I just ate some cake and now I'm ready to write! Okay, last chapter saddened me for what I did to Mark and Collins' friendship, but I'm gonna fix it! Not only because I want to, but also cause I DON'T FRIGGIN' WANNA GET ATTACKED WITH A GODFORSAKEN PILLOW! Not mentioning who threatened that (coughGingerGlindacough). Sooooooooooo, here's the chapter I like to call the everything-is-right-again-in-the-world-of-RENT chapter! Okay, that's not what it's called, but that's what I call it! Also, thanks to angelownsmysoul for telling me the little thing in Spanish that Angel says in the movie. Chapter 6 has been edited! YAY!

I own nothing. The Almighty Larson owns it all.

Angel and I continue to walk. She looks back a few times, but I just keep staring straight ahead. After a while we stop and I lean against a wall. "Why would he say somethin' like that? I don't even get it. He could've just kindly reminded me not to call him that. I've been gone for seven months for God's sake!" Angel puts her hand on my shoulder. "I haven't known him for that long, but I can tell you guys are really close friends. You shouldn't let this get in the way of that.", she said. I feel another tear run down my face. This is stupid. Really, really stupid. Why the hell am I crying? THOMAS B. COLLINS DOES NOT CRY! And yet, I can't help it. This is all Mark's fault!

"You know, all of this isn't Mark's fault.", Angel said. I look over at her and wipe my eyes. Did she just read my mind? "What?", I said. "Well, you did make him angry and things just sort of slip out when people are mad. Just be thankful he didn't call you something worse than that."

"And what, dare I ask, can be worse than one of my best friends callin' me a fag?"

"That same friend calling you a . . . you know."

"Say it."

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Cause I don't want you to . . . hit me or something."

"I can't believe you think I'd hit you. Just say it. I won't get mad."

"Well . . . he coulda called you a . . . the n-word."

My eyes widen. "I wish he would!", I said. "See? That's worse. You would've gotten mad at him for that too.", Angel said. "I wouldn't be mad. Although he'd probably wake up in the morning breathing through a tube in the hospital after I stabbed him 29 times.", I said rather calmly. Angel takes a step back. "Should I be afraid of you?", she asked. "No. I wouldn't do that. I'd be pissed though.", I replied, chuckling.

Angel comes closer to me and we start walking again. "I think you should apologize.", she said. Back the hell up! "Apologize for what?", I asked in shock. "For calling him an 'albino motherfucker'." Oh that's right. She doesn't know. "Angel, he's fine with me calling him 'albino'. I've always called him that. It's just the 'motherfucker' part that bothers him. He says it sounds dirty and makes him sound desperate.", I explain. "Desperate?", Angel repeats. I nod. She thinks about it for a moment. Then something clicks.

"Oh, I get it. Desperate . . . oh my God . . . ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Wait . . . didn't he have a girlfriend?"

"Not at the time. He was single and Roger was dating April."

"April's the girl who killed herself right?" I nod.

"Were you dating anyone?"

"Yeah. I was on boyfriend number 10."

Angel giggles. "In your relationship with boyfriend number 10, who broke up with who?", she asked. "I broke up with him.", I replied.

"Why?"

"Well . . . it's kinda embarrassing."

"You can tell me. I won't laugh."

"Well . . . he was . . . small."

"Without these heels on I'm small. What do you have against small people?"

"No. The small you're talkin' 'bout and the small I'm talkin' bout are two totally different smalls."

"Huh?"

I chuckle. "I'm not saying he was small, I'm saying he was small."

"Small?"

"Disappointingly small." I use my fingers to signify, yet dramatize, what type of small I was talkin' about. Angel's eyes widen. "You broke up with him because of the size of his . . . ?"

"Yes. And I'm not proud of it." Angel shakes her head. "You shouldn't be. What was his name?" I blush. "I'm not tellin'.", I said. "Why not?", Angel asked. "Cause it's ironic."

"How ironic?"

"Too ironic."

