Summer Has Come and Passed

I seated myself on the silver bleachers, my body wrapped in Billie's thin jacket. However it was warm enough for the gusts of wind that would brush over time to time, making a chill run up my spine. My eyes watched Billie as he jumped around the bleachers. A clang sounding off each time his feet hit the metal. I laid my body backward so that I could rest my head on the set of bleachers above me.

Another clang rang out, coming from none-other than Billie. However, he seemed to be much closer this time. Angling my head so that I was looking up, I could see that he was indeed closer—he was hovering right over me. He stared down at me smiling, small wrinkles forming around the sides of his eyes.

I stuck my tongue out at him and he let out a small chuckle and moved from above me, to lying beside me facing the other direction . I turned my face into faux disgust as Billie’s sneakers were practically in my face.

“You’re gonna fall and hurt yourself if you lay like that,” I announced, leaning myself up on my elbows to look down at his face. “Just an fyi.”

Billie now leaned himself on his elbows. “Well,” He started off. “If I do happen to fall, you’ll kiss it all better won’t you.”

He stated not as a question, but as a pure statement, I gave a snort.

“Well,” I said mimicking him. “What if I don’t wanna kiss you?”

I couldn't even hide the giggle from coming out at the end of my sentence. I knew I was lying, Billie did too. However, that didn't mean I was willingly going to tell him that. Although I think he was already hip due to the all-knowing smirk he was sporting right now.

“V, I know that’s complete bullshit,” He grinned. “And you do too.”

“I strongly disagree,” I retorted, Billie however still didn't buy it because he still had that smug look stamped on his face. “Don’t you make that face at me Billie Joe, you are most definitely resistible.”

Billie’s face was now in full blown douche-bag mode because his mouth didn't budge from that grin. “Am I?” he queried raising his eyebrow.

“Yep.”

Another gust of air brushed past us as I was just going to state how Billie was too smug with himself. However, I wasn't able to form that sentence since a chill ran over my entire body. Making the hairs on my neck, and arms, stand right up.

“Chilly?” Billie said quite cheekily.

“Shut-up.” I shot back at him, he only laughed at my aggression and rotated his body. Carefully so not to kick me in the face, and laid side by side with me. He edged himself closer to my body. After hesitating and marinating in my half-hearted stubbornness. I nestled myself into his mold, basically losing our debate.

“This means I lose, right?” I asked, resting my head on his chest. His soft t-shirt helping to make an exceptional pillow.

“Mm, no, not exactly,” he answered. He then leaned down to my face to peck me quickly on my lips, he drew his head back to grin. “Now you lose.” He laughed.

“I’m okay with this kind of defeat.” I said smiling at him, and then casting my gaze towards the green field stretched out in front of us two. Pinhole Valley’s football playing field to be exact.

“What made you wanna come here today?” I said voicing my inner thoughts. I couldn't think of any teenager in their right mind who would want to come back to their high school just to hangout and screw around. Especially seeing as though both no longer attend the school.

Billie shrugged his shoulder. “Dunno,” he answered. “I thought it’d be kinda funny, in a twisted sorta way, to just come back here and see the ol’ place.”

“You hated this place.” I said.

“That’s why I said: In a twisted sorta way,” he chuckled. “Pay attention baby.”

I mumbled a ‘fuck you’ to him, nestling closer to his body. “Ditchin’ this place was the best decision I ever fucking made” he said, but quickly added with a grin. “Aside from bein’ with you of course.”

I chuckled at the second half of his statement, but I most definitely didn’t find the beginning funny, not one bit. I was never keen or fully on-board with Billie Joe’s decision to drop out his senior year. I understood his musical methods and reasons for it, but as a whole, it just made zero sense to me.

Billie and Mike’s band were in fact really good, Green Day had a raw sound and raw talent. And I truly did believe they could go the full distance. However, I always thought it was best to have a backup plan. Then another plan to back the backup plan, and in my mind, a diploma would've been that backup plan.

I blew out a small huff of air. “I still think you could’ve finished your year.” I murmured aloud, which earned me a very annoyed groan from Billie.

“Can we not do this?” He asked, already annoyed. “Not today. We always have this argument, can we just not do it today.”

“It’s not an argument,” I stated. “But, you always think it’s an argument. It’s just a discussion and there’s honestly nothing wrong with that.”

Billie scoffed. “Yeah it is, when I don’t wanna hear about it,” he said. “Or when we've discussed this too many fucking times, Vienna.”

