Minnesota Girl

The sweaty palms were back. Again, I had no idea why. Sheena and I were walking through the crowded house in search of any familiar face. I had kept my word and came with Sheena to the party Billie Joe had invited me to the night before. I first noticed Tre, who was already three sheets to the wind and slumped against the wall with half a beer in his hand. Next, there was Mike who was sitting on the already overly crowded couch, eyes beaming at the sight of Sheena.

“Hey, guys you made it!” He exclaimed while hugging Sheena close and moving in to kiss her.

I smiled and darted my eyes around the room briefly. It was awkward to technically be the ‘third wheel’ and I wanted nothing more than to remove myself. I was about to go join Tre, who was still slumped against the wall, when I felt a pair of hands hug my waist.

“A woman of her word, I like it.” The familiar sound of Billie Joe’s voice commented behind me. My eyes widened and I turned around. “Well, hello to you too. Is there a reason your hands are around my waist?” I questioned playfully. A smile played at his lips and he raised his eyebrows.

“What? Haven’t you ever had a hug?” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and giggled.

“Why, yes dipshit, I have.” I replied while taking his hands and removing them from my waist. “But, most hugs I’ve received are not right there.” I pointed out. Billie Joe snorted.

“Well, I’ll just have to fix that.” He teased while looking over my shoulder at Mike and Sheena. I was fighting a bright red face when Billie Joe snickered. “Sucking face already?” He asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

“That’s just hello, you don’t even want to see their goodbye.” I joked. Billie Joe laughed and shook his head. “No, I don’t think I do.” He confessed while looking over towards Tre. “How is he even going to play?” I asked him. Billie Joe grinned. “What that? Sadie, that’s just the beginning. He’ll be passed out on the floor by the end of the night.” He informed. I frowned. “That’s normal?” I thought out loud. Billie Joe laughed.
“He’s not even shit faced yet. Trust me, he’ll be fine by the time we’re up.” He said while leading me through the sea of people over towards a makeshift bar. I went to grab a Coke when Billie Joe smacked my hand away. I frowned. “What?” He grinned.

“Out of the entire time I’ve known you, not once have I seen you drink anything that could knock you on your ass.” He explained while shoving a bottle of Budweiser in my hand. “For once you are not going to be the designated driver.” He teased. I rolled my eyes and twisted the top off. “Jackass.” I muttered while taking a sip. He smiled and draped his arm around my neck.

“I’m really glad you came tonight, Sadie.” He said while walking us back towards Mike and Sheena. I smiled as I tried to remain unembarrassed by his words. “I’m glad I came too.” I said truthfully. A smile appeared on my lips and for once, I didn’t even try to hide it.

~***~

Billie Joe had been right. Tre was sober and ready to go by the time they started to make their way to the middle of the room to play. Sheena and I were standing off to the side away from the growing crowd but with a good view of the band. I watched intently as Billie Joe strummed the same blue guitar from last time and glanced over at me briefly before smirking at the crowd. “This one’s called Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” He announced before starting the song. People started jumping around and the party came alive before the first word came out of his mouth.

A thought burst in my head and I need to tell you
Its news that I for thought
Was it just a dream that happened long ago?
I think I just forgot.

I stood there speechless. Holden Caulfield? The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield? Billie Joe actually knew who and what that was? Maybe I had been wrong when I said Flowers in the Attic was below his reading level. I’d have to remember to apologize later.

Well it hasn't been the first time
And it sure does drive me mad.

That's when I say
There's a boy who fogs his world and now he's getting lazy
There's no motivation and frustration makes him crazy
He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting
Someone help him up or he's gonna end up quitting.

I shuffle through my mind to see if I can find
The words I left behind
Was it just a dream that happened long ago?
Oh well, never mind

Well it hasn't been the first time
And it sure does drive me mad

And when I say
There's a boy who fogs his world and now he's getting lazy
There's no motivation and frustration makes him crazy
He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting
Someone help him up or he's gonna end up quitting

When I say
There's a boy who fogs his world and now he's getting lazy
There's no motivation and frustration makes him crazy
He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting
Someone help him up or he's gonna end up quitting

There's a boy who fogs his world and now he's getting lazy
There's no motivation and frustration makes him crazy
He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting
Someone help him up or he's gonna end up quitting.

