"Ummm. . .hey, d'you. . ." Maureen looks up from her copy of Theatre Week to see a nervous young man, wearing glasses taped together at the nose bridge and a goofy hat, stammering in front of her. He panics and studies his shoes. "Nevermind," he mumbles, turning away from her. The gawky young woman with tangled brown curls reaches out and catches his arm.

"What were you saying?" He looks at her and she smiles, sunlight glinting off her braces. Maureen gives him what she hopes is an encouraging look, prompting him to talk. After what seems like an eternity to him, the lump in the back of his throat dissolves and he can speak again.
"It's just, I wondered if maybe. . ." C'mon Benny, he counsels himself, you've wanted to talk to her all year, just do it. The rest comes out in a rush "Ifmaybeyouwantedtogo toamoviewithmetonight." There, it was said. The next step was up to her.

She looks baffled.

"What?"

Deep breaths, Coffin, we can get through this, she's just another person. Talk to her.

"If maybe you would come with me to see a movie tonight."

There, wow, did it!

"Oh, I can't tonight. I've got plans."
"Oh, that's ok. Thanks anyway" Dammit! He turns to leave. She catches him again.

"How about tomorrow?" The lump is back. He swallows it with an effort.

"Ok. . .umm. . .that'd be gre-at." His voice breaks and he blushes.

"Seven o'clock at the Von Lee, I want to see Hamlet. You up for it?"

"Y-y-eah. . . Meet you there?"

"Sure."

"Seeya then." She smiles and he thinks he might just melt.

"Ok, seeya." Benny manages, somehow, to walk away.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

------

Where the hell is he? I haven't seen him all summer and he's late? Maureen sits at "their" table at IHOP, waiting for Benny. He's more than an hour late. I'm giving him ten more minutes and then I'm leaving. Bastard! She catches sight of him at last, clumsily tripping down the street. Her heart melts a bit. Wow, he looks good! I've been trying to get him to get rid of those glasses for a year. His face seems to fall as he sees her through the window. She dismisses this as imagination and waves. She stands to greet him with a kiss as he approaches the table. He doesn't kiss back.

"What's wrong, pookie?"

"You got your braces off. You look great."
"So do you. I like your new clothes. You look. . .rich or something."

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he's just nervous about seeing me after being away all summer.

"Maur, we need to talk."
"Talk? About what?"

Benny sighs and sits down at the table. Maureen follows suit.

"Maur, we've been together a year now. . ."

Uh-oh, I don't like where this is going.

"And in that year, we've become such good friends. I'd like that to continue, but. . ."

"You're breaking up with me!" Suddenly she is furious, angrier than she's ever been. How dare this little pipsqueak break up with me? He couldn't even talk to girls a year ago, I had to teach him!

"Maur, I'm sorry. I. . .I met this girl this summer. . .Krista, and she's great. I. . .I think I might be in love with her."

"Oh! So that's how that thing works, huh? We go out for a year, I teach you how to be with a girl, and this little rich bitch reaps the rewards? And you think I'm going to want to be your friend? Fuck you, Benjamin Coffin! I never want to see you again!" A few people look up as Maureen grabs her purse and storms out the door.

------

I am going to be the biggest thing to hit New York. . .just as soon as I find an apartment. Ah, here it is. . .11th and Avenue A. Wow, what a dump. But you can't beat the rent. Ugh. The front door's locked. How do I get up there? What's this guy's name? Mark. I guess I'll call Mark. Where's a payphone? Oooh, that's handy, right there.

"Hey, Mark? It's Maureen. I called you earlier about the apartment? Yeah, I'm on the payphone downstairs. How do I get up there? Ok, thanks. See you in a minute." She hangs up and waits by the huge carved front door. A few minutes later, it opens to reveal a small strawberry blonde with glasses. She recognizes the look in his eyes immediately. She has seen the same look on countless faces, ever since she hit puberty. Mark is already wrapped around her little finger.

"Hi. Maureen?"

Here we go again.

"Yeah. Are you Mark?"

"Yep, c'mon in."

"Thanks."

She follows him up the stairs. On the third floor, loud music is playing and she can hear girlish giggles within. He leads her all the way up to the fourth floor and slides open the huge fire door into a giant loft-style apartment.

"Wow, this place is gigantic!"

"I know, we got really lucky. It does get a bit drafty in the winter."

"Great windows though."

"Yeah."
"So, when can I move in?" She flashes him her patented Maureen Smile, guaranteed to get her anything she wants from a guy.

"Umm. . .whenever you want. I'll. . .I'll get you a key, ok?"

"Great! When do I meet the others?"
"Roger's got a gig tonight. He probably won't be home 'til early tomorrow morning. Collins will probably be back in a couple of hours. I think he's got an exam today."

