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

It was one of those days were all I wanted to do is curl up and disappear. I didn’t want to talk to anybody, I just wanted to stay cooped up in my room, where I felt was my little get-away these days. Even if the dreaded monsters known as the Armstrongs insist on bursting in every so often. But that’s just coz they were dickheads, weren’t they? But today, they could go jump off a cliff for all I care, because the mood I was in was frightful. It was a mix of wanting to personally slaughter Billie and his two cronies to locking up my room door and screaming sad songs whilst wailing my lungs out at the same time. Not that I haven’t felt the need to slaughter Billie before, but today, I really felt like I could do it. I wanted to disappear into a brighter world, where everyone was happy and Billie Joe Armstrong was dead. He didn’t exsist. Nor did his little family, either. I just didn’t care today and no one was going to make me think otherwise.

I pulled the duvet over my head when I heard the radio blaring downstairs and my mood began to grow. I buried my face into my pillow, fighting down the urge to scream at the ceiling. Because I sure fucking felt like it. I checked the time. It was ten a.m. I caught myself in the mirror. My usual brown eyes were bleached with crimson at only sleeping for five hours. I had fallen asleep at five a.m that night because I couldn’t find the sleep I needed. It was a long, boring night listening to Joey’s snoring next door. I looked into my own bloodshot eyes. I saw myself glaring back. I fell back onto my bed. I really didn’t feel the need to wake up today. I wanted to sleep for this whole day.

And why exactly did I feel this way? Because tomorrow was the day we’re leaving the Reict household for a “few weeks” to Billie’s house, otherwise known as Hell.

I “slept” in until midday. It was then someone felt the need to wake me up. I heard loud rapping on my door. I curled up tighter, hoping whoever it was will just leave me alone.

“Gracie? It’s half twelve, c’mon, get up” I heard that highly annoying accent say. Billie had some sort of accent I couldn’t make out, but it was different to ours. First of all, dad always had that Irish accent. Mum had a plain American one though. And for some reason, Kage liked to speak in an Austrailian one. Hollie just talks in whatever she’s given, but it sounds slightly Welsh for some reason. I, on the other hand, have some sort of stupid mix between American and Irish. It didn’t sound that pleasant at times. Espically when I was angry. I hate my voice.

“Go fuck yourself” I snarled, pulling the duvet over me even tighter.

“Oh, I would but... y’know... I’m not so good at that” he said, in a obviously fake tone of seriousness. “Grace, you have to get up at some point.”

“No. Never.”

“I’ll literally force you out of that bed” he said.

“What you gonna do, taunt me with your magic drugs?” I said, sticking my arms out the waggle my fingers at the word “magic” the used one to point blindly where I thought he was. I poked my head out to realize I was pointing at my closet.

“Oh my God, what happened to your eyes?!” he demanded.

“I coloured them” I said, sarcasm leaking like spilling water from my acidic tone.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” he asked me.

“Is that any of your concern?” I asked.

“Well... yea, kinda. Coz I am gonna be you ste-!”

“SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!” I screamed, ducking back under the covers, protecting myself from what he was going to say. “Go to hell, yea?!”

“If you’re not going to get up...” He wrenched the duvet from my grip and I sat up instantly at the strange new temperature I felt. I looked at him, my eyes wide with shock on what he just did.

What, did he also bunjie jump into a pack of tigers?

“You dick” I seethed, in a silent and deadly tone. “I will kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Fine” I said, pouncing off my bed and straight onto his back when he turned. He yelled and stumbled around as I continued to climb slightly higher before digging one set of my long nails into his shoulder whilst the other kept my balance on his head.

“NOT SO FUNNY NOW, IS IT?!” I screeched, slightly worried about my own balance when he stuttered around the room. I jumped down and tackled him onto the bed before actually rolling over him. So I held down his shoulders when I landed above his head as we both tumbled onto my bed. I looked down at him and straight into his terrorfied expression. “And that’s just a taste of how I’ll do it. Next time...” I jabbed his chest with my finger. “I’ll poisin your dinner.” I let him go. “You little high school drop out.”

