Chapter 7

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A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I hope you are all enjoying this story. I might not get to update too much this week 'cause I've got exams. (Ew.) Wish me luck on them and I hope you like the chapter!

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When Mark and Roger got back up to the loft, they sat and talked in the living room for a long time. Eventually, Collins came back. He asked if the two were okay, and they were, so he quickly went to bed since he had classes the next day.

They continued their conversation. Roger told Mark about April's constant crying and confessed that he was really worried about her. He asked Mark if he knew anything, but he didn't. Mark told Roger all about Maureen's mysterious disappearances and her strange behaviour at the Life and asked if Roger knew anything about it. Roger said no, but it was probably because she was a bitch. He quickly apologized when Mark gave him a 'Look'. They had gone to bed soon after, but Mark couldn't get to sleep. He lay awake thinking about everything, his and Maureen's relationship, his and Roger's, April's crying, how Collins' new boyfriend was perfect for him, how stupid Benny is when he's drunk. He eventually fell into a disturbed slumber, but woke very soon after.

He got up and went into the open loft very early in the morning. He decided to start working on the video he was going to make for Maureen. Then he watched some television on the old black and white TV. Then he reheated some pizza from last week and ate it for breakfast at the island. He was alone in the loft for several hours before Benny came in, covering his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"I'm never drinking again," he stated, sitting down at the end of the island, dropping his head into his folded arms.

Mark laughed and poured him a cup of coffee. "That's what you said last time you got drunk."

Benny took the coffee mug and drank from it, then sighed. "I'm late for work."

"Yeah you are."

"I'm very hungover."

Mark laughed again. "Yeah, you are."

Maureen came out of her bedroom, wide awake and dressed, clutching a bottle of Tylenol.

"Morning!" she greeted brightly.

"Shh, Maureen. Don't yell." Benny pleaded with her.

"Um, sorry," she replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee. The group had got a lot of use out of Benny's new coffee maker and now was wondering how they got along with out it.

Maureen sat down next to Mark, who put his arm around her waist. "Happy birthday."

She smiled. "Thank you, Pookie." She popped the top off the Tylenol bottle and took out two, giving them to Benny. He was presently face down on the island, his arms trying to shut out any light that might infiltrate.

"ThankyouMaureenhappybirthday." His reply was muffled, but his arm flopped out and he took the drugs then popped them in his mouth.

Maureen laughed at this. "Thanks, Benny." She patted his head with one hand and rubbed Mark's back with the other. Mark picked up the bottle and examined it.

"I always wondered why you never had bad hangovers. . ." Mark rested his chin on her shoulder.

She laughed. "Coffee and two extra-strength Tylenols. Don't knock it 'til you try it."

"So my little birthday girl, what do you want to do today?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"I dunno. Just hang out, I guess."

Mark took her hand and stood up. "Or. . . come on, let's go for a walk."

Maureen jumped off her stool and the two put on their coats and shoes and left the loft, leaving a very hungover and very late Benny in the kitchen.

Mark led Maureen down the stairs and they stepped out onto the cold street.

"Where to?" Maureen asked, swinging her hand, which was holding Mark's, back and forth.

"The park?" he suggested.

"Yeah."

Mark and Maureen walked to the park quickly. They didn't say much as they walked, but it was a very comfortable silence.

When they reached the park, they roamed through it slowly, hands linked together. She loved going to the park. Her father always used to take her to the park near their house when she a kid, but after he left her mother, she wasn't allowed to go. Her mom wouldn't take her since she was usually drunk, partying, or both, and she wasn't allowed to go alone because they lived in a kind of rough neighbourhood. When she had told Mark this, he took her to the park as often as she wanted.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. . ." Mark sang. Maureen laughed and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Shh!"

"Don't you like my singing?" Mark pretended to pout, something he had learned from Maureen.

"No," she joked. She pulled Mark over to the swing set and plopped down on one of the swings. The park was empty since it was a very cold January day, so they were alone for the most part.

"Push me?"

He sighed loudly and laughed. "Are you sure you're 22 and not seven?"

She turned around and stuck out her tongue at him, and he started to push her. She pumped her legs to go higher, when suddenly Mark pulled the swing back so it stopped and sat on the swing next to Maureen.

"Why'd you stop?"

He turned the swings to they were facing each other and he moved close to Maureen's. "I have something for you."

"You didn't need to get me anything, Pookie." She smiled and kissed him on the nose.

Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "Sorry it's not wrapped."

Her eyes lit up.

"Is it a pony?" she asked, smiling.

"How'd you guess?" Mark frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.

Maureen took the box from Mark and opened it up. Inside was a gold heart-shaped locket.

"I figured you could put that picture of your dad in it. I could get it shrunk or whatever so it would fit."

Maureen tore her eyes away from the necklace and stared at Mark, who was waiting for a reaction. God, he hoped she liked it.

She grinned and snaked her arms around his neck.

