Hey, everybody! I'm sorry, AGAIN, for taking so long to update. Just as I posted the previous chapter, I had a paper to write, then the SAT Subject test for Biology to study for (590 baby! I was expecting like a 400 ;)) and then finals. I should really stop making excuses. Anyway. This chapter is interesting. And random, kind of. I'm not sure how I feel about it. There's a lot of MarkMaureen in here too, and a little tiny hint of MimiRoger. I had this whole AngelCollins thing planned for this chapter too, but I didn't want it to get too long. I promise, though, it's coming in the next one!

Uh...I think that's it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed with ideas and comments! If anyone happens to spot any grammar/punctuation/spelling/whatever errors, let me know. But, don't sit here and edit my story, that annoys me :) But be nice about it. I don't like meanies. :)

I totally own Rent. And Anthony Rapp is also skipping around my house in a tutu singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story and eating brownies. –rolls eyes- I don't own anything else you recognize, either.

Chapter 10-Strange Dreams and First Dates

Mark

Mark held his family's telephone in his hand, trying to keep it steady. He took a few deep, calming breaths and started to dial Maureen's number. It had been exactly eight days since Maureen and Mark had their talk at the mall. They had seen each other in school, of course, and ---after much persuasion from Maureen--- they'd exchanged little hugs in between classes. They talked on the phone almost every night, for hours at a time. Mark was convinced that he had a real-live girlfriend. He'd asked his parents if he would be allowed to take Maureen to the movies on Sunday, and they agreed as long as he checked in periodically. So here Mark was, calling Maureen on Saturday morning, his heart beating madly in his chest and sweat pouring down his face. He felt the phone sliding from between his fingertips, dripping from his sweat.

"Hello?" A man, who Mark supposed was Maureen's father, answered the phone.

"Uh, hi, can I speak to Maureen?"

"Yeah, hold on." A loud scream of, "HEY, SQUIRT! PHONE!" convinced Mark that it was actually Maureen's older brother that answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey...Maureen, it's, uh, Mark," Mark spluttered.

"Hi, Marky! What's up?"

"Uh, I was wondering if, uh, you'd like to come to the movies with me tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure! Hold on," Maureen squealed. She came back a few minutes later.

"Are you going to be driving me? I mean, you don't drive, obviously, I meant-"

Mark giggled. "Yeah, Mo, my mom's gonna drive us."

"Okay!" Silence. "My mom says I can go!" Maureen said excitedly.

"Great, uh, so, is 7:00 good?"

"Yup," Maureen answered. "Hey, Mark, I've been thinking..."

Mark refrained from responding with "Oh, really? Congratulations!" which was a sarcastic comment he'd heard from Roger numerous times. "About what?" he asked curiously.

"I think you need a nickname."

"Uh, no, I really don't think so," Mark said nervously. Roger already teased him enough about having a girlfriend.

"No, you really do," Maureen said importantly. "Hm, how about honeybunch?" she asked. Maureen responded to her own suggestion before Mark could react. "No, that's dumb..."

Mark agreed. "Do I really need one?" he whined.

Maureen ignored him and started rattling off some silly nicknames. "Sweetie...dearest...babycakes...cupcake...pookie..." Maureen gasped in excitement. "POOKIE!" she screamed, nearly making Mark's eardrum explode. "I'm gonna call you pookie!"

"Uh, Maureen..."

Maureen interrupted him. "I gotta go, Pookie-" she squealed excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Maureen," Mark croaked before he hung up.

Roger

On Saturday, Roger sat in his bedroom, bored to death. His parents had left to go over some legal things or something, (Roger had been blasting his music when they'd told him where they were going) and he had nothing to do otherwise. He wandered down the stairs and decided to go on the computer. Roger signed onto AIM, to see if any of his friends were online. A message popped up, asking him if he'd like to accept and IM from "LatinaxPrincess." Roger accepted out of curiosity, wanting to know who it was.

LatinaxPrincess: Hey, it's Mimi!

ElectricGuitar: oh, hi.

Roger wasn't sure if he wanted to IM with Mimi right now, but he decided to talk to her for the time being.

LatinaxPrincess: supp?

ElectricGuitar: nmu

LatinaxPrincess: same

LatinaxPrincess: bored

ElectricGuitar: ya

LatinaxPrincess: ...?

ElectricGuitar: don't we hav a lot 2 say

LatinaxPrincess: ya i know

LatinaxPrincess: lol

LatinaxPrincess: so, r u ok?

ElectricGuitar: ya, y?

