Author: ello luv
Summary: A look into our favourite Bohemians' lives
Disclaimer: I do not own Rent. Many thanks go out to Jonathan Larson for creating such a wonderful masterpiece. If only he could have seen his dream come to fruition.
J is for Jew
Mark had always been the only one in his class who didn't celebrate Christmas.
During the month of November of his first-grade year, Mark's father got a new job and the entire family moved to Scarsdale, New York.
So Mark started in a brand new school during the middle of December. Being that he was quite shy, Mark was already pretty much a loner.
When the last few days before the winter holidays rolled around, Mark discovered that his mother had given the teacher a note that forbid him from eating one of the Christmas cookies his fellow students were sure to bring. So as his classmates sat around eating sugar-covered cookies shaped like Santas and Rudolphs and snowmen, Mark sat in the corner with his arms wrapped around his legs, his glasses on the floor beside him and his face buried in his knees, more isolated than ever.
"Hey."
Mark looked up to see two blurred forms in front of him. He picked up his glasses and jammed them onto his nose to reveal two students. The first boy was blonde with shining green-gray eyes, and the second was a black boy wearing a dark blue beanie who had dark brown, almost black, eyes. Mark knew that they were the two troublemakers in the class. The blonde boy held out a snowman cookie. Mark shook his head.
"I'm not allowed. I'm Jewish."
"What's a Jewish? The blonde asked.
"It's a religion, stupid," the black boy said with an eye roll. The blonde boy shrugged and stuffed the cookie into his mouth.
"I'm Roger, Roger Davis," he said, "and this is Tom Collins."
"Mark Cohen," Mark told them quietly.
"Well then, Mark Cohen the Jew," Roger said, seating himself beside Mark, "You wanna hang with me and Collins over winter holidays?"
Mark smiled.