AN: I've had this written out forever… I just didn't feel like typing it out… Sorry to anyone who is actually following this story… And just so people don't get confused, where I live, we call Hicksville anywhere were the hicks live… I know that it's a real place, but when I refer to Hicksville, I mean some random, nameless, county, farming, town… I don't mean the place in NYC… Just had to clear that up first…

AVAVAVAVAVAVA

It had only been two hours. Two hours since Collins had gotten to New York City for the first time in his life. You couldn't really tell by looking at him that he was a country boy, born and raised in upstate New York. He had always felt so closed off there, in the same area where most people felt so open, with the air and the fields and all that crap. Collins couldn't stand it, and got away as soon as possible.

College had ended about three weeks ago, and Collis had left his family after all that 'we love you' stuff got tiring. He didn't have the courage to tell them about the AIDS thing while he was there. Maybe the next time he talked to them.

But back to New York. It hadn't taken him long to look up his old friends number to ask for a place to stay in the city. The friend had know it was coming, that much was obvious from the way the conversation had gone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me!"

"Hey! You ready to get your ass out of Hicksville and join me?"

"…Hell ya."

He was given the address, told a time to come by when people would be home, and it had only take him three days to get together all the things he would need and get there. He looked from the sign on the street corner, to the address written sloppily on his hand, to the tall building in front of him. He hoisted his duffle bag onto his shoulder and shifted his box of belongings to his left arm before making his way into the building and up the six flight of stairs and knocking on the large metal door.

He couldn't help but laugh at the noises he heard coming from the other side of the door after he knocked.

Shrill voice. "Someone's at the door!"

Deep annoyed voice. "Ya, we got that from the whole 'hand pounding on metal' sound."

Shrill voice. "Is someone gonna get it?"

Impatient voice. "Not I."

Deep voice, and guitar strings. "Make Mark get it."

Impatient voice. "Mark! Someone's at the door!"

Muffled voice. "Ims bssy!"

Sing song voice. "He says he's busy!"

Deep voice. "Whatever. I'll get it."

A bleached blonde with a guitar in his hands opened the door. He took one look at the box in Collins hands and shook his head. "Sorry dude, we're not really interested in buying anything at the moment."

He was about to shut the door in Collins face when a blonde girl with red roots coming through came to the door and looked over his shoulder at Collins, holding the door open. "What are you selling?"

The guy rolled his eyes. "It's not like we could buy it anyway."

But the girl just shrugged. "Free samples?"

Collins looked at the two in front of him and shifted uncomfortably. "Not selling sorry." The blonde sighed and skipped off, not wanting to hear an explanation, but the guy remained at the door. "I'm actually looking for Maureen… She here?"

Without breaking eye contact, the guy yelled over his shoulder, loud enough to make Collins shudder, but no one in the apartment seemed to find it odd. "MAUREEN!" With that, he turned back into the apartment, leaving the door open. "You can come in." He sat crossed legged on a ratty couch and began plucking at his guitar again.

Collins walked in and took a moment to take in the scene. Aside from the man playing the guitar, the blonde was sitting in the middle of the floor, painting her nails red and black, and there was another man sitting at a table with his back to Collins, working in what looked to be school books.

Collins set his box and duffle bag down at his feet just as an obviously 'put out' looking brunette stepped out of one of the three bedrooms in the apartment. Collins was only guessing that it was a bedroom by the disheveled state of the girls dress, which consisted of jeans with paint splatters all over them, and a black bra.

Her hands were resting on her hips as she glared at the blonde who had called her name. "Roger, do you not have the decency to let Mark and I have sex in peace?"

But he didn't even look up from his guitar. "You have company."

She dropped her arms to her sides with a huff and looked to the door, ready to yell at who ever had interrupted her.

Collins just smiled. "Hey baby!"

Instead of yelling, the girl screamed and jumped up and down, eventually running to Collins and throwing her arms around his neck. "Collins? Ohh my God! You're here!" She removed one arm from his neck and swung it in a half circle around them. "Welcome to the Loft!" She looked back to him with a beaming smile. "You're staying right?"

He shrugged. "No place else to go."

She yelled again. "Yay! It'll be just like middle school again!"

Collins groaned. "Ohh god I hope not. I've had my ass kicked enough for one life time."

"Well, that was just an excuse for the high school hot shots to touch your ass." Maureen took that opportunity to slap his ass, for dramatic effect. "Can you blame them?"

Someone on the other side of the room cleared their throat and Collins looked up to see a guy with blonde hair and geeky glasses, staring at Maureen with a mix of 'who the hell is this guy whose ass you're touching' and 'I don't want to interrupt' on his face.

