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

We sat around John’s floor for a some good hours. We moved on from one topic to another, consisting of JJ’s mismatching hair and eyes to Leon’s cat with rabies. I never would’ve guessed Leon had such a great sense of humour too. He kept us all amused, espically by throwing random insults at JJ every so often. Rosalette’s sugary stash was out faster than I would’ve guessed. Joey slouched acrosds the wall, looking frightfully pale. I didn’t intimidate him that much, did I? He pushed himself up.

“I feel sick, I wanna go home” he said.

“Wuss” Leon muttered.

“Seriously, Leon. I think I’m gonna…” Joey trailed off, making a pained face at nothing particular. “Oh… yea, I think I’ll be sick…”

“Big wuss” JJ added.

“Shut it” Rosie snarled. She looked at him. “You do look pale, maybe you should go home…”

“I’ll drive you” JJ said, standing up.

“No. I wanna walk home, maybe the air will do me good…” Joey said. “Samia’s house is only a few blocks down.” I flinched at him saying my mother’s name but it wasn’t much of a flinch.

“Grace will take you home” Rosie said, looking at me. “You better do that, he looks like he could pass out.”

“Fine” I grumbled, standing up. “Might as well, I mean… it IS half eight… wow. Half eight? How long as that been?”

“Not so long. About six hours and a half” JJ yawned, stretching out his legs and arms like a cat would do. “Damn, I’m fucking tired” he said thought mid-yawn. I looked at him for a moment before looking away.

“Come along, Joseph” I said, also yawning slightly. “I’m tired too.” He gave me an odd look when I called him Joseph but I didn’t care. I followed him out.

“Damn, I’m so pretty…” I heard Leon mutter lazily from the room. I giggled slightly.

“That was fun” I said, jumping down John’s stairs, following him like an excited puppy.

“Oh… wasn’t it?” he said. I could hear the acidic tone in his voice and I rolled my eyes.

“Going?” someone asked. I turned to see a pretty blonde woman at the kitchen door. I assumed this was John’s mother.

“Joey feels sick” I told her.

“Yea, sorry…” he muttered.

“I don’t know what your apologizing for” she laughed. “You may as well go ahead before it gets worse.”

“Thanks Mrs… what’s your name?”

“Chloe Jackson, but you can just call me chloe, I’m not fussed” she said, waving a hand.

“Alright, thanks Chloe” I said, waving at her before shoving Joey out the door and closing the door behind me after. “Since when does someone feel sparatically sick?!”

“It’s not my fault!” Joey defended, looking a little ticked off. “Since when does anyone sparatically invite themselves over?!” I glared back at him before turning around and storming down the road.

“And for the record, never say my mum’s name again” I hissed, when we were half way down the street, “It sounds like a taboo in your mouth.”

“Sorry…” he muttered. Or more like croaked. I turned.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride home?” I asked, trying to hide the fact I was geniually concerned for him. He sounded really bad. “I can call my mum if you want…”

“Nah, I wanna walk” he said, looking down. I didn’t ask why he wanted to walk so badly but it did linger in my head. Why exactly was he so determined to walk home? I felt like I should search him for any knives or something but I didn’t. But this was oddly suspiscious. Very oddly suspiscious.

“Suit yourself” I said, turning around again and trudging forward. I heard his heavy footsteps behind me. It was beginning to get cold so I folded my arms and drew my shoulders up.

“Are you cold?” he asked from behind me.

“Yea… so?” I asked. He was going to offer his jacket, as usual, and of course, I’ll-

“Oh… so am I” he said. I blinked. I was surprised he didn’t give me his jacket again. And, I had to admit, a little disappointed. Joey’s jacket was always warm. Warm and it smelt like him.

I tried to remember what he smelt like. When I was held close to him before. He smelt nice than any other guy I had gotten close to (if there was any). Well, the last time I got close to a boy was when I was ten, and they all smelt like sweat or cookies. Or in gym class, where they all smelt like sweat. Joey’s scent was distinct, almost like oxygen, if I didn’t inhale it, I would be dead. That’s what it felt like at the time anyway. I wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe his colone or something…? But it was nice, sweet.

I smiled and inhaled the air deeply, which snapped me back to my senses because all that reached me was oxygen. I was a little taken aback by this, as I had expected the sweet scent of being held close to Joey. Why, exactly, had I been expecting that? Why the hell was I even daring to think about that?! I looked back at Joey, who still seemed frightfully pale.

