No One Knows

"I told you it was too hot for ice cream," said Jessie, matter-of-factly.

She smiled, watching as Billie Joe tried frantically to catch the run off from his steadily melting ice cream cone with his tongue, before it got to his elbow.

"Yeah, yeah... ," said Billie Joe, turning his arm around quickly and licking the other side of his wrist, "Sometimes, I forget you know everything."

The two teenagers were whiling away their Friday afternoon down at the marina, enjoying the feel of the warm Californian sun on their skin as they sat on the boardwalk, dangling their feet into the cool water.

Jessie smirked a little at Billie Joe's teasing as she went to rescue her own ice cream, which was also fast disappearing down her arm. Billie Joe chuckled a little, watching her.

"Anyway," he said, looking back at his ice cream, "We had to get something to celebrate your freedom, right?"

Jessie grinned.

"Definitely."

School had let out that morning, and the relief for Jessie was terrific. She had no idea what she was going to do all summer, but right then, she was just enjoying not having to do much at all.

A comfortable silence fell over the pair, as they listened to the lazy sound of the water lapping against the sides of the boats and their feet splashing below them. Jessie sighed contentedly, moments before watching Billie Joe's ice cream slide out of its cone completely and land in his lap.

"Aww... fuck... " he groaned, as Jessie burst into uncontrollable laughter. He glared at her.
"Shut up, Jessie," he grumbled, "It might seem funny to you, but you aren't the one who has to walk around with a suspicious-looking white stain down the front of your shorts the rest of the day... "

At this, Jessie laughed even harder, leading Billie Joe to crack a smile himself as he took a playful swipe at her shoulder. She continued to giggle as she swiped him back, and when he blocked her punch by catching her fist, she attacked him with her other hand, the one still brandishing her ice cream, which ended up on Billie Joe's nose.

"Hey... " he grinned.

He let go of her to wipe it off, before grabbing her other wrist in an unsuccessful attempt to push her ice cream into her own face. It ended up falling into the water.

"Billie!" Jessie protested, indignantly, "Now look what you've done! That's fucking pollution, you know!
"Let's hope the seals like vanilla," he smiled, peering down into the water as the ice cream vanished below the surface, leaving a wispy trail of white cream in its wake.

A shadow suddenly loomed over the pair, causing them to look up, right into the eyes of a thoroughly unimpressed looking Mike Dirnt, arms folded, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh... hey Mikey," said Billie Joe, cheerfully, as Jessie stood up, shaking the water from her feet and picking up her shoes.
"Hey Mike," she smiled, touching his shoulder as she passed, "I've gotta head off, guys. Eddie was expecting me like a half hour ago."
"Yeah... see ya round," said Mike, glancing from Jessie to Billie Joe, who gave Jessie a little wave before looking back to his lap, where he was now attempting to clean up his ice cream using his discarded sock. Mike raised his eyebrows and sat down in Jessie's place, quickly looking over his shoulder to see her heading back off along the boardwalk, a slight bounce to her step.

"Okay," he said, turning back to Billie Joe, "What the fuck was all that about?"

Billie Joe glanced up, innocently.

"Huh?"
"What was with all the fucking flirting?"
"What... flirting... ?"
"Ah, fuck off, man, you know what I'm talking about... "

Mike batted Billie's arm playfully.

"..'Oooh, Jessie'," he mocked, putting on as high a pitched voice as he could manage, "'Let me cover you in ice cream!' Jeez... "

Billie Joe held back a smile as he looked away, focussing on the Bay Bridge on the horizon and saying nothing.

Mike sighed, putting his head in his hands.

"Look, I don't know what's got into you and Jessie this week," he said, "But... seriously. This is not the way to win Tre over."

Billie Joe bit his lip, feeling a stab of guilt at the mention of Tre's name. He turned to Mike again.

"I know," he said, "But Mike... we're just friends, okay?"

Mike raised an eyebrow, sceptically.

"Why am I finding that so difficult to believe?" he asked, "And why are you blushing like a motherfucker right now?"

Billie Joe looked away again.

"Bill... "

Billie Joe let out a hard breath of frustration and kicked at the surface of the water.

