Pulling Teeth(a billie joe armstrong story)

New Discoveries

Maxine slumped against the bedroom wall, her body aching from the hours of tension that had finally caught up to her. Jess's small bedroom, cluttered with posters and knick-knacks, had become her sanctuary, the one place where the outside world—her adoptive parents—couldn't reach her. The faint scent of incense filled the room, and the soft glow of a desk lamp cast long shadows on the walls, lending a false sense of calm to the chaos swirling in her mind.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly as if trying to hold herself together. The events of the night felt surreal. Just a few hours ago, she had been dodging her adoptive parents' attempts to stop her, their angry voices still echoing in her head. Now, she was safe—but safety brought with it a new kind of fear. What now? Where would she go from here?

Jess sat on the edge of her bed, her laptop propped on her legs, eyes glued to the screen. Maxine could see the reflection of endless pages and articles flickering in Jess's glasses as she searched for any lead, any clue that could connect Maxine to her biological parents. The quiet click of the keyboard was the only sound in the room, aside from the steady hum of the ceiling fan.

Jess was deep in concentration, but Maxine could feel her friend's determination radiating across the room.

After what felt like an eternity, Jess finally looked up. "Max," she said softly, breaking the silence, "have you ever thought about... you know, trying to find your real parents?"

Maxine swallowed hard. The thought had crossed her mind a thousand times, but she had always pushed it away. Her adoptive parents had been so adamant that her biological parents didn't want her, that she was better off without them. The idea of searching for them felt like chasing a ghost. And yet, sitting here in Jess's room, far away from the suffocating control of her adoptive parents, the thought had a new kind of appeal.

"I don't know," Maxine murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "They always told me my real parents didn't care. That they were never in one place, always moving. Maybe that's why they gave me up."

Jess furrowed her brow, her fingers still poised over the keyboard. "Never in one place? That sounds like they were traveling a lot. What if..." She hesitated, her mind clearly racing with ideas. "What if they were musicians? Maybe they were on tour or something."

Maxine raised an eyebrow, the idea both absurd and oddly plausible. "Musicians?" she repeated, her voice dripping with skepticism.

"Yeah! Think about it—people in bands travel all the time. What if your parents were in a band?"

Maxine snorted softly. "I mean, I guess it's possible... but how would we even figure that out?"

Jess didn't answer right away. Instead, she clicked away at her keyboard, her face illuminated by the blue glow of the desktop. After a few moments, she spoke again, her tone more excited this time. "Let's start with your birthday. If your birth was connected to something big—like, I don't know, a famous musician or something—maybe there's an article or a mention of it online."

Maxine's heart raced as Jess typed her birthday into the search engine. The seconds felt like hours as they both stared at the screen, waiting for something—anything—to appear. Most of the results were junk: astrology blogs, birthday party ideas, random links that had nothing to do with her.

But then, something caught Jess's eye.

"Wait..." Jess's voice trailed off as she clicked on a link near the bottom of the page. Maxine leaned closer, her stomach knotting with anticipation. The headline read:

"Fiancé of Rock Star Gives Child Up for Adoption—Fans Outraged."

Maxine froze. The words hit her like a punch to the gut, sending a wave of disbelief crashing over her. "What... what is this?" she whispered, her voice trembling.