Drunk in Paris

Point de Vue de Billie Joe.

“She kind of floats doesn’t she?”
I turned as Tre leaned on the kitchen counter next to me, smirking as he sipped from his beer. My eyes wandered to Ava for about the 50th time tonight.
“I know what you mean; she has like this air around her.” I twirled my own beer over my crossed arms, drawing a circle in thin air.
She was currently talking to Brittany and a few other people. Everyone seemed to be looking at her; she definitely stood out amongst the normal jeans and shirts. I enjoyed just watching her, I loved how she was so different, and it’s probably why I was so drawn to her in the first place. Tre was right though, that crimson red dress gave the illusion that she was almost floating, it also had the effect of a traffic light. It just seemed to make everyone and everything around her stop, including time.

“What did you guys do today?” Tre asked over the thumping music from the other room.
I smiled, “Oh nothing, we kinda just stayed in bed all day.”
My drummer’s eyebrow rose and a dirty smirk grew at the corner of his mouth, blue eyes glinting wildly.
“Really? I thought you weren’t ready? Didn’t you freak last time?”
“Yeah, but for some reason as I freaked, she kind of, I dunno…Its hard to explain ya know? She kind of looked at me and…I dunno…I felt well…fine…if you know what I mean.”
Tre nodded, “Well your dick probably thought it was Christmas”
I laughed as Jason came over and joined us, Tre and I both nodding in appreciation.

“What ya doin?” He asked shifting a hand through his hair. I was quite glad he had moved the topic away from my sex life. Tre had been going on about it for ages, saying that I needed to get laid; I don’t think he understood…it was his way of trying to help, but after a while his and Mike’s constant bantering became slightly degrading. I wasn’t like Tre, a one night stand wouldn’t make me feel better, I needed something stable and maybe I had found it…

“Talking about Frenchie” Tre answered Jason, making me jump from my thoughts.
“Janna has just decided to attack her and ask her where she got her dress from; she said she felt completely under- dressed next to her.”
I chuckled, oddly proud, “I feel under dressed compared to her… she goes out like that to the grocery store.”
“That’s unusual, Billie being over-dressed by someone, you met your match” Jason cackled.
“If I were a chick I’d do that...” Tre stated seriously.
We both turned to look at the drummer, disturbed frowns on our faces.
“...That or a bikini so I could check myself out”
I shook my head grinning as Jason laughed, “You do that anyway.”
We stood for a moment, sipping from our beers and watching the people walking in and out of the room, chatting away and getting drinks ahead of the pre-party chaos.

“Mike reckons that the guy from Reprise should talk to Ava because they are both English and well, you know, Ava is a bit posh.”
I turned to Jason, “Just coz there from England it doesn’t mean that they will know each other, he’s such a tit, just because Mike's gotten lumbered with him, it's his own fault.”
Jason shrugged, “I’m off to prize my wife away from that dress before she literally rips it off the poor girl.”
“I’d pay to see that” Tre wiggled his eyebrows and followed the guitarist. I sighed as I pulled another beer from the fridge, wondering how long it would take for the usual madness to start.
I chuckled to myself guessing that the first thing to break will be Brittany’s antique vase and Tre would most likely be the culprit. I turned quickly to smack into Mike and some other guy, who I assumed was the label dude.
“Hey Bill, this is Jeff Hughes from Reprise, Jeff this is Billie Joe Armstrong.”
I shook the guy’s hand, strong cologne wafting form his powerful looking suit. I cocked my eyebrow, wondering how long he would last at this party.
“Hello Mr. Armstrong, I must congratulate you on a cracking tour, you need no introduction of course.”
I smiled at him, glancing at Mike, the fucker was trying to palm this guy off on me…I knew him too well…any minute now…

“TRE! GET AWAY FROM THE MICROWAVE!”

I sighed; I suppose he had a plausible reason to abandon me with Mr. English.

“Do you... would you like a drink?” I asked him as he glanced around the room, taking everything in, looking slightly uncomfortable and fascinated at the same time. I sighed again; he was obviously here out of pure curiosity. I decided I may as well try and get him as drunk as possible.
“Yes please, I’ll err, I’ll have a beer.”
I nodded, handing him a cold bottle, relived he didn’t say cognac or something.
I reassumed my position against the kitchen counter top, he copied me, nervously glancing behind him encase there was anything there to damage his suit.
“I’da thought you would all be too exhausted from the tour to have a party.”
I smiled at him politely, “Oh no, never too tired, it takes us a few days to calm down when we get home now we're a bit older ya know? But then we're pretty much back to our old selves again”
He nodded with interest, I usually hated these guys, but for some reason this one came across as quite normal, a little restricted but relatively normal. Maybe I was just a sucker for a good British accent.
Oh and speaking of, here’s one that made my insides melt…

Ava walked back into the kitchen, trailing Brittany and laughing with another two girls. Jeff sat up a little straighter, and I tore my eyes away from her to watch his reaction. I smirked as his gaze trailed her path; she turned her head and beamed at me before following the group into the garden. I was ecstatic that she had fitted in so well. I must admit I was nervous bringing her to this group of hyenas, but despite, as Tre put it, “her posh-ness” she seemed to just…well…assimilate.

Jeff turned to me as I smiled back at her.
“Who’s that amazing little creature?”
I jumped, trying to withhold a laugh, feeling an odd swell of pride once again.
“That’s Ava, I’m kind of with her” I felt my grin widen.
Jeff raised his bushy eyebrows, “She looks familiar…”
I shrugged, wondering where Mike was; when you have friends like him and Tre you find that you get bored of people like this quite quickly.

That’s another reason why I surprised myself with Ava, I never got bored, despite her being so different from my other friends…

Jeff suddenly turned to me and grabbed my arm in shock, “Do you know Richard Hamilton?”
I frowned, shaking my head, slightly worried at his sudden outburst.
“Then how did you…?”
He looked after Ava; I stood away from the kitchen counter, getting more confused by the minute, shaking away from his grip. What the fuck was he talking about?
“How…You said that her name was Ava right?”
I nodded, “Do you know her ? She is English too...”
Jeff’s face suddenly wound into a sickening smile.
“I wish I did…how long is she here?”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise at him, “Err…just for the week…”
“A week? Christ, how much is that costing you?”
Was this guy thoroughly insane?
“Err…nothing”
Jeff frowned in confusion at me, “What?”
I popped my empty beer on the side of the counter, “I’m not following you man”
He chuckled, “How did you work that out then? Are you not one of her clients?”

It suddenly clicked; I’m such a moron, fucking English beating around the bush.
“Oh, no, no, she isn’t my psychiatrist”
Jeff laughed harder, sipping from his beer, “You yanks crack me up… is that what you call it over here?”
A cloud of confusion hit me again, “Call what?”
“What Ava is…”
I leaned closer to him, a funny feeling developing in the pit of my stomach.
Jeff chuckled uncomfortably, his face suddenly falling at my blank expression…
“Oh Shit, mate, you don’t know do you?”
I felt like I would be sick, I shook my head slowly, hanging on to his every word.
“Ava…Ava’s no psychiatrist mate…”