Five Years ago...

Graham stood in front of Frankie, who hung his head like a sad puppy, his eyes were red and he was intoxicated. Graham could smell the rough night his best friend had, his hair penetrated with smoke, his shirt had a stain that was unrecognizable. Frankie told him he had thrown up in the bathroom just minutes earlier. He had a hangover. Graham knew it was more. Much, much more. And the longer it continued, the worse he would become. The worse it would become for the band.

"Frankie, I think you need to go to rehab. Early next year we record again. After that, a tour. We can't do it without you sober."

"Says who?" Frankie huffed.

"Says me! Damn it Frankie, I'm serious," Graham shouted. Hallie stood up and excused herself to give the friends their privacy. Graham hardly noticed she was there before. He was too irate with Frankie. The moment he got to his place to see if he wanted to get lunch, he became enraged. It was obvious the health scare two months before didn't awake him, and it was going to take more. A lot of threats would have to be made.

"Get clean or we postpone the next record," Graham demanded, his voice becoming softer. He didn't want to be so strict. He didn't want to act this way. But he had no choice on the matter. Frankie was family. The entire band was family. And when something broke that bond, it had to be repaired.

"No," Frankie replied, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

"Seriously? You'd rather be fucked up then have a new record?"

"I'd rather do the new record without you Graham. There. I said it. I'm sick of you."

Graham didn't know what to say. His head swirled with emotions he rarely felt from a friend. He was sad and hurt, and Frankie's next words didn't help either. "Ever since you had that stupid baby, you've been all different."

"Don't you dare say that. Don't you ever fucking say something like that! That's my child!" Graham picked Frankie up by his collar, and pushed him into the nearby wall. "You have some serious issues! What are you? Jealous of my baby?"

"Well, maybe if you spent more time with your bros rather than with Bianca and him, the band would be happier."

"Him? His name is Grayson and it's only been a month!" Graham said incredulously.

"Whatever. Your life is going to be shit from now on. The band isn't going to suffer because of me. It's going to suffer because of you. You're too whipped to see it," Frankie hissed.

Graham let go of his shirt and walked away. "I can tell you're high right now, so there's no point in talking to you. I'll speak when you're sober. We need a band meeting. Tonight." With that, he walked out the front door, thinking up ways to get the other guys to talk sense into Frankie's head.

Graham laughed on the other end while he sat in his studio, remembering the old Frankie. He was twenty six now, as were the other guys. They were men now. All the other fights and issues were in the past. Perhaps they could see a great future together, get the boys of Shadow Follower together again, record a new hit record. It was a dream that was made to follow.

"What are you doing tonight?" Graham asked Frankie, noticing that it was as if nothing ever happened. The fight that broke them up was nonexistent.

"Well, nothing yet. You still in Brentwood?" Frankie asked.

Graham could hear an inhale on the other line. Frankie must have still been an avid smoker. "Yep. Same house we moved into after the wedding." Graham regretted saying this, because Frankie didn't even show to the wedding. For years Graham pictured him at his side as best man. Instead, Zachary did the dead. He hadn't seen Zach in a couple years either.

"What, you want to get some grub?" Frankie asked. Graham heard another inhale.

"Sure. I'll meet you. Tell me the place and I'll be there."

Graham went into the house and found his wife in the kitchen making lunch for the family. Grayson was watchingThe Nightmare Before Christmas in the family room, throwing his Legos across the floor. A frazzled Bianca told him to stop doing that, as she cut up hotdogs for the kids. Harper and Sadie were in their highchairs, making cooing noises, but mostly kept quiet as they watched their mother in awe who stood near the stove in the large kitchen.

"So, what were you doing in the studio?" Bianca asked, biting her lip.

Graham pushed a wispy hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "Just practicing guitar."

"What? Like you're going to forget?" Bianca giggled.

"No. Just writing a song."

"For what?" She asked curiously, remembering the failed solo CD. She didn't want him to be upset again. They had some serious fights around that time. Grayson was just two. It was the reason they postponed trying for another child because they wanted to work out their marital problems first. It was a rocky road that Bianca never wanted to travel down again. The stress nearly pushed them to divorce. He took all of his regret and anger from Shadow Follower breaking up out on her.

"Just messing around," Graham lied. He didn't want to worry her. He knew how much of a worrier his wife had been the entire ten years he knew her.

"Lunch is almost ready. Will you settle for boxed mac and cheese? It's Grayson's choice today," Bianca asked.

"Love mac and cheese," Graham replied with a grin.

He saw Frankie sitting in a booth across the crowded restaurant. He knew what he looked like in recent years. He saw him on TV, he saw him everywhere.

