You Never Learned A God Damned Thing

"Sorry boys!" I yelled as I ran down to the basement. "Had a bad day and besides you better explain yourselves!"

Billie looked up from his notebook and Mike stopped playing some random tune as they looked at me surprised. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and just stared at them as they stared back at me like I jumped out from some cartoon. Mike put down his bass and walked up to the couch where Billie was sitting.

"What's up," Billie said before looking down at his notebook, concentrating over some words written down on the page. I frowned and walked closer to take a look at what was so important that they just ignored me. I leaned down to look at the lyrics when Billie's head snapped and he looked at me with squinted eyes. "You're blocking the light."

"Ah, um...Sorry!" I replied in a cherry voice before moving out and going over to some old, falling apart armchair. I watched them for a while as Billie scribbled down something on the papers and Mike went back to playing his bass not saying any word. My eyebrows rose as the two guys seemed to either be so lost in whatever they were doing or they were ignoring me. I laid my head in my palm and yawned as the dim room even in the daylight was too dark and the static rhythm of the bass was making me sleepy the longer it sounded in the room. I shook my head and got up quickly from the chair and quickly headed to the wooden stairs. I needed coffee. Badly.

I made my way into the empty kitchen, stopping near the table and eying thoughtfully the cabinets. The only sound I could hear in the house was the steady beat of the bass. Billie's mother was at work which meant that we were the only ones in the whole household. I walked up to the first cabinet and started my quest of finding the coffee. Along the way I decided to make something to eat and I ended up taking some bread, cheese, ham and butter from the fridge. After about 10 minutes I was done making sandwiches and had water prepared for my coffee. While being at Billie's it always felt like at home and it felt only natural to do whatever I wanted there without asking about anything. They never asked. They wanted something they took it.

"Food and coffee!" I heard Mike's voice from the kitchen's door. "Cool that you thought about me!"

"No..." I frowned looking at him as he walked up and reached for a sandwich. I slapped his hand and took the plate as he massaged his hand with a pout. "No sandwiches or coffee for Mike."

"But why?" he trailed after me to the kitchen table. "You're too tiny to eat...eight-"

"I didn't eat lunch. I'm starving." I defended myself as I took a sip from the warm coffee. Mike shook his head with a small smile and went to pour himself a coffee in the cup.

"I've heard some interesting things that your friend and you had some problem with that jerk, Cole?" I nodded my head as I took one of the sandwiches and bit into it. "Seems like Chris made all of us less invisible." I only nodded my head too busy eating to form any kind of a reply.

"The moment I see him he'll beg for forgiveness." Billie spoke suddenly from behind me and reached for my coffee.

"Hey!" I exclaimed turning around with a glare. He sipped from my cup and handed it to me half empty. "Gees, thanks." I put the cup down, looking at it suspiciously. Billie took a seat by the table and reached for a sandwich, which earned him a slap on the arm from me. He rolled his eyes at me and started eating. "What a change." I mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Billie asked.

"You ignored me down there and I haven't seen you for two days." Mike smirked as Billie shrugged his shoulders and kept on eating his sandwich, occasionally reaching for the coffee, which I wasn't about to finish.

"Well," he said before drinking the remaining coffee. "didn't you enjoy the time with your best friends forever?" Billie winked at me. "I thought you'd rather go shopping with them or something?"

"You make it sound so dramatic." I rolled my eyes and moved away the plate with sandwiches.

"Told you that you won't eat that." Mike chuckled taking one of the sandwiches. I shrugged my shoulders and got up thinking that I'd rather go home. For some reason I lost my enthusiasm and the idea of hanging out with Billie and Mike seemed like the worst decision of the day. Beside making sure that Jason Cole would need a new tire for his shiny car.

"Where do you think you're going?" Billie caught my wrist as I got up. "I've got some new stuff and you should make sure is sounds cool."

"You do?" my eyes widened as I looked at him with interest. "Did you finish anything, then?" he shook his head, but got up and pulled me by my wrist to the basement with Mike following us.

"I have this part of the lyrics, but I guess it'll be good. Mike already saw it."

"That's what you, guys, did all this time? Songwriting? Without me?"

"You were busy playing dolls!" Billie threw his hands into the air, letting go of my wrist. "But you're forgiven. I'll show you something."

He walked up to the abandoned couch and picked up the opened notebook with a pen resting between the pages.

"You shouldn't leave your precious work in the unguarded basement." I said with a smirk.

"'Cause someone would even look at it." Billie snorted handing me the notebook.

"I don't know..." Mike said in thought. "We have a really small fan base, but still..." I nodded my head and smiled at Billie before I looked at his messy handwriting and some verses crossed out.

Sweet young girl so soft and blonde.
does exactly what she's been warned.
Intoxication's in her veins.
Sweet young boy plays with her brain.

I raised my eyebrows and read the lyrics again before handing the notebook back to Billie, who looked at me expectantly. I glanced at Mike, who was giving me the same stare.

"Another...a girl that I had a crush on song?" Mike slapped his forehead and Billie shook his head disappointed. What were they expecting me to say?

"That's not what we were aiming for and you should read it more carefully." Mike advised lying his arm around my shoulders. "You'll get it once you read the whole thing."

"Well, you're right. I didn't read it quite carefully. Maybe." I frowned. I looked at Billie, who was already seated on the couch looking at the lyrics with furrowed eyebrows. "Billie, it's good so don't you dare changing that, okay?" he looked up from the lyrics and raised his eyebrow.

