It had been four days since Maureen's results had come in. In that four days, Roger's relief at her health had morphed to a self-pitying despair. He waited until he knew Mark and Maureen were both sleeping before slipping out of his room. Roger carried his shoes and jacket out of the loft and sat on the stairs to slip the shoes on.
The Man was right where Roger expected him to be. Dark alley as always. A young dark-haired girl strutted away from the man, the unmistakable look on her face. The look Roger knew well. A freshly purchased stash in her pocket just waiting to make her feel all better.
"Hey, buddy boy. Look who's back."
"Shut the hell up. Just give it to me."
"How much you got?"
"Fifty bucks."
The Man produced a small baggie and took Roger's money. Roger slipped the baggie carefully into his pocket and left. Halfway back to the loft, he stopped in and alleyway and snorted half the bag before staggering back up to the loft. Roger forced himself to stay awake long enough to hide the rest of his stash and crawl back into bed.
In the morning, Maureen knocked on Roger's door. "Rog? Roger, I made breakfast. Get up, sleepyhead."
Roger's eyes opened slowly. He yawned and stretched. God, it was a good morning. He fished his stash out of his drawer and snorted a little more. His arms itched with the urge to shoot up but he couldn't risk Mark and Maureen finding the needles. A few minutes later, he stumbled into the kitchen, smiling.
"Hey, Roger. You feeling okay?"
"Feel great, Marky," he said as he took a seat at the table.
"Marky?" Mark mouthed to Maureen. She shrugged.
"You want eggs or French toast?"
"Mmm….whichever."
"Are you sure you feel okay? You're, like, the pickiest eater ever normally."
"Yeah but I like both of 'em so whichever one is fine."
Mark studied Roger's face. After finishing his eggs, Mark announced that he was going out for the day, filming for his newest film. Maureen kissed him goodbye and got ready for her shift at the café.
"Got any plans today?" she asked Roger.
"Uh….job interview later on. Bartending."
"Well good luck, babe. I'm sure you'll do great," she said as she left.
Roger held his smile until the loft door slid shut behind her. Damn, he needed more. Dashing back to his room, Roger snorted the rest of the stash.
"Money," he mumbled to himself, "I need money."
He dug through every possible place his money should've been. Damn. Roger's eyes flicked around the room. He had to have something he could sell. His gaze settled on the watch April had given him for Christmas. Roger's eyes filled with tears at her memory. April. She was the reason he was like this. She was the one…Roger snatched it off the dresser and stormed out of the loft.
Maureen's shift ended just after the lunchtime rush. She sighed and headed back home. Benny was standing at the payphone across the street from the loft. He put the phone down when he saw her and gave a small wave.
"Benny!"
"Hey!"
"What are you doing here?" she asked, leading the way upstairs.
"Just thought I'd come by on my lunch break and say hi to everyone."
"Late lunch."
"Yeah, well, that's business for ya."
"It's what you get for working for your girlfriend's father," she teased.
Benny laughed and waited for her to open the loft door. "I tried calling when I got here, but no one answered. The guys out or just ignoring me?"
"Well Mark's out filming. I thought Roger was supposed to be home—oh wait! No, Roger's got a job interview. That's probably where he is."
Benny nodded.
"So what did you want for lunch? We don't have much—"
"As usual," he laughed.
"Captain Crunch or peanut-butter sandwich?"
"Sandwich. You want some help?"
"Nah, I got it."
