Disclaimer – Don't own RENT. Don't own the song Over the Rainbow. 'nuff said. First RENT story, so be nice.
Italics are song lyrics
A/N: I was listening to my Wicked soundtrack and somehow got the idea for this story. Enjoy!
A/N 2: parings - MC/MJ, MM/RD, TC/AS, AE/RD
Summary: AU: Spring fling dance. Theme – Wizard of Oz. Featuring all your favorite couples. Includes Angel! Yay!
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/None
Dancing Through Life
By EquineMagus
Seventeen year olds Roger, Collins and Mark worried about the Spring Fling dance. It was the dance where the girls asked the guys and so far, no one had asked them yet.
"Do you think any girls will ask us?" a worried Mark asked.
"I hope so. Allison, you know, the cheerleading captain, already asked Benny." Collins informed them.
"Benny? As in Benjamin Coffin the third?" Roger asked. Collins nodded his head as two pretty Hispanic girls walked towards them, followed by a shy brown haired girl.
"Hey." The doe-eyed Hispanic girl greeted Roger.
"Hi." He greeted her, looking her up and down.
"Do you have a date for the dance?" the girl asked. Roger shook his head.
"You do now. The name's Marissa Marquez, but everyone calls me Mimi." The girl told him, smiling.
"Davis my name's Roger – I mean my name's Roger Davis." Roger stumbled over his words, but quickly recovered.
"So, Roger, wanna go with me to the dance?" Mimi asked.
"Sure!" Roger responded. He and Mimi went to a quiet corner to talk.
"Wanna go to the dance, big guy?" the other Hispanic girl asked Collins.
"Um, actually, I don't date girls." Collins muttered.
"Aww. That's too bad, because." She stopped to whisper in Collins' ear. "I'm a cross dresser."
"Really?" Collins laughed, looking the girl (or boy) up and down – (s)he was dressed in a shoulder length bobbed black wig, a striped sweater, a bright green skirt, green leggings and black platform heels.
"You look good for being a guy." Collins commented.
"Thanks. The name's Angel – no, it's Carlos, I just choose to go by Angel because it's prettier than Carlos." The Hispanic told him, smiling.
"I like that name – Angel. It's pretty." Collins said, smiling.
"Thanks. What's your name?" she wanted to know.
"Collins – actually it's Thomas Collins, but everyone calls me Collins, even my teachers." Collins told her.
"Well, Collins, would you like to go to the Spring Fling with me?" she inquired.
"Sure. I would love to." Collins answered, smiling. He wrote down his address and phone number for Angel. She smiled and went to join Mimi and Roger. Collins went to see how Mark was doing. Out of the trio, Mark was the shyest and least most out-going.
"Really! Great! I'll see you at the dance!" the brown haired girl bounced away and went to join a black girl in the hallway. The bell rang for classes to begin.
"Hey Mark! How'd it go?" Collins asked as he and Mark walked to their English class.
"Great – that girl – Maureen – asked me to the dance." Mark told him, smiling.
"That's wonderful Mark! I'm happy for you!" Collins said, thumping Mark on the back.
"Ow! Thanks Col." Mark thanked him and took his assigned seat towards the back of the class.
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The night of the dance approached and everyone was excited and nervous at the same time. Collins, Angel, Mimi and Roger were the first ones to arrive at the dance.
"You girls look beautiful." Roger told Mimi, putting an arm around her waist and drew her close. She was wearing a baby blue strapless dress that showed off her wonderful curves. Her hair was piled up on the top of her head and held there with tons of hairspray and bobby pins. Tendrils framed her face, making her look angelic.
"Thanks Roger. You don't look too bad yourself." Angel commented. She was in a black skirt and a flowered top.
"Let's get a table." Collins told his friends, getting a table near the door.
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Mark and Maureen were the next ones to arrive.
"Hey guys. Sorry we're late." Mark apologized.
"It's okay." The group told him in unison.
"You guys, this is Maureen – Maureen, this is Collins, Roger and their dates." Mark introduced his date to his friends.
"Hey Maureen." Everyone said in unison.
"Introduce yourselves, guys." Mark hissed.
"Collins."
"Angel."
"Roger."
"Mimi."
"Nice to meet all of you." Maureen said, smiling at each person as they introduced themselves.
"Dance with me?" Mimi asked.
"Sure." Roger got up from the table and headed to the dance floor, followed by Collins, Angel, Mark and Maureen.
"Everything looks so pretty." Roger commented as he put his hands on Mimi's waist and drew her close. She nodded as she laced her fingers behind Roger's neck.
"So, Mark, what do you want to do after we get out of this hellhole?" Maureen asked.
"Um, I wanna be a filmmaker. It's always been a passion of mine." Mark answered. Maureen nodded and rambled on and on about how she wanted to make it big on Broadway someday.
"What about you, Collins? What do you wanna do?" Angel asked. She and Collins were dancing a few feet away from the rest of the group.
"I wanna be a philosopher and teach at NYU." Collins told her, smiling.
"That's awesome." She said, wrapping her arms around Collins' neck.
"What about you, Angel? What do you wanna do?" Collins asked.
