‹ Prequel: Trix, Like The Cereal

Diaries of the Mind

Happy Birthday Mike

August 9, 2005
Trix's Mind

I think I love Mike. We've been keeping in touch, he usually calls me from the tour bus and Tre interrupts a lot but still we've really caught up on old times. It's just past two thirty and I'm hoping Mike will call.

Suddenly the phone rings out through my apartment and I leap for it. I trip over my own foot in the process, but I finally get the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi Trix!" it wasn't Mike, "it's Tre."

"Hey Tre, what's up?"

"Do you want to be my birthday present to Mike?"

"Mike's birthday is in May," I say laughing as I slump down on the couch.

"Yeah I know, but on his last birthday I took him to get drunk and he wasn't too happy the next morning so I told him I'd make it up to him. So you wanna take a wee plane ride to Miami?"

"Ahh, are you aware that I have job?"

"That nice Kyle guy can cover for you, I believe in him!" he says proud that he thought up such a plan, "See I'll pay for your ticket and you spend one glorious week in Florida."

"A week?"

"Yeah because all our kids are coming and we're going to Disney world and stuff."

"I'll think about it."

"Uhh too late for that I already bought your ticket."

"You're a fruitloop, you know that?"

"Yeah, shit Mike's back with Stella." And with that the phone goes dead.

I get up from the sofa, hang up the phone and stare into space for a couple of minutes. Holy shit, I gotta get packing for Miami! Knowing Tre the flight is probably tomorrow or something. I go into my bedroom and pull my suitcase out of my closet and filling it with the essentials, bathing suit, tank tops, shorts, jeans. The phone rings again, I run over to the phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello!" I say out of breath.

"Trix, are you okay?" Mike's voice asks curiously.

"Uhh yeah." I say as I sit on the kitchen counter. "How are you?"

"Great, Stella just arrived."

"Cool."

"She wants to talk to you, since she arrived Joey and Jakob have been talking about you non-stop."

"Oh wow, sure I'd love to talk to your spawn." I can hear Mike chuckling as the phone is being passed.

"Hello?"

"Hi Stella."

"I saw a picture of you!" she says excitedly, "You're really pretty, I like your blue hair."

"Oh thanks, but my hair isn't blue anymore."

"I want blue hair."

"Oh yeah, what did you dad say about it?"

"When I'm fourteen."

"That sucks," I say giggling.

"Do you think a monkey is a cool pet?" she asks randomly.

"Yeah, sounds awesome."

"See Dad! Trix thinks monkeys make cool pets!" I hear her say loudly. I can't help but laugh.

"But then again, they're really hard to take care of," I say as soon as I know she's paying attention.

"Am I going to meet you soon?"

"Uhh I'm not sure," I lie, "But I'd like to meet you."

"Yeah, Joey and Jakob say you're really cool."

"Really?"

"Yup, and I heard Tre say you get my dad's juices going," she rambles, I laugh, "I asked Billie what that meant and he said that meant my dad has a crush on you."

"Oh really," I laugh.

"Yup, so I was wondering if my dad gets your juices going?" at this point I'm laughing hysterically.

"Yeah," I say still laughing, "Just stop saying juices going, its sort of a bad word."

"Ohhh-kay." She sighs. "Oh my dad wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" Mike's voice rings out.

"Hey." I'm still trying to overcome the giggles, "she's a cute kid."

"Yeah, she's a little trouble maker like I was." He laughs, "I now feel sorry for my parents."

"Hey!" I hear Stella yelp.

"She sounds adorable."

"Yeah, until she starts bugging you for a monkey." He sighs, "Damn I love her."

"I can tell."

"So how's everyone else?" I ask casually, trying to hide my excitement about getting to go to Florida.

"Uhh, well Tre's daughter, Ramona got here yesterday and I think the whole Cool family went to get some food."

"So where are you guys now?"

"Uhh. I wish I knew," he laughs, "I think somewhere in South Carolina, but we're getting to Miami tonight."

"Cool."

"Yeah, taking Stella to Disney world and stuff."

"Have fun." I'm desperately trying to keep from laughing my ass off.

"What about you?" Mike asks sighing like he just sat down.

"Uhh boring stuff." I giggle, "Don't grow a moustache."

"Why not?"

"I drew one on you on the Green Day poster and it doesn't suit you."

"I'll keep that in mind." He laughs.

"Billie could get a goatee and Tre is in the same category as you, no facial hair is best."

"I'll let them know."

"Hey Mike," I say carefully, asking this question could have explosive results, "Do you mind me asking why you and Tre and Billie told your kids so much about me?" Mike sighs, oh shit I shouldn't have asked.

"Trix, Billie considered you as one of his sisters, you think he wouldn't talk about Holly, Anna or Marcy? He wouldn't leave you out either."

"Tre."

"You're the one that arranged for him to be our drummer, you helped him out with his drug problem, you don't forget a person like that."

"And what about you?"

"Trix, I gotta go now," he says calmly, "I'll talk to you later."

I hang up the phone and place it on the table. How come he didn't want to tell me why he tells Stella about me? I mean yeah we were best friends, but it's nothing that you go into too much detail.

The phone rings again and out of instinct I pick it up.

"Hello."

"It's me again!" and excited voice yelps.

"Hey Tre, when's my flight?"

