Catastrophic Hymns
Panic! On The Plane
Cesca stared out the plane window, amazed how the clouds almost looked like snow... She sighed and turned to a sleeping Mike, his mouth hanging open. She laughed faintly and kissed his cheek.
"Wha...whassamadder..." he mumbled. She giggled.
"You're drooling. Go back to sleep." He nodded, and soon he was passed out again.
"Did you see her earlier?" She heard Tré say from behind her. She frowned and listened harder.
"When?" Bill replied.
"When I was talking to her... I asked if she was still alive..? Dude, you have to remember. You were there."
"Oh...yeah, I remember...she cried..."
"She was talking about you, Billie Joe." Billie paused.
"What? I thought...I mean...It's been six years...Six years, dude..."
"What did you do to her?" Bill paused.
"What?"
"What could you have possibly done that still hurts after six years?"
"I...we..." Bill sighed. "We were together for...three years, I think...I loved her so much...Fuck, I still love her..." Cesca froze. She must have made a noise, because Bill and Tré stopped talking, and Mike was staring at her.
Oh god...
She couldn't breathe...
"I can't breathe. Mike, I can't breathe." She gasped for air. She felt like her lungs were closing up. She could feel tears slide down her cheeks as her eyes widened.
"It's a panic attack, Frankie," Bill said, leaning between her and Mike's seats. "Remember how I used to get them? Just breathe slowly... Deep breaths... Repeat after me, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1... 2, 3... 4, 5, 6..."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 6."
"One more time. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6." He grinned that lopsided smile, and she could feel the familiar flutter in her stomach. She collapsed against the seat and looked over at Mike.
"You okay?" Mike asked, concern creasing his features. She nodded and smiled faintly.
"I'm good."
"What happened? Why..." Mike said. She quickly glanced at Bill and shook her head.
"You heard me." Bill said. It was a statement, not a question. She nodded.
"What?" Mike asked. Cesca shook her head, and he turned to Billie.
"What?" he asked again. After a few seconds of silence, Tré started throwing peanuts at Mike's face.
"What the hell...?" Mike spluttered. Tré cackled.
"You know you want my salty nuts." Cesca giggled.
"More like salty nut."
"Hey!"
"Nutclops." Tré fell silent.
"You didn't deny wanting my one salty nut!" He yelled after a few seconds, making the other passengers stare at Mike, who turned red.
"I do not want his salty nut," Mike announced. An old lady shook her head at him.
"Suuuuuure you don't, Mikey-boy..." Tré said, batting his eyelashes.
"Shut up, Nutclops." Tré chuckled and turned back to the window.
"I need to talk to you, Frankie..." Bill whispered. She turned to him, eyes wide.
"Now... please?" he said. She climbed over Mike as Bill slid out of his seat.
"Tré, sit by Mike for a while," Bill said. Tré grinned wildly and jumped into Cesca's seat.
"Oh God..." Mike said. Cesca and Bill sat down as Tré said something about Mike and his salty nuts.
"Frankie, I...what I said..." Billie whispered.
"Did you mean it?" She stared at the seat in front of her.
"Of course... I mean... If it makes you feel weird, I... But I did mean it..." She closed her eyes and hit her head on the window.
"Bill, don't do this."
"Don't do what?" She sighed.
"I'm with Mike now."
"Do you still love me?"
"I'm with Mike now."
"Do you still love me." He tilted her head so she faced him.
"Do you still love me," he whispered again. She sighed again.
"It's been so long-"
"I know. Please just tell me... Tell me if I'm hoping for nothing-" She got up and climbed over him.
"Tré, please bother Billie some more," Cesca said. Tré looked at her, frowned, and climbed back to his seat.
"Thank God..." Mike said, leaning his head against the seat. "I almost died."
"Mike...?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Can you just... hold me?" He nodded and put the armrest up. She snuggled into his open arms, letting more tears fall.
"Wha...whassamadder..." he mumbled. She giggled.
"You're drooling. Go back to sleep." He nodded, and soon he was passed out again.
"Did you see her earlier?" She heard Tré say from behind her. She frowned and listened harder.
"When?" Bill replied.
"When I was talking to her... I asked if she was still alive..? Dude, you have to remember. You were there."
"Oh...yeah, I remember...she cried..."
"She was talking about you, Billie Joe." Billie paused.
"What? I thought...I mean...It's been six years...Six years, dude..."
"What did you do to her?" Bill paused.
"What?"
"What could you have possibly done that still hurts after six years?"
"I...we..." Bill sighed. "We were together for...three years, I think...I loved her so much...Fuck, I still love her..." Cesca froze. She must have made a noise, because Bill and Tré stopped talking, and Mike was staring at her.
Oh god...
She couldn't breathe...
"I can't breathe. Mike, I can't breathe." She gasped for air. She felt like her lungs were closing up. She could feel tears slide down her cheeks as her eyes widened.
"It's a panic attack, Frankie," Bill said, leaning between her and Mike's seats. "Remember how I used to get them? Just breathe slowly... Deep breaths... Repeat after me, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1... 2, 3... 4, 5, 6..."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 6."
"One more time. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6." He grinned that lopsided smile, and she could feel the familiar flutter in her stomach. She collapsed against the seat and looked over at Mike.
"You okay?" Mike asked, concern creasing his features. She nodded and smiled faintly.
"I'm good."
"What happened? Why..." Mike said. She quickly glanced at Bill and shook her head.
"You heard me." Bill said. It was a statement, not a question. She nodded.
"What?" Mike asked. Cesca shook her head, and he turned to Billie.
"What?" he asked again. After a few seconds of silence, Tré started throwing peanuts at Mike's face.
"What the hell...?" Mike spluttered. Tré cackled.
"You know you want my salty nuts." Cesca giggled.
"More like salty nut."
"Hey!"
"Nutclops." Tré fell silent.
"You didn't deny wanting my one salty nut!" He yelled after a few seconds, making the other passengers stare at Mike, who turned red.
"I do not want his salty nut," Mike announced. An old lady shook her head at him.
"Suuuuuure you don't, Mikey-boy..." Tré said, batting his eyelashes.
"Shut up, Nutclops." Tré chuckled and turned back to the window.
"I need to talk to you, Frankie..." Bill whispered. She turned to him, eyes wide.
"Now... please?" he said. She climbed over Mike as Bill slid out of his seat.
"Tré, sit by Mike for a while," Bill said. Tré grinned wildly and jumped into Cesca's seat.
"Oh God..." Mike said. Cesca and Bill sat down as Tré said something about Mike and his salty nuts.
"Frankie, I...what I said..." Billie whispered.
"Did you mean it?" She stared at the seat in front of her.
"Of course... I mean... If it makes you feel weird, I... But I did mean it..." She closed her eyes and hit her head on the window.
"Bill, don't do this."
"Don't do what?" She sighed.
"I'm with Mike now."
"Do you still love me?"
"I'm with Mike now."
"Do you still love me." He tilted her head so she faced him.
"Do you still love me," he whispered again. She sighed again.
"It's been so long-"
"I know. Please just tell me... Tell me if I'm hoping for nothing-" She got up and climbed over him.
"Tré, please bother Billie some more," Cesca said. Tré looked at her, frowned, and climbed back to his seat.
"Thank God..." Mike said, leaning his head against the seat. "I almost died."
"Mike...?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Can you just... hold me?" He nodded and put the armrest up. She snuggled into his open arms, letting more tears fall.