Status: Completed.
False Pretense
Six.
Traci and I sat at their table the next morning; Mike was making us breakfast. I had managed to avoid Billie for the rest of the night after a second, smaller fight on the back deck.
"I don't think I ever want to drink again." I said as I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and held the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Traci laughed and patted my back sympathetically.
"Who do we know that says that every morning after, Mike?"
"Billie Joe." Mike laughed as he flipped over a pancake in the pan.
"Oh, god." Traci muttered and looked behind me to the person approaching. I turned in my seat and almost choked on my own breath. Mike looked up from the stove to see what we were looking at and I saw his grip on the spatula tighten.
"Ashley." He spoke we faux cheerfulness. She stopped between my chair and the wall and smiled at him.
"Mike," She didn't chose to acknowledge us. "Feelin' the tension in this room." She laughed to herself and walked over to the fridge; feeling free to do as she pleased.
"I have to go to the bathroom." I excused myself without waiting for a response and started for the staircase in the living room.
As I walked slowly down the hallway I heard commotion coming from Billie's room. I slowed my pace and walked silently to the edge of his bedroom door. I peered in every so slightly and saw him sitting at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He seemed to be grabbing at his hair pretty hard; he must have realized his mistake.
I watched for a few more seconds, realizing he could look up any moment. As I turned to head back toward the stairs I heard a sniffle. I looked back and saw him wipe his eyes. Was he crying?
~ ~ ~
I woke up to find Ashley in my bed once again. I really needed to not be drunk when she was around because I always seemed to invite her back to bed with me. I kicked her out of my room again before I cried with her around; I was getting sick of crying.
I walked downstairs and saw Mike, Traci and Kat sitting around the table eating. I sluggishly walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a drink.
"Good morning, Billie." Mike said in-between bites of what smelled like pancakes. I grabbed the cream and made up my drink to my liking.
"Hey." I felt somebody's eyes on me and I looked to catch Kat staring at me. God, that girl could push my buttons just by looking at me. I walked over to the table and took a seat in the remaining spot which was across from Traci and next to Kat and Mike.
"So, did you two sleep here?" I asked before taking a sip of my coffee.
"I did. Kat went home when she sobered up enough." I glanced at Kat, who was holding her head in her hands.
"Yeah, your friend Tre asked me if I wanted to 'get jiggy with it.'" She said using her fingers to emphasis this phrase.
"That's my Tre." I laughed to myself, sipping more of my coffee.
"We played pretty well together, Bill. Maybe the next time we have a Green Day we could recruit him."
"The sounds good. We need a new name, though. I don't want to have the same if we get a new drummer."
"Why don't you just call yourself Green Day?" Kat suggested, looking up from her hand.
"We do smoke an awful lot of pot. What do you say, Bill?" Mike smiled eagerly and I couldn't help but look at Kat in amazement. Why didn't I think of that?
"Maybe."
~ ~ ~
I felt Billie staring at me at different times during breakfast. His head trip was really starting to bother me. One minute he was pissed off and the next he was quiet and friendly.
"Where's Ashley?" Traci asked suddenly. I had a feeling that was going to ruin the friendly streak he had going.
"Hell if I care." He muttered, looking down at his coffee mug. Was I the only one who knew he had cried?
"I think you do. Why else would you keep going back to her?" Traci inquired, which immediately brought out his anger.
"Shove off, Blondie." He hissed, standing up quickly, and stalking out of the room. Something told me his distraught emotions went deeper than just Ashley; she was just the trigger.
* * *
Traci and I were alone on the back porch later that day. I told her I needed to talk to her about something important and I was only hoping Billie wouldn't come around.
"So, what's up?" She asked, pulling out a cigarette. She offered the pack my way but I silently declined.
"I saw Billie crying. This morning. Before he came downstairs." I wasn't going to beat around the bush. Traci's cigarette dropped from her mouth as she gawked in surprise.
"What?" She asked, eventually, which almost caused me to laugh. This must be a big surprise.
"Billie! He was crying!" I whispered; never knowing when he was going to pop up next.
"Are you serious? Why was he crying?"
"I think he was disgusted with himself when he found out he slept with Ashley again."
"He was crying?!" A different voice yelled now in pure disgust. Traci and I turned in unison toward the slider door. Ashley was standing with wide eyes and a look of revulsion on her face. Fuck.
She turned back inside then, power walking to the living room. Traci and I chased after her without a second thought.
"Did you honestly cry? You call yourself a man? What kind of pansy are you!" She yelled, causing Billie to stand up in surprise at her outburst.
"What?!" He watched as I skidded to an abrupt stop after reaching the living room and Traci ran into me only mere seconds later.
"Crying is a sign of weakness, Billie!" Ashley yelled, stealing back Billie's attention. I watched as his face turned red and he looked down in shame; he was embarrassed and speechless.
I walked up to Ashley and she looked surprised as to how close I had gotten without her noticing.
"What the fuck is the matter with you? Are you making fun of him?"
"He was crying!"
"So? Like that justifies anything at all? He was disgusted with himself, I bet. I'd cry if I woke up to your skanky ass too." She just stood there staring at me, feeling like the embarrassed one now.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, shut up and get the hell out!" I threw my hands up in the air and pointed towards the door. Traci walked silently by us and opened it as Ashley turned in shock and walked slowly from the room; turning once to look at everybody in confusion before disappearing from the room.
Traci slammed the door shut with a flick of her wrist and I turned back around, expecting Billie to yell at me but was surprised when I was engulfed into a big hug.
