Rebel Yell

I refused to drink, everyone around me were drinking like it was running out of fashion around our dining table as my mom unstably tried to cut up a chocolate gateau on the table.

Tonight had been painstakingly awkward after the boys disappeared into the study, leaving me with the two people whose middle names were ‘grilling’. They had asked me all the relevant ‘when, where and what’ questions to which I had to try and stop myself from giving them the satisfaction of going all ‘girly’ on. It was true that once I began to open up about my realisation of fancying Billie Joe to my best friend and mom, it all became more realistic.

However Debbie was also not drinking tonight, something which she had only told me moments before the wine began flowing. She was pregnant! However Louie was still oblivious to her quite large abdomen which was obvious to see after her confession. I kept staring at her seriously as she acted out being drunk around the table to appease her dick head boyfriend.

Billie Joe on the other hand seemed to look absolutely fine even after his many glasses of wine, cider and beer, but it still didn’t hide the undeniable love bite on his neck that had become visible during our much entertaining dinner hour. I had cringed, much like he had done at the sight of my own chain of bites, but that hadn’t stopped the torment and banter between our friends.

“Marci’s not drinking tonight but it’s ok, she can drain it from Billie Joe’s neck later on” Tre cackled at his joke as he opened up the can of worms once again,

“What are you on about” Mike burped “Billie’s going to drain himself sober through her sobering blood” he burped again, his words making only little sense as my dad tried to fill his glass up with red wine.

“Nobody is draining any blood from anyone tonight” my mom shakily grabbed a piece of gateau and stabbed at it furiously, “however if anyone will be sucking from anything tonight, it will be my own flesh and blood” I widened my eyes at Billie Joe who had begun to go red in the face before laughing to himself. I stared at Debbie who had been staring again at her fiancée, who sat peacefully at the end of the table, drinking. I knew she wanted to tell him but Louie had begun to get drunk and when Louie drank that was the time that she was most frightful of him.

I had been in the presence of Louie when he had been drinking and even though he was a nasty piece of shit normal, his mood became worse, violent even at times.

“Why aren’t you drinking tonight Deb’s?” he asked and the mood quietened a bit to which I was grateful for.

“I am” she lifted the same empty glass she had clung to all night but he shook his head in disbelief,

“No you’re not, I know when your drinking and you haven’t touched a fucking drop, why?” the tension in the room began to grow around the two of them,

“Because I haven’t, ok?” she said sternly to which he held up his hands in surrender.
“What the hell has been wrong with you? Everyday you’ve been a miserable old fucking bitch” he said throwing his nap kin at her. I turned my head away from them to see that everyone had begun to stare at the two. I knew my best friend and I knew when she was getting wound up and at that current time her patience was wearing thin,

“I think I’m going to take this into the kitchen, want to join me Billie Joe?” I said hoping that the attention would turn back to me through some painful snide humour but all Billie did was nod his head and stand up, grabbing a plate before walking with me to the kitchen.

“You know something Louie, I do everything for you and I can never be sad or upset with you because then something is wrong and you kick off” Debbie slammed her hand on the table and I looked at Billie Joe who staggered to the sink, showing his drunken side. He grabbed my waist and smiled at me; his eyes were closed mostly to do with his tiredness and he pulled me close as I listened in to my best friends’ demise.

“Well Debbie if you communicated with me a little bit more I wouldn’t have that problem would I?” Louie’s voice raised and I looked to Billie Joe whose face looked at me unreadable. He kissed me sloppily as a glass crashed in the dining room,

“Come on guys, settle down” my dad’s voice boomed as another chair screeched back, closely followed by Tre’s mutters.

“I think we should go in” I looked at Billie Joe again who released his grip looking all knowingly to the worry on my face. Debbie it seemed, had reached her boiling point and I dashed in to see her head in her hands as Louie stubbornly had his hands folded, looking away from her.

“I communicate with you Louie but some things I need to just tell my best friend before I tell anyone else” all eyes darted to me as I stood in the dining room next to Billie who was holding himself upright on the wall.

“So you tell Marci but you don’t tell me? I thought I was your best friend, we are supposed to get married and you tell her before me. What’s so fucking secretive that you have to tell this fucking cow before me” Louie stood up and pointed his finger at me to which Billie Joe pushed himself away from the wall to look at him warningly. “What’s so important and so secretive that when I ask you why you aren’t drinking you lie to me like a little bitch” he swung his arm up in the air, his fist tightening. He grabbed Debbie tightly around the wrist, pulling her close to him and scowling at her. You could see Debbie’s face tighten in pain as Louie placed another hand onto her shoulder, pushing his weight down on top of her. He knew he had her in his control again and it was killing her as her lip quivered.

“Because I’m Pregnant Louie, ok, I’m 5 month Pregnant and I wanted Marci to know first because I’m scared on how you were going to react” his hands dropped and his mouth opened wide, “you are so immature that you had to react like that tonight and so since my secrets out, I think I might tell everyone something else. You are an alcoholic Louie and even though you won’t admit to it, Marci and I have been there when you have come home. It’s disgusting and I thought that me loving you would change it but it didn’t and even when my best friend told you, you hit her and kicked her and you know what I don’t want you anywhere near me or my baby whilst your an alcoholic” her words declined into a sorrow sob and my mom rushed to her side and Billie’s face grew angry.

“You fucking touched my girlfriend?” he asked, his speech still slurred as he staggered over to me again, placing an arm around my waist. Louie turned around, his eyes cloudy with the truth of his alcoholism. I held Billie up as I looked at my best friend who had now begun to be comforted by Tre.

“Yeah, I did but she deserved it and you know what Billie Joe, I hope Debbie tries to persuade Marci to leave you because then you’ll know what it’s like” Louie raised his voice at Billie Joe who lifted his fist backwards.

“Whoa” I said into Billie’s ear and grabbed his first, bringing it down to his side and holding it in my own tightly. “I think you should leave Louie” I said sternly to which he stuck his finger up at my sincerity. There was a crack of something metal from the side of us and I turned to see my dad passing Mike a loaded shotgun that he had kept under the dining room cabinet. Why my dad, why?

“You’re now trespassing on my property boy” my dad shouted to which Louie backed away as Mike’s eyes gleamed at the shotgun in front of him. “I’ll do you the honourable thing and put your suitcase on the porch for you to collect” Louie held up his hands as he slowly walked into the hall way. Debbie’s sobs became louder as Tre held her close to him, rocking her slowly. I had never seen him so caring before and I looked down to my own hand to see that Louie should be showing the same affection for his girlfriend.

“It’s ok Debbie, the baby can be a Green Day born love child. It will have three of the best dad’s in the world” he nudged her and I smiled as she looked up at me, her face showing me that her heart had been broken badly,

“Consider this Louie your final pay check from me, I don’t want you near my best friend anymore and you know that I haven’t for a very long time” I let go of Billie Joe’s hand and walked over to my purse in the hallway and pulled out a cheque book,

“This is all stupid, my problems are with Debbie because of the bastard she is caring, so I think you should piss off Marci. I have never liked you or your fucking family” he became defensive again and I quickly scribbled down a reasonable amount of money on a pay cheque and handed it him. With that, Louie looked down at the money, my dad then Mike and stumbled out of the front door being defeated by the hatred against him in the house.

“Good riddance” Billie shouted as he wondered over to me, kissing the top of my head and holding me close.

“I think we should all have an early night tonight” my mom said quietly, followed by an echo of ‘yes’s.