(yes, I'm back with another Mark/OC romance. Jane Devree is my OC this time. Anything in regular font is Jane's POV. Bold is Mark's. So, yeah enjoy and review. Disclaimer: I don't own RENT or any character's you recognize. They are the property of the late great Jonathon Larson.)
I stepped off the train in New York City, wide-eyed. I was a nineteen year old filmmaker who had just been kicked out of Brown College after about four months. All for the better I thought smugly, reaching into my shoulder bag and taking out my camera. I hated Brown with a burning passion, but my parents basically threatened my life if I dropped out.
I was too busy filming the train station (walking backwards) that I forgot to watch where I was going. I realized I should have been paying attention- a little too late- when I ran into someone and was knocked to the ground. "Oh my god, I am so sorry," I apologized, looking up to see a pair of shockingly blue eyes.
"Not a problem," the man said, smiling and holding out a hand. I took it gratefully and let him pull me up.
"Thanks."
"New to New York?" he asked smugly. I nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, I could tell. Do you want help finding where you're supposed to be?"
"Umm… actually, yeah," I took out the scrap of paper with the address of my childhood friend, who had invited me to stay, and handed it to him, "Do you know where that is?" He started laughing. "What's so funny?" I snapped.
"Oh, nothing," he said through his laughter, "It's just… you're Jane, aren't you?"
I was taken aback a little by him knowing my name, and he seemed to sense it. "Your friend, Mimi, lives in the apartment below me and my roommates, Roger and Collins. She hasn't stopped talking about you since she got your letter saying you were coming." I nodded.
"That sounds like Mimi. So, could you show me where I'm going, or at least tell me?"
"Of course. Follow me." We left the station. Out on the cold Manhattan street, I pulled my light jacket a little bit closer to me, resulting in a bit of laughter from the man walking beside me. "Better get used to being cold," he smiled, "Our landlord shuts off our heat on a monthly basis. Something about no rent money equals no heat… or electricity, for that matter."
"Great," I muttered sarcastically, "You know, you have an advantage on me. You know my name, but you have yet to tell me yours."
"Sorry," he said, "I'm Mark. Mark Cohen."
"Nice to meet you."
"You too. So what brings a girl like you to this hellhole people call Alphabet City?"
"Getting kicked out of Brown," I rolled my eyes, "And refusing to go home."
"Oh ho ho," he smiled, "Another one of us kicked out of Brown. I was too, and our landlord, Benny, who at one point was our roommate and good friend."
"No kidding?" I laughed, "Sounds like you've got your own ideals then. They wouldn't kick out a conformist. The administration's too close-minded."
He laughed. "You sound like one of us already, and you're right. I couldn't stand that place. Everyone was exactly the same."
"That's what I thought. It's the reason I was kicked out of MIT too."
"Really? MIT too? Never was good enough to get in there, but Collins was. He was expelled for his theory of actual reality."
"Actual reality?" I looked at him curiously, "I was expelled for planning a protest that inadvertently turned into a riot supporting the theory."
"Wow, with all of the history you've had entangled with our group, I surprised we haven't met before."
We reached a ratty industrial loft, which I assumed was where I was living. It wasn't what most people would consider nice, but I already liked it. It had a sort of artist's appeal to it. Mark picked up a stone from the pavement and threw it at the window. For a moment, I was a little bit confused, but a set of keys suddenly dropped seemingly out of nowhere. I tilted my head to one side in a sort of unspoken question, which Mark answered as if it had been asked.
"We only have one set of keys," he explained, "And Collins and I were both going out this evening. Roger is staying with Mimi, who has probably been sitting by the window all evening, so I was just getting their attention.
"Alright then. I suppose that makes sense."
"Shall we?" he asked, holding the door open. I laughed and passed him through the door.
I don't know what prompted me to go to the train station to film that night. It might have been the allure of this new mystery girl Mimi swore was my female counterpart or the feeling that something significant would take place that night. Whatever it was, I found myself filming anyone and everyone in the station. I had lowered my head to check the battery on my ancient camera when I bumped into someone, who was knocked to the ground.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry," the girl said, glancing up at me. Those eyes caught me off guard; a deep brown that had mystery and yet told you everything if you studied them long enough.
"Not a problem," I smiled, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it, and I pulled her to her feet. She thanked me quickly. She was obviously new to New York. She was too nice and too quick to trust people. "New to New York?" I asked anyway, to make sure. She nodded, and I took into account that way her cheeks flooded with color; a pink that was few shades lighter than her red hair. "Yeah, I could tell. Do you need help finding where you're supposed to be?"
"Ummm… actually, yeah," she took out a scrap of paper and handed it to me, "Do you know where that is?" I studied the address for a minute and had to laugh. That was the address of our loft. This was Mimi's friend. "What's so funny?" she snapped.
"Oh, nothing," I assured her, "It's just… you're Jane aren't you?" I was already sure I knew the answer, but I had to ask. She seemed taken aback, which I took as a yes. "Your friend, Mimi, lives in the apartment below me and my roommates, Roger and Collins. She hasn't stopped talking about you since she got your letter saying you were coming." She laughed.
"That sounds like Mimi. Could you show me where I'm going, or at least tell me?"
"Of course. Follow me." We left the station. Out on the street, I couldn't help but laugh when Jane pulled her jacket a little closer to her. "Better get used to being cold," I warned her smugly, "Our landlord shuts off our heat on a monthly basis. Something about no rent money equaling no heat… or electricity, for that matter."
"Great," I barely heard her mutter sarcastically. She added a little volume to her voice. "You know, you have an advantage on me. You know my name, but you have yet to tell me yours."
"Oh, sorry," I hadn't even realized that I hadn't told her my name, "I'm Mark. Mark Cohen."
"Nice to meet you."
"You too." I thought for a moment before asking, "So what brings a girl like you to this hellhole people call Alphabet City?"
"Getting kicked out of Brown," she rolled her eyes, "And refusing to go back home." So Mimi had been right about this girl being like me. I had seen her not paying attention with her camera at the station, and now I'm finding out she was just kicked out of Brown too. I was curious to see what else she had in her past that was similar to his own.