The Demons We Found

2.6 January 4, 2007

I grabbed the plastic bag full of my lunch and smiled at the cahier as I stepped back into the cold January air. I pulled my cardigan close, although it felt better once the sun was falling over me.

That didn't last as I stepped under the familiar banyan tree though, "Look who's early."

Mike turned his head around to look at me. Tucked under his grey beanie and long sleeved shirt I noticed that he was shaking. "It's fucking cold. Is there any other place to go?"

"Sure." I told him, "We can eat in the Education Building."

"Aren't they all educational buildings?" He said skeptically.

I laughed, digging out some hot Cheetos that I'd gotten for him. "The College of Education, I mean. teacher-school instead of music-school, that kind of thing."

"Oh." He said simply, opening the Cheetos and starting to eat them.

I just smiled and opened the door for him to go inside. "Up the steps."

He nodded and went over to them, me quickly on his heels. "So this is where you spend your time?"

"Pretty much. If I'm not at Cashba's or Costco, I'm here. Sometimes if Jaime and I are both off, I'm at his apartment."

"You two move in together yet?" He asked innocently.

I don't think Mike knew that the lack of depth to us was a sore-spot for me. I was going to say that he didn't anyway, for the sake of our buffing friendship. "No. I don't think we're really that kind of couple."

Mike looked confused but just shrugged it off. "Maybe I could go to college."

That was a statement that caught me off guard. Mike was never the studious type. I never knew him when he was in high school, but I've heard stories. They're not pretty in the least. "Would you want to?"

"Sure. Well, no. But I don't want to work security forever either. Maybe I could get a degree in sound engineering and work the tech side of things if this doesn't work out." He shrugged. I guess the indecisive nature of Mike had grown on me. Years ago his attitude and lack of ambition drove me nuts, but now I was a little jealous. It's a lot of work to be driven and sometimes being Mike looks like more fun.

"It will work out for you guys, I just feel it somehow,." I told him. I don't know what gave me the confidence, but I had it. I fussed with my bag of pretzels, but couldn't get them open. I passed the bag to Mike who seamlessly opened it and gave it back.

"I guess. Now that we're playing shows, we're actually getting a name built up again. Equal Vision has been throwing us a couple of things, not a lot. We've had to turn it all down anyway since we're all working." He old me, irritation lacing his voice.

I just nodded. "What type of stuff have they been giving you?"

"Regional. It's not big, but it's bigger than we've ever done with this band name. There'a also the San Diego Music Awards in February. They want us to play that." He shrugged.

"That's big news." I told him. We were just walking slowly around the halls, not really going much of anywhere.

Mike didn't se m phased by the conversation or much of anything. I wondered if that was the lack of alcohol or just his disposition. I've forgotten how he used to be. "Sure."

"You don't sound as excited as I thought you would be about getting a televised show." I said truthfully.

He just shrugged yet again. "They've also given us some MTV times. I don't know if we want to go that commercial though. Especially with Tony and Jaime- we could go heavier."