Women: They Will Come and They Will Go
How the women in April Rhodes' life affect her and certain instances that stick out in her mind.
Rhonda Rhodes is a firecracker – all the glitz and glamour of a single, late 1980s mother, but no real substance. Just tiny sparks that never really amount to anything. It's no surprise little April inherits her mother's zest for life, but stability isn't something firecrackers are known for. So when Rhonda leaves her only daughter under the care of the youngster's blue collar grandparents, never to return again, April commits it to memory. It's not abandonment, Rhonda tells herself, but it is.
Penny Howard leaves, too, at the ripe age of sixty. A heart attack; it's the widower maker. April squeezes her grandfather's hand as they lower her gran-gran's casket into the ground. It's not cool at that age to be seen holding hands with anyone, much less her family, but as she clings to him for dear life, she realizes he's all she has left. She puts all her energy into singing in the church choir because it's the only thing her mother ever praised her for and the only extracurricular activity Penny allowed.
Mitzi Templeton is arguably the coolest senior at William McKinley High School April's freshman year. And it's Mitzi Templeton who introduces herself to April. She's all early 90s fashion, something straight out of Saved by the Bell. MT, as her friends call her, also introduces April to the highs and lows of getting high. April's not sure what she finds more addicting: the thrill she gets when that upholstery cleaner shoots into her nasal passage or the allure of having cool, popular friends that all the other freshmen envy. None of that matters, though, when Mitzi narcs on her and starts a downward spiral that lasts for years.
Sandra from Oakcrest Realty is a heinous bitch who kicks her out of every house in Lima that April squats in. It's a real pain in the ass, too. For a while, April could picture settling down at 35 Bontempo Road. But no, in swoops Sandy (who despises that nickname, which is all the more reason to use it) who knocks her down a peg once more. April's so busy worrying about somewhere to live it's no wonder she can't get back on her feet. It's a vicious cycle. There's not enough boxed wine in the world that will ever de-traumatize April, but that doesn't stop her from trying. April does learn one lesson from Sandra, though and it's how to distinguish fancy hors d'oeuvres from the average deli platter. Most notably, it's a skill that comes in handy when wooing fancy older gentlemen.
Rachel Berry may be the most talented person April's ever seen in the Glee Club- since the nineties, of course. She's got something April lacks, or had, rather. Youth. Innocence. A honkin' snout. So maybe April didn't have that last thing, but she sure misses the first two and Rachel brings out that in her. It's enough to drive April to drink. Not that she needs a reason these days. Every hour's happy hour in Rhodes Island. For the first time, though, April is the one doing the leaving (she doesn't really count her set of mixed race twins). In a way she feels like she's giving Rachel back the opportunity April lost years ago.
Sue Sylvester has a way of ensuring chaos. And if there's one thing April knows it's chaos. So when April makes her grand return to Lima after failing on Broadway, Sue tracks her down. One bizarre scheme and three placenta/protein powder margaritas later, April is fully invested in Sue's plan to get Will to join the cast of CrossRhodes. April knows what this is. She's just a pawn in someone else's master plan. It only gets harder when she sits in on the glee club's performance of Don't Stop.
Paula Abdullah (Not to be confused with the singer with a similar name), was also not impressed by April's all-white ensemble of The Wiz. But she knows a star when she sees one and despite April's troubled past, she agrees to help fund and produce CrossRhodes: The April Rhodes Story. And who knows? Maybe this will lead to bigger and better things for April. She can only hope. She doesn't want to be a Lima loser forever.
And as a special treat, I decided to give y'all a sneak peak of my WIP. It's called Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. Keep your eyes peeled! It's way different than anything else I've ever written. It's dark.
"All rise for the Honorable Eva Landenberg Strammond," the bailiff announces.
Justice Strammond takes her seat. "Santana Lopez, you stand accused of murder in the first degree for the death of Arthur Abrams. How do you plead?"
I look her dead in the eye and declare, "Guilty by means of insanity."
Even though I'm not. Crazy, that is.
I'm one hundred percent guilty.
Pique your interest? I am looking for an experienced beta. Normally I don't use one, but I really want to make this worth remembering! If you're interested, feel free to PM me. I've written about 60-70 percent already.