No One Knows

In the week that followed Jessie's birthday, life was pretty hectic. Between recording most days at the Art of Ears studio in San Francisco, and finalizing their plans before they were due to leave for their tour, the band barely had a spare moment. But Billie Joe made sure that the few that he did get, he spent with Jessie, who was feeling the pressure as John awaited trial.

She spent most days working at Eastside Records to occupy her mind, and also because she felt that, since she had got her pay rise, she should show she earned it. Not that Eddie really cared how hard she worked. He was, as ever, glad of her company and pleased to see her smiling after their ordeal the week before.

Eddie had testified against John on the counts of threatening behavior, assault to Billie Joe and break-in entry to the Armstrong place. Billie Joe had given a statement too, not thinking twice about pressing charges on account of the punch John had landed, which had left a colorful bruise that, as yet, wasn't showing any signs of fading.

The band were due to leave for Oakland, the first stop on their tour, on Sunday and on Friday Jessie was becoming antsy with excitement. Perched on the counter in the record store, she was half-listening to Eddie's scathing review of some new album he'd just bought in, while she held a CD up to the shaft of sunlight coming in between the fly posters on the dusty windows, and reflecting it into patterns on the floor.

"You going down to Gilman tonight?" Eddie asked her, holding out a bag of skittles as he leaned against the counter next to her.
"Yeah," she said, smiling as she lowered the CD and put her hand into the bag, "Are you?"
"Last Green Day gig at Gilman Street," Eddie smiled, "Who'd miss it?"

Jessie smiled too.

"They'll be back," she said, "It's only the last one before the tour."
"It's the start of the tour really, right? That has to be cause for celebration."
"Definitely," smiled Jessie, "They're all planning on getting very drunk afterwards."
"Awesome," chuckled Eddie, "They deserve it."
"Sure do," said Jessie, "They've been working like crazy over in San Francisco all week."
"Speak of the devil," said Eddie, nodding over Jessie's shoulder.

Jessie looked up to see Billie Joe coming through the door of the store, his guitar case slung over his shoulder, and her face broke into a smile.

"Hey," she said, as he approached.
"Hi," he smiled, sliding his guitar case off his shoulder and leaning it against the counter, "Hey Eddie."
"Hey man," Eddie smiled, "We've just been talking about your gig tonight."
"Oh yeah... you comin' down?"
"Of course. Hear you've been busy recording?"
"Yeah, a lot."
"Great stuff, man," Eddie smiled, "Listen Jessie, I've got some paperwork so sort through out in the back, will you hold it out here for a while?"
"Sure," Jessie nodded, and he gave her a grateful nod as he headed off towards the back room, leaving Jessie and Billie Joe alone, save the handful of customers that were milling around them.

"Check it out," said Jessie, as she held the CD back up to the light again, giggling as she almost blinded Billie Joe in the process.
"Yeah, I have seen a CD before," he smirked, holding up a hand to shield his eyes.
"Ooh, well sorry, Mr. Music Industry," Jessie grinned, setting the CD down beside her and sliding off the counter. Billie Joe smiled too, resting his hands on her waist.
"So what're you doing here?" Jessie smiled.
"I just dropped by to say hi."

She grinned, sliding her hands into his and lacing their fingers together.

"Hi," she said.
"Hi," he grinned back, kissing her nose, "What time d'you get out of here?"
"Not till closing, I guess," she shrugged.

He sighed.

"Okay," he said, "Well, I'm heading over to Al's to hang out with the guys for a while. I'll be home later for dinner before we go to Gilman."
"Okay," Jessie smiled.
"Okay... " he smiled back, leaning closer and resting his forehead against hers, "So I'll see you later."
"Uh huh."
"Cool," he smiled, as he pressed his lips against hers.

Aware they were very much in public, Jessie knew that they shouldn't be doing this, but her effort to make their goodbye kisses brief was overridden by how much she was enjoying it. She didn't protest the way she ought to have when Billie Joe deepened the kiss, sliding an arm around her waist to pull her in closer.

Jessie smiled into his sparkling eyes as they broke away, their attention to one another instantly distracted by a yell from across the room.