The success Frankie acquired over the last few years was hard to escape. He was the front man for Jokers Revenge, and he was the lead singer now, no longer just backup. His hair was cropped and dyed black. He wore eyeliner at his shows, sometimes extreme choice of costume for the stage. At the last music award show, Frankie and the other guys wore top hats. Graham found himself very jealous of his ex band mate's success at first. After all, Shadow Follower could have kept going. All they had to do was replace Frankie with another bass player. But it was tough after Zachary left to be in Joker's Revenge. After that, Cody left to pursue other options. The band fizzled, it was done. Graham got an offer to host a music competition in which bands compete for a record deal. Fame found him after that show. He was more of a household name than when he was with Shadow Follower. But his life was music. He loved to play, he desired to write songs, he craved the stage. His heart was in that band. The day it ended, he felt like a part of him was ripped out of his body.

Frankie stood to give his old pal a handshake, like they used to do, and hugged him quickly.

"You look almost the same. Just a little older," Frankie said.

"You look different. But it's good," Graham said.

He took a seat across from Frankie, who already had a drink in front of him. When the waitress came by, Graham ordered himself a drink too. He noted that Frankie was still drinking, but apparently it didn't render his life in any way. Joker's Revenge was extremely popular with the teenaged crowd.

"So. I saw you on Hollywood Tonight months back. You had twins?" Frankie asked.

Graham nodded his head. "Yep. Girls. Harper and Sadie. Grayson doesn't like to share the attention."

Frankie nodded his head back. "I see. Well, congrats."

"Thanks. Congrats on your win at the award show in New York. Pretty awesome man."

"Yeah, it was great. I mean, we already won the year before, but it was cool because it was for best album not just best single."

Graham felt sick when he heard it. He missed when they were all a band; together. How could it end up this way? He didn't begrudge Frankie, he just wanted it as well.

Frankie took another sip of his drink. Graham assumed it was a rum and coke. In the past, all Frankie drank at parties were Corona and limes. He laughed thinking about it, and Frankie asked what he thought was so funny.

"You used to love Corona and limes."

Frankie turned his head away and rubbed his hands together anxiously. "Well, that was another time." He felt himself getting worked up over the past. He didn't want to remember it. It took forever to forget it.

"So, when is the last time you saw Hallie?" Graham asked.

"Shit… it has to be over a year now. The divorce was terrible. She got the house of course."

"It's too bad you couldn't work things out."

"Yeah, it does suck. But she got a part in that show now. She's not hurting."

After a couple of hours of drinking and chatting, Frankie loosened up around Graham. He was angry when Graham changed five years before, but it was all water under the bridge. Why fight about it now?

"Look Frankie, there's another reason I wanted to meet up," Graham informed him, looking down at the empty glass in front of him. "I want to see if we can do a reunion tour maybe. Possibly even having another CD? I miss you guys. I miss the old times. I miss jamming out with you."

Frankie scratched the stubble on his jaw. "I don't think that's a good idea man. I mean, I know it was great when it lasted, but, I have my own band now."

It stung. Graham couldn't ignore that. But he wouldn't give up either. "Look, I know you have a great band on your own. That's true. But Shadow Follower had some great hits. And I've been writing songs I can't get out of my head. We need to get the guys back together and see how it could be again. It was great. It could still be great. And you yourself said you and Joker's Revenge were on a break. What if you and the others agreed to tour? We could do it in the spring. Maybe we can write a comeback song and-"

Frankie held his hand up to stop Graham from further embarrassment. It was over. Shadow Follower was dead.

"Not going to happen. Look, it was great catching up with you. But Shadow Follower is over. I'm not heading down that road again. And let's face it, "Dopey Ditch Day" is a pretty lame song."

Graham felt hurt again. "It's not a lame song. It was a song we wrote when we were seventeen! Face it, it was a different time, but we can be updated now. We still have fans out there. They miss us."

"Please Graham. Stop. It's not going to happen," Frankie said sternly.

Graham's smile dropped, along with his optimism. He couldn't believe it could really be over. For years he dreamt they were still the same old band, playing for the fans cheering them on, creating new hit singles.

But now, Frankie was close to him, whispering so the rest of the dinners couldn't hear. "I'm sorry. But it's done."

He couldn't give up. Even though Frankie was persistent on saying "no," Graham was persistent on hearing a "yes." He invited the guys over to his house for dinner the following weekend. Cody ignored his calls, so it was tough to get him to agree. He knew he could replace him. But having the three original members of Shadow Follower together under one roof? It would bring them back.

Zachary was impressed with Graham's in home studio. He looked at Graham's old lucky guitar in the corner, the one from their teenaged days. He picked it up and pretended to play. The drummer was just like his old self, jumping around the room hyper actively, excited like a five year old seeing Disneyland for the first time as he checked out everything in the room. It was clear Zachary was happy to see his old pal once more. The years apart made him appreciate knowing he was back in Graham's life.