“Well...” he said, practically jumping off the bed and beginning to back off. “I learned my lesson. You’re a phsyco, Grace!” Then he laughed at me. I raised an eyebrow. Eventually, he left me alone.

And I was in such a bad mood, I couldn’t picture lying in bed at all. So I wrenched on some clothes, stormed down the stairs and dropped myself violently in a seat in the kitchen.

“Hello, honey” mum said, smiling.

“Hi!” I yelled, angerily. Mum turned, her eyes wide with what seemed like a look of What the hell is wrong with you? “Next time you send your boyfriend to wake me up, send him up with some defense.”

“I didn’t send him up...” she said, thoughtfully, before continuing to make whatever the hell she was making. I realized she was making lunch.

“You’re in an awfully good mood this morning for a pregnant woman. I thought you were supposed to be as angry as Hell in the mornings” I said.

“Oh, you missed it” she said, as if it were a fireworks display I missed. “It’s nearly one, Grace.”

I looked at the clock. She was right. “Sorry” I mumbled. “Can I still have breakfast?”

“Ha. I’m making lunch, Grace, you can have that” she said, smiling.

“Well, why are you eating?” I asked, watching her scorf down chocolate whilst she made lunch.

“Hey, I’m eating for two, aren’t I?” she asked. “Yes, us pregnant women don’t stop eating, do we?” I knew she was having a play on my whole “pregnant women are angry in the mornings” so I muttered another apology.

“2012 better come quickly...” I muttered.

“Gracie, the world will NOT end on 2012, I thought we went through this!” mum said, dropping the knife.

“Mum! Just a few months back you said it might as well!” I said, outspreading my arms.

“Well...” she said, turning, “That was before... well... you know what happened.”

“What, you mean him? Mum, it’s not a blessing, it’s a curse.”

“Grace, why won’t you give him a bloody chance? I can obviously tell and it’s pretty damn unmissable to see that he’s trying but you just... I dunno... turn it away, you’re so god damn stubborn, Grace!” mum exasperated.

“Let’s see... he’s NOT my father, mum. I don’t have to like him, and I choose not to. Let’s go through the pros and cons of your choice, shall we? Con; he was a druggie.”

“Pro, he quit.”

“Con, he’s a high school drop out.”

“Pro, he’s got a fucking badass job, doesn’t he?”

“Con, I think he’s an alcholic.”

“Pro, I don’t think he is.”

“Con, he changes his hair colour every two seconds.”

“Pro, I like his hair colour no matter what it is.”

“Con, that’s gross.”

“Grace, shut up” mum laughed. “Oh, I have one last thing.” She turned to look me straight in the eye. “He loves me. And I love him. That’s one thing you have to accept.”

I stood up and left. I couldn’t listen to her anymore. I stopped at the living room door to glare at Billie, who looked back with innocent eyes, before I stormed straight out the front door. Through the corner of my eye, I saw Joey jump up out of the sofa. I heard the front door open behind me when I jumped over our wall.

“Grace! Grace, wait!” I didn’t. I kept walking away, anger over flowing everywhere. My heart, my stomach, my mind.

All I could think about was how much a really did HATE Billie Joe. However, I did swirl around when Joey caught up with me. “Grace, what the fuck, wher eare you going?!” he asked me.

“I don’t know, nor do I care, as long as it’s away from him and you!” I roared. Joey looked a little startled at my scream but he kept looking at me with a questioning face.

“What did I do?”

“Follow HIM!” I screamed again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me!” I turned and got a few metres away from Joey before I turned. “And yenno, I might not come back!”

“Grace, you’re over reacting” Joey said, rolling his eyes. “Now get back here.”

“No...” I said, in a soft voice as I began to back off. “I will NOT get back there!” I turned and ran around the corner before running even further, just to get away from everything.

Then someone grabbed my wrist. I came to a violent stop and looked up to see Jessica grabbing my wrist.

What a beautiful life this was.

