See Her Smile
By Kourin Lucrece
Disclaimer: Rent and all of its characters are the creation of the late, great Jonathan Larson. So is the song See Her Smile from 'tick, tick... BOOM!'.
"Something's breaking my baby's heart
Oh, just want to see her smile"
Mimi flipped casually through some of Mark's old photo albums, looking at shots from a time before the group had been touched by drama, before she had even met them. It was a hot day and in a fit of boredom while waiting for Roger to get home from rehearsal she had decided to go through Mark's pictures.
She looked up at the filmmaker himself, reading a book and completely oblivious to the world around him. Mimi smile and went back to randomly flipping the pages. A picture of Maureen sticking her tongue out at Benny, who was hysterical laughing. Another shot of Roger frowning at his guitar as Collins chuckled in the background. But then she came across a page that made her pause.
There were a series of photos of a girl she'd never seen before. The first was her alone. She had chin length brown hair and large laughing hazel eyes, her nose was small and her full lips curved in a soft smile. The girl was sitting cross legged on the couch, a pair of cut-offs emphasizing her long legs and an over sized t-shirt hung on a slender, graceful form. The next shot showed her kissing Roger on the cheek, and the next her and Maureen laughing at something out of view. With shock, she realized who she was looking at.
"Mark?" she asked softly and her friend looked up. "Could you tell me about April?"
He looked shocked for a moment before his expression turned unreadable. The filmmaker's gaze shifted to the pictures in her hand and for a moment Mimi thought he would refuse. But then Mark smiled, patting the seat next to him on the couch. "Sure, Meems. What do you want to know?"
She eagerly plopped down next to him. "Everything." She responded.
Mark leaned back, clearly thinking. He hadn't talked about April in a long time, didn't even know where to begin. But it made sense that Mimi would want to know about the girl that had been such a major part in Roger's life, and whose death had been prologue to her entrance.
"April Rose Smith," he said finally as though giving her full name would tell him where to start. "She met Rog at one of his concerts..."
~*~*~*~
Roger walked back into the loft, accompanied by a new girl, laughing at something. Mark looked up, but wasn't surprised at this. Roger came home from almost every gig with a girl. Collins was out with his boyfriend and Maureen had disappeared somewhere, as had Benny, so it was just him for most of the day.
Now, though, something different from other evenings happened. Roger invited the girl to sit down as he walked into the bathroom. She sat somewhat shyly next to Mark on the couch and looked over his shoulder at his notebook.
"You write?" she asked him. Her tone wasn't flirtatious, merely curious and Mark smiled despite himself. She didn't really seem the type who just went home with a guy for the night.
"Yeah, screenplays."
She smiled as well, a really great smile. "Anything I might have heard of?"
Mark laughed. "No," he told her shaking his head, "but one day."
The girl held out her hand. "I'm April."
"Mark." They shook hands and then Mark set his notebook on the table. "So... What do you do?"
"I'm a dancer, ballet." There was a hint of pride and a lot of happiness in the girl's tone.
"That's really cool." Mark heard the bathroom door shut and sighed. Now they would go into the other room and that would be the end of it. But Roger surprised his roommate yet again by sitting down and placing an arm around the girl's shoulders.
"So I see you two have met," he remarked with his normal grin. "Me and April met up at the club and got to talking," he explained to Mark. "Figured it was easier to hear at home."
Mark chuckled wryly. "I'll bet."
The rest of the night was quite enjoyable and a good break from the normal routine. Each of the three found the others' company quite enjoyable and they spent the night discussing and joking and laughing. As their other roommates came home, they found themselves all hanging out as they hadn't done in the longest time. And it was only the beginning.
~*~*~*~
Kind of a bad first chapter, but I decided that I'd write a story about April, where she wasn't into drugs nor was she the reason for Roger taking them. Tell me what you think so far!
By Kourin Lucrece
Disclaimer: Rent and all of its characters are the creation of the late, great Jonathan Larson. So is the song See Her Smile from 'tick, tick... BOOM!'.
"Something's breaking my baby's heart
Oh, just want to see her smile"
Mimi flipped casually through some of Mark's old photo albums, looking at shots from a time before the group had been touched by drama, before she had even met them. It was a hot day and in a fit of boredom while waiting for Roger to get home from rehearsal she had decided to go through Mark's pictures.
She looked up at the filmmaker himself, reading a book and completely oblivious to the world around him. Mimi smile and went back to randomly flipping the pages. A picture of Maureen sticking her tongue out at Benny, who was hysterical laughing. Another shot of Roger frowning at his guitar as Collins chuckled in the background. But then she came across a page that made her pause.
There were a series of photos of a girl she'd never seen before. The first was her alone. She had chin length brown hair and large laughing hazel eyes, her nose was small and her full lips curved in a soft smile. The girl was sitting cross legged on the couch, a pair of cut-offs emphasizing her long legs and an over sized t-shirt hung on a slender, graceful form. The next shot showed her kissing Roger on the cheek, and the next her and Maureen laughing at something out of view. With shock, she realized who she was looking at.
"Mark?" she asked softly and her friend looked up. "Could you tell me about April?"
He looked shocked for a moment before his expression turned unreadable. The filmmaker's gaze shifted to the pictures in her hand and for a moment Mimi thought he would refuse. But then Mark smiled, patting the seat next to him on the couch. "Sure, Meems. What do you want to know?"
She eagerly plopped down next to him. "Everything." She responded.
Mark leaned back, clearly thinking. He hadn't talked about April in a long time, didn't even know where to begin. But it made sense that Mimi would want to know about the girl that had been such a major part in Roger's life, and whose death had been prologue to her entrance.
"April Rose Smith," he said finally as though giving her full name would tell him where to start. "She met Rog at one of his concerts..."
~*~*~*~
Roger walked back into the loft, accompanied by a new girl, laughing at something. Mark looked up, but wasn't surprised at this. Roger came home from almost every gig with a girl. Collins was out with his boyfriend and Maureen had disappeared somewhere, as had Benny, so it was just him for most of the day.
Now, though, something different from other evenings happened. Roger invited the girl to sit down as he walked into the bathroom. She sat somewhat shyly next to Mark on the couch and looked over his shoulder at his notebook.
"You write?" she asked him. Her tone wasn't flirtatious, merely curious and Mark smiled despite himself. She didn't really seem the type who just went home with a guy for the night.
"Yeah, screenplays."
She smiled as well, a really great smile. "Anything I might have heard of?"
Mark laughed. "No," he told her shaking his head, "but one day."
The girl held out her hand. "I'm April."
"Mark." They shook hands and then Mark set his notebook on the table. "So... What do you do?"
"I'm a dancer, ballet." There was a hint of pride and a lot of happiness in the girl's tone.
"That's really cool." Mark heard the bathroom door shut and sighed. Now they would go into the other room and that would be the end of it. But Roger surprised his roommate yet again by sitting down and placing an arm around the girl's shoulders.
"So I see you two have met," he remarked with his normal grin. "Me and April met up at the club and got to talking," he explained to Mark. "Figured it was easier to hear at home."
Mark chuckled wryly. "I'll bet."
The rest of the night was quite enjoyable and a good break from the normal routine. Each of the three found the others' company quite enjoyable and they spent the night discussing and joking and laughing. As their other roommates came home, they found themselves all hanging out as they hadn't done in the longest time. And it was only the beginning.
~*~*~*~
Kind of a bad first chapter, but I decided that I'd write a story about April, where she wasn't into drugs nor was she the reason for Roger taking them. Tell me what you think so far!