Okay, so you all know the drill. No, I don't own any of the actual characters in RENT, but I do own the ones that you don't know. A couple of characters names though may be in the story, but they aren't the same people. They are WAAAY different. Alrighty…then.
It was Winter Break, and I had decided to stay here for Christmas with Roger and Mark. My folks thought it was a great idea to spend time with my older brother...that's a lie. I really wanted to spend more time with Mark than with Roger, but I did spend some time with the brother.
After a week, things started to pick up. I found a job at a club where I could get a lot of cash, since Mark and Roger "convinced" Benny to give me an apartment. His rent is… ludicrous. It's 400 a month, without electricity. That's and extra 500. I decided that I would pay 650, just to get the fridge to work. The job was at a club called The Kat Scratch Club. It was my first day, and I walked into the dressing room with the girls getting ready for the day. Mike, the manager, introduced me.
"Girls, listen up. We have a new recruit. Her name's Kay. Show her the rope's and get her started. I'm counting on ya."
I found an empty seat next to a girl who seemed to be around my age.
"Hey. I'm Kay, as Mike pointed out." I said, shyly.
"Hey, don't be afraid. Mike's not really the 'Oh, I'll show you around' kind of person. He usually lets us help the new kids out. I'm Mimi, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. So...how much do you usually get a night?"
"Well, it all depends on how well you do. Some nights I get a couple hundred, and others, I get about 50. It'll be around 25 starting out, but it's worth the 9 an hour."
Mimi showed me the place, being the biggest club in the East Village. She showed me later that night who to go to, who to avoid, the back entrances, and, most importantly: The bar.
"If you go over to the bar, watch your ass. The drunkens will grab it like a ball and squeeze." She paused for a moment, and we burst into laughter. "Well, I think that should do it. The day's almost over, and we don't have to close. Wanna go get something to eat?" Mimi asked as she put on a heavy coat and a hat. "Why not..."
"The Life Cafe?" I asked. "Sounds great. I'll pay, don't worry about it. I've been here for a couple months, and got some cash from a couple of people for doing odd jobs."
We went to dinner, and started chatting. It seemed like we were old friends, seeing each other for the first time in 10 years. We kept talking until we hit the apartments.
"Well, here's my stop. Thanks for dinner. It was great."
"Wait, this is where you live?" Mimi asked, as I got out my key.
"Yeah, why?"
"I live here too! Second floor, third apartment."
"That's crazy! I've only been here for a few months, but before I was living with my brother Roger and his...my friend, Mark."
Mimi was silent as she walked up the stairs. "Roger. Blonde hair, green eyes, grungy looking?"
I started thinking, Oh, no. What's going on? "Yeah, why?"
"Well...I met him. He seemed interested."
"In you. Did you all..."
"Oh, gross! NO! Since the bitch Benny cut off our power again, and I didn't have any matches, I walked upstairs, and your brother opened the door. He lit my candle, and we talked for a couple minutes. I walked out, but noticed I didn't have my stash with me."
Oh, no! I though. You shouldn't be doing that kind of stuff. It'll kill you eventually!
"He helped me look for it, and finally found it, but kept it. Kind of like a game of keep away, except I got it back. He seems like a nice guy, just, you know. Sheltered."
"He is," I replied. "but you should try to get him out. He's been stuck in there ever since one of his friends died."
"Yeah. He talked about her a little. April, right?"
"Right. He's never gone out except for special occasions."
There was an akward silence for a few seconds. "Okay, look. If you all...you know, I won't mind. You're my friend, he's my brother, nothing can get into a relationship. But I will be keeping an eye on you all. Just in case, and if anything happens...Deal?"
I put my hand out for an agreement from her. She looked weary, but then shook.
"Deal."
