It Began With A Gunshot
Tre Cool
*Billie Joe’s POV*
“What?” I shrieked. “You’re Tré Cool?”
“Yeah,” Tré smiled down at the picture. “It was so much fun.”
“You’re a fucking excellent drummer!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t believe it. Frank was blushing. “No seriously, you fucking rule! Man, if you’d told me 10 years ago Tré Cool would be President, I would have run away screaming!”
“Well, thanks, I think. Even now it’s nice to meet fans,” Frank flipped through the box. He must think I was some sort of teenie. I have a homemade shirt, a couple of tapes and a couple of 7-inch vinyls.
“So, why aren’t you still in the band?” Mike asked.
“Well, you know how it is, you drift apart,” Frank grinned. “I was, God, about 12, Kane was 18-ish and Lawrence was 30-something. We were like chalk, cheese and… more cheese.”
“Hey, I play guitar and Mike plays bass,” I said, taking some photo albums out of boxes and putting them up on a shelf. “We should get together some time and play, it could be a nice hobby.”
“It could be the start of something beautiful,” said Mike, batting his eyelids and sighing dreamily.
“O…K,” I gave Mike a weird smile-y frown. “No more champagne for you.”
* * *
Three days later we were all settled in. I was sitting on the patio with Adrienne watching Jessie play in the garden. We had just had dinner and the sun was going down.
“Alright,” Adrienne groaned. “I’ve got to put Jessie to bed.” She got up. “Come on Jessie, bed time!”
Jessie ran over. “Um, can Billie Joe put me to bed tonight?”
I was shocked. Occasionally, Adrienne and I would read her a story together, but she’d never asked me to put her to bed myself before. I felt, I don’t know, honoured, in a strange kind of way.
Adrienne turned to me. “Um, sure. Is that OK with you, Billie?”
“Oh, er, yeah!” I jumped up. “Sit down, Adrienne, I’ll go.”
“Are you sure?” She looked at me nervously, and bit her lip.
“Yeah, don’t worry. Hey, and when I come back down, I’ll bring you a glass of wine,” I smiled as Jessica took my hand and led me towards the house.
“Come on, Billie!” Jessie whined.
Adrienne smiled and sat back down. We walked upstairs and into her room. I got her pyjamas out of her wardrobe and she got changed while I picked out a book.
I put on the fairy lights we’d put around her bed and we sat down and I read her the story. Then, I tucked her in and tiptoed downstairs.
Adrienne had come inside and was sitting on the sofa.
“Is she ok?” She smiled as she saw me come into the room.
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Thanks for putting her to bed. She really likes you, you know.” Adrienne turned to me.
“Who doesn’t?” I grinned. Adie laughed and I refilled our glasses, which we had drained with surprising haste and ease.
“So, I actually don’t know that much about you,” I said, smiling.
“Well, I don’t know much about you either.”
“Honestly? I thought all of America knew all about me.”
She laughed. “OK, I was born in Minnesota, October 1969, and I moved out here when I was 20 with this guy, but it didn’t work out. I got a job in some GAP store, it was absolutely awful. I only took it because it was remotely connected to fashion. I love designing clothes and things. I used to make Jessie little dresses and things, they don’t fit her anymore, but we still have them somewhere. Um, just after I got the job, I found out I was pregnant with Jessie. Just after she was born, her father, the guy I moved out here with, found me, and suggested we get married. To be honest, I have no idea why I said yes,” she giggled absently. “Anyway, as time wore on things got worse and worse, then I ended up in hospital, and you know what happened after that.”
“Ah.”
“Come on, Mister, it’s your turn!” Adie grinned.
“Damn, I thought you might forget. Hmm, I was born in February 1972, I have five brothers and sisters, I am the youngest, which is never a good thing. When I was 5, I recorded a song, which I sincerely hope there are no copies lurking around. My Dad died of cancer when I was 10, but just before he died, he gave me my first guitar. Yeah, the one upstairs in the office,” he grinned. “Um, I moved away from California, because I never really got on at school, I didn’t really have any links there, apart from my family, and got a job at McDonalds. Then I saved the President, which is both the stupidest and smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Yeah I can see what you mean by that,” Adie laughed.
We looked at each other, smiling. Before I knew what was happening, her lips were on mine and we were kissing.
