Life As It Is

September of 2004 came as quickly as possible. Soon enough, kids were going back to school and the fall season was just arriving for many New Yorkers. Things were quickly changing.

Ella sat at her office at the headquarters of Alternative Magazine as she looked at all of the pictures she had uploaded from a recent story she was doing about a local band at rock's most famous club, CBGB's.

"Holy fuck," Holly said as she was passing by. "Those pictures are awesome. Nobody can do it like you, Ella."

"Gather round people," Rebecca, the editor-in-chief said as the workers walked over to the middle where she was standing.

"Ok people. New assignments for this week's issue. The first one has to do with Green Day's comeback album American Idiot. Everyone is getting on this story. They're having a show for the release of the album next Tuesday the twenty-first at Irving Plaza. Even that new channel Fuse is gonna cover it. So we need to get on that story and I'm assigning Ella and Holly on the job."

"What?" Ella said. She suddenly felt a little dizzy. She couldn't do this story. Anything but that! Holly looked over at her with a concerned face. Rebecca didn't seem to hear and continued to go on about the other new assignments.

When everyone cleared out, either mumbling or cheering about their new stories to do, Ella approached Rebecca.

"'Beca," She said. "I can't do the Green Day story."

"Of course you can. Come on El, you're the best fucking photographer here! I especially want you on this story."

"But I kind of have some history with the leader singer and—" Rebecca interrupted her.

"Sweetie. I'm not asking you to go sleep with him or anything." She chuckled. "Just do your job."

Ella sighed and nodded. When she came back to her computer, she grumbled as her best friend approached her.

"I don't wanna do it. I can't... it's too weird." She told Holly.

"'Beck is right though. All you have to do is take the pictures while I go to the sound checks and interview them and all that shit. But you should come anyway; I mean you sort of need closure."

"What do you mean?" Ella raised her eyebrow.

"New Year's Eve 1998. Come on El; just come for the fun of it. At least you'll see your favorite band live."

"Ugh. Fine, I'll go, I'll go."

"YAY!" Holly reached over and hugged her.

"You just wanna meet Mike, don't you?"

"Of course. That hot fucker is blazing hot again."

* * *
The next week quickly came. The day before the concert, the thirty-something year old rock stars headed off to AOL Studios to perform as well as do an interview.

Billie Joe sat on the edge of his bed in his hotel room bickering with his wife.

"Adie come on. It hasn't even been that fucking long. Why are you trying to put this guilt on me that I'm barely talking to the kids? It's not my fault every two fucking seconds they throw me, Mike, and Tre into doing something else," He said angrily to his wife of ten years. He didn't understand why they were fighting after he pulled himself together in the last year.

"Fine. Be like that." He angrily shut off his phone and threw it down. Ever since he had left for tour, things between them were shaky again.

There was a knock on his door. He looked through the peephole to see Mike and Tre and opened the door.

"Hey guys," He said, letting them in.

"Sounds like you had a fight with the Mrs." Tre said and started to twirl around.

"Yeah, she's being real bitchy with me."

"That sucks." Mike said as he tried to stop Tre from spinning.

"Whaaat? If Ramona can do it, then I can do it!"

"Tre, she's your daughter. She's half your age."

"Your point?"

Mike annoyingly sighed.

"If she jumps off of a bridge, would you do it too?"

"HELL YEAH! But then Lisea would yell at me and I'd be in deep shit."

Billie Joe laughed at his two best friends. He never knew how much he had appreciated them being around.

Mike smirked at Tre.

"Anyway... wanna head over to the city? We're bored to death and this is the opportunity to get Tre out of the hotel to stop ordering porn in my room."

"A man needs pleasure sometime."

"Not three times an hour."

"I'm horny like that. RAWR."

Billie Joe and Mike laughed as Tre made clawing gestures with his hands.

"Nah man. I think I'll pass. I need to cool down from my fight with Adie."

They both shrugged.

"See ya later then." Mike called over his shoulder as he and Tre exited the room.

Billie Joe lay on the bed for a while in silence before nodding off to sleep.

