Paper Lanterns
John is a comin'
"Hey Billie Joe. I'm in town this week and I was wondering if we could maybe hang out? I've missed you."
What the hell was that about? You thought to yourself. You opened the answering machine and took the tape out. You walked over to the couch and waited for Billie Joe to come home.
You woke up and looked at Billie Joe. He was sleeping peacefully. You carefully slid out of bed and put on his clash t-shirt and a pair of his boxers and grabbed your two notebooks. You walked out into the kitchen, poured yourself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
That was a bizarre dream. You thought as you began writing it down. Once finished, you closed that notebook and opened your song book. You went to pick up your cup of coffee and almost spilled it all over his t-shirt.
A few hours and a few songs later you heard Billie Joe emerge from the bedroom.
"Morning gorgeous." He said walking into the kitchen.
"Morning." You closed your song book.
"I see you're wearing my clothes." Billie laughed. You nodded. "Say, where's Mike?"
You remembered that he had gone out with Dani last night and laughed. "I believe young Michael hasn't returned home yet." And like clockwork, Mike walked in through the door.
"I'm home." He stated walking into the kitchen.
"We were just talking about you." You said just ask the phone rang. You picked it up.
"Hello?"
"It's John. Can I come over? I checked the clock, it's 11." He asked.
"Sure." You answered.
"Okay, bye." He hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Mike asked pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"John. He wants to come over." You said sitting back down in your chair.
"Oh." Mike replied.
A few minutes later, John walked into your apartment. "Guys, you'll never believe what's happened?!"
"We got a record deal?" Billie Joe and Mike asked at the same time.
"You were abducted by aliens as a child." You stated seriously. They all just looked at you. "What?" You eyed them nervously and returned to your coffee.
"They're not letting me come back for senior year." John showed you the paper.
"Oh." You sighed solemnly. "So you weren't abducted by aliens?"
"Not today." He shrugged.
"So they're not letting you come back for senior year." Billie chuckled looking at the paper.
John scowled. "Hey, it's not funny."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"Ha, I win!" Billie Joe jumped up from where he was sitting.
"Immature." You and Mike said at the same time.
There was a knock at the door. You answered it and was pulled out of the apartment. "What the hell?"
"We're kidnapping you." Lisea stated.
"Well, can I please change into actual clothes?" You asked.
"If you must ..." Dani pushed you back into the apartment.
"What was that about?" Billie Joe asked as you made your way towards the bedroom to change.
Before closing the door, you answered him. "Dani and Lisea are kidnapping me."
You quickly changed and walked back out the door. "So, where to?"
"Well, if we tell you ...then it won't be much of a kidnapping will it?" Lisea asked.
"No..." You were a bit confused.
"Okay then." Dani said. "Let's go."
You followed Dani and Lisea out to their car. You got in the back and pondered where they were taking you.
"If you want to know why we're kidnapping you, well I'm kidnapping you, it's because you and Dani have been spending way too much time with Billie Joe and Mike." Lisea stated.
Gee, that really helps.
You got out of the car at Lisea's house and was escorted up the stairs into her room. "Okay." She said sitting down on her bed. "Well, now that you're here, maybe we can practice?"
"One problem, Captain." You stated. "I don't have my guitar."
"And I don't have my bass." Dani added.
"Oh. Right." Lisea remembered. "Then why don't we watch some movies and stuff?"
[ Meanwhile...*Billie Joe's POV* - 1st. ]
"Well ...that was weird." John stated.
"Yeah." Mike agreed.
I have to admit that it was kind of weird. "So, are we gonna go to your house to practice John?" I asked.
"Sure, why not?" John shrugged. John thought for a minute. "Say, you know when Dani and Lisea are going to bring Maria home?"
"No, why?" I asked. John just looked at me. I knew that look. I picked up the phone and dialed Lisea's number hoping that they were at her house.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hey Lisea, it's Billie Joe. What time are you bringing Maria back home?" I questioned.
"I don't know. Around five I suppose." Lisea answered. "Why?"