Graham stared at the two guys. Frankie had this pompous behavior as he entered, walking around, a smug look on his face, as if the studio didn't impress him a bit. He wondered what happened to the easygoing, quiet and loyal friend he once knew of.

"Want to lay down a track like old times?" Graham asked with hope in his tone.

Frankie was quick to say "No." Like he always had.

"Come on Frank. It would awesome. This recording studio is better than mine," Zachary playfully punched Frankie in the arm.

"Why don't you two go ahead and then maybe I'll join," Frankie decided. He watched as the old friends goofed off.

"We never got to record "Best Bologna Sandwich in the world." I think it's high time we did it," Zachary said to Graham.

Graham laughed and picked up his guitar. He almost remembered every word to their tour bus anthem. They laid the track, laughing most of the time. Frankie finally loosened up and picked up a bass.

"Fine. I'm in. Just don't think this means anything," Frankie said to Graham with an edge of sternness in his voice.

They recorded a faster version of a slow song, one of their most famous hits. Just when they were finished, Bianca walked into the room and smiled at the guys.

"Having fun?" She asked. She watched as the guys in unison said, "Yep."

It was like deja vu, seeing the three together. She remembered a day in the studio when they recorded their second album. It was happy memories for her. Everything seemed much simpler then, but looking back, she remembered her worries at the time as well. She shook her head in disbelief.

"You boys behave," She said like a mother, as she left the room. She knew there was more to this reunion. There was no way Graham just wanted to catch up. She was almost certain he had more up his sleeve. And she was going to find out later.

They all hung out for hours. They talked about everything from their first tour days to their recent lives. Zachary was just married months earlier to an actress named Chloe that he met at an LA party. Cody was writing songs for a Broadway play. And Frankie was just trying to relax from their long tour that ended two months earlier.

"Shit, this takes me back to good times," Zachary said, sipping his cocktail.

"Did you guys have trouble playing without me?" Graham asked, thinking of when he first heard they started a new group.

"I have to admit, it was weird for me," Zachary looked over at Frankie, who kept quiet. "It was awkward. I missed you. But you wanted to take time off and Frankie didn't."

"Wait, take time off? I never said that," Graham said, raising his eyebrows at Frankie, who ignored his glare.

"Did you say I wanted to take time off?" Graham asked Frankie.

Frankie looked up finally, his eyes filled with guilt. "Look, you were acting all superior. You had a new family, I just wanted to start a new thing."

"So you lied to Zach to get him on your side?"

Frankie shrugged. "It wasn't hard to do that. You were being too pushy with me going to rehab. I told you I was fine."

"Then why did you end up going a year later?" Graham demanded, his mind thinking back to when he heard it on the news. It was just after Joker's Revenge first tour ended.

"I wanted to get clean. What you said made sense."

"Did it work?" Graham asked.

Zachary shook his head. "Nope."

"Hey! Don't speak for me. I am my own man!" Frankie stood up. "I can't believe I came here. You're no different Graham. You still think you're better than all of us. The "main" band member. The lead singer. Well, not anymore. Now, that is me." He turned to Zachary. "Let's go man."

Zachary shook his head. "No. I want to talk to Graham. I still want to hang."

Frankie stood impatiently, waiting for Zachary to get up from his seat, but it was no use waiting anymore. Zachary had a mind of his own, and he wanted to stay.

"I'm out," Frankie said, his temper still flared. He stormed out of the studio with his head high, his fists at his side.

"I see not much has changed since five years ago. What happened to him? He used to be my friend," Graham said to Zachary.

"Well, he isn't so good Graham. I mean, this last tour was awful. All he did was sleep with random women. That's the real reason he and Hal broke up. Not because she wanted to divorce him for money."

Graham nodded his head.

Zachary continued with his story, speaking of the drugs he did, the constant drinking. He was getting worse by the year, and it was no use asking him to change. He didn't want to listen.

"It's so awesome seeing you again G," Zachary said to Graham. "And Frankie told me about the reunion. I think it's a great idea. I miss playing Shadow Follower songs."

Graham's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Count me in. All we have to do is convince Frankie. If you're willing to deal with the drunk, that is."

Graham nodded his head. "I think we can help him. All it takes is determination. I can't give up on him. I didn't want to then, and I don't want to now. Even if he screwed me over. Once a best friend, always a best friend."

When Zachary left, for the first time in years, Graham felt hope for a music career to take off again. Sure, he had other ventures that proved successful. He wrote songs for other singers. But he wanted to write songs with his boys again. He wanted to finally get Frankie the help he needed. It wasn't too late. He wanted to hear the audience…chanting his name.