Going to Pasalacqua

“Fuck!” I yell, yanking open the oven door to pull out the lasagna that is now burned to a crisp.

Who knows where Ollie is and how long ago she put this thing in. But I smelled smoke and came searching for the source, but then again I haven't had to put too much brain power into where she might be. Probably with Larry.

... Yeah... Larry Livermore... 
They are some kind of couple now. I don't know. She is really bashful around him. Something she never was around the unspeakable one. Took her long enough to realize her feelings for him. 

I. Adeline Elizabeth Stewart graduate next week. The first week of May. Me and Billie's nine month anniversary is on the fifteenth of April. Yeah, we have been through a lot and I witnessed a lot more crap in his life in those nine months. I laughed my ass off in the backseat of Ollie's station wagon with Mike and Tré when Billie was *Finally* learning the rules of the road so he could get his license. He had turned eighteen on the 17th of Febuary and trust me... Me and Ollie made it no small birthday party... We had it at Gilman, Operation Ivy played and he loved it. Me and Ollie pooled our resources and made a nice big cake. And in the chunks of cake that had broken or cracked, we just piled on more icing. It worked out fine. Really. I'm telling the truth.

Billie met my parents when they got back from their trip and I excused everything. I didn't need them worrying about everything that had happened while they were gone. So I excused it as having met Billie while they we gone and when they had asked about why I'd cut my hair, I said I was tired of the same old thing. I don't think they have noticed the flaws in my lies yet. They couldn't say anything about the whole ordeal anyways cause it turns out when I was with Billie during all of that, I had been eighteen. My birthday was on the 27th of August. So Ollie made a fuss over a late birthday. I chose the beach over Gilman for my birthday though. I had moved out of my parents house across the street from the cemetery. I left behind my furniture and clothing and a lot of my belongings because mom had a fit about this guy taking advantage of me. From my point of view, we have been through everything together. From hers, with the lie of having just met him, I could see how she felt that way. It took a week of tissues, tears, assurance and sucking up to make her let me go: mostly tears and sucking up... I now legally lived with the Armstrong's. And now with Billie finally getting his license, we have been looking around for a house in the area. Now that the unspeakable one is gone, we don't see the need to run off to Berkeley. We are thinking about planning a move sometime after graduation and Mike is going to be moving in with us too. Because he had been renting a guest room out of Billie's house. So he figured he'd tag along. Though I know from the looks he gives us when we discuss moving that he is really just coming to keep an eye on us, he already embarrassed us in front of Ollie and my parents by telling us not to bring him no kids. I think me and Billie were equally the same color of crimson after that for the rest of the night. 

I had given up on the whole pets thing. I mean I loved Checkers a lot. And he is buried in the cemetery beside Andy. Billie insisted on that location for two reasons. 
One being so when he is visiting his dad, I can visit Checkers. And two being if his mom ever moves from her current house, we'd never be able to come back and visit. He had good points so I agreed along with them. We tend to visit when we go to my parents house for dinner.

I enjoy the fact that I have memory now. But I love my new memories I have been making more than anything.

Billie's band, Sweet Children ended. Well the name did but the band lived on after they renamed it 'Green Day' because they had outgrown it. They work with Larry all through out the week on demos and things like that in Lookout! Records. They are in the progress of their first EP: 1000 Hours. Billie is extremely secretive of his music and wouldn't let me hear any demos until it's release. So I, reluctantly agreed.

I dropped the scorched lasagna into the trash  can and cracked all the windows in the house to free the smoke before the smoke detectors went off, signaling the fire that was no where to be seen. Billows of grey clouds sifted out the open windows and I sat down in the living room. Turned on the tv when the door got kicked in. I look up in shock as three men in yellow suits run into the still hazy house.

“Hey what are ya—” I screamed when one took notice of me and grabbed me, threw me over his shoulder easily and packed me outside onto the scant lawn. I thrashed until I recognized the car parked in the drive. I dropped my head into my hands and waited for the ride to be over... Fire Department...

He sat me on my feet and I thanked him falsely.

“There's no fire!” one of them shouted out the front door.

Duh dumb fuck... That's why the windows were open...
I think to myself.

I explain to them what had happened to the lasagna when Ollie's car pulled up and Billie climbed out of the passengers seat. She had drove him to Berkeley to see his grandma this morning: he looked thrilled at the sight of me standing in the front yard looking up at the still smoking house. The clouds were thinning and I think it was almost over. Neighbors had come out of their houses to observe the false fire from a distance. One of the fire men said sorry and I nodded once before turning to face Billie.