"I was just wondering. Thanks." I said.
"You're welcome." Lisea sounded a bit skeptical as to why I was asking when she was bringing Maria home, but I thought nothing of it.
I hung up the phone. "5 o'clock. Let's go."
We drove to John's house after Mike got his bass and I got my guitar. We practiced for about an hour. It was now around 1. I had four hours until Maria was going to come home.
John pulled out 'the stuff'. I knew it was wrong to do this. I mean, Maria trusts me not to do this stuff anymore. I promised I wouldn't. I guess I just can't risk temptation, you know. It's a lame excuse, but it's all I can think of at the moment.
"You sure you want to do this? Didn't you promise Maria?" Mike inquired taking a joint from John.
"Yeah, I'm sure. What're you my keeper?" I spat angrily, unintentionally of course.
Mike shrugged. "You need to fucking chill out, Billie Joe."
I took a joint from John and lit it. "I am."
[ Trouble In Paradise? ...Back to *Maria's POV* - 2nd. ]
Around five o'clock, Lisea had brought you home. You opened the door to the apartment. Billie Joe was asleep on the couch and you were guessing Mike was in his room. You could faintly smell smoke. Another green day, huh?
You sighed and sat down on Billie Joe, purposely, and flicked through channels. Billie Joe woke up and smiled at you.
"Hey...Maria."
"Hi." You said back to him whilst still sitting on him and trying to find something on the tv.
"Can you kind of get up?" Billie asked.
"Fine." You said and moved over to the chair.
"What's wrong?" He asked sitting up.
You shook your head. "Nothing." I want you to confess.
"Maria, can I tell you something?" Billie Joe inquired.
You nodded. "I suppose so."
"Well, me and Mike were at John's practicing and then we um, well ..." Billie Joe trailed off.
"I'm waiting." You stated, growing slightly impatient.
"We got high." Billie confessed.
"Fine then." You replied simply and returned to the tv. You couldn't say you were mad, but you couldn't say you were alright with it. You didn't care. As long as he didn't do stupid things, then you didn't care.
What the hell was that about? You thought to yourself. You opened the answering machine and took the tape out. You walked over to the couch and waited for Billie Joe to come home.
You woke up and looked at Billie Joe. He was sleeping peacefully. You carefully slid out of bed and put on his clash t-shirt and a pair of his boxers and grabbed your two notebooks. You walked out into the kitchen, poured yourself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
That was a bizarre dream. You thought as you began writing it down. Once finished, you closed that notebook and opened your song book. You went to pick up your cup of coffee and almost spilled it all over his t-shirt.
A few hours and a few songs later you heard Billie Joe emerge from the bedroom.
"Morning gorgeous." He said walking into the kitchen.
"Morning." You closed your song book.
"I see you're wearing my clothes." Billie laughed. You nodded. "Say, where's Mike?"
You remembered that he had gone out with Dani last night and laughed. "I believe young Michael hasn't returned home yet." And like clockwork, Mike walked in through the door.
"I'm home." He stated walking into the kitchen.
"We were just talking about you." You said just ask the phone rang. You picked it up.
"Hello?"
"It's John. Can I come over? I checked the clock, it's 11." He asked.
"Sure." You answered.
"Okay, bye." He hung up the phone.
"Who was that?" Mike asked pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"John. He wants to come over." You said sitting back down in your chair.
"Oh." Mike replied.
A few minutes later, John walked into your apartment. "Guys, you'll never believe what's happened?!"
"We got a record deal?" Billie Joe and Mike asked at the same time.
"You were abducted by aliens as a child." You stated seriously. They all just looked at you. "What?" You eyed them nervously and returned to your coffee.
"They're not letting me come back for senior year." John showed you the paper.
"Oh." You sighed solemnly. "So you weren't abducted by aliens?"
"Not today." He shrugged.
"So they're not letting you come back for senior year." Billie chuckled looking at the paper.
John scowled. "Hey, it's not funny."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."
"Ha, I win!" Billie Joe jumped up from where he was sitting.