"I knew it!"

The pair jumped apart, turning around to see Eddie leaning in the doorway of the back room, a triumphant grin spread across his face.

"I fucking knew it!"

Jessie felt herself blush and she smiled and looked down as Eddie ambled towards them and Billie Joe leaned on the counter, accepting defeat.

"You knew it, huh?"
"Of course I fucking knew! I've been trying to get this out of Jessie for weeks! But all she does is blush almost as much as she's doing now and tell me to fuck off!"
"Fuck off," Jessie muttered, and Eddie grinned.
"So," he said, raising his eyebrows as he folded his arms across his chest, "How long's this little affair been goin' on?"
"Uh... " Billie Joe muttered, "I dunno... a few weeks, I guess... "
"That's it? Jeez, you sure took time getting your act together."
"Eddie," said Billie Joe sternly, pointing a finger at his smirking face, "You can't go telling anyone about this, okay?"

Eddie grinned.

"Cute," he said, "Why not?"
"Because you can't!" Jessie exclaimed, "No one knows about it yet. It's complicated, with Ollie and Tre and... "
"You think Ollie's gonna mind?"

Billie Joe sighed.

"We just don't know," he said, "And you aren't going to be finding out. So just pretend you didn't see anything and don't go causing any trouble. Kapeesh?"

Eddie grinned, as he ambled back over towards the back room.

"You wouldn't have to worry about that if you'd just gotten a fucking room."

Billie Joe wasn't home when Jessie got back from work, and she walked into the kitchen, dumping her backpack on the table as she noticed the back door was open and she strolled outside.

Ollie was sitting on the bench on the back porch, reading the newspaper with Henry curled up next to her, sleeping in a patch of sunlight. She looked up as Jessie came out of the house, and smiled.

"Hi Honey," she said, "How was work?"
"Okay," said Jessie, "You?"
"Oh, the usual. You know where Billie Joe is?"
"Over at Al's place with the guys," Jessie replied, "He said he'd be back for dinner."
"Okay," said Ollie, "Hey, take a seat, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Sure," said Jessie a little curiously, as she shifted Henry from the bench into her lap and sat down in his place.

Ollie folded her newspaper and looked up, biting her lip thoughtfully as she turned to Jessie, silent for a moment while she tried to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to say.

"Are you doing okay?" she began, eventually, "After last week, I mean... with your Dad. We haven't really talked about it much and I wanted to make sure you were coping with it all."

Jessie nodded.

"I'm trying not to think about it," she admitted, "That's why I haven't really talked about it. I don't know if that's the right way to deal with it but I'm feeling okay so I think it's the best thing right now."
"You know you can always come to me if you're worried, right? I mean, I know all of this is confusing. I know you have mixed feelings about your dad and I understand them, honestly I do. I'm always here."
"I know," Jessie smiled, gratefully, "And I really appreciate it. You and Billie Joe have both been amazing throughout all of this. Without the two of you, I'd never have got through it... Thank you."

Ollie smiled.

"You don't have to thank me," she said, quietly, "I actually... all this has made me think a lot about things. I mean, I can't believe just a few months ago, you were moving in here with John and we were complete strangers. So much has changed."
"Tell me about it," smiled Jessie, "It's crazy. My whole entire life has changed. But it's definitely for the better. Like... when I moved here I didn't even have any friends. I had nobody. Except for my dad, I mean. And well, you can imagine how much use he was."

Ollie nodded, smiling a little wistfully.

"It always amazed me," she said, "That you didn't have friends. It was something I could never understand. Because from the moment you arrived, I loved your company."

She chuckled a little.

"I think that's why I laid the blame on Billie Joe for the fact that the two of you kids didn't get on. You were so lovely that the only explanation for it that I could come up with was that he was being an insensitive ass."

Jessie laughed.

"Of course he was," she smirked.

Ollie grinned, quiet for a moment.

"I'm happy you're going on tour with the guys, though," she said, "I didn't want you being lonely when they'd all gone. But... I am going to miss having you around. It makes me even more glad you'll still be here in September when Billie moves out."
"I'm glad too," nodded Jessie, "At first, I was kinda worried about it. I mean, I felt a little bit like I would be outstaying my welcome or something."