"Okay, okay," he said, reluctantly. Then he paused. Mike looked at him expectantly,
"You guys are still fucking, aren't you?" he said, with a slight smirk.
"No!" cried Billie Joe, indignantly, "I already told you, that only happened the one time, and it was a mistake!"
"Okay... so what's the deal?"

He sighed.

"I kissed her, the other day, in Santa Barbara. I don't really know why... I just did. And since then... well, it's happened a couple other times but... I mean, we really are just friends, Mike... "
"Sure. Friends who make out."
"No, Mike, I'm serious. It was just a coupla kisses. It's nothing like... before. I don't really know what's going on, all I know is, Jessie and I are getting on better than we have ever gotten on before, and I don't wanna question any of it because... she's happy. We both are. So what's the point in complicating everything by trying to put labels onto it?"

Mike groaned.

"Billie... you are in such fucking denial about this! I mean, okay sure, now you're friends who just kiss now and then, tomorrow you'll be friends who are making out all the damn time, and soon enough you'll be friends who are fucking and we'll have the whole situation over again!"
"That isn't gonna happen," Billie Joe mumbled, feeling a little warm.
"Seriously, Bill! Tre would go nuts if he knew you guys were doing this! If you don't wanna be together, then what's the point in acting like you do, when all it's gonna achieve is hurting Tre?"

Billie Joe didn't say anything. Mike continued.

"So, d'you think you could just try not kissing each other for a while, for the sake of the goddamn band?"

Billie Joe sighed.

"I guess I could give that a try," he said, reluctantly, glancing up at Mike from under his eyelashes.
"Great... " breathed Mike, relieved, "Thank you."

"Well, somebody's in a good mood," Eddie observed with a smile, leaning on the counter as he watched Jessie sift her way through a stack of vinyl and organize them in the rack, singing all the while.
"I finished school today," she explained, "No work till August. Well... apart from here, I mean."
"Cool," nodded Eddie, "And since when do you sing along to the Ramones and know the words, anyway?"
"I like the Ramones," said Jessie, simply.

Eddie raised his eyebrows.

"Do I have Billie to thank for that?"
"Well, he did make me listen to them for about two hours straight on the way back from Santa Barbara the other day... "

Eddie grinned, as a customer tapped him on the arm, and he was sucked away into another musical discussion.

Jessie continued what she had been doing on auto pilot. She had gotten so used to the way things worked at Eastside Records that she didn't really need to think about it anymore, and it wasn't long before her mind was wandering.

For months, she had felt as though she had been walking about with her guts tied tight in knots and, since her road trip with Billie Joe on Wednesday, she had felt them loosen. She knew that, really, all kissing him had achieved was making everything more complicated. She knew she shouldn't have done it, especially not behind Tre's back, not when things with the band were already so tenuous.

So it was strange that, since it had happened, everything had felt so much simpler. Almost as if she had been harboring these feelings for weeks, feeling guilty and confused without really realizing it and now, all of a sudden, it was as if they were saying it was okay.

Of course, she knew it wasn't okay. It didn't matter how good it had felt, kissing him in the car that evening, or how right it had felt yesterday when he had caught her by surprise on his way to band practice, pressing his lips to hers briefly before heading out the door. She knew that it was wrong, and that getting into such habits really wasn't a good idea. It didn't matter that the touch of his lips gave her shivers, or that the feel of his tongue made her feel like she had electricity running through her veins. They were friends. And recently they had become amazing friends. And that, above any hassle with Tre and his band, was far too important for them to be risking.

She was so engrossed in this moral dilemma that was encircling her mind, that she didn't notice when someone approached her. Feeling a presence nearby, she looked up, and her stomach gave such a jolt that for a moment she really thought she was going to be sick.

"Thought you could just hide from me forever, did you Jessie?"

He spoke with an icy voice, and his top lip curled as his dark eyes burned into hers. She tried to reply, but her throat was suddenly completely dry, her voice lost somewhere inside her.

"Thought I was too fucking stupid to come and find you here? The one place I forbade you from coming back to?"
"Dad,..," she croaked,
"Thought I'd just let you go? Forget about you? Like your mother did?"

Jessie felt a stab of pain at the mention of her mother.

"Dad... ," she started again, "I know you're angry, but... "
"You have absolutely no idea," he hissed.

