Chapter 2: Mimi's Actual Reality

*Five hours later at Angel and Collins's Apartment*

"You ok Mimi chica?" Angel asked as she handed Mimi a cup of water.

"I will be Ang." Mimi replied as she took the cup of water that Angel was handing her. After Mimi took a swig of water she placed it on the coffee table in front of her, then turned to Roger for guidance.

"It's ok." He whispered in an encouraging voice to Mimi. Letting her know that it's ok to tell Angel and her new acquaintances the dark truth about her.

"Um… actually I need to tell you all something." Mimi finally said as she uncouncusly moved closer to Roger for comfort and strength.

"What is it Mimi?" Collins asked as he looked from Roger to Mimi, wondering what was going on.

Well…" Mimi started to say when 'Ding Dong'

"Hold that thought Meems." Angel said as she got up from her seat and went to open the door.

"I'm here!" Announced as new voice.

"Maureen? What are you doing here?" Mark asked through clenched teeth.

"Your still not mad at me, are you Markey?" Maureen asked with a pout.

Mimi turned to Roger who was now right next to her and asked, "Whose she?"

"Maureen Johnson. She and Mark use to go out for about three or was it four years?" Roger questioned himself as he tried to remember how long it was that Maureen and Mark had gone out. "Anyway, three days ago she broke up with him because she had fallen in love with someone else." Roger explained with a smile on his face.

"Who?" Mimi asked now curious.

Before Roger could answer Maureen said to everyone, "Oh I want you all to meet my girlfriend." Just then an African American young women came in. She had short curly hair that was about two inches above her shoulders, she wore a black and white trench coat, a red 'v' top, and black pants. (A/N: what Tracie Thoma wore in 'The Tango Maureen' in "RENT: The Final Performance- filmed live on Broadway") "Everyone I would like you all to meet…."

"Joanne? Is that really you?" Mimi asked as she stood up from her seat next to Roger with shock and surprise written all over her face and in her eyes.

"Mimi? Oh my God!" Joanne asked with the same reaction. Both Joanne and Mimi ran to each other colliding into a hug. "I can't believe you're here. How have you been girl? I mean dealing with everything that is?"

"Okay. I mean as okay as can be expected. What about you? How have you been? Last time I saw you was when you visited me when I was in France." Mimi asked with a great big smile on her face.

"Same. I still can't believe that you're here. I've missed you soooo much." Joanne said still hugging Mimi.

"Me too. I'm so happy that you're here. Oh hey have you been practicing the tango?" Mimi asked with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Maybe." Joanne replied with the same mischievous smile starting to show.

Right before the two could start to tango Maureen asked with a whine and jealous tone, "Pookey, do you know her?"

"Yeah Honey Bear. Mimi here is… well as you already heard the one that taught me how to tango." Joanne replied as she and Mimi began to dance a sexy tango. Leaving everyone in the room in shock, amazement, and jealousy.

"Ha-ha, Joanne you haven't lost your touch." Mimi laughed out loud. All everyone else could do was watch the two girls laughing and tangoing.

"Beep Beep." Rang a beeper.

"Hey Rog take you AZT." Mark instructed.

Roger looked down at his beeper and said, "My beeper didn't go off." Roger then looked up from his beeper and quickly turned to Mimi who was now frozen where she stood.

"If it wasn't yours then whose?" Angel asked.

"Mimi are you ok?" Joanne asked with concern.

"I….it's mine." Mimi answered with sadness as she popped an AZT into her mouth and swallowed.

"YOUR'S?!" Angel asked in both shock and dissapointmet. "YOU HAVE AIDS?!"

"Angel calm down." Roger said as he started to get up to go over to Mimi.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS ROGER." Angel ordered in anger.

"Ang please…" Mimi begged.

"NO. MIMI HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?" Angel yelled in both anger and hurt.

"Angel I…i…I just couldn't okay. I mean it took me how long before I told you Joanne?"

"Um… it was two weeks after we met when you finally told me." Joanne answered ribbing Mimi's back for comfort.

'Thank God Joanne is over there with Mimi.' Roger thought to himself for he hadn't moved from where he stood after Angel had snapped at him.

"YOU TOLD HER TWO WEEKS AFTER YOU MET HER? YET YOU'VE KNOWN ME YOUR WHOLE LIFE AND YOU WAIT TILL NOW TO TELL ME!?"

"Angel I was about to tell you when um… Joanne and her girlfriend…"

"Maureen." Joanne said.