Ollie shook her head.

"You can't do that, Jessie."
"I know. I know that now. And I'm really grateful."
"You don't need to be grateful," Ollie smiled, "I want you here. I want to look out for you and make sure you're okay. As far as I'm concerned, you're like a daughter to me now. I know how hard things are for you at the moment, what with losing your mother and... now your dad being taken away. And I'm not trying to take their place because I know nobody could ever do that. I just want you to know I consider you family, and I love you like family."

Jessie smiled, swallowing back emotion as she dropped her eyes down to Henry, who was purring in her lap.

"That means so much to me, Ollie," she said, quietly, "You and Billie... no one means more to me than you guys."

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Hon," said Ollie, reaching over and taking Jessie's hand, "I've been thinking about all this a great deal this past week. I haven't thought about much else. And I just... I want to show you I'm serious about always taking care of you. I want to make it official. And that's what I wanted to ask you... if you would make it official with me. I want to adopt you."

Jessie's breath hitched in her throat and she froze, staring at Ollie in shock. Adoption? She had no idea Ollie was even thinking about that. She felt tears in her eyes as the scale of Ollie's regard for her hit home, and she had never felt so wanted in her whole life as she did right at that moment. She had never felt more like she had a mother. Looking into Ollie's nervous green eyes, Jessie fought the urge to break down and cry as she realized that she had also never felt so torn apart. She was being offered everything she had ever wanted, but she knew that she could never take it.

"Jess... are you okay?" Ollie asked, nervously, squeezing her hand, "I'm sorry... I guess it's a shock. I just, I had to ask you... "
"Ollie," said Jessie, hoarsely, "You have no idea how much it means that you just asked me that... and I mean that but... I can't."

Ollie looked down, under the weight of her disappointment.

"It's okay, Jessie. I understand. I know that we're not really family, and I'm sorry to have sprung this on you like this. You have enough to deal with as it is right now."
"No," Jessie protested, earnestly, "You feel like family to me, Ollie. I love you and I love that you've asked me this, it's the most amazing thing that anyone has ever done for me. And yeah, I've got a lot on my plate right now and I know you can't take the place of my real Mom, but that doesn't matter to me. That isn't the reason I can't do this."

Ollie nodded.

"Okay," she said, quietly, "... can I ask what the reason is?"

Jessie looked down, digging her nails into her palm as she felt her insides twist in anxiety. This was it. It was time for the truth now. If there was ever any time to come clean about her feelings, this was it. She raised her eyes back to Ollie's as she sucked in a silent breath.

"Ollie," she almost whispered, "You can't adopt me... because I'm in love with your son."

For what seemed like an eternity, Ollie simply stared at Jessie in disbelief, with an uncertainty in her eyes that suggested she was half expecting Jessie to backtrack and tell her it was all some sort of prank. But staring into Jessie's anxious, emotional eyes, she could tell this was no prank, and suddenly she was reaching out to her.

"Oh my God," she muttered, as she pulled Jessie into a hug, "Oh my... God... "
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Jessie whispered, nervously.
"Sorry you... no, Jessie, I... this is a bit of a shock to me... "

Jessie found herself smiling a little.

"It was a bit of a shock to me too," she admitted, quietly.

Ollie pulled back from the hug, holding Jessie at arm's length and looking her in the eyes.

"Billie Joe... does he... feel the same?"

Jessie bit her lip and looked down.

"I'm... not really sure," she stammered, "But we've been... I mean, we've been getting closer for a while now. Since we first went to Santa Barbara together, I guess we... we've been a little more than just friends."

Ollie sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why didn't you tell me?"
"We didn't know if you'd like the idea... I mean, it just makes everything a whole lot more complicated, right? It isn't exactly a sensible relationship to be getting into, especially with all the crap that's going on right now but we... I mean it happened anyway and... then I didn't want it to stop because it just feels right... "

Jessie trailed off as her voice dropped to a whisper. Ollie shook her head and smiled.

