A/N: -falls asleep from boredom- Today was a reading day, so we didn't have to come to school today unless we had last-minute questions to ask out teachers before finals begin tomorrow on Tuesday. But my mom made me go today. So now I'm sitting up at school, wishing I could just collapse in my bed at home instead of pretending to study in the back of the library surrounded by freshmen whose parents made them come as well. So, I write.

.-.-.

Where are my keys...? Here we go... Joanne pulled out her key ring, finding the small key and putting it in the doorknob, turning it before opening the door with a shove and entering her small dorm.

It was getting late, almost ten o clock. She hadn't been expecting to even get back tonight. She was fully prepared to spend the night in a hotel at New York if she needed to stay a day longer. But she hadn't suspected her first try at an apartment to be successful. So she was back, and quite happy to be so.

Her and Maureen had carried on a very interesting conversation on the subway, and had ended up getting off at the same stop. Maureen had given her a hearty hug as a goodbye, and Joanne noticed moments later when fishing through her purse for money to buy a ticket back to Massachusetts that somehow she had slipped a small piece of paper into her purse with a phone number written on it. Joanne had smirked, shoving the piece of paper back into her purse, amazed she had just been flirting with an almost complete stranger.

Joanne tossed her bag onto the chair at her desk, collapsing onto her bed and staring at the ceiling. Her roommate, Celia, was probably out studying with her study group like she usually was on Friday nights. She and Celia had been dating for the past month, and every Friday Celia had gone to her study group, promising Joanne a 'good time' the next night. She never broke her promise.

But Celia wasn't going to be back until about midnight. Joanne didn't mind; she trusted her girlfriend and believed anything she said. Why wouldn't she? She was new to the world of homosexuality, and she felt sure that Celia would never lie to her.

Just as Joanne was about to drift to sleep, she heard the doorknob into the small living room that conjoined her room and Celia's rattle slightly, closely followed by somebody open the door. Joanne blinked, slightly confused. That couldn't be Celia. She was never back from her study group this early. Joanne sat up in bed, listening intently. She could hear two female voices, giggling slightly...she stood up immediately, throwing open the door of her bedroom.

She couldn't believe her eyes. There was Celia, her lips connected to those of another girl Joanne didn't recognize, as the two began to entwine each other in their arms. Joanne let out a loud gasp, and the two broke apart almost immediately. Celia turned to face Joanne, stunned. "Jo! I didn't know you would be back tonight! You said you'd be back tomorrow..."

Joanne couldn't find words to express how she felt. She now saw that the stranger Celia had been kissing so passionately was half-naked, just barely covering areas of her body that should be kept covered in public. Joanne opened and closed her mouth multiple times, unable to connect speech to her feelings. Celia gave a nervous laugh. "Jo, it's not what it looks like, I swear..."

Finally, she found words to accompany her disgust. "My God. I can't believe...Celia, I thought...you..." Her fists were shaking, her nails digging into her palms. "You whore!"

Celia took a step backwards, a distressed look on her face. "Honey, Jo, just let me explain..."

"I've seen enough." Joanne broke in before she could finish. "I've seen plenty. You don't have to explain anything."

Celia stuttered slightly, putting on a very good imitation of a deer trapped in the headlights of a massive Jeep. "Jo, please..."

"No more, Celia. We're through." Joanne turned on her heel, storming back into her room, hastily grabbing her clothes from her drawers and throwing them on the bed. She went into her closest, pulled out a duffel from the top shelf, and shoved the clothes on her bed into the duffel.

Her roommate rushed in, stuttering useless explanations, pointless apologies. "Jo, I'm sorry, never again. She's an old friend, we ran into each other just tonight. You know I only love you, Jo..."

Joanne threw the last of her possessions into her duffel and zipped it shut, throwing it over her back. "I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of my stuff." She stormed out of her room, ignoring Celia's pleas and cries for forgiveness. She threw open the door of her dorm, rushing out and slamming it shut behind her. She ran as fast as she could, holding back the tears that threatened to spill forth from her eyes. She ran down the stairs, the tears refusing to be restrained another moment longer. She walked into the open air of the night sobbing, leaning against the side of the building for support as she cried her heart out, broken, lost.

She cried like that for who knows how long. When she finally looked up, the first thing she saw was a pay phone next to the front door of the dorm building. Her hand dove into her purse, and she pulled out the slip of paper. She rushed up to the phone, staggering slightly, her hand trembling as she punched in the number on the keys. She couldn't call her parents, and she had no other family or friends that weren't all the way in California.