LatinaxPrincess: u seem kinda down

ElectricGuitar: eh.

LatinaxPrincess: "eh"? what's "eh"?

ElectricGuitar: it means im in the middle

LatinaxPrincess: I kno wut it means!

LatinaxPrincess: y r u "eh"?

ElectricGuitar: cause.

LatinaxPrincess: cause y

ElectricGuitar: just because

LatinaxPrincess: fine. brb, gotta do the laundry

Roger was definitely not going to tell Mimi about his parents. No way. Why did she care so much, anyway? They hardly knew each other.

LatinaxPrincess: back

ElectricGuitar: u do the laundry?

LatinaxPrincess: ya I have 2

ElectricGuitar: y

LatinaxPrincess: cause my moms real busy w. 4 of us running around

ElectricGuitar: u don't have a dad?

LatinaxPrincess: nope, my parents r divorced

Mimi's parents were divorced? How had he not known?

ElectricGuitar: was it hard 4 u?

LatinaxPrincess: what? The divorce?

LatinaxPrincess: kinda. But I didn't really kno my dad. But it was still weird that he wouldn't be around anymore and tht we were gonna have 2 move and stuff

LatinaxPrincess: but I guess it was 4 the better, 'cause I never woulda met u guys. sometymes I think about wut my life would b like if they never got divorced.

Wow, Roger had no idea Mimi was so...deep. He made to type a response, trying to come up with something intelligent. What if she thinks I'm an idiot? Roger thought. He stopped. Why do I care so much all of a sudden?

ElectricGuitar: that's y im "eh"

LatinaxPrincess: huh?

ElectricGuitar: 'cause my parents r getting a divorce and idk wut 2 do. or think.

LatinaxPrincess: omg. Im sooo sorry.

ElectricGuitar: its k.

LatinaxPrincess: wanna tlk about it?

ElectricGuitar: nah, maybe some other time

LatinaxPrincess: u sure?

ElectricGuitar: ya, but thanks

Mimi and Roger IMed for hours that afternoon; they talked about everything from music preferences to favorite movies to their friends. Roger felt like he really connected with Mimi, something he'd never felt with a girl before. Roger was a little bit upset when she had to sign off, but he vowed to make sure they talked more often.

Roger shut off his computer soon after. He got up from the chair, crossed the living room to the couch, and collapsed onto it, lost in thought. He realized that, most likely, his parents' divorce directly affected something that was going to happen to him later in his life. He wondered if his life was going to change, like Mimi's did. Roger was thinking so hard that he fell asleep on the couch, and didn't wake up until dinnertime.

Mimi

On Sunday morning, Mimi woke up utterly perplexed. She'd had a bizarre dream that night. Mimi struggled to remember all of the details. She remembered a unicorn, and that she was riding the unicorn. Apparently, she was looking for a certain shiny gem that had magical powers. And...Roger was there! Roger was stuck in a tree, and Mimi ended up rescuing him from the tree, which was threatening to swallow him up.

Mimi's thoughts were interrupted when a certain four-year-old pest launched herself on top of Mimi's bed and began jumping on the mattress, making Mimi's entire bed shake. "Consuela!" Mimi yelled, attempting to stop her sister from shaking the mattress. Of course, Consuela didn't stop, and continued jumping. Mimi rolled her eyes and tried to lift Consuela off the bed, gently. Mimi gave up after a while, and bellowed, "CONSUELA CARMELITA ESMERELDA MARQUEZ!"

Consuela stopped. "Are you mad at me?"

"NOW I am," Mimi grumbled, scooting Consuela out of the way and swinging her own legs over the side of the bed. "I'm up, what do you want?"

Consuela jumped delightedly off the bed and skipped over to her dollhouse. "Let's play!" she squealed. Mimi rolled her eyes and knelt next to her sister, and began to play dolls.

Luckily, about twenty minutes later, Mimi was rescued by a phone call from Joanne. "Hello?" Mimi answered when her mother handed her the phone.

"Hey, Mimi. Are you doing anything special today?"

"Unless you'd count playing dolls with my sisters 'something special,' no."

Joanne giggled. "Would you like to come over and hang out?"

"Sure!" Mimi squealed, and went to ask her mother if it was okay. It was, and Mimi arranged for her mother to drop her off at Joanne's around one o' clock.

By the time Mimi finished playing dolls with her sisters, (Ana and Maria had joined in too) got dressed and ate lunch, it was time to leave for Joanne's. They left the house at one o' clock, late, of course, and reached Joanne's by one-fifteen. "Sorry I'm late," Mimi said when Joanne opened the door.