"I just can't believe the two of you. You will never make any sense to me. Complicated it about right... "
"I'm sorry," Jessie whispered.
"Why are you sorry? You can't apologize for feelings... you can't apologize for loving someone."

Jessie bit her lip and nodded.

"I do love him," she said, her stomach lurching in realization of the words coming out of her mouth.

Ollie smiled and hugged Jessie again.

"And how could I be upset about that?" she murmured, "It doesn't change our relationship. I understand why you can't be adopted and I wouldn't have thought there could be a reason you could have given me for that, which I would have been happy about."
"You're happy?"
"Of course I'm happy. In the end, adoption is just a piece of paper. I don't need that to know I'm not going to lose you. And Billie Joe... well, he'd just damn well better appreciate how lucky he is, because I know there could never be anyone I'd rather he was with than you, Jess."

As the happiness an relief bubbled up inside of Jessie, she reached out and hugged Ollie tightly, both of them having been far too caught up in the moment to have heard the front door open and close a few minutes earlier, and both of them having been completely unaware of how long Billie Joe had been standing behind the back door, the kitchen wall taking his weight as his legs went weak, a goofy grin spread across his face as he listened to their conversation almost as if he was standing in a dream. He was so choked up with feeling, he felt he might fall right over.

After a few long moments staring dreamily at his shoelaces, his trance was broken by the sound of footsteps heading back across the porch towards the house and he scrambled away from the door, hurriedly pulling open the refrigerator door, hiding his blushing face by busying himself inside.

"Oh, hi Honey, I didn't hear you come in."

Billie Joe turned around, grabbing a carton of orange juice and clearing his throat.

"Hi Mom," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, "Yeah, I... uh... only just walked in the door. I've been at Al's."
"Jessie told me," smiled Ollie, walking up to him and putting an arm around his shoulders, before kissing his cheek.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled nervously.

"What was that for?"
"I'm your Mom, Billie. Do I need a reason?"
"... I guess not... " he said, pouring himself some juice and splashing it everywhere in the process. Why the hell were his hands shaking? Ollie rolled her eyes and passed him a cloth.
"You know... I'm actually just on my way to Gilman... "
"You only just got back."
"I know but I... I just need to change and then I... uh, y'know... "
"Isn't Jessie going down with you?"
"Yeah but I... I can meet her outside later cause we need to go set up and stuff first and... stuff..."
"Right," said Ollie, sounding a little confused as she watched Billie Joe drain his juice, before he hurried out of the room.

Once his bedroom door had closed behind him, Billie Joe let out a deep, shaky breath, covering his face with his hands as he felt his heart pounding. What was wrong with him? Sinking down onto the edge of his bed, he peeked between his fingers and looked down at the floor, replaying the conversation he had just overheard in his head. She loved him? Was she serious? She had sounded serious. He didn't think he had ever heard her sound more serious. His stomach was fluttering like crazy as he heard Jessie's words in his mind over and over again.

Standing up from the bed, he began to pace back and forth, the rubber soles of his converse squeaking a little against the hardwood floor. Why was he freaking out like this? This was a good thing. No girl had ever loved him before. And no girl's feelings had ever mattered more to him than Jessie's did. He smiled a little into his hands. He needed to get a grip. He suspected that, if he went downstairs and faced her right then, he might just melt right into the floor. He needed air. And a smoke. Smoke first, then air. Fumbling in his back pocket for his cigarettes, he managed to light one with his trembling fingers, before leaning out of his bedroom window and taking a long drag. He closed his eyes as he exhaled, before casting his eyes down into the backyard, where the bench his mother and Jessie had been sitting on was now occupied only by Henry the cat.

He hadn't planned on eavesdropping. But it isn't every day you overhear your mother attempting to adopt your girlfriend. Still, he couldn't admit he'd been listening in, and he certainly couldn't just saunter downstairs and pretend he hadn't done it at all. Somehow, things weren't the same as they had been before he had heard that conversation. Things were very different. He needed time to adjust. Dropping his spent cigarette out of the window, he pulled off his shirt and hunted for something to wear that evening, settling on the Ramones shirt that, incidentally, he had been wearing when he and Jessie first met.

