Billie Joe Armstrong Is My Step-Father...and I Hate It

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was... it was a quater to eight. Far, far too early for me. However, I couldn’t go back to sleep. The second thing I noticed (or should I say remembered) was that I fell asleep on the couch that night. Finally, I felt something behind me. I turned over to see Joey, lying peacefully under the mysterious duvet that somehow got there. It must have been mum. Hollie gets up at about five in the morning all the time. Mum puts her back to sleep regardless. She must have checked on us or something. I stretched out a bit before letting my body draw back into it’s usual length. My fingertips skimmed across his hair. He had soft hair. I should tease him for using conditioner or something, because it was... truthfully, soft. I didn’t want to draw back so I touched it again. He muttered something after a while and grabbed my wrist and tugged it away, before giving a grunt and a snort and turning over on his side to face me, coz he had been lying on his back previously. I watched him, my eyes taking in his every movement like a child watches a film. When I grew tired of doing this, I took my eyes off him to look out the window. And I thought.

So, it had happened. What I had always dreaded had happened. I wonder how it was carried out. Did he just... get down on one knee and ask her? I found it hard to picture. Espically with Billie. They had only been dating for a few weeks, it’s not something my mother would usually agree to. I remember her, when I was about thirteen, telling me not to rush into things. Not to assume everything is going to be fine. Well, was that what mum did? Rushed into things, assume everything would be perfect? She really did love him, as much as it was painful to admit, but she did. However, I couldn’t find anything in my soul, heart or mind to accept that. Everything rang out in anger as it tried, on a lone wolf mission, to carry out my deceased father’s memory, whilst the others basked in this... replacement. I could only barely keep sane in this house anymore. Everything evolved around Billie Joe. Kage asks him to take him to soccer practise, Hollie never leaves him alone and mum... well, no need to explain about mum. I was basically in the shadows from this “light”. Because if I stepped into that “light”, I’d dissolve.

I heard a stirring noise and a slight groan. I looked over to see Joey, stretch out. God, he smelt worse than me covered in egg. I shuddered at the memory. I never wanted to think of it again. But this... this was just rank. I almost gagged. He opened his eyes. They caught me. The green was the same shade as Billie’s, yet... I never seemed to find a fault in them. Unlike when I see one thousand flaws in Billie’s. Mostly because Billie’s eyes often glinted with maliciousness.

“You smell awful” was the first thign I said to them.

“Oh, good morning to you too” Joey seethed, obviously a bit ticked off at having woken up so early.

“Go shower, I can’t fucking lie beside THAT!” I complained, turning my head away. But I turned it back. Joey’s hair was ruffled up due to his sleeping, his face had rid of the peace in it and replaced it with grouchiness.

“Where am I...? Oh yeah...” he tried leaning up a bit but flopped back down again, visabally exhausted. I rolled my eyes over dramatically.

“You fucking lazy retard” I muttered, sitting up without a problem.

“I liked the sad you better” Joey whined. “You were more nice when you were sad.”

“Aw, well, build a fucking bridge and make sure you fall through it when your getting over it” I said.

“No dice, pretty” he said, in mid-yawn. Pretty...?

“Don’t call me nice names” I said, in a strict tone.

“Why? Don’t you like to be called nicethings instead of a bitch?” he asked, smirking. “Fine then, I’ll call you a bitch.”

“You fucking try... and I will break all of your limbs” I threatened.

“Jeez, fine, I didn’t mean to offend you” he muttered, sitting up at last. “... does that still mean I can bring up the sad thing from la-?”

“You don’t really want to die, do you?” I asked, raising one eyebrow.

“... your an awful person” he said.

“Yenno what my hands are skilled to do?” I asked in a rhetorical question.

“... I could name three good uses” he said. I rolled my eyes.

“Actually, I could tickle you until you could cough up your lungs. Seriously, I know how to get to a person” I said.

“... I could name three other good uses” he repeated, his eyes almost lighting up.

“Fucking pervert” I said, yet I laughed. It was a slight laugh. But it was a laugh never-the-less. “Do you want to cough up your lungs?”