"Hmm. I haven't really decided yet. I don't have money for college, so I'm probably work somewhere." Angel answered.
"Mimi, what about you?" Roger asked. He and Mimi were dancing next to Collins and Angel.
"I wanna be a dancer, but I dunno." Mimi told him, resting her head on Roger's chest.
"I wanna be a musician." Roger told her.
"Guys! Shut up! This is my favorite song!" Maureen hissed. A slow song had come on and the couples danced slowly.
"Please welcome Joanne Jefferson to the stage to sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'." The principal Mr. Divans announced. Everyone stopped dancing and applauded as a black girl in a bright pink dress came onto the stage.
"Thank you, Mr. Divans. This song goes out to everyone with a dream." The girl named Joanne said, smiling at the couples on the dance floor. The band played a lovely musical intro as Joanne waited for her cue to start singing.
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?" Joanne sang, watching the couples dance. After she was done, everyone applauded as she scurried off the stage and to a table towards the back of the room.
"Shit – time to take my AZT." Angel muttered, walking out of the room, followed by Collins and Mimi. Roger, Mark and Maureen decided to go back to their table and talk until Angel, Collins and Mimi came back.
"ROGER DAVIS!" A girl called from across the room. Roger slumped in his chair as the girl came towards him – it was that girl from his History class.
"Hi, April. Where's your date?" Roger asked, his eyes darting towards the door, watching for Mimi, Collins and Angel to return.
"Oh, James? He's in the bathroom." She told Roger.
"Too much info, April." Roger said, smiling.
"Where's your date? Or did you come here alone?" April asked.
"She's out in the hallway." Roger answered.
"Oh. Roger, could I talk to you for a second?" April inquired.
"Sure. Guys, tell Mimi that I'm talking to an old friend of mine." Roger told Mark and Maureen as he stood up and followed April to an empty classroom.
"Rog, why did we break up?" April wanted to know.
"You tell me, April." Roger growled. He found out that April had been cheating on him though a reliable source – Mark.
"I was cheating on you, but James is nothing special." April told him, brushing her red hair off her shoulder. Roger sighed and looked away.
"Rog, what I'm trying to say is, that I want us to get back together." April said.
"Why in the world would I get back together with you? You cheated on me once before, who says you won't do it again?" Roger yelled at her, walking out of the room and back to his real friends. They never cheated on him with someone else.
"Hey guys." Roger greeted his friends as he sat back down. Mimi, Collins and Angel had returned to the table, but Mark and Maureen were gone.
"Hey Roger. Where've ya been?" Mimi asked.
"I went to the bathroom." Roger told her, sitting down next to her.
"Okay. Wanna dance?" Mimi inquired.
"Actually, Meems, I'm gonna sit this one out." Roger told her.
"I'll dance with you, chica." Angel piped up, standing up and walking with Mimi to the dance floor. As soon as Mimi was out of earshot, Roger went to Mimi's empty chair and told Collins about his encounter with April.
"Really? She wants to get back together with you?" Collins asked, taking a sip of his punch. Roger nodded.
"There's just one problem."
"What's that?"
"I think I'm in love."
"With who?"
"Mimi Marquez."
"That's cute."
"Col, I'm serious. She's beautiful, perfect, lovely in every wa-"
"Thanks for the compliment, Roger!" Maureen joked. She and Mark had returned to the table.
"You have fun dancing?" Roger asked. Mark nodded and slumped down in a chair.
"Where's Mimi and Angel?" Maureen asked.
"Dancing." Collins and Roger answered in unison.
"Oh. Okay." Turning to Mark she answered, "Pookie, I'm ready to go home."
"Okay, Maureen." He flipped Roger off as he let out a snort of laughter.
"Bye you two." Collins waved goodbye to Maureen and Mark as they left the gym. Mimi and Angel returned that moment.
"Hey Mimi." Roger greeted his date.
"Hey Angel." Collins greeted Angel.
"Hi boys." The girls greeted them in unison.
"Roger, I'm ready to go home. I'm tired." Mimi stifled a yawn.
"Okay. We can leave." Roger told her.
"I'll see you later, chica." Angel told Mimi.
"Okay." Mimi and Roger stood up and left the gym.
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"Mimi, there's something I have to tell you." Roger said as he put his car in 'park' and turned to face Mimi.
"And there's something I have to tell you." Mimi told him, smiling.
"You first." Roger insisted.
"No, it's okay. You first."
"On the count of three, we'll tell each other at the same time."
"Sounds good to me." Mimi smiled.
"Ready? One…" Roger counted.
"Two."
"Three." They said together.
"I love you." Roger blurted out.
"I have HIV." Mimi blurted out.
"That's a shocker." Roger said, looking down.
"I love you, too." Mimi told him, pulling him in for a kiss. Roger smiled and kissed her back with all the passion he could muster.
"Marissa!" Mr. Marquez called from the porch.
"I gotta go. See you tomorrow." Mimi pulled away and went inside. Roger let out a sigh and drove home, thinking of the dance and Mimi as he drove.
A/N 3: don't own the lyrics to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. belongs to respected owner. 'nuff said.