Mimi and Angel sat in the hallway of Mimi's little apartment, side by side on the battered hardwood floor. It was too hot and sticky to move. Angel was bored and bouncing a ball on the wall. It was tied by a 10-foot long elastic to her wrist, so no matter what she did, it flew right back to her hand. She bounced it hard on the floor, watching the bright rainbow colors spin through the air and hit the wood, then bounce up to hit the wall. They had been sitting this way for hours, Mimi slouched against Angel's left arm, watching the ball in its flight to the floor, up onto the wall, then back to Angel's hand. Mimi finally straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and tried to run her fingers through her tangled hair.
"I met a guy last night."
"Honey, you meet guys every night."
"This one was special."
"How special could he have been? You didn't bring him home."
"It wasn't like that, Miss Schunard. He was gay." Angel let her ball fly away from her hand and turned to Mimi.
"Oooh, gay? Was he cute?"
"You probably wouldn't think so."
"Why not?"
"He looked like a nerd. But I thought he was cute."
"You like the nerdy ones." Angel went back to bouncing the ball. On the floor, off the wall, back into her hand.
"I like all kinds." Mimi yawned lazily.
"What was so special about him?"
"I dunno, it was just the way he talked. He was so smart. He told me all about Greece, and how the Greeks were the ones who came up with the original concept of modern thought. He just got back from Greece a couple of weeks ago. He stripped naked and ran through the Parthenon." Angel snorted.
"Yep, sounds pretty nerdy to me."
"Wish he weren't gay. I'd totally go out with him." Mimi lay her head back on Angel's shoulder and sighed. Angel continued bouncing her ball. On the floor, off the wall, back into her hand.