"It can't be that ironic. Unless the guy's name was . . . I don't know . . . Dick or something." I blush again and Angel's eyes go wider. "Was that his name?", she asked. I wait a few moments then I nod slightly. "Oh. My. God. HIS NAME WAS DICK!?" I look over at her. "I believe we've established that.", I said. By now, she'd stopped and was clutching her sides while having an uncontrollable laughing fit. "I'm glad it's so amusing to you.", I said.

"It's . . . hilarious! Oh my God . . . it's fucking hilarious! How the hell . . . do you . . . manage to . . . find someone . . . with . . . with . . ."

"With a name like Dick?", I finished for her. This only makes her laugh even more.

"¡SÍ¡Mierda santa¡Esto es demasiado gracioso¡Juro que voy a recordar esto para el resto de mi vida¡Tan le embromo para siempre ahora!"

"Angel! I don't understand a word you're sayin'! Don't you speak English anymore? Do you understand me¿Hablas ingles?" She somewhat stops laughing and looks over at me. "You speak Spanish?", she asked, giggling slightly. "That's the only thing I can say besides yes, no, please, and thank you." Angel stops giggling. "You done laughin' at me now?" She nods. "So, what are we gonna do?", she asked. "Well, we probably have like an hour and some odd minutes left. I'm sure we can find somethin' to do.", I replied.

As we pass a pet store, I glance in the window and see a cage full of little, white mice with a sign on it that reads: Lab Mice. This can only mean one thing. THESE LITTLE MICE ARE GONNA DIE! THAT AIN'T RIGHT! I walk over to the window and stare at the mice. Aw, look at 'em. Mindin' their own business. Not even aware that they won't live for much longer. They crawl around the cage lookin' like they have no idea that they'll eventually run out of places to crawl. I suddenly feel Angel's hand on my shoulder. "Collins, why are you staring at those mice?", she asked. "They're gonna die.", I said flatly. "How do you know?", Angel asked.

"Cause the only people who actually buy them are people who have snakes."

"So?"

"So, by the end of the day, they're gonna be snake food. They deserve to live too."

"Sweetie, there's nothing you can do about it."

I smirk. "Wanna bet?" I scan the pet store from the window and notice a birdcage with three birds in it. "Excellent.", I said, rubbin' my hands together like some kind of evil genius. "Collins, I don't like that look.", Angel said. I pretend I didn't hear her, walk into the store, and, while the clerk isn't lookin', open the birdcage. The three birds start flyin' around everywhere and the clerk immediately starts tryin to lure them back in the cage. While he's busy doin' that, I walk over to the cage with the mice in it, pick the entire thing up, and start walkin toward the door.

Angel starts sayin' things I can't hear and pointin' behind me. "HEY! WHAT DO THINK YOU'RE DOIN'!?" I turn around quickly and see the clerk's forgotten all about the birds and is comin' toward me. SHIT! I put the cage down, open the door of the store wide, then open the cage door. I watch all the mice run for their little lives. "RUN MY PRETTIES! RUN LIKE YOU'VE NEVER RAN BEFORE!" I then jump over the cage, grab Angel's hand and we run along side the mice.

"You've committed a crime for the second time today!", Angel said after we were a good eight blocks away from the store. "That wasn't a crime! I saved lives! Therefore, you should be proud of me.", I said with a smile.

"You're really something special. You know that?"

"I know. So now what do we do?"

Angel looks back and apparently sees somethin' that worries her. "You mean besides run from the cops?", she asked nervously. I look over at her. "Girl, what are you talkin' about?" She turns me around and I see a police car. "Is this the part where we run?", I asked. "But, I'm tired of running.", Angel replied. "Then we won't run."

"But if we don't, we'll go to jail."

"Well, what should we do?"

The police car rides up beside us and an officer gets out. "Hey you.", he said. We keep walkin'. "I said: Hey you!", the officer repeated. Angel stops walkin' and turns around. "Yes sir?", she said. "No not you. The you without a coat! Freeze!" I turn around and start walkin' backwards.

"I'm already frozen!"

"You know what I mean! Stop walking!"

I do as I'm told. "What'd I do?"

"Are you the man who let those mice out of their cage at that pet store?"

"If you're talkin' about the store I think you're talkin' about, then that's a dumb question. We're like nine blocks away from that place."

"Well, are you?"

