Good Riddance || Billie Joe Armstrong

No One Knows *

(A/N: The 'present' in this story is 2004 not 2016)

Present

"Okay, I remember that night actually." Mary spoke while taking a sip of her coffee, "But I don't remember him for some reason."

My hand runs through my messy hair as I take in a deep breath, "That was the day we met. Everything was kept on the down low because of our age gap. Remember, I was sixteen at the time."

She nods slowly before looking up at me, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I haven't seen him in ten years Mary," I sigh, trying my best to avoid that topic. Even though I haven't spoken to him in all this time, I do keep tabs on him. It is mainly for my son though...

"So?" She gave me a weird look that I couldn't read, "You never truly get over someone that you loved. They always stay with you."

"Stop being right," I drop my face into my hands, shaking my head, "I had to leave him because something happened. Billie worked his ass off to keep everything from being traced back to me.

"Nicole," Her expression changed to one of seriousness, "What the hell are you not telling me?"

By now, we had an audience watching us, making me feel sick to my stomach. "Can we not talk about this here..."

"No you tell me-" She stops herself mid-sentence, taking notice of the eves droppers around us. "Sorry... let's go."

---

When we finally reach my small apartment, I quickly change into an old hoodie and yoga pants before taking a seat next to my friend on the couch. "What I am about to tell you may change your opinion on me forever. No one, not even my family, knows about this. Only Billie and I, well Trè and Mike know as well but that's irrelevant."

"Okay just get on with the story," She grabs my hands, "The suspense is killing me."

I take in a big breath, but the sound of someone else entering the apartment halts the conversation. "Hello?" A familiar voice shouts from the doorway causing my stomach to flip. "Lauren I know you're here. Your brother let me in."

"Fuck..." I quickly jump to my feet, "Get rid of him!" Before she has the chance to respond, I run to my bedroom, searching for a place to hide while Mary did her job.

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to intrude." The clarity of his voice told me that Billie made it to the living room, "Is this Laurens apartment, or did her brother take me to the wrong room?"

Footsteps come closer to the door, causing my anxiety to increase. I'm not ready to discuss anything with him just yet; I wouldn't even know what to say. "Oh, um... she's actually out at work right now. I'll let her know you came by?"

"Do you know when she'll be back?" His voice was higher, meaning he is desperate, "I really need to talk to her."

"Well, Nicole is a workaholic, so I honestly have no idea." Mary answered perfectly, "I crashed with her last night and she was gone when I got up."

"Alright." I didn't have to see him to know that he had picked up on the lie, "Just let her know I came by, I'm leaving for Europe in two days and I was hoping to catch up..."

Heavy footsteps start again, pausing for a second before the door slammed shut behind him. "He's gone, now get your ass out here and tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Alright!" I yell back, walking out of my hiding place, "So Billie and I met at the venue we worked at in 1993..."