"No worries," Joanne said, smiling. She led the way into her absurdly neat bedroom. Mimi flopped onto the bed. "What do you want to do?" Joanne asked her. Mimi shrugged.

"Want to just talk?" Mimi suggested.

"Sure," Joanne said. "So, like, omigod, I saw some hot guy at the mall, and he, like, looked at me!" Joanne blurted out while twirling her hair, speaking in a "valley girl" type accent, making Mimi fall off the bed, from laughing so hard.

"That was a good one!" Mimi choked through laughter. "You'd never know you were like that, if you went by how you act in school."

Joanne looked confused. "Whoa, what?"

Mimi giggled. "I meant that, if somebody from school saw you being all sarcastic and stuff, they wouldn't believe it was the same person."

Joanne nodded. "I'm just a shy person."

"I know. How come?"

Joanne shrugged. "I don't really know. I just am."

Mimi suddenly remembered her dream from the night before. "Wanna know something weird?" she asked Joanne, who nodded. "I had this weird dream, and Roger was in it..." Mimi proceeded to explain her dream to Joanne.

"That's really strange," Joanne said when Mimi had finished.

"Do you think it means anything?"

Joanne shrugged. "Have you spoken to Roger lately or anything?"

"Well...I was talking to him online, like, all day yesterday..." Mimi felt embarrassed for some reason unknown to her.

Joanne looked deep in thought. "You were probably just thinking about it or something...it probably just stayed in your subconscious."

Why was Joanne so smart? "What's a subconscious?"

"It's in your brain," Joanne answered. "It's the unconscious part of your brain, sometimes things get stored there without you realizing it."

Mimi imagined a little file folder labeled "Roger" floating into a door marked, "Subconscious" somewhere inside her brain. She concluded that she really needed to stop watching so much television.

"What did you guys talk about all day?" Joanne asked curiously.

"Oh, just random stuff, school, movies, and his parents getting divorced..." Mimi stopped. She realized that she probably shouldn't have said that last part.

"Roger's parents are getting divorced?"

Mimi sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of this one. "Yeah...that's why he's been so upset."

Joanne nodded. "That makes sense."

"So, enough of this depressing stuff, what do you want to do?" Mimi asked, hopping off of Joanne's bed and standing with her hands on her hips.

Joanne shrugged. "...I don't know, want to watch a movie or something?"

"What movies do you have?"

Joanne walked over to a cabinet next to her desk, and opened the doors. "Nothing too exciting," she replied.

Mimi took out a few movies and read the covers. "Hm...the whole Harry Potter collection, Shrek, A Series of Unfortunate Events..." Nearly every PG-rated movie ever created. "God, Joanne, don't you have anything good?"

Joanne shrugged. "I'm not really allowed to watch any thing else," Joanne replied sheepishly.

"Aw, I didn't mean it like that," Mimi responded. "Don't get me wrong, I love Shark Tale, but I've seen it so many times I could probably recite the whole movie!"

Joanne giggled. "Well, my parents have a bunch of movies; we could ask them if we could look in there?"

"Sure," Mimi replied, and the two went downstairs to ask permission to watch some "older" movies. After a five-minute interrogation from Mrs. Jefferson, who wanted to make sure Mimi was allowed to watch such movies, the girls went into Joanne's parents' bedroom to look for a movie.

Joanne opened up a cabinet, filled to bursting with movies. "Wow, I've never even heard of half these movies!" Joanne exclaimed.

"Chicago! They won't even let you watch that?" Joanne shook her head, while Mimi opened up the DVD case. "Let's watch it!"

The girls watched the movie in Joanne's room. When it was finished, Mimi's mother had arrived to pick her up.

Maureen

Maureen stood in front of her bedroom mirror, checking her make-up and hair for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. Mark's mom was due to pick her up any minute. She had to look perfect; tonight was her first "real" date. Maureen stepped backward to peer into her full-length mirror and admire her outfit. She was wearing the black mini-skirt she'd bought the previous weekend at the mall, along with a somewhat tight-fitting white tank-top with lace across the top. Her outfit was completed with her favorite denim jacket and a pair of open-toed black shoes with a little heel.

Maureen walked into her living room and grabbed her purse from the couch, where she'd left it earlier. She began pacing back and forth on the hard wood floor, tripping on her shoes every so often. Maureen then peered out the window. No Mark yet. Maureen sat down on the couch, wringing her hands and breathing deeply. She was so excited, and yet she was so nervous at the same time. She hoped Mark would arrive soon; the anticipation was killing her.