Jessie's heart was hammering in his chest as she looked into his eyes. He looked terrible. His eyes were edged with dark circles, his hair thinner, his appearance disheveled. And she had never seen him looking so angry. The thought that he was unlikely to lash out at her in the middle of a busy record shop was surprisingly little comfort. Looking at him then, she could see the raging fire behind his eyes, and she knew there was no repairing their relationship now. Remembering what Billie Joe had told her about the fight that happened the day Ollie left him, the punch Billie had thrown him, her knees felt weak.

John reached out and took her wrist in his hand, gripping it tightly enough that she had to swallow back a whimper of pain. Then he leaned in, very close to her, and hissed into her ear.

"I've taken enough shit from you lately, my girl. Making out to that little asshole that I'm some kind of madman... talk like that could get me fucking locked up with rapists and murderers, you know that?"

He gripped her wrist tighter, jerking her arm harshly when she attempted to pull away. She bit down hard on her lip and squeezed back her tears.

"If you just did as I say and fucking behaved yourself, I wouldn't cause you any problems. We'd be happy, like we used to be. But not now. You'd rather leave me high and dry and move in with your little deadbeat punk and his worthless mother, wouldn't you? Got him lying for you too, feeding me bullshit about you running away. He's as much a fucking liar as you are!"

John moved in closer, so that Jessie could feel his hot, ragged breath against her ear.

"Well, no daughter of mine is ending up lying scum, hanging out with that dropout. I've had enough of this shit. You're coming with me."
"No... ," Jessie protested, a sob welling up inside her chest.
"You're a minor, remember? You'll do as I say. You can report me for any fucking crime under the sun, if you want to, but it'll be your word against mine and you aren't the only one who can lie. And when they don't believe you, you'll be coming to live with me, and I'll make sure you pay for whatever you put me through. Cause they can't try me for the same crime twice."

Jessie let out a whimper.

"Don't think I'll let Billie Joe off the hook either, or Ollie for that matter. I'm not gonna forget all the shit they've dropped on me. So, all in all, I think it would be best if you did as I say, don't you?"

Jessie's heart pounded. She couldn't speak. Was he right? Would she ever be able to get away from him? Or was he going to hound her forever until she relented? She suddenly felt her whole body weaken, and the records she had been holding in the arm that he wasn't gripping slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. She looked down to see shards of black plastic skipping across the tiled floor.

"Jessie?!"

John and Jessie looked up quickly to see Eddie making his way across the store toward them.

"How did you manage that?" he exclaimed, "Jeez, y'know, I've been trying to shift that one for months, at least you broke something shit and - hey, are you okay?"

She certainly didn't look okay. Her eyes were wide and glossed with tears and her skin, which had had a cheerful glow against its tan moments before, suddenly looked pale and tinged with grey. Her whole body was tense, shaking slightly as she turned her eyes upon Eddie with a look that was almost pleading.

"Who are you?" Eddie frowned at John.
"I'm Jessie's father," said John, curtly, "And I'm afraid I have to take her home."
"She's in the middle of a shift."
"She isn't well. And she's my daughter. If I need her to come home, she comes home."

Eddie folded his arms across his chest, suddenly feeling uneasy. Jessie had never given him details of the problems she had with her father and, while he knew they didn't get on, he didn't feel he could argue if John insisted on taking his daughter home, especially considering how unwell she really did look. But there was something about this situation that didn't feel right to him, and Eddie had always put a great amount of trust in his instincts.

"Jessie," he said, slowly, "Can I have a quick word in the back room before you go?"

Jessie raised her eyes to Eddie's and had opened her mouth to answer when John cut her off.

"Anything you need to say to Jessie, you can say in front of me," scowled John.
"I'm sure I can," said Eddie, calmly, "But I'd like to speak to her on her own."
"Well, I'm afraid that ain't gonna happen," John growled, as he began to pull Jessie toward the door. She let out a cry as the pain in her wrist intensified suddenly with him dragging her by it.
"Let go of her," said Eddie sharply, taking both Jessie and John by surprise.
"Don't you fucking tell me how to-"

Eddie didn't wait to argue, he simply reached out and grabbed John's own arm fiercely, the shock of which caused his grip on Jessie to loosen and she let out a groan of relief as she pulled herself free, her wrist throbbing and her fingers numb.

