No One Knows

"I can't believe it. Four more days of academic hell left in my whole life, and I'm sitting here getting baked with you."

Billie Joe grinned. The two boys were spread out on the grass at the end of the Armstrong's backyard, sharing a joint in the shade of the oak tree. Mike hadn't taken a lot of persuading.

"Four days left, skipping this one isn't gonna change anything," Billie Joe assured his friend, as he propped himself up against the tree. "What's the worst that can happen?"
"They fail me?" said Mike, flatly, "And that's sort of a bigger deal to me now my band has jumped ship."
"Hey," said Billie Joe, passing Mike their joint, "I haven't jumped anything. This is Tre."

Off the look that Mike gave him, Billie Joe looked sheepish.

"Alright, so I guess this is really my fault," he admitted.
"You think?"
"Come on, Mike! Neither of us would have predicted Tre would react like this, right? You know how sorry I am about this whole mess."

Mike sighed, running a hand through his dirty blond hair.

"Yeah... yeah, I know," he said, "It's just frustrating, y'know? I've put everything into this band. And we were getting somewhere. And I really thought I'd be able to talk Tre around. God knows I've had practice mediating bust ups between you and our drummers... "

Billie Joe looked guilty.

"I'm really sorry about this, man. D'you really think that Tre isn't gonna come round on this?"

Mike shook his head.

"God knows I tried," he shrugged, "We'll have to see. But... I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you."

A moment's silence fell over the two boys as they smoked wordlessly, both contemplating the mess they were in until Billie Joe leaned forward, resting his head on his folded arms as he spoke up.

"He told Jessie he wants her back," he said.

Mike nodded.

"I know."

Billie Joe turned to look at him.

"He told you that?"
"Yep"
"What did he say?"

Mike looked at him sceptically.

"That he wanted her back."

Billie Joe rolled his eyes.

"But didn't he elaborate any? Did he say why he wants her back?"
"He thinks she's hot. Why do you think?"

Billie Joe turned away again.

"I think he's doing it to piss me off," he said.

Mike looked at Billie Joe sidelong as he took a drag on his joint.

"Why would that piss you off?"
"I'm not saying it would. I'm saying that's why he might do it. To prove a point, y'know? Prove that he's the one she wants and that... what happened... didn't persuade her otherwise."

Mike looked thoughtful.

"If it was anyone else, I'd think it was a possibility. But you know Tre. He isn't that calculating. What you see is what you get. He really likes her, that's all. It doesn't matter anyway. Cause she doesn't want him back. He's pretty bummed about that."

Mike stood up.

"I'd better head off," he said, "I need to show my face at school at least once. Wanna come over later for a jam or something?"

Billie Joe squinted up at him through the sun.

"Sure," he nodded.
"Cool... And don't worry, man. Whatever happens... we'll be okay. It doesn't end here. I won't let it end here."

Jessie didn't notice until she got close. She had a habit of getting lost in her own thoughts, and she wasn't really paying attention to anything around her as she walked down the street toward the Armstrong house, pleased another day of school was over and that the end of the semester was, at last, in sight.

It was lucky she happened to look up before she got any closer. She felt something close around her guts as her eyes landed on the red van parked down the street. She knew that van much too well and there was no mistaking it. She could see the dent that had been in the back door since she kicked a football at it when she was ten years old.

Heart beating wildly, Jessie pushed her way through the bushes lining a neighbor's front yard, and crouched behind them as she moved closer, peeking through the leaves to get a better look. She prayed he wouldn't be inside the house. She knew that neither Ollie nor Billie Joe would let him in willingly, so if he was in there, he had to be in there by force. She swallowed.

As she got close enough to see the rear view mirrors, she let out a silent breath of relief to see the shadowy figure sitting in the driver's seat. He hadn't got out of the car yet. Was he waiting for her? She wasn't about to hang around to find out. Looking over her shoulder to check the coast was clear, she sprinted across the front yard and darted around the side of the house, hoping nobody was home because she really didn't need the neighbors coming out and causing a scene right then.

Running to the end of the backyard, she somehow managed to climb the six foot fence separating it from the one next door, using the broken slats as footholds, and jumped down the other side. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she crossed two more fences and dropped down into the Armstrongs' backyard, scratching her arms to all hell on the spiky creeper covering the fence.

Billie Joe was sitting in the kitchen with his nose buried in a copy of Rolling Stone when Jessie burst through the back door, and he looked up in surprise, taking in her exhausted appearance and her ragged breathing.

"What the hell's up with you?" he inquired, lifting an eyebrow, "You can use the front door you know... "
"Where's Ollie?"
"At work, why?" he frowned, dropping his magazine onto the table, becoming more concerned as Jessie's distress became apparent.
"My Dad... he's outside"

Billie Joe's eyes widened, and he felt his stomach turn.

