Chapter 5: Gold

"Hurry! Come on! We're on in five minutes!" Roxie's pronouncement was followed by a volley of curses that, although she'd never let the other girl see it, made even Velma's frighteningly arched eyebrows climb higher.

Velma scowled at her partner and continued lining her eyes in black. "Don't sweat it. We'll live" she said in one irritated breath.

"Speak for yourself, will ya?" Roxie failed to look reassured. On the contrary, she was pacing frantically, and her wavy blond hair was rumpled from running her fingers nervously through it.

"Quit casting kittens on me. I know what I'm saying." Velma looked away as if it were hardly worth her time to be talking to her in the first place.

Roxie glared furiously at Velma. It was apparently the wrong thing to say. "Ya know what, Velma Kelly?"

She paused as if waiting for Velma to say what back. She didn't. Velma frowned more deeply. Roxie had the most annoying habit of using her full name when she was annoyed, as if calling her Velma Kelly would make her the snobby starlet she had rivaled and hated instead of Velma, her dance partner and...well, sister. But that, Roxie thought, was an unfortunate choice of words. After all, Velma had killed her sister. She wasn't sure if she found that funny or frightening.

"I may not act like I'm some damn queen bee, but I know what I'm talkin' about too! Hate to break it to ya, Velma Kelly, but you don't know nothing!"

Velma's eyebrows rose again, this time in surprise, but this time she didn't hide them. Roxie was surprised, too. She didn't know why she was so angry all a sudden, but now everything that had been holding inside was just bursting out of her mouth.

Velma quickly covered her chagrin. "Yeah? So does your old man. And I happen to be the expert here, so if you don't mind..." She went back to lining her eyes.

"That is such bullshit!" burst Roxie. "You make us late, because you decide right before the show would be a great time for walking, and it's not like you've exactly been making friends with the manager of this club, anyway, then you nag on me! Yeah, you're the cat's meow, alright!" Velma continued to ignore her, still smudging the black eyeliner around her blacker eyes.

Suddenly, everything from those smudged eyes to the ankle straps on her iridescent shoes made Roxie very angry. "Shit! Can you do that any slower?" She made a grab for the eyeliner pencil, causing it to streak across Velma's face. A comical black line stretched under her nose and up one cheek, like a slightly demented imitation of the kind of mustache Italian men always seem to have in cartoons.

Roxie and Velma stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything, looking like children who have just been caught doing something naughty. Soundlessly, Velma snatched her eyeliner back from Roxie. A muscle in her cheek was twitching very badly. Roxie bit her lip as her mouth began to turn up at the corners.

Keeping a perfectly straight face, Velma stood up and began to examine her face critically in the dressing room mirror. "I kind of like it," she said seriously. "But," she added coolly, composure never failing, "I think we should match." The tension between them shattered abruptly.

Without warning, her catlike face broke into a smile both evil and playful, as she advanced upon Roxie with the makeup pencil in a clawed hand. Roxie squealed and dove out of the way, giggling. And just as Velma had managed to swipe a laudable black stripe across her playmate's face, the manager of the club himself burst into the dressing room, demanding, "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh damn," said Velma innocently. "I was just about to give you a goatee, too." The two of them burst out laughing, sprawled on the floor with tears of mirth streaking black down their faces. They were both struck by how odd they must look, like schoolgirls masquerading as flappers, perhaps.

"These people paid to see a show!" the manager fumed, his face purpling. He was quite a portly man, and violet was definitely not a flattering shade on him. "Do you realize how long they've been waiting?"

"Well, then," Roxie replied solemnly, "I guess they're going to have to wait longer."

"We're worth it," drawled Velma with the same mock somberness.

The two of them were once again seized by laughter pains as the manager slammed the door in his temper.

"And we're not even drunk yet!" Roxie giggled gleefully.

"Which reminds me..."

Velma smiled sinisterly and picked up a bottle of gin from the top of the Wardrobe. She took a swig then threw it at Roxie.

"Catch."

Five minutes later, the Detroit Pleasure Hall went wild as Miss Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, put on the Ritz in beautiful matching costumes, mercifully devoid of matching facial hair, fake or otherwise. The two worked together particularly well that night, redefining perfect unison. Neither of them could believe the night had started with a fight, and when they moved, they moved as one.

The crowd clapped and cheered as they took their final bows. Velma turned to Roxie, her face lit with a rare genuine smile.

"It's the best thing in the world, Roxie," she said with a dreamy quality to her voice that was just as rare, "hearing all those people and knowing they're clapping for me!"

"For us," Roxie rebuked firmly, but her eyes were sparkling. "They're clapping for us."

"You're right," murmured Velma so softly it was amazing that Roxie could still hear her. "For us."

Sorry, I know it's been a while, but now I'll be able to write a ton, because the only thing I'm doing this summer is interning at the local children's theater. And that's only on Wednesdays, so I'll be able to give my full and complete attention to this story! And I also know that this chapter is so happy it's kinda cheesy, but don't blame me, blame the Cherry Coke! I swear, that stuff DOES things to you! If you don't talk to your friends about Cherry Coke, who will?...Well, I'm now pleading two things (a. momentary insanity to explain those last few sentences (b. you to review this chapter, because your reviews rock my world and keep me off drugs like Cherry Coke!! I love you all!!!!