When I groggily opened my eyes, Angel was hovering over me, about six inches from my face. Honestly, he was buzzing around like a giant pink hummingbird. Too much coffee will do that to ya... Sunlight was streaming through the windows, and reflected off of the sparkles on Angel's dress, temporary blinding me, in my hung-over state.
"Ow, too shiny!" I shielded my face, realizing that someone had moved me to the couch without my noticing. The last thing I remembered was passing out on the floor. I heard Collins' voice, about ten times its usual volume.
"Honey, give Nick some room to breathe." Angel, still looking concerned, stepped back a few feet. Collins paused for a second. "We need to talk about this arrangement." I nodded my agreement. "Nick, you know you're welcome here, but there hafta be some rules. First, no drinking till you're 21, alright? Hangovers suck."
"No shit..."
"Second, no staying out too late on school nights."
"Hey, this is Saturday, isn't it?" I hoped...
"Yeah, that one was just for future reference. Third, whatever happens outside the classroom, doesn't go back into the classroom."
"What about homework?" I joked.
"Well, obviously... But, you get what I mean, right?"
"Yep."
"Good. Now for the easy stuff. Is that backpack all you brought to New York?" He indicated the backpack at my feet.
"Yeah, I pack light."
"I see. Anyway, you gotta get some more clothes today. You don't smell so great."
"I appreciate your honesty." I laughed.
"You can wait a few hours, and I can take you shopping, or you can go with Angel. 'S up to you." I looked from one to the other. Angel kept mouthing the words, 'pick me, pick me!'
"I'll go with Angel."
"Alright. Listen, I gotta go to a meeting. Later, Nick. Bye, Love!" He kissed Angel good bye, and ducked out the door.
"Hurry up, we don't wanna be late for the big sale!" Big sale? My head hurt already...
*~~*
So that's how I found myself, about half an hour later, in some Godforsaken little store on the other side of town, accompanied by Angel, Mimi, and Maureen. Occasionally Angel would find a sparkly shirt, or something, and show it to me- he kept forgetting that sparkles hurt your eyes the morning after you pass out drunk.
"Maybe I should've gone with Collins..." I mumbled; Angel heard me.
"Trust me, honey. If you went shopping with Collins, you'd be...two guys lost in a store. I love him, but the man does not know how to shop!"
"And you do?"
"Yeah!" He gestured at his outfit, and Mimi and Maureen nodded knowingly.
"Okay. Great. But can we please go somewhere where they sell guy clothes, now? Please?" Angel just laughed, and looked from Mimi to Maureen, who also found something about my request incredibly amusing.
"Where do you think you are, honey?"
"Huh?" Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? I scanned the room, looking a little more closely at the customers- mostly girls. No, not girls... Drag queens. "I would really like to be elsewhere."
After Angel finished looking around, deciding that most of the clothes were outrageously priced, for something he could probably make himself, I convinced him to take us to a store that sold jeans and t-shirts, and there was much rejoicing. I bought lunch for everyone at a hot dog stand outside the store with my last few dollars, and we headed back to the loft.
*~~*
"Enter Nick, a hung-over Computer-Age Philosophy student. How was shopping?" Mark narrated, pointing his camera at me as soon as we got in the door.
"Great. Now, would you turn that thing off?"
"Fine." He sniffed, and switched the camera off. Roger, seated on the couch, picked out a tune on his guitar. I recognized it...
"What's that, Muzetta's Waltz?" I asked. Angel, Mimi, Maureen, and I sat down by his feet.
"How'd you know?"
"Puccini's my favorite composer."
"Yeah?" He strummed a dissonant chord. I furrowed my eyebrows; somehow, it was hard to picture Roger as an opera fan. "Don't get any ideas. My mom always listened to that stuff when I was a kid."
"That explains a lot..." Maureen giggled. "Wait, isn't there a character named Mimi in one of Puccini's operas?"
"Yeah. La Boheme..."
"That's weird." Stated Roger. Very weird, indeed...
"Ow, too shiny!" I shielded my face, realizing that someone had moved me to the couch without my noticing. The last thing I remembered was passing out on the floor. I heard Collins' voice, about ten times its usual volume.
"Honey, give Nick some room to breathe." Angel, still looking concerned, stepped back a few feet. Collins paused for a second. "We need to talk about this arrangement." I nodded my agreement. "Nick, you know you're welcome here, but there hafta be some rules. First, no drinking till you're 21, alright? Hangovers suck."
"No shit..."
"Second, no staying out too late on school nights."
"Hey, this is Saturday, isn't it?" I hoped...
"Yeah, that one was just for future reference. Third, whatever happens outside the classroom, doesn't go back into the classroom."
"What about homework?" I joked.
"Well, obviously... But, you get what I mean, right?"
"Yep."
"Good. Now for the easy stuff. Is that backpack all you brought to New York?" He indicated the backpack at my feet.
"Yeah, I pack light."
"I see. Anyway, you gotta get some more clothes today. You don't smell so great."
"I appreciate your honesty." I laughed.
"You can wait a few hours, and I can take you shopping, or you can go with Angel. 'S up to you." I looked from one to the other. Angel kept mouthing the words, 'pick me, pick me!'
"I'll go with Angel."
"Alright. Listen, I gotta go to a meeting. Later, Nick. Bye, Love!" He kissed Angel good bye, and ducked out the door.
"Hurry up, we don't wanna be late for the big sale!" Big sale? My head hurt already...
*~~*
So that's how I found myself, about half an hour later, in some Godforsaken little store on the other side of town, accompanied by Angel, Mimi, and Maureen. Occasionally Angel would find a sparkly shirt, or something, and show it to me- he kept forgetting that sparkles hurt your eyes the morning after you pass out drunk.
"Maybe I should've gone with Collins..." I mumbled; Angel heard me.
"Trust me, honey. If you went shopping with Collins, you'd be...two guys lost in a store. I love him, but the man does not know how to shop!"
"And you do?"
"Yeah!" He gestured at his outfit, and Mimi and Maureen nodded knowingly.
"Okay. Great. But can we please go somewhere where they sell guy clothes, now? Please?" Angel just laughed, and looked from Mimi to Maureen, who also found something about my request incredibly amusing.
"Where do you think you are, honey?"
"Huh?" Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? I scanned the room, looking a little more closely at the customers- mostly girls. No, not girls... Drag queens. "I would really like to be elsewhere."
After Angel finished looking around, deciding that most of the clothes were outrageously priced, for something he could probably make himself, I convinced him to take us to a store that sold jeans and t-shirts, and there was much rejoicing. I bought lunch for everyone at a hot dog stand outside the store with my last few dollars, and we headed back to the loft.
*~~*
"Enter Nick, a hung-over Computer-Age Philosophy student. How was shopping?" Mark narrated, pointing his camera at me as soon as we got in the door.
"Great. Now, would you turn that thing off?"
"Fine." He sniffed, and switched the camera off. Roger, seated on the couch, picked out a tune on his guitar. I recognized it...
"What's that, Muzetta's Waltz?" I asked. Angel, Mimi, Maureen, and I sat down by his feet.
"How'd you know?"
"Puccini's my favorite composer."
"Yeah?" He strummed a dissonant chord. I furrowed my eyebrows; somehow, it was hard to picture Roger as an opera fan. "Don't get any ideas. My mom always listened to that stuff when I was a kid."
"That explains a lot..." Maureen giggled. "Wait, isn't there a character named Mimi in one of Puccini's operas?"
"Yeah. La Boheme..."
"That's weird." Stated Roger. Very weird, indeed...