Howdy! So, people are reading this? Amazing.

I'm sorry if this chapter sucks, it's more of a filler chapter. There are only 2 more chapters left after this one, and they're both half written now, which is good because I start school soon and would never finish it.

Oh! I changed 2 small things in the first 2 chapters. First, the year that it takes place in. It was supposed to be 1989 the whole time, not 1987 like I originally wrote, but I just forgot to change it. And, in the last chapter I said Drew was 5 when Roger was 16, when he's supposed to be 8...that was just major complete brain fart by me. No idea why I wrote 5, so that's changed as well.

Um…I own nothing…I like reviews…read on!

-----

Drew sat in the window in the loft and watched Mark, Maureen, Joanne and Collins mindlessly bicker over something. They had been there for a few hours, and Drew even talked to them for a little while.

He found out from Maureen that Mark was actually quite amazing in bed, but she thought Joanne's technique was much better…way more information that he needed. Collins tried to explain some weird philosophical theory to him, and then he told the story of running naked through the Parthenon. Drew was still unsure what exactly the Parthenon was, but didn't ask for fear of sounding like a dumbass.

Eventually Drew retreated back to the window sill where he had been sitting when they got there.

He sat and watched them and wondered to himself, how the hell can these people be so happy?

Roger was sick. Collins was sick. Mimi was sick. Angel died little more than 2 months ago.

Angel. Angel was their friend. He was Collins' boyfriend…girlfriend…whatever. He was dead, and he died from the same thing that was eventually going to kill Roger…and Mimi and Collins. Why are they happy?

Suddenly Drew needed to take a walk, so he left. He stopped in front of Mimi's door though. Roger was in there. Should he knock? He hadn't talked to Roger since Saturday, and now it was Monday. Actually, it was Tuesday, and it had been Tuesday for a few hours now. They were probably asleep, he shouldn't knock.

He continued staring at the door though. Both of the people on the other side were going to be dead in a few years. It was going to be a long, drawn out painful death to. They weren't going to go quietly in their sleep, they were going to go in a hospital. The last part of both of their lives were going to be spent with a million tubes sticking out of them. How could they stand it? How could they not go crazy?

Drew sighed and stepped out into the cold January night. He just started walking. He wasn't sure where he was going, and he didn't really want to go anywhere. He just wanted to walk.

Roger was going to be 25 in March, would he make it to 30? Would he make it to 27? 26 even?

He didn't know Roger very well anymore, he really never did, but he didn't want him to die. Not now, not ever.

Ok, so everyone dies, but Roger was dying.

Drew leaned up against a building and slid down to the ground. There were a few people around, but it was pretty quiet. He lit a cigarette, took a drag and blew the smoke out in front of him. God he needed that. Instead of buying food with the 8 bucks from Roger he bought a pack of cigarettes and pocketed the rest.

"Hey." A woman said coming up to him.

"Hey yourself." He said bringing the cigarette back up to his lips.

"Haven't seen you around here before."

"Nope, you haven't"

"You're kinda cute, anything I can do for you?"

"What?" He asked getting a better look at her. Hooker.

"Anything at all."

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Fuck off, I'm not in the mood."

"You don't have to be so rude about it." She said, sounding disgusted. "Can I have a cigarette at least?"

"Yeah." Drew said, annoyed. He grabbed one from his pocket and handed it to her, hoping she'd leave him alone.

"Thanks." She said while lighting it and walking away.

Drew finished his cigarette and watched her. She walked up and down the sidewalk across the street from him for a few minutes, before she was whisked away in a black Mercedes.

He leaned up against the wall behind him and shut his eyes.

-----

Roger slowly opened the door to the loft hoping everyone was asleep. Shit. He saw Mark sitting on the couch busily scribbling something down on a yellow legal pad.

"What are you doing up?" Roger asked in a low voice as he entered the loft.

"Sudden burst of inspiration." Mark said as he stopped writing and looked up at Roger. "And what are you doing up?"

"Nothing. Is Drew asleep?"

"He's not here." Mark said going back to his writing.

"Where the hell is he?"

"No idea, he said he was going for a walk."

"At 4:40 in the morning?"

"It was more like 2. Mo, Joanne and Collins were here, you should of come up…what?"

"You let him go?"

"Did you want me to tell him no? He's 17."

"There could be like, rapists and murderers and shit out there."

"I think he can take care of himself. Why are you here? Are you done pouting?"

"I'm just getting some clothes and my pills, I've been wearing the same thing since Saturday." Roger said heading into his room. Mark set down the legal pad and followed him.

"Why are you avoiding him?"

"I'm not avoiding him." Roger said as he grabbed some clothes off of his floor.

"Yes you are! And, he's more than a little freaked out by the whole situation, I think you should talk to him."

"What's there to talk about?"

"Roger."

"Mark." He said mockingly as he pushed by him and into the bathroom to get his pills.

"Mimi told me what you said."

"When did you talk to her?" He asked from the bathroom.

"Sunday morning. While you were sleeping she came up here."

Roger sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. "It's none of your business Mark, I'll talk to him in a few days, alright?"

"What's your problem?" Mark asked. Roger came out of the bathroom and headed for the door.

"I don't have a problem." He said stopping in front of the door. "Just, leave it alone, ok? Go to sleep, it'll be light soon. And, if anything happens to my brother I'm going to kick your ass." He said before turning his back to Mark and disappearing down the hall.

Roger was a hard person to figure out. One minute he would just seem annoyed and pissed off at the entire world, and then he would just turn into a scared, little boy.

Mark couldn't figure out what the hell had been going on in Roger's head for the past few days. At first he thought he might of just been scared to tell Drew. Then, after talking to Mimi, he thought that maybe he didn't tell him as a way of punishing him, or something. Whatever.

Mark looked down at his watch, 4:51 AM. Where the hell was Drew? Ok, so it probably wasn't the smartest thing to let him go for a walk at 2 in the morning in a city he knows nothing about. Oh well.

He sat back down and picked up his paper and pen, eager to get this idea down before he decided that he hated it.