Pieces of Truth

I now sat face to face across from Billie at the 24 hour Denny's. After I had recovered from my reaction to running so much, Billie walked me to the restaurant and made me get a ginger ale.

"Why did you run?" he asked, watching me carefully, like I'd try it again.

"I just can't face you yet," I answered, playing with my napkin.

"You mean you don't want to."

I looked up, gazing at Billie, noticing how he had changed and what had remained the same about him.
His hair wasn't it's reddish brown or even blue. It was a bleached blond, but his dark roots were showing from grow-out.

He had very, very dark circles around his eyes, which were once the most vibrant, gorgeous green I had ever seen. But now they were dull and clearly showed his pain.

Billie had always been skinny, but he appeared extremely underweight in his black jeans and gray shirt.
He was jumpy and jittery, very nervous as he kept fiddling with his hands.

I could feel him watching me as I played with the paper napkin, then I saw his hands reach out, gently covering mine. I felt a spark fly through my entire body, but I ignored it and looked up at Billie.

"I need you back in my life. I think I'll die if I don't have you in my life," he said quietly, as if he were telling me a secret.

"You've already tried, haven't you?" I asked, referring to when he nearly overdosed on medication for his panic attacks.

"That's not fair, Grace."

"You know what's not fair, Billie Joe? This. What you're doing right now is not fair. You saying that you need me isn't fair. If you really did need me, you wouldn't have fucked those girls. This isn't how I imagined life a year and five months ago. I figured we'd be..." I cut myself off, my cheeks flushing bright red.

"You figured we'd be what?" Billie asked, the curiosity evident in his voice.

"Well.. Uh. Ready to get married," I said in an embarrassed tone.

I had wanted to get married ever since I was little and when I was nine I had decided I wanted to marry Billie.

"Me too," he nodded, and I shot him a confused look.

"I've always wanted to marry you, Gray. I can prove it, and that I never slept with anyone when I was on that tour."

"Go ahead, try and prove it. I dare you," I replied, getting up and leaving Denny's.

I wasn't surprised that Billie didn't follow me; he wouldn't talk to me unless he had a way to prove his innocence.

I got home and it was nearly 5 a.m. Tre and Mike were there; Tre asleep on the floor and Mike sitting on the couch.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered, "But we'll find out soon enough. Feel free to sleep over or whatever.. I know what Tre is like cranky."

"Ok. Night Grace.. Your roommate already went to bed."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

Every day for the next week Billie would walk by Amoeba while I was working and just peek in the window, like he was double checking to make sure I hadn't run. He wouldn't come in; he'd just smile to himself then walk off after a few minutes. I guess he knew where I was when I wasn't working too.

The girls I work with said he came in and asked for me, but they told him that I had class. Apparently after that he nodded, said thanks and left politely.

I asked Mike and Tre what he was up to, but neither of them really knew.

"He's been on the phone all week," Tre said when he came to visit me, "And I'm so, so sorry we came over with your room mate and brought Billie right to you."

"It's okay, really. I guess it had to happen sooner or later," I shrugged, "Did he yell at you guys because you knew I never left?"

"Surprisingly no. He was so ecstatic to have found you that he was over being mad. Now he's set on the dare you gave him."

"I never dared him to do anything. Not like he's taking it. I said, 'go ahead and try to prove to me you didn't sleep with groupies, I dare you'"

"He's taking it seriously.. Like a challenge. This is life or death for him."

I didn't say anything; I knew it was true.

"Grace, if he comes up with something and you don't believe it, I wouldn't put it past Beej to jump off the Golden Gate," Tre told me in a serious voice.

"Don't tell me that. I do not want to hear that," I groaned.

"You know it's true. Billie loves you so much, it's sick. You can't tell me that you don't love him too," Tre crossed his arms over his chest.

"I know, Tre.. I know he loves me. That night at Denny's, Billie Joe told me that he had wanted to marry me."

"And that surprises you why?"

"We had never really talked about it when we were together."

"Did you want to marry him?" Tre asked.

"When the time was right, yeah. I had wanted to since I was nine."

"Oh, Gracie," Tre sighed, then froze as he looked out the window.

I turned around and saw Billie motioning for Tre to come outside.

"Go see what he wants," I said, wiping my watering eyes.

"Don't cry, Gracie. We can always get married!" Tre grinned in his goofy way, making me laugh.

"Go on," I smiled, nodding to the door and Tre went outside.

[Tre]

I walked out to Billie after trying to cheer up Grace.

"Dude, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I did it," Billie answered, a gleam of hope all over his face, "I can get Grace back."

"And what makes you so sure? She was ready to cry back in there."

"Trust me. Just tell her to come to my place when she gets off. Please?"

"Yeah, I'll tell her. But I don't know if she'll go for it."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Billie smiled, "You need to come too, so I'll see you later."

I said bye then went back into Amoeba.

"What did he say?" Grace asked.

"He wants you to go to his place after work."

"I guess I could go to the apartment again for a bit," she nodded.

"No, Gracie. Billie got himself a house!"

"Really?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Good for him then.. I was gonna ask what it's like, but I guess I'll see it in a few hours, huh?"

"You'll love it. I think that's the whole reason Beej got it. It reminded him of you, and I guess it was the house he wanted you two to be in, I dunno," I rambled and Grace stared at me with wide eyes.

"Why would he do that, Tre? He hurt me, so I tried to hurt him back in the worst possible way, and I succeeded. Why would he want to live somewhere that reminds him of me?"

"Well, it's a whole lot better than where he was living a month and a half ago..."

[Grace]

"And where was that?" I asked in a curious tone.

"A warehouse in downtown Oakland.." Tre answered

"By himself?"

"He lived with a bunch of other people in bands and stuff," he told me, "After you left he couldn't stand the apartment, so he moved."

We talked for a bit longer, then Tre gave me directions to Billie's house and I got off of my shift.

"Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes," I said as I got into my car and drove off.

I wound up in an upscale neighborhood in the hills outside of a beautiful three story house with bay windows in the front. I walked up to the door, noticing several cars in the driveway, including Tre's.

I rang the doorbell, taking a deep breath.