Author's Notes/Disclaimer: My first piece in a very long time! I got the idea from the song 'Happy New Year' off the RENT Broadway Cast Recording. Angel remarks that she "was a Boy Scout once - and a Brownie, until some brat got scared". I do not own RENT, the Boy Scouts of America, or any chocolate chip cookies in this story. Sorry! Read, review, and check out my other stories. I need inspiration to complete A Gentle Reminder. No, really.
Outside, the New York City evening was alive with a symphony of sounds. Cars were honking their horns, babies were crying, dogs were barking, but the most curious melody of them all was the chorus of ten little girls standing outside the Ryder Community Center singing Kumbaya. This could only mean that it was time for the 7th Annual Scouting Social, where Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts alike were gathering for a night of fun festivities. Inside the building, however, there was silence except for the drone of some yuppie soccer mom.
A young Hispanic boy sat in the first row of seats, swinging his legs anxiously as he waited for the grown-up on stage to stop talking. He didn't see why he had to sit and listen when he wanted to go eat and play with his friends, but in the meantime he began to twist in his seat to entertain himself. The plastic seat was bumpy, so when he wiggled it felt weird against his bottom. He giggled.
"Angel, be quiet and sit up straight," came the voice sitting next to him.
The boy jumped slightly at the verbal reprimand but obeyed, stilling himself. He began to do something less distracting, finding a loose thread on the bottom of his shorts and pulling at it until it broke off. He sighed and looked up at the Scout Leader, who was still talking. When did he get to eat the ice cream?
"Everyone in charge of food for this year's Scouting Social would like to extend a thank you to Bowery Catering Services for all the fine food you'll be seeing tonight!"
All of the adults began to clap. Angel clapped too, because clapping was sort of fun.
"Our Scouts have worked especially hard over the past year, and as proud parents and leaders, I think we've seen all of these children grow tremendously. When you go home tonight, I think you should tell your Scout how proud you are and give him or her a hug. Let's have a hand for these kids too, alright?"
Again, the applause began, and Angel clapped as loudly as he could to see if anyone would notice his gusto.
"Now I think you've heard enough of me talking, and we should probably get on with the show. We're going to have fifteen minutes for parents to get any children ready who aren't in uniform, and then we'll start bringing everyone up post by post for photos. While we're waiting, the cookies and punch will be served. Welcome to the Scouting Social!"
One more time there was applause, but this time Angel had already leapt out of his seat to find his friends. He navigated through the crowds easily, being rather small for his age, and quickly found a small gathering of the boys from his Boy Scout troop. He ran up and said his hellos, almost immediately feeling somewhat out of the loop. The other boys were bigger and stronger than he was, even though they were all the same age. They had more badges than he did, partially because they liked doing all the things Angel didn't, and partially because Angel didn't get to attend many of the badge earning events.
"Hey Angel," said TJ, one of the few friends he'd made while participating in Scouts. TJ was tall and thin, with skin much darker than Angel's. He was smart and nice to Angel, and what Angel liked best was that he smiled a lot. Sometimes he taught Angel how to play basketball, and he pretended to like it even though he never enjoyed playing sports. "Do you want to get a cookie with me?"
Angel nodded – he was never the type of boy to pass up the opportunity to snack on something sweet – and the two set off to find the snack table. As they reached it, they found a group of Brownie Scouts standing in front of the sugar cookies. Angel envied them – the way they always giggled and looked like they were the best of friends. He envied the way they would play with each other's hair and show off new bracelets. But a greater envy than that existed. More than anything, Angel envied their uniforms.
"Angel? Here, this one's chocolate chip. It's the biggest one they had on the table."
Angel didn't respond, lost in one of the vivid journeys his imagination often took. An idea had struck him, and it all seemed very simple to him. If he followed through with the plan his mind was forming, he would be able to sit by the girls and help braid their hair, and maybe one of them would give him a bracelet so they could tell him how pretty it was.
"Angel? I have your cookie."
"Sorry, TJ," Angel finally replied. "I have something really important to do."
TJ stood, still holding out the cookie as Angel scampered away. His feelings were slightly hurt, but he knew that if Angel said he was doing something important, then it must have been true. He took a bite of the cookie. Knowing Angel, he would soon find out what this important thing was.