And the Stars up Above - Chapter 3

April 7th, 1986
Billie Joe

“Hey Bill?” Mike said while strumming his guitar. Billie Joe stopped strumming his and turned his head to Mike. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.” Billie continued to stare; he had no idea what Mike was talking about. Billie had said a lot of things to Mike, how was he supposed to know what he meant?
“You know, about… about me switching to the bass?” Mike said, a bit uncertain. Billie Joe nodded and hoped that Mike had changed his mind.
“Well, I think it’s a pretty good idea. I mean, we probably won’t find a bassist and you’re way better than me with the guitar. And it’s only four strings, how hard can it be?” Mike said. Billie’s heart started to beat faster.
“But…” Mike continued and Billie’s heart started to beat at normal pace again, there was always a ‘but’ with Mike. How could Billie actually believe that it would have been that easy?
“you have to sing.” This time, Billie’s heart almost stopped completely. Sing? Billie couldn’t sing, he never sang in the presence of anybody but Mike and his mum. Nobody else could ever hear him sing, he didn’t like to sing, and he sings like crap! Or at least, that’s what Billie thought he did.
“No” he simply said and started strumming his guitar again, not looking at Mike anymore.
“Come on Billie, you wanted a bassist right? Well you’ve got one right here. And you wanted a singer too, didn’t you? Believe it or not but you’ve got one of that too. Right over there, where you’re sitting.” Mike looked at him, stared at him and made Billie Joe feel uneasy. Too much blue, too much blue, too much blue…
Billie looked away; he thought that if he continued to look Mike in the eyes for much longer he would disappear. And while staring at the floor, Billie opened his mouth to answer, but was cut of before he could say anything. Brad, Billie Joe’s dreadful stepfather, popped his head in through the door opening.
“Dinner’s ready.” he said and left again, not wasting any more of “his precious time” on these “worthless boys”. Billie stood up, put down his guitar and left the room with a “come on”. Mike followed, with a sigh. Billie knew that sigh very well; he had heard it many times during the last four years since Mike had obtained the place as Billie Joe’s best friend. It meant that Billie Joe hadn’t done what Mike wanted him to. But it also meant that Billie sooner or later would do what ever Mike meant, though Billie didn’t think that Mike knew about the last effect of it himself.
Billie didn’t know why, but that sigh affected him, just like the disappointed and sad look that came with it did.

Billie Joe was quite certain that Mike’s eyes possessed some kind of magical power.