London
Chapter 1
"What time do you need me to get there?" Meagan Armstrong asked into her phone as she walked down a well lit hotel corridor.
"Uh, probably around three-ish or whatever. It doesn't really matter what time you get here today. I'm just excited to see you," The tiny voice said through the phone.
"I'm excited to see you too Uncle Billie," Meagan gushed into the phone. Meagan had just gotten into London, England from San Francisco, California. Her uncle was the lead singer for a popular punk band, Green Day. His name was Billie Joe Armstrong and he was Meagan's hero and favorite uncle.
Billie Joe laughed back. "Okay MJ. I'll see you in a little bit."
Meagan hung up with her uncle and let herself into her hotel room that he got for her. She was going on her third year as the official Green Day babysitter. It was her job to watch Billie Joe and his bandmates, Mike Dirnt and Tre' Cool's, kids when they were with them. The rest of the time she was just a general personal assistant and peace-keeper.
Meagan didn't come from a very well off situation. She lived with her mother in a small house in San Francisco. Her mother, Angie, was the wife of Billie Joe's brother Eric, whose situation kept him away. Angie tried her best, but sometimes failed, to keep the standard of living for the two of them.
By babysitting the children on the tours, and occasionally when they were not on tour, Billie Joe paid Meagan's cell phone bill, bought her clothes, and any other little things she would need. On this tour, however, Meagan was going for the mother load, a car.
Billie Joe promised Meagan that if she stayed out of trouble and did her job he would buy her a brand new, fully loaded, black leather interior, cherry red Mustang convertible; but only if she toed the line.
Meagan dropped her bags into the comfortable hotel room her uncle had booked for her and laid face first down on the bed. Plane rides made her cranky and sleepy, especially long ones.
"Uggghhh," She groaned into the soft comforter.
Meagan sat back up into a sitting position and threw her brown hair that was falling in her eyes out of the way. She needed to change. She needed to take a nap. She needed to get to the venue so she could see her aunt, uncle, and everybody else and get her job for the afternoon.
The streets of London were bustling down below. Cheery double-decker buses zoomed by the stores and hotels that lined the cobblestone road. It really was as magical as it was in the storybooks Meagan read as a child.
She loved anything wistful and romantic. She had a soft heart that sometimes got her teased by her uncle and friends, but she had learned to live with it.
Meagan watched the activity from the window in her room before she began to get ready and start her summer off.
------------*-------------
"MJ!"
A tiny dynamo clad in black jumped off the stage that he was on and rushed to Meagan. He scooped her up in a gigantic bear hug and swung her around with glee, their petite frames created a strange merry-go-round. "I'm so glad you're here!" Billie Joe said around his enormous grin.
Meagan smiled and tightly hugged him back. "Me too Uncle BJ, me too."
Billie Joe let go of her and looked at her with green eyes that matched hers. "I've been talking to dealers, just so you know, but you know our agreement. . . ."
"No boys, no sex, no drugs, and no drinking unless you're in the same room and gave it to me," Meagan repeated dully as she rolled her eyes.
Billie Joe nodded his head sharply. "Exactly." Somebody behind them yelled his name and Billie Joe yelled back. "Okay MJ, I gotta get back to sound check. Adie's with an English sponsor in the back if you want to go hang out there."
"Yeah," Meagan nodded. "I'll do that." She hugged him one more time quickly before watching run back to the stage. Meagan sighed and walked towards the backstage area, guided by little signs with arrows.
Billie Joe called Meagan 'MJ' because her middle name was Josephine and he liked to think she was named after him. 'MJ' was just his little nickname for her and nobody else called her that but him.
Meagan heard a laughter coming from a room down the hall. The laughter was fake but she knew who it was. Megan quickly went to the source. She knocked on the partially open door and a short woman with dark, dreadlocked hair turned around.
"Meagan!" She rushed over and squeezed her tightly. "How are you?"
"I'm good Aunt Adie," Meagan smiled at her beloved aunt. Adrienne was Billie Joe's wife and a, somewhat, second mother to Meagan.
Adrienne smiled and cradled Meagan's face in her hands. Adrienne and Billie Joe had the tendency to coddle and be very overprotective of Meagan. Adrienne let go of Meagan's face and took a hand. "This is Jonathan Williams, a representative of one of Green Day's sponsors and his son Landon," Adrienne motioned to a very well groomed pair of males, the younger smiling lightly to Meagan. "This is my niece Meagan. She's our babysitter, roadie, jack of all trades basically."
"How do you do?" Landon greeted as he took Meagan's hand and kissed the back of it.
"I do fine," Meagan muttered as she slid a glance to her aunt, trying to conceal her laughter.
"Would you do me the pleasure of going to get a cup of tea or coffee with me?" Landon asked smoothly.
"Uh, I don't think so. I just got in and I gotta get to work and all that," Meagan pushed some hair behind her ear nervously.
"Oh, well, there's not much of anything for you to do today," Adrienne said. "The kids aren't here yet and everything's set for the rest of the day. If you want to go you can."
