Okay now I am going to switch it up a little and do a little of Melissa's POV. I feel that there are a few things that could be explained with her and someone else talking rather than with her and Mark. Some of the apprehension and angst with Melissa might be explained too.

Disclaimer- Sadly, RENT does not belong to me, but if it did I would have made sure that Mark had someone to love by the time that Mimi died and came back to life.

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Melissa's POV

Her dad just left. She was sore, her eye was starting to swell. The pain in her back got worse everything she moved. She laid on the floor, tears flooding down her cheeks.

I am sick of it she thought, closing her eyes, recalling the last several hours.

Her father had been drunk out of his mind. Numerous beer bottles lay on the floor. His boyfriend had just left. Her father had earlier drug Melissa to his room where he knew that she had no ability to leave.

As Melissa sat, shaking on the cold floor, her father barged into the room, throwing the door open, letting it hit the wall behind. "You need to stop these fucking excuses."

That was when all the pain began.

Melissa shook her head and sat up, wiping her eyes dry. Looking at the clock, she finally realized how long the beating went on for. 7 hours, maybe a little shorter. She knew her dad had left for the week on a trip that was funded by the money she had made at work. She made her way to the bathroom and washed off the dried blood from under her nose. She dared not to look in the mirror, if she did, she would only realize how many blows she had actually received.

She moved quietly from the bathroom to her bed and pulled a pack of cigarettes from under the mattress, then climbed on the bed and out her window onto the fire escape. She sat down and rested. Her muscles were exhausted and she wanted to go to sleep.

"You okay?" She heard Roger ask as he climbed out onto his fire escape.

Melissa looked up and nodded as she lit up a cigarette.

"You sure? You look awful."

Melissa nodded as she let out her first drag," My dad is gone for a week and a half. Roger, I'm not gonna come up to work on the song today, I am just wiped."

"I understand, girlie. Sorry about all I said last night. Mark said it made you really uncomfortable." Roger said as he moved more towards the side of the fire escape and hung his legs over the side.

"A little, what bothered me most is that it was probably true… Hey Roger?"

"Sup?"

"Don't tell Mark about all that my dad has done."

"The beatings?"

Melissa nodded slightly.

"Of course darling; Hun, you need to get out of there."

"I am having the locks changed tomorrow."

"Alright. But I'm just gonna stay here till school's over." Melissa took the last drag of her cigarette and threw it off the fire escape.

"You know, cigarettes can kill."

Melissa let out the smoke and said," Yeah, I know and so can my dad." Melissa stood up slowly, stretching her bruised and work muscles," Have Mark call before he comes down, just to make sure that I am away and so that I can throw on some makeup."

"Sure."

Melissa smiled softly," Thank you. I'll talk to you later," She slowly opened the window and went back inside, laying on her bed and falling asleep.

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A/N- Okay that was a little shorter than usual. Sorry about that, more tomorrow hopefully, maybe… prolly not, I gotta study for the Constitution Test… Prolly in 2 days..

-Mici