Chapter 7
Collins and Angel both briskly walked down the police station, trying to keep up with the police officer.
"Maureen Johnson." He called out.
Maureen was sitting in her own little cell, with her hands still handcuffed behind her back. When her name was called her head shot up, and she quickly ran to the bars to see her two friends.
"You guys!" She shouted. "Get me out of here!"
Collins cocked a brow towards the officer. "Why is she in her own cell? I thought you lock the drunks together?"
The police officer sighed. "She was starting fights with everyone so we had to move her…she's an aggressive little one…we had to keep her handcuffed too."
"Oh chica…" Angel said while shaking her head.
"Angel…" Maureen pouted. "Can you get me out of here please?"
Angel walked over to the bars. "We're trying sweetie…Collins is trying to lower the bail."
"How much is it?" Maureen asked.
"Four hundred."
Maureen gasped. "I didn't even do anything!"
"Honey, you hit two police officers, punched out a guy, are intoxicated, and plus all that other stuff you did in public…you know how the law is."
"This sucks!" Maureen whined. "Please Angel I'll pay you back, can't you go kill another dog, I don't want to stay in jail over night!"
"Okay Johnson…" One of the cops said while walking over with Collins. "You're free to go."
Maureen smiled brightly as she quickly walked out of her cage. She then turned her back to the cop so he could take her cuffs off. "Let's go to the Life Café!" she shouted.
"Mo…now is not the time for you to go out and drink some more." Collins said.
Maureen frowned. "Come on you party pooper."
The cop just shook his head and walked away, while Collins, Angel and Maureen headed for the exit.
"It's almost four thirty in the morning, I just spent two hundred dollars to get you out of jail, and you want to go drink some more?"
"They lowered the bail for you?" Angel asked to confirm.
Collins nodded. "Yeah but I have to keep her out of the bars for a week."
"Come on just one drink?" Maureen asked.
"No!" Collins said firmly. "Geeze Mo I just bailed you out of jail for fucks sake and you want to go drink some more."
Maureen shrugged. "I don't have a girlfriend to tell me when to stop…I'm free."
"Well you still have friends. And as your best friend I'm going to tell you that you've been acting really stupid lately…" Collins said causing Maureen to go quiet for the first time in a long time. "I know you're upset about Joanne, but God Mo…why don't you act grown up a little…and not get wasted out of your mind every night."
"This is how I deal with things." Maureen bitterly answered all of a sudden sobering up. "I thought you out of all people would understand. This is helping me get over Joanne…and just to let you know if you care…its helping!"
"Well you can't expect us to keep bailing you out of jail every night. Two hundred dollars doesn't come easily to us you know." Collins said.
Maureen sighed and didn't say anything for the rest of the way back to Collins and Angel's apartment. She was mad at everyone, especially Collins who was supposed to understand her the most. This was the night she finally admitted to herself that she missed Joanne. Sure all her friends were like a family to her, but she didn't like how they treated her sometimes, and when she was with Joanne, she could always count on the lawyer to cuddle her and make her feel better when her friend weren't being…friends.
Later that night as Maureen laid on the lumpy couch in her friends apartment, she began thinking about Joanne. A tear slowly slid down her cheek. Sure she could probably have anyone she wanted, but right now all she wanted was to be lying in Joanne's arms.
The next morning the earth shattering alarm on Joanne's nightstand woke her up. Grumbling she reached out a hand and smacked the clock as hard as she could, shutting it up for that morning.
She never used to mind getting up in the morning because the first thing she saw was the beautiful diva lying next to her, or more like on her since the diva loved to snuggle. But for almost a week straight now, Joanne had been getting up alone, each day harder than the last, she wasn't sure how much more she could take, she was missing Maureen, and it was all her fault the diva had left.
Later that day during work, Mimi had called and asked if she wanted to hang out that night. She couldn't help but smile, she liked to know Mimi still wanted to be her friend even after everything that had happened.
The lawyer agreed, and they set a date for eight, so Joanne could have time to get ready after she came home from work. The day however dragged on, and her mind kept wandering to Maureen, causing her to hurt even more.
When Joanne arrived home from work, she was bitter and frustrated. She had the worst day ever, and what was even worse, she didn't have Maureen waiting at home to calm her down.
Tears spilled from the lawyer's eyes as she tossed her purse on the ground and walked into the kitchen, her hands firmly holding onto the counter to help her stand up while tears poured down her cheeks. She wasn't sure she could take this anymore, and in a desperate need to make herself feel better she grabbed some pills and popped a handful in her mouth. She didn't want to kill herself. She just wanted the pain to go away. But since she was angry her mind wasn't clear, so along with that handful of pills, came a couple of mouthfuls of vodka.
Luckily Mimi arrived almost just in time and found the lawyer out cold on her kitchen floor. She checked for a pulse before calling 911.
Back over at the loft, Maureen slowly made her way up the stairs, dreading the talk she was about to have with Mark. But it wasn't fair to lead the filmmaker on like this…she already hurt him once; she didn't want to do it again. So she was going to explain the kiss to him, and tell him it meant nothing.
Mark greeted her with a grin, and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She sighed in relief when he was alone.
"Listen Mark about that kiss…" Maureen began.
"It meant nothing I know." Mark said causing Maureen's face to soften.
Maureen nodded. "Yeah…I was just so mad at Joanne…I…"
"Wanted to get back at her?" Mark asked with a knowing smile.
"Exactly." Maureen said. "I'm sorry…I just…I don't want to hurt you again, not like I did the first time, and not how Joanne hurt me."
"I know…" Mark said while placing his hand on Maureen's knee. "But just know I'm always here for you, if you need somebody to talk to."
That was one thing the diva loved so much about Mark, he was really caring and would do anything for his friends, but when she was the girlfriend things were different. She wasn't a friend anymore. He wouldn't talk to her like a friend, and instead he gave her what she thought she wanted sex, which of course is something the diva always wants, but not all the time, she does like to just talk, and that's what Joanne did. She was Joanne's friend and her girlfriend.
Mark couldn't help but stare at his ex-girlfriend for a little longer, longer than usual. For some reason hope entered his body. Maybe one day soon him and Maureen would work things out and get back together. That hope however left just as quickly as it came when Mimi's voice was heard over the answering machine. He didn't even remember hearing the phone ring, he was to busy staring at how beautiful Maureen was.
"You guys it's Mimi." Came the frantic voice. "Please if anyone is there pick up…I'm at the hospital…Joanne had an accident."
Maureen's eyes nearly shot out of her head. That's when all the hope Mark ever had for him and Maureen went right out the door. He had never seen Maureen so worried before, and had never seen her run so fast out of the loft. She didn't even wait to see if Mark was coming or not. She had one place to get to, and that was to Joanne.