"I don't think I ever want to drink again." I said as I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and held the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Traci laughed and patted my back sympathetically.
"Who do we know that says that every morning after, Mike?"
"Billie Joe." Mike laughed as he flipped over a pancake in the pan.
"Oh, god." Traci muttered and looked behind me to the person approaching. I turned in my seat and almost choked on my own breath. Mike looked up from the stove to see what we were looking at and I saw his grip on the spatula tighten.
"Ashley." He spoke we faux cheerfulness. She stopped between my chair and the wall and smiled at him.
"Mike," She didn't chose to acknowledge us. "Feelin' the tension in this room." She laughed to herself and walked over to the fridge; feeling free to do as she pleased.
"I have to go to the bathroom." I excused myself without waiting for a response and started for the staircase in the living room.
As I walked slowly down the hallway I heard commotion coming from Billie's room. I slowed my pace and walked silently to the edge of his bedroom door. I peered in every so slightly and saw him sitting at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He seemed to be grabbing at his hair pretty hard; he must have realized his mistake.
I watched for a few more seconds, realizing he could look up any moment. As I turned to head back toward the stairs I heard a sniffle. I looked back and saw him wipe his eyes. Was he crying?
~ ~ ~
I woke up to find Ashley in my bed once again. I really needed to not be drunk when she was around because I always seemed to invite her back to bed with me. I kicked her out of my room again before I cried with her around; I was getting sick of crying.
I walked downstairs and saw Mike, Traci and Kat sitting around the table eating. I sluggishly walked over to the coffee pot and poured myself a drink.
"Good morning, Billie." Mike said in-between bites of what smelled like pancakes. I grabbed the cream and made up my drink to my liking.
"Hey." I felt somebody's eyes on me and I looked to catch Kat staring at me. God, that girl could push my buttons just by looking at me. I walked over to the table and took a seat in the remaining spot which was across from Traci and next to Kat and Mike.
"So, did you two sleep here?" I asked before taking a sip of my coffee.
"I did. Kat went home when she sobered up enough." I glanced at Kat, who was holding her head in her hands.
"Yeah, your friend Tre asked me if I wanted to 'get jiggy with it.'" She said using her fingers to emphasis this phrase.
"That's my Tre." I laughed to myself, sipping more of my coffee.
"We played pretty well together, Bill. Maybe the next time we have a Green Day we could recruit him."
"The sounds good. We need a new name, though. I don't want to have the same if we get a new drummer."
"Why don't you just call yourself Green Day?" Kat suggested, looking up from her hand.
"We do smoke an awful lot of pot. What do you say, Bill?" Mike smiled eagerly and I couldn't help but look at Kat in amazement. Why didn't I think of that?
"Maybe."
~ ~ ~
I felt Billie staring at me at different times during breakfast. His head trip was really starting to bother me. One minute he was pissed off and the next he was quiet and friendly.
"Where's Ashley?" Traci asked suddenly. I had a feeling that was going to ruin the friendly streak he had going.
"Hell if I care." He muttered, looking down at his coffee mug. Was I the only one who knew he had cried?
"I think you do. Why else would you keep going back to her?" Traci inquired, which immediately brought out his anger.
"Shove off, Blondie." He hissed, standing up quickly, and stalking out of the room. Something told me his distraught emotions went deeper than just Ashley; she was just the trigger.
* * *
Traci and I were alone on the back porch later that day. I told her I needed to talk to her about something important and I was only hoping Billie wouldn't come around.
"So, what's up?" She asked, pulling out a cigarette. She offered the pack my way but I silently declined.
"I saw Billie crying. This morning. Before he came downstairs." I wasn't going to beat around the bush. Traci's cigarette dropped from her mouth as she gawked in surprise.
"What?" She asked, eventually, which almost caused me to laugh. This must be a big surprise.
"Billie! He was crying!" I whispered; never knowing when he was going to pop up next.
"Are you serious? Why was he crying?"
"I think he was disgusted with himself when he found out he slept with Ashley again."
"He was crying?!" A different voice yelled now in pure disgust. Traci and I turned in unison toward the slider door. Ashley was standing with wide eyes and a look of revulsion on her face. Fuck.
She turned back inside then, power walking to the living room. Traci and I chased after her without a second thought.
"Did you honestly cry? You call yourself a man? What kind of pansy are you!" She yelled, causing Billie to stand up in surprise at her outburst.
"What?!" He watched as I skidded to an abrupt stop after reaching the living room and Traci ran into me only mere seconds later.
"Crying is a sign of weakness, Billie!" Ashley yelled, stealing back Billie's attention. I watched as his face turned red and he looked down in shame; he was embarrassed and speechless.
I walked up to Ashley and she looked surprised as to how close I had gotten without her noticing.
"What the fuck is the matter with you? Are you making fun of him?"
"He was crying!"
"So? Like that justifies anything at all? He was disgusted with himself, I bet. I'd cry if I woke up to your skanky ass too." She just stood there staring at me, feeling like the embarrassed one now.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, shut up and get the hell out!" I threw my hands up in the air and pointed towards the door. Traci walked silently by us and opened it as Ashley turned in shock and walked slowly from the room; turning once to look at everybody in confusion before disappearing from the room.
Traci slammed the door shut with a flick of her wrist and I turned back around, expecting Billie to yell at me but was surprised when I was engulfed into a big hug.
♠ ♠ ♠
Ahaha. Fun :)Thanks for reading.