“Trying to burn the house down eh?” he asked. Elbowing me in the ribs. I stuck my tongue out at him and crossed my arms.

“No. Someone left a burning lasagna in the oven...” I say while giving Ollie a pointed look. She whistled and looked away nonchalantly. Hmm mmm, definitely guilty.

Billie laughed before heading inside and fixing himself a sandwich since the alternate lunch is ruined. Ollie smiled at us bonding together and excused herself to her room where I am pretty sure she went to call Larry. What a little love bird.

“So...” he began, with a mouthful or sandwich.

“So...” I mocked him and he gave me a dirty look before swallowing and taking a drink of root beer and stating his question.

“You finish that job I gave you?” he asked seriously.

I floundered and looked around the kitchen. Pretending to have interest in the cabinet hinges.

“Adeline...? Don't avoid the question.” he says. Ducking his head so he can see my face since I am sitting on the table. I glance everywhere else except his eyes and I know by the way he clears his throat that he knows I have not.

“Well...” I begin.

“That's a long well.” he murmurs while taking another drink and leaning back in his chair. Looking up at me expectantly with those piercing damn green eyes of his.

“No.” I finally say. Still avoiding his eyes. “I just can't do anything with the title '1000 Hours' look I'm sorry, but I'm just not very creative.” I say.

He surprises me by laughing. I hadn't expected him to be amused by the fact that I am two days late with this project. I shoot him a look for his laughter to my confession and he shuts up instantly. Clearing his throat again he asks “Well come on Aidie, I'll help you.” he assures me. I look at his face foe traces of honesty. And I see loads.

Fifteen minutes later...

We sit on the couch with a sketch book in my lap and a pencil in my hand and he's sitting there getting high as fuck. Saying it's his 'inspiration' I hate it when he smokes joints, that's a new thing he does around me. Hey maybe if I played it up and said that it hurt my head he'd quit. But no I guess if it makes him happy, it makes him... Happy. 
He giggled before abruptly getting mad and saying “This is hard shit. Let's do no cover then.”

“That's stupid Billie.” I mumble and continue the sketch on my book while he brain storms.

“Well seriously I see no other route.” he grumbled before stealing my pencil bag and digging around for a color he liked. I excused myself to go outside for some thinking time alone. I sat on the stoop and dropped my head into my hands. God what am I going to do? Billie has gotten everything all lined out and he is one hundred percent sure that we are moving in together and wa la! Happily ever after. But apparently he has forgotten that I wanted to go to collage for music management and have a little life of my own before settling down into a household with him. I don't know what to do about shit anymore.

Hell, nine months ago I thought shit was peaches and cream and everyday we could just screw around. Hanging out at our secret meadow, the beach, or even Gilman. Just laughing all day and hanging out with Mike and Tré in his scant little garage. Now... Yeesh, now we are all worrying about jobs and this horrible thing called 'life'...

Mike has gotten a job on the bay, he works all week packaging fish for the market there. He comes home around five every night smelling like a can of tuna. He looks particularly tired every night too, so instead of fucking around with the rest of us on the weekends in the garage, he has locked himself away in his room catching up on lost sleep. It's oddly empty without him a part of our adventures.

Tré however... I know won't change. He hasn't even moved out of his parents house yet. And whenever any of us try to talk future and career with him he covers his ears, squeezed his eyes shut and yells “La la la la.” really loud until he just drowns you out and you give up on the conversation.

Billie is the only one I think that is one hundred percent set on this band working out. Of course I still have a lot of faith in it working out for him, I'm trying to cover his back by encouraging him to fill out applications for jobs so he is covered if the whole business isn't what he thought it would be. He glares at me if I try to push him to do it, so I smile sweetly and say “Nothing darling.”

I know where I want to go. I've always been set on this future for myself. In fact it's the one thing about myself Billie hadn't altered in some way with his presence. I smile at all of our memories. The past, the smile on his face when he had first shown me his secret meadow. The way he uses his hands and phrases to tell me stories of his past. That evil glint in his eye when he is about to pick me up and throw me into the ocean. I laugh unintentionally and stare down at the ground. Where in between the two cracked slabs of concrete making a weed choked trail to the garage, a single flower grew. A little, soft purple blossom set carefully atop a small cluster of leafs. Though it looked so fragile like it needed protecting. But I knew otherwise, the flower was poisonous. So even if an animal ate it, it would still be avenged sooner or later.