The song ended and everyone including me seemed to enjoy it. One person in particular caught my eye that seemed to enjoy the song a little too much. There was a girl standing directly in front of Billie Joe, making eyes at him and pulling her shirt down as low as it could possibly go. A groupie in the making. I didn’t really know what it was, but seeing her in front of Billie Joe made my stomach churn and I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Jealousy. I was jealous of the fact that she actually had his attention and was keeping it. Sheena scoffed and turned to me.

“Can you believe that bitch in the front? Who wears a halter top to a party like this?” She commented.

I shrugged and continued to watch as she whispered to her friends and waved at Billie Joe. “Bitch has probably blew every guy in the joint. Fucking slut.” She said while finishing her second beer. I laughed and nodded. Sheena never took kindly to ‘outsiders’ who only came here to be seen. It was obvious the girl wasn’t what you’d call a punk. Her acrylic nails gave that away. Billie Joe smiled and waved back before turning to Tre and starting the next song. I would never have admitted to anyone that I was feeling jealous, even Sheena because that wasn’t really me. It was strange that all of a sudden I was jealous of a girl who was flirting with a guy I wasn’t even dating. A guy that happen to be Billie Joe Armstrong, who was well on his way to making my attraction to him impossible to ignore.

After a few more songs the band finished their set and walked over to me and Sheena. They were surprisingly sweaty and apparently thirsty because each of them starting chugging beer before the first word was said. Billie Joe smiled at me and wiped his mouth with his hand.

“So, what did you think?” He asked.
My mind was still somewhat focused on the girl that had been staring a whole though him and I almost didn’t hear his question. “Oh, uh it was great. I really enjoyed it.” I answered. He smiled and was about to say something else when the girl in the halter top came up behind him. My smile instantly disappeared. She glanced at me and then back at Billie Joe.

“You guys were so good!” She exclaimed.

Billie Joe smiled and nodded. “Well, thanks.” He said while extending his hand.

“Billie Joe.” He introduced. She grinned and placed her hand in his. “Bambi.” She replied.

I looked over at Sheena who was just as surprised as I was that the girl was standing here. Her name was just an added shock. Bambi? It was like she was born to become a stripper. She grinned and looked at the rest of us.

“Do you guys wanna play a game of spin the bottle?” She asked while putting her arm around Billie Joe’s waist, showing us that he was who she intended to play with, we were going to just be there as an audience.

In my head I was screaming, no don’t do it, it’s a trap, but my legs thought otherwise. The next thing I knew, we were all in the back bedroom sitting in a circle with and empty Patron bottle in the middle. Bambi was seated beside Billie Joe, which didn’t surprise me at all and I was sitting next to Sheena. Billie Joe was right in front of me and I had to fight not to look at him. Tre was the first one to spin and he landed on one of Bambi’s friends whose name I never caught. There kiss was quick and ended with a few giggles. I could feel Bambi’s eyes on me and I didn’t really understand why. Billie Joe and I had only been talking and it wasn’t like we were exclusive or anything. Maybe she had seen him hug me earlier and figured she could try and be the ‘boyfriend stealer’ I already knew she was. Its girls like her that give us all a bad name. I’m not even dating Billie Joe and she’s already trying to prove to me that she’s dominate. It was Bambi’s turn next and I was dreading it. If she happen to land on Billie Joe, that meant I’d have to sit here and watch her play tonsil hockey with someone I might actually have a little bit of feelings for, or if she lands on Mike it’ll be a blood bath between her and Sheena, meaning Sheena would kick her bleach blonde ass. As the bottle spun, my prediction was correct. It landed directly on Billie Joe and Bambi’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She giggled and moved closer as Billie Joe smirked.

“I hope you like the taste of Budweiser.” He said before shoving his tongue in her mouth and kissing her without hesitation. My mouth nearly fell open and I sat there in complete surprise. His hands were placed on each side of her hips while her hands were wrapped tightly around his neck. That kiss wasn’t anything close to what Tre had done, no this was equivalent to a Mike and Sheena kiss and I hated it. Sheena’s eyes were wide and I could tell she was already wanting to smack her. When they broke apart, Bambi smiled smugly and flashed her eyes at me before sitting back down. It was Billie Joe’s turn now and I was honestly wanting to leave. I had already seen enough and wasn’t really wanting to have to see him kiss her again if he happened to land on her. My heart pounded as the bottle spun and I tried to look everywhere but at Billie Joe. My breath was caught in my throat as the bottle came to stop directly in front of me. My eyes looked up to see Billie Joe grinning, Bambi on the other hand looked like she was ready to scratch my eyes out. Billie Joe held out his arms.

