Disclaimer - I own nothing of RENT or the songs sung by Kelly Clarkson. Both of these belong to their respected owners (Jonathon Larson & Kelly Clarkson). 'Nuff said. I can say, however, that I own the plot and my original characters - that's it, though.
Italics are song lyrics, thoughts and flashbacks
A/N: As I was on the plane coming home from a visit in New York, I was listening to the album Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson and I thought that it would make an interesting story. In this story, Angel is a girl.
Summary: AU: Eight friends who are in their first and second years at a performing arts school seek comfort in each other when they are enrolled in the same classes. But when one of them gets involved in drugs, what is the group to do? Set to the songs on the Breakaway album by Kelly Clarkson.
Genre: Drama/None
Rating: T
Breakaway
By WickedforRENT247
CHAPTER ONE
(chapter title - Prologue)
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Mimi Davis sighed and shut the lid of the trunk she was looking in - she didn't want to look through more pictures of her one true love - drugs had taken over his life when he was a senior at the performing arts school where he and Mimi had met. They broke up for a while, but got back together when he told Mimi that he had given up on drugs and wanted her back in his life.
"Meems? Is everything okay?" Maureen Cohen - one of Mimi's best friends - called up the stairs. Mimi picked up a scrapbook nearby and carefully looked through it.
"I'm fine. Just looking at old photos." Mimi called down the stairs.
"Get your butt down here - Grady and Ellen are awake and Mark's not due home for another hour." Maureen called back up. Mimi sighed and got up from her place on the floor, nearly tripping over her feet - both of them had fallen asleep. Shaking them awake, she exited the attic and walked down the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen, Mimi put the stairs to the attic back up and walked to the nursery.
"Finally - how long have you been up in that filthy attic?" Maureen half-teased when Mimi entered the nursery.
"I've only been up there a couple hours, just looking through some things." Mimi told her, her voice soft.
"Things?" Maureen raised an eyebrow as she changed Grady. Ellen was hugging her teddy bear and watching her mother change her brother.
"Yearbooks, scrapbooks, old photographs - things like that." Mimi answered, waving to Ellen. Ellen and Grady were Maureen and Mark's eleven-month-old twins. Ellen looked like Mark - light red hair and blue eyes while Grady looked like Maureen - black curly hair and hazel eyes.
"Honey, I know you miss them, and so do I, but it's time to move on." Maureen told her, putting Grady in the playpen in the living room before going to get Ellen.
"How can you move on? It's been three years! I haven't moved on!" Mimi exclaimed, tears in her eyes. Maureen put Ellen in the playpen and guided Mimi over to the couch, hugging her and stroking her hair.
"Meems, I know you're upset, but Mark and I don't know what to do with you. Ever since you moved in with us two months ago, you've been up in the attic for hours at a time and frankly, I'm worried about you." Maureen said, going to make some honeysuckle tea for the two of them.
"Why are you worried about me? I'm thirty-two, not twelve." Mimi informed her. Maureen rolled her eyes and handed Mimi her cup of tea. Mimi took a small sip and made herself comfortable in the chair next to the couch. She felt two pairs of eyes watching her as she and Maureen talked.
"Meems, ever since Mark and I started taking care of you, I've noticed that you've stopped taking your AZT and it's starting to worry Mark and me. Are you okay? You're not pregnant are you? If you are, congrats! If not, I'm sorry. If you are - you have to let me help you with a baby shower…" Maureen continued rambling on and on and on, showing no signs of stopping.
"Maureen….Maureen…MAUREEN!" Mimi finally shouted, making Grady and Ellen cry. Mimi put down her teacup and went to the playpen. She picked up Grady - the lighter of the two - and held him close, letting him know that everything was all right. Maureen picked up Ellen and sung quietly to her as she gently bounced the little girl on her hip.
An hour later, Mark came home while Mimi and Maureen were making dinner. Mark kissed Maureen on the lips before kissing Mimi on the cheek. As he told the girls about his day, Mimi saw some dirt on his knees - she knew he had been at the cemetery, visiting the graves of Angel, Benny, Collins (his real name was Thomas Bartholomew Collins, but he preferred to be called by his surname only), Joanne and of course, Roger - Mimi's devoted husband.
As they ate the spaghetti and meatballs the girls made, Mark turned on the baby monitor so that he could hear the babies, just in case they started crying or woke up.
"I'm gonna go pump since I didn't do it at all today." Maureen announced, getting up from the couch. Mark and Mimi laughed as they cleared the table and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and put the food away.
"Meems, may I ask you something and I want you to swear that you won't get mad and hurt me." Mark began, guiding Mimi to the couch.
"What's up?" Mimi inquired, sitting Indian-style on the couch in front of Mark.
"Why did you stop taking your AZT?" Mark asked.
"Mark, I have a confession to make - I'm pregnant."
"Since when?"
"Since two weeks ago - I've missed my period for two months and every morning, I get sick."
"That doesn't give you a reason to stop taking your AZT - it's keeping you - and your baby - alive."
"Mark, I don't want a baby - I have HIV and I might - scratch that - will die if I bring a baby into the world."
"Let's wait until you're further along to be making decisions like that."
"Fine."
"Changing subjects - I was thinking about the first time that all eight of us met."
"I was just thinking about that the other day - actually this morning."
"Really?"
"Yeah - I realized how lucky I am to have friends like you and Maureen in my life."
"The twins, too?"
"Si, Mark - even the twins."
"I'm glad that you moved in with us."
"I am, too."
After their conversation on the couch, Mimi went to her room towards the back of the house while Mark went to his and Maureen's room. The twins were down for the night, so all was peaceful. Mimi said a prayer for the ones who were no longer with her on Earth, knowing that she would be with them someday.