* * *
"Let's go to Starbucks." Holly suggested to Ella on their lunch break.

"Again?" She asked annoyingly. "I know you just wanna run into Mike."

"Doesn't hurt to try." Holly winked at her best friend. "I know you're trying to avoid Billie before the show tomorrow."

Ella crossed her arms.

"That's not true."

"Mmm-hmm."

"What? It isn't... I'm simply saying—"

"Dude, let's just go in."

The two best friends walked into Starbucks and stood in line.

* * *
"Where are we going?" Tre asked Mike on their way down the street.

"Starbucks."

"We went there like fifty million times today!" Tre pouted like a five year old.

"No we went three times." Mike chuckled.

"Don't you think you've had enough coffee for a day?"

"Don't you think you've had enough porn today?"

Tre looked at the ground as his best friend chuckled.

"Yeessss... "

"Ok then."

They walked into Starbucks and stood in line behind two women, one brunette and one blonde who were having a conversation.

"... I'm putting myself out there. I haven't seen you do much of that since the divorce... " The blonde girl said to the brunette.

The brunette fiddled around.

"I haven't found someone that's worthy of going out with, Holl."

"That's bullshit... you haven't even had sex for like what, six months?"

"Holy fuck." Mike and Tre muttered.

"Say it a little louder; I don't think everyone across the street heard you." The brunette sounded very familiar.

"Ella you have to put yourself back out there." The two moved up the line.

"Holy shit." Mike and Tre looked at each other. Was it really her?

There was one way to figure it out.

"Ella?" Mike asked out loud.

* * *
Holly and Ella stood frozen. They knew whose voice it was. Both of them turned around.

"Mike?" Ella said. "Hey!"

They both hugged. Holly had a huge grin on her face.

"Oh my—oh my... gosh. It's-It's Mike Dirnt and—Tre Cool!" She said.

"HOT STUFF!" Tre walked over and hugged Ella, almost knocking her to the ground.

"Tre!"

Holly grinned at Mike as he grinned back.

"H-Hi I'm uhh... I'm Holly!" She said excitedly as she put out her hand.

"NEXT!" The woman at the counter said as the two women walked up and ordered, then turned back around.

"How've you been, El?" Mike asked.

"Good, good. Just working as a photojournalist for Alternative Magazine."

"Cool. That magazine is awesome."

Holly was shy as fuck.

"I umm... I'm a writer there." She grinned at Mike.

"I've probably read your stuff."

"C-Cool."

Tre went up to his long lost friend.

"I'm guessing she has a huge thing for our Mikey boy?"

"Dirty fantasies since 1990." She said as Holly and Mike started talking.

The two grabbed their coffees as Mike and Tre went to order and got their coffees as well. Then they headed outside.

"Sooo... we're having a show tomorrow for the release of the new album. You guys wanna come?" Mike asked both of them.

"Yeah it's the story we're doing for the magazine." Holly said.

"Kickass. Come to the sound check."

Holly had a huge grin still on her face.

"Of course!" She said.

"Yeah, sure. We'll see you guys tomorrow I guess." Ella said, worrying even more about tomorrow.

"We have to get back to work." Holly rolled her eyes.

"Alright. See you guys later then." Mike said as he started to walk the other direction. Tre wouldn't budge.

"Tre! Time to go! Has your five year old mind kicked in?"

"Duuuhhh," He said as Ella and Holly laughed.

Mike pulled him over.

"Bye Hot Stuff One and Hot Stuff Two!" He called over his shoulder as Mike pulled him by the shoulder.

"Ohhh Ellaaa! I can't believe I met him!" Holly started jumping up and down.

"He's just a guy calm down."

"But he's so sexy and... sexy!"

Ella smiled. She had never seen her best friend of fourteen years so giddy about a guy. This was definitely a good sign.

"And you—" Holly said. "Need to stop worrying about tomorrow night. It's gonna be fine. I promise you."

"You're right."

She sighed. She was yet to know about how the events of tomorrow night would change both of their lives—forever.