Rebel Yell

First day back in the office, well you can’t actually call it an office when there is nearly 3,000 fans cheering at you, however there was a difference in this show tonight. The difference was that I had Marci waiting for me afterwards and to ask “how was the show” or tell me that it was brilliant or something on those gooey love lines. It was so much different now, having her here as my girlfriend and not just as my good boss, it made everything just a little bit more fun. Obviously the rest of the crew, when we landed in New York to pick up the cleaned buses, noticed the change in us straight away and much to Marci’s disappointment, they bombarded her with quip comments.

“Come on!” I screamed down the microphone to the hyperactive bodies in the crowd as I forced them to fist the air hard. “I want to see everyone’s hands in the air for this next song” I held my hands up as I nodded to Tre to begin the drum beat to ‘409 in your coffee maker’. I had asked Marci earlier, during our warm up, what song she wanted me to play for her that evening and without a hesitation she blurted out 409. It had taken me by surprise due to the mass amount of songs that I could have sung to her, but she had refused any alternative.

“I sit in a state of a day dream” I sang loudly as I jumped around the stage, feeling the energy from the audience rush to my blood.

It had been an interesting night last night, due to the fact that even though she had slept across from me, it just didn’t feel right and I whined for her to move over to my bunk.

“No, I need to sleep tonight since I got hardly any last night” she yawned much to my pleas and snuggled up to the paper like sheets.

“Please, I promise you I won’t keep you awake and I’ll be really good” I smiled at her but she shook her head again, “fine, I’ll come to your bed” I picked up my bed sheet and slid myself along the bunk. She laughed at me as I tried to quietly sneak down off the bunk without waking up Mike and Tre.

“Billie stop trying to get inside of Marci’s pants, it isn’t working tonight and your waking the rest of us up” Mike moaned out loud, grabbing hold of my leg and tugging at it lightly. Best Friends, what are they good for?

“Fine but Marci if you think I’m sleeping alone tomorrow, you have another thing coming” I shuffled back, watching her eyes close from the tiredness and I blew her a kiss goodnight.

It was my realisation back in Rhode Island after speaking to Jack in the kitchen, that really set my mind whirling with thoughts about my relationship with Marci. It seemed like we had travelled on such a fast pace, that all of this was rushed along so that we could both cure our problem of having thoughts about each other, but yet just looking at her made me smile uncontrollably.

I wanted to tell her how I felt at every minute I had, but yet I didn’t want to seem like a total weirdo, needy for satisfaction from her.

It reminded me so much of my ex-girlfriend Lucy, back in high school. I had felt something with Lucy, similar to the feelings I had for Marci and I had refused to tell her, which resulted in me losing her to a guy called Charles, but yet with my other ex-girlfriend Becky who I had told my feelings to, it had ended in the exact same way. I was stuck in a rut because I just didn’t want to lose Marci and ether way I looked at it, it was set for me to screw up.

“Green Day” clap clap clap “Green Day” clap clap clap, the crowd cheered as the song ended nicely, with Tre flicking his drumsticks at Mike and me.

“Do you want to hear another song? Is there any Cure fans out there tonight?” I asked and most of the room screamed in delight, perfect. Mike, Tre and I had planned to sing the Cure ‘Friday I’m in love’ in tribute to Marci and Debbie’s attempt earlier. “I’d like you to show your appreciation for, Mike Dirnt” I shouted into the microphone as Mike did a rhythmic beat on his bass as the crowd went wild, “Tre cool” Tre banged on his drums in a mad fashion, not really giving any beat before I concluded “we have been Green Day and this is Friday, I’m in Love by the Cure”. The crowd began to jump all over the place, knocking each other over and picking themselves up whilst chanting and screaming as I melodically began to play.

“I don’t care if Mondays blue, Tuesdays Grey and Wednesday too. Thursday, I don’t care about you. It’s Friday, I’m in love” I sang to which the crowd jumped higher into the air and that’s when I caught the sight of Marci with Debbie dancing. They were slowly dancing at the side of the stage, Debbie holding her bump that seemed to have grown over night and Marci’s singing along loudly, doing her crazy dance moves she had pulled this morning. Marci was beautiful, her hair was tied up scruffily and she was wearing an old blue shirt that was gathered around her waist with a pair of leggings. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and a smile crept on my face when she caught me staring. “Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart. Thursday, don’t even start. Friday, I’m in love” I sang the last note and turned back to the crowd and held up my guitar before bowing and rushing off the stage to where Tre had already gotten, rubbing Debbie’s stomach in his new paternal role- so he doesn’t fancy her then? I laughed and handed a crew member my guitar and walked over to Marci.

“I love that song” she said brightly and I grasped her face with my hands, kissing her briskly, whilst finding her body and pulling her close for a hug. I felt her grab my hair and pull my face to hers again, she trailed her lip along mine, tempting me as she restrained my arms by her side. I bit her lip as it brushed along my own and she looked up at me, her blue eyes glistening madly like a sea of glitter and I kissed her roughly.

“There should be a law against French kissing in public places” Mike appeared next to us, gleaming idiotically and I pulled away from Marci, who innocently shrugged her shoulders.

“Marci have you told them yet?” Debbie shouted to Marci and she shook her head before becoming really seriously. I hated when she became really seriously, it always worried me because I just knew that it would be bad news for me.

