Going to Pasalacqua

Billie had stage jitters. Because for once, he didn't know one single person in the crowd. Normally his mom was there, or his Gilman friends, but no one in the mosh pit was familiar. They didn't look as grungy as the Rodeo Bay kids. They had decent clothes and some boys even wore polos... To a punk concert? I shook my head sadly and stood next to Angie in the shadows next to the stage. I'd pulled my 924 Gilman shirt over the top of the green tank top I'd been wearing earlier in my shopping trip with Mike.

Me and Angie were the icons of the mosh pit. We sang along to all of Green Day's songs like the ultimate fangirls, and I couldn't tell by the looks on their faces if we were actually embarrassing them or strengthening them.

“This is the last song of the night! It's called 1000 Hours.” Billie sneered and flipped off the audience. And began to play the unfamiliar song on his signature blue guitar.

Starlit night
The moon is shining bright
You are the one I need
Up at your window
I see a shadow
Silhouette of your grace
Here's this flower
I picked for all the hours
That you've spent with me
The one I love
That I've been dreaming of
Sailing across the sea

Let my hands flow through
Your hair. Moving closer
A kiss we'll share
Passionate love to be all night long
We'll never break, as one too strong

Nothing's more
Than what our love is for
As I kiss your cheek
Oh so softly
Hands flowing down my back
1,000 hours, I'll never leave
Our romance
Is a love trance
And now we'll never part
1,000 hours
Of such a love shower
We'll never stop, once we start

Let my hands flow through
Your hair. Moving closer
A kiss we'll share
Passionate love to be all night long
We'll never break, as one too strong

Let my hands flow through
Your hair. Moving closer
A kiss we'll share
Passionate love to be all night long
We'll never break, as one too strong

I cocked a eyebrow at Angie and she shrugged. Weird lyrics, even for Billie. My mind began jumping to conclusions, and one of those conclusions included Leah Sterling from my dad's guitar shop the other day. Her beautiful guitar and the pitiful look she gave me when she realized I was with Billie. Like I wasn't of standards. I watched Billie carefully as he yelled orders at his punk followers to follow his chants. The. He waved to someone in the crowd, like he actually knew someone out there. I turned around and looked over the sea of faces and spotted the unmissable perfect face of her.

Speak of the devil...

Leah Sterling shoved her way forward to the front of the mosh pit. I ducked out of her way and pulled Angela along with me. She was eyeing Leah the same way I was. What was she even doing here?
I narrowed my eyes at her and the crowds drifted away after the show was officially over and the band was trotting off stage in high spirits. 

But Billie went straight to her and hugged her.

“Hey Lee! What brings you here?”

She shrugged, glancing at me for a fraction of a second and smiling at Billie.
“Oh I was just hanging around Oakland on Friday night when I hear you fuckers are playing!” she laughed like a bell, smacking Billie a high five.

“It's Wednesday...” I corrected in a sneer.

Leah glared at me “Yeah whatever.” she beamed back at Billie “So, want to get a drink and catch up?” she asked Billie. Touching his arm. Well aware of me being right there.

“Sure!” 

Billie put his arm around my shoulders assuringly and towed me along beside him. Whispering in my ear that he was only going to have a teeny tiny drink.
I nodded sadly and hid my despair while we all took a seat at the front. Where sports were playing on the big TV and it drowned out most of their conversation too much for me too hear. I was pretty sure I didn't care what Leah had to say anyways. 

“So are you guys going to be in Oakland much longer?” Leah asked. Drinking her bourbon like a showoff.

Billie nodded “Yep, we've got another show at a party tomorrow night.”

“Whose party?” she asked. Shooting me another death glare.

“Some Jennifer chick, we're playing for some big cash.”

I looked up at Billie's face. Never once in all of his career of being in a band had he ever cared how much money he would make. Because to him, he did it cause he enjoyed it. Not because he thought he could make a living doing it.
I was surprised at how quickly he would change his morals of music.

I caught Larry's eye from across the bar. I gave him a helpless look and jerked my head in Leah's direction. Larry's expression was blank for five seconds before he nodded in understanding and he hurried over towards our side of the bar. 

“Hey Billie, Mike's looking for you.” Larry said, cutting Leah off. 

Billie peeked around Leah “Tell him I'll talk to him in a little bit.” 

Larry floundered for a moment then amended “Uh, actually we have some tour arrangements we need to work on.”

Billie gave Larry a tired look “Seriously? Right now?”

Larry nodded seriously. Going all businessman mode.

Billie sighed “Okay okay okay, Leah I'll see you tomorrow night.”

He hopped down from the barstool and walked after Larry to the back room. I grumbled, tomorrow night? He was going to see her again? Was I seriously getting jealous? No, no I'm not, wait. Yes I am. 

I watched Leah laugh evilly as she walked out the front door of the bar. Oh yay, she was looking forward to tomorrow night too...