Mark

"Ooh, Mark, you look so handsome!" Mark's mother cooed, smoothing out the shoulders of his shirt. Mark wished she'd shut up; he was nervous enough. He wished she'd stop making such a big deal about it. He and Maureen were just going to the movies; nothing unusual about that. It was not a big deal.

...How could he be so calm about this? It was a big deal! It was a huge deal! This was Mark's first date, with the girl he'd been crushing on since...forever! This could quite possibly be the most important day of his short life. I think I'm gonna be sick, Mark thought miserably. Why had he gotten himself into this?

"Ready to go?" Mrs. Cohen was standing at the door with her keys. Mark nodded, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

Mark was quiet during the car ride. He was thinking, analyzing every bit of the coming events of the night, and what could go wrong. What if Maureen didn't like the movie they picked? What if it's sold out? What if Mark suddenly doesn't feel well? What if Maureen doesn't feel well? What if, halfway through the date, Maureen realizes that she made a huge mistake in going out with Mark?

Mark had forgotten how closely he lived to Maureen. They had already pulled into her driveway. Now what? Was she going to come out on her own, or was he supposed to go to the door and get her?

Mark's questions were answered when Maureen came strutting out of her front door, a smile playing on her face. Mark thought she looked gorgeous.

"Hey, Marky," Maureen said when she opened the car door and sat next to him. "Hi, Mrs. Cohen!" she added to Mark's mother.

"H...Hi, Maureen," Mark mentally kicked himself. He sounded so nervous. Play it cool. Don't show your nerves so much, he thought to himself.

The two sat in silence for the next ten minutes. Mark shifted awkwardly from time to time, looking at Maureen. He wondered if she was feeling uncomfortable, too. Then again, Maureen never seemed to be uncomfortable. She always looked as though she belonged, as if nothing fazed her.

Finally, after long last, Mark's mother dropped them off in front of the theatre. Mark and Maureen set off awkwardly.

"So...what movie are we seeing?" Maureen asked.

"I don't know...what's playing?" Maureen shrugged. The two went over to the ticket counter, and, to their dismay, both Stranger Than Fiction and Employee of the Month were sold out for the eight o' clock showing. The two didn't want to wait around for the next one, and the only movie they'd be allowed into was The Grudge 2. Mark was a little leery, but Maureen promised he'd be alright. After much coaxing, they bought tickets, popcorn, and soda and sat down at the back of the theatre.

Mark decided it wasn't so bad at the beginning. Although, the second something frightening happened, Mark was prepared to shut his eyes. He seemed to be the only one who was a little uneasy; everyone else was glued to the screen, including Maureen.

By about an hour into the movie, Mark was shaking like mad. He was so scared that he was considering running out of the theatre and leaving Maureen, who seemed to be enjoying it. "Wow, did you see that?" she hissed excitedly, while Mark had his eyes clamped shut and was hiding behind the tub of popcorn.

"Aw, Pookie, don't be such a baby," she cooed, taking the tub out of his grasp. "Open your eyes, it's not scary!" Mark shook his head vigorously. "Please?" Maureen squealed. "For me?" Mark sighed and opened his eyes, closing them immediately when he looked at the screen. He clung onto Maureen's arm, still shaking.

"Hey, Marky," Maureen whispered after a few minutes. Mark opened one eye cautiously, focusing it on Maureen, who giggled. "Do you wanna get out of here? You look petrified."

Mark was petrified. But he didn't want to ruin Maureen's night. "No, I'm...I'm okay..."

"I don't care, I don't like the movie anyway," she replied.

"Are you sure?" Maureen nodded. Mark stood up and hurried out of the theatre without looking back. While he was trying to figure out what to tell his mother, Maureen shrieked in excitement. "I just had the best idea!"

"What?"

"Let's sneak into Employee of the Month!"

Mark gasped. "No way!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Maureen pouted. "Pleeease?

Mark sighed. He was never able to resist Maureen's stupid, but adorable pout. "...Okay-" Maureen squealed excitedly. "-But if we get caught it's all your fault." Maureen nodded in agreement.

Mark couldn't help but worry. If they got caught, they would be in so much trouble. Could they get arrested? He knew his mother would have a fit. She'd probably ground him for months.

Maureen

Maureen giggled. Mark could be such a baby sometimes. She wished he'd loosen up a little, have some fun, break a couple of rules. How much trouble could they get in for sneaking into a movie, anyway? They were just kids.

