Rebel Yell

Last night was possibly the worst night of my life, except from the fact that I was tossed and turned throughout the night I had found myself being awake for around five hours after everyone else had fallen asleep thinking of only one man. Billie Joe on the other hand had drifted asleep purring away in his non worried mind of his and even at one point flinging his hand out over the bunk towards my face.

Eventually I fell asleep but the body alarm clock that I had set to a ridiculous time awoke me and I was faced with the brown tatty wood which I had stared at for most of the night above me. I had imagine Billie above it, snuggled down into his covers just like how I had left him but as my eyes scanned over the still bus, I saw him with his back towards me flicking through a woman’s health magazine. His hair was all flat from where he had slept and I grinned as he agitatedly flicked through the magazine. I stared at him rehearsing the late quick comebacks I had thought about last night because really I was still bitter about the whole situation.

I looked up to the clicking clock behind Tre’s head and sighed at the unforgivable time I had gotten up but I suppose that six AM wasn’t too bad to start getting the crews breakfast ready. I peeled away Tre’s arms that hung around my waist and he whimpered a little bit before turning his back on me. He was like a huge water bottle last night, comfy as he was he would be murder during the summer nights but I suppose that any girl dying from severe coldness would be a lucky girl to have him. I folded the covers over Tre and patted him slightly before turning back to where Eric should have been. I looked up to where Louie and Debbie were sleeping last night and to my surprise found no body there. I spun around to where Billie was sleeping to see if Mike was there but all there was were yellow sheets scrambled into a ball. strange. I slid on my trainers that were beside the bed and stalked quietly past Tre to search for my three missing crew members.

“Leaving Tre, just like you left me- well I really shouldn’t be shocked at all. What was that song by Halls and Oates? Maneater” Billie looked at me with an evil glare and I was taken aback by it. I looked at him and my bitterness turned back into anger for him, along with his stupid nose ring.

“shut up- at least Tre didn’t give it up as easy as you did. You should deserve a medal for being so easy into bed” his face became stone cold as words dripped out of my mouth like venom. Suddenly I was pumped with adrenaline and I held my head high as he slammed the magazine down onto the sofa.

“excuse me, did I just hear right because from what I remember you needed it good and proper and couldn’t wait for it” he stood up, wearing the same black scruffy pants which hung around his bum that he had worn yesterday. I felt my heart beat faster at his remarks and my eyes narrowed, I could feel the pure embarrassment fill my cheeks. So maybe I could slightly remember how feisty I actually was and it made me sick to believe that maybe I had come off needy to him. He walked closer to me and was so close to my face that I could feel the ill tempered breath touch my skin. His eyes burrowed into mine staring me out for a comeback and yet nothing seem to reach my dry mouth.

“is that so?” I bent my head down to my feet hoping to hide the ever increasing reddening of cheeks and the subtle tears forming in my eyes. He was making me feel like such a child, like I wasn’t even worth the words he spoke. I looked up slightly to see his face near centimetres from me.

“it was so true, I was merely doing you a-” it was like he was nailing the last nail into the coffin of all my thoughts about him and I held my breath before he concluded his point but it was stopped my Tre’s sudden appearance next to us.

“Who wants breakfast?” he said in an upbeat tone and we both looked at him, he had his hair spiking out everywhere and his eyes were wide as he eyed up Billie seriously. Sudden the closeness Billie had been to me disappeared and he returned to where he was sat. “Come on Rhodes, you’ll show me where the bacon sandwiches are” he linked his arm with mine and yet I stood my ground.

“I’ll be out in a minute dear” I turned to Tre and he simply nodded before walking very slowly out of the bus. Once I felt that Tre had completely left the bus I turned back to Billie who had begun to inspect his hands. “don’t ever speak to me again” I bit my lip as I pushed back some tears before grabbing my clipboard of the desk in front of him and heading off the bus.
Arizona felt hotter than California and to me California was like sitting next to an open fire with a padded jacket on but as the sun hit my teary eyes I remembered that I couldn’t let this situation affect everyone else. As for everyone else, they were sat in the outside garden to the venue chatting away whilst shovelling down stacks of prepared breakfast. I held my head up high and smiled politely as everyone passed me.

“Good morning” I nodded to a group who was huddled around a bench and they all looked up surprised at me before smiled back. Some gave me the odd wave but all still looked a little perplexed by the early morning sun that shone on us. “Good morning-” I waved over to Louie who nudged Debbie slightly; she looked up from out of her bowl of cereal and smiled. I headed over to the table which also included Mike and Eric smiling brightly at all of them. It wasn’t until I was near enough to the table that Tre dashed ecstatically over, knocking the dipstick Louie on his bum
“You’ll never guess what- Marci and Billie have just had a huge row on the bus. Something to do with sleeping arrangements and Saturday night” he chimed like a school kid at this new piece of playground gossip. I cringed as all heads spun around to me with surprised looks; as most knew what it really was about, except for Tre and Eric who with the rate of the gossip spreading around here wouldn’t last untold. I sat down on the tables’ bench with my tail in between my legs feeling ten times worse than I had a minute ago.

Billie Joe had hurt me a lot more today and I didn’t understand why I felt so upset about everything he had said. I was bigger than this and I had told myself it millions of times last night. Yet at the sight of him I became this quivering lunatic with the confidence of a slug. I pushed my hands through my hair as I sat down next to Mike who smiled and pattered the bread basket in front of him in offering.