"Where is he? What's he doing? What did he do to you?" he asked, frantically.

Jessie shook her head, struggling to get her breath back.

"He didn't see me. He's sitting in the van. I came round the back way... through the backyards... "

Billie Joe looked at her scratched skin.

"Jeez, Jessie. Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"I was just worried, I didn't want you or Ollie to let him in... "
"I'm not letting him in. Don't worry about that... "

Jessie followed him through to the living room. As he moved towards the window, she panicked and grabbed the back of his shirt, hauling him back.

"Don't!" she exclaimed, frantically, "He might see you!"

He held up his hands.

"Jessie... he's not gonna see me, and I'm not gonna let him in. It'll be okay."

Jessie bit her lip, and reluctantly let him go. Billie Joe frowned through the glass.

"Why is he just sitting there?"

"I think he's waiting for me to get back."
"Fucking... . Oh, shit, he's getting out."

Jessie's heart stopped. She reached out and dragged Billie Joe away from the window, and this time he didn't protest.

"Come on," he said, his voice low, "He's not getting in here"

Grabbing Jessie's hand, Billie Joe led her purposefully out of the living room and into the hallway, pushing her toward the stairs, where she was out of the view of any of the front windows of the house.

"Where are you going?" she hissed, fearfully as he moved back towards the front door.
"I'm locking him out"

Through the kitchen window, Billie Joe could see John making his way up the driveway, as he hurriedly bolted the back door, then ran back through to the hallway to do the same to the front door, just as John knocked on it.

Heart pounding, Billie Joe crept back to where he had left Jessie, sitting on the stairs, looking terrified. He sat down next to her and waited, neither of them daring to speak, only barely daring to breathe. Jessie grabbed a handful of Billie Joe's shirt, causing the collar to pull against his neck. He didn't even notice.

John knocked again.

"Ollie?" he called, "Billie Joe? I know someone's in there! You can't hide from me forever you know! I want to see my daughter!"

Jessie closed her eyes and bit her lip. Her mind was racing with panic. What if he tried to break his way in? How would she and Billie Joe be able to stop him? They would never be able to hold up against her father, he was twice the size of Billie Joe. And she knew he wouldn't hold back. It wasn't like he was going to care whether it was a fair fight or not.

She glanced nervously at Billie Joe, who was staring at the door, unflinchingly. The calmness of his appearance was deceptive. Inside, his mind was racing with every horrifying possibility just like Jessie's. But he wasn't going to admit that. If he couldn't stay calm, how could he expect Jessie to?

John banged on the door again, hard enough for it to rattle its hinges, and they both jumped. Jessie pulled harder on Billie Joe's shirt, and he felt it begin to choke him. Breathing shakily, he pulled her hands away from him and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders instead.

"If you're in there Jessie, you'd better fucking let me in! I'm your fucking father, you can't hide from me! You're just a kid! You don't belong here with them, you belong with me! Don't think for a fucking minute you're getting away with this!"

Jessie squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Billie Joe's shirt. He glanced down at her, then back at the door, which John gave one last kick before giving up. Neither of them moved until they heard the van pull away and the familiar rattle of the rusty tailgate as it moved down the street.

Billie Joe let out a deep breath as Jessie lifted her head.

"You alright?" he asked, dropping his arm from her shoulders.

She nodded.

"Yeah," she said, shakily, "Thank you... "
"I told you he wasn't getting in."
"Not today. But he isn't gonna just give up, you know."

Billie Joe sighed.

"Maybe not. But he's given up for tonight. So you don't have to worry anymore for now. Okay?"

Jessie nodded, before surprising him by reaching out and pulling him into a hug.
"If you hadn't been here... "

Billie Joe chuckled a little, feeling embarrassed.

"I didn't do anything," he said, dismissively, as they released each other. "I'm not the best bodyguard I ever saw."

Jessie smiled.

"But you're here" she said, "And I don't wanna think about how much worse all this would be if you weren't."

Billie Joe nodded, smiling a little and looking down.

"I think it's my turn to make the coffee," he said.

Billie Joe and Jessie seemed to establish an unspoken agreement not to mention John's visit to Ollie. They both knew it wouldn't do anything other than worry her sick, and since neither of them had gotten hurt, there didn't seem to be any point.

After dinner, Ollie took a phone call for Billie Joe that he had not been looking forward to.
"Some guy called Andy wants to talk to you," she said, poking her head around the door of the living room, where he and Jessie were passing the time by watching some mindless TV.
Billie Joe groaned a little under his breath.

"Can't you tell him I'm not home?" he whispered, "Tell him I'll call him back"

Ollie put her hand over the receiver.

"I just told him you were right here."

Billie Joe scowled.

"Great" he sighed, holding out his hand and taking the phone from his mother.