“well guys, Deborah didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in the bus last night because it reminded her of Louie and she didn’t have any of us there to reassure her” Tre came to join us and I looked confused at why she was going into this, “so because, I’m ultimate best friend, I’m swapping buses with Debbie for the rest of the tour” Marci smiled brightly to everyone’s grim faces, everyone’s except Tre’s who seem to enjoy the idea of Debbie being even closer to him.

“No, you can’t go off our bus. We need a wakeup call” Mike nudged Marci and she smiled shaking her head, “Debbie is just as capable, don’t worry you’ll see me everyday anyways” she patted his face and I shook my head again.

“no, no, no, you’re not leaving” and Marci’s eyes became quizzical, as I held her hand, “why don’t you stay in my bunk and Debbie can sleep in your bunk” her mouth twitched a little and she shook her head,

“I’m not making you sleep on another bus, you are after all the band I’m trying to manage and I can’t do that when you are far apart” I kissed her nose at her sudden simplicity and she smiled as slowly everyone else got what I was on about.

“I’d be in the same bunk as you Marci” I whispered in her ear to which her grin grew.
“We should have just asked this one, Debbie before we told the other bus I was coming” She kissed me again and wondered over to Debbie, “well at least it shit up bus one a bit” she smiled at Debbie, who hugged her tightly.

I watched as the crew around us began to grab the stage props, instruments and clean up the mess of cans on the floor from the stage. I decided to head over to Marci who was stood after sending Debbie away with Tre, shouting orders out to the idle stage crew. “Who has Mike’s amp, somebody needs to get Mike’s amp now” she shouted over the top of the noise that had already begun to form and I grabbed her.

“Where were we?” I whispered into her ear and she giggled,

“Working?” she asked and I shook my head before kissing her again, “Mike telling us off?” I shook my head again and pulled her tightly towards me. There was no way I was leaving until I was satisfied with kissing her goodbye. “I remember now” she smiled, breaking away from me and pulling my tie down towards her.

“Come with me, we’ll take this somewhere private” I tried to usher her towards the buses, where I knew that nobody would be due to the flow of alcohol in the next room.

“I have to work but have no fear as after all I’ll be staying with you tonight” she winked at me and I felt a stone pop my romance bubble. Damn it. She looked at me apologetically and patted my face as she dashed off screaming, “Billie Joe’s guitar case is behind you, let’s just pack it away before you break it” I sighed and turned around to see her busy on her feet. I might as well just go and watch Tre flirt with Debbie.

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I didn’t want to get drunk tonight; I was just high on adrenaline again knowing that I’d be having Marci with me tonight.

“Are you coming?” Tre asked me, still sober after spending the full evening talking to Debbie and avoiding any involvement in drinking tonight. What had she turned my best friend into?

“Yes” I stood up and followed Tre out of the little room and out to the buses. Mike was sat with a group of the crew, drinking beers around the buses and having the time of his life, not giving a shit about anything else except getting to the next show. Oh how I remember the nomadic rock and roll lifestyle….

“Hey Deb’s, are you settled in?” Tre ran onto the bus, leaving me to great our bus driver, before turning to look at the two girls and Tre in our bus. Marci’s face smiled brightly as she saw me, her walking pace speeding up into a run. I didn’t know what she doing, should I have stopped or should I have said something but none of that mattered as she kissed me with enough force to knock me over.

“I’ve been so busy, it’s been an unbelievable first day back” she spoke into my neck and I pushed her hair away from her neck allowing me to kiss it gently. She hugged me tightly, exhausted from her day and laid all her weight onto me.

“Come on, don’t fall asleep on me let’s get you too bed” I lifted her head up and she sighed. She looked so tired around her eyes that her brightness had faded and her skin had paled from the stress. “so lazy” I said jokingly, whilst picking her legs up along with securing her back with my other arm and her eyes shot open in surprise of my actions. I quickly walked her to my bed, throwing her on it.

“it’s not lazy Marci, he just wants you in bed quicker” Tre winked at me and I could feel my face redden.

“Once I’m asleep Tre, he could do whatever he wants and I wouldn’t know” Marci sleepily added and Debbie burst out laughing, I turned to look at Marci and she winked at me letting me in on the wind up.

“good, my plan has finally come to work” I made a loud cackling laugh and jumped onto my bunk, making Marci budge up to the bus wall. Her hand grabbed mine as I tucked us both into the small bunk but brought it up to her face, kissing it.

“You are all in bed before me, there is something seriously up” Mike shouted as he walked onto the bus, tossing his coat aside and throwing his pants onto the kitchen table before climbing into bed.

“Night Debbie, Mike, Tre” Marci shouted her routine goodnights to which Tre shouted back along with an echo from Debbie and Tre.

“Goodnight Rhodes” Mike finalised the goodnights and turned out the lights. I could see her still looking at me, as the bus engine roared to life, pulling out of venue’s car park. She had tangled my legs with hers and she kissed me sloppily, throwing her hand over my waist and grabbing my shirt end. I kissed her back, the touch was sending a wave of heat to my body and I could feel my heart rate beat quickly. Her hand followed its way under my shirt along my back, not once letting our lips part, before tracing shapes on my tense back.

“Marci” I whispered and she smiled, pushing herself against me and rubbing her nose with my own. “Marci you have no idea-“I let out a soft moan as her head fell down next to mine, smiling.

“Goodnight Billie” she closed her eyes quickly, her hands staying stuck to my side. I smiled as I kissed her again, a habit that I had developed.