“C’mon, Minnesota Girl you know the drill.” He taunted.

I blushed and reluctantly crawled to where he was sitting on his knees. He smiled and carefully brushed a stray hair from my face before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine. They were warm and it wasn’t anything like the kiss he had just had with Bambi. It was slow and drawn out, like he trying to make it last. I felt his hands on the small of back as he pulled me closer to him and pushed our hips together. My hands were on either side of his neck I was in a daze as we broke apart. This time, I didn’t even try to hide the blush I knew was on my face. Bambi cut her eyes at me as I sat back down in my spot across from Billie Joe and I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of myself. Not to mention, that kiss he just planted on me wasn’t too shabby either. The game ended pretty soon after that because Mike landed on Sheena and they started doing a little more than just kissing. Billie Joe took this opportunity to go out to the backyard to smoke while I decided to go get a fresh drink to replace my now flat beer. The party was dying down slowly and it wasn’t until I had turned around from the table that I realized that Bambi had been behind me the whole time. I smiled slightly and went to walk away. “Excuse me.” I muttered. She half smiled and remained in front of me. “I don’t think I caught your name.” She pointed out. I frowned slightly. Why would she even car? “It’s Sadie.” I answered. She nodded.

“What a coincidence, that’s my grandmother’s name.” She informed me.

I wasn’t sure if that was a complement or an insult so I just smiled. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and sighed. “Billie Joe’s a great kisser huh?” She asked me. I blinked. What is this chick’s deal? I nodded slowly. “Yeah, um he is.” I admitted. She sighed.

“You know, he’d probably be really into you if you wore something other than those chucks and blue jeans.” She pointed out. “I mean, look at me, there’s a reason he kissed me like he did.” She said smugly while reaching and grabbing a red plastic cup. I rolled my eyes. “You do realize it was just a game right?” I questioned. She snorted.

“Oh please, do you really think he wouldn’t have kissed me either way. He wanted to kiss me, you was just part of the game.” She spat. I clenched my jaw tightly. “I hate to break it to you, bitch but you’re not exactly what I’d call a prize.” I seethed. Her eyes widened and she stepped closer to me.

“You better be careful about what you say.” She hissed.

I snorted. “Oh really? What, are you going to do?” I hissed back. That’s when I felt something very hard come in contact with my nose. Fast. Blood began running down my face and I threw my drink in her face as she shoved me to the ground. I took a few punches but got a few of my own in before I felt someone pulling her off of me.

“Hey, get off her you crazy bitch!” Billie Joe exclaimed while successfully pulling her away. Blood was dripping from my nose as Tre came up behind me and pulled me up off the ground.

“What the fuck, Bambi!?” Billie Joe exclaimed.

She cut her eyes at me. “She fucking started it, the little slut.” She spat. I wiped the blood from my nose with my hand and glared at her. “You’re such a bitch.” I said while marching back up to her but Billie Joe wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me away. “Let go of me!” I screamed while flailing my arms around. Billie Joe groaned and tugged me through the crowd around us and into the bathroom, shutting the door shut quickly behind him. It was then, that I looked in the mirror and saw just how awful I was looking. Blood was smeared and continuing to run from my nose and it really fucking hurt. I tilted my head back attempted to stop the bleeding.

“God, what happened between you two?” Billie Joe asked while handing me the hand towel he had ran under the faucet.

I sighed and pressed it to my nose. “That bitch was running her fucking mouth and I lost it.” I confessed. Billie Joe sat down on the side of the bathtub and ran his hand through his hair. “What was she saying?” He asked me. I closed my eyes. “It’s not important.” I mumbled against the towel. Billie Joe rolled his eyes.

“Sadie, she hurt you. It is important.” He said softly.

