Lillie Joe's POV
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Luna and I were currently begging on our knees in front of Mrs. And Mr. Jacobs to let us go to the seventh-grade party tonight.
"Please, Mom!" Luna begged while grabbing her mom's hands, "Dad, please let us go! We want to meet Green Day!"
"Mrs. Jacobs if you let us go, we'll-we'll- we'll end world hunger by banning starving!" I shouted.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs looked at each other and laughed in amusement at our begging.
"It starts and ends a little late, doesn't it?" Mrs. Jacobs asked.
"It starts at 7:45 and ends around midnight!" Luna answered.
"It's Friday! It's not a school night, please let us go!" I hopelessly begged.
"Will you and your classmates behave yourselves?" Mr. Jacobs asked.
"They only let the good kids go!" I said.
"They said that the kids who have the best grades and behavior are allowed to go and they'll be checking to see if someone who isn't allowed there, snuck in!" Luna exclaimed.
Mrs. Jacobs sighed, "Fine! But you're leaving at 11:45!"
Luna and I screamed loudly. Not squealed. SCREAMED.
"Alright! Alright!" Mr. Jacobs laughed, "Now get in and get the car so I can take you to school."
"OKAY!" Luna and I squealed, grabbed our bookbags and lunches, then raced to the car.
We dove in the backseat still giddy after getting permission to go to the party.
"I'm so excited!" Luna squealed.
"I am, too! I never thought I'd be able to go!" I exclaimed.
Mr. Jacobs finally entered the car and pulled off toward the school. I was looking out the window, wondering where Green Day currently was. Wondering where they live. Not their addresses, just the city or state they live in. I was so enthralled in my thoughts, that I didn't notice Luna watching me. I turned around to face her and she smiled at me then looked away. For some reason, I slightly felt my heart sink when she looked away from me. Like I wanted her to watch me.
For as long as I could remember, I always wanted Luna's attention on me. Before and after I realized I liked girls as much as i liked guys. I always thought of Luna as a beautiful girl. Her personality and beauty always pulled me to her. Like she was something metal I was a magnet. When I found out she liked me, I saw her differently. I used to look at her and then think nothing of it, but now whenever I look at her, I guess I don't want to look away. But, just so it's not awkward, I tore my gaze off her.
"Alright, have a great day, girls!" said Mr. Jacobs.
"Thank you!" Luna and I said in unison then exited the car.
Walking into the school, we spotted Matthew getting his belongings from his locker.
"Matthew!" We ran towards him.
"Oh! Hey, guys!" He smiled.
"I'm going to the party tonight!" I squealed.
"What?!" Matthew shouted happily, "No way! I can't believe it!"
"Yeah, Luna and I had to get on our knees and beg her parents."
"Oh my gosh, you guys are- wait, Luna's parents? What about your mom? Does she know about it? And why do you have all those bruises on you? What happened?"
Luna and I shared a look. I never told him about my mom and I wasn't planning to.
"I'm staying at Luna's house for a while. She was complaining about us not spending enough time together," I lied as Luna nodded in agreement.
Matthew shrugged in response and closed his locker.
"If you want, Matthew, you could come to my house after school so we all can get to the party at the same time," Luna offered.
Matthew nodded in response. As the bell rang, Luna walked to her class while Matthw and I walked to ours. We entered the classroom and sat down at our seats. Matthew turned to me.
"I can't believe you're still allowed to go to the party tonight even after cursing out Ash-Lynn," he laughed.
"Well I was not at fault there, AND I was standing up for someone," I explained.
"Yeah, well-" Matthew was about to speak but was interrupted by our teacher starting the lesson.
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3 classes later, it was my lunch period. Although Ash-Lynn wasn't going to be here for the rest of the week, I still sat with the girls who we normally sat with. Two of the girls are twins named Chara and Charity. I was friends with them before I met Ash-Lynn. As I approached the table, everyone smiled and greeted me.
"Are you going to the party tonight, Lillie Joe?" A girl named Charity asked.
"Yeah," I answered, "Luna and I had to get on our knees and beg her parents to let us go."
"Wait, why were you asking her parents? Shouldn't you have asked yours?" A different girl named Chara asked me.
"Yeah, but I'm staying at Luna's for a while. My mom is on a business trip," I lied but they bought it anyway.