"Thanks." Mimi said to Joanne now turning her attenetion back to Angel. "I was about to tell you right before Joanne and Maureen came in. I've had it for about a year and nine months now. Both me and Roberto caught it while we did smack after you left us." Mimi said tears beginning to once again fall from her eyes.

"WHAT!?" everyone except Joanne and Mimi said in shock.

"You've had it for how long?" Roger asked, still not believing his ears.

"A year and nine months."

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME!?" Angel asked in now even more anger.

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO!" Mimi screamed in now anger. "GOD ANGEL! DON'T YOU REMEMBER THAT BOTH YOU AND APRIL LEFT ME. YOU BOTH LEFT ME ALONE WITH MY GOD DAMN MOTHER AND MY FUCKEN SLUTY NOT TO MENTION LIEING COUCIN. YOU BOTH LEFT ME!" Mimi yelled. "YOU BOTH LEFT ME IN HELL AND THEN APRIL DOESN'T WRITE ME BACK AFTER ALL THE LETTERS THAT I SENT HER. AND WHEN YOU…" Mimi yelled as she pointed to Angel with an accusing look on her face. "YOU WROTE TO ME ABOUT ALL THE FUN YOU'VE BEEN HAVING." Mimi then gestured to everyone that was in the room and to the apartment itself. "AND ALL THE FRIENDS AND HELL JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING GOOD THAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR GOD DAMN PERFECT MOTHER FUCKEN LIFE. NEVER HAD YOU ONCE ASKED ME HOW MY MOTHER WAS TREATING ME, OR WHAT BULLSHIT ALLISON WAS PUTTING ME THROUGH. NO YOU ONLY ASKED HOW ROBERTO WAS AND HOW SCHOOL WAS GOING."

"Meems." Angel said calm now with tears falling from her face. "I… I didn't…"

"BULL SHIT ANGEL! THAT'S JUST BULL SHIT. YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON. BOTH YOU AND APRIL KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME ONCE YOU BOTH LEFT. FOR I MEAN IT WAS THE TWO OF YOU AND ROBERTO WHO MADE ME KEEP ON LIVING." Mimi then looked to Joanne and added, "JOANNE TOO." Mimi then began to cry, her body shaking uncontrollably. "AFTER YOU TWO LEFT I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF, BUT I COULDN'T FOR I COULDN'T LEAVE ROBERTO ALONE WITH THAT SLUT OF A COUSIN. BUT HEY NOW HE'S GONE. YOU ANGEL HAVE THIS PERFECT FAMILY AND A PERFECT FUCKEN LIFE THAT YOUR LIVING." Mimi then turned to Joanne with loss in her eyes. "AND YOU JOANNE. YOU NOW HAVE MAUREEN AND YOUR PERFECT FUCKEN PARENTS THAT I WISH THAT I HAD. YOU ALL," Mimi gestured to everyone. "ARE LIVING THE LIFE THAT I NEVER HAD. WHILE YOU ALL ARE HERE IN HEAVEN YOU KNOW WHERE I AM? IN HELL!?" Joanne quietly walked over to Maureen with tears falling from her face as Roger went over to try and embrace Mimi but she just pushed him away.

"Why didn't you tell us this Meems?" Joanne asked through sobs.

"Why would I want to be a thorn in your perfect lives?" Mimi asked sarcastically. "ALL I HAD LEFT WAS ROBERTO AND NOW HE'S GONE! I HAVE NO ONE NOW!"

"MIMI!" Angel screamed with tears falling uncontrollably. "YOU STILL HAVE ME. YOU STILL HAVE JOANNE. PLUS YOU HAVE COLLINS, MARK, MAUREEN, AND ROGER HERE FOR YOU. YOU ARE NOT ALONE." Angel yelled back.

"No I don't Angel." Mimi said through sobs. "You have then. Me I have no one but this diseases." With that Mimi ran past everyone with tears in her eyes and left.

"MIMI!" Angel called after her, but she was already gone. "Mimi." She sobbed into Collins's shirt.

"I'll be back." Roger announced as he put on his coat.

"Where are you going?" Maureen asked as she comforted Joanne who was in her arms crying.

"I'm going after her." Roger said.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Mark asked as he watched Roger walk past him.

"Yeah man. I think we should give her some space." Collins added.

"Look I know what she's going through. She's been off smack for six months. Don't you think that after everything that she told us about how she was feeling that she'll either 'a' get back on smack, or 'b' kill herself." Roger stated as her reached for the door.

"Then go after her Roger. Watch over her for me please." Angel said through her sobs.

"I will." Roger promised. And with that Roger went out after her.