His heart lurched when he met Jessie down in the hallway, and she raised her eyebrows.
"You're leaving already?"
"Uh... yeah," he said, shifting his guitar from one hand to the other, "We need to get stuff set up but I'll... I'll meet you later okay? I'll give you a call and meet you outside."
"It's okay, I can just head down with Freddy," she shrugged, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "Hey Bill, I had good news. I talked to your Mom about-"
"Can we talk about that later? I really have to go."
"Uh... sure, okay," Jessie replied, lightly, before leaning in and kissing him quickly, "See you later."

"Are you okay, man?" Tre asked Billie Joe, nudging him slightly, awakening him from his daydream as they stood on stage in the empty room at 924.
"Huh? Uh... yeah. Sorry," Billie Joe smiled, sheepishly, looking down at his guitar.
"You've said about two words since we got here. You sure everything's okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine, Tre. Really."

Tre raised his eyebrows.

"Okay. Well, you'd better wise up fast, man, cause right now, you aren't exactly showing a lot of stage presence."
"You aren't showing a lot of presence, period," smirked Mike.

Billie Joe gave his head a little shake.

"Sorry guys," he said, "I was just thinkin' about something else. We have an hour to go, right? Someone should break out the vodka round about now."

Tre grinned.

"I always liked the way you operate, BJ," he said.

An hour later, with some alcohol now in his system and a crowd of excitable kids now gathering in the main room of the club, Billie Joe was feeling a little more normal as he goofed around with Mike and Tre in the back room, sharing one last joint before they were due on stage.

"I hope you guys are ready for this," Eddie grinned, sticking his head out of the door to watch the steadily thickening crowd. He had arrived moments before, and headed straight back stage so that he could wish the band luck before the show. "I don't think I've ever seen it this busy in this place this early in the night."
"Fuck," Mike muttered, his stomach contorting in nerves as he sucked frantically on his joint, before it was practically ripped from his fingers by Billie Joe. "We can't screw this one up guys."

Tre rolled his eyes, dramatically, his face devoid of anything but sheer excitement.

"What's with all the nerves, Mikey?" he asked, "When have we ever screwed anything up?"

Billie Joe grinned, looking Tre in the eye, before his gaze shifted to over his shoulder, where Jessie was coming through the door, Freddy close behind her. He felt his stomach do a little flip, almost as if in the few short hours since he had seen her last, he had forgotten just how gorgeous she was.

"Hey guys!" Tre grinned, sloshing some of his beer over Freddy in his enthusiasm. Freddy smirked a little.
"Hey Tre," he said, "It's pretty damn crazy out there, y'know."
"Awesome," Tre smiled, "You guys just arrive?"
"Yeah," said Jessie, her eyes not straying from Billie Joe's, "We just thought we'd come by and wish you luck."
"I think we're gonna need it," said Mike, still looking nervous as Billie Joe passed his joint back to him.

"Guys! You're on!" yelled a voice from the doorway.

Billie Joe took a breath as he picked up his guitar. Stepping towards Jessie, he pulled her into a tight hug.

"You know you'll be awesome, as always," she smirked into his ear.

He grinned, holding her tighter.

"Of course I know."

Jessie giggled a little next to his ear before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"You sound a little drunk already. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay... " he smiled, pulling away from Jessie to see Mike standing behind her, smirking.
"What are you waiting for?"

The dull roar of the crowd that had been filtering through the door suddenly took the form of a chant, and the gathering in the back room looked at each other in surprise.

"Green Day! Green Day! Green Day!"
"Fuck!" Mike exclaimed, looking from Billie Joe to Tre with a grin.

Eddie took him by the shoulders and turned him to face the door.

"That's you they're calling for!" he commanded, with a roll of his eyes as he pushed him forward, "Go and give the people what they fucking want!"

Billie knew that if the excitement of the crowd before they even took to the stage was anything to go by, the gig was going to be a pretty interesting one. He was right. Not only was it the biggest crowd the band had ever played for, it was also the most enthusiastic, and Billie Joe was almost dizzy with excitement as he leapt about the stage screaming out the words to his own songs, watching the kids down the front scream them right back at him.