Eddie glanced down at Jessie's wrist, which was already starting to bruise, then at her terrified face. He felt hot white anger pumping through his body but he forced himself to remain in control.

"She isn't going anywhere," he said, calmly but firmly, and without letting go of John's arm, "And I have the right to turn you out of my store if I want. So get out, please."

John furiously started to fight back, pushing Eddie away. It was a stupid move. Eddie had twice the strength John did. Grabbing him by the collar, Eddie pushed him up against the wall, while Jessie looked on, her tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

"If you don't go quietly right now," Eddie growled, "I will call the cops on your ass and it will not be quiet at all."
"The cops'll be interested that you won't let me see my own fucking daughter!" John yelled, angrily.
"Look at her!" Eddie shouted, making Jessie jump. The customers that were in the store stopped what they were doing to watch the scene in front of them. "She's fucking terrified, and you nearly broke her fuckin' arm! I think that's gonna interest them more, don't you?"

With that, Eddie shoved John backwards towards the door and pushed him out of it. John turned and glare one last time before stalking off down the street, defeated.

The people in the store were still staring, and Eddie turned and held up his hands.

"Show's over," he said, "If you wanna pay for anything, get in line, cause I'm closing up."
"It's two thirty, man," pointed out one young boy, helpfully.
"I know!" scowled Eddie, causing him to shrink back.

Eddie took Jessie's shoulder and steered her into the back room, pushing her into a chair and telling her not to move an inch until he came back. After racing his way through his customers and locking the front door, he returned, and took a seat next to her.

"Okay, Honey," he said, wearily, "How long has all this been going on?"
"A couple of months," Jessie replied, her voice quivering, "Since... since he lost his job... before we moved to Ollie's... "
"Does he hit you?"
"He has... "

Eddie put his head in his hands.

"You could have told me this, Jessie," he said earnestly, looking deeply troubled.
"I know... but I... you'd have got mad and... "
"... he'd have taken it out on you," Eddie finished, bitterly

Suddenly, Jessie lost it completely and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"I promised Billie he didn't hurt me.. he was worried about Ollie... but I said not to be and... and then he saw the bruises and I left before he told Ollie and... I was so afraid of what he'd do... or that she'd kick us both out... "

Eddie put an arm around Jessie and she leaned into him.

"But she didn't," he finished, looking down at her. Jessie shook her head.
"And since I got back he's been trying to find me... I knew he would... but now if I don't go back to him he won't leave us alone and he'll hurt Billie and... "

Eddie leaned his head against Jessie's, as her words ran together into an indecipherable mess.

"He won't," said Eddie, "If he tries to hurt you again, I'll fuckin' flatten him"
"But that's what Billie said," Jessie cried, "And-"
"Well, no offense to Billie Joe, sweetie," Eddie interrupted, "But I reckon your Dad's got a tougher job gettin' past me."
"You can't be there the whole time!" Jessie wailed, "And he knows that!"
"It doesn't matter," said Eddie, softly, "Because we're gonna call the cops right now."

Jessie looked up at him in fearful alarm.

"No!" she cried, "If they don't catch him... he'll kill me!"
"Nobody is killing anybody," said Eddie, sternly, "He threatened you, he hurt you, and they will catch him. Hell, I'll catch him and drag him down the station by his fucking balls if I have to, alright?"

Jessie wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Alright," said Eddie, "So we're gonna call them, and then I'm gonna take you home. And you can say whatever you like to me, but I'm not letting him get away with it, so if I were you, I wouldn't bother. Okay?"

With that, Eddie pulled the phone from it's holder on the wall, and began to dial.

Jessie had never found anything more difficult than handing over the photograph of her father to the police. She sat in the Armstrongs' living room for what felt like forever, with Ollie on one side of her and Eddie on the other, while she gave her statement. The police took pictures of the marks on her wrist to use as evidence, before Ollie wrapped it in an ice pack and a cloth and held it in her lap.

When they'd gone, Eddie stood up to leave too.

"Thank you," said Jessie, feebly. She knew she owed him more, but she couldn't put it into words right then.
"No problem, Kid," he said,
"I'm so grateful to you," said Ollie sincerely, "If you hadn't been there... "
"Hey, it's no problem, really." Eddie smiled, "It was good to meet you Ollie... Jessie, I'll see you soon, okay? You guys call me if you need me or anything."

