"Billie Joe would you look at this," I sighed, dropping the new magazine on the coffee table as it slapped in front. He looked away from the other shitty magazine he was reading over at mine.

"Bought me a mag? Too kind,"

"Look at it,"

He sighed, closing his as he sat up picking it up.

And once again on the front cover there we were. If you can also spot half of Tre in the background. There we were exiting the airport just the other day. All our luggage, Billies sun glasses on which obviously weren't enough.

I'd spotted it in a store, it was so odd to see myself it caught me in a spin for a second. So I bought it, hoping the cashier wouldn't raise questions that it was me on the cover hooking on to Billie Joe Armstrong's arm.

"Wasn't this just the other day?" He scrunched his nose up a little weirded out, looking back up at me.

"How long are they gonna keep calling me mystery girl? I do have a name,"

"Well they don't know your name," He shrugged, placing the magazine back as he leaned into the sofa once again. Crossing one leg over the other as he crossed his arms and looked up at me.

"Alright. Yeah course- but just mystery lady? Really? How cliche,"

"Hey- at least you look good there," He smiled, uncrossing his arms as he pointed one finger to the magazine.

"The comments flattering Billie, but the creepiness of Paparazzi is kinda over riding,"

"Thought I'd give it a shot,"

"Appreciated,"

"Alright." He nodded, re crossing his arms as I dropped myself beside him. "Soon enough, you'll find it gets progressively creepier,"

"Don't tell me that,"

"I'm just warning and preparing you,"

"How then?"

He looked away, scrunching his lips up to the side as he thought. "Well," he finally glanced back. "They stop you in the street, which is- y'know- not a big deal. But sometimes it comes to police men pulling you over to get a picture for their daughters and crazy stalkers,"

This wasn't making me feel better. If anything I felt sick and I wanted to go home.

Not home with out Billie. Not home in New Jersey. Kinda home back with mom and dad. When we were teenagers. That home.

I mean sure, I didn't think it was true that was home. But now it's gone- it's missed. I liked hanging around with Billie and not being paranoid of total strangers. That we could go anywhere and no one would randomly pull him up and ask for a selfie together. I missed old times.

"This isn't easy at all,"

I think my sentence came out wrong? I got the sense beside me Billie took offence. I felt him move beside me, uncrossing his arms, moving his leg back from over his leg and leaning forward. "What isn't?"

"Riding on your fame Billie. It's not easy,"

"I think that takes the cake for most spoilt comment I've heard in a while,"

"That's not what I meant." I sighed, pivoting my body so I could be facing him and not just beside him. "I didn't mean riding on your fame. I meant, I don't like being caught in this cross fire,"

"Cross fire?"

"Yes. Cross fire,"

"Echo, I worked for this fame. If you don't like it that's fine, you don't have to be here,"

I knew that sentence wasn't him breaking up with me or anything serious. He was just stating I didn't have to be with him right now. But it kinda hurt?

"No. No no Billie that's not what I meant. I know you're taking offence to what I'm saying so I'll say this again for you. I love you Billie. It's not you I'm complaining about here. It's not the touring. It's just the attention on me, the eyes, the pressure and- well it's scary,"

I think he understood. Which made me feel a little relieved when his eyebrows released from being furrowed. He gave me a tight smile. "It's scary isn't it?"

My eyebrows twitched. I didn't understand.

"Y'know even after years and years of it," He began. "Even I'm still not use to this shit. The photos, the headlines, the crowds, the people, the everything. It's scary being up so high, because if you fail up there everyone's got a good spot to see. But. This is what I wanted. And this is what I love,"

I wanted Billie. I loved Billie. None of this'd be easy, and it wasn't me deciding if I was gonna just ditch this life off. It was just me being honest. But he reminded me that I'd begged for this for years to be back with him. The me I was when I left Billie on that coach would slap the me I am today.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Alright. I'm just not use to it yet,"

"And plus. You haven't even got to experience the good part of riding on my fame yet," He nudged me.

"Oh come on Billie Joe. Y'know that's not what I meant," I chuckled, nudging him back with my shoulder. "And what is that even suppose to mean,"

"It means," He grinned, stretching out the word 'means'. "That there's something for you when we get to California,"

"There is?"

"There certainly is,"

"What? What is?"

"What? I'm not gonna tell you- Echo it's a surprise,"

"You're telling me you've told me this now to wait ages for when we actually get to California?" I raised my eyebrows expressively, self pity coming from the impatient part of myself.

"It's to cheer you up- y'know? Keep you wondering,"

"Hints?"

"No hints,"

"Really? Not one?"

"No hints." He repeated beaming, leaning closer to my face. "Just patience." Before kissing my cheek and getting up off the sofa, walking somewhere else.

~

Here I am again in the back stage as Billie, Mike and Tre preform. I kept looking up at the tv from where I was sat. A long sofa opposite, my legs crossed as I heavily sketch on a note pad Billie donated to keep me busy.

Their song faded out, guitar strings buzzing through amps and speakers before Billie flipped his hair out his way. Sweaty and smiling. "Before finishing tonight," He began through the microphone. I placed the notebook down focusing.

He placed his guitar down just right beside him on the floor before he walked away. Further back on stage he grabbed something that was on top of a speaker. Bringing it back to the microphone clutched in his hand.

He rolled out what it was, the camera zooms in. Shaking trying to focus on the magazine in Billies hand. The one I had gotten earlier. And I paused, what was he doing?

"Recently, I've been on a few covers of a few magazines with whose been referred to as a new mystery lady," He continued. Everyone cheering although not knowing what he was actually going on about. "And there's a few things I wanna clear up,"

I uncrossed my legs leaning closer to the screen. What an earth was he going?