"I wasn't about to change it."

"Okay." I shrugged my shoulders and walked up to my drum set and picked up my drum sticks. I started playing something random, but was quickly interrupted by Mike, who managed to catch one of my hands and steal my drumstick. "Hey!"

"What! We're going out now and you're going with us!" I frowned and glanced at Billie who was already heading up the stairs. I groaned and got up from my seat, dropping the drumstick left in my other hand. "Nice color."

"Huh?" I looked at Mike confused. He nodded at me.

"Dark brown looks better then blond."

"It was supposed to be light brown..." He laughed at my frustration as we walked up the stairs and out the front door where Billie was already waiting for us, though he didn't seem to notice us coming out. He had a stern look on his face as he looked ahead.
"What the fuck..." Mike whispered looking ahead and that's when I realized what it was all about. My eyes went wide and I started walking ahead with mouth hanging open as I saw the damage. My car---or rather my dad's car was covered in tomato's, eggs and on the front windshield was written in white paint Payback, bitch!. I stopped in front of the car and stared disbelievingly at it as guys slowly approached me and Mike patted my back reassuringly.

"Payback?" Billie looked at me with eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's not the kind of payback you get for pissing them off and getting into a fight with them..." I looked away from the car and at Billie, who was eying me questioningly. "I would get it if someone did it to my car."

"What? You're suggesting that I couldn't do anything to piss someone off?"

"No, it's just that..." he trailed off, glancing at the car.

"Beside getting into the fight earlier...What did you do?" Mike looked at me suspiciously. I bit my lip and shoved my hands in my jeans pockets. "Well?"

"I..." Just then we heard some loud laughter and a silver, shiny Chevrolet Impala Convertible heading our way with its roof folded away.

"You don't see this kind of cars in this area." Mike said as his eyes followed the car.

"Looks familiar." Billie sighed and walked up to me as I looked back at my car with a troubled look on my face. "Look-"

"What the hell?" I chimed in, glancing at the car again as something disturbing caught my eye as they got closer. Just then a ran of colorful paint was shot at us and Billie pushed me to the ground behind the car as the idiots passed us laughing all the time. Mike jumped to the ground next to us as we waited for the car to disappear as it turned into another street. Mike groaned and sat up and I wanted to do the same, but then I realized that it would be a lot harder with additional weight pinning me to the ground.

"Billie?" I asked wide eyed. He muttered something, moving himself off of me to lay on the pavement next to me. "Are you okay?"

"No" he muttered and frowned as he caught the sight of the paint on the other side of the car as he glanced around. "You don't want to see your car now." he said turning his head to look at me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and got up with a little help of Mike, who got up earlier. I massaged the side of my ribs where I had a huge orange spot.

"Damn, they got you." Mike said observing the damage done. I glanced at Mike and frowned.

"They didn't shot you!" I pointed at his color-free clothes. Mike smirked and looked at Billie who still was lying on the ground.

"Hey, man, are you alright?" he helped him up and as Billie dusted himself off I've noticed at least three different colors covering his back and another two on his jeans. I gasped covering my mouth.

"I told you not to look at the car." Billie chuckled. "Your dad is going to kill you..."

"Those bastards shot you!" I exclaimed pointing at him.

"And I've wondered why the hell everything hurts me..." he raised his eyebrow and went around the car. He cursed silently and shook his head. "Why did that bastard, Cole, and his friends put so much effort into finding you and shooting your car?"

"It was Jason Cole?" Mike crossed his arms across his chest. "Why do you think it was him?" Billie rolled his eyes.

"I saw him. I actually paid attention to the driver and the guys inside. It didn't seem right." I bit my lip and looked down with narrowed eyes. I felt Billie's and Mike's eyes boring into me as I was silent.

"Al?" Mike asked after a moment. "Did something happen the past two days and you didn't tell us?"

"And how was I supposed to tell you anything after we just met after those two days?" I asked, raising my voice a little in frustration. "That asshole asked himself for this and I wasn't about to ignore someone throwing food at me or their drinks. And Jen-"

"What did you do?" Billie asked with raised eyebrows. I shrugged and rolled my eyes, turning away from them. I felt like a little kid that did something wrong, even though it seemed right for me. Mike laid his hand on my arm and turned me around to face him. I rolled my eyes at him and decided to tell him as they would find out anyway even though if it wasn't from me.

"It's just...I've blew out his tire's. That's all."

"What?" the both of them asked in a whispery voice, looking at me like I was crazy. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"You know, I get it why he did what he just did." Mike said after another moment of silence.

"You blew his tires and he afforded you a long day of cleaning the car." Billie said with a smirk. "I will have to talk with him."

"Billie..." I sighed, shaking my head.

"He shouldn't have done this." Billie shrugged his shoulders. "And it fucking hurts...saving you from the paint was such a fucked up idea..." he winced as he touched the spots with paint.

"Yeah," I bit my lip, looking down. "Thanks, anyway." he muttered something as he started heading home. "Hey, what about the car?!" I screamed after him.

"Take whatever you need." Billie screamed back over his shoulder.

"Seems like you'll have to clean all of this on your own, Al." Mike chuckled and smirked at me.

"What?" I looked at him wide eyed. "Won't you help me?"

"I forgot to turn off my amp in the basement." he said quickly running off.

"Mike!" I called after him as he ran into the house and slammed the door shut behind himself. "Great." I scoffed leaning back on the car, but regretting it instantly as I felt something wet on my back. I groaned and slapped my forehead. Guys were very helpful.