Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT – it belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson (RIP). I can say that I own my original characters.
A/N: I don't know how this story idea came to me, but it just hit me like a sack of sawdust.
Italics are flashbacks, memories, songs and thoughts.
Summary – AU: When Mary decides to take a trip to New York to apply for a job at NYC, she runs into 7 Bohemian friends. Told from Mary's POV.
Rating – T
Genre – Romance/Drama
The New Bohemian
By TangoAida
CHAPTER ONE
(chapter title – Prologue)
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Two hours later, Erick and I reach the apartment complex where I would be staying for the rest of my life – or if I decided to move again, whichever came first. Together, the two of us carried up three flights of stairs all of my belongings. Two blond haired men poked their heads out at us as we walked by with my belongings. I thought the man with the spiky blond hair and glasses was really cute – I've always had a thing about guys with spiky blond hair and glasses.
"Mary, c'mon!" Erick shouted from the bottom of the stairs, startling me out of my wits. I recovered and went to help him carry up the last box of my clothes. I was coming up the stairs when the man with the short, spiky blond hair and glasses stopped me in my tracks. He was wearing a red sweatshirt and pair of faded blue jeans. On his feet, he wore a pair of old tennis shoes.
"Hi." He greeted me. I smiled shyly and continued up the stairs.
"Need any help?" he inquired, taking the box from me without waiting for a response from me. Sure I thought to myself, leading the way to my new apartment.
"Just set it down anywhere and I'll take care of it." I told him.
"Okay. I'm Mark – Mark Cohen." He introduced himself.
"I'm Mary – Mary Sheppard." I told him. Mark smiled and excused himself. That was my cue to say goodbye to Erick. I knew I wouldn't be seeing him for a long time to come.
Making my way down the stairs, I heard Mark call my name. Turning around, I saw Mark with the man with the long, blond hair following him.
"Mary – this is Roger, my roommate." Mark introduced us. I smiled at Roger and Roger just looked down at the floor.
"Nice to meet you, Roger." I said, my voice motherly.
"You, too." He mumbled. I giggled and excused myself so that I could say goodbye to my favorite brother. He was waiting for me when I went to the lobby of the apartment building.
"Hey." I greeted him, walking up next to him.
"Hey." He echoed.
"I'm gonna miss you, you know that, right?" I asked. He nodded.
"Don't worry about me, Mary. I'll be fine." His voice was starting to crack. I hadn't seen him cry since our dad died last year of lung cancer. I pulled him into a hug and whispered 'I love you' in his ear. He smiled and kissed my cheek. He then went to the truck and drove away in the distance. I watched him leave before I walked back up to my apartment.
I opened my door to the apartment and decided to turn on some music while I put my clothes away in my bedroom. I turned up the volume a bit and danced to the YMCA as I hung up my dresses and put up my bulletin board. Mark and Roger came in a few times, just to see how I was doing and if I needed anything. I shook my head and continued to put my stuff away.
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An hour later, there was a knock on my door. I let out a sigh and went to answer it. Standing before me was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen – she looked of Hispanic descent and had large chocolate brown eyes that made her look even more beautiful than she already was. She was wearing a sparkly leotard and an oversized black sweater. On her feet, she wore pink ballet slippers. Her long hair was pulled back with a black ribbon.
"Hi, I'm Mimi Marquez. Roger sent me up here to see if you wanted to go to the Life Café with a big group of us tonight for dinner." She said.
"Of course, I would love to come!" I told her, grabbing my jacket and closing my apartment door. I knew this was a start of a beautiful friendship.
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Mimi and I went to Roger and Mark's apartment to wait for their other friends – Joanne, Maureen, Angel and Collins. While we were waiting for them, the three of them decided to ask questions about my past.
"What's your full name?" Roger asked.
"Mary Marie Sheppard." I told him.
"When's your birthday?" Mark inquired.
"July 17th, 1985." I answered.
"How old are you?" Mimi questioned.
"Twenty."
"Do you have any siblings?" Roger asked.
"A brother – Erick. He's thirty-three." I answered.
"Where are you from?" Mark inquired.
"Richmond, Virginia." I answered.
"What brings you to the East Village?" Mimi inquired.
"I'm hoping to get a job writing. I live to write – it's what I do." I told her.
"What do you like to do when you're not writing?" Roger asked.
"I love horseback riding, listening to music, dancing, shopping, watching movies, eating out, going to movies, reading, gymnastics, running, swimming and playing tennis." I answered.
"What sports were you involved with in school?" this was a new voice. I turned around and saw four people coming in the door. Two of them were black – a man and a woman, one was albino and one was white. It was the black man that had asked me the question.
"I was involved in the equestrian, tennis, gymnastics, swimming and track teams in middle and high school." I answered.
"Did you have your own horse?" the albino asked. I nodded and smiled.
"She was really beautiful – chestnut with one white stocking on her left back leg and a bald face. Her name was Pyrate's Gold Forever – but I just called her Pye. She was a Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse cross, so she was stockier in the back end, but had long legs for running." I said, smiling. But that smile suddenly faded.
"What happened to your horse?" the black woman asked.
"We had to sell her when I was a freshman in high school. We lost a lot of money after my dad died of lung cancer…" I felt tears in my eyes as that memory flashed before my eyes. I chewed on my bottom lip to keep from crying. Everything was silent until Mark spoke up.
"Mary – this is Joanne, Angel, Collins and Maureen. Guys, this is Mary. She just moved here from Virginia." Mark introduced us. I smiled and wiped the tears from my eyes. The four of them greeted me and asked me more questions about myself – what my favorite food was (Italian), my favorite book (Les Miserables by Victor Hugo), what my favorite movie was (Beauty and the Beast), what my biggest fear was (heights), what my favorite animal (horses, giraffes, otters or jaguars), what my favorite song was (Music of the Night from the musical, Phantom of the Opera), what my favorite color was (light blue) and what my favorite TV show was (Will & Grace). I knew the bunch of us would be the best of friends, no matter what happened between us.