I sighed and pulled the towel away. “I’m fine, okay?” I assured him. He studied me and shook his head. “You’re a terrible liar.” He chuckled. I rolled my eyes. “It’s my fault anyway, I antagonized her until she hit me.” I admitted. Billie Joe raised his eyebrows.

“What was she saying to you?” He asked again.

I bit my lip and looked down at the bloody towel. “She was saying some shit about the stupid game and it got to me. It was stupid.” Billie Joe continued watching me and I took a deep breath. “She said the only reason you kissed me was because of the game and for some reason that bothered me.” I whispered. Billie Joe grew quiet and I didn’t dare to look up at him.

“Well, she’s wrong. I would have kissed you tonight whether or not we played that stupid game.” He informed me.

I blushed. “You’re serious?” I questioned. Billie Joe nodded. “Yep, right after we got back to my place.” He teased. I rolled my eyes. “Jerk.” I mumbled. He laughed and shook his head.

“No, I’m serious. I like you, Sadie. I wanted to kiss you.” He said while tilting my head up to look at him. “I just had to get through Bambi to get to you.” He chuckled. I smiled. “Well, I did like the kiss.” I mumbled. Billie Joe grinned and stood up.

“What would you say if I told you that I want to kiss you again?” He asked while placing his hands on my hips.

I smiled and tried not to blush again. “I’d say that it would be kinda okay if you did.” I said while wrapping my arms around his neck. He grinned and leaned his head down to kiss me for what would be the second time tonight. Even though we were standing in some guy’s bathroom for my bloody nose, somehow it felt special. We weren’t playing a stupid game and it wasn’t in front of a jealous girl plotting her revenge. It was sweet. I pulled away first, partly because I couldn’t breathe. My face felt very hot. Billie Joe grinned.

“Why, Minnesota Girl is that yet another blush I’m seeing?” He teased.

My blush deepened and I nodded. He smiled and chuckled. “It’s okay, I think it’s cute.” He whispered. I smiled as a loud banging came from the other side of the door, along with a string of profanities from a very drunk sounding Tre, who was probably wanting to toss his cookies. “We should probably get out of here.” I whispered. Billie Joe nodded and kissed my nose. I grinned and turned the door knob to nearly get shoved to the floor by Tre, who made a beeline for the toilet. Billie Joe shoved us out quickly as he began to vomit all of the alcohol he had consumed this evening.

“You sure you’re okay?” Billie Joe asked while we went to search for Mike and Sheena.

I nodded. “I’ll be fine.” I answered as we entered the living room and spotted Mike and Sheena seated on the couch. As soon as Sheena saw me she sprang up and engulfed me in a hug.

“Oh my God, Sadie are you okay?” She exclaimed. I laughed as I pulled away from her tight grip. “Yes, I’m fine. A little sore but I’m okay.” I replied. She nodded and then gave me this weird, almost sappy look. “Do you want to go home?” She asked. As much as I wanted to stay here and talk to Billie Joe, I had to admit that I was tired and more than ready to leave this place. I nodded my head. “Yeah, I think I do.” I answered while quickly glancing at Billie Joe. He smiled. Sheena walked back over to Mike to say her goodbyes while I turned to Billie Joe. “Y’ know I start work tomorrow.” I informed him. He raised his eyebrows.

“Really? I just might pay you a visit then.” He beamed.

I ran my hand through my hair out of a nervous habit and smiled. Billie Joe grinned and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you around, Minnesota Girl.” He whispered before turning to go fish Tre out of the toilet. I smiled as the familiar feeling of butterflies swarmed my stomach. Sheena grinned as she came up to me.

“Sadie Keaton, do my eyes deceive me or did you just allow Billie Joe Armstrong kiss you for a second time?” She questioned.

I looked down at my shoes and smiled. “Fourth time actually.” I mumbled. She gasped. “My my, for someone who doesn’t like him, you sure do like to kiss him!” She taunted. I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.” I laughed as we walked out into the humid night air. Sheena continued laughing as we got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. I was not about to tell Sheena just how much I did enjoy the kisses between Billie Joe and I, not yet anyway. Part of me was a little apprehensive to even admit to myself that I liked him, let alone to anybody else! Although, he was a lot more charming than I had given him credit for, and I, Sadie Grace Keaton enjoyed kissing him. A lot. That I was for certain.