"Cool. So I'll just go to my hotel and get my stuff and I'll be back in a few hours."
"Umm. . .Want some help?"

"Sure! C'mon!"

------

A few hours later, with Mark's help, Maureen is installed in her new room in her new apartment. Her bed leaves a lot to be desired, it's just a mattress on the floor, but it will do for now.

I can't believe I'm in my own apartment in New York! I'm a New Yorker! She squeals a little with excitement.

She stretches out on her "bed," takes out Theatre Week and starts to read, a smile on her lips. There's a knock and Mark pokes his head around the quilt which serves as her bedroom door.

"Hey Maureen, everything ok?"
"Yeah, I'm great. Thanks. I'm tired though. I might go to bed early tonight."

"Ok, I'll leave you to get settled. Good night, I guess. . ."

"'Night."

------

Several hours later, Maureen is awakened by a loud drunken voice.

"Who the fuck is that?" She sits up in her bed and sees a man with bleached blonde hair standing in her doorway. She is too startled to speak. Mark comes running to the door, talking softly, placating the bigger man. They withdraw to the living room and she can hear them arguing, Mark softly and the blonde in loud rough tones. Maureen stands in her doorway watching.

"I don't care, Mark!" the blonde is saying. "We already have our fourth roommate. He's on his way right now."

"Roger, I'm not going to put her out. She's got nowhere else to go. Where did you find this guy anyway?" A third man has joined the argument, but is standing silently in the kitchen area.

"He was at the bar tonight. We got to talking and I told him we were looking for another roommate. He's getting his stuff."

"Well, we can't put Maureen out, Roger. It's the middle of the night."

"So where's he supposed to sleep?"
"The couch, I guess."
"Shit." Roger storms off into his own bedroom and slams the door. A moment later she hears loud crashing sounds from behind the door.

"I guess that's Roger, huh?"
"Yeah. Apparently he got drunk with some guy tonight and promised him he could live here."

"Oh." She looks over at the silent man in the kitchen.

She extends her hand and smiles flirtatiously at him.
"Hi. You must be Collins. I'm Maureen."

"Nice to meet you Maureen." He shakes the offered hand but seems unimpressed with her flirting.

What the hell, that always works.

The phone rings. Mark answers it.

"Yeah, he's here. Are you downstairs? I'll throw you the key. We're on the fourth floor, come on up. Ok, see you in a minute."

Mark takes his key out on the fire escape and tosses it to someone below.

"I guess he'll be up here in a minute."

A few minutes later, the big door moves a bit. Mark goes to help their new roommate open it. It slides open and reveals. . .What the fuck? Is that. . .

"Benjamin Coffin the third! What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Maureen?"

"You two know each other?" Mark is clearly confused.

"Oh yeah. We know each other, don't we Benny?"

"Yeah." Benny smiles diplomatically, but uneasily. "We used to date in high school."

"And you both wound up here. What are the odds?" Mark must be able to feel the tension between them, he's not stupid, but he seems determined to make peace.

"Yeah, Benny, what are the fucking odds?" Benny does not respond. Maureen is not impressed and removes herself to her room. She flops down on the bed.

Fuck, I finally find myself a place in New York and fucking Benny's here too? This is fucking ridiculous. I'm not moving out. He can fucking move out. I'm staying right here.

There is a knock, and once again, Mark's face appears around the quilt.

"Maureen? Are you ok?"
"Go away, Mark."

"What's up with you and Benny, Maureen?"

"Nothing, Mark, everything's cool."

"It didn't sound cool. Are you crying?"
"So what if I am?"

"Look, Maureen, I'll talk to Roger. Benny can find a new place in the morning. It's just for one night, ok?"

"Ok." Goddammit, now I'm really crying. . .I never cry. Fucking Benny.

Suddenly, she realizes Mark's arms are around her shoulders. He's hugging her awkwardly. It's oddly comforting. She turns her swollen eyes to his. He reaches for her face and clumsily kisses her lips. She kisses back. Surprised, he breaks away. The look on his face is so boyish and confused she has to laugh.

"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I. . .I don't know why I did that. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Didn't you like it?"

"Yeah. . .I mean. . .Yeah. It was. . . great." He blushes to the ends of his hair. "Look, I'll. . .I'll see you in the morning, ok? Don't worry, we'll work all this out."

"Ok." Mark turns to leave.

"Mark?"

"Yeah, Maureen?" He turns back to her. Maureen bats her eyelashes a little.
"Will you tuck me in?" He blushes again. Got him now!

"Sure. . .umm. . .Get in." She slides between the covers and he pulls them up over her body. As he leans over her, she takes hold of his face and kisses him. He starts to pull away, then gives in and kisses back. Once the kiss is broken, he has a hard time looking into her eyes. He withdraws and starts to leave. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mark. See you in the morning."

"See you in the morning."