Maureen gestured to Mark, motioning for her to follow him. "Look like you belong," she instructed. "And don't look so nervous." Mark relaxed a bit. The two walked down the long hallway of theatres until they found the one they were looking for. Maureen slowly pushed the door open. She felt a rush of adrenaline that usually accompanied breaking the rules.

The theatre was packed; there were no empty seats. Mark gave Maureen a look of terror, but she just rolled her eyes at him, and motioned for him to follow her. She leaned up against the back wall and began to watch the movie.

"Maureen!" Mark hissed. "We're being so obvious!"

"Shut up, Marky," Maureen said, waving him away like a moth.

Suddenly, the door to the theatre opened. Maureen took no notice, figuring it was probably someone coming back from the bathroom or something of that nature. But she was wrong. An usher had come in, and saw the two pre-teens leaning against the wall.

"What are you kids doing here?"

Maureen barely paid attention to him. "Watching the movie," she said calmly.

"You kids weren't here when I came in here before."

Maureen didn't flinch. "Yeah, we were. You just didn't see us."

"Nuh-uh, you two definitely weren't here."

Maureen just looked at him, not knowing what else to say. She felt Mark shaking next to her.

"Let me see your tickets."

Oh, shit. Hoping it would be too dark for the usher to see what the tickets said, she handed them to him. Unfortunately, the guard had a flashlight in his belt. "Come with me," he said after he'd checked the tickets. Mark flashed Maureen a look of terror.

Maureen's first instinct was to start crying. Not enough to look like a baby, but enough to make it seem as though the usher had made her upset, and maybe make him feel badly. It couldn't hurt. She was able to produce a few tears, but not enough to make it noticeable. She quickly pinched herself on the hand, which made a few more tears spring to her eyes. In an attempt to sell it a little more, she wiped her eyes and began sniffling.

This caught the attention of Mark, but not the usher as she'd originally intended. "Are you okay?" he mouthed to her, looking concerned. Maureen nodded, and stopped crying. Clearly, her plan was not working.

The usher took them to an office where the manager was sitting, smoking a cigar. Maureen felt her stomach lurch. She grabbed Mark's hand and squeezed it, too nervous and afraid of what they'd do to her to realize what she was doing. She felt Mark jump a little in surprise.

The manager gestured for them to sit down, and surveyed them sternly. "So, thought it was funny to sneak into another movie, eh?"

Maureen looked over at Mark, who was white as a ghost. She didn't say anything.

"How old are you guys? Nine?" asked the manager, taking another puff on the cigar.

"Twelve," Maureen answered quietly.

The manager sighed. "Well, we can't arrest you or anything, since you're still young. But we will call your parents." Mark gulped.

The manager called Maureen's parents first, who didn't answer the phone the first time. The second time, Maureen's mother spoke to her, and chastised her severely for waking her up (Maureen's mother usually went to bed early) and told her she'd speak to her when she got home, although she refused to come and pick her up, ("In my pajamas? Are you insane?"). Maureen wasn't vexed, however; she knew she'd figure out a way to get out of any of her mother's punishments. Mark fared no better. Maureen could clearly hear Mrs. Cohen screaming at him over the phone, telling him he should be ashamed of himself.

Finally, after long last, Mark's mother came to pick them up, fuming. She was still going on about how Mark was going to be grounded for an entire month, and completely ignored Maureen's presence.

Mrs. Cohen, who was still seething, pulled into Maureen's driveway a few minutes later. "Look, Mrs. Cohen, it's not Mark's fault at all...it was all my idea, and I made him do it...so, don't blame him," Maureen thought it would be good to come out and say it; she didn't want Mrs. Cohen to think Mark was the cause of it all. "I'm sorry, and, thanks for the ride." Maureen miserably exited the car and went to face her mother.

I had no idea what happens when you get caught sneaking into a movie, since I've never done it before. O:) I just kinda made it up. Lol.

Okay, so since SOME OF YOU have this story on alert and aren't reviewing, you know who you are, it's okay, I do it sometimes too, I came up with this little idea that people do all the time lol. So I have five little Rent-trivia questions here, and the first five people to review with at least three of them correct get a little cameo appearance in an upcoming chapter. I'll let you choose who you want to be. :) So here they are. They're pretty easy, in my opinion.

1. Who played Maureen in the NYTW version of Rent?

2. When did Rent debut on Broadway?

3. What song was replaced by "Tango: Maureen"?

4. True or False: "I'll Cover You" comes right before "Over the Moon" in the Broadway show.

5. How many times does Roger light Mimi's candle?