"Ugh. I feel bad for you," Charity scoffed, "I don't like that Luna girl. She got Ash-Lynn suspended. Luna was talking about Ash-Lynn first, and she even called her a bitch. Ash-Lynn should be here, not Luna."
"Yeah, well Ash will be here in a week. She won't be gone forever, and I know this whole situation will blow over," I said.
"Oh my gosh, Luna!" exclaimed Chara, "you have all these bruises and cuts on you! What happened? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" I put on a fake smile to try to convince them that I was alright, "I just had a small accident."
The girls nodded and we continued having conversations and eating lunch.
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It was finally the end of the day. Luna, Matthew, and I agreed to meet up at my locker so we wouldn't get separated during dismissal. I wasn't waiting at my locker for long until I saw Luna and Matthew at the end of the hallway. I waved at them and they sprinted toward me.
"Hey, you guys ready?" I asked them.
They smiled and nodded in response. We walked to the exit and out to the car line. I spotted Luna's mom's tan SUV and led my friends to the car. Luna got into the passenger seat while Matthew and I got in the back.
"Hey, guys!" Mrs. Jacobs greeted us with a cheerful smile.
"Hey, Mrs. Jacobs," Matthew and I said in unison.
"Hi, Mom," greeted Luna.
"You guys ready for the party tonight?" She asked us.
"Yeah!" We all cheered.
"I can't believe we get to see Green Day in person in four hours!" Luna squealed, then turned toward me, "We have to pick out our outfits together!"
"Of course," I laughed.
"I guess I'll wear what I'm wearing right now," said Matthew.
"Or, I can drive you to your house and you can pick up what you want to wear and then change at my house?" offered Mrs. Jacobs.
"I like that plan," Matthew smiled, "Thanks, Mrs. J."
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We arrived at Luna's house after taking Matthew to his so he could pick up his clothes. Me and Luna got ready in her room while Jacob took the guest room. We all took showers and got dressed. Luna and her mom helped me put makeup over my cuts and bruises while Matthew was in the shower so he wouldn't see them.
After he got out and got dressed, Mrs. Jacobs took us to the supermarket so we could make snacks to bring to the party. We bought soda, juice, water, chips, and desserts. The party started in half an hour, but we had one last stop to make. We had to go and buy towels. Our school is near a hill that Matthew and I loved laying on to stargaze. We wanted to bring Luna there for the first time to experience the beauty with us.
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40 minutes later, we were at the school. We were sitting in the parking lot waiting for Mrs. Jacobs to unlock the door and let us out. She was currently interrogating us and making sure we had everything with us.
"Do you have your school IDs?" She asked.
With a sigh, the three of us checked our pockets for our IDs and answered, "Yes."
"Are your phones fully charged?"
We checked our phones' batteries, "Yes."
"Can we go, yet, Mom?"
Mrs. Jacobs sighed, "Fine- wait! Do you have your-"
I didn't hear the rest of the question because I was distracted by the three vehicles that had parked next to ours. It was three motorcycles. The sound distracted my friends and Mrs. Jacobs as well because they were also just staring. But, what distracted us was the people who hopped off the bikes.
The first person to remove their motorcycle helmet and hop off the bike was Mike Dirnt. The next person was Tre Cool. And lastly, in the middle, was Billie Joe Armstrong.
Mike looked around and saw our car. He spotted Mrs. Jacobs, Matthew, and Luna gawking at them then smiled. When he finally looked at me, he was about to smile but sent me a confused look. I sent one back. Why was he looking at me like that? Did he recognize me from something? Did my mom call the police on me for stabbing her in the face and now I'm on the news and people are looking for me?
Mike nudged Tré's arm, grabbing his attention, then pointed at me. Tré seemed stunned when he looked at me. In embarrassment, I looked down. Was I ugly? Did they not like me? What did I do wrong?
I looked back up to see Billie Joe sending them angry looks. He looked back at me, smiled then waved. Shocked, and still embarrassed, I waved back. Billie's smile grew which made mine grow, too. The three guys walked away from the car and into the school.
"Lillie Joe!" Luna squealed, "What the hell was that?!"
"Green Day just... looked at you!" Matthew added.
"Why did Mike and Tré look at you like that?"
"How did you grab their attention?"