“Gracie! Hello, so good to see you again” she cackled. She had just two cheerleaders with her, Sabrina and Marie Louise. “How was your omlette, I never hada chance to ask.”

“What?” I asked, cluelessly. She rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly.

“I’m talking about your fucking egg incident!” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh... right...”

“What’s the matter Grace, do I scare you?” she asked. I wanted to say no but she did scare me. “Why were you running, Grace?”

“I was just...” I fought for a good excuse but I couldn’t think of one. So I just stayed silent. She grabbed me tighter. It was then I raised my other hand to punch her in the face. Jessica screamed and grabed her nose.

“OH MY GOD, BITCH! My dad paid for this!” she screeched, talking about her nose. Oh, of course she had a nose job. “If you ruined it, you’re dead fucking meat, you fucking little virgin!” I raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

“You fucking heard me! You have to be the only bitch in our whole grade to be a virgin!” she said, suddenly smirking again. I frowned.

“I’d rather be a virgin than a whore. I mean... look at you” I said, wrinkling up my nose. “You think I want to be that?”

“Shut the fuck up” she seethed. “I know you envy me.”

“Yea, why not?” I said, using sarcasm at its most. “Because it’s my lifes dream to be a slut!”

“I am NOT slut, you’re the slut!” she snarled.

“Really?”

“Yes, fucking really!” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “You think, just coz your mums boyfriend is a huge rockstar, that your better than everyone else, don’t you?!”

“Trust me, I don’t” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I think you do. Next thing, you’ll be his little secret bitch, all druggies have one” she cackled.

“He’s off drugs...” I said, narrowing my eyes. It felt weird defending Billie Joe, but it was either that or let Jessica “win”. She smiled in a creepy fashion.

“Are you sure?”

I fell silent. “Well, I think so.”

“She thinks so” she told her cronies, laughing. She turned to me. “I bet, by the end of the summer, he’d be gone.”

“Actually, they’re getting married” I said, getting more and more pissed off. Jessica frowned.

“Divorced then” she said.

“I doubt that as much as I want it to be true” I answered.

“What? You want them to divorce?” Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“What- I never said that!”

“You kinda did, bitch” she snarled. “I can’t believe you’re so shallow!”

“Look who’s talking.”

“At least I don’t want my parents to divorce!”

“Shut up...” I muttered, starting to edge away towards the way I came.

“Oh, yes, wait... you only have one parent” she sighed, pretending to feel sorry for me.

“Shut it, Jessica...”

“I bet he’s turning in his grave at the sight of his wife dating again. God, your mother must have felt a strange new freedom if she started dating rockstars” Jessica continued. I backed off even more, confidence fading by the second.

“Sh-shut up...”

“I heard he has two sons” Jessica said. I paused. “And, I have THIS.” I pulled out her phone and clicked a few buttons before holding it out to me. I looked at it and nearly gasped.

It was me and Joey. In the rain. After I first met his friends and where I thought he was going to kiss me. It was that moment, when we were inches away. Why would Jessica have that?!

“I already sent it to everyone” she said, smiling creepily. I looked up at her, my eyes wide with terror. “Is he a good kisser, Grace?”

“I didn’t kiss him” I lied.

“I think you did.”

“How would you know?”

“Weeeeeell” she smirked. “You see, the other boy let it slip to his friend, who was the younger brother of Harriet.” Oh, of course. Harriet was the biggest snitch anyone would ever meet. She would’ve told everyone. “She over heard them say it. You see, what-his-face told Harriets younger brother not to tell anyone but Harriet heard them. I can’t believe you kissed your step brother!”

“I-I-I-!”

“So now YOU’RE the biggest slut on the neighbourhood” she said, grinning evilly. I stumbled backwards before swirling around and sprinting around the corner. I heard Jessica laughing at me as I ran away from her, along with her two cheerleader bitches.

And I was scared. What if the news reached mum? Even worse, Billie Joe? Every prep probably knew by now and they’d tell everyone else.

It was then I really wanted to disappear.