"She's not new." he stated. "She was the girl who I'd based she off years and years ago. She's a lot of what's behind my songs, old and new, she thinks these magazine covers and cliche and creepy and she's actually here tonight,"

He wasn't going to drag me on stage, surely. I'm too terrified for that he knows that- right?

The crowd was cheering so loud I could hear them through the TV and the walls of the room I was sat in. That's when Billie pointed one finger up at the crowd before dropping the magazine and walking away. Saying something to Mike as he passed him. And I stood up realising.

"Oh no," I breathed out, pushing my hair out of my face. How did I even look? I bet I look a mess. Definitely not decent enough to be introduced as Billie Joe Armstrongs girlfriend.

That's when the door opened and I looked straight at Billie Joe with wide eyes. "No way,"

He smiled, beads of sweat on his forehead and his hair shiny as he bobbed his head back with a chuckle before walking over and grabbing my hand.

I pushed my shoes into the floor trying to pause when he looked over. I could hear the crowd far better now with that door open.

"What?" He questioned clueless, big eyes looking over at me.

"What are you doing?"

Then he broke a smile, one big and goofy that made me loose focus on trying to stay where I was. "Introducing you." He grinned, successfully dragging me out the room.

I squirmed with my hands in his down the whole hallway beginning him not to make me go on, but from where we was everything was so loud I knew he couldn't hear me If I was barley audible to myself.

Then he pulled me out on stage. Flashing lights everywhere and people screaming. Cameras all around and Billies hand still holding mine. I felt nauseated by the number of people out there right now.

This is so not gonna go down well on the Mae situation.

The crowds cheering hurt my ears, the lights blinding my eyes partly as I looked over at Billie who was beside me.

"This is the mystery girl on the cover," He took the microphone, I winced at the volume it created as he continued. "Her name is Echo Green. And yes she is my girlfriend," He chuckled. Before looking over back at me. "Do you have a lighter?"

I brought my brows far down. "A lighter?"

"Someone get that girl a microphone!" A voice shouted back stage. I can assume it was someone who worked with Green Day.

Looking around on stage, Mike walked over with a smile before offering me his microphone. I awkwardly took it but still looked at his as if to say 'what's going on,' but his smile stayed high and he walked back behind his microphone stand although no mic.

"Check your pockets," Billie told me.

I looked at him still not understanding. "Is this a magic trick?" I asked confused, my microphone down around my chest. But the range of it managed to catch my sentence as people laughed.

He chuckled. "No, for a lighter,"

Instead of asking why, I checked my back pocket with my empty hand. Nothing in that one, so I put my mic in my other hand diving into my second pocket before feeling one.

Knew I'd have a lighter somewhere.

I pulled it out, for some reason the crowd cheered but I looked at Billie. Wanting to ask why he wanted a lighter but too scared to speak again. He picked back up the magazine that had been on the floor to answer my unasked questions.

"Light it,"

"Why?"

He directed his head to the magazine. I nodded, laughing embarrassed before flickering on the lighter.

I held it out a little as he held the magazine with one of its corners. Bottom half dangling over the flame as everyone cheered viscously. For some strange reason I found myself smiling, watching the bottom corner of the shitty mag beginning to light fire.

"We have a fire extinguisher at the ready- right?" I asked. Still not until the microphone but there was an echo of laughs. Billie pointed behind him as I looked over my shoulder. Tre smiled at me behind his drum set lifting up a big tank. Struggling slightly.

I lifted the flame further up the magazine as Billie chuckled taking it away. "Arsonist much?"

I felt myself blush before letting go and the lighters flame was out. The magazine on fire from the bottom crawling upwards. Billie lifted it up for everyone to see, I looked behind and the screens had zoomed in.

Everything was so surreal but I was smiling like a dork. It was weird flickering through a crowd of faces and seeing they were all looking right at you.

"So to the Poparazzi, the mystery lady bullshit can end," Billie laughed holding the mic to his mouth.

"Billie," I heard Mike mutter behind. But I don't think Billie did as he continued.

"I think burning a magazine is enough to get a point across," Everyone laughed, before Billie winced and dropped the magazine on to the floor. "Ow- shit!"

Nothing dramatic happened, the whole stage did npt burst up into flames. No one was wheeled away in an ambulance, no one died. Although I didn't realise now but Billie wouldn't shut up about the burn on his thumb.

The magazine just continued to burn on the floor as Tre rushed over, not in a hurry knowing the mag was fine. Billie and I stepped back as he used the extinguisher. I shielded my face looking away but laughing hearing Tre laugh. The noise of the extinguisher was loud in my ears but before I knew it it stopped.

Tre flicked his hair out his eyes standing back up straight. Billie looked at me and I looked at Billie before we bursted out in laughter.

"And I think on that note, on nearly setting everyone on fire, it might be a good time to end the show," Mike chuckled walking over to the three of us.

"Right," Billie nodded, pushing his black hair back. Before he started to thank the crowd for tonight and bringing me out. They said their goodbyes as I just waved and we all made it off the stage. Tre still laughing.

"What a beautiful way to introduce your lady," Tre began. "Setting a picture of her on fire,"

Billie pushed Tre playfully as the four of us walked down the hallways back stage making it to the back stage room where I had been. "It was a little bit more meaningful than that,"

"Is this a magic trick," Mike quoted me from earlier. Hollering. "A magic trick?"

"I was confused!"

An arm slinked around my shoulder, Billies as he pulled me close to him jolly in walk. "At least your not a mystery girl anymore,"