When the guys finally left the stage to an enthusiastic reception from the crowd, Billie Joe was greeted by Freddy, who threw an arm around his shoulders and pressed a shot glass into his hand.

"Man, that was awesome!" he grinned.
"Thanks, dude," grinned Billie Joe, taking the shot and wiping the sweat from his forehead with his other hand.

The adrenaline from being on stage still pumping through his body, combined with the drinks he's had before he'd gone on, had left him feeling light-headed, and he leaned a little against Freddy for support as he scanned the crowd for the one person he was suddenly desperate to see.

His eyes frantically shifted from face to face, before they finally settled on her, standing by the edge of the stage, her arms around Mike as she congratulated him on the show. Billie Joe felt an explosion of butterflies in his stomach.

I'm in love with your son.

Letting go of Freddy, he stumbled a little as he pushed his way through the crowd towards her, and she laughed as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close against him, burying his face into her hair.

"You were amazing, Bill," she grinned.
"So were you."

She giggled.

"Are you drunk?"
"I think maybe a little."

He released her slightly and gently took her face in his hands, his fingers sliding into her hair as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm really glad you're here," he said, sincerely.
"Me too."
"I don't just mean now. I mean... " he trailed off, slipping his hand into hers.
"I know," she smiled, "Me too."

Billie Joe looked down and smiled, nervously, before pushing her hair behind her ear and leaning closer. Suddenly, he didn't care who was watching.

"Jess," he murmured.
"Mm?"
"If you don't kiss me soon... I'm gonna die."

Jessie laughed, before reaching up and pulling him into a warm kiss, moving her hands from his face to around his neck as he pulled her closer, the moan of relief that escaped him drowned out by the noise of the crowd that was still bustling around them.

Jessie bit her lip and smiled happily as they broke apart and Billie Joe touched his nose against hers, before she was suddenly startled by Mike throwing an arm around each of them and proceeding to march them towards the bar.

"You know, I think I preferred it when you at least made some effort to hide it," he smirked, "Are we gonna have to spend two months on tour watching you two trying to swallow each other? Cause, if that's the case, I'm sitting between you in the van."

Billie Joe grinned, kissing Mike's cheek.

"Sounds good to me, Mikey," he said, "I'm sure you'd be a pretty good substitute."

Mike laughed, turning to Jessie.

"You gotta be careful with this guy when he gets drunk," he warned, "He'll flirt with anything that moves."

Standing at the bar not long afterward, Billie Joe felt a hand on his waist and glanced over to see Jessie standing next to him.

"Hey," she said, "I almost forgot... the good news I had."

Billie Joe felt a flicker of nerves in his stomach and raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah... I talked to your Mom earlier. It was kind of crazy... she asked to adopt me."
"Huh... really?"
"Yeah... you knew?"
"How should I know?"
"You just don't seem that surprised."

Billie Joe looked away.

"I just... uh... saw it coming. She loves you, you know that."
"I know. But I mean... she can't adopt me. Cause of you and me... right?"
"I guess not."
"You 'guess' not? Billie, if your Mom adopts me we'd legally be brother and sister. And the thought of that makes me want to puke a little."
"Right. Yeah, I get that too... "
"So I had to tell her no. And I love your Mom. I didn't want her just thinking that I didn't want to be part of your family... So I told her about you and me."

Billie Joe tried his best to look surprised again.

"So... um. What did you tell her?" he asked, quietly.

The butterflies were back.

"That we were together... she was fine with it."
"Uh... really?"
"Yeah. She actually seemed pretty happy about it."
"No shit... "
"I know. So... no more sneaking around. That's good, right?"

He nodded.

"Right," he said.
"Why don't you look happy?" Jessie frowned.

Billie Joe let out a breath, leaning on the bar again and resting his head in his hand. His mind was beginning to spin a little.

"Sorry, Jess," he said, "I am happy. I'm just a little drunk. I'm glad there's no more sneaking around."
"Okay," she said, uncertainly, "Listen, I'm gonna go find Freddy. I'll see you later, okay?"
He nodded, bringing her closer and kissing her cheek, smiling as she walked away.

