Seize The Day Even Though You're 2000 Lightyears Away

I woke up the next morning by the sound of Stella whispering into my ear, telling me to get up as I felt the bed slightly sink beneath her weight.

“Hmph,” I mumbled, turning over on my other side and pulling the pillow above my head. “What do you want Stell?”

“You need to wake up hun,” She said, slightly pulling back the covers as she leaned over me to turn on my lamp. “Everyone’s here and they want to see you.”

I let out a small groan as I just pulled the pillow further over my head, burying my face in the mattress. “Everyone? Stell it’s barely even eight in the morning.”

She chuckled as she took the pillow off of my head. “Actually it’s almost noon lazy butt. And like I said you need to get up anyway. You can’t be sleeping the day away for very much longer.”

“And why not?” I muttered, my face still buried in the sheets. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

She let out a small sigh as she placed her hand on my back, soothingly rubbing her fingertips against my black cami. “Because you already told your boss that you’d be back by next week remember? You can’t show up to work with dark circles under your eyes. They’ll think you’re not focused.”

Let it be known that Stella Dirnt would be the one to think of responsibility over anything else. She had never been late to work, always looked professional and never had one person complain about her to the higher authority. I myself liked to think that I was the more rebellious one out of the two of us. I wasn’t late everyday but I wouldn’t say I had a perfect record either. It still surprises me that I’ve kept my job at Rolling Stone for so long now, my only reason being that my boss is always really impressed with my work.

Stella and I wore both journalists for Rolling Stone Magazine, sometimes even going the length to travel halfway across the world for a story if it were good enough. We had been there for about 5 years now and it was definitely the best job that I’ve ever had so far. I used to write for the Oakland Newsletter but writing for the newspaper limited me to my subject options and I didn’t like the feeling of not being able to be free in what I wrote. Rolling Stone had it’s limitations as well but they weren’t as bad and I usually got to write about import issues such as distant countries covering Darfur, Cambodia, Iraq and Southern Korea. Stella covered these as well but we both shared the thing that we both really wanted to do. And of course that was interviewing our favorite bands. A few weeks ago I got the chance to interview the last remaining members of The Ramones and I had never felt more honored in my life. Of course Stella and the rest of my family were jealous as hell but she got me back when she got to interview Paul McCartney. I was a huge Beatle fanatic so I made sure to tell her that I said hi to him.

I’ve also met a few other rock stars as well ranging from James Hetfield to Tommy Lee. And I also find it funny because sometimes when we would be interviewing someone, they would recognize our last names and became more excited to meet us that we were to meet them. I truly loved what I did.

“Well fine,” I huffed, pushing myself up with my elbows and turning over so that I was sitting on the blankets. “Just give me a few minutes to change.”

Lightly smiling at me she nodded and stood up from the bed, walking over to the door and shutting it behind herself as she left.

I let out a small groan as I slowly walked over to my dresser, pulling down my shirt as I got closer to it. Yawning I pulled open the bottom drawer and grabbed my favorite faded blue Silver brand jeans, a slight ragged rip running down below the knee and a small gash in the thigh. I’ve had these for awhile but like I said they were my favorite so I didn’t really care. Standing up I opened the drawer above it and decided to just pull out a regular band t-shirt, my red Iron Maiden shirt to be exact. I threw the clothes onto the bed and walked into the bathroom that was right across the hall. I don’t think anyone would appreciate morning breath so I decided to brush my teeth before I went downstairs.

Once I was done with that I walked back to my room and grabbed my clothes, changing out of my pajamas and into the ones that I had picked out, putting my hair up into a messy bun after getting dressed. They were just my family so I’m sure they wouldn’t care about what I looked like. Living in California left your skin slightly tanned anyway so I didn’t think I looked all that bad.

I could already hear Tre’ yelling downstairs before I even made it to the final step, something about chickens so I wasn’t really gonna ask.

“Well look who finally decided to wake up.” Joey chuckled, holding out his arms for me to walk over to him. “Why’d you sleep so late?”

I shrugged as I gave him a hug, letting go of him to do the same to Mike who had held out his arms as well. “I don’t know. Was just tired I guess.”

“Hey Treva guess what?” Tre’ asked, bouncing in his seat as he looked at me.

I chuckled as I turned around, daring to asking him what he wanted. “What is it Tre’?”

