Taste the Rainbow

A piercing noise woke Mimi from her peaceful sleep. She cringed, and buried her face further into Roger's arm that was laid protectively around her shoulders. She felt him moving and heard his annoyed groan.

"Mark!" he croaked. "Mark!" A thump answered him from the other side of the flimsy wall. Mimi giggled.

"I think he threw his shoe," she said amused, before shrinking back at the return of the offending noise. It sounded like a woman rolling her tongue. Suddenly, the door was kicked open by Maureen, clad in what looked like a flamenco dancer's outfit. Light streamed in through the door. Mimi and Roger let out identical, high-pitched screams of annoyance as the light penetrated their eyes, and then threw the flimsy blanket over their heads to shield them. Maureen kicked the bed.

"Get up, you kinky whores!" She was answered by two groans. Maureen swept the blanket off them and began dancing around the room, trilling her tongue joyfully. Roger sat up abruptly and angrily, causing Mimi to tumble onto the floor with a cry.

"Maureen," he said furiously, "As much as I enjoy being woken up at the ungodly hour of…" he checked the clock. "9 am by a madwoman, is there any particular reason why you're here?" She didn't answer, but swayed her hips as though she were doing a cha-cha, humming softly. "Maureen!" Her head snapped to attention and she laughed.

"I'm not telling!" she giggled. Roger fell back onto him pillow, sighing exasperatedly. Seeing his annoyance, she proceeded to prance about the room, singing, "I'm not telling!" over and over. Mimi decided to change tactics.

"Mo!" she shouted.

"Yes?" she said, looking curiously.

"Why are you here?"

"Go into the living room and find out!" Roger snorted and looked at Mimi, who shrugged and heaved herself up off the ground. Maureen resumed the Latino dance, and made her way to the living, still humming.

The two walked into what could hardly be called a "living room," but it served its purpose. Warily, they made their way in. Maureen was known to play cruel pranks. The last time she "surprised" them, she proceeded to fling condoms at them. They sat beside a disheveled Mark, hair sticking up in every direction. His glasses were tilted, and his sweater looked like he had hastily put it on. He was staring at a spot on the floor, eyes out of focus, as though he were still partially asleep. Joanne was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, eyes closed. She wore a black jacket and tie over her unusually rumpled white shirt. Maureen then shrieked, "Ay-yi-yi!" Joanne shot upright and shouted:

"What was that?" Mark, suddenly awake, replied.

"Maureen is plastered." She then laughed hysterically. Joanne groaned. "I forgot she likes to dress up when she's drunk. Remember the catsuit?" he said, smiling.

"Pookie, how are you still disgustingly drunk when I have this killer hangover?"
"I had about ten more margaritas an hour after you quit." Joanne groaned again and laid her head on the floor.

"That is insanely unsanitary. We've probably violated twenty seven health codes on the floor alone," Mark warned. The usually clean Joanne waved a hand dismissively. Her face contorted into one of extreme pain at the sound of a knock on the door. Maureen smiled gleefully.

"That'll be Collins and Angel with the Starbursts!"

"Sorry, Mo, but our hot plate will not be used for you to melt Starbursts to that you and Joanne can have kinky lesbian sex," Roger scoffed. Maureen stuck her tongue out at him.

"Its NOT for sex. Besides. If they're anything like the Jolly Ranchers, then when they cool down, they harden, and you can't take them off for anything unless you rip them off, and when you do, they leave a scar." Joanne winced and rubbed her inner thigh subconsciously. Collins and Angel stumbled in confused, clutching the bag of Starbursts. Maureen squealed with delight and snatched the candy from Angel. She motioned for them to sit down and stood in front of the half circle of friends. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she did before a performance.

"Ok. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here – " Roger made a sound of disgust, earning him a glare from Maureen and a poke from Mimi. Maureen then proceeded to hand out a Starburst to each person. "All right. So what we're going to do is – Marky, don't eat it!" He blushed. She gave a loud angry, sigh and gave him another.

"I don't like the yellow. Can I have another?" She screamed with rage and threw another one at him.

"Okay! I heard that if you can unwrap a Starburst with your tongue, it means you're a good kisser. So that's what we're going to do!" Roger and Collins looked at each other and smiled. Roger shrugged and said,

"Screw that!" He and Collins laughed and slapped five before unwrapping and eating the candy with their fingers. Mark looked at the two and laughed. Maureen scowled and said,

"You suck."

After about 15 minutes, she was getting steadily discouraged, especially since the margaritas were wearing off.

"Thith ith tho dumb!" she cried, her speech altered by the candy. "I can't even get the thing to open!" She seemed to be the only one still at it. Angel had quit halfway thorough, to Maureen's indignation. ("I thought you of all people would have stuck with me!") Mimi had forgotten about the wrapper and ate the candy, wrapper and all. Joanne's wrapper began to dissolve, and as she pulled the mangled paper from her mouth, it tore in two. Maureen had taken to making angry noises as the time went by.

"Give it up, Mo!" Roger jeered. "You'll never do it!" Maureen shook her head violently, determined to see it through. Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, and Joanne left to the kitchen, to see if they could find anything to eat. Mark stayed behind, to support Maureen in her "quest", she supposed. But he said nothing. She had expected him to say something encouraging, consoling, or at least try to coax her out of the foolish endeavor. And still he was silent!

Suddenly, the others heard a cry. Maureen was standing, staring at Mark furiously. She took the candy from her mouth and flung it at him as hard as she could, before grabbing Joanne's arm forcefully and stomping out the door, slamming it loudly. The others looked down at Mark to see him smiling, holding a perfectly straight Starbursts wrapper.

a/n Such is the fruits of my Theater class. Not mine!