Chapitre Deux
Ha ha. I like to pretend I'm French. Anyway, I had so much fun with the first chapter, I had to continue. Please R&R! If you do, I will love you forever! Well, for 15 seconds anyway. Oh, and I don't own RENT, which still blows.
Joanne made it outside the apartment complex before she broke down. She sank down on the steps leading up to the door, sobbing uncontrollably. The stoic doorman look down his nose with mild disgust.
That was harder than telling it to my reflection, Joanne thought bitterly. She needed someone to talk to. Some of her pre-Maureen friends were shrinks, but they wouldn't get it. Besides, they never fully accepted her decision to become a lesbian. Where is Angel when you need her? Joanne sighed. That's it! She sat up and looked for the nearest payphone. She dug in her pockets for quarters and sniffed as she dialed a number.
"Hello?" said a warm, deep voice. She sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness you're home! Collins, I– I-" her voice cracked.
"Maureen, are you okay?"
"No, Collins, its Joanne."
"Joanne? What happened? Is it Maureen?"
"No, its me! I've ruined everything! I-I-" she cut off and sighed. "Collins, can I come over and talk to you?"
"Yeah, of course. Come right over. You know where my place is?"
"I do. I'll be there in about 10 minutes. Thank you!"
"I'll see you soon. Anytime, Jo." She set down the receiver, leaned against the booth, and just breathed.
She sat on the subway, oblivious to the commuters around her. Silent tears rolled down her tear-stained cheeks. She just sat and thought.
Why Collins? He's certainly no Angel!
Well, you couldn't really talk to Mark, or Roger or something. They're Maureen's friends. They're going to hate me.
Who knows? Maybe they'll think Maureen's just acting up again?
Oh, shut up. You're so stupid sometimes.
Before she knew it, a muffled, unclear voice called out her stop. Joanne stood and exited the train, her feet numbly carrying her to Collins' apartment. When she knocked on the door, his welcoming, smiling face greeted Joanne. Something in his smile cracked her. A smile seemed so inappropriate in a time like this! She was in agony, and he was smiling! She started to cry again, and melted into Collins' arms. While he knew she was a lesbian, and he was definitely gay, it was still uncomfortable. He uncertainly patted her head and steered her to his living room. He sat her on the couch.
"I'm going to get you some coffee, okay?" Joanne nodded and swallowed the rest of her tears. She studied the rest of the apartment. Evidence of Angel was all over the place. Photos of her, her and Collins, and Joanne thought she saw Angel's drums. She missed her. Everyone missed her. She would know what to say in a time like this. She'd probably call Maureen a bitchy, unfaithful jerk to Joanne, and tell Maureen that she was an uptight, anal geek. But nobody would be mad at her, because Angel didn't mean a word of it. Anything Angel ever said was helpful. You took her too soon, God. She was always reminding Him that He took Angel too soon. He was probably sick of hearing her gripe.
"Here you go, Jo." She jumped and saw Collins holding out a mug.
"Thanks." He went over to a chair, and looked at her, waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. He fidgeted a little, and when she didn't say anything, he decided to get to the point.
"So, uh, what happened?" Joanne took a deep breath and began.