 231 at a small motel somewhere in Oakland. I wasn’t even sure of its name, just happy that I had a room to stay in for the night, or what was left of it anyway. She hadn’t asked why I was so soaking wet or why my lips were trembling with buried sobs.
The room was tiny and a tad dirty. A family of brown and black speckled moths was glued to a small corner of the wall and I could hear the sink dripping faintly from inside the tight bathroom.
I didn’t care though, all that mattered was that a roof was above my head for the night. I hadn’t stopped crying yet and I was afraid to look into a mirror to see what ghastly image would be reflected back. Sniffling, I lay myself on the crispy sheeted bed, rubbing my hands down my face. I didn’t even have any dry clothes to change into.
One of the moths began to flutter on the wall before migrating to a smudgy window. The remaining moths stayed firmly to the wall.
My mind was numb. I couldn’t stop thinking about Tre or Billie Joe. How hurt and upset Tre looked as he dragged me out his home, how much he hated me at the moment…
It was all too much for me to bear. And with one last sniffle my tears finally take a hiatus. Rubbing my hands down my tired face, I take a deep breath. I had to get through this.
Plenty of men had broken up with me before, what was so special about this one? Oh yeah, because I cheated on him with his best friend and he kicked me out of his house…
After moping about and taking a lukewarm shower, I lay atop the crinkly sheeted bed, only in a white towel which the motel miraculously provided. My clothes were still soaking wet, hanging over the railing of the shower to dry. It completely sucks having nothing, I feel nearly homeless. That night, I crawl under the covers of the bed, wanting nothing to do with myself. I could still see the fury and hurt etched out on Tre’s face… I could still hear the loud thump of Tre’s fist connecting with Billie’s jaw across the phone…
It was too much, and I find myself replaying these horrible images and events endlessly in my mind. It torments me through the night as I try my best to fall asleep. But the tears and pain are overwhelming.
“I don’t believe this shit,” Jennifer huffs for the millionth time today, tossing around wads of paper around the living room.
“Believe what?” I ask, finally deciding to turn off the television when nothing of interests appears.
She sighs exasperatingly, “look at the paper work they’re making me do. This is ridiculous AND it all has to be done by fucking Thursday!”
I find myself nearly grinning, but not fully. I cant even remember the last time I had laughed, grinned, or smiled for that matter. The morning after the devastating fight at Tre’s house, I had spoken and cried, well mostly cried to Jennifer over the phone. I was afraid and confused about what to do. In the end, I came home, obviously since no one in California didn’t want anything to do with me.
I had been home and depressed now for four days straight. I was also a little worried as well, I had no idea of sorts of what happened to Billie Joe or Tre, and I wasn’t planning on calling either to figure it out. The news of the cancellation of the remainder of their tour wasn’t surprising at all. It seemed as if Billie Joe had come down with ‘strep throat’ and wouldn’t be able to sing and perform for the small remainder of their U.S tour.
Strep throat my ass.
“Not to sound harsh or unsympathetic, but when are you planning on getting out of your funk?” Jen inquires, placing her stack of papers and pamphlets on the coffee table for the time being.
I shrug my shoulders, feeling angry all of a sudden. How could I NOT be depressed?!
My boyfriend just kicked my whoring ass to the curb.
I just ruined Billie’s marriage and probably the band
Tre hated me
Adrienne hated me
Mike hated me
I hated me
Who could possibly be happy and ecstatic with joy at such a time?
“Not to sound harsh or unsympathetic” I start, “but you sound like a selfish bitch,”
She sighs, not surprised by my response. “You haven’t eaten a thing Serenity, and you took time off work to mope around the house. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but I’m tired of seeing you like this. Hell, I’ve never even seen you like this before…” she trails on.
She just didn’t get it.
“Do you know what the hell happened to me that night?” I question rhetorically, glaring at her with hate. “Do you know what the fuck I went through?!” I raise my voice. “Try having your boyfriend kick you out in a fucking storm! Try vomiting on his fucking lawn! Try fucking hearing a bunch of kids scream because your friend is being pummeled to fucking death by their godfather! Try having everyone motherfucker out there hating you! Try it Jennifer!” I wail, hot tears and memories springing to my eyes.
She can’t respond and the silence sickens me. I rip myself from the confines of the couch only to venture outside, slamming the door shut.
I take my regular seat on the stony paint chipped step on a nearby staircase. The night air is warm and breezy. Music was beating somewhere nearby, someone probably throwing a party on the floor above us.
Sighing, I place my head in my hands. I was so tired of crying. Tired of feeling this way. I wanted to feel his arms around me again, to have his lips on mine again, to hear his voice mumble in my ears…just to be happy.
“Long time no see,” says a smooth talking voice, belonging to none other than Jose.