Chapter 3: The Cat Scratch

"1 kick 2, hips, hips, 5 spin 6, go down, 1 arms, 2 spin, 3 kick, 4 roll, 5 split, 6 get up, 8 back down. AGAIN!" Deanna, the choreographer at the Cat Scratch Club called out. Mimi and the other dancers that worked the same shifts as her (Gracie, Lisa, Adrienne, Rita, and Chantal) were on the Cat Scratch stage rehearsing. "1, 2, Mimi front, girls poles, 7, 8, Mimi spin, 3, 4 kick, arms, shake, shake. Good job girls!" Deanna pushed the girls to their limits but it ultimately made for a great number in the end.

Mimi hopped off the stage in her "outfit"- red halter bra with tiny boy shorts and fishnet gloves and headed to her dressing room. She and Gracie made small talk while they changed and wiped off their makeup. Mimi packed up her tote bag and began walking down the hallway looking at her paint covered nails when she bumped into somebody that was holding a box full of papers. All of them spilled out onto the floor. When Mimi looked up she saw a girl that she'd never seen before. She was gorgeous, dark curly hair, and brown eyes. "Sorry! I'm a total klutz!" Mimi exclaimed beginning to pick up the papers. They were all new advertisements for the Club, flyers to be hung around the city.

"No problem. I'm Hannah Bloomberg, the new visual design director."

"Oh hey, I'm Mimi Marquez, um dancer." She said slightly ashamed.

"Lucky, you guys get paid like 10x my salary." Hannah said smiling. Mimi liked her a lot.

"So what exactly do you do here?"

"I design advertisements, design the stage, lights, costumes, and any color preferences?"

"Black. As depressing as it sounds it's my boyfriend's favorite color." Mimi said smiling at the thought of Roger.

"Got it."

"So, you're like an artist, right?" Mimi asked.

"Yeah, I have my own gallery on Avenue A, the same building as the Life Café."

"Ohmigod! That's my favorite restaurant! And my best friend Angel is trying to rent the empty space next to it for her clothing boutique!"

"Really!? That's so funny; wanna go to the Life for some food?"

"Yeah, my apartments on the way do you mind if we stop and bring some of my friends, they're gonna love you!"

"Sound great." Hannah said smiling, she really liked Mimi.

Mimi and Hannah were both beginning to see the blossoms of a beautiful friendship as Mimi turned her key in the loft door. She pushed it open and invited Hannah in. "Roger, Mark come out here!"

"Hey Mimi!" Maureen jumped off the couch and greeted her friend. Joanne was sitting on the couch too, along with Angel and Allison. Benny and Collins sat on the floor.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?!"

"We got bored." She said simply.

"Well everyone this is my new friend Hannah, she works at the Cat Scratch." Maureen smiled and shook her hand, introducing herself, and everyone else. "She's not a dancer Maureen she's the Visual Design Director." Mimi said. Maureen frowned

"Pookie Mimi tricked me." She said pouting at Joanne and receiving a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Meems. Who's this?" Roger asked stepping out of his bedroom.

"Hannah this is my boyfriend Roger, Rog this is my new friend from work Hannah."

"But she's not a stripper." Maureen added in. Roger shook Hannah's hand and kissed Mimi lightly on the lips.

"We were going to the Life for dinner, you guys all wanna come?" Everyone cheered.

"Mark! Let's Go!" Roger yelled.

"What?!" He screamed stepping out of his room.

"Mark?"

"Hannah?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here, how about you?"

"I met Mimi at my new job, at the Cat Scratch, oh so you're his stripper friend!" Hannah said putting the pieces together.

"Wonderful Marky, you talk about me as your stripper friend." Mimi said pretending to be hurt.

"Sorry." Mark said.

"So how do you two know each other?" Roger asked wrapping Mimi in a tight embrace and toying with her long black locks of hair.

"We met at her art gallery, the one I went to the other night, with Courtney." Everyone groaned at Courtney's name.

"What not fans of art?" Hannah asked smiling.

"Not fans of Courtney." Benny said. "Ang, Hannah's gallery is in the same building as the Life, next to the storefront you wanna rent." "Ooooooh YAY we can be neighbors!" Angel exclaimed jumping up and down and clapping. They all grabbed their coats and headed down the street. Mark and Hannah walked next to each other and talked.

"Aww they're so adorable!" Angel cried.

"I do sense a little something, something there." Collins agreed.

"Yeah Mark didn't come home until like one thirty in the morning that night, I thought he got some of Courtney's goods." Roger said. Mimi nailed him hard in the stomach

"Perv!" She yelled as he and the other Bohos laughed.

"Well my girlfriend is a stripper!" He teased.

"Shut up." Mimi said not smiling back.

"He must have been with Hannah all night." Joanne said.

