Going to Pasalacqua

It was like a time bomb set into motion.
We knew that we were destined to explode.
And if I had to pull you out of the wreckage,
You know I'd never let you go.
-Time Bomb— All Time Low

I woke to the sounds of laughing. I got up groggily and walked towards my bedroom door. I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I traversed the hall to the living room. Billie was once again, to my not so distant surprise, high.

Mike was trying to calm him down from his laughing fit and Tré and Ollie were nowhere to be seen.

“Hey... You.” I say, turning right into the kitchen doorway.

He giggled again and I just rolled my eyes. He is extremely immature when he is like this.

“Can't you hide that shit from him?” I complain, entering the living room a few minutes later with a glass of water for him.

Mike shrugged. I rolled my eyes. What the hell happened in nine months? 

I get up from sitting beside Billie on the floor and go to my room to get dressed. When I exited my room, they were both gone. Ok... So I'm alone for today... Great.

I walked outside into the sunlight and decided to go seeking someone to talk to. It was most likely my home was empty right now. Dad was in charge of the guitar store, and Mom was working at the record store. That was their morning shifts, after lunch they switch out. Though I know they each love those jobs particularly. Dad was great with guitars and had helped out Billie a bit with his pitch when singing because dad was in a chorus in church in his younger days. He also supplied them in unlimited amounts of guitar strings and picks. They work off the use of the used gear in the store by working extra on the weekends. Which is a total drag for Mike I know. He hardly has any time off, so I always hear him grumble under his breath when Billie says it's his turn to work. Mike has told me that he also might be interested in collage. But he isn't sure for what just yet. 

I look around myself and recognize the familiar streets that surround my parents record store. I pull open the front door, loving the familiar chime as I walk into the air-conditioned atmosphere. I find my mother instantly, stocking the rack of Ramones CD's. I smile to myself in secrecy as I approach her after sneaking a quick wave at Jason White. Who was manning the cash register. He smiled and waved back before helping an elderly costumer.

“Hey mom.” I greet her and kneel beside her and pick up a album and move it between my hands. Loving the cool feel of the cellophane surrounding the case.

She looked up and smiled. Her eyes crinkling around the edges with smile. She is in her late thirties. 39 actually I think. She has long reddish brown hair, piled up in a bun on her head. I get my licorice black hair from my dad. She has these warm hazel eyes, which I get from her. She isn't exactly tall or short. She is five feet six inches to my 5'4". Such a normal height for a girl. My mom is skinny, she did volley ball while in High school since she is surrounded by beaches. Did and won a lot of tournaments according to the shelf of trophies and plaques in her office. She was also a cheerleader at a time in high school but dropped out because it wasn't for her.
She met my dad at a concert. They shared the same musical interests. And according to Billie, that's how his parents has met too. The concert had been a Kiss concert. And my dad had thought she was a boy at first because of all the face paint she had been wearing. And they got into a fight when she accidentally spilled his beer on him. She was eighteen at the time. And fourteen months later she had Embry. And three years from then she had me.

“Adeline!” she squealed and leaned across the box of CDs to hug me. I hugged her tightly to me “Sweetie, you didn't say you were coming by today.” she said pulling back. Surprise evident in her voice.

I shrugged. I didn't need to tell her that Billie had ditched me this morning while he was high on some shit I hate.

“Just got bored I guess... The guys were doing music stuff today so...” I trailed off. Not in the mood to worsen my lies.

“Hmm, Tré didn't say anything about that when he was in here this morning. Usually he spills all.” she smiled and shrugged. Reaching for a greatest hits edition of a Ramones cd and sat it on the shelf, standing back to admire her stocking work so far.

I sighed in relief. At least it appeared Tré hadn't told her anything about the concert last night with my worries, was already to the back of my head.

I shrugged nonchalantly and set the cd I had been revolving between my hands on the shelf beside the one mom had placed. Looking up at all the repetitive cases.

“Maybe he forgot?” I ask. She smiles and shrugged.

“Maybe, hey honey, can you go do register duty for a bit so Jason can go on his lunch break?” mom asked, kneeling to pick up the remainder of the box of Ramones albums. I nod and walked over to take over for him.

My mind was somewhere else the entire time I stood there. Steering off into space. Doing what I do every Day. Standing there daydreaming of Billie and how things were going to be.
Jason thanked me for helping out, I said a brief goodbye to my mom before heading out the door with the chime sounding loudly behind me.

I walked aimlessly up the streets and was looking down at my feet when I walked into someone. I stumbled backwards and looked up.

“Excuse me.” I say, then I recognize the face. Hidden under faint stubble on his chin, I had seen him over three weeks ago when all of Billies family had come to my parents house to meet mine. His dark brown hair tosses in the breeze coming off the ocean. We stood on the boardwalk with seagulls cawing above.

“Adeline!” Alan yelled excitedly.  Crushing me in one of his world famous bear hugs.

“Cannot... Breathe!... I squeaked and he let me go. Rolling his eyes.

“That's so cliché.” he laughed.

“what is?” I ask. Straightening my shirt so it hung right again.

“I. Cannot. Breathe!” he choked on his words like I had. Pretending to gasp and he grasped his own neck with his own two hands and slowly fell to the ground. Then he rolled around in a fit of laughter, mocking me as he pointed up at my probably priceless expression. I rolled my eyes and side stepped around him and started walking the sidewalk again. In whatever apparent direction I had been heading in the first place. 

“Aw Adie, don't be like that.” Alan pouted. Giving me a puppy dog look as he quickly caught up with my strides. 

