Here it is, the next chapter, I hope you enjoy! Do I really need to type a Disclaimer? I DO NOT OWN RENT, and the only character I do "own" is Emily.

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"Oh my God," Emily whispered when she awoke the next day. She cradled her pounding head in her hands. So this is what a hangover is like, Emily thought to herself. "I've got to find some aspirin." Still cradling her head in her hands, she went into the bathroom; no aspirin. Emily next headed for the kitchen; she searched and eventually found a bottle of aspirin. "Why would anyone put aspirin in the freezer?"

"Cuz we were drunk," Mark replied, appearing in the doorway.

"God, Mark you startled me!"
"Sorry, didn't mean too." A pause in which Emily popped two aspirin into her mouth. "So, uh, did you enjoy Christmas?"

"The next time I try to drink more than two alcoholic beverages, slap me."

"That great huh?" Emily debated flipping him off, but settled for sticking her tongue out at him. "You are so like your brother, though he would have flipped me off."

"Yeah, well, you'd probably take it seriously."

"God, you are like Roger."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"Depends on the day," Mark chuckled.

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That afternoon, everyone at the loft had recovered from their hangovers, with the exception of Roger who was still battling a headache.

Mark was attempting to continue cutting together another documentary for Buzzline. He was, however, distracted by the classical music that was playing as Emily practiced in the main room of the loft.

"Hey, Emily," Mark said, attempting to get her attention. His voice was drowned however by both the music and Emily's concentration. "Emily!" Emily stopped after completing a paus de bureá.

"Huh?" she asked, eyebrows arched.

"Why don't you take a break? You've been practicing since like...well...I'm not sure how long you've been practicing." Emily chuckled.

"Mark, this is nothing, and besides, my audition is three days and twenty hours away. Is the music distracting you?"

"Well, kinda, yeah,"

"Aw, poor Mark," Emily said, stopping her music. Emily went and fished out a box of bandages from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. She came back and sat down on the couch. She unlaced her ribbons of her left shoe and gently pried her shoe from her foot. Before she untapped her toes, she unwrapped a bandage. Mark looked on in wonder. When she removed the tape, a bloody blister covered the majority of the side of her big toe.

"Why would you choose to torture yourself life that?" Mark asked as Emily covered the blister with a bandage.

"Well, I don't consider it torture exactly...besides anymore, I can't really feel when I'm getting a blister, my feet are so calloused." Emily continued to un-tape her toes and cover a blister with a bandage when needed. After finishing her left foot, she repeated the process with her right foot. Still wondering why anyone would voluntarily torture themselves, Mark went back to his film.

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December 30th arrived, and Emily pulled on her black leotard over her ballerina pink tights. She tied a black skirt around her waist, and left the loft at a quarter till noon, with Mimi and Roger behind her. They met up with Maureen at the subway station, who was thrilled that someone she knew was auditioning for the High School of the Arts.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're auditioning!" she squealed eagerly. "I was gonna audition, but my father wouldn't let me. He said something along the lines of "This is just a phase; no daughter of mine is going to be a poor performer."" she twittered.

"I'm sorry your father was an ass, Maureen." Mimi was the only one present who had heard Emily cuss before. Roger stopped walking, and Maureen breathed a sigh of relief. "What?" Emily questioned.

"You, you...cuss...we were all watching what we said around you, but, you cuss!" Maureen exclaimed. Roger's face slowly broke into a smile, then into laughter.

"Hey guys, our subway train is here," Mimi announced. They all rushed to board before it departed. Emily got on just before the doors started to slide shut.

"So, are you nervous?" Mimi asked as she sat down.

"Only a little; I've done the routine countless times, so I know I know it, I just haven't done it before a panel of judges," Emily replied, gathering her hair into a bun at the crown of her head.

15 minutes later Emily and the others entered the school.

"Are you Emily Davis?" asked what Emily presumed to be a senior year student. Emily merely nodded. "You're next." Emily did a couple releveás to warm up her feet.

"Emily Davis?" called an older, petite lady from the door to the backstage. Emily glanced at Roger, Mimi, and Maureen with a smile before following the lady into the backstage area.

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"How'd you do?" Maureen asked when Emily exited the auditorium.

"Well, we'll find out in early February." Emily sat down and took off her Pointe shoes. On her right foot blood had seeped through her tights, dyeing parts of them a deep crimson. Maureen looked as though she was going to be sick, Roger was too busy reading the bulletin board that held audition times and other information useful to the students, Mimi however was paying attention and could stomach the sight of the blood oozing from Emily's foot.

"You must have done well, judging by your foot," Mimi commented. Emily laughed a little and stood. "You're not going to wear any shoes?"

"No, I forgot to put them in my bag."

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"New Years Eve, 1992, 11:30pm Eastern Standard Time." Mark zoomed in on Roger and Mimi. "Care to tell the folks at home what your New Year's resolutions are?"

"Get good grades." It was at this point when Roger drew Mimi up into a kiss. When they broke apart, Roger fished a black box out of his pocket.

"Marry Mimi," Roger said to Mark and his camera. "If you will; will you marry me Mimi?" he asked, opening the bow to reveal a simple yet elegant ring. Mimi's breath caught in her throat.

"Yes," Mimi squealed, latching onto Roger's neck. Both of their faces lit with smiles, and as they kissed, it started snowing.

Mark turned his camera to Emily. "What do you think about all of this?"

"I helped him pick out the ring." The Bohemians entered the Life, much to the manager's dismay. As midnight drew nearer and nearer, the Bohemians, with the exception of Emily, got drunker and drunker, leaving Emily the only one truly sober.

At midnight all the Bohemians were dancing on the tables, toasting the New Year. Unbeknownst to them, a woman had entered the Life, and approached the tables they had moved together. Emily was the first to notice her.

"MOM?" All the Bohemians gaped at Emily and her mother.

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HA! Surprised? Sorry to leave you with a little cliffy, but I felt it was a good place to end the chapter. I'll try to update soon, but my mom had a mastectomy recently, and it's been pretty hard for me to stay awake in my classes, let alone figure out ways to hide my notebook from my teachers when I'm supposed to be paying attention...Anyway, let me know what you think! Criticism is always welcomed!