~No One Knows~ A Green Day Story

•Chapter Thirty Two •

I watch Velvet stare at me over her cards. She's been trying to teach me how to play poker, but with her in nothing but a big shirt, and I mean nothing, paying attention to rules is a little hard. The shirt came to her knees, but it showed off her smooth legs, fresh out of the shower.

"Let me see your cards, I'll show you what to lay down and what not to lay down" I show them to her, and she tells me to lay down my two of clubs instead of my ten of hearts. I was so confused, nothing was making sense. The only thing that was making sense was that I needed her to get more clothes on before I would understand anything.

As she starts to lay down a card, I wrap my fingers around her ankle and pull her towards me. She pulls back with a whine, and I mock her.

"Cry baby" I mumble, her eyebrow shooting up as she smirks.

"Whiny ass" I smirk back at her, and hers turns into a big goofy grin as she messes our cards up and sweeps them onto the floor, our lips meeting for a rough kiss.

****Velvet's POV****

"Yeah, sure Billie. I'll call you if I do. Go have fun now..." I sigh at the crying baby and Joey who is pulling on my pant leg. "Take your time..." I finish weakly, sighing in defeat as I closed the door and wished for Mike to somehow make Jakob stop crying.

It's my first time babysitting alone, and I say alone because I've never babysat anyone in my life.

By the way Mike still hadn't gotten Jakob to stop crying, I wonder if this is his first time to. I remember Joey pulling on my pant leg and hoist him onto him, interrupting him saying "Auntie V" for the last five minutes.

"Alright, Joe. What is it? What do you need, huh? Wasn't that coloring book enough to keep you busy for a while?" I ask, looking at the clock and wondering if Billie's date with Adrienne would only last a few hours.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my nephews, but they were stressing the hell out of me. I should've turned Billie down when I had the chance this morning, but it was early and I was half awake and being gracious, oddly enough. So I agreed.

"Coloring books are for babies, Auntie V. I'm almost five" Joey looks at me with big brown, innocent eyes, and I take a breather, opening my eyes when he tugs at my nose ring.

"Don't do that, Joe. You might rip it out. Didn't your Dad ever tell you not to touch his?" Finally the baby stops crying, and I'm given a few seconds of mostly quiet.

"It's Joey, Auntie V. Come play with me" Joey ignores my question, and I glance desperately at Mike, getting a look back that meant I was all on my own with this one.

"Gee thanks, you're such a help" Mike puts a finger to his lips, holding Jakob on his lap who had just shut his little eyes.

"What do you mean, Auntie V?" Joey asks, making me look down at him and shake my head.

"Nothing, Joe. I was speaking to Mike. What game would you like to play?" I set him down on his own two feet, my hip aching from holding him so long.

"Daddy plays basketball with me" Joey runs, picking up a small rubber ball and mentioning it towards the tiny plastic basketball hoop.

I glance back at the sleeping baby, sheepishly shrugging.

"Maybe something quieter?" Joey frowns, but only for a minute as he looks excited and drags a blanket from the couch and throws it over top.

"We can make a fort. Me and Daddy make forts all the time, but we don't let Mommy in because girls have cooties. But...you don't have cooties, Auntie V. Me and you can make one together and Daddy doesn't have to know" I sigh, giving up as my hands fall to my sides.

"Fine. I'll make a fort with you. Let's just hope Daddy gets back soon from his date with Mommy" Joey looks confused at first as to why I said that, but quickly brushes it off as I help him make the fort.

"Daddy says you and Uncle Mike are just boyfriend and girlfriend, that you guys go on dates and stuff" Joey looks interested, but I don't really find fun in explaining my relationships to people. Especially four year olds who won't understand anyways.

"Yeah? Why does Daddy talk about us?" I ask, trying to cool down the beginning of a blazing inferno in my stomach.

No matter how much Billie wanted to pretend, I knew he would never accept me and Mike. It was just a thing with him.

Joey glances back at Mike who is busy scrolling through his phone. Joey motions me down to him, whispering in my ear;

"Daddy says you and Uncle Mike won't last. He says you guys are just puppy love and that it won't amount to nothing" Joey pulls away from my ear, and the inferno begins.

But it's not as strong as it usually would be. Now I have to consider things myself. Like maybe what if Billie was right? What if this was just some puppy love thing between me and him? Billie was older and has more experience.

He was with this one girl a long time ago that everyone thought they would get married. They talked so fondly of each other and looked inseparable, like me and Mike do now. I come back four years later, and now Billie is married to a different girl with two children. So what does that say about us?

I try not and let it bother me too much as I continue to help Joey make the fort, crawling in between the two couches and staring up at the blanket as if it were the night sky.

It was relaxing. Maybe this is just what I needed sometimes, to make a fort and stare at the ceiling.

I close my eyes, drifting to far off places in my mind, wondering if I'm somehow making the right choices.