You Had Me At Hello.

The Time Is Now.

It's been six months.

Mike is clean now, and we're back the way we were before everything happened.

I walked into the paractice space for practice and sat down.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

"Sitting." I said nodding.

"Guys, you'll never guess who I just came across in the paper." Jaime said.

"George Clooney, again." I guessed.

"Nope. Elise Marianne McKinney." He said plopping the paper in front of us.

"What?!" Mike asked.

"She writes for the L.A Times now. She did a piece on the graduating class of 2012 at Hollywood High." He said.

"Well, as long as she's happy." Mike muttered.

I knew he was thinking of the same thing I was.

The pictures Elise handed him before she left that day.

"Aren't we going to L.A next week?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, and I know what you're thinking, and we're not doing it." I said.

"Come on, it's been six months, it won't hurt to see her and say hello." Jaime said.

"I don't want to see her, and I doubt she wants to see me." Mike said.

"You want to see her, I know it." Tony said.

"We're not going to find her. That's fucking final, now let's practice." Mike snapped.

We practiced and finished up.

"We're not going to find her, so don't bring it up again." Mike said before walking out.

I looked at Jaime, "You know, there are some things you should wait to bring up until he's not around. Elise happens to be one of those things. The biggest thing." I said. 

"You want to see her." Jaime said.

"No I don't." I said putting my jacket on.

"We do, and with or without you jackasses, we're going to see her." Jaime said storming out.

I sighed.

Six days later, we drove into Los Angeles.

"Who wants lunch?" Tony asked.

Mike had been really distant since Jaime first brought up Elise, and today, he hadn't said more than three words.

"You hungry bro?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No, I ate before we left. I'm good." He whispered. 

"Mike, buck up." I said. 

"I don't really want to." He said.

"Look, the Easter parade!" Jaime announced.

"Woo-hoo." Tony said. 

"I'm getting fried cheese on a stick." Jaime said pulling the van over.

"Hurry the hell up." I called.

He got out and walked around to the trailer selling fried food on a stick.

I looked at Mike, "You sure you don't want a fried oreo? I know they're your favorite." I said.

"Nah." He whispered.

Jaime,  looking flustered, came running back to the van, cheeseless.

"What the fuck?" I asked.