"Immature." You and Mike said at the same time.
There was a knock at the door. You answered it and was pulled out of the apartment. "What the hell?"
"We're kidnapping you." Lisea stated.
"Well, can I please change into actual clothes?" You asked.
"If you must ..." Dani pushed you back into the apartment.
"What was that about?" Billie Joe asked as you made your way towards the bedroom to change.
Before closing the door, you answered him. "Dani and Lisea are kidnapping me."
You quickly changed and walked back out the door. "So, where to?"
"Well, if we tell you ...then it won't be much of a kidnapping will it?" Lisea asked.
"No..." You were a bit confused.
"Okay then." Dani said. "Let's go."
You followed Dani and Lisea out to their car. You got in the back and pondered where they were taking you.
"If you want to know why we're kidnapping you, well I'm kidnapping you, it's because you and Dani have been spending way too much time with Billie Joe and Mike." Lisea stated.
Gee, that really helps.
You got out of the car at Lisea's house and was escorted up the stairs into her room. "Okay." She said sitting down on her bed. "Well, now that you're here, maybe we can practice?"
"One problem, Captain." You stated. "I don't have my guitar."
"And I don't have my bass." Dani added.
"Oh. Right." Lisea remembered. "Then why don't we watch some movies and stuff?"
[ Meanwhile...*Billie Joe's POV* - 1st. ]
"Well ...that was weird." John stated.
"Yeah." Mike agreed.
I have to admit that it was kind of weird. "So, are we gonna go to your house to practice John?" I asked.
"Sure, why not?" John shrugged. John thought for a minute. "Say, you know when Dani and Lisea are going to bring Maria home?"
"No, why?" I asked. John just looked at me. I knew that look. I picked up the phone and dialed Lisea's number hoping that they were at her house.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hey Lisea, it's Billie Joe. What time are you bringing Maria back home?" I questioned.
"I don't know. Around five I suppose." Lisea answered. "Why?"
"I was just wondering. Thanks." I said.
"You're welcome." Lisea sounded a bit skeptical as to why I was asking when she was bringing Maria home, but I thought nothing of it.
I hung up the phone. "5 o'clock. Let's go."
We drove to John's house after Mike got his bass and I got my guitar. We practiced for about an hour. It was now around 1. I had four hours until Maria was going to come home.
John pulled out 'the stuff'. I knew it was wrong to do this. I mean, Maria trusts me not to do this stuff anymore. I promised I wouldn't. I guess I just can't risk temptation, you know. It's a lame excuse, but it's all I can think of at the moment.
"You sure you want to do this? Didn't you promise Maria?" Mike inquired taking a joint from John.
"Yeah, I'm sure. What're you my keeper?" I spat angrily, unintentionally of course.
Mike shrugged. "You need to fucking chill out, Billie Joe."
I took a joint from John and lit it. "I am."
[ Trouble In Paradise? ...Back to *Maria's POV* - 2nd. ]
Around five o'clock, Lisea had brought you home. You opened the door to the apartment. Billie Joe was asleep on the couch and you were guessing Mike was in his room. You could faintly smell smoke. Another green day, huh?
You sighed and sat down on Billie Joe, purposely, and flicked through channels. Billie Joe woke up and smiled at you.
"Hey...Maria."
"Hi." You said back to him whilst still sitting on him and trying to find something on the tv.
"Can you kind of get up?" Billie asked.
"Fine." You said and moved over to the chair.
"What's wrong?" He asked sitting up.
You shook your head. "Nothing." I want you to confess.
"Maria, can I tell you something?" Billie Joe inquired.
You nodded. "I suppose so."
"Well, me and Mike were at John's practicing and then we um, well ..." Billie Joe trailed off.
"I'm waiting." You stated, growing slightly impatient.
"We got high." Billie confessed.
"Fine then." You replied simply and returned to the tv. You couldn't say you were mad, but you couldn't say you were alright with it. You didn't care. As long as he didn't do stupid things, then you didn't care.