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

When I got home, mum was blasting eighties songs whilst cooking in the kitchen. Any other teenage girl walking in with their crush would feel the need to kill themselves. I didn’t. This meant mum was a good mood, which raises the chance of me hanging out with a few seveteen year olds at Aiden’s house. I timidly knocked the kitchen door and my mum looked over, grinning.

“Gracie!” she said, stirring the cookie mix.

“Um... mum?” I asked. “Aiden’s invited me to hang about with his friends.”

“Oh? What t ime are you going at tomorrow?” she asked.

“Actually, we’re going out now...” I said, awkwardly. Mum looked over, confused.

“What?”

“I’m sorry if this is a bad time for ya, Ms R” Aiden said. It was then he used his charms of words, “Or Mrs A.” Mum smiled at the second comment.

“You’re so sweet...” she said, softly, flushing into her cookie mix. I elbowed Aiden softly and gave him the signal to continue.

“I mean... I can see why you’re gettin’ married” Aiden continued. Mum looked up. “And I can see where Grace gets her looks from.”

Mum dabbed at her cookie mix, a wide smile across her face. Mum was so easily pleased sometimes. She hesistated for a while before saying, “Oh... what the hell. Just don’t go doing anything stupid, Gracie.”

“Thanks mum!” I grinned. “Oh, and save soem of those cookies for me.”

“Just go before I change my mind” mum laughed, flciking some flour my way. I grabbed Aiden’s hand and pulled him away only to meet “Mr Perfect” in the hallway.

“Whoa, where are you going so fast?” Billie asked, when I rushed past him.

“Away from you” I snarled, knowing I can be myself around Aiden. Because Aiden didn’t question it like Joey did.

But Aiden wouldn’t try to fix it like Joey does.

What are you thinking, you don’t want it fixed! I told myself. What was never made can’t be fixed... or something along those lines.

“You always want to get away from me” Billie said, pouting slightly, obviously attempting to taunt me. It worked.

“Shut it, you tall five year old” I hissed, getting aggravated by his voice. It was then I realized Hollie was at his leg.

“Awww, who’s this?” Aiden said, grinning at her. Hollie smiled shyly and backed herself up behind Billie’s leg.

“This is Hollie” I said, and I said it fast because I noticed that Billie had opened his mouth the reply to that question. “She’s my little sister.”

“She looks like you” Aiden smiled. “Except for the hair. Coz you have black hair.”

“Really? I never noticed... y’know, you’re right, Aiden” Billie butted in, looking at Hollie then at me.

“Yea, the eyes” Aiden said, thoughtfully. “Anyway, we better get going, I think mum already let them in, I have a bad feeling about it. See you later, sweetie.” He ruffled Hollie’s hair.

“For a second there, I thought you were talking about me” Billie said, laughing. Aiden grinned slyly and winked before I pulled him off, not waiting (or wanting for that matter) to see Billie’s reaction, but I heard him laughing again.

“Oh... yea, sorry, I’m not supposed to like him, am I?” Aiden asked, frowning when I pulled him outside. “You’re little sister is cute. And your mum is awesome too!”

“Thanks” I said, smiling. “So, where’s your house?”

“Follow me” he said, walking down the road. I followed him.

He didn’t live far away, just like he said. In fact, a snail could get there in ten minutes. He walked me upstairs, where music was playing. It was only barely audiable over the loud shouting voices of two tone-deaf boys singing “Single Ladies” along with the track. I dreaded to walk in after that but Aiden was pulling me by the hand. He kicked open the door.

“Yo, dickheads!” he shouted. “This is our new friend, deal with it, yea?”

“Hi, stranger!” someone yelled. There were about seven people in the room, excluding me and Aiden. Three girls and four boys. One of the girls I recognized as Emily. Emily grinned at me.

“Oh, hi Grace!” she said. “She moved in next door today!”

“So, you met a girl today...” a boy said, looking confused. “And you already asked her to come to your house?”

Aiden shrugged. “I moved slower than you, Don” he joked. The Don boy shrugged.

“Alrighty then” Aide continued. He pointed at Don. “That’s Don. Prick of a ladies man.” Don pushed one of his bangs out of his eyes and grinned at me. He had a nice smile... he had brown hair and emerald green eyes. “Over there, you met Emily already. That’s Lisa” he pointed at a girl with chesnut brown hair with green eyes. She had hints of blue and hazel in them though, making them glisten slightly and she wore a pair of those “geek-chic” glasses. She smiled at me. “That’s Jordan” he pointed over at a boy with green hair. I decided not to question it. “And that’s Tord. His real name is Alex, but we call him Tord.” I raised an eyebrow. He had light brown hair with hazel eyes, as well as a tanned complexion. “And that’s Idina” he pointed over at a pretty dirty blonde girl with bright blue eyes. “And last but not least, my best mate, Jason.” Jason grinned wildly. He had wild black hair with brown eyes.

“Yes, Aiden likes to take favouritism” Lisa spoke up. She had a thick English accent. “I have a feeling you’ll be his favourite girl now.”

“It used to be me...” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “Thank God for you, Gracie, I couldn’t stand all that Brooklyn accent voice any more, he talks too much, the little prick.” Aiden glared at her.

“You’re just in time” Tord said, smiling. “We were just about to play spin the bottle.”

“Want a beer?” Jordan asked, holding up a can. I wasn’t sure what to say. I looked at the can.

Hey. If Billie was allowed to go out and get drunk...

