~No One Knows~ A Green Day Story

•Chapter Seventeen•

The smile on my face vanishes when I wake up and realize that Mike wasn't actually laying next to me. I close my eyes again and groan at the realization. It just wasn't fair.

I sit up and have to face that today is just another day as I walk downstairs to unite with some food.

Blueberry pancakes made my mouth water at the smell of them, and I think about sharing them with Mike. He used to love blueberry pancakes when we were kids.

"Happy birthday!!" I'm surprised as Mom appears at the bottom of the steps with a plate of pancakes just for me.

I had been so distracted lately that I hadn't even remembered my own birthday.

I blink a few times and rub my eyes, starting to hear things as I recognize the sound of Mike's voice.

"Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday, child" Mom laughs and I shake my head in a lie.

"No, it's not that. I just still wasn't fully awake and thought I was hearing things" Except I would learn that I wasn't hearing things as Mike appeared behind mom and a smile forced it's way onto my lips.

"Happy birthday, V" I nod slowly and thank him quietly, our eye contact not breaking as Mom looked between us and my mouth felt dry.

"Okay. Breakfast is on the table whenever you're ready" Mom disappears with a smile on her face and I continue to stare at him as long as he let me.

"You hungry?" In fact, my mouth was watering.

"Very" I sigh, my thoughts traveling back to my dream.

"I meant for breakfast, V" I shrug it off and send him a look over my shoulder as I walk into the kitchen.

"What did you think I meant?" He smiles.

"The tone of your voice sounded like you were hungry for something else, that's all" I grin at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter" We share a laugh before I skip into the kitchen and lick my lips at the heaping plate of my favorite food.

I don't even remember the last time I had blueberry pancakes. I don't even remember the last birthday I spent at home. 

*Mike's POV*

She skipped to the table and sat down with a plop, digging into her pancakes.

I just sat there and watched her eat, afraid to say anything that might throw Billie off.

The twerp sat there and stared at Velvet like she was some piece of trash, that same look he had given her since she was born. 

"How are you, Michael? You're quiet" Ollie had called me Michael since she knew me and I couldn't get her to stop. Although this is the woman I had the most respect for other than Velvet. She was like my own mother and I loved her.

"Fine. I'm fine. Just a little tired. I was up late last night and kinda distracted with this project I'm doing. I couldn't focus" Everything I said was true and Velvet knew it. She smiled and looked to be fighting a laugh as she shoved another forkful of pancake into her mouth. 

"A project, huh? Tell me all about it" Ollie takes her own plate now and sits next to Velvet.

"I'm fixing up this old truck and trying to get it to run again. It's gonna take a lot of work though" Ollie seems genuinely interested as she nudges Velvet's shoulder.

"When he gets done maybe he'll teach you to drive stick. What do you think?" Ollie looks between me and her and I shrug.

"If she's up for the challenge" Velvet eyes me.

"Oh, I'm up for the challenge alright. I'll even help you fix the thing if you don't believe me" Ollie laughs at Velvet's determination, but I knew as well as Velvet did that she wouldn't be helping me on that truck.

With her around, that truck was bound to never get done. And I was okay with it.

"What do you say, Mom? I can learn to work on his truck with him and Mike can keep an eye on me at the same time to make sure I don't go running off or something. You've known Mike for years, he's trustworthy. Right?" Ollie is surprised at her daughter's determination.

"It's like having a job, just without pay. It beats sitting in the house all day" Velvet continues to back up her argument and Ollie nods nonchalantly.

"If you're up for it, I suppose. A little elbow grease wouldn't hurt you" Velvet nods as she looks at me.

"I agree" This truck was never going to get done. 

****

"Where do the spark plugs go again?" Velvet leans over the hood of the truck as I sit on the inside working on the interior.

I had never imagined her actually wanting to work on the truck, but with her help, it's come a long way. She would learn to drive it soon and then our summer's would consist of more fun than just working on the truck together. 

Hopping out of the truck, I walk behind her and grab her hands to guide them where the plugs should go.

"There" I kiss her ear and help her get them into place.

She looks at me out of the corner of her eye and I kiss her neck quickly.

She giggles and I tickle her ribs, making her burst with laughter.

"Mike, stop! I can't....I can't breathe!" She gasps for air in between laughs, and as she rolls on the floor to try and get away, I press the garage door and make it descend. 

She pushes my shoulder into the concrete and sits on my stomach, her hair falling around us as she glared at me with a challenging look in her eye.

"Are you ticklish?" She asks in a playful tone, the excitement traveling everywhere in my body.

"Find out" She smiles at me and stands up to retrieve the part she had been working on.

"Tempting. But no. You need discipline" I still just lay there on the cool concrete, staring at the ceiling. 

"Discipline? That's for kids. I'm a grown man" She nods, standing on her toes and bending over the hood to snap something into place.

"Are you going to lay there and enjoy the view or are you going to help me?" I close my eyes and put my arms behind my head.

"I think I'll enjoy the view for a little while" She throws an oily rag on my face and I laugh as I brush it off and stand up.

"I'm kidding. I'll help you" I sigh, imagining what this truck will look like completed.

I imagined the windows fogged up and her hair spread around us on the leather seat. Our clothes would be hanging off the stick shift and steering wheel and we'd be covered in each other's sweat. Curse words and hot whispers would linger in the air and our hearts would be pounding so hard that we could hear them with the crickets.

"What are you thinking about right now?" She sends a knowing smile as I wipe of some parts and show them where they go.

"This piece of shit being finished. That's what I'm thinking about" She didn't seem too convinced by my answer, but I only wondered if she thought the same thing sometimes.

"It'll be finished someday, and then I'll have to come up with another excuse to spend more time with you. Start thinking of another project" And I did. I started thinking hard.

There was no way I was going through the hell of fixing up another vehicle. I just had to have some kind of way to get her with me and at a believable stand point.