"You have to be at the airport in one hour."

"Tre you stupid fuck!" I yell, he just laughs, "You did this on purpose!"

"Did what?"

"Tell me last minute."

"Oh but that's why you love me." He sighs, still laughing. He quickly gives me the rest of the information I need and I hang up.

I dial Kyle's phone number while I hurriedly pack my stuff. "Hi you've reached Kyle, I can't come to the phone right now, leave you peace after the tone." Damn idiot never picks up his phone.

"Pick up the goddamn phone! I know you're home," I say frustrated, "It's Trix!"

"Hey bossy," someone says chuckling.

"How would you like a nice chance to be bossless for a week?"

"Uhh."

"I got invited to go to Miami for the week and I need you to be in charge of the club."

"Ahh okay sure." He laughs, "When do you leave?"

"An hour."

"Well thanks for the short notice!"

"Sorry, I just found out," I say as I throw my cosmetic bag in the suitcase. "So just come pick up the keys now."

"Argh, fine," he groans. I hang up the phone.

I finish up packing everything I'll need when I hear the buzzing of the doorbell. I run over to the speaker box and press the button to let Kyle in. I open the door and go to get the set of keys.

"Hey Trix," Kyle calls. I return to the door with the keys.

"Here you go."

"Uh thanks, so why are you going to Miami?"

"Some friends invited me, sort of a present."

"Oh wow, are they loaded?" he chuckles, "Which friends are these?"

"Green Day," I say barely audible. "Remember they played at the club a few weeks ago?"

"Shit! I knew that wasn't a cover band!" he says hopping in place. "So are you getting frisky with one of them?"

"Getting frisky?" I laugh, "You retard."

"Seriously."

"Fine, Mike and I are considering a relationship."

"Considering?" he chortles, "You marry his fine behind A-S-A-P!"

"Oh jeez, I've only known him since forever."

"Oh man, I always had my doubts about you saying you grew up with the guys," Kyle murmurs.

"You want proof?" I ask as I walk over to a bookshelf. I grab the photo album and flip it open, "Is that enough for you?" He looks over some of my teen photos.

"Yep."

"Good." I sigh as I shut the book, "Now go away, I'm waiting for my taxi."

"Are you going to bring me a souvenir?"

"Haven't you been to Florida a bajillion times?"

"Seven times," he corrects, "I meant a Green Day souvenir."

"Since when are you a fan?"

"Since you decided to marry Mike Dirnt." I roll my eyes as I shove him out of my apartment.

"We're not getting married!" I yell as I shut the door.

"Awe c'mon!" he yells back.

Several hours later I'm walking past the gate and I start to look for Tre but instead I see Billie Joe.

"Billie!" I yelp as I lug my suitcase along with me.

"Hey Trix." He smiles.

"I thought Tre was going to pick me up," I say as he leads me toward the exit.

"Yeah Mike held him up and no matter what excuse he could come up with he couldn't get away alone." I laugh. "So I said I was going to take a walk, no questions ask."

"Take a walk?"

"Yeah I take walks all the time, people know I like to walk alone."

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams," I snicker, he laughs as he goes up to one of the taxis.

The driver puts my suitcase in the trunk and Billie and I get in the back seat.

"Hilton hotel," he mumbles to the driver.

"Hey Billie can I ask you something?" I say after a moment or two.

"Sure."

"I was talking to Mike this morning and I asked him why you guys still kept talking about me all these years, he said you did because I was like your sister, Tre did because I got him into the band but then he wouldn't tell me why he did."

"That was a statement not a question," Billie says smugly.

"Tell me why he kept talking about me, no bogus answers!"

"That's not a question either that's a demand." He smirks evilly so I pinch him. "OW!" he yelps rubbing his arm, "Figure it out on your own."

"I can't!"

He rolls his eyes and looks right at me.

"You wanna know what happened the night you left?" he asks glaring at me, "He dumped Tracey minutes before he came to see you."

"Uhuh."

"You still don't get it?!" he exclaims, "He left her for you!" I stare at him for a few minutes, "That's why I only let him read the diary in recent years, if I let him read it earlier he would've regretted staying with Tracey for so long it would have killed him even more than you leaving like that."

"I had no idea," I say quietly.

"When you left he was so fucking depressed, when you finally called your dad to tell him everything and Mike found out where you were he drove all the way to Chicago to find you."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he was gone for two fucking weeks!"

We stay silent for a bit.

"You know, the guys joke about me organizing tours around Minnesota so I could see Adie?"

"Yeah."

"Well every single one of those tours passed through Chicago to give Mike another chance to find you."

"I feel like such a bitch."

"Don't beat yourself up, you did what you had to do," Billie says bobbing his head.

"But-"

"You each had to grow up on your own, but now you two are back together and that's all that matters."

"Hey, who said we're together?"

"Oh sorry, it's not official yet?" he laughs.

"Shut up! I don't know what's going on." He's holding his sides laughing now.

"Are you going to play with his ding dong?" now he got me laughing. "Are you going to let him play with your boobies, wash his winky in your sinky, let him give you the hot beef injection, let him-"

"Enough." I laugh, "You're a sick perv!"

"I know, it's great, ain't it?"

"I think you're getting as bad as Tre."

"You're too kind."

I had my brother back.