Rebel Yell

Maybe if I could slow down this tour, the Chicago and Minneapolis shows wouldn’t have happened so quickly but low and behold, it only seemed to speed up so that my crummy birthday would come quicker.

So I hated birthdays, particularly mine but that was mostly due to my enjoyment of receiving absolutely no attention at anytime.

Last night was horrific enough, with all the sweet banter that occurred between our group about the subject of my birthday.

“We are doing something and that is final Rhodes” Mike shouted at me, as I sat with my feet dangling off my bunk into Tre’s face.

“Well I’m not coming” I stubbornly spat back at Mike and Adeline who sat, condoling on the bottom bunk, arm in arm.

“She’ll be there, I’ll gag her and drag her” Billie Joe grabbed my waist and pulled me back onto the bunk, smothering my face and climbing over my body to restrain me.

“I love parties” Tre began to tickle my feet, as Billie kissed me all over my face, pulling away every so often to see the pure pain I was in. Lord, this man is gorgeous but my attention was removed away by Tre’s persistent tickling and Debbie’s continuous laugh.
“Is this some type of torture, till I give in and say ‘yes’ to this stupid party?” I asked in muffles, as Billie watched me with a cheeky glare in his eyes.

“Say it then?” he whispered in my ear, making my backbone go ridged and I grabbed his arm tightly.

“Fine, but seriously, if it gets stupid then I’m leaving” I muffled out again and Billie’s restriction around me loosened.

That, however was last night but today was a totally different matter all together, the plan of me having to celebrate my birthday, in theory, sounded fine but now it was putting it into action, without me feeling embarrassed.

So now all I had to do was, sit here in my bed, with Billie fast asleep on one side of me and the rest of the party plotters, on the other side. The bastards. Today was marking, yet another year of my life, in which I have accomplished, well accomplished nothing since last year.

I thought to all the things I actually wanted to do in my life before I turned 21, but now I was 22, really what had I done with myself. The answer, nothing. Sure I had a wonderful job and a great boyfriend but up until a month ago, I was still that same, 5 year old Marci.

I groaned out loud, “fills de poute” before looking over to Billie Joe, who was once again, purring in his own little world. Today is going to be hell though; I can feel it in my own stomach that it’s just going to be horrifically embarrassing.

I looked at my watch before making a judgment, to what I should. Should I get out of bed and start my normal routine or just start my master plan of dissolving into these bed sheets. “time to get up then” I answered myself, after finally remembering that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t actually be able to disappear into my bed sheets.

With one last sigh, I heaved myself up out of the bed, tossing the sheet over Billie Joe and dangling my feet over the side of the bed. Have I told you yet that I really hate my birthday?

I slammed my feet onto the cold floor, as the bus pulled another sharp corner into somewhere in North Dakota. I clicked on the kettle once again and did my routine cup count with coffee. Hi ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go……. I was so tired but I still wondered down to the bus driver,

“Morning, do you want a cup of coffee?” I asked him and he simply nodded his head without even talking, “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then” I turned around and headed back to the brewing kettle.

“Good Morning North Dakota on this lovely, 22nd September and to kick start the day is ‘Longview’ by Green Day, who will be performing tonight” the static radio chimed in on queue and Mike and Adeline shot up, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

“twiddle my thumbs just for a bit” Billie Joe’s voice rang clear on the radio and I smiled at Adeline, who stood up, brushing down her pyjama’s.

“Happy Birthday, Marci” She said quietly, giving me a tight hug and picking up her coffee, “but you really shouldn’t be doing this on your birthday” she acknowledged the cups of coffee and I smiled.

“Happy Birthday Rhodes” Mike thumbed me in an Elvis sort of way and I smiled, lifting up Debbie’s drink and taking it over to her.

“morning Deb’s, wakey wakey chicken” I prodded her face and she stirred, swatting my finger away before her eyes began to twitch open “a nice pot of hot steaming water” I whispered to her and her eyes lit up.

“Happy birthday Marci” she sang to me, as I passed her the cup and I smiled evilly at her.
“oi, Armstrong wake the frig up” Adeline shouted at Billie and Billie shot up quickly, looking like a deer caught in headlights and feeling the empty bed next to him.
“Well I’m up and Good happy birthday morning Rhodes” Tre shouted at the top of his lungs, jumping up out of his bed and grabbing me into a tight hug. “You little old lady” he whispered into my ear, pinching my cheek before dropping me and scurrying over to Debbie. Typical Tre Cool but really I wanted them two, to get together already, they really were obviously sweet together and it was nearly headbanging obvious that they both liked each other. If Billie had been like that, when we first met, I’d have confessed my desire to him by dashing on stage one night and telling his fans. Or maybe not, I would rather like not to get hounded by a group of girls.

“Ok, so everyone has said happy birthday to my girlfriend, except me. Well I’m a fucking lousy boyfriend then but, the plus side is, our song is on the radio” Billie shot up out of bed and I passed him his coffee. “Happy Birthday then” he said, in between sips and I laughed at the lack of enthusiasm, after his previous disappointed outburst.

“Thank you” he kissed me very lightly on the lips, to which I smiled, his smaller gestures were always so sweet and I kissed him back, before he tried sipping again on his coffee.

“You look very pretty today” I scratched my head, as he kissed me again and my heart began to beat fast, at the serious face he pulled.

“Thank you again” I slung my arm over his shoulder, as he came closer to me, “you look very handsome if I say so myself” I watched him, as he stared at me intensely, coming closer and closer towards me, smiling gorgeously at me. Then I felt something hot down the front of me and I pulled away quickly, feeling the heat travel down my legs. “Please tell me that is coffee” I asked him and Billie looked down to his tilted, empty cup and then to my coffee soaked pyjamas.

“I’m so sorry” he jumped back a little to see how far the coffee had gone before picking up a dirty cloth from the mock kitchen table and patting me down, as everyone around stopped to ether laugh or look shocked. “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry” he said concerned as I stood still, laughing a little inside.

“I’m not angry, in fact I’m grateful that it isn’t puke” I laughed again, to which he became red in the face.

“I am the worse boyfriend in the world” I smiled at his pathetic statement and I grabbed his arm and rubbed it.

“You are a great boyfriend, come here” I pulled him closer to me and held his hand tightly, feeling the many contours from where his guitar had made its mark. I brought my hand up to his face and felt his unshaven stubble before kissing him again.

“Will you guys stop acting out a Mills and Boons book, please” Tre shouted, barging between us both and grabbing his own cup of coffee.