{Now}
"You know, I can't even remember the last time I walked down the streets of Reseda." I grinned a little from the bustle of traffic amongst our walk to the Reseda Flats Mini Mart, one of Johnny's usual haunts that resides in a strip mall. It felt odd to even think of the premise of us being back together again, when I never thought it would happen. So many things have happened in our lives, and most of it happened while we were together. But yet, we missed so much.

"Well, this is my usual routine. It's not exciting Nance. So why even bother coming?" I lightly punched his arm to get a reaction out of him, bringing back memories of us as teenagers, goofing around once we weren't wanting to kill one another. Well, for the most part.

"Bored of me already Lawrence?" He eyed me a moment, stopping just mere inches from the door of the mini mart. We had a moment earlier at his apartment, one of our usual karate fights. But now? It's like we backtracked.

"No. Just..... don't know how to feel." He walked through the door with the chime of it indicating we entered this shady looking place, leaving me completely confused. But not letting it really get to me in the least. It's his normal.

"I'll take that one." His over the top excitement for a slice of pizza, actually put a humorous smile on my face from it all. The little things in life.

"Wow Johnny. You're actually showing a smile. Over a pizza and not me? Hilarious." His little smile of humor, did me in from the slight annoyance I was once feeling. Maybe it will be okay after all. Not so..... weird.

"Hey guys!" I whirled around from the sound of Miguel behind us with a bottle of Pepto, grinning at the kid who honestly was sweet as can be.

"Hey Miguel! What's going on?" He got rung up for what his grandma needed, with a few words spoken in Spanish with the guy behind the register, while Johnny over here was doing his best to get out of dodge before Miguel talked to him again. He's never been great with kids to be honest. But that, I didn't get in the least. He's a good guy under everything you usually would see not hidden.

"Come on man. Just give me my pizza alright?" The guy spoke some words that I could tell were not nice ones, even though I didn't speak a lick of Spanish. This should be good.

"Do I want to know what he just said about Johnny?" I whispered to Miguel with a humorous smile upon my face. He hid his smile as best as he could once we both realized that Johnny was eyeing us with anything but humor on his features.

"Tell me what this asshole said." I looked to Miguel with question in my eyes, seeing that he was afraid to even say it.

"He said you have a small...... well, you know." My eyes widened with a laugh escaping me before I could even stop it. Oh honey.

"Hey uh man, can I get a piece of pizza myself?" Johnny eyed me in clear annoyance that I didn't even seem to react, throwing his money at the guy and seemingly waiting on me. Once the guy gave me a slice of pizza with a smile on his face like he was trying his hardest to flirt, I did everything in my power to put on a convincing smile, before throwing the slice of pizza square in his face, wiping my hands of the grease lines from it, earning a hoot of excitement from Miguel.

"For your information, it's anything but small." And with that, I walked out with the guys in tow, shocked out of their minds from what just happened. And with a smile upon my face.

"That was sick Nancy!" Miguel gave me a high five, before I noticed Johnny looking on at me in a new light. But seeming beyond humored. He enjoyed that side of me. He always did.

"Yeah. What he said. You remember huh?" I rolled my eyes with a shove to his arm, taking a bite from his pizza before he could even protest, grinning through the cheesy heaven I finally got to taste and surprisingly liked. But nothing nice and calm ever lasts the way it should. The minute Miguel accidentally side swiped a kid walking past him, opened a door to which there was no going back.

"Watch it prick!" They shoved him to the ground, seeing the bottle of Pepto come rolling out of the pocket of his jacket. I balled my fists in clear anger, but Johnny held me back from doing a thing about it, shaking his head no.

"I didn't mean to okay?! I'm sorry!" They threw the bottle at him with humorous laughs leaving their mouths in pure evilness.

"Alright Ria. Got problems?" They continued to assault Miguel and I couldn't even see straight. I couldn't just stand here and do nothing about it.

"Hey! Leave the kid alone, alright? Go on somewhere!" The kids laughed from the mere notion that i could do anything to them. But they're in for a rude awakening.

"Don't Nance." I shoved away from Johnny's death grip on my arm, eyeing him with disappointment clear as day. The old Johnny would have had no problem with a fight.

"Yeah, listen to your old man, lady. You can't do a damn thing anyway." And that's, when the rage left my body in the form of a swift kick to one of the kids legs, knocking them off their feet. They wouldn't let up on Miguel. And so I won't let up on them. Defend. That's what I knew.

"Can I not do a damn thing now?!" One of the kids came running at me and immediately earned a side kick to the chest, landing on top a car right behind him with a thud. I was caught off guard the moment one attached to my back to get me off my feet, not successful at it what so ever.

"Get off of her dick!" Johnny grabbed him and immediately flung the kid to the ground the minute sirens went off around us, indicating that cops were coming our way. We got in a few more moves before their cars came flashing in front of us, leaving us breathless and just like the team we once were.

"Johnny, Miguel! Let's go! Quickly!" I grabbed both of their hands and took off running, my legs sore from the mere moves I just did, not having routinely done them in countless years. Once we were a good distance away, I burst into laughter from what just even happened.

"We just beat up a bunch of punk kids Johnny. Can you believe it? We still got it." I hugged Johnny out of surprise to the both of us, but feeling right at home in his arms none the less.

"Like old times." I smiled from his words, feeling content once he hugged me tightly to him. Miguel simply smiled at the two of us with this expression of excitement upon his young face. He could see it in us. The team we once were. And apparently, still are.