After they'd gone, Ollie hugged Jessie for about the fiftieth time and Jessie smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Honey," Ollie said, her face anxious, "I can only imagine how hard this is for you."

Jessie nodded.

"I'll be okay," she said. "I have you and Billie and - where is Billie, anyway?"
"Downtown, with Tre and Mike. They went to talk to some guy about getting studio time or something."
"Andy."
"That's it. He'll be upset he's missed all the action."

Jessie smiled a little. Ollie pushed some hair out of her eyes.

"Damn John," she muttered, venomously, "You've been so much happier these past couple of days -since you found out about your mother's will - and now he's upset you all over again."
"I'll be okay," Jessie insisted, and she did feel much calmer now it was over and the police had gone. "And I'm still happy about my mother's will. Nothing can stop be feeling happy about that."
"She was thinking of you," said Ollie, with a smile, "She wanted to look after you."
"I know," Jessie smiled, "And that's a really amazing feeling."
"That much is obvious," Ollie smiled back, "You and Billie came back from your trip in better moods than I'd seen either of you in in a while."

Jessie smiled down at the floor.

"It was a strange day, really," she said, "I had no idea a day could be so sad and so happy, all at the same time."

Moments later, the front door burst open with enough force for it to bang against the hallway wall, making Ollie and Jessie jump, before Billie Joe sprinted into the room looking like he had just run a marathon.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed, breathlessly, "I ran... into Eddie... he told... "

Billie hurried over to the couch and sat down next to Jessie, before pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm fine," she reassured him, "Honestly, I'm fine."
"Fucking bastard," Billie panted, angrily, "I can't fucking... argh, I'm just... I'm so mad right now I can't even-"
"Bill," said Ollie, cutting him off, "We're all fine. The police are looking for him and Jessie's going to be okay."

He nodded, letting out a deep breath.

"Now, I'm going to go and make us some coffee," said Ollie, standing up, "You stay here and look after Jessie."

Jessie smiled.

"You know, I really don't need anyone to-"

But then Ollie was gone, and Billie Joe's arms were around her again.

"Jessie," he breathed, "I'm so fucking sorry. I feel like shit, I-"
"Billie," she protested, pulling back so she could look at him, "It wasn't your fault!"
"I said I'd protect you."
"And you would have, if you'd been there."
"Exactly. I wasn't there"

Jessie smiled, before reaching up and ruffling his messy blue hair.

"Billie Joe, If I had to spend 24 hours a day with you, I think we'd probably end up killing each other."
He grinned.
"We probably would, right?"
Jessie smiled.
"Yeah."

He looked down at her hand, which was still packed in ice, and pulled back the cloth that Ollie had wrapped around it. Jessie watched his eyes pass over the bruising, then close briefly before meeting hers again. She felt her heartbeat quicken a little as his sad eyes stared into hers, then looked away. He carefully wrapped her wrist back up.

The pair were silent for a moment, listening to the sound of Ollie boiling water in the kitchen, before Jessie took a deep breath and said,

"So... that was my afternoon, how was yours?"

Billie Joe chuckled a little, leaning back into the couch and scratching his head.

"Pretty shitty, actually."
"Really? Why?"

He sighed.

"Things with Andy went well. We're gonna start recording next month."
"That's awesome!"
"I know, I know... "
"So why so sad?"

Billie Joe looked down, thoughtfully.

"It's Tre," he said, "It's not the same, Jess. I see him joking around with Mike and I... I want so badly for us to have fun together and goof off like we used to but... it's like I'm his business associate or something. He's so cold. How can this work?"
"It'll get easier," said Jessie, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
"And we want to tour so bad... but we haven't got the money. We don't even have a PA. Every time we play on Gilman we borrow one of the other bands' but... you can't take someone else's on tour, y'know?"
"But you've got a contract now. You'll get paid. Right?"
"Not until we sell some records," he said gloomily.

Jessie put an arm around Billie Joe and gave him a quick squeeze.

"It'll work out okay, Bill," she said, reassuringly.

He nodded, then laughed a little.

"What?"
"I'm such a shit," he said, shaking his head, "Here I am, whining about a fucking band and you're going through hell with your dad... "

Jessie shrugged.

