[@Carlsberg]

Mike sighed lowering his head.  He figured this would be her answer once he found out Jen was a prostitute.  A sad life it seemed, always in bed with some stranger every night, and wasting every day just looking for another.  The pay outweighed the consequences, but from seeing Jen and hearing her reaction, he didn't think so.

[b]"Now....I don't know what to say to that."[/b]  His voice lowered, staggering to his feet and dusting his old, ratty jeans off.  [b]"But I think if this is how you feel, you need to tell her.  She really likes you Jen, and it might hurt her, but...she might understand as well.  I'm heading off.  If you ever need to see me again, just check the alleyways.  God knows I never leave the damn place."[/b]  And with that he left.

____________________________

Liz kept shivering the rest of the night, tossing and turning, unable to find any rest for her wandering mind, so for the time being, she stayed awake, staring through tired, bloodshot eyes at the empty side of the bed she laid in.  For a moment, she imagined Jen was there, nestled close to her, a soft, beautiful smile as she slept.

But she wasn't.  Liz was alone.

She sighed, pulling herself up with a weary groan.  This lumpy mattress wasn't  doing her much favor.  She sat on the side gazing down at the dusty floorboards, before deciding to grab her guitar.

It seemed music was the only friend she's ever had, so why not?  It took her a while to find the right tone playing a couple of chords, but when she had it, Liz just closed her eyes and let her emotions do all the work, strumming the strings and fingering the frets, producing a sound that was as if her guitar was weeping.