Maureen threw her arms around Collins again, having to stand on tip toe to do it. "Guys, this is Collins! He's gonna be staying with us!"

The guy who was working on his homework finally looked up, his face totally blank. "Do you snore?"

Collins shook his head. "Not that I know of."

He went back to his work. "Then we'll be good."

"That's Benny. The spare bed is in his room."

The girl who was painting her nails jumped up. She looked her nails over once more, no doubt making sure they were dry, before holding out her hand to Collins. "I'm April."

Collins took her hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

The girl cocked her head to the side and looked Collins up and down, which prompted the guy playing his guitar to jump off the couch and wrap his arm protectively around the girls waist, pulling her back just a bit. He was smiling, but with a challenging glare. "So Collins… You got a girlfriend of your own?"

Collins opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Maureen started laughing. He glared at her, playfully, but still, before shaking his head. "No."

Maureen stopped laughing and leaned against Collins. "Roger, Collins is hot as hell. Don't you think if he were straight, I'd be the one fucking him?"

Collins hit her on the arm and rolled his eyes. "Nice Maureen." She had been one of the only people in school who he had told he was gay. And that was only because she had told him first that she was bi. "But who says I'd be interested?"

Maureen rubbed her arm as he spoke, but her arms dropped to her side as he finshed. "Excuse me?" She stared at him in disbelief.

Collins shrugged. "I just don't think you'd be my type."

"Besides having a vagina, what's wrong with me?" She didn't look or sound hurt, more like she was daring him to list even one flaw.

"Well, after the eighth grade Halloween Party, it'd just be hard to look at you in a girl-friendly way is all." Collins smirked as Maureen's jaw dropped.

Roger looked from one to he other. "Why? What happened?"

Collins opened his mouth to respond, but Maureen quickly clasped her hand over it. Her voice dropped and sounded deadly. "If you breath a single syllable of that story, you will be homeless in a strange city."

Benny, who was now up from his work and had an amused smile, looked at Collins. "If you tell us the story, I'll give you the whole room."

Maureen shot him a nasty glare. "Fuck off Benny."

He just smiled and closed his books. "You know, I think I will." He piled his books in his hands and walked into another of the bedrooms, coming out a moment later without them. "Be back later kids."

Maureen mumbled as he walked out the door. "Don't hurry." But it went unnoticed by everyone but Collins.

"What's up with him?"

"He thinks he's fuckin superior because he's graduating college early and he has a rich girlfriend."

Roger raised his voice in a mocking tone. "Muffy!"

Collins smirked. "Her name is Muffy?"

The blonde who had been standing by the door finally spoke up. "It's Alison really, Maureen and Roger just like to call her Muffy to tease Benny." He sat on the counter, and the way his legs dangled it made him look like a little kid. "He's taking summer courses all summer and he'll be done with college a year early come fall. He's got plans to open up a studio and everything. His girlfriends like his business partner or something."

"God Mark." Maureen rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You make it sound like you're okay with what he's doing."

He shrugged and all his attention went to a camera he picked up off the counter. "He didn't do anything wrong yet. I'm just giving his intentions the benefit of the doubt is all."

April sat down beside Mark, and looked to Roger. "Can we go somewhere? I'm bored."

Roger set his guitar down and took Aprils hand. "Where do you wanna go?"

Her face lit up. "Candy store!" Mark looked at the girl and his face fell, but April and Roger didn't look away from each other. "I've been craving a candy bar all day!" She hopped off the counter and began pulling Roger to the door.

"Ya. I could definitely go for a candy bar." Roger followed after her.

Mark slid off the counter. "You know what? So could I! I'm gonna go with you two. You don't mind right?" Roger and Aprils faces fell, but Mark just smiled and continued to the door. "I mean after all, it's just the candy store." He smiled at Roger. "It's not like you're doing anything secret that I should know about and there fore can't come with you, right?"

April was now pouting, but Roger bit his lip and smiled back at Mark. "Not at all." He tousled Mark's hair in a 'big brother' kind of way. "Got Mark, you must really be craving chocolate." Roger and April walked out the door, and Mark walked out behind them, just after giving Maureen a small kiss.

Collins gave Maureen and odd look. "What was that about?"

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Mark seems to think that 'candy bar' is Roger and April's code word for heroin or something like that." She smiled and grabbed Collins hand. "But come on! I'll show you to some of my favorite areas in the city!"

"Alright, I'm coming." He allowed himself to be dragged out of the apartment and back down the street where he had just come from. This stay in the city was going to prove to be very interesting.