Minutes later, he was distracted from staring at his beer bottle by the presence of someone standing next to him at the bar, and he looked up as a girl tapped him on the shoulder.

"Billie Joe?"
"... Yeah," he said.

The girl smiled.

"Hi, um, my name's Elana... I just watched you guys and you were really awesome... so I just thought I'd say."
"Thanks," Billie Joe smiled, feeling his face flush with pride.
"And... I saw you play Eastside Records last week. I got your EP... me and my friends love it. So... I was wondering if you could sign my copy?"

Billie Joe stared at her.

"You want my autograph?"
"Uh... Yeah? Is... that okay?"

He grinned.

"Of course it's okay!"

Elana smiled and passed him the EP, then pulled a marker pen out of her back pocket and put it in Billie Joe's hand. He couldn't stop smiling as he signed his name across the cover, before passing it back to her.

"That was my first autograph," he told her.
"Really?" she smiled, "Well, that might make it worth more one day."

He grinned.

"You think so? Okay, pass it back here."

She handed it back and he leant on the counter as he wrote "My first autograph" under his name.

Elana laughed.

"That's awesome. Thanks Billie Joe. Hey, where's your drummer?"
"Tre?"
"Yeah... Tre."
"He's around here someplace. Good luck with getting any sense out of him though. He's even drunker than I am."

Elana grinned.

"I'll try my best. I just wanted to say hi. He seems really cute."

Billie Joe smiled.

"He's probably in the back room somewhere," he told her, "Go check. He'd probably want to say hi to you too... "

"Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me... I think they're okay-ay!... If they don't give me proper credit... I just... walk away-ay!"

Jessie grinned, as she walked down the dark street with Tre listening to Billie Joe's singing from behind her, where he and Mike were walking, their arms around each other for support. Tre laughed.

"You know Billie's pretty fucked when he starts breaking into Madonna songs, right?"

Jessie giggled.

"He isfucked. I don't need to listen to him to tell that. He can't even walk straight anymore."

Tre grinned, before looking at Jessie.

"You'd better look after him right?" he said, his voice slurring slightly, "When you get home. He's just gonna sleep where he drops."
"I know," Jessie chuckled, "Don't worry... I'll make sure he doesn't choke on his vomit or anything."

Tre nodded, and they were silent for a moment, listening to Billie Joe and Mike's faint ramblings coming from behind them.

"You care about him a lot... right?"

Jessie looked down at her feet, guilt weighing in her stomach.

"Yeah," she almost whispered.

Tre was quiet and Jessie felt the beginnings of panic inside her chest.

"It's okay, y'know," he said, eventually, "You don't... it isn't wrong that you feel that way... about him."

Jessie bit her lip.

"Tre... " she started.
"No... Seriously, Jess," he interrupted, "You and Billie... look, I'm not stupid okay?"
"I know, Tre, I never thought you-"
"But you think I won't notice, Jess! And I will! I do! I guess I'm more fucking perceptive than people realize."

Jessie felt an ache in her heart at his words.

"Tre... I'm sorry," she said, softly, "I... we... never wanted to... "
"Hurt me. I know. And it's okay... I mean, you and Billie... I can see there's something there. There always has been something there. If you guys are happy then... I can't get in the way of that. You and me... it would have been nice, Jessie, but we're pals now. You and Billie have always been so much more than that."

Jessie stopped walking, before turning and pulling Tre into a tight hug. She wanted to thank him, but she didn't know if thanking him was what she was supposed to do. She didn't know what she was supposed to say, but it didn't seem to matter right then.

"Cause we are liiiiving in a mateeeerial world, and I am a material girl... .. we are liiiving... . In a material world... . And I am a material giiiiiiirl!"

Tre pulled back from Jessie's hug, grinning.

"Let's keep walking in case he gains on us," he winked, and she laughed.

Billie Joe watched Jessie walking ahead with Tre, tripping over his own feet as he kept his eyes fixed on her in the centre of his blurred vision.