He smirked as he pulled up his sleeve, showing a semi-vibrant bruise above his upper muscle. “Check out this sweet bruise that I got. It’s really cool.”

I put my hand over my mouth as I walked over to him, bending down to get a closer look. “How the hell did you manage to do that?” I asked.

He pulled his sleeve back down as he continued to smirk, the same bounce in his attitude. “I asked your grandmother if I could wash her yesterday and she punched me. Isn’t that cool Trev?”

I playfully rolled my eyes as I sat down on the couch next to my other brother Jake, resting my head on his shoulder. “Yeah Tre’ that’s really cool.”

Mike let out a small scoff as he gently socked Tre’ in the shoulder, playfully glaring at him before he looked back to me. “He didn’t really ask her that. He tripped over the sidewalk while walking out of Rudie’s and landed on his arm.”

I heard Jake let out a small laugh as he put his arm around my shoulder. “Well I wouldn’t be surprised if Grandma Ollie had punched him anyways. She’s always had it out for Tre’ I think.”

“I just think she has a crush on me.” Tre’ joked, once again earning another sock in the arm by Mike.

“Stop doing that!” Tre’ pouted, rubbing his shoulder where Mike had hit him. “I’m gonna have another bruise pretty soon if you don’t cut it out.”

“Well then quit making jokes about Bil-the kid’s grandma.”

Mike had stopped short when he had almost said Billie, my dad’s name still being a sensitive subject around us all. A week and a half had passed and still no one had really talked about him. Even if something about him was sensed to come up the subject would change immediately and no one would talk about it again.

The tension was so thick in the air you could probably cut it with a knife. Everyone’s head was down and mouth’s were shut but I knew what they were all thinking about. Like a big elephant was in the room and no one would say something about it.

Finally not being able to take it for much longer I finally spoke up to break the shattering silence, earning me everyone’s glance once I did. “Are we ever going to talk about this?” I asked and their heads went down once more, Stella fidgeting with her coffee cup that was held between her fingers while the rest of them did something similar with their own hands. “Guys we can’t just keep ignoring it like this…it’s gotta come out sometime.”

A sigh was let out next to me, that sigh belonging to Mike. “I know we can’t Trev…but if you want to know the truth I’m scared senseless to say anything right now. I want to talk about him, I want to talk to him but I’m afraid I might say the wrong thing.”

A few sniffles could be heard coming from my cousin Ramona, Tre’s daughter, and I removed myself from Jake’s arms to walk over to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders to help comfort her like Joey had done to me yesterday. “I don’t know what you could say about him that would be wrong Mike.” I answered him. “He was your best friend, a great father and if anyone should say something about him it would be you. You know since you’ve known him the longest.”

I think everyone was wondering why I was talking so calmly about my own dead father now. I knew this only because they were looking at me a little strangely, looking back at each other before they faced me again.

“Treva are you feeling alright?” Stella asked, resting her hand on my shoulder. “Yesterday you could barely talk about…him. And now, well now you’re acting like it’s no big deal.”

I turned my head in her direction as I continued to hold Ramona, letting out a small sigh myself. “It is a big deal to me but I’ve just realized that I need to start moving on you know? He’ll always be with me but I know he’s not coming back. If there’s one thing he taught me it was that you shouldn’t just spend the rest of your life mourning over someone that’s not going to return to you. I’ll see him again once I reach heaven but I won’t do the same thing he did over Grandpa Andy. Become a semi-alcoholic and pray for a miracle that might bring him back when I know it won’t. I’ll keep my promise to him by honoring his last wish.”

“And that was?” Joey whispered, his gaze still towards the floor as he quickly wiped away a small tear.

I lightly bit the inside of my cheek as I gently let go of Ramona, only to be pulled into the arms of Stella as I slowly walked over to Joey. I got down on my knee’s in front of him and put my hands in his, making him look up at me as I told him, “To live life to it’s fullest. Not taking anything for granted and to make each moment count…no matter what the circumstances are.” I looked over to Jake and I saw that he had quickly wiped away a small tear just as I had made eye contact with him, myself taking the initiative to place my hand on his knee, letting him know that I cared for him too. “We’ll make it through this. No matter what it takes.”