“No thanks, I’m good for today” he said, speaking as if I just offered him muffins. “What time is it, dear?”

“What’d you call me?!”

“Oh... I just thought... coz we slept in the same bed... or sofa... I ju- never mind, what time is it?” he stammered. I laughed at him.

“Eight” I answered, once I stopped laughing. “And you can take a shower, coz you smell REALLY bad!” I whacked him with a cushion.

“OW! Cushions can be deadly yenno!” he said, grabbing where I had hit him, which was right in the stomach.

“Oh, how so?” I scoffed. “Idiot.”

“Well, you could do this” he said, grabbing the same cushino and savagely attacking me with it. I fought back, finding a second cushion and whacking him over the head with it. “HEY! You can’t do that when I’m demonstrating!”

“Let’s battle, dickhead” I smirking, rolling off the sofa. The first thing I did was close the door, as to keep the noise down even just a little from upstairs.

“I will beat you to a pulp!”

“Bring it on!” Suddenly, a larger cushion was tossed on me when I was off guard. “You little fuck!” We spent the next ten minutes combined in a war of cushions, using the sofas as our cover. In the end, I attacked him so hard, he fell.

“Alright...” he panted, landing on the ground. “You win.”

“It’s not over yet, I get to decide what to do with my new prisoner” I said, pretending to think. “Oh, yes...” I knelt beside him, noticing his eyes wide with almost fear. Almost. Although, they should be. Suddenly, my arms sprang foward and I was using my talent of tickling on him. He let out a scream and tried to push me away, begging for me to leave him alone.

“Do you surrender?!”

“I a-a-already surrendered!” he cried, rolling about a little, trying to get rid of me. I cackled.

“Do it again!”

“I surrender!” I drew back, smiling. I had never felt like this before with someone else. Joey was a good friend to me. I had to admit this. He sat up, backing off from me. “Maniac!”

“Quiet down a bit” I laughed, lowering my voice. We sat in the silence and listened for any sound of life. It was still. I spluttered into quiet laughter again. “You were a wuss there.”

“Bet I could kick your ass at monopoly” he said, eyeing the board game we’ve had since... well, ages. And it’s been neglected for a while.

“It’s a bet. And if I win...” I thought. I clicked my fingers. “If I win, you have to be my slave for six hours.”

“What?! Alright, fine. But if I win...” he thought for a while before smirking. Oh dear God... “If I win, you have to kiss me.”

“... excuse me?! I will NOT kiss you!” I exploded.

“Why, too chicken?” he laughed.

“No fucking way, it’s just... well... are parents are dating, it’ll be awkward” I said, in almost a whisper. He shrugged.

“So? We’re not actually related. I wouldn’t even know you if our parents hadn’t met” Joey said. “Is it a bet?” He held out his hand. I looked at it for a long length of time.

C’mon Grace. You’re not scared.

“It’s a bet” I smirked, grabbing his hand. “But you’re gonna be pretty miffed when you have to serve me chocolate ice cream and potato chips!”

“Not if you kiss me” he said, in a tuned voice as if he were singing. I was now determined to win. Because there wasn’t a chance in hell I was kissing Joey.

After a long, dragging game of buying houses and paying debts with fake, multi coloured money, we decided to end it. I counted my money up, to check if I had won. I smirked at my outcome. “One hundred and thrity.”

“Two hundred and ten.” I frowned instantly.

“You’re lying.”

“Count it” he said. I dragged his income and counted it again. Shoot. I hadn’t noticed that extra hundred. I dropped the fake money as if it were a poisionous spider and they fell in a flourish of colours. I was almost shaking. I had lost. So that meant...

“Pucker up, Gracie” he sneered. Oh my God, my first kiss will be with Joey Armstrong. I gulped a very dry gulp.

“Can’t you... change it?” I asked. “I mean... honestly, do you really want to kiss me?” He shrugged and looked at me, melting me with those eyes.

“A bet’s a bet, Grace. C’mon, you dealt” he said. I sighed. He was right, I did deal to it.