"She loves me," he slurred.
"Hmmugh?"
"Jessie... . She loves me."
"She does, huh?"

Billie Joe's face broke into a grin.

"No I mean, really. I heard her... she told my mom. She said she's in love... with me."

Mike smiled.

"Really? Fuck!"
"I know and I... I was like, woah. I mean... y'know... woah... ."
"Yeah... totally... "
"But y'know what?"
"What?"
"... I love her too."

Mike grinned.

"I know."

"But I mean like... properly. I properly love her."
"I knew that already."
"... You did?"
"Yeah, I've known that for like... ages."

Billie Joe stumbled into Mike a little, pushing him off the sidewalk and into the gutter.

"Well, why didn't you fucking tell me that?!"

Mike laughed, nudging Billie Joe back onto the sidewalk.

"I thought you knew!"
"How was I supposed to know!"

Mike gave Billie Joe a wry glance and he looked back ahead at Jessie.

"I'm gonna tell her."
"Good."
"Like... right now."

As Billie Joe started charging unsteadily towards Jessie, Mike grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Bill, you can't just march right up and tell her!"
"Why not?"
"Cause... you're piss ass drunk!"
"So?"
"So, you've already told me you love me about five times tonight already! She isn't gonna take it seriously! You probably won't even remember this tomorrow!"
Billie Joe struggled against Mike's grasp.
"But I... Mike! I need to... she needs to... what if she thinks I... "
"Jesus, Billie, you really are not at your smoothest right now. Trust me on this."

Billie Joe folded his arms across his chest, causing him to lean dangerously to one side.

"Okay," he said sulkily. "I guess you're right... as usual."

"Hmm... you smell nice," Billie Joe mumbled into Jessie's ear as they made their way up the driveway. Billie Joe had his arms wrapped around her, with all of his weight leaning against her as they walked, his nose buried into her hair. Somehow, Jessie was managing to aim them both towards the house. She grinned.

"Thanks Billie... " she said, as they stumbled up the porch steps towards the front door, "I'd like to say the same but... you kind of just smell like beer and cigarettes... "
"You still want to kiss me though, right?" he slurred, smugly, somehow turning her around and backing her against the front door. She grinned.

"I guess I could probably be persuaded."

His kisses were a little sloppy and off target but she enjoyed them all the same, still holding him upright as they leaned back against the door.

"Let's go inside," she whispered, as they pulled away.
"I have an idea," he mumbled into her neck, between dropping warm kisses against her skin.
"Oh yeah?"
"Let's have a sleepover party. In my room. It'll be fun."
"Will there be party games?"

He giggled.

"We could play hide and seek again, if you like."

Jessie grinned, turning around and unlocking the door.

"I don't think you're gonna last long enough for that," she smirked.
"What? I'll last!" he protested, wandering into the house and bumping repeatedly against the wall as he walked down the hallway, apparently without noticing.
"Shhh... " Jessie whispered, taking his hand, "Maybe you should drink some water or something... "
"No... he murmured, wrapping himself around her again, "I don't want water... I just want you."

She grinned. She wasn't really about to argue with that.

Leading him to his bedroom, she nudged him towards the bed, which he flopped onto, face down and she giggled.

"I know you're gonna pass out on me, BJ."
"I'm not... sleepover... I promise... I'm gonna blow your mind... "

Jessie covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

"Sure you are," she grinned, kissing his cheek, "Let me just go brush my teeth and I'll come back okay?"
"Mmm... don't be long."
"Okay," she whispered, with a smile, kissing him again before she stood up.

Tiptoeing back across to Billie Joe's room a few minutes later, Jessie pushed the door open and sighed, smiling at the sight of Billie Joe in exactly the position she had left him, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and regular. Climbing onto the bed next to him, she untied his dirty converse and pulled them off his feet before she dragged the covers over them both and turned out the light.

She stroked her fingers through his damp hair, before wrapping her arms around his sleeping form and placing a kiss on his neck. She smiled as she rested her head onto the cool pillow.

"Blow my mind, huh?" she whispered into his shoulder as she closed her eyes with a quiet chuckle, "Night Billie Joe."