Another week had passed since our little meeting with the whole family. I actually surprised myself with how calm I had been with them, probably only thinking I had done that because I had gotten out all my crying the night before. And don’t think that I just said that because I was fully over him now because I sure as hell wasn’t. I even had to remove all the pictures of my father from my desk at work because I knew if I found myself looking at them I would surely start crying and I didn’t want to do that. Especially at work where everyone could see me. I hate crying in front of people. People tell me that I shouldn’t and that it’s only human to cry but I can’t help but feel extremely weak every time someone catches me. I’m an Armstrong and we are always the ones to comfort the criers, not the other way around.

Stella had come back to work today too. She said that she didn’t want me going there alone so she would come along even though she was on her vacation and had an extra three days left. Sometimes I don‘t know why Stella puts up with me and all the crazy shit that I like to do. I had known her ever since I was born and I can’t remember a point in my life where she wasn’t there by my side. We weren’t related but we might as well have been because we were always with each other. Getting in-trouble together, getting into fights together, living together and pretty much just doing everything…together. We were truly joined at the hip and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

People seemed a little hesitant to talk to us once they saw us walking through the aisles of cubicles, hand in hand as just a way of self comfort. They didn’t say anything but they just gave us looks of sympathy, one lady even walking away from us crying. Dad’s death had really hit a lot of people hard, something which I could understand as he had been labeled ‘The spokesman for generation X’ for so long.

The funeral had been even harder to get through though. Every single Armstrong was there, some of Mike‘s and even Tre‘s family as well. But besides just the families surrounding the reception, the thing that got to me the most was all the fans that had surrounded the gates. Thousands of people holding candles, pictures and flowers to come mourn and say good-bye to my father. Seeing the sorrow in these strangers faces made the impact of his absence that much stronger and I found myself crying harder that I already had been. Of course Joey and Jake came over to comfort me as we all held each other and just cried. The last remaining descendents of Billie Joe Armstrong, huddled together and crying like we might have just died as well.

I sat at my desk as I remembered that horrible day and even had to quickly wipe away a tear as my boss came over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder as she sat a few papers on my desk.

“Here’s some new assignments for you Trev.” She said soothingly, giving me a small sympathetic smile. “You can start on them whenever you want.”

“Thank-you Whitney.” I said with a small nod, her doing the same as she walked away from me again.

I could tell she was trying to be nice today. Usually she was really stern and forward with me, knowing that I normally liked to joke around before I actually got to work. But today was different and we both knew that. Now I had nothing to joke around about and I had never been more happy to get to work, just to get my father off of my mind.

I looked down at the cream colored folder that sat on my desk, full of assignments to probably keep me busy until next week. I hope there wasn’t anything too complicated in here.

I slipped my fingers under the cover and flipped it over to be met with my first assignment: Avenged Sevenfold: Rock and Roll’s Guilty Pleasure(Rough draft due by Friday with Final Review to be finished by Monday. Good Luck-Whitney)

I let out a small groan as I pulled out the paper to get a further look at it. The boys of Avenged Sevenfold were notoriously known as every journalist’s worst nightmare. They were rude, crude and never completely one hundred percent serious with their answers. I knew Whitney hated me.

“So who’s the waiting rock star to be interviewed this time?” Stella asked, walking over to me and looking over my shoulder to see who I had gotten.

“Avenged Sevenfold.” I mumbled. “And to think that I actually thought Whitney would take it easy on me. Hmph.”

“That’s tough kiddo.” Stella said sympathetically, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Well if it makes you feel any better I got someone I really don’t want either.”

“Who?” I asked as I turned around in my seat, looking up at her as she mumbled,

“System Of A Down.”

“Ooooh.” I said, letting out a low whistle. “Jeez they’re even worse than Avenged. I’m sorry hun.”

She rolled her eyes as she sat down at the desk next to mine,(yes we even worked next to each other) and sipped on her cup of coffee. “Tell me about it.”

I put my paper back down on my desk and leaned over my cubicle to look down at her. “Well if you want I can help you work on your questions later on tonight when we get home. I know a little bit about System already so maybe I could help you out a little bit.”

She smiled at me as she sat her coffee cup down, placing the cover back over her assignments. “That’d be great Trev. I can help you with yours too if you want my help. I think I remember seeing their drummer at Warped Tour the last time I was there so maybe he’ll be there when you interview them.”

“Yeah,” I said, letting out a small sigh before I sat back down and closed my own folder. “Maybe.”