“Sure” I said, smiling and taking the can. Aiden looked at me sternly.

“Grace...”

“I know what I’m doing, Aiden” I said.

“Yea, Aids!” Lisa said, laughing.

“Call me Aids again and I will kick your ass” Aiden said, glaring at her. Lisa mocked his Brooklyn accent, causing the others to crack up laughing. Even me.

“Make a circle, bitches” Tord annouced, climbing off the bed, kicking Don out of his way.

“OW! Fucker!” Don yelled, grabbing the back of Tord’s red hoodie, causing him to yelp and fall backwards onto Jason. I watched in amusement, opening my can. The thick smell of alcohol filled my senses as I opened it. I looked down at it, feeling slightly anxious. I mean... people get hooked on this stuff...

C’mon, you total wuss. Just pretend it’s coke or something...

I took a silent deep breath before taking a gulp. It wasn’t as bad as I thought...

Once we circled around, Jason drew out a bottle.

“Behold! The bottle! Worship it and all it’s glory and I pray it hooks me up with Lisa!” he said, holding it up. Lisa merely rolled her eyes, scoffing loudly. Jason spinned it first. And it didn’t land on Lisa at all.

“Ha! You got Don! Served!” Jordan laughed. Don stared at the bottle before looking up at Jason.

“C’mon, fuck stick” he said, grinning pervertedly.

“Into the closet of the damned!” Tord said, “woo”-ing suspiciously. Idina jumped up and opened the closet, waggling her fingers as both of them walked past. She slammed the door once both were in and guarded it.

“They stay in there for one minute” she told me. “We’re not all into that whole seven minutes thing.”

“OW! Don, get your hand off my crotch, man bitch!” All eyes fell on the closet.

“Although, with Don, I recommend we lower that time...” Tord said, cringing.

“Stop... stop squirming, Jason!”

“I vote yes” Emily said, raising her hand.

A minute passed, and Jason actually crawled out, whilst Don just strolled in casually, as if nothing happened at all.

“What was hell like?” Tord asked Jason. Jason looked up, eyes wide in what looked like horror.

“You don’t wanna know...”

“My turn, right?” Don asked, sitting down again.

As the game progressed, more drinks were downed and more people were raped by Don. So far, I had gone in with Tord and Jordan but that was it. I downed about ten cans of beer, and as I opened my eleventh can, I felt like I was soaring. Suddenly, the world was blocked out. I could finally laugh in its face and tell it to go fuck itself. Suddenly, life was highly amusing. All thart mattered were these people and this room. Right there and then, the feeligns I got, the thigns I was doing... I was drunk.

“Aiden’s turn” Emily said, handing the bottle to Aiden, who had just emerged from the closet with Jordan.

“Maybeh ah’ll gets Alexandra...” Aiden slurred, looking at Tord. Tord laughing, snorting vodka and coke mix up his nose, causing him to go into a coughing fit before sneezing. The group burst out laughing at him. Aiden spinned the bottle. Around and around it went, like a windmill blowing in the harsh storm. Don, Idina, Jordan, Jason... me. And it halted there, announcing I was the person Aiden would take into the closet next. Aiden smiled drunkingly at me. I stood up, swaying slightly on my legs. Aiden led me toward the closet by the hand.

The door shut. All was silent. I felt Aiden’s breath on my face, and it stunk of alcohol. One minute was ticking away... his lips crashed onto mine. It was nothing like me and Joey’s first kiss. Aiden’s was sloppy and drunk, but I was too drunk to even care about that. All that mattered was that he was kissing me and I was kissing him. I was shoved against the wall the whole time. It seemed to go by so quickly... next thing, Lisa opened the door.

“Heeey... look” she said before falling backwards onto the floor. I noticed Jordan or Idnia wasn’t there.

“Where’s Jordie boy?” Aiden asked, stumbling out of the closet, and I stuttered behind him.

“He lefts to the bathroom with Idina” Tord said, Emily under his arm, her eyes closed. I wasn’t sure if she was asleep or not. “I thinks they having sex.”

“They always have sex” Lisa laughed from the floor, trying to drink her beer whilst lying down. She failed miserably as it went all over her shirt. “Ah, fuck!”

“Faaail” Jason sneered. Don snorted in his sleep in the corner before rolling over.

I felt... so alive. I sat beside Tord and Aiden sat beside me. Aiden used his finger to get me to look at him before his kissed me again. I knew in the morning that I wouldn’t remember this. But I didn’t give a shit. I checked the time. Half an hour to midnight.

“I shouz be gettin home” I whimpered.

“No probs, Aids’ mother phoned our houses to say we’re staying over” Lisa said, from her posistion from the ground.

“But we have no... night things” I said.

“All we need is condoms and the clothes we’re wearing now” Tord said, giggling. He looked up at Jason. “You can’t touch this.”

Both of the boys brke into MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”. Emily glared up when Tord elbowed her head and she sat up. I felt Aiden kiss my neck. Lisa remained on the ground, muttering some of the words along with the two boys.

I understood why Billie liked to go out and get drunk. If it felt like this... this is a beautiful thing. It lets me depart from the world. It lets me flow freely. I could get used to this. I let Aiden kiss my neck on his own free will. I heard him reach over for something. Jordan’s swearing was audiable through the bathroom walls. Lisa’s muttering was starting to fade as she began to fall asleep. Aiden got up and pulled me up with him, pulling me back to the closet.

Because the game was over. And no one could disturb us there.