“What?” I shrieked. “You’re Tré Cool?”
“Yeah,” Tré smiled down at the picture. “It was so much fun.”
“You’re a fucking excellent drummer!” I exclaimed. I couldn’t believe it. Frank was blushing. “No seriously, you fucking rule! Man, if you’d told me 10 years ago Tré Cool would be President, I would have run away screaming!”
“Well, thanks, I think. Even now it’s nice to meet fans,” Frank flipped through the box. He must think I was some sort of teenie. I have a homemade shirt, a couple of tapes and a couple of 7-inch vinyls.
“So, why aren’t you still in the band?” Mike asked.
“Well, you know how it is, you drift apart,” Frank grinned. “I was, God, about 12, Kane was 18-ish and Lawrence was 30-something. We were like chalk, cheese and… more cheese.”
“Hey, I play guitar and Mike plays bass,” I said, taking some photo albums out of boxes and putting them up on a shelf. “We should get together some time and play, it could be a nice hobby.”
“It could be the start of something beautiful,” said Mike, batting his eyelids and sighing dreamily.
“O…K,” I gave Mike a weird smile-y frown. “No more champagne for you.”
* * *
Three days later we were all settled in. I was sitting on the patio with Adrienne watching Jessie play in the garden. We had just had dinner and the sun was going down.
“Alright,” Adrienne groaned. “I’ve got to put Jessie to bed.” She got up. “Come on Jessie, bed time!”
Jessie ran over. “Um, can Billie Joe put me to bed tonight?”
I was shocked. Occasionally, Adrienne and I would read her a story together, but she’d never asked me to put her to bed myself before. I felt, I don’t know, honoured, in a strange kind of way.
Adrienne turned to me. “Um, sure. Is that OK with you, Billie?”
“Oh, er, yeah!” I jumped up. “Sit down, Adrienne, I’ll go.”
“Are you sure?” She looked at me nervously, and bit her lip.
“Yeah, don’t worry. Hey, and when I come back down, I’ll bring you a glass of wine,” I smiled as Jessica took my hand and led me towards the house.
“Come on, Billie!” Jessie whined.
Adrienne smiled and sat back down. We walked upstairs and into her room. I got her pyjamas out of her wardrobe and she got changed while I picked out a book.
I put on the fairy lights we’d put around her bed and we sat down and I read her the story. Then, I tucked her in and tiptoed downstairs.
Adrienne had come inside and was sitting on the sofa.
“Is she ok?” She smiled as she saw me come into the room.
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Thanks for putting her to bed. She really likes you, you know.” Adrienne turned to me.
“Who doesn’t?” I grinned. Adie laughed and I refilled our glasses, which we had drained with surprising haste and ease.
“So, I actually don’t know that much about you,” I said, smiling.
“Well, I don’t know much about you either.”
“Honestly? I thought all of America knew all about me.”
She laughed. “OK, I was born in Minnesota, October 1969, and I moved out here when I was 20 with this guy, but it didn’t work out. I got a job in some GAP store, it was absolutely awful. I only took it because it was remotely connected to fashion. I love designing clothes and things. I used to make Jessie little dresses and things, they don’t fit her anymore, but we still have them somewhere. Um, just after I got the job, I found out I was pregnant with Jessie. Just after she was born, her father, the guy I moved out here with, found me, and suggested we get married. To be honest, I have no idea why I said yes,” she giggled absently. “Anyway, as time wore on things got worse and worse, then I ended up in hospital, and you know what happened after that.”
“Ah.”
“Come on, Mister, it’s your turn!” Adie grinned.
“Damn, I thought you might forget. Hmm, I was born in February 1972, I have five brothers and sisters, I am the youngest, which is never a good thing. When I was 5, I recorded a song, which I sincerely hope there are no copies lurking around. My Dad died of cancer when I was 10, but just before he died, he gave me my first guitar. Yeah, the one upstairs in the office,” he grinned. “Um, I moved away from California, because I never really got on at school, I didn’t really have any links there, apart from my family, and got a job at McDonalds. Then I saved the President, which is both the stupidest and smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Yeah I can see what you mean by that,” Adie laughed.
We looked at each other, smiling. Before I knew what was happening, her lips were on mine and we were kissing.