"If I was, do you think I'd confess?"

"Is that a yes?"

"I don't know. Is it?"

"Are you gettin' smart with me?"

"I ain't gettin' smart. I'm already smart."

"Alright, what's your name?"

"I don't see why I gotta tell you my name. You should already know it since you're accusin' me of a crime. Shouldn't you?"

Angel and I start walkin' again and the officer grabs my arm. I get an idea. "OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU DOIN'!?", I yelled. The officer jumps a little, but maintains his hold on my arm. "I'm . . . uh . . . ", he stops and tries to find the right words so I continue flippin' out. "GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF ME! ANGEL, GET HIM OFF ME!" Angel, apparently aware of what I'm doin', joins in my little charade. She squints at the officer's badge.

"Um . . . Officer Martin? You've gotta let go. I think you're hurting him."

Officer Martin's mouth drops open. "What am I doing that could possibly be hurting him!?"

"It looks like nothing to you and me, but in his mind, you're really hurting him. He's a little loco.", Angel whispered.

"GET HIM OFF ME! ANGEL, DON'T LET HIM KILL ME! PLEASE!"

"Will you calm down!?"

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU! LET ME GO!"

I tear my arm away from him hide behind his car. "HE'S GONNA KILL ME!", I yelled. "Now you've done it. It's gonna take me forever to get him home now.", I heard Angel say. "He lives with you?", Officer Martin asked. "Yeah. He's my . . . boyfriend!" My heart drops. Did she just call me her boyfriend? "He's your boyfriend?"

"Yup. Honey, it's time to go home and take your vitamin!" I come from behind the car and stand next to Angel. "Kay!", I said in a higher pitched voice than normal. She takes my hand and leads me away from Officer Martin. Just to keep up the act, I start singing off-key. "THE SUN'LL COME OUT, TOMORROW! BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR THAT TOMORROW, THEY'LL BE SUN!" Once we're around the corner, I stop singing.

"I didn't know you sang.", Angel said, giggling.

"Ha, ha, ha. You're funny. By the way, thanks for helpin' me out back there."

"No problem."

There's a silence. "You know, you didn't have to call me your boyfriend.", I said. Angel stumbles. "What?", she said. "With that cop. You told him I was your boyfriend." Angel looks away from me and I watch her cheeks turn red. "Are you blushing?", I asked. She turns an even brighter shade of red. "No." I chuckle. "Yes you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Okay, okay. You're not blushing."

"Thank you!"

"But you are still holdin' my hand."

Angel looks down at our conjoined hands, at me, and then at a building next to us. "Uh . . . we're here!", she said. She leads me into the building. Once inside, we sit down. Angel takes her Santa jacket off and hangs it on the back of her chair. It's quiet. Too quiet. Way too quiet. Nobody's talkin'. They're just lookin' around at everyone else. Until another person comes in and sits in an unoccupied chair. I'm assumin' he's the leader of this thing. "First, I just want to welcome you all.", he said. He looks around briefly. "Why don't we start by going around and introducing ourselves?" The introductions start and around the entire circle of people.

"Steve."

"Gordon."

"Ali."

"Pam."

"Sue."

"Hi." Angel takes off her wig. "I'm Angel." She looks at me.

"Tom . . . Collins.", I said.

"I'm Paul.", the leader said. There's a loud noise and everyone turns around at the same time. Mark. Damn! I was hopin' he forgot! "Sorry . . . excuse me.", he said. Yeah. You're excused. Now take your ass back out that door! "And you are . . . ?", Paul starts. "Oh, I'm not . . . I don't have . . . I'm here with . . ." Mark looks over at me and I pretend I don't know him. Then he looks at Angel and she pinky-waves at him. "I'm just here to . . ." He's makin' himself look really stupid. "Mark.", he said finally. "Mark. I'm Mark." They got it the first time.