"Now Marky won't be alone! Yay our social circle is complete!" Maureen cried jumping up and down and clapping. Everyone giggled as they stepped into the Life and the manager, Jayden, groaned.

"No please no, not tonight."

"We have money now Jayden!" Roger replied as the group pushed some tables together and sat down. They talked about Hannah's job, and Angel's soon-to-be store, about one of Joanne's cases, and lots of other stuff. Then "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" started playing on the radio and Angel, Allison, Mimi, Hannah, Maureen, and Joanne all jumped on the table and started dancing.

"Oh Girls Just Wanna Have Fuuuuunnnn!" Allison slurred in her drunken state.

"Woooh let's get some more WINE and BEER baby!!" Maureen yelled out, stumbling. Collins, Benny, Roger, and Mark all joined them on the table dancing and singing.

"Viva La Vie..." Mark yelled out.

"BOHEME!" Everybody joined, hopping off the table and back in their chairs.

"Hannah, wanna join me outside?" Mark asked nervously, fiddling with his camera. She smiled and nodded, taking his hand in hers as they walked outside. All of the other boys in the group whistled and whooped making Mark blush.

"The snow is so beautiful, this city is just magical." Hannah said, hugging herself to keep warm as she gazed at the city.

"Yeah, it really is. Cold?"

"Just a bit." Hannah laughed to herself. She was only wearing a NYU zip up hoodie. Mark took off his scarf and gently wrapped it around her neck, lifting her hair out of it.

"Are, are we a thing?" He asked.

"Mark, we're everything." She replied grabbing his face and planting her lips on his. Mark wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss, deepening it. They finally pulled apart and looked lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Magical." Mark said.

"I didn't come to New York looking for a boyfriend; I didn't think I'd meet a guy like you."

"I've been looking for you for a long time." Hannah smiled and kissed him again.

"Your scarf smells like you, I'd ask to keep it but…"

"You can keep it, if you want to." Mark said shyly.

"No." She said pulling it off and wrapping it around his neck, and pulling both ends back towards the café. Roger watched his friend out the window. He knew Hannah and Mark were going to last a long time. After all, it was at this very Café that Mimi and Roger shared their first REAL kiss. Roger was happy for Mark, finally he found someone. Mark and Hannah walked back in shivering, shaking the snow off of them and laughing.

Mark turned his camera on and filmed the rest of the night's activities. He shoved it in Roger's face as he pretty much took out ¾ of a burger in one bite. Roger picked up a pickle and threw at Mark. It hit the camera. "You, you..." Mark stuttered examining his camera like it was his child.

"Get over it." Roger said a mouth full of food.

"Nice manners Rog." Mimi said rolling her eyes; Roger knew she was getting cranky because rehearsal days always wiped her out.

"Maybe he doesn't WANNA get over it Rober, Ronner, Rog, Rogerrrrr!" Maureen yelled, slurring her words as she picked up a handful of her pasta and chucked it at Roger's head, but missed and ended up hitting Mimi. Roger expected her to freak but instead she grabbed the ketchup and yelled

"FOOD FIGHT!" and began squirting the ketchup across the table. Soon they were all yelling, and laughing and chucking food at each other. Finally Jayden walked over and told them they needed to leave. They all grabbed their coats and headed out, "Oh wait, I forgot my purse let me head back." Mimi said.

"I'll come with you." Roger said.

"No, I'll go quickly." Roger didn't like the idea of Mimi being out in the cold, dark city alone at night but he nodded and watched her walk off. Mimi walked quickly, with her arms crossed back to the Café when a familiar voice made her stop.

"Hey cutie pie, haven't seen you in a while." The Man. She could tell by the rusty, rough, hoarseness in his voice, and his slimy tone.

"Yeah you haven't." She replied and continuing to walk.

"Hey baby, we ain't done. Got some new fresh, pure stuff in today. First one's on me, I got some clean needles too."

"Yeah, I remember your clean needles very well." She said walking again.

"HEY!" He grabbed her arm. "You're really gonna pass up such a generous offer? What's gotten into you girl?"

"My boyfriend Roger. Remember, he stopped buying from you a long time ago, and so have I. We have better things to do. He cares about me he doesn't want me hurting myself anymore."

"Yeah, the hell he cares about you. If he cared he would make you happy by giving you some of this." He said pulling a little baggy of white powder out and waving it in front of her. "You think you're so strong Marquez. But thanks to my clean needles, someday you'll be weak." He said storming off across the street and into the darkness.

Mimi ran to the Life, grabbed her purse and bolted all the way home. "Roger!" She called in a worried tone.

"What's wrong?" He asked coming out of the bedroom. She hugged him tight.

"Am I strong?"

"Of course you are baby."

"I'm not weak?"

"Never. I love you."

"I love you." She said hugging him again.