"Everyone has their problems," she said, lightly.

He grinned, then looked up at her.

"You're fucking cool, Jessie. You know that, right?"

Jessie blushed, and looked away.

"Course I know that," she smiled.

At two a.m, Billie Joe was still awake, lying in bed and squinting up through the darkness at his ceiling. He'd been doing the same thing for the past hour, and even though his body felt like a lead weight, his mind refused to rest.

His thoughts flicked from one person to the next. John. Where was he? What if he found out the cops were onto him before they caught him? What if he found Jessie on her own? Tre. Was he ever going to forgive him? Was he going to feel like an outsider in the band while Mike and Tre became closer? Could you really have someone as a band mate but not as a friend? Jessie...

He rolled over, thumping his pillow and scowling, willing his brain to just shut the fuck up so he could get some damn sleep.

Jessie didn't have any problem sleeping at all. The drama and emotion of the afternoon had exhausted her, and by ten thirty she'd been out completely. Which is probably why she didn't stir when her bedroom door opened, despite its squeaky hinges, or when Billie Joe shooed Henry off her bed to make room for himself. It wasn't until she felt the mattress sink slightly under his weight as he slid under the covers next to her that she roused from her sleep, mumbling slightly in confusion.

"Shh," whispered Billie Joe, laying his head down on the pillow, "It's only me."

Jessie rolled over to face him, sleepily rubbing her eye. Through the darkness, there was just enough pale light coming through the blinds from the streetlights outside that she could make out his features, and see the reflection in his eyes. What was he doing?

"What's up?" she whispered, groggily.
"You aren't the only one who's allowed to demand hugs any damn time of night they feel like it, y'know."

Jessie smiled a little, feeling warm as she wrapped her arms around his narrow waist, her heartbeat quickening a little when she realized he was only wearing his boxers.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, after a sleepy moment of silence.
"... Yeah," he whispered back, closing his eyes contentedly as he rested his head against hers, and thinking how amazing it was, how much better he could feel just from having somebody hold him.
"Were you worrying about Tre?"
"... A little. And a little about your dad."
"You shouldn't worry. There's nothing more we can do about either."

As the words came out of her mouth, she felt a flicker of guilt, realizing that the one thing they could do about Tre would be not doing this. She figured he was thinking the same because, for a few moments, he lay as quiet as she did, before he moved his hand to find hers.

"... Is it feeling better?" he asked.
"... A little," she whispered, "It's just a little tender. But I know it'll be fine."
"Yeah", he whispered softly, ghosting his fingers lightly over the back of her wrist, and making it tingle.
"Is it okay if I stay here tonight, Jess?" he whispered, eventually.

Jessie smiled in the darkness.

"Sure," she replied, "I owe you one, after all."

He smiled too, before rolling over onto his side and wrapping himself around Jessie like a cocoon. She shivered a little as she felt his lips next to her ear.

"Thanks for making me feel better," he whispered.
"That's okay."

He paused, then whispered.

"You're good at it."
"Hmm?"
"Making me feel better, I mean."

Jessie smiled, wondering when he had suddenly developed the ability to make her feel so mushy. Billie Joe lifted his head, before hesitantly dropping a gentle kiss against her temple, making her stomach flutter.

"Goodnight, Jess," he whispered.

Jessie realized she had been holding her breath, and let it out slowly as the urge to do the thing she had been continually begging herself not to do suddenly became too strong to fight. Fuck it, she thought.

She shifted so she was lying on her back, looking up at him. Her eyes had become accustomed enough to the darkness that she could see the slightly nervous, questioning look in his eyes. Then she reached up, took his face in her hands, and brought him down into a soft kiss.

Billie Joe suppressed a small gasp of surprise, before willingly responding, as he felt her tongue slide past his lips and graze against his own. A few long, blissful moments later, his mind was struggling with the realization that, if he didn't stop now, he might not be able to stop at all, and Jessie could feel herself getting similarly carried away. Pulling back slowly, reluctantly, she licked her lip with a nervous smile, listening to his breathing close to her face, smiling as she heard it carry a similar shake to hers.

Turning back around, she pulled his arms further around her as she snuggled back into him, and he rested his head back on the pillow, his nose buried in her hair.

"Goodnight Billie Joe," she whispered, softly.