When You Were Young

Rae walked back into her apartment without a word. Her friend Dani was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal, casually watching the 6:00 evening news. She looked up once Rae entered the room.

"Rae!! Jesus! Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you all day!"
"Oh. Sorry." She said glumly.
"Hey babe, whats wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." Rae whispered, heading back into her room.
"What's in the box?"
"Nothing." Rae said, remembering at that moment what exactly was in the box. She hadn't looked through all of it yet.

She headed back to her room and shut the door tightly. She waited a moment, making sure Dani wouldn't come barging in like she normally did, and then opened the box.

She searched through the box eagerly. There were some pictures, a couple of old Gilman's tickets, the flyer she had seen from the concert that was taking place on her birthday and then a couple notes Billie had written and some of his old song books.

Rae picked up one picture in particular that someone had taken after the first show she had seen them play. Billie's arms were around her and she was laughing as the rest of the guys chugged down their beers. Rae smiled softly and wiped a couple of tears away from her face.

There was a knock at the door and Rae quickly shoved the box under her bed. Dani came in and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey..."

"Hi." Rae said softly.
"What's up?"
"Nothing."
"You mind telling me whats going on?"
"Nothing's going on Dan."
"Then what does this note that I found mean?" Dani asked, holding up a piece of paper. Rae's eyes widened and she reached to snatch it out of Dani's hand. But she pulled it back, just out of Rae's reach.

"Who is this guy? He sounds like a romantic. I mean....he wrote you a sappy love song. When do I get to meet him?"
"Give that to me." Rae reached out again.
"Not until you tell me who it is!" Dani asked, thinking that this was a funny sight.
"Give me the fucking note Danica!" Rae grabbed it quickly and opened up the piece of paper.

It was the note that she had recieved before she was "sent back".

These words just popped into my head the other night.

I know that we're worlds apart
But I just don't seem to care
These feelings in my heart
Only with you I want to share
The first time I cought a glimpse of you
Then all my thoughts were only of you

I love you Rae. Promise me that you won't forget.
BJ

"Oh my god..." Rae whispered. She was sick of all this 'I Love you' crap. She'd heard it and read it plenty of times today and didn't think she could take it anymore. She wiped the few remaining tears from her cheeks and held the note close to her heart.

"Rae seriously what in the world is going on with you?!" Dani asked, "And what is--holy shit."

Dani had picked up something off of the floor. It took Rae a minute to see what it was. She had forgotten one picture from the box before she shoved it under her bed. Rae winced as Dani continued to stare at the picture in awe.

"How'd you...how'd you get this?" Dani asked. "I mean...they're like...18 here and--"
"It's a long story Dan..." Rae mumbled, grabbing the picture, hoping to God that she wasn't in that one.
"Is that--oh my God--is that BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG?" Dani asked, amazed, "And who's that girl he's--oh...my."
"Danica..."
"Rae? Did you notice that this girl looks almost--ha wow this is weird--she looks...exactly like you..." Dani stared harder at the picture.

"Maybe cause it is me." Rae mumbled. Dani looked up at her.
"Come again?"
Rae snatched the picture out of Dani's hands and put it back under the bed.
"I'm sorry...did I hear you right?" Dani asked again.
"Yeah. You did. That's me. Alright? I don't know how. And I don't know why. But I wish it had never fucking happened!" Rae said angrily.

"I hate him! I fucking hate him for doing this to me! I hate him for taking me in. I hate him for giving me a place to stay. I hate him for making my stomach fill with butterflies. I hate him for kissing me. I hate him for making me fall in freaking love with him!!" Rae cried, on her knees. Dani stared at her with wide-eyes and her mouth halfway open to the floor.

"I hate him because I love him..." Rae cried more. Dani fell down onto the floor next to Rae and pulled her close in her arms.
"Shh..Rae....just tell me everything...okay? Please...I don't understand..." Dani begged. Rae shook her head and slowly pulled away, wiping the tears from her face.

"That car accident. I was going down to 924 and...and I got hit by that semi and when I woke up...I was...I was in his room. In his bed. And there he was, right there, giving me breakfast and telling me how he found me on the sidewalk passed out."

"Holy shit...Rae"
"And then...we had to save my mom. I saw her Dani. I saw her."
"Rae your dillusional...maybe we should go to the hospital."
"I'M NOT FUCKING DILLOUSIONAL! THIS HAPPENED DANI!" Rae got up and stormed out of her room, ignoring Dani's frantic cries.

