Pieces of Truth

When Tre was released the next day, we took him to the venue where they were supposed to play that night.

"There's no way I'm a drummer in a band. I'm not coordinated enough!" 'Frank' shook his head as he sat at the already set up drum kit.

Mike handed him a pair of sticks and the man just stared at them. He looked so awkward and out of place with those sticks, and it was even worse when he attempted to play a beat.

I could see Billie's crestfallen look, knowing he had hoped for Tre to immediately pick up drumming and be himself again.

"He just needs some more time," I said to Billie quietly as he passed me to talk to Mike.

"What are we gonna do about tonight?" Billie asked his band mate, who shrugged.

"Cancel? I have no idea.. We can't find a replacement on such short notice," Mike answered.

Billie glanced back at me, a smile crossing his lips before he skipped over to where I sat on the stage.

"Heyyy Graaacee, you know how much I love you, right?"

"Yeah?" I nodded, knowing he had some sort of plan concocting in that thick head of his.

"And you love me too?" he asked, playing with a strand of my hair.

"Of course! How could you ask me that? Ohh, I see. You want me to play tonight, don't you?" I knew what Billie wanted me to do, I just wasn't sure if I was up to it.

"Yeah, you play drums. You used to teach kids how! I know you know all of our songs backwards, so you won't have a problem."

"Won't people be expecting Tre?"

"I'm pretty sure they'll get over it once I tell them what's up. Please?" Billie begged, getting Mike to come and look all sad with him.

"Guys, stop!" I laughed.

"Just do it, Grace," 'Frank' said as he got up, handing me the drum sticks he was holding so incorrectly.

"Fine! Jesus. Tre may not remember who he is, but you three still have that mob mentality," I huffed as I sat on the stool and ran through some songs off the top of my head.

"You're the best, Gray," Billie grinned and Mike thanked me too.

For the show that night, the guys had me dress in a pair of tight black jeans and a striped gray and blue shirt, complete with one of Billie's studded belts and my Chuck Taylors.

"Guys, is this necessary? I'd be fine in shorts or whatever.. I'm gonna overheat," I told them.

"No! You're playing with Green Day, not Sweet Children, so you gotta be cool. You'll have drinks by your seat to keep you hydrated. Plus, I don't want all the guys drooling over you more than they already will be," Billie explained why I wasn't in shorts.

'Frank' stood off to the side of the stage when we went on, and when we started the set I could tell he was bored. I sat there nervously, keeping the beat quick and steady, changing my pace to match Billie when he changed.

Halfway through the show, I started to feel more comfortable and began to be a little bit crazier with my stage presence; making silly faces and doing tricks with the sticks. Billie caught this and used it to his advantage so he could put on the best show he could.

"Hey, who wants to see this chick behind me sing the next song?" Billie asked the crowd as he pointed to me, taking his guitar and handing it to me.

"No!" I shook my head, clutching the sticks close as he tried to take them from my hands.

"Come on everyone, get her off of that god damn stool!" He immediately got the entire place involved to get me up and to the microphone with the familiar Les Paul Junior slung over my shoulder.

Billie took my spot behind the drums and I looked around the packed room as I approached the mic.

"How's everybody fucking feeling tonight? Are you ready to have your faces melted off by a girl?" I yelled into the mic, earning cheers and whistles as I pulled a pic out of my back pocket and began to play Knowledge.

"All I know is that I don't know nothing!" I had the entire building at my fingertips and I now knew why Billie thrived off of this feeling.

When I finished the song, everybody was shouting for me to play more and I felt my face turn red with embarrassment. With a sly smile, I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking my head wildly.

"Thanks, but I'm spent you guys!" I told the crowd, returning the guitar to Billie after I gave my pic a kiss and threw it into the sea of bodies.

Sitting back down, I took a swig of the beer that was next to my seat, noticing the somewhat less bored look on Tre's face.

We finished the set and chilled out after the equipment was all loaded up.

"Well, that was interesting," 'Frank' said as we got on the bus to head to a hotel.

"You looked bored out of your mind!" I replied, watching him shrug.

"Like I said earlier, this just isn't for me."

I saw Billie tense up as he sat on the bus' couch and Mike rolled his eyes.

"Billie, you can't be like that. It's not his fault," Mike reasoned, which probably wasn't the wisest move.

"Shut the fuck up, Mike," he hissed, shooting his friend a glare.

"Guys, stop it!" I sighed, then apologized to Tre. This hostility would only continue until we got Tre back, I just knew it.

The next day, the guys sat down with the tour manager and discussed what they were going to do. The doctor from the hospital wanted Tre to stay in town so he could monitor his progress, but Billie wanted to keep going.

He didn't care what the doctor thought, he just wanted to finish the tour. There were only three more stops, then it was done. Portland, Redding and Sacramento would not be happy if Green Day suddenly canceled.

I offered to fill in like I had the night before, and Billie used this as fuel for his argument, but all in all, health comes first.

Five days went by slowly, but Tre still wasn't himself, so Mike, Billie and I had a talk in one of the hotel rooms.

"He isn't remembering anything at all. What are we gonna do?" I asked, playing with Billie's lighter at the desk.

"I think he needs to be in Oakland. Maybe being home will spark something," Billie offered his input once again.

"We still have those three shows to play too," Mike added.

"I told you before, I have no problem playing those," I reiterated yet again.

"We should get on the road so we can be in Portland then, because staying here isn't helping anyone," Billie Joe decided and we all agreed.

"Bill and I will go tell Laurie, you go and tell Tre, ok?" Mike said to me and I nodded.

We went our separate ways and I walked over to the room Mike and Tre were sharing. Mike had given me the key, so I knocked before sliding the card key to let myself in.

"Frank, I have some news.." I cut off when I saw that the room was empty.

I checked the balcony and bathroom, the closet and even under the beds.

"Frank? Tre?!" I called frantically, leaving the room to find Mike and Billie.

"Did you tell him?" Mike asked when I finally found them.

"He wasn't in the room. He's gone," I shook my head, now extremely worried.

We did a sweep of the hotel, then decided to go out and search around Seattle. I suggested getting the police involved, but Laurie decided against it.

"If we don't find him tonight, we'll look tomorrow and if we're still not successful we'll talk to the police," he told us as we set out into the city.

I, for one, was annoyed; why not immediately call someone who knew the area and had the resources needed to find a person?

We were out until nearly sunrise, then decided that we needed to get some sleep or else we would be useless later.

"Try and sleep, okay Billie?" I said from the bed as he paced the room.

"How can I when he's out in some huge, strange city?!" he asked, finally sitting down beside me.

"Even though he may be Frank right now, Tre is deep down, and that's what's gonna keep him safe until we find him."

"I sure hope so," he sighed, running his hands through his messy hair.

"He's going to turn up. Maybe tomorrow you can call Kurt. He could probably help too," I suggested and Billie nodded, giving me a kiss that clearly mirrored his frustration before settling into bed with me.

I knew that what I had said had eased Billie's mind, but I hoped it was true. All I want is for Tre to be found, safe and sound.