------

The quilt provides next to no soundproofing. Benny can hear the whole exchange from his place on the couch. Damn, she's good. Was she like that when we dated? Yeah, probably. She sure had me played. Mark pulls back the curtain and enters the living room. He half-smiles at Benny, embarrassed. Benny waves him over.

"Look man," Benny says in a low tone "Be careful of that one. She's a player."

"You'll forgive me if I take anything you have to say about her with a grain of salt." Mark responds, just as softly.

"Take it however you want, man, she's gonna hurt you."

"Thanks for the warning. Good night."
"Good night."

------

Maureen awakes the next morning to a cacophony of voices. She can hear Mark, shouting now at Benny, Benny's yelling back, and Roger is shouting that their noise is hurting his head. Collins is trying desperately to make peace, and failing miserably. Maureen decides to join the fray and pads into the living room.

"'Morning boys." Benny glares at her, Collins looks surprised, Roger is busy studying his Captain Crunch, and Mark. . .well Mark looks at her with puppy dog eyes. "What's the trouble?"

"We're just discussing which of us will stay." Benny responds icily.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I like it here." Maureen replies, matching his tone. "You seem to like to leave, maybe you should go."

"I'm not going anywhere either."

"Look," Collins says "There's got to be a way to work this out. How about this; I'll bunk in with Mark for awhile, and Benny, you can have my room." Silence for a moment, as all of them consider this idea.

"That sounds ok." Benny says finally.

"You ok with that, Mark?" Collins asks.

"Yeah, you're never here anyway, so it's ok with me."

"Maureen?" All four look at her expectantly.

"Yeah, it's ok, I guess. As long as he stays out of my way."

"It'll make our rent cheaper." Collins says cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess so," Benny replies.

"Great! Who wants coffee? I'll move my stuff into Mark's room after breakfast."

------

A few weeks later, Roger brings home another roommate from the bar. She's waif-thin, red headed, and a spitfire. She and Maureen click immediately. Maureen's never been friends with a junkie before, but she and April are such kindred spirits that she hardly thinks of her new friend's habit. Roger is kinder to Maureen now too, since his girlfriend seems to like her. Things settle in and everyone seems to be getting along fairly well. Even Benny is being human to her. . .Mark has decided to move in with Maureen, leaving Collins in his own room.

------

Maureen has had the most amazing shopping day. She loves to shop, even though she never has any money to buy anything. Today, however, she has found the most amazing blue leather jacket. She can't wait to show April. She pulls open the door to the loft. It's quiet, no one's home, even though April declined Maureen's offer to come shopping this morning. She had said she thought she was coming down with something.

"April?" Maureen calls to the empty apartment. "Where are you, Ape?" There is no response, but she notices something odd on the floor near the bathroom. A puddle.

Weird. How did that get there? Maureen puts down her shopping bags and pushes open the bathroom door to get a towel to mop up the puddle. What she sees when she opens the door stops her in her tracks. She has never wanted to scream more, but her throat is closed. She can't get a breath. There in the bathtub, submerged in unmistakably deep reddish-orangey water, is April, her mouth half open, her left wrist shredded. Next to her, pinned to a towel hangs a piece of paper. Maureen can't read it, her eyes are swimming with tears. She kneels to take April's right hand, which is mercifully intact. She presses the hand to her lips and sobs.

"Oh God, April!" She hardly hears the big fire door slide open. Benny's voice calls out
"Hey, anyone home?"

"Benny!" Maureen sobs.

"Maur, where are you?"

"In the bathroom! Come quick!" Her throat closes again and she can hardly breathe. Benny appears in the doorway.

"Oh no. Maureen! What happened?"

"I don't know. I just came home and found her like this. She. . .I. . ." Maureen starts to sob again and then to hyperventilate. Benny moves quickly to her and takes her firmly around the shoulders. He all but lifts her to her feet.

"C'mon, let's get you some air." He leads her to the fire door and up the stairs to the roof. She clings to him desperately. Once on the roof her throat opens again and she gulps air greedily. He sits her down in an old chair, stands above her, and gently strokes her tangled curls as she cries, her palms pressed over her eyes. About 10 minutes later, they hear Roger scream in anguish.

"Oh shit! Roger. Are you ok, Maur, can I leave you?"
"Don't leave, Benny. I'll. . .I'll come with you."
"Ok, c'mon." He helps her up and they hurry down the stairs together.

They find Roger raging through the apartment, throwing whatever he can get his hands on. Finally he stops, head down, chest heaving.

"Roger, man. I'm so sorry." Benny tries.

Roger breaks away from him and runs to his room. Benny goes to the phone to dial 911. Maureen can't help but go back to April's side. She stares into the pale, slightly bluish face of her friend. Finally her eyes slide back to the note. Three words stare angrily back at her.

"We've. Got. AIDS."