Ring. ...Ring. ...Ring. "Hello, you have reached the apartment of the beautiful, stunning, simply dazzling Maureen Johnson! Leave a message at the beep!"

The tone beeped in her ear. "...H-hello? It's Joanne...I need to ask you something..."

"Hello? Joanne?"

The voice on the other line was concerned. Joanne knew her voice probably sounded awful. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Hey. I-I know this is sudden...but I have a favor to ask you..."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I-I need somewhere to spend the night..."

"You sound horrible."

"Thanks. Can...can I spend the night...at your place?"

Pause. "O-of course! Can you get here Ok on your own?"

"A-actually, I need to catch the next train back up there..."

"Oh, I'll wait for you at Grand Central. OK?"

"Th-thanks, Maureen..." This spontaneous kindness from a near stranger was refreshing, fulfilling. "I-I'll be there as soon as I can..."

"OK. I'll be waiting." The line went dead as Joanne hung the phone up with a still shaking hand. She took multiple deep breaths, then began making her way to the bus stop to get to the train station.

.-.-.

"Joanne, you look terrible!" Maureen rushed right up to her as the distraught woman stepped off of the platform. "What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure...I went back to my dorm, and sh-she came in...and she was making out with another girl..."

"Oh, honey," Maureen sighed, pulling Joanne into a hug. "I'm sorry. You deserve better."

Joanne sighed, hugging Maureen back. "Thanks."

They continued to hug one another for a moment longer, and Joanne felt a sudden warmth inside her. Maureen broke away first. "Come on. Let's get to my place. We'll have to take the subway to get there, but it's not that long of a trip."

Joanne nodded weakly to show she understood. Maureen led her along, offering a shoulder to lean on as they made their way onto the subway.

After a short subway trip and a shorter walk, Maureen was opening the door into what looked like a former studio of sorts. "Mark and Roger..."

"Who?"

Maureen shrugged. "My roommates. Mark and Roger are gone for the week, and Collins is still at NYU. So the loft is mine until Monday. You're welcome until then, but I dunno how you'll take to Mark or Roger when they get back."

Joanne sighed, masking her confusion. All boys and one girl? She was probably straight, then. One of them was probably her boyfriend. But why had she slipped her number into her purse, then? "So, where can I sleep?"

Maureen thought for a second. "Well, Mark and Roger's rooms look like bombs went off inside, and Collins would freak if somebody used his room while he was gone. That leaves the couch or in my bed with me."

The last option got Joanne very nervous for some reason. "Oh, no, I'll just sleep on the couch."

Maureen looked at her for a moment longer. "You sure? There's enough room for both of us..."

Joanne shook her head. "I...wouldn't feel comfortable. It's kind enough of you to let me stay here. I wouldn't want to intrude any more than I already have."

After a moments pause, Maureen shrugged. "OK. Here, lemme see if I can find a blanket from Mark's room..." She disappeared into one of the rooms, leaving Joanne to stand in the middle of the main room she was in. She looked around. A coffee maker on the counter looked as if it hadn't been used for months, and there were old posters on the wall she didn't understand. Sheet music and folders that contained what she assumed were screen plays littered the floor, and a wood burning stove was situated next to the couch. Joanne sat down on the couch, suddenly very exhausted.

Maureen returned quickly, bearing a comforter. "It's a wonder Mark stands that room. You can't even see the floor."

Joanne laughed softly. Celia was like that as well. Whenever Joanne had gone into Celia's room, she had the impression somebody had taken every variety of trash and useless junk and dumped it into her room. Maureen set the comforter on the floor next to the couch, gathering up the random sheets of paper on the couch and tossing them to the floor. Once the couch was cleared and Maureen had placed a pillow at the end of the couch, she looked up. "Will that do?"

Joanne nodded. "Thank you very much. I just couldn't stay..."

"I understand." Maureen placed a warm hand on Joanne's shoulder, smiling with equal warmth. Joanne smiled back, the hand on her shoulder comforting. Maureen gave a soft pat on the shoulder, and then turned to her own room. "Good night, then!" She vanished into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Joanne sighed, picking up the comforter from the floor and draping it over the couch. She crawled in underneath the soft cover, resting her head on the pillow. She was asleep in minutes.

.-.-.

A/N: OK. That's two chapters of one story in one day. I'm most likely done for the day. Writing juices spent. Now maybe I'll actually study for finals. Haha.