"Rae...RAE get back here!" Dani yelled, following her.
"No. I need to leave. I need to go far far away from here. California. I have to leave California." Rae mumbled, grabbing her coat and purse. She pushed passed Dani and opened up the front door but froze quickly when she couldn't get through because someone was blocking her way out.

"Oh my God." said the person in the way.
"Oh my God." Rae mimicked
"Oh. My. God." Dani muttered in the background.

"Rae...I had to...I couldn't let you go..." Billie Joe looked at Rae sincerely as he gripped her shoulders, not letting her leave.
"Oh God....I have to get out of here..." Rae mumbled, pulling away from him.
"Rae...Rae..will you just listen to me for one second!" Billie yelled, pushing her back into the room.

"No! Billie I can't be around you! I have to get out!"
"No. Rae. I'm not letting you go."
"Yes! Billie you have to!"
"NO RAE!"
"Billie I will kick you in the balls. And you know i'm not afraid to."
"Fine then i'll be stuck on your floor and you'll have to tend to my every want and need." Billie said, finally letting go of her.

"Or I could just throw you out on the curb." Rae said non-chalantly.

"Uh....Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" Dani asked timidly
"NO!" Billie and Rae both yelled.
"Ooookay then." Dani said, backing off.

"I didn't fucking do anything to you! I saved your life." Billie grumbled.
"NO BILLIE! YOU RUINED IT!"
"How did I ruin it?! How the HELL could I ruin it!" Billie yelled.
"Can you even ask that question? Billie! I fell in love with you. And now--now your married. You're 13 years older than me! WE'RE NOT TEENAGERS! YOUR NOT A TEENAGER!"

Billie looked down at his shoes. "I know..." He said softly.
"So why are you making this harder!?" Rae asked, her voice getting quieter.
"I--I don't know."
"You love Adrienne."
"I love you."
"No you don't Billie." Rae whispered softly. "You don't."

Suddenly there was a shaking. Rae could literally feel the ground shaking beneath her. This was a sensation she had never felt before. She looked over towards Dani who seemed confused as well. Then she looked over at her dishes...they were shaking too. Oh...wait.

"Rae...Earthquake!" Dani yelled, she rushed forward towards Rae and Billie, pushing them into the doorway. All three of them. They were squished up against each other as the earth shook beneath them, causing dishes to break, the TV to fall over and Rae to lose her balance and fall onto the floor.

Billie leaned out after her and pulled her to safety just as a coffee cup fell right where she had been.

"Jesus....we haven't had one of those for a while..." Dani mumbled. "Damnit....our TV..."

Rae looked up at Billie, who was rubbing his head thoroughly. She smiled as he reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her up. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"Anytime..." He said with that cocky, akward grin. "Now um--why am I here again?"
"Billie please don't start this...you're with Adrienne--"
"Adrienne! Oh man...I've been out all day. She's probably going to wonder where I am. Was um--I'm really sorry about the accident...really." He asked, pulling a pen out of his jacket.

Rae stared at him with a look of awe on her face. Dani dropped the plate she had been holding.

"Billie? Do you--do you know who I am?" Rae asked timidly.
"I'm sorry...you're name just kind of...slipped my mind. Um...was it Rachel? I've met you before right?" He asked.
"Uh...yeah...you've met me." Rae answered with a small laugh. "And it's Rae...but...close enough."

"Oh...right!" He said with a grin. "Well then... I geuss I'd better be going. See you around then Rae?" He asked, tipping the hat he had been wearing.
"Yeah...around...." Rae whispered, her throat dry.

Billie Joe smiled and turned to walk out of the door.

"Oh wait!" Rae yelled, stopping the door from closing. She ran back into her room and then came running back out. She smiled at him softly and placed something in his hand. He smiled and winked.
"Thanks."
"Yeah." Rae said softly. Waving good-bye.

Billie Joe Armstrong smiled and looked down at the picture in his hand. "Hey! Where'd you get this?"
"My secret. But it's yours to keep."
"Really? Thanks." Billie Joe said with a smile, holding the picture in his hand. "Oh...here's my gift to you." He handed her an envelope and smiled, winking once and then walking out of the door. Rae shut it slowly behind him and turned to face Dani. Who stood there with the same expression on her face that she'd had for the last ten minutes.

"What. The Fuck. Just happened?"
"Just a long lost memory. You know...from when you were young." Rae said softly, watching out of the window as Billie got back in his car and drove off.
"Do you--was he--why did--um....what exactly went on after the accident Rae?"

"I fell in love."
"You fell in love. What...with a married rockstar?"
"No. With an 18 year old boy in an amazing garage band." Rae smiled and walked back into her room, leaving Dani speechless.