Chapter 5: Endings and Beginnings

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"So how was your so-called 'bright future'?"

"Angel! That was horrible! I missed you so much! I though it was you but it was—"

"Roger, yes I know."

"Angel. It was Roger." Mark's face fell. "It was Roger, but it wasn't MY Roger."

Angel shook her head, "You're right, Mark, it wasn't. *That* is what Roger would become if you left."

Mark looked disbelievingly at Angel.

"And-and Mimi? And Collins?"

Angel nodded again.

"All of it. But *you* have the power to change that."

"How do I mean that much? How *Can* I mean that much?"

"You are the filmmaker, sweetie. You see life at a perspective no one else sees. You don't have an altered reality. You see things in black and white on that portal to the real world."

Mark shook his head. "I think I know what you mean."

"Sweetie, I love you so much. Merry Christmas and please, share your gift with the world and don't be afraid to smile. You are the glue. Don't let the group fall apart. And baby, Collins is right—I will always be right here." Angel put her hand over Mark's heart and began to slowly fade away.

"Mark? Mark!" Mark opened his eyes slowly and groaned as the light sent daggers of pain through his head.

Roger was standing over him, shaking him gently and looking concerned.

"Advil. . .is. . .my god. . . " Mark croaked.

He could hear Mimi laughing in the background.

"Merry Christmas, Sunshine," Maureen murmured, stepping into his field of vision. "I see you've become acquainted with the term 'hangover' overnight."

"Merry. . . what?" Asked the very groggy Mark.

"Merry CHRISTMAS you silly boy! It's Christmas day." Maureen said popping her hip.

"Wow, Marky, you're really hungover," Roger commented.

"Roger. . .ROGER! YOU'RE NOT DEAD! Mimi. . .MIMI! YOU'RE NOT DEAD EITHER! This is the best Christmas present ever!"

Mark was grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow, never let that man touch alcohol again," Benny muttered in disgust.

"Oh, c'mon, Benny, show a little Christmas cheer!" Mark admonished him. The other exchanged puzzled glances at Mark's sudden exuberance.

"Hey, look guys, presents!" Mimi called, pointing to the corner where the tree was. And sure enough, there were presents scattered under the tree which was suddenly standing up straight.

"Here, Marky," Maureen said, handing him a box of condoms. "For when you get lucky. Then again, since you never get lucky, you could always…BLOW THEM UP AND MAKE BALLOONS!"

Before Mark could stop her, Maureen grabbed the box from him and began blowing them up to an alarming size. Before long, she'd begun to organize a condom ball game. Mark, Roger, and Mimi were on one team, Collins, Benny, and Maureen were on the other. Joanne refused to have anything to do with it. She sat in the corner and watched them, rolling her eyes at their hopelessness.

"All right, everyone!" Maureen called. "The goal of the game is to KEEP IT UP!"

Mark's team, the Trojans, won the game, leaving Collins, Benny, and Maureen sulking in a corner. The winners continued batting around one of the condom balloons until it burst.

"All right, all right!" Collins called at last. "Enough! I think we've used up our quota of pervertedness for one day."

"But it's Christmas!" Maureen protested. "Doesn't that mean we get to be *extra* perverted?"

Everyone gave her a strange look.

"Umm. . .right. . ." Roger muttered.

"Hey, can we open the presents now?" Mark asked eagerly eyeing the goodies under the tree.

"But you don't believe in Santa!" Roger teased, "So there can't be any there for *you*!"

"That's not true!" Collins said standing up and walking to the back of the tree. Collins picked up an envelope and walked over to Mark.

"Merry Christmas, Mark." Collins looked eagerly as Mark turned over the envelope. The envelope read New York University on the back.

Mark opened the envelope in one tear. Mark read the first line aloud:
"Congratulations Mark Cohen! You have been accepted to NYU Film Institute! Inclosed is your schedule and a list of materials you will be needing. Second Semester starts on January 8 th and we can't wait to see you."

"Wow!" Mark exclaimed jumping up, "Collins, this is amazing...It's like...a dream come true!"

Everyone oooed and ahhed over Mark's gift for a few minutes, then Maureen began passing out the previous night's Christmas cookies. Benny took a bite of one and made a break for the bathroom, which caused everyone else to politely dispose of the cookies when Maureen wasn't looking.

At last the stack of presents had been demolished, and all that remained was a pile of shredded wrapping paper. Mark was sprawled out under the tree, paging through the photography book Roger had given him. Maureen was running in and out of the bathroom, trying on various new articles of clothing. Collins was playing chess with Joanne on the brand new board she'd bought him. Roger sat back on the couch and took it all in. Mimi walked over to him and sat down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Hey," Roger greeted her.

Mimi gave him an odd look.

"Hey yourself. Did you forget that it's Christmas, or did you just decide I've been too naughty to get anything from you this year?"

Roger laughed.

"Well. . .that's probably true. . .but no. I've just been waiting for the appropriate time to give it to you."

Mimi quirked an eyebrow at him. Roger handed her a small box wrapped in blue and silver paper.

Mimi carefully slit the wrapping paper with her long nails and opened the box. Then she stopped short and looked up at Roger.

"Is this. . .?"

Roger blushed crimson and pulled the small ring out of the box.

"Yes."

Mimi grinned at him.

"Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?"

Roger cleared his throat.

"Oh, um. . .yeah. . ."

He slipped off the coach and knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his.

"Um . . I know I haven't always been good to you, and sometimes I can be a downright asshole. . .with no money. . ."

"Roger."

"And. . ."

"Roger."

"What?"

"Shut up, you're ruining it!"

Roger blushed even harder and cleared his throat.

"Mimi Marquez, will you marry me?"

Mimi stared at him for a moment, pretending to consider.

"Please say yes?" Roger pleaded.

"Hell yes!" she threw her arms around his neck in a bone-crushing hug.

Everyone else in the room came out of the trance they'd been in and started applauding.

Maureen and Joanne rushed to Mimi to see her ring, which Mimi was looking at with tears in her eyes. In the meantime, Mark and Collins tackled Roger with their congratulations. The lights on the Christmas tree danced. Mark ran to his faithful camera.


"Picture time!" the ecstatic filmmaker shouted as everyone gathered around the tree. However, they had to walk through the mistletoe first so it took the lovebirds, Roger and Mimi, some time to get in position.


 "Marky, why don't you be in the picture for once?" Roger asked with a certain special warmth that only a best friend possesses.

 "You know what- I think thats a great idea, but first I wanted to give Collins his gift." said Mark walking into his room.

Collins perked up at hearing his name and gift in the same sentence.

Then Mark emerged from his room looking triumphant with a package that he was handling with great care.


"Merry Christmas Collins, from both of us."


Collins gingerly tore the wrapping paper revealing a framed picture. It was a black and white image of him and Angel on the day that they'd first met. Angel, dressed in her Santa drag, had her arms around Collins' neck and was staring at him with adoration. Collins' head was thrown back in mid laugh and looked extremely happy. Love radiated from the picture's frame. Collins looked up at Mark with a genuine smile.


"Thank you Mark, This means so much to me. She means so much to me. You mean so much to me- all of you- and don't any of you ever give up and don't forget that friendship is thicker than blood."


Collins was embraced by the teary friends who all knew that this moment was what Christmas was really about.


Mark piped up, "And God bless us- everyone."


A contagious laughter spread through the circle.


Mark whispered so that only Collins and Roger could hear, "I love you all so much."


The tree danced and the picture frame became brighter.


"SMILE!" Mark shouted, throwing back his head and joining in the laughter. And for once, everyone was happy.

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THE END!! Review please!