Disclaimer: I do not own anything from HSM save for Audrey and Aurora!
A/n: this chapter may be thought of as a kind of filler chapter, or not, it's actually rather long, because Audrey is introducing Chad to the world of AIDS and Rent. The audition process WILL be rather long!
A/n 2: me again, I kind of stole a line from PoTC. Cookies to anyone who catches it!
A/n 3: OMG!! so sorry for taking up more time, but i think this is my longest chapter yet! blows noisemaker oh... party over.
The Newer New Girl
Chapter Four: Monday Morning
ATTENTION WILDCATS!
THE SPRING MUSICAL IS
RENT!
AUDITIONS WILL BE FRIDAY OF THIS WEEK!
SIGN UP HERE!
Dozens of names followed the notice. Audrey looked away and turned to Chad.
"Wow! A lot of people signed up. It's almost scary!" Chad nodded. "You know, I have a kind of unfair advantage over everyone…"
"Why? You didn't get the part." Audrey wrinkled her nose at him.
"Thanks for the reminder." She punched him lightly, and he staggered, pretending to be wounded. Audrey giggled. "Will you audition too?" Chad scoffed.
"Please! It's all costumes and make up. Plus the music isn't essential to culture. It's frightening."
Audrey's eyes narrowed. "It's NOT frightening! Each show tells a story. And costumes and make up, that's not a show, that's what a show needs! What a show is, what Rent really is… is heart." Her eyes blazed momentarily, then returned to normal. "Besides, the music IS essential to culture. It's rock music." Chad looked at her.
"Seriously??" She nodded.
"For the most part. It's REALLY good." She pulled out her iPod and flipped through the songs. "Here's the title song." They each took a headphone and held it close to their ear.
How do you document real life
When real life is getting more
Like fiction each day
Headlines -- bread lines
Blow my mind
And now this deadline
"Eviction -- or pay"
Rent!
She paused the song and looked at him. He looked at her. She scribbled her name on the sign up list and handed him the pen. He hesitated, and then wrote his name down too.
"You owe me a hug for this." Audrey smiled cheekily.
"We'll see, boy." (A/n: for those who don't know, that's part of a song in Rent. It's a cheesy thing to have her say that, but I love that song.)
525,600……………………………525,600
Chad and Audrey had a plan. Each day after school until auditions, Chad would go over to Audrey's house and they would practice.
"Ok, here's what we should do. You should sing one song by yourself, and then I'll do my song. To finish, we'll both sing 'Another Day' and 'Without You'. It's perfect, because together they're both pretty evenly distributed and blah blah blah…." Chad tuned her out, and though of how insane he was to be going through with this. Sure, he sang a little, but not good enough to play alongside Audrey. He's an athlete, and she's an actress… two different worlds… Oof!
"Chad, are you listening to me!" Audrey smacked him in the back of the head. Chad rubbed it and scowled at her.
"Yes…" he groaned.
"Good," Audrey smirked, "because we have a lot of work to do." Chad raised an eyebrow.
"You look evil right now."
"Thank you." She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of his seat. "Let's start." She sat at the piano, plunked a few keys, and looked at him. "Ready?" He nodded. She began singing.
"Will I lose my dignity?
Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow
From this nightmare?"
She looked back at him. "You can do that one, or there's this really good, kind of haunting soliloquy. It's so good!"
"Can I hear it first?" She nodded.
"How did we get here?
How the hell...
Pan left -- close on the steeple of the church
How did I get here?
How the hell...
Christmas
Christmas Eve -- last year
How could a night so frozen be so scalding hot?
How can a morning this mild be so raw?
Why are entire years strewn
On the cutting room floor of memory
When single frames from one magic night
Forever flicker in close-up
On the 3D Imax of my mind
That's poetic
That's pathetic
Why did Mimi knock on Roger's door
And Collins choose that phone booth
Back where Angel set up his drums
Why did Maureen's equipment break down
Why am I the witness
And when I capture it on film
Will it mean that it's the end
And I'm alone…"
Chad stared at her. "Hell yes! What's that one called?" She grinned.
"Halloween. It's the filmmaker, Mark's song. He's one of the only people without AIDS. Actually, half the principle cast doesn't have AIDS. Mimi, Roger, Angel, and Collins do have it."
"AIDS?" She looked at him incredulously.
"Did you ever pay attention in a Health class? It's the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. A virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV causes it. As HIV disease continues, it slowly wears down the immune system. Viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria that usually don't cause any problems can make you very sick if your immune system is damaged. The people in the cast get HIV by 'shooting up' with someone who's infected by it."
"Shooting up? With… drugs?" Audrey nodded.
"This show is entirely adult situations. There's sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I'm surprised Michael Greif is letting us put it on."
"Tell me more about the show. Who are the characters?"
"Well, there's the stripper, Mimi, who's usually played by a Hispanic girl. She has AIDS; she's a junkie, which means she's addicted to drugs. Roger also has AIDS; he was a semi rock star, who fell in love with a junkie named April. Later on Roger and Mimi fall in love. Then there's Mark, a filmmaker, who used to date Maureen, a performance artist, who turns out to be a lesbian, then dumps him, and hooks up with this lawyer named Joanne. There's a funny bit about that in a song or two. Roger, Mark, and Maureen used to live together in a loft in NYC with two other guys, Collins and Benny. Collins is actually Tom Collins, a teacher, who was 'expelled' from MIT for teaching 'actual reality'. He comes home, gets mugged and beaten up, and then meets Angel. Angel is a drag queen, and he/she takes care of Collins and during that process reveals to him that he/she has AIDS. Collins replies by saying he has AIDS as well. It turns out that Collins is gay, and he slowly falls in love with Angel, and vice versa. Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III is a yuppie, or a Young Urban Professional. He is married to Alison Grey of the Westport Greys and has bought the building and the lot next door to the loft from his father-in-law in hopes of starting a cyber-studio. Benny and Mimi used to date. That's just the main characters." She paused and looked at Chad, who was snoring lightly in his seat. "Aww, that's so sweet…" She grabbed an air horn and blasted it near his ear. He jumped and fell onto the floor. Audrey grinned at him.
"Wake up sleeping beauty… we need to get to work." Chad groaned.
"Bueno."