Jessie grinned at him in amusement.

"Hey, Billie Joe! How's it going?"
"Oh... you know. Just great."
"Awesome. Listen, I've got some people who want to meet you guys at our Berkeley studio. Can you guys come down on Friday and we'll start talking?"
"Um... I'm not sure Friday's good for us."
"Ok, how about Thursday?"

Billie Joe sighed.

"Listen, Andy. This week isn't too good for us. We're having a few... issues... within the band and-"
"Billie Joe. Don't you fucking dare say what I think you are going to say. Don't tell me you guys are splitting up or anything stupid like that, because I-"
"We aren't breaking up," Billie Joe assured him, "We just have some stuff to discuss. We're still completely stoked you wanna work with us. Honest. Just... we need some time to work some stuff out as a band."
"You really sound like you're blowing me off, kid"
"Andy, I swear to God. Give me until next week."
"Okay, Billie. But I'm doing this because I love your band. There are plenty of people who would jump at a chance like this, I can't hold out for you guys forever."
"You won't have to. I promise"

Hanging up, Billie Joe dropped the phone into his lap, covered his face with his hands and groaned in frustration.

"Problems?" Jessie asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at her.

"Of course," he said wryly, "What else?"

After school the next day, Jessie worked her first shift at Eastside Records since returning to Berkeley. Eddie had given her as much time off as she needed to settle back down and work stuff out in her head, but she found she missed it, so she didn't stay away for long.

"So," he said, taking a seat on the counter as he watched Jessie putting into the cash register, "When are our little rock star friends gonna come play for us?"

Jessie sighed, and gave him a look.

"Don't even ask about them," she said.

Eddie grinned.

"It is not possible for you to have fallen out with them all over again... tell me it isn't."

Jessie smiled.

"I haven't fallen out with anybody," she said.
"Jeez, really? I'm gonna have to remember this day. So what's happened now?"
"Billie Joe and Tre have had a bust up," said Jessie, leaning back against the counter and folding her arms over her chest, "A big one. Tre told Billie he could shove the band up his ass."

Eddie's eyes widened.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, "Is he fucking insane?! What did Billie do to deserve that?"

Realisation suddenly crossed Eddie's features.

"Fuck, this isn't about you is it? Has Tre found out about the whole you and Bill-"

Realising what he was saying, Eddie quickly shut his mouth. Shit. Billie Joe was going to kill him if he found out he'd let that one slip.

Jessie frowned at him; feeling confused, and embarrassed that he was so close to the mark.

"What d'you mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothin'... y'know... I was just guessing... ."

Eddie trailed off. Jessie's eyes widened and she felt her face turn warm. How the hell did he know what was going on?

"Why would you guess it was about me?" Jessie demanded, "Who've you been talking to?"

Eddie smiled, turning away to hide the amusement that was pulling at his lips.

"I can't reveal my sources"
"Eddie!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Okay, okay... look, I talked to Billie Joe a little while ago"

Oh God. Jessie turned away, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"What did he tell you?"
"Enough. Don't be mad at him, Jessie, he was only worried about you."
"I don't care... it was... he shouldn't have told you."
"He was worried. It doesn't matter. Just pretend I don't know."
"Jeez, this is embarrassing... "
"I've done worse. Believe me."
"I don't want to know."

Eddie laughed.

"I wasn't gonna tell you," he said. "But anyway. I'm sure it'll blow over... I mean you and Billie are just friends now... right?"
"Of course, right," said Jessie, irritably.

Eddie smiled.

"So... no problems. Tre'll get over it. I didn't have him down as a sulker."
"Well," said Jessie, darkly, "Apparently looks can be deceiving."

Billie Joe was alone in the house when he came to the door. He was still a little tense after John's visit the day before, and the knock made him jump. He crept to the window to get a look at who was outside, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Tre standing on the porch. Walking out to the hallway to get the door, his stomach sank a little as he realised he had probably come to see Jessie.

"Hey," said Tre, looking up at Billie Joe from under his eyebrows.
"Hey yourself," Billie Joe replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing down at the floor, "... You here to see me? Cause Jessie's at work right now."

Tre sighed.

"I came to see you," he said, "So can I come in?"
"Yeah... " said Billie Joe, not quite daring to feel relieved as he stood aside and let Tre past.

He followed Tre into the kitchen, where he leant against the table and examined his fingernails.
"I hate this, man," he said, without looking up.

Billie Joe's heart lifted a little.

"I hate it too," he replied.
"I hate what we're doing to Mike, the most," Tre continued, "It isn't fair. This is his dream... It's all of our dreams... but it doesn't seem fair that our personal issues should stop Mike from getting it too."

Billie Joe shook his head.

"So what are you saying, man?" he asked, nervously.

Tre looked up. He fixed his blue eyes levelly on Billie Joe's for a moment before he answered.

