The Bet
Loss Of Control.
Billie felt his heart lurch into his stomach as Shayla entered the classroom, eyes frantically searching for him. When she spotted him pacing back and forth in front of his usual desk, she quickly closed in the distance between him.
"Billie," she hissed. "I just saw Ms. Jackson taking Dave to the office. He had a nice red spot forming on his chin. You wouldn't happen to know who's doing that was, would you?"
Regardless of his current nervous state, he felt himself shrug. "Maybe he said something someone didn't like."
She rolled her eyes. "You need to learn to speak to people without resorting to violence."
He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off.
"Even people you don't like."
"I suppose I can try if it means you will come to our next show at Gilman." Billie smirked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He watched her cheeks flush and something deep within him fluttered.
"I would love that," she said. "So you better start behaving."
Smirking, he said, "There's going to come a time where you won't be saying that."
"Billie Joe!" She hissed, embarrassed.
Billie started laughing as Shayla ducked behind him to her seat as Ms. Jackson entered the room and scolded him for not being seated.
*
Billie sucked in a sharp inhale as he held the a joint with his free hand as his other scribbled spurts of lyrics onto his notebook. Mike was laying on his back, feet propped up onto the wall as he plucked at his bass strings. A smoke hazy had settled in around them as they burned joint after joint. Laughing to himself, he scribbled out the line he had just written.
"What's so funny?" Mike asked.
"Man, I can't even decipher what the hell I've written."
Mike chuckled a hearty laugh. "That is the end of our third joint."
"Tell me how this sounds: The first time I caught a glimpse of you then my thoughts were only of you," Billie squinted his eyes as he read, bringing his notebook inches from his face. Mike's laughter died down and he lolled his head toward his best friend.
"Are you writing a new song?"
"Yeah." He threw his notebook across the room. "It's the final way to get her into my web of lies. We're so close, man."
Mike shook his head. "I don't even think you can make out what's true and what's fake anymore."
Billie looked up at the ceiling as he blew out a smoke ring. He passed the last of the joint to his friend and clicked his tongue. "I can to. I'm going to win and you're going to cry."
Mike burst out laughing. "You're way too stoned to, man."
Mike shook his head, focusing his attention back on his bass. Billie Joe fell back against the wall and thought about how much he loved marijuana and a girl whose face was blurry in his mind.
*
Shayla felt happier than she had in a long, long time. Billie Joe's comment before chemistry rang in her head and she felt she could literally shake with giddiness. She had been intimate with Dave, but she surprised herself at how little of a time she had known Billie Joe and how much the idea of the two of them made her want to pick up her pillow and squeal with delight. But on the outside, she kept herself in check because she was more mature than that.
She tiptoed passed the living room where her father who seemingly decided to start drinking early today and was passed out on the couch. Usually when she got home she would start on any homework she had. But today, she fell back on her bed and smiled to herself as she thought about how much having a certain stoner had improved her life and imagined herself whispering the three little words in his ear.
"Billie," she hissed. "I just saw Ms. Jackson taking Dave to the office. He had a nice red spot forming on his chin. You wouldn't happen to know who's doing that was, would you?"
Regardless of his current nervous state, he felt himself shrug. "Maybe he said something someone didn't like."
She rolled her eyes. "You need to learn to speak to people without resorting to violence."
He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off.
"Even people you don't like."
"I suppose I can try if it means you will come to our next show at Gilman." Billie smirked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He watched her cheeks flush and something deep within him fluttered.
"I would love that," she said. "So you better start behaving."
Smirking, he said, "There's going to come a time where you won't be saying that."
"Billie Joe!" She hissed, embarrassed.
Billie started laughing as Shayla ducked behind him to her seat as Ms. Jackson entered the room and scolded him for not being seated.
*
Billie sucked in a sharp inhale as he held the a joint with his free hand as his other scribbled spurts of lyrics onto his notebook. Mike was laying on his back, feet propped up onto the wall as he plucked at his bass strings. A smoke hazy had settled in around them as they burned joint after joint. Laughing to himself, he scribbled out the line he had just written.
"What's so funny?" Mike asked.
"Man, I can't even decipher what the hell I've written."
Mike chuckled a hearty laugh. "That is the end of our third joint."
"Tell me how this sounds: The first time I caught a glimpse of you then my thoughts were only of you," Billie squinted his eyes as he read, bringing his notebook inches from his face. Mike's laughter died down and he lolled his head toward his best friend.
"Are you writing a new song?"
"Yeah." He threw his notebook across the room. "It's the final way to get her into my web of lies. We're so close, man."
Mike shook his head. "I don't even think you can make out what's true and what's fake anymore."
Billie looked up at the ceiling as he blew out a smoke ring. He passed the last of the joint to his friend and clicked his tongue. "I can to. I'm going to win and you're going to cry."
Mike burst out laughing. "You're way too stoned to, man."
Mike shook his head, focusing his attention back on his bass. Billie Joe fell back against the wall and thought about how much he loved marijuana and a girl whose face was blurry in his mind.
*
Shayla felt happier than she had in a long, long time. Billie Joe's comment before chemistry rang in her head and she felt she could literally shake with giddiness. She had been intimate with Dave, but she surprised herself at how little of a time she had known Billie Joe and how much the idea of the two of them made her want to pick up her pillow and squeal with delight. But on the outside, she kept herself in check because she was more mature than that.
She tiptoed passed the living room where her father who seemingly decided to start drinking early today and was passed out on the couch. Usually when she got home she would start on any homework she had. But today, she fell back on her bed and smiled to herself as she thought about how much having a certain stoner had improved her life and imagined herself whispering the three little words in his ear.