“Alright, fine. But we just forget this ever happened after it, right?” I ordered, through gritted teeth. He shrugged.

“Whatever” he said. I edged closer, ever so slightly. I gulped down the fear building up in me. I was fifteen yet I had never kissed a boy. Mostly because all my confidence and stuff had been knocked out of me over the years. I lowered my eyes when I felt his breath hit my face. It was so close to happening... so close. My heart leapt and twisted, doing somersaults in my chest. I felt his forehead touch mine.

Then it happened. Joey’s lips collided with mine and suddenly, my whole body sprang into a ray of reactions and emotions.

It felt like a fireworks display in my stomach, a nuclear explosion in my head. My heart leapt estaticly when his lips met mine. It felt like some kind of drug was injected into my arm, as it felt like some kid of electricity shot through my body, down my arms, legs and spine. Everything was far away as possible. It didn’t even feel like I was Earth. I felt like I was spiralling away, in a world of my own, just me and Joey. The pain of Earth was numb. Fuck Billie Joe. Fuck my misery. Fuck it all. All that mattered is that I don’t come down. I felt his touch against my skin and it felt like magic. So breathtakingly wonderful. So fucking terrific. His hands lingered on my back pulling me inwards so I couldn’t escape. Why the hell would I want to? This was like some sort of drug and I couldn’t get off it. Suddenly, I heard something move. The game set was moved and I was on my back now, Joey on top of me, the kiss still going on. I rolled over, making sure I was on top and kick started it back into action by kissing him again. It was perfect. This was perfect.

OH MY GOOD GOD, YOU’RE KISSING JOEY!, that exteremly annoying little voice screamed.

Oh, shut up.

Finally, we broke apart, Joey’s eyes staring into mine.

“You still wanna forget about it?” he asked, breathlessly.

“Do I fuck?” I replied, as breathless as him before slamming my mouth onto his again. Suddenly, the world came back, coming back to scoff at me. I could hear it now...

Ha ha, your kissing your step-brother!

I broke away from him, getting off him. I was a little shaken at what just happened. Something had... taken over me. Why do things go wrong no matter what I do? Why does something have to take everything good from me? I felt him there. He leaned up a bit, looking at me.

“Holy fuck...” he said. “What was that?”

“I’m not sure...” I said, looking at him. “But I can’t... just... we’re technically step-siblings, Joey!”

“Like I said, we’re not actually related” he said, sitting up. “Are afraid or something?”

“... yes” I admitted. “I’m afraid.”

“Oh, of what?!”

“Of... of... of this!” I exploded. He rolled his eyes. “What? This is very bad, Joey. Very bad.”

“Then we’ll go with Plan B, forget about it” he said. I raised my eyebrows, astonished.

“How could I forget that? Not that I like to admit it, but that was just... just...” I struggled to find a word I haven’t already thought of in my head.

“Fucking brilliant?” he inquired, as though trying to help.

“Yes, that. And if people find out about this...” I cut myself off, working myself into a hysterical panic. If mum found out about this... if Billie ever found out... what would happen? I could tell it wouldn’t be good.

“Well, who gives a fuck?” he asked. “Who cares what the fuck anyone says? We’re not the only ones this has happened to, Grace.” I looked at him. How does he find this courage? I looked down, shaking in fear.

“I’m scared” I whimpered. “I can tell something bad will happen.”

“Nothing bad will happen to you. Not while I’m still ready to fight for you. Fuck that, I could be internally bleeding and I would still fight for you” he announced. I looked at him.

“We only knew each other for two or three days” I said.

“And I loved those two or three days” Joey laughed. He had Billie’s laugh. I blinked.

“But I’ve been... such a bitch to you” I said.

“So? We’ve had our moments” he said, smiling. He pulled me into a hug. “It’s alright Grace. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He pulled me in to kiss me again. Suddenl;y the door sprang open just when his lips met mine.

“I heard you guys from... up... stairs...” Jakob cut himself off to stare at us in shock. Joey broke away from me, staring at his brother in horrorfied rage and I just sat there.

See? It happened already.