"I was really pissed off about the Jessie thing," he said, "And I still am. You broke the rules, Billie."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"I don't trust you. Maybe I'll trust you again in the future but right now, I don't"

Billie Joe nodded, looking down at the floor. He couldn't argue with that.

"I really liked Jessie, you know. And now all the chances of me being with her have gone to hell. I don't want the band to do the same. Cause... then I'll really end up hating you."

Billie Joe looked up, hopefully. He cleared his throat.

"Are you saying you'll stay in the band"

Tre nodded.

"I'll stay in the band-"

A wave of intense relief washed over Billie Joe.

"Oh my God Tre, you have no fucking idea how much that means... "
"Wait, wait, " said Tre, cutting him off, "I'm staying in the band. But this doesn't mean I trust you again. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for myself and for Mike. Okay?"

Billie Joe felt a pang of hurt, but he nodded anyway. At least it was a start.

"Okay," he said, "But... I'm still gonna thank you cause... you've made the right decision."

Tre nodded.

"So I'll see you at practice? Tomorrow? My place?"

Billie Joe nodded, eagerly.

"Cool" said Tre, with a nod, "I'll talk to Mike and let you know"

As he was leaving, Billie Joe put his hand on Tre's shoulder, making him pause in the doorway.

"Tre... I hope that... one day... we can go back to the way we were... "

Tre nodded, looking down.

"Me too, Billie," he said.

Jessie almost jumped out of her skin when Billie Joe sprung up on her the moment she got in the door, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Guess what?"

She looked at him darkly.

"What?"
"Tre's back in the band!"

Jessie's eyes widened in relief.

"Seriously? You made up?"
"Well... kinda. He's still pissed but he's staying in the band. It's a good start, right?"
"Right," she said, pushing past him, "Congratulations."

"How was work?" he asked, following her into the house,
"Oh, just great," she said, sarcastically, flopping onto the couch.

He raised an eyebrow, quizzically. Jessie groaned, throwing her hands in the air.

"I can't believe you told Eddie what happened between us," she hissed, keeping her voice low in case Ollie was around.

Billie Joe winced, guiltily. Uh oh.

"Shit," he muttered.
"Have you any idea how embarrassing that is?"
"I can't believe he brought it up," said Billie Joe, honestly, making a mental note to have words with Eddie about giving him away.
"We were talking about you and Tre," Jessie frowned.

She covered her eyes with her hands.

"Billie," she groaned, "Why did you tell him? Why? You hardly even know the guy! How many other people have you told?"

Billie Joe dropped onto the couch next to her.

"Only Mike," he said, defensively, "But he's my best friend! I don't know why I told Eddie... It just kinda came out. It was weird. But look, I was going outta my mind with worry about you. I went to see him, he asked me what was wrong and... well. I just told him. I'm really sorry... "

Jessie sighed, looking at Billie Joe's guilty face.

"Alright, alright," she submitted. "It's done now."
"I'll make it up to you."

Jessie raised her eyebrows.

"Well, that sounds interesting. How are you gonna do that?"

Billie Joe had opened his mouth to answer when the phone rang, and he rolled his eyes before going to get it. Coming back into the room, he passed the phone to Jessie.

"Someone called Andie," he said, "Sounded important."

Jessie felt her guts twist as she took the phone from Billie Joe.

"Hi Jessica," said Andie, "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," said Jessie, nervously.
"That's good... cause I was wondering if you'd be able to come in and see me this week?"
"Uh... I guess I could skip a day of school."

Jessie noticed Billie Joe smirk.

"Why do you need to see me?" she asked, ignoring him.
"Well, I told you we'd keep you up to date with everything we found out about your mother. And I've got some information for you. I thought you'd want to see me sooner rather than later, you know."
"Sure," Jessie nodded.
"Can you come tomorrow?"
"Yes,"
"Great," said Andie, kindly, "I'll see you at eleven, okay?"

When she came off the phone, Billie Joe was looking at her questioningly.

"Andie's the woman who helped me trace Mom," Jessie explained.

Billie Joe raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What did she want?" he asked,
"She wants me to come to see her tomorrow. She has some stuff to tell me. About Mom. Probably about her family and stuff"

Even though Jessie's voice was clear and unwavering, she was twisting her hands anxiously in her lap. Billie Joe could tell this was unsettling her more than she was letting on and he could hardly blame her.

"Want a ride?"
"Hmm?"
"Want me to take you to San Francisco tomorrow?"
"I was going to go on the bus but... "

Jessie smiled down at her hands. It was sweet of him to offer. And she realized the moral support could make a lot of difference. This wasn't something she was finding easy.

"That would be really cool," she said, gratefully, "Thanks, Billie"

Billie Joe shrugged.

"I said I'd make it up to you," he smiled.