“Holy shit Adeline, you scared the crap out of me!” Mike exclaimed, rounding the corner of the house. It was Saturday. He only works till one on Saturdays and gets Sundays off. He wiped his brow on a worn, faded black bandana in his back jeans pocket as he approached me. I took a note of how he no longer approached me warily like I was a wounded animal or something. He plopped down on the step beside me and squinted up at the sun. I smacked him on the back of the head.

“Ow!” he exclaimed “What was that for?” he pouted while rubbing the back of his head.

“Didn't your mother ever tell you not to stare at the sun?” I say sternly and he smiles.

“You are such an unpredictable little shit you know that right?” he laughed, pushing his now shaggy brown hair off his forehead.

I laugh and nod “Yeah I know. You didn't think I'd be easy on you did you?” I  smirked and he rolled his eyes and pretended to flick my cheek. 

Over the last nine months Mike had become some kind of older brother figure to me since Embry is still gone. I laugh with and at Mike all the time. I consult him on my non-girly problems— I save those for my mom and Ollie. Like questions regarding random subjects. Like “Why are birds skittish fuckers that won't let you touch them?.” or “Who the hell is Tré Cool?”

We joke about that a lot. We pretend Tré is invisible for a afternoon. And if Ollie or Billie ask where Tré is, we say in unison “Who the hell is Tré Cool?” and Tré pouts for the rest of the afternoon until you offer to buy him ice cream or something like that. He is easy to get him to suck up to you. Very forgiving. Rather or not that helps him in life, I do not know.

We sat on the stoop a while longer before Ollie comes bustling out the front door in a different sun dress then she had come home with Billie in. Come to think of it, she hadn't been wearing a dress at all. Just a pair of jeans, sandals and a baggy band shirt. Gee... I wonder where Billie got his dressing habits from... Hmm...
The dress was yellow with little red flowers on it. She pulled on her sun hat as she walked past us, waving goodbye on her way to the curb where Larry Livermore pulled up in his traditional red pickup. She waved again and he did as well as they drove off, me and Mike had waved back.

I think Billie is a ton more comfortable with his mothers relationship with Larry then it ever was with the Unspeakable One. The whole family's nickname for Brad. The dip shit extraordinaire thar killed my dog...
It makes me happy though to see him smiling again. Billie. Happy. Had been such a rare sighting during that first week of September. But it's all behind us now. 

Billie comes barreling out the front door and me and Mike lean out of the way just in time to see him chasing Tré. Who is giggling like a little girl. I laughed when Billie went Into full on cheetah mode on him and tackled him to the ground.

“Where the fuck is it Tré?!” Billie shouted in his face.

Tré smirked as Bill pinned him to the ground. Seething with anger.

“What did you do Tré?” Mike asked exasperatedly.

“He STOLE MY AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR PICK BY JOEY RAMONE!” Billie nearly screamed

Things got silent. 

Then Mike joined in on the piss fight of Tré taking the guitar pick.

I stood behind them as they were threatening to beat the shit out of him. Wow... So much for best friends right? 

“Actually...” Tré began warily. “When Chester Cheetah tackled me, I dropped it and have no idea where it went...” he explained. Billie's face became really distant as I figured he was probably imagining all the possible scenarios that could happen to that little piece of autographed plastic.

If this had all occurred nine months ago, I would have been asking who Joey Ramone even was. But Billie has since tutored me in the cultures of the underground punk scene, rock music, metal and the classics like Queen and the Beatles.
So of course I knew who the guy was. Joey Ramone belonged I the punk band the Ramones and is the guitarist and vocalist, and the previous drummer of the band. 

I listened to Billie and Mike's death threats a little while longer before I intervened. 

“Come on guys, sure he took the pick on purpose, but losing it was an accident. Can't he just do something in return to pay it off?” I ask. Now standing between Tré and them. Tré curled up in a little ball behind me while I bargained for him.

Billie seethed a little longer before turning to whisper something in Mike's ear. They turn back and nod.

“Yeah. He can. Tonight Tré is sneaking into the sold out Ramones concert in San Fransisco and he is going to go backstage and get a new one.” Billie said this calmly like the plan might actually work.

We all looked from one another. It was Tré's call if he wanted to do it. They'd probably try to beat the shit out of him if he denied.

“Tré...?” I ask. Turning around to where he is balled up, vaguely reminding me of a caterpillar, he looks up at me.

“What do you think?” 

He thinks about it for a half second before jumping to his feet and announcing his participation in the breaking and entering of a Ramones concert. I laughed and rolled my eyes. After Tré and Mike had left. I talked to Billie.