“Are you sure you don’t want-?”

“No, Grace. I’m sure.” I blinked but didn’t question him further. I kept an eye on him though. He suddenly leaned against a lamp post and started breathing heavily.

“That’s it, I’m calling someone” I said, whipping out my phone and turning. I heard him cough and then the sound of liquid hitting the ground rang out behind me. I turned to see vomit sprawled across the street. I gagged slightly at the sight of it. “I’m defintely calling someone!”

“N-no! I’m fine!” he said, before coughing up more vomit.

“No you fucking ain’t!” I said, dialling my mum’s number. It rang for a while before I heard it pick up.

“Gracie? What is it?” Kage asked from the other line.

“Wha- Kage?! Where’s mum?” I asked.

“She’s getting Hollie to bed” Kage answered, as if proud of himself.

“I need to talk to her, Joey is… well, he’s sick” I said.

“Really?”

“Yes Kage. Really.”

“Really really?” he asked. “What do you mean by si-?”

“OH WOULD YOU JUST PUT HER ON THE FUCKING PHONE, KAGE!” A silence fell. I heard someone trudging upstairs and I heard;

“IT’S GRACE, SHE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!”

“Kage!” I heard my mum run across the hallway. “What is it, Grace, Hollie was asleep.”

“Joey threw up” I said, hearing vomit hit the ground again. “It’s pretty bad, I think he’s caught a that virus going around or something.”

“Oh shit… hold on!” I heard her scream Billie’s name from upstairs. That was just my hectic house. Everyone yells at each other if they wanterd attention. There was a moment of talking before my mum returned to the phone. “Alright, Billie’s coming to get you both.”

“Why can’t you come?” I whined.

“Oh, I would’ve come if I certain someone wouldn’t have screamed and woken Hollie” my mum hissed. I could even see her glaring at Kage. “Just… where are you?”

“Down the street. If he drives up he won’t miss us, just tell him to go right… then left then right.”

“Got it. Oh, and Grace?”

“Yea?”

“You didn’t… cause this, did you?”

“Oh yea, I did” I said, sarcasm dripping off my voice. “I forced my two fingers down his throat. Why would I force him to be sick on the street?!”

“Right well… stay there” my mum said, hanging up. I put my phone back in my pocket and turned to Joey again. He glared up at me.

“I said I was fine” he seethed.

“Did you see yourself?” I asked. “You’re throwing up all over the street! You’re not fine!”

“M’tired…” he muttered.

“Well, now is not the time to sleep” I said, walking around the puddle of vomit. “Unless you wanna lie in that vomit swamp. If so, please do.”

“Can I lean on you, Grace? I wanna sit somewhere…”

“I don’t want your SICKNESS!”

“Please? I’ll try not to breathe over you or... whatever” he said, placing an arm over my shoulder. I stumbled a bit but I helped him sit down against the wall without falling and stepping into the vomit pool.

“You better get that checked... I hear that virus is pretty bad” I said, forgetting I was supposed to hate him. After all, I think he’d suffered enough...

You’re ging easy on him. Don’t go easy on him.

“I suppose... I’ll just take it easy for a while” he said. I nodded.

“You do that” I said. “My aunt got it, she was down for a week!”

“A week?! No way, I’m fine” Joey insisted again, trying to get up to show me.

“Sit down” I said, pushing him down. “Jesus, you’re gonna throw up again if you push yourself, idiot!”

“M’not an idi-...” he trailed off before exhaling deeply. “I’m alright... I’m fine...” I rolled my eyes dramatically. I noticed his eyes fighting to stay open.

“Damn, you’re not joking when you said you were tired, were you?” I asked.

“Do I look awake and raring?” he asked, his tone acidic again. I glared at him before yawning.

“I’m tired too... how long with your dad be?” I hissed.

“Dunno... he should be here any moment now...” His voice got softer before trailing off as he yawned. I sat beside him, watching his head droop slowly sideways onto my shoulder. “You mind?” he whispered.

I wanted to say no. I wanted to strangle him and tell him why would I be nice if he made me mad so much. I wanted to shove him and tell him I hated him. I wanted a lion to hop out of no where and eat him whole. I looked at him, his head rested on my shoulder, his eyes closed. He looked so much younger, I felt some kind of strange responsibility for him. I felt like his mother. So, this is what mum felt like... what Adrienne felt like. To have a little kid who you know loves you and will never want to hurt you and- I shuddered that thought clean away before leaning my head on his.

