I Am The Singer
Remember
Surprisingly, Billie laughed. "Yeah, right!" It was unbelievable, which was why he refused to comprehend it. Tre and Grace? No fucking way. Tre just so happened to be one of his best friends. He wasn't stupid enough to pick the girl that Billie had been pretty much pining after the majority of the school year.
"Yes. Right," Mike replied, his voice completely serious. "Dude, you were so fucking angry last night. I didn't know where you went. You just left."
"It can't be true. He's Tre! He might be a little deranged sometimes, but he's not fucking stupid."
Mike sighed. "Well, that's what you'd think..."
It wasn't true. It couldn't be. He didn't find himself believing it for a single second. But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered everything. He recalled every agonizing moment as he watched them lean on one another.
"Let's say it was true," he reasoned, quietly, in a tone that just suggested he was thinking aloud. "Tell me what happened. Maybe it'll...I dunno, jump-start my memory."
There was a loud groan from the other end of the phone. "Billie, no..." It sounded as if the other teenager was just relieved that his friend hadn't gone crazy, and he didn't want to provoke him.
"Yes. I have the right to know, it's my life."
"Fine, but you'll regret it!" Mike threatened. When he heard no objection from Billie, he started the story. "We were out last night. At, you know, a place. Whatever. The three of us were hanging out. Then Grace showed up. You were already kinda...you know, buzzed up. Did a bit of stupid stuff to try impress her. Talked loudly, just pointless shit that doesn't really matter."
"Okay...Sounds fun..."
"Yep. Well, you took your eyes off them for practically a second. Disappeared off to the bathroom or something, I think. When you came back, Grace and Tre had started talking. They were getting along. You didn't care that much when you came back, just glad she was there, you know?"
"Get to the point."
"You wanted the story! Do you want to shut the hell up and let me tell it?" Mike snapped, though it was rather good-natured.
Billie half-laughed and half-sighed, propping his feet up on the arm of the couch. "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead, woman."
"I think Tre might have gotten a little...drunk-ish. And they started dancing. That was when you started getting jealous. You had every right, of course!" Mike added, hurriedly, before any interruptions could be made. "I don't know how it happened after that. They had sort of disappeared into the crowd, so we couldn't see them. You were already fuming a bit. Then you saw them, and got yourself completely hammered."
"Saw them? Saw them...what?"
"Making out..." Mike responded, sounding obviously uncomfortable. "You just drank and glared at them. Then, when you were slurring and shit, you had a bit of a scream and left. I thought you'd come back after a while, so I didn't come looking for you until later that night. I couldn't find you and bring you home, sorry."
The memories suddenly seemed to smash into him like a fucking train. It all swarmed into his head at the same time, making his mind buzz unpleasantly, and made his face contort with an unfound emotion. After a few seconds trying to recognise it, he finally grasped onto the familiar anger.
He tried to keep his voice calm. "It's okay, it's not your fault."
"So, you slept on a lawn?" Mike chirped, sounding interested. He also seemed fairly cheerful that Billie hadn't exploded. "What was that like?"
Billie didn't respond. He had gone into a sort of a daze. His eyes were fixated on one spot on the wall opposite.
"Billie? Oh shit..."
"That bastard," he murmured, finally, in a quiet voice. Then louder, he repeated it. "That bastard!"
"Billie Joe Armstrong," the other teen said loudly, trying to keep it all calm and relaxed. "I know, it was mean...But he was just drunk!"
"You said they were together. Does that mean more than one drunk night?" Though one drunk night is still pretty fucking bad...
"I'm not really sure..."
"Mike."
"I'm not su--"
"Damnit!"
"Fine! Okay, I think so..."
"He. Did. Not."
"You know what Billie? We'll beat his fucking ass. But it'll be okay. We'll all be fine again. You know, like normal. Nothing has to change. The three of us, no girls getting in the way. Right?"
The same as always? After what just happened? After what he did?
"No."
"What? Come on, just kick his ass and get it over with."
"No. You kick his ass if you want. I don't want to go near him."
On the other end of the phone, Mike wasn't really sure what to say. The first thing that came to mind was asking if he was okay. But of course he wasn't okay if he was going to cut all ties with Tre. Not even give him a good old beating to remember him by.
"What? So you're just going to leave it be? Hm, mature. Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Billie Joe?"
Billie smirked. "I wouldn't exactly call it leaving it be..."
"...Oh, damn, what are you going to do?"
"Seeya Mike."
"Billie!"