“Maybe I should go with him.” I say. Looking after Tré who is trying to pounce on a butterfly in the middle of the driveway.

“Why?” Billie asks incredulously like he couldn't imagine Tré failing this breaking and entering attempt.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise “Do you seriously think that if Tré goes to a Ramones concert- one of his favorite bands- that it is all he is going to do is get a guitar pick signed and leave. Haha, thats funny. This is Tré we are talking about. The womanizer of Green Day, of course he is going to hang around and play twenty questions with the band afterwards.” I explain.

He stared at me like I'd spoken a different language for a second then shook his head “Yeah you do have a point, but why can't me or Mike go with him?” he pouts.

I pat his back “Because you will be pressuring to beat the crap out of him the entire time if he fails, and if he does fail, he could go to prison. So just stay here darling.” I grin at him and peck his cheek. He smirked and sighed and then reluctantly agreed. Going to tell the other two of my involvement with the Breaking and Entering plan.

By that evening we had worked out an outline of how we were going to do this. With Tré goofing off most of the time and Mike and Billie threatening him the entire time, it only made it worse, like I had predicted. I kissed Billie goodbye on his cheek and promised sometime around one we would be back. Though the concert started at eight and lasts until ten thirty, I hope this will be a in and out kind of thing. I really don't want to spend an extended amount of time at the concert of a band I hardly listen to. Tré drove his traditional red pickup with the Teddy bear in the grill. I was concerned about him driving, he is too damn hyper for the road. But I gripped the edges of the seat anyways while the roaring radio drowns out any hope for conversation I might of tried to have to ease my tension. I watched the Californian sunset out the windows, as I have taken notice of it a lot more then I ever did in my past life. I can only remember watching the sunset on the few times my dad had made me. He wanted me to see the beauty in it, and being a grumpy thirteen year old, all I had saw I it was getting up at the crack of dawn and freezing on the front porch while watching dull colors eat at the horizon for an hour. By the time we could go back inside, I was numb. But that was sunrise. This is sunset, and having witnessed both of them equal times, I can say they are equally unique and beautiful. The light eventually stomped out, leaving us alone, the truck enveloped in endless darkness except for the small amount of light coming from the dashboard. 

I can remember one morning dad had taken me to see the sunrise, and we had gone fishing in this little creek that ran though a national park around here somewhere. We had caught this huge fish and even taken a picture of it. From that fishing trio forward, I always enjoyed going on fishing trips with my dad. Even if we didn't catch anything, it was still fun to abandon truck and hike out into the middle of the forest in search of swimmy creatures.

I also remember this one year. I was eleven and my family had gone camping in the middle of nowhere. It was an hour before dinner, and me and Embry had decided to hike out into the surrounding, dense forest. We were only supposed to go within range of our campsite. But we started screwing around while we had been supposed to be looking for firewood. And we couldn't find our way back. We were beginning to think we would live out the rest of our lives as forest hermits, robbing other campers that came to the area. We had it all planned out when dad tapped us on the back saying dinner was ready. We hadn't been lost. We had just been circling our campground patch. We'd never called for help or anything ridiculous like that. So we decided to just keep it between us. I don't think either of us ever told mom and dad either. We had gone on multiple adventures since then. Even on our last camping trip together we still screwed around in the middle of the forest. Embry is four years older than me. So when I was sixteen, he was twenty. Lived in his own apartment in Rodeo but tagged along for our camping trip. I never told him exactly how much it meant to me that he came. It wouldn't have been the same without Embry. But on that camping trip, we had been playing in the stream by our campsite when Embry suddenly yelps and I asked him what was wrong. He raises his foot out of the water and a crawdad pinched his big toe with his claw. I winced at the sight of it. But helped him limp back to camp anyways like we did when we were little so dad could remove it. I smiled at that memory. He actually laughs at that memory now. Or whenever I'd seen him last. He is still serving in the military. He had decided to go when he was 21. I look out at the fading orange color one more time and wondered if, wherever Embry was, that he was looking at it too.

“We are here!” Tré screeched suddenly. The truck jerking to a halt in a parking space inside of a massive parking lot which was packed. So it amazed me he could find reasonably close parking. It also amazed me how quickly we had gotten to San Francisco. I shrugged, Tré had driven... 

I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the truck. Stretching and looking up at the massive building which was my future. I took a deep, excited breath and me and Tré started forward toward the building. How we were actually getting into the building, I have no idea...