Instead of following the others into the practice room, I veered off and walked outside to the van. Mike's bright orange van glowing under a street light. I climbed in the backseat and snuggled up in a ball with Billie's Clash sweatshirt.

***

I woke up really stiff and tired. Angry at myself for sleeping outside when there was a perfectly good place inside to sleep. The. I recalled my reasoning for using slept outside and I felt tired and weary all over again. Shit, I have to face Leah again. Tonight, I can't avoid her. She'll be there for sure. Her perfect blond, almost white long wavy hair. Hazel eyes and flawless skin. It wouldn't take much to be ditched for her. The weird rock-goddess vibe she seemed to have.

I groaned and sat up straight. Realizing I was still wearing my Gilman tee. My little bit of home on the road. I gathered my brush and makeup from my bag in the back and went inside the bar to clean up the makeup smeared under my eyes like a raccoon. 
I brushed out my tumbleweed style hair and smoothed it out. Well as much as I could. Then I gave up and went seeking Billie.

He was in the practice room, exactly where I had expected to see him. He sat there with Blue slung across his lap, without a amp it sounding like the low sounds or a ticking clock as he strummed something I didn't recognize. I got breakfast. A uncoiled poptart really, and I sat beside Billie chewing annoyingly.

“Guess what today is.” Billie said when everyone had left the room. His voice low and thoughtful.

“Hmm?”

“Today.” he said softly, taking my hand and examining the scars on my wrists from when I had attacked myself in my sleep the first night I'd met him.
“Is our one year anniversary.”

He looked up to meet my eyes suddenly. He beamed proudly at this milestone. I loved this day, I thought about it a lot, very often, and somehow I'd forgotten it.

I grinned back “Oh my God! We've been together a whole year!” I threw my arms around his neck and peppered his cheeks in kisses.

He laughed “Yep. And look at how much everything has changing since then...”

He grinned down at me and I remembered the flashbacks. Our first time in the meadow, my first awkward words, the first day I put any degree of trust into him. The day he proposed to me to be his date for the autumn dance. The night we danced in the rain, every memory was a thread. A tiny colorful thread in a great big quilt. Telling our stories of how we became who we are. To be honest, I think both him and I have matured and grown up a lot in the past year. We have been through so much together, all our adventures...

“Quite the bumpy ride...” I murmurs in deep thought.

He chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear “Why do you say that?”

I sighed and reached up to catch his hand. Holding it to my cheek “Look at all we have been through. Breakup, love, luck, Brad...”

“I thought we agreed to never speak of him again.” he snipped seriously.

I laughed slightly. “True.”

I remembered it very clearly the day we agreed to never speak of Brad again. And if we wanted to talk about it, we had to call him 'The One Who Shalt Be Named.'

Flashback,

“So we are really free? And this isn't a dream?...” I whispered. Contently looking down at my hands, twined in my lap, twisted with his. While I sat cross legged before him and he laid lazily on his stomach in the grass. Resting his chin thoughtfully on his arm, watching me with his jade eyes.

“It is no dream. We are really rid of... Him.” he smiled slightly, but it darkened with the mentioning of 'him'

I pursed my lips into a thin line “Good, we really need a nickname for him though.”

“Oh you mean a nickname besides dickhead and fuckface?” he asked sarcastically.

I laughed and smiled “Something a little more subtle.” I said with a coy smile.

“Like what?” he asked quietly, rolling over on his back so he could continuously gaze up at me.

“I was thinking along the lines of 'He who shalt be mentioned.” I giggled.

He rolled his eyes and laughed “Adeline, you are sooo cliché.”

I smiled and shrugged “No one living in a dreamworld can be perfect. We are all cliché and we slip up.” I murmured.

“You still believe we are a dream?” he asked thoughtfully.

“I do.” I stated softly “Anywhere where you are with me is surely a dream.” 
I met his eyes. 

“Well then, if we are together in your dreamworld, that sounds like a place I'd like to live.”

“Forever?” I asked.

He became thoughtful and tapped his chin, then looked up at me under his thick lashes again “Yep, forever.” he assured me.

I smiled and nodded, ducking to kiss him.

We sat there until the sun sat, in our meadow. While he wove daisies that grew in our meadow into the braid in my hair. I watched the clouds fade a darker blue while my mind still wandered over his words, his assurances. Suddenly it was like the Brad incident had never happened...

Present day,

“Adeline, you alright?” 

I looked up, billie snapping his fingers in my face.

“Oh yeah, I just got lost in thought.”

He nodded “Hey remember the day we gave that nickname to him?”

I grinned and nodded “I was just thinking about that actually.”

He stabbed a finger at me “Liar!”

I laughed and shook my head “You, Billie Joe Armstrong, are unbelievable.”

“I know.” he grinned cheekily “Which is why you love me so.”

I smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek and standing up.

“Let's go get breakfast.” I said tugging on his hand.
He laughed and got up, lazily too. And followed me out the door where we abducted Mike's van.