He hung up, a small smirk on his face. Punching Tre wouldn't be a permanent relief for Billie, he knew it. He'd have to do better than that. He'd have to steal something from Tre, like Tre stole from him. And he already knew what.
"Yes. Right," Mike replied, his voice completely serious. "Dude, you were so fucking angry last night. I didn't know where you went. You just left."
"It can't be true. He's Tre! He might be a little deranged sometimes, but he's not fucking stupid."
Mike sighed. "Well, that's what you'd think..."
It wasn't true. It couldn't be. He didn't find himself believing it for a single second. But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered everything. He recalled every agonizing moment as he watched them lean on one another.
"Let's say it was true," he reasoned, quietly, in a tone that just suggested he was thinking aloud. "Tell me what happened. Maybe it'll...I dunno, jump-start my memory."
There was a loud groan from the other end of the phone. "Billie, no..." It sounded as if the other teenager was just relieved that his friend hadn't gone crazy, and he didn't want to provoke him.
"Yes. I have the right to know, it's my life."
"Fine, but you'll regret it!" Mike threatened. When he heard no objection from Billie, he started the story. "We were out last night. At, you know, a place. Whatever. The three of us were hanging out. Then Grace showed up. You were already kinda...you know, buzzed up. Did a bit of stupid stuff to try impress her. Talked loudly, just pointless shit that doesn't really matter."
"Okay...Sounds fun..."
"Yep. Well, you took your eyes off them for practically a second. Disappeared off to the bathroom or something, I think. When you came back, Grace and Tre had started talking. They were getting along. You didn't care that much when you came back, just glad she was there, you know?"
"Get to the point."
"You wanted the story! Do you want to shut the hell up and let me tell it?" Mike snapped, though it was rather good-natured.
Billie half-laughed and half-sighed, propping his feet up on the arm of the couch. "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead, woman."
"I think Tre might have gotten a little...drunk-ish. And they started dancing. That was when you started getting jealous. You had every right, of course!" Mike added, hurriedly, before any interruptions could be made. "I don't know how it happened after that. They had sort of disappeared into the crowd, so we couldn't see them. You were already fuming a bit. Then you saw them, and got yourself completely hammered."
"Saw them? Saw them...what?"
"Making out..." Mike responded, sounding obviously uncomfortable. "You just drank and glared at them. Then, when you were slurring and shit, you had a bit of a scream and left. I thought you'd come back after a while, so I didn't come looking for you until later that night. I couldn't find you and bring you home, sorry."
The memories suddenly seemed to smash into him like a fucking train. It all swarmed into his head at the same time, making his mind buzz unpleasantly, and made his face contort with an unfound emotion. After a few seconds trying to recognise it, he finally grasped onto the familiar anger.
He tried to keep his voice calm. "It's okay, it's not your fault."
"So, you slept on a lawn?" Mike chirped, sounding interested. He also seemed fairly cheerful that Billie hadn't exploded. "What was that like?"
Billie didn't respond. He had gone into a sort of a daze. His eyes were fixated on one spot on the wall opposite.
"Billie? Oh shit..."
"That bastard," he murmured, finally, in a quiet voice. Then louder, he repeated it. "That bastard!"
"Billie Joe Armstrong," the other teen said loudly, trying to keep it all calm and relaxed. "I know, it was mean...But he was just drunk!"
"You said they were together. Does that mean more than one drunk night?" Though one drunk night is still pretty fucking bad...
"I'm not really sure..."
"Mike."
"I'm not su--"
"Damnit!"
"Fine! Okay, I think so..."
"He. Did. Not."
"You know what Billie? We'll beat his fucking ass. But it'll be okay. We'll all be fine again. You know, like normal. Nothing has to change. The three of us, no girls getting in the way. Right?"
The same as always? After what just happened? After what he did?
"No."
"What? Come on, just kick his ass and get it over with."
"No. You kick his ass if you want. I don't want to go near him."
On the other end of the phone, Mike wasn't really sure what to say. The first thing that came to mind was asking if he was okay. But of course he wasn't okay if he was going to cut all ties with Tre. Not even give him a good old beating to remember him by.
"What? So you're just going to leave it be? Hm, mature. Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Billie Joe?"
Billie smirked. "I wouldn't exactly call it leaving it be..."
"...Oh, damn, what are you going to do?"
"Seeya Mike."
"Billie!"
He hung up, a small smirk on his face. Punching Tre wouldn't be a permanent relief for Billie, he knew it. He'd have to do better than that. He'd have to steal something from Tre, like Tre stole from him. And he already knew what.