I came up short “Only Billie calls me Adie.” I say territorially. He smirked and rolled his eyes “Ok whatever, Adeline...” he emphasized my name that time. I smiled up at him, appeased.

Alan easily had six inches on Billie in height. However I enjoyed making fun of his small stature too much to regret his height. He hated it when Id make fun of his height. Pissed sometimes even. But even so, it only made me laugh harder to see his reactions. I smiled to myself as Alan followed by my side like a loyal golden retriever I don't recall asking for. I looked up at the small familiar building that was the only restaurant on the boardwalk for miles that didn't sell fish. Rod's Hickory Pit. I smiled and pulled open the front door and the wafting smell of barbecue instantly invaded my senses. Sure this place had only made minor changes in the last nine months as well as everything seemed to have. They upgraded their stage, and during those modifications, Green Day had offered to buy the amps and mice off of them in return for them to preform for six straight weekends. Mike groaned at Billie's decision.

Sure I love Billie. More then myself easily. I do put a lot of faith in his beliefs. He is really good at finding deals like performing for six weekends with no pay, would still get their names out there more. And all the other offers that they had made to people in and outside of Rodeo California. Mike just drags when the word 'work' is even whispered in his ear. It's easy to see at first glance that he is stretched too thin. He is the only one of the three in the band to graduate high school. He is going to graduate along side me. Then if he is planning for collage, that's a whole new ordeal. He has his fish job. His place as the bassist of Green Day. He has to stretch the weekends and lunch breaks he has off to leap from place to place to fill his designated quotas of work Billie has filled out for him. Then sleep that night and proceed the cycle. He is saving for a car with the money he has now. And a new place to live before jumping head first into the world of education again.

Ollie waved at us from the little window in front of the kitchen, she came out the swinging double doors carrying three platters of food which I watched her dispose onto the designated tables before she almost skipped towards us smiling.

“What's up?” she ginned. Probably secretly finding it incredibly odd I be floating around town alongside Alan of all people. He seems like a pretty damn cool dude though so whatever.

We hung around there until Ollie got off work. Alan went his separate way and I hitched a ride with Ollie home. The sky had become overcast during the time we had been inside and looked like rain soon. I had a sense of Deja vu. It had been raining the night I'd ridden with Ollie when we had first met. Billie and Mike were ignoring us as completely as we were ignoring them. Occupying themselves with a tape player in the backseat, I watched the blurry scene pass my window and a few tears had slipped away. I had been depressed and looking for somewhere to wedge myself in. Now I ride alone with Ollie, the radio on and we are smiling and laughing over a story of something that had happened at work today.

“So you'd rather come hang out with this old lady then with Bill?” she grinned as she climbed out of the car and began walking towards the grocery store on the curb. She had decided last minute she needed groceries so we stopped by.

I shrugged. I could tell Ollie more about our relationship then u could ever dream with my mother, she had actually witnessed all the shit we went to to get where we are. So I can open up to her about Billie being an ass or whatever, because she has had to put up with him for eighteen years.

“Ah well they ditched me this morning. I have no idea where they went- so I figured Id just hang out around my parents shops and stuff today.” I sighed. Even to me I sounded sad of being ditched.

Ollie laughed and picked up a bag of flour “Yeah. That seems to be who Billie is these days isn't he? I'll bet They were working on that album again today, it is Mike's day off today isn't it?”

I laughed “Correction. It -was- Mike's day off. Bill has a thing for taking over that day weekly with extra work.”

Ollie nodded and laughed. Agreeing with my case.

When we got home, we shoved the groceries anywhere there was an open space in the kitchen. Ollie went to work making baked potatoes and steak for dinner.

I was sitting at the table when I heard the front door slam shut. Ollie looked at me in alarm and I shrugged. Getting up to go check it out I was instantly relived. It was only Mike.

“Hey Mike.” I say.

“Can it!” he yells back. His back to me like he is hiding something.

I'm taken aback by his sudden rude behavior but I don't push it.
He is fuming, obviously angry about something and he isn't going to tell me. I nod once even though he cannot see me.

“Ok... Sure.” I say. Walking around him and reaching for the front door. Figuring I can give him some time to cool down a little.

“No! Wait! Adeline, I'm sorry.” he says grabbing my wrist and pulling me back to face him.

“Oh God... Mike! What happened to you?!” I exclaim. Withdrawing my wrist to reach up and touch the deep cut along his jaw. I notice multiple smaller scratches around the cut. He presses his old black bandana to his jaw to stop the bleeding.

“It's nothing..” he mumbles. Trying to turn away from me and break my gaze.

“Right... Your bleeding because it's nothing. Come on, tell me and I won't tell anyone if you don't want.” I hiss.

He stared into my eyes for a moment before sighing, looking around the living room and grabbing my wrist and dragging me off into the garage.

“I kind of inflicted it...” he muttered. Guilty looking.

“What do you mean You Inflicted it?” I ask.

“Well I knew he was getting pissed and—”

“Someone did this to you!” I hissed incredulously.

He merely nodded.

“Who? I need to go kick his ass...”

“Well Adeline I don't think you could.” he murmured behind me.

“What? Is that an attempt to call me weak?” I joke falsely.

“No. I mean you couldn't hurt this particular person because you are beyond close to him.” he explained. Dotting around the edges of who it was. Giving me a nice outline.

“Billie?!” I yell. Trying to keep my voice down so Ollie did t hear.

He nodded but grabbed my hands before I did anything rash.
“Yeah but you see—”

I broke away“No!” I yell “no, this is where you are wrong. I can kick his ass. And I will, let's go.” I begin stalking down the driveway to go beat up my dearly beloved.