"Thank you Mark!"

He laughed and stood up. He wrapped his arms around her waist twirled her around.

"So you like it?"

"Yeah I do!" She put the box in her coat pocket for fear of losing the locket in the snow. "Thank you, Pookie. . .I love it." Maureen leaned in and kissed Mark. She rested her forehead against his. "I love you."

Mark mentally froze. She had never said that without him saying it first. This was good. All thoughts of Maureen's strange behaviour lately had vanished and he smiled.

"I love you, too." He hugged her tightly, then he picked her up and ran away from the swings, dropping her in a big snow bank.

"Hey!" she squealed. She tried to grab for his leg, but he ran away, laughing like an evil mastermind before she could. She sat up, making a snowball between her hands and threw it at him. She was surprised it hit him, he was pretty far away by now. She struggled to stand up and ran after him, screaming at the top of her lungs.

She came up behind him and tackled him to the ground, laughing. "Hi."

"Hi." He turned to face her and rubbed his hands on her red cheeks. "You look cold. Want to go back home?"

Maureen shook her head and moved closer to Mark.

"Not yet," she whispered into his mouth. She took of his glasses and kissed him.

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It was several hours later when Mark and Maureen reached their building, both shivering from sitting in the snow all afternoon. On their way home, they had stopped at a convenience store and bought some hot chocolate, marshmallows, and icing sugar. Maureen had asked Mark if they could have hot chocolate and French toast for supper, and since it was her birthday he wasn't allowed to say no (a rule that Maureen had made up earlier that morning).

When they reached the top floor, they heard loud sobbing and screaming coming from inside. The door opened to reveal April doubled over at Roger's bedroom door, banging on it and screaming at him to let her in.

Maureen looked at Mark who was wide-eyed and had no idea what to do. Maureen quickly took off her wet coat and tossed it onto the couch, hurrying to April who was hysterical.

"April, what happened?" she asked, crouching down next to smaller blonde girl. She continued to bang on the door and yell Roger's name, begging him to let her in.

Maureen grabbed April's flailing hands to get her attention. "Sweetie, calm down."

April stopped yelling and crumbled against Maureen, sobbing. Maureen put an arm around April and asked again.

"What happened?"

April took shaky breaths and wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I told him."

Maureen looked back at Mark, who had taken off his shoes and coat and was standing awkwardly beside the couch, still holding the plastic bag.

"And?" Maureen prodded.

"Well, I—I told him and he freaked out and started yelling at me and then he said he was sorry and it wasn't my fault. . .but then he kept yelling anyways and he locked himself in his room," she replied between sobs and sniffles.

Maureen was silent and listened for sounds from the room next door. She heard the quiet strumming of his guitar coming from inside. At least he hadn't tried to crawl out the window or anything.

"Look, just, ah, relax, okay? Can you do that? He'll be fine, probably just overreacting."

April buried her face in her hands and brought her knees up to her chest.

"I'm so scared."

Maureen didn't know what to say to that, so she just helped April stand up and sat her on the couch. She went over to Mark who was now standing in the kitchen, his arms crossed across his chest and a cross between confusion and fear on his face.

"Sorry."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later. Wanna try and get Roger to come out of his room?" She bit her lip and leaned against him.

"Yeah, sure." He put a reassuring hand on her back at walked over to Roger's door while Maureen went to try and comfort April.

He knocked on the door lightly. "Rog?" He heard him sniff and put something on the ground.

"Rog, it's me. Can I come in?" He tried again.

He waited a minute, then he heard the door unlock.

Mark quietly motioned for April to come to the door and slowly opened it for her. She poked her head inside.

Curled up on the bed, Roger was crying. April slid into his room and sat on the edge of the bed, putting her hand on his knee. He didn't shy away, so she curled up next to him and wiped the tears off of his face as she cried, too. Mark shut the door and the two of them were left alone.

"I'm sorry," April whispered.

Roger sniffed back tears. "It's not your fault. It's not." He paused. "God, I don't cry."

April laughed a bit at this. "I made you cry."

"Yeah. But you made me feel so much better when you came in here."

"Then why did you lock me out?"

He put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer to him. He tried to stop the new tears that were prickling at the back of his eyes from sliding down his cheeks. "I don't know. Because I'm a jerk. I was just. . .I can't believe it and I don't want to have to deal with it."

"Oh." She looked down and gently tugged on his shirt. "It's unfair."

"Yeah it is."

"I'm so scared, Roger. This is horrible."

There was a comfortable silence where April rested her head against Roger's chest and Roger wound his fingers tightly into April's medium length hair.

"Sorry."

"Me too. So you don't hate me?"

"No. Of course not. How could I hate you?" Roger pinched April's cheeks. She said she hated it, but he knew she loved it. She kissed him on the cheek.

"So we can do this?"

"Definitely." He put on a smile for her and hugged her tighter, pulling the blanket at the foot of his bed over the both of them. He was scared as hell.