“Not at this moment...” I said. But it was far too late for an answer, he had already started snoring softly. I inahled the scent of Joey. It wasn’t as nice, staled with the shitty smell of vomit but it was still Joey’s scent. I smiled but before I could get used to it, I heardf a car drawing up in the distance. I looked up to see Billie’s car draw up to us.

“What the fuck is happening here?” he laughed. His eyes landed on the huge puddle of vomit. “Holy fuck...”

“Oh, well done, Sonic. So speedy” I said, sarcastically. He looked at with confused eyes before shrugging me off.

“Wake him up” he said. “Coz I’m pretty damn sure he won’t wake up any time soon.” I glared at Billie before shaking Joey slightly.

“Joey, wake up” I said. He groaned loudly.

“Tell mum I’ll do it tomorrow” he said in his sleep, pushing my face away sloppily. I snapped my head away from him, scowling at him.

“WAKE UP YOU LAZY BASTARD!”

“I’m up...” he whined, opening one eye. When he noticed his dad, he seemed to wake up completely. “Dad?”

“Get your ass in here, it’s gonna rain soon” Billie said, looking up at the sky at the dark grey clouds appearing. I dragged Joey towards the car, who stumbled along. It was like dragging a rag doll, he was just lighter than I expected to drag along. I stuffed him in the back, where the lay across the seats, curling up and falling asleep again.

“Great...” I snarled. “Sick boy took up the whole back row...”

“Graaaacie.” I turned slowly to see Billie’s smirk, as he patted the passenger seat at the front in a way that implied he was going to rape me or something. I glared at him. I had no choice... so I sat in the front, crossing my arms and huffed the whole way home.

When we got Joey to bed, he didn’t get up for the rest of the night. Every half an hour or so, we had to go check up on him (which was actually mum’s idea. She’s become quite attached to the boys, as if they were own sons). It was mum, then Jake, then me and Billie never got up once.

“He’s your son for the love of fuck, go look at your sick son!” mum hissed, pointing upstairs.

“He’s fine, Sammie” Billie said, rolling his eyes. “He’s my son, anyway. Of course he knows how to look after himself!”

“How could he when you barely know how to do that yourself” mum grumbled.

“Eh... could be from Adrienne y’know” Billie said. My mum scowled horribly. It was only natrual for her to be slightly jealous. I would be. But she didn’t say anything about it.

“I’m going to bed” I said, standing up and stretching out my arms. I flopped my arms to my side once I was finished stretching them. “See you tomorrow mum.” I gavea look at Billie before shuddering. He just laughed at me. I growled silently when he did so.

“Oh, Gracie!” my mum called when I got at the door. I twirled around, giving her my full attention. “Check on Joey, would you?” I rolled my eyes but went upstairs to check on him. He wasn’t in his room. I stood there, at the spare bedroom door, confused. Then I heard someone coughing up sick in the toilet. I sprinted across the hallway and looked through the bedroom door. He was still dressed in his clothes from earlier one, even his shoes were still on. He was bent over the toilet, throwing up violently again.

“Joey?” I asked. He slunk down to the ground, panting after throwing up. He looked up, weakly.

“G-Grace? Oh, thank God... I thought I was gonna just die here...” he said, leaning on the sink to help lift him up. His legs shook as he put his weight onto them but he managed. I watched him, worried he’d fall down again. He let go of the sink, trembling. He looked so... vulnerable. I was concerned that if you even skimmed him with your finger, he’d fall again. I got the mouthwash.

“Do you want some of this?” I asked. “It helps yenno. Not the pain but... your breath.”

“... sure, why not?” he muttered, taking it from me. I sat on the edge of the bath, watching him clean out his mouth. When he had finished, he leaned over the sink, hsi head hanging between his shoulders, his breathing getting heavier for a moment before he gulped and shuddered slightly.

“You need to lie down, c’mon...” I said, letting him lean on me. Because he was so heavy on me, I stumbled here and there for a while but I managed to get him back to the spare room. He fell backwards onto the bed, dragging me with him. I fell on top of him. The duvet was ruined, he must have kicked it off or something. He rolled me off him, sleepily and lazily and smiled slightly with his eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep.

“Gracie...”

“Joey.”