Chapter 10

I know that I have been updating a lot today, but I was quite bored over the holiday and got a lot of work done. Enjoy the fruits of my labor and then review!

Mark went to get his things from Brown two days later and moved in with Roger, Benny, and Collins. He had no contact from his parents, got a job, and went out with Maureen just about every weekend. Roger continued to date April, and the guys got to know her, and the fact that she was on drugs, well because she was always at the loft with Roger. Mimi stopped thinking so much about Roger and started focusing on her jobs and dating Benny.

Benny himself was happy to have a girlfriend, and grew a little too close to his boss' daughter, Alison Grey. Collins came out to his friends, who weren't really that surprised or upset until he contracted AIDS from one of his students. But he was dealing with it and every one was pretty happy, until they found out about Roger being on drugs. It happened one October morning almost a year after Mark had moved in.

Roger had left for Drew's house to practice for a gig they had later that week and Mark was running late for his job at the hardware store. He was looking for his name badge that Roger kept stealing and using as a guitar pick. He couldn't find it in the main room or kitchen so the last place for him to look was Roger's bedroom.

He pushed the door open and walked into the room. There were clothes and balled up pieces of paper scattered all over the floor and dresser. Mark searched the entire room, then moved to the dresser to look in the drawers. The badge wasn't in the first three, so he looked in the very bottom drawer. There was his name tag, beside an open brown case that held a lighter, some powder, and a needle.

Mark's eyes widened as he took the badge and slammed the drawer shut. He so did not have time to deal with this now. So he put on his name tag and hurried out of the loft.

He was having trouble concentrating as he directed people to the different aisles in the hardware store. At last he looked up as Maureen walked through the front door. "I'm taking my break." he called to the girl who was on the next aisle. She nodded and moved to take his place. He hurried to Maureen and pushed her back through the door.

"What's wrong with you Mark?" she wanted to know. "You look paler than usual."

"Mo, I saw something I never wanted to see this morning." Mark whispered.

"Was Roger naked again?" Maureen joked. When Mark didn't even crack a smile she knew something was wrong. So she led him over to a bench and grabbed his hands. "What's going on Pookie?" she asked worriedly.

"I was looking for my name tag in Roger's drawer, and found some drugs." Mark told her.

"Oh no." Maureen said. "Was it the same stuff April does?"

Mark nodded. "Looked like it. What if Roger is on drugs Maureen? What am I going to do?"

"You've got to say something to him." Maureen said. "Maybe if you and Collins and Benny all get together."

"I guess." Mark replied. "We'll try it when we all get home. Do you think you could go say something to the guys? I've got to get back in there before I lose my job, I was a little spacey today."

"That's understandable." Maureen sympathized. She kissed Mark on the cheek and stood up. "I'll go have a talk with Collins and Benny. You concentrate on not getting fired."

Mark nodded. "Thanks Maureen. I love you." then he turned and walked back into the store, leaving his girlfriend staring after him.

"He said he loved me." Maureen whispered. Then she shook her head and headed to the boys' building. The only one of Mark and Roger's roommates who was at home when she got there was Collins. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading a think book. Maureen slid the door open and he looked up at her.

"Hey Maureen." he greeted. "Mark's at work and Roger's off at rehearsal so you can't bother him right now."

She smirked at him. "I know that. I actually came here to talk to you."

Collins put his book down and raised an eyebrow at her. "You're being relatively calm today. Usually you're radiating with manic energy. What's wrong, you and Mark have a fight and you want me to patch it up?"

"No, Mark and I are fine. He asked me to talk to you about Roger. Mark was in his room earlier and he found some drugs, like the kind that April does. And well, you know Mark. He's worried and thinking up the worst case scenarios."

"That sounds like Mark." Collins replied. "I can't believe that Roger would do drugs. I mean when he first found out that April was on them he tried to stop her. There has to be some other explanation."

Maureen hoped so for Mark's sake, if not for Roger's. But everyone was let down when Roger came home from rehearsal. No one knew where Benny was, so it was just Collins, Mark and Maureen for support. Roger came in and everyone could tell that he was high. His eyes were glassy as he stumbled through the door.

"What's up you guys?" he said as he came in and flopped on the couch. "Why do you all look so bummed out?"

"How was rehearsal Roger?" Collins asked him.

"It was awesome. We played better than we ever have before." Roger answered.

"I'll just bet you did." Maureen muttered under her breath. "Every thing sounds better when you're high I suppose."

"What?" Roger asked.

"I said when you're high everything sounds better. You know high on drugs? Like you are now?" she repeated firmly.

"Why Roger?" Mark wanted to know.

Roger shrugged. "April asked me to try it and all the guys in the band do it. They said it would make us have a better sound, and I would have done anything to keep us from sucking like we did. It's no big deal."

"Yes it is a big deal." Collins shouted at him. "When you're using the money that is supposed to go towards paying the rent, on drugs just to make your pathetic little band sound better to you, then it's a big deal. You and April are just kids Roger. You don't know what you're doing to yourselves. And chances are you won't know until it's too late."

Roger scowled at him. "Where was all this knowledge when you were fucking that student of yours. Seems like you could've saved yourself a lot of medicine and doctors visits if you had've taken your own advice." he retorted.

"Well I'm paying for that now aren't I? And you know what, my life ain't so bad. But how do you think your payback's going to be? You aren't that bright Roger. And it's easy for idiots to overdose. Just remember that." Collins got to his feet and walked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Roger exhaled sharply and looked at Mark. "You wanna yell at me too?" he asked.

Mark just looked at him with sad eyes and Maureen took his hand and led him towards the door. Before they left she turned and looked at Roger. "If you get too deep into April's world, you'll kill her, yourself, and your best friend." Then she walked out of the door with Mark in tow.