"Well, this quite an operation. Does anyone have a problem if I film a little of this for a documentary?" I look around the circle. Somebody say somethin'! Anything! I don't want him here! "Make yourself comfortable Mark.", Paul said. Damn you Paul! Damn you to hell! "Who wants to begin?", Paul asked after a few moments. "Well, I'm . . ." Gordon looks at Mark's camera for a moment. "Yesterday . . . I found out my T cells were low.", he said. Poor guy. "What was your reaction?", Paul asked. "Scared.", Gordon replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Angel told me how most of these meetings go. Everyone talks about what they've been feelin' since they found out they had AIDS, how they felt when they found out they got it, or somethin' along the lines of that. Then there's this thing everybody says early in the meeting that Angel taught me. It ends with "no day but today," which, in my opinion, is a good philosophy. Let's just hope I can live by it. "How are you feeling today? Right now?", Paul asked Gordon. "Okay. Alright. Pretty good.", Gordon replied. "Is that all?" I can tell Paul likes to make people talk.

"It's the best I've felt in a long time. Months."

"Then why chose fear?"

"I'm a New Yorker. Fear's my life."

We all have a small laugh then Gordon gets this serious look on his face. "Look, I find some of what you teach suspect . . . because I'm use to relying on intellect, but I try to open up to what I don't know. Because reason says I should've died three years ago." We all stand up and join hands. "There's only us, there's only this. Forget, regret or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way. No day but today.", we said together. There it is. The four words that make me realize that I can't spend the remaining time I have to live mad at one of my friends. I gotta take Angel's advice and apologize.

Not tomorrow, not next week, but today. No day but today.

After the meeting, Angel goes to talk to Paul about somethin'. I see Mark havin' trouble gettin' his camera back in his bag and use this as an advantage. I walk over to him. "Hey.", I said. Mark quickly turns around. "If you're gonna beat me up, can it wait until we're outside?", he asked.

"No. I mean, I ain't goin' beat you up. I was just wonderin' if you needed some help."

"Uh . . . yeah." I help him put his camera back in its back. "Thanks.", he said.

"No problem." There's a silence. "Look man, I . . ."

"I'm sorry." He beat me to it. "I shouldn't have called you a fag. I'm really sorry."

"Um . . . I was gonna say the same thing. About bein' sorry not the "fag" part of it." There's another silence. "Did you apologize cause you wanted to or cause you know I can break you in half?", I asked, smiling. Mark smiles too. "A little of both.", he said, giggling. Things are goin' back to normal. "You and Angel wanna go grab something to eat? It'd technically be considered a date with her." That caught me off guard. "What?"

"Come on Collins. Anyone can tell you like her."

"I don't like her. I . . . can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I think I might've . . . fallen in love with her."

Mark's eyes widen. "You've only known her for a day. How'd you fall in love with her already?"

"I don't know man, but I did and I don't know how to tell her."

"Well, whatever you do, just be careful. You remember what happened with Josh don't you?"

I sigh. "Don't remind me. Why'd you bring that up anyway?"

"I just don't want you to get your heart broken again. It was hard seeing you like that. Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise."

We hug for a moment. "Man, you're like the brother I never wanted. My brotha from anotha motha.", I said, smiling. "Uh . . . thanks?" I chuckle at the look on Mark's face as Angel comes over to us. "Is everything back to normal?", she asked. I wrap my arm around Mark and pull him close. "Hell yes!", I said. "Uh . . . we were thinking about getting something to eat. Wanna come with us?", Mark asked Angel. She looks at me and smiles. "Sure." The three of us turn around and we see Officer Martin talkin' to Paul. "Uh . . . let's sneak out the back.", I suggested. "Good plan!", Angel said. "Why don't we just . . ." Angel and I grab Mark before he can finish his sentence. "What's going on you guys?", Mark asked as we dragged him out the back of the building. Angel and I looked at each other then said at the same time, "Don't ask."

Chapter 7 is all done! I told you I'd fix everything! And I would've updated sooner, but my computater-tot was running slow. Sorry if you find any mistakes of any kind. Please review! For me?

Translations:

¡SÍ¡Mierda santa¡Esto es demasiado gracioso¡Juro que voy a recordar esto para el resto de mi vida¡Tan le embromo para siempre ahora!: YES! Holy shit! That's too funny! I'm gonna remember that for the rest of my life! I'm so teasing you forever now!

¿Hablas ingles?: Do you speak English?