He was absolutely spot on, we did talk about this quite a lot. And a lot of times, those discussions turned into shouting and a slew of curse words.

“Your future is something that can never be talked about too much.” I knew I sounded like a broken record, but I’d be damned if I didn't get my point across.

“I've been out of school a year, Vienna. You graduated and I left, o.k," he said. “It’s already been done, o.k. I can’t just turn around ‘n go back, it doesn't work that way.”

“Then make it work.” I snapped back, removing myself from Billie, seeing as though he and I were still rested against one another. It’s difficult to get your point across when you’re cuddled up with the person you’re trying to get through.

“There’s nothing to make work!” He exclaimed. “And there’s nothing to discuss.”

“But there’s so many other options, BeeJ.” I reasoned.

Snorting, he said. “Those options being?”

I now stood to my feet as I named off things. “Night classes, studying to get a G.E.D, something—anything, to help get you a finished high school education.”

He chuckled, and I furrowed my brows confused as to how my statement was remotely funny. “I’m sorry,” He chuckled again. “But I’m still missing the point where all that is gonna help my music.”

“It’s not about the music—“

“It is about the music!” Billie exploded, standing to his feet now. “That’s what you don’t get. It’s about the music—only about the music, and that’s it.”

I could only stare quietly as I witnessed this entire sea of passion and frustration flood from Billie.

“—A fuckin’ diploma isn't gonna write chords, or nail bass lines, or sit for hours on in writing lyrics,” he raged on. “It’s not gonna do a goddamn thing for me. It’s useless.”

I stewed in gob smacked silence until I finally spoke up again. “What if you guys don’t take off like you planned?” I asked, wrapping my arms tightly around myself.

“V, I really don’t need negative vibes, especially from you,” Billie said, distancing himself from me. “If I’ve got enough faith in us, then that’s all that matters.” He stated looking out onto the field, with a nod as if he had to reassure himself he believed what he said.

“Hopin’ and wishin’ is only gonna get you so far, Billie Joe,” I chimed in. “It can’t keep you clothed and fed.”

Turning around to pierce my core with his dark green eyes. “I don’t need you preaching to me ok," he said, advancing towards me with his finger pointed directly at me. "Who are you to go off tellin' me what's right and wrong. You're no Saint yourself sweetheart, believe me."

"I never said I was," I responded back. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"I oughta put somethin' in your mouth just so you'll shut the hell up."

I couldn't help the gasp that made its way from my mouth. I had no sort of retort or response for his harsh statement. Usually that kind of comment I'd respond with something twice as perverted and witty had we'd been joking around, but there was no hint of humor in his tone. A silence engulfed the next few moments for us both. The wind beginning to pick up more and more, whipping my hair around wildly.

"I'm sorry." both of us apologized synchronized.

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, "I'm sorry," I repeated. I dropped myself down onto the bleachers beside Billie. "I'm sorry if I was preaching, and bitching. I didn't mean to, it just..."

"Comes off that way." he added on.

I chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah," I said. "It just comes off that way. But, you're right; I am not Mother Theresa or a Saint or whatever. I've got no right to try and dictate your life."

"Well," he pondered for a moment and then bumped his shoulder into mine gently. "You can dictate it a little."

We both shared a laugh until he spoke again. "I'm sorry." he said, looking at me through his thick eyelashes.

"For what-- I basically started it." I said.

"For being an asshole." He answered.

"So you're sorry for being yourself?" I said with a smile, which in effect caused Billie to show off my favorite grin.

"Ha-ha, very funny," he said with a slight push of my shoulder, but then wrapping his arm around me. Resting his chin on top of my head. "It's just. I've put so much into this already-- I've got so much faith in the band that I could just lose my mind. I just want your support is all."

My heart squeezed at the notion that Billie thought I had no faith in them or him. I wrapped my arms around his torso as tight as I could. "Billie I've got so much fuckin' faith in you guys I could probably be considered a groupie." I couldn't exactly see it, but I had imagined that Billie's lips had etched themselves into a large grin.

He held me tighter. "I can feel it V, y'know," He said. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or this year--but so very fucking soon-- it's gonna happen, we're gonna be somebodies. We're gonna make it."

"Just like us...?" I started off as a statement, but at the very end my tone made it also into a question, anxious for the answer.

Billie peered down at me, his mouth half cocked into a smirk, his eyes shining brighter at that moment. He licked over his lips before he bit down on his lower lip, nodding. "Exactly."