"That was so cool!"
"That was amazing!"
Mrs. Jacobs finally unlocked our door and let us out. We said goodbye and then headed to the school's gates. We showed the security guard our school IDs and then headed inside. We saw a table with snacks on it and set our food there, then started enjoying the party. The party was outside in the courtyard. It was very bright because of the campfire and the fairy lights that were hung all over the place. Some boys were playing basketball on the court and some girls were sitting on their towels on the ground doing each other's hair and makeup. Everyone was walking around and socializing with their friends.
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10 minutes later, Green Day was introduced to us and they started playing music. The first song they played was Basket Case, and Mike and Tré would not stop staring at me. Billie Joe would even look at me once or twice. Luna and Matthew noticed this and teased me throughout Green Day's performances.
Green Day took a short break during their show to interact with their fans. I saw Mike and Tré pull Billie Joe aside to talk about something. Although I pretended not to notice, I saw their eyes repeatedly make their way to mine. They were talking about me? Why?
Green Day made their way back to the center of the courtyard, grabbed their instruments, and started playing Viva La Gloria. This time Mike and Tré looked anywhere beside me. It was Billie Joe who wouldn't stop staring at me.
"Hey Gloria, are you standing close to the edge?
Look out at the setting sun
Brink of your vision
Eternal youth
Is the landscape of a lie
As he sang, I was hit with a flash of memories. Memories with people whose faces were cut off. Who were they? And why was I remembering them?
The cracks of my skin can prove
As the years will testify
Say your prayers and light a fire
We're going to start a war
Your slogans a gun for hire
It's what we waited for
Hey Gloria
This is why we're on the edge
The fight of our lives been drawn to
This undying love
Gloria, viva la Gloria
You blast your name
In graffiti on the walls
Falling in broken glass and
Slashing through these spirits
I can hear it like a jilted crowd
Gloria, where are you Gloria?
You found a home
In all your scars and ammunition
You made your bed in salad days
Amongst the ruins
Ashes to ashes of our youth
She smashed her knuckles into winter
As autumns wind fades into black
She is the saint of all the sinners
The one that's fallen through the cracks
So don't put away, your burning light
Gloria, where are you are Gloria
Don't lose your faith
To you lost naivety
Weather the storm and don't look
Back on last November
When your banners were burning down
Gloria, viva la Gloria
Send me your amnesty down
To the broken hearted
Bring us the season
That we always will remember
Don't let the bonfires go out
I didn't get to watch him finish the song because I was distracted by a vibrating feeling coming from my phone. I broke eye contact with Billie Joe to check the notification.
It was a text.
From my mom.
It read, 'I found you.'
My whole world sank in fear. I looked around but didn't see her. Until I looked back at Billie Joe. He sent me a worried look. I saw a figure behind him. It was my mom. And she had scissors. I felt a tear fall from my eye. Billie Joe looked to where I was looking but she was gone when he turned around. And so was I. I ran. I ran into the school and sat against the lockers. I could still hear Billie's voice sing.
So Gloria,
Send out your message of
The light that shadows in the night.
Gloria, where's your undying love?
Tell me the story of your life, your life!"
I took a couple of deep breaths and then started singing a song I hadn't sung in a long time that always calmed me down.
"Sing us a song of the century
Seems like American Eulogy
The dawn of my love and conspiracy
Forgotten Hope and the Class of '13
Tell me a story into that goodnight
Sing us a song for me."
Finishing the song, I heard a pair of footsteps running toward me. I put my head in my hands and cried, thinking it was my mom coming after me. But it wasn't.
"Hey, kid?" A voice called
I looked up to see Billie Joe Armstrong. I quickly wiped my tears and stood up.
"Hi," he greeted me while I waved hesitantly, "Uh, my name is Billie, and I'm freaking out. How do you... How do you know that song?"
I stood there for a second, still trying to process that Billie Joe Armstrong was speaking to me. I finally registered his question and fished out my phone. I found a video of my dad singing to me when I was three years old. The song was named Song of the Century. I reached out to hand Billie Joe my phone. He looked at it skeptically, but eventually took it and played the video.
Halfway through it, Billie's eyes were filled with tears and his hand was brought to his mouth. He looked me dead in the eyes and asked.
"Lillie Joe?"
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