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Disclaimer: It owns me, but I don't own it. : (

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That was the night, everything transformed. Roger said that they found out, and April couldn't stop crying. She sobbed into his chest, and claimed it was her fault he had HIVS. Roger said he tried to comfort her, but she refused. She was angry with herself, and we felt, horrible.

Roger and I went the next day to April's apartment, to convince her to move in with us. Roger was upset, and he said he didn't want them to part anymore. They were going to go through this hell together.

But, he was wrong.

When he knocked about five times, Roger finally opened the door with the spare key she gave him.

"April?" he asked. We looked around, no one here. Her apartment was organized with barely anything in it. A couch, a bed, a TV and a refrigerator, that was pretty much it. I saw a door was closed.

"Roger," I said quietly, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked towards the door, and I saw his eyes go wide. He walked towards the door, and opened it.

The bathtub had water in it, but the water was a disgusting pink. I froze, and so did Roger. On the floor beside the bathtub, was a knife that had been dropped. In the bathtub, was April, floating.

"APRIL!" Roger screamed. He ran towards her, and picked her up in her arms and pressed her against his chest. Tears were coming to Roger's eyes as he held April against him. Her red hair was damp and her wrists, swollen and red. So, she slit her wrists.

He sobbed and sobbed and sobbed in her, and then we finally had to let her go…

For a while, Roger acted like it didn't bother him. But I could see the scars were getting deeper and deeper. He quit heroin and drugs, and was starting to actually play his guitar more.

"I'll write one last song before I go."

He had to start taking AZT. Roger often forgot to, wanting to die and join April. But I told him he had to keep on going for today. He ignored me, and I knew that if he had the choice he would have gone now. But something kept him here, and I knew, that one thing was his work. He didn't care about me, he wanted to see April.

Maureen and I tried our best to comfort him, but Roger refused comfort. He finally broke down one day, and refused to leave our apartment, around April…

In late April, Collins came home. He had a smile on his face looking at us.

"Benny's moving out."

"What?"

"He got engaged to Muffy."

"You mean Allison?"

"Yeah, whatever," he said. He smiled. "I bought champagne!" he said. I smiled at him, and Maureen rubbed her head in my chest.

"Not tonight Collins. Maureen is tired," I said.

"No, Maureen okay," Maureen muttered, between tired eyes. I had kept her up all night, trying to get her to work with me.

"Come on, just say the damn lines," I muttered on our fire escape.

"But pookie, I don't wanna," she said to me. She tried to come around me, and kiss me, but I shoved her off.

"Come on Maureen."

But she couldn't, she couldn't stop touching me, so we finally screwed it, and slept together instead. I picked her up off the couch, with the help of Collins, and put her on the bed. We smiled and drank our champagne, as Maureen slept on well into the night.

"I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow," Collins said suddenly after silence. We looked at him, slightly confused.

"Why?"

"I've been sick lately. I think I've got the flu or something," he said. We nodded.

"Want me to bring you?" I asked.

"Nah, I'll take the subway. I don't think it's that bad yet, just need to know what I got," he said.

"Understandable," we both agreed.

"I'm going around 12 tomorrow. Wait for me, and I should be receiving a letter…" he said.

But, Collins never came back. Maureen and I went out around two for lunch, and left Roger. He says that he went up to the roof, and then came down, and found a letter from Collins. It was simple. He said that he was diagnosed with AIDS too, and was going to MIT, to teach. He left us, alone and in the dust.

Now, it was just Maureen, Roger and I, and we were getting restless. Maureen was starting to spend more and more time out of the loft, and I was trying hard to get a gig.

Collins.

Gone.

April.

Gone.

Roger.

Here, but dying.

And before I knew it, Maureen would be gone too.

Times were starting to get hard. I don't know what was happening to me, but it was. Something that hits you. My friends, were dying. I knew I couldn't stand this anymore. I had to break free, but something held me back.

Maureen. She kept on comforting me, and it seemed like every time we kissed, it was getting more and more magical…

I was in love with her, and before I knew it, I was on knees, begging. I was in love with her and I wanted her. She was everything that I wanted and I had to get her. I had too…

I had scrapped up a few bucks, and I brought Maureen out to a nice restaurant. She was sitting there, it was July, and she seemed happy. She was wearing a nice red dress, and had a single rose in her hair.

"Pookie, what is this about?" she asked me. I smiled at her.

"Maureen…" I said. I stood up and looked at her. She seemed slightly confused at me. I knew what I was doing, and I wanted her by my side forever, I didn't care if Roger scolded me. Or if Collins hated me. I wanted her, and I needed her. She was the air I breathed, and I needed her. I then got down on one knee.

"Oh my god," she said.

"Maureen, roses are red, violets are blue, my love for you is pure," I said. She was freaking out, and my heart was pounding. I pulled out a white box, with a small diamond ring in it. I opened it up, and took the small silver ring out of it, and held it in my hand. "Will you marry me?" I asked.

I looked up at her, and she looked down at me. She wasn't expecting this from me, and I knew it. She was looking down at me, confused and then she smiled. "Yes pookie, yes!" she said. I smiled, and then slid the ring on her finger. I stood up, and swooped down on her, planting a large kiss on her lips. She pulled me closer, and the whole restaurant was cheering. She was so excited, that she didn't let go of my neck.

"Maureen, I know this is big for you…"

"Mark, we aren't going to get married right away, right?" she asked. I looked at her.

"If that's what you want," I said. She nodded.

"I want time. I don't want to get married, I want to wait till Collins gets back. Then get married, if that's alright with you," she said. I nodded.

"Anything."

"Good, good pookie," she said. She kissed my cheek, and then I went back to my seat. I was changed forever. I was going to get married. That feeling, and that emotion, stabbed my heart. It was too perfect to be true. Was I really in love? Where we going to get married? All these thoughts ran through my head, and I stared at her. She kept looking at her ring, and staring at the diamond. The diamond that would later be shoved back into my face…