Front Porch Story

"Oh Adrienne, it's so good to see you again," Kathy exclaims, trapping me in one of her motherly death hugs. "You must be tired from the flight, Tanya should be upstairs, she'll help you get settled." I walk up the stairs to the room which is known as my own.
"Adie!" the fifteen year old screeches.
"Hey Tanya."
"How come you haven't called lately? Do you have a new boyfriend? What's his name? Is he hot? Details, Adie, I want details!"
"Calm down before you give yourself cardiac arrest, I stopped calling because I dislike you interrogating my very existence, yes I do have a new boyfriend, his name is Billie Joe, and for goodness sakes he's dead sexy, but honestly you wouldn't think so." "What do you mean I wouldn't find him dead sexy?"
"I mean, I know you like your guys clean cut, popular etc, etc. Billie is in a punk rock band; he has wild hair and dislikes the whole high school popularity thing."
"You like that kind of guy?" Tanya asks me in slight disgust. "I mean, finding them hot when they're playing a gig is one thing but to actually go out with one."
"You act as if he's not human! Besides, he's way nicer to me than any of those clean cut guys I've dated."

One whole month, it felt like hell. Even though I'd only been going out with Billie for a couple of weeks when I left, I missed him. One Saturday evening, I was lying on my bed listening to the argument going on downstairs.
"Please, you have to let me go! All my friends are going! I'll be a social outcast!" Tanya whines.
"No, that club is downtown, and there won't be parental supervision," my father started to lecture, but Kathy cuts him off.
"You have to understand, we're only doing this because we care about you."
"Care about me! When I go hang out with my friends on Monday everyone will be talking about the concert and I'll be completely clueless. There must be some way you could let me go."
"No, and that's the end of discussion."
"Well, actually, it wouldn't be too bad if Adrienne took her," Kathy suggests quietly. I hear the sound of Tanya clambering up the stairs and into my room.
"No!" I say before she has a chance to ask.
"Please!"
"NO!"
"PLEASE! I'LL CLEAN YOUR ROOM FOR A WEEK!"
"For fuck's sake, is there anyway I'll get out of going?" I ask, officially pissed off.
"No, and besides it'll be fun, some bands from my school will be playing, let's see there's Immunity, Stifix, and there's some other bands playing too, Gang Green, Crumbling Youth, and Shit-Faced."
"I said I'd go now just leave me alone!" I say, throwing a pillow at her.
"Oh, you're the best sister ever!" she yells as she gives me a hug.
"Half-sister," I mutter as I push her out of my room.

"I would like to present Green Day!" the DJ announces proudly.
"Did they say Green Day?" I ask Tanya franticly.
"Yeah, oh shit, I thought they were called Gang Green. Shit! What did I write on my science test?" she mutters to herself. Billie Joe walks on stage proudly with his guitar. He presents Tre and Mike than began to sing The One I Want. I can't even cheer; I'm so surprised to see them here. They play a few more songs and Billie Joe takes a bow. Then I see his lips mouth "Adrienne." He hands his guitar to Mike and jumps off the stage.
"Billie what are you doing here?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Me? What about you?"
"My little sister dragged me here, but she didn't tell me you'd be here."
"Well, you know the album we were recording?" he asks me as I step back to look at him properly. "Well, now we're on tour."
"Awesome."
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe this guy we stayed with last week; he had a human head in a formaldehyde jar!"
"What do you mean, like he murdered someone and kept their head?" I ask, seriously disturbed. Billie shakes his head.
"No, the guy was in medical school and he stole it from the lab." I laugh nervously not sure if Billie's telling the truth. Billie wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me passionately.
"Hey I thought you had a boyfriend," Tanya yells into my ear.
"For fuck's sake Tanya, he is my boyfriend."
"Hi I'm Billie Joe," he says extending his hand, Tanya shook it cautiously.
"So do you guys have a place to stay tonight?" I ask casually as we go to sit at the bar.
"We'll just sleep in the book-mobile again," Billie says, shrugging his shoulders.
"Don't be ridiculous, come stay over at my place, my parents won't mind."
"Really?" Billie asks with big eyes.
"No, they will mind, but they'll let you stay anyway."

"Oh great, now there's three of them," my dad mutters as he lets us into the house. "Sleep downstairs and stay away from my daughters."
"Yes sir," Tre yells military style. The guys file into the basement as my dad tells Tanya and I to go to bed.

In the middle of the night, my bedroom door opens and Billie walks in wearing only a pair of boxers. He slides into bed next to me and wraps his arms around my waist.
"Billie," I whisper.
"Sorry did I wake you." I shake my head. He started to kiss my neck gently before we fell asleep.
"Wake up! Wake up!" Tanya hissed at me. "Dad got up and he's in the washroom and if you want your boyfriend to live to eat breakfast, I suggest he leaves the room now." I turn to Billie who was already running out of my room and down the stairs.
"You're not going to tell?" I ask Tanya as we walk downstairs. She shakes her head.
"You took me to the concert, so we're even. Besides, the two of you had clothes on, so there's nothing to tell."
"Thank you," I mutter as we walk into the kitchen to find Tre rummaging through the cupboards and boxes of food scattered across the counters.
"You're all out of Lucky Charms," Tre says fairly disgruntled.
"We don't buy Lucky Charms," Tanya says as she tries to figure out what's wrong with him.