"Uh, probably around three-ish or whatever. It doesn't really matter what time you get here today. I'm just excited to see you," The tiny voice said through the phone.
"I'm excited to see you too Uncle Billie," Meagan gushed into the phone. Meagan had just gotten into London, England from San Francisco, California. Her uncle was the lead singer for a popular punk band, Green Day. His name was Billie Joe Armstrong and he was Meagan's hero and favorite uncle.
Billie Joe laughed back. "Okay MJ. I'll see you in a little bit."
Meagan hung up with her uncle and let herself into her hotel room that he got for her. She was going on her third year as the official Green Day babysitter. It was her job to watch Billie Joe and his bandmates, Mike Dirnt and Tre' Cool's, kids when they were with them. The rest of the time she was just a general personal assistant and peace-keeper.
Meagan didn't come from a very well off situation. She lived with her mother in a small house in San Francisco. Her mother, Angie, was the wife of Billie Joe's brother Eric, whose situation kept him away. Angie tried her best, but sometimes failed, to keep the standard of living for the two of them.
By babysitting the children on the tours, and occasionally when they were not on tour, Billie Joe paid Meagan's cell phone bill, bought her clothes, and any other little things she would need. On this tour, however, Meagan was going for the mother load, a car.
Billie Joe promised Meagan that if she stayed out of trouble and did her job he would buy her a brand new, fully loaded, black leather interior, cherry red Mustang convertible; but only if she toed the line.
Meagan dropped her bags into the comfortable hotel room her uncle had booked for her and laid face first down on the bed. Plane rides made her cranky and sleepy, especially long ones.
"Uggghhh," She groaned into the soft comforter.
Meagan sat back up into a sitting position and threw her brown hair that was falling in her eyes out of the way. She needed to change. She needed to take a nap. She needed to get to the venue so she could see her aunt, uncle, and everybody else and get her job for the afternoon.
The streets of London were bustling down below. Cheery double-decker buses zoomed by the stores and hotels that lined the cobblestone road. It really was as magical as it was in the storybooks Meagan read as a child.
She loved anything wistful and romantic. She had a soft heart that sometimes got her teased by her uncle and friends, but she had learned to live with it.
Meagan watched the activity from the window in her room before she began to get ready and start her summer off.
------------*-------------
"MJ!"
A tiny dynamo clad in black jumped off the stage that he was on and rushed to Meagan. He scooped her up in a gigantic bear hug and swung her around with glee, their petite frames created a strange merry-go-round. "I'm so glad you're here!" Billie Joe said around his enormous grin.
Meagan smiled and tightly hugged him back. "Me too Uncle BJ, me too."
Billie Joe let go of her and looked at her with green eyes that matched hers. "I've been talking to dealers, just so you know, but you know our agreement. . . ."
"No boys, no sex, no drugs, and no drinking unless you're in the same room and gave it to me," Meagan repeated dully as she rolled her eyes.
Billie Joe nodded his head sharply. "Exactly." Somebody behind them yelled his name and Billie Joe yelled back. "Okay MJ, I gotta get back to sound check. Adie's with an English sponsor in the back if you want to go hang out there."
"Yeah," Meagan nodded. "I'll do that." She hugged him one more time quickly before watching run back to the stage. Meagan sighed and walked towards the backstage area, guided by little signs with arrows.
Billie Joe called Meagan 'MJ' because her middle name was Josephine and he liked to think she was named after him. 'MJ' was just his little nickname for her and nobody else called her that but him.
Meagan heard a laughter coming from a room down the hall. The laughter was fake but she knew who it was. Megan quickly went to the source. She knocked on the partially open door and a short woman with dark, dreadlocked hair turned around.
"Meagan!" She rushed over and squeezed her tightly. "How are you?"
"I'm good Aunt Adie," Meagan smiled at her beloved aunt. Adrienne was Billie Joe's wife and a, somewhat, second mother to Meagan.
Adrienne smiled and cradled Meagan's face in her hands. Adrienne and Billie Joe had the tendency to coddle and be very overprotective of Meagan. Adrienne let go of Meagan's face and took a hand. "This is Jonathan Williams, a representative of one of Green Day's sponsors and his son Landon," Adrienne motioned to a very well groomed pair of males, the younger smiling lightly to Meagan. "This is my niece Meagan. She's our babysitter, roadie, jack of all trades basically."
"How do you do?" Landon greeted as he took Meagan's hand and kissed the back of it.
"I do fine," Meagan muttered as she slid a glance to her aunt, trying to conceal her laughter.
"Would you do me the pleasure of going to get a cup of tea or coffee with me?" Landon asked smoothly.
"Uh, I don't think so. I just got in and I gotta get to work and all that," Meagan pushed some hair behind her ear nervously.
"Oh, well, there's not much of anything for you to do today," Adrienne said. "The kids aren't here yet and everything's set for the rest of the day. If you want to go you can."