This chapter attacked me while I was writing the last chapter. I can't explain some of the weird (sexy/funny/Josh-related) stuff that goes on in it… maybe they're all stoned. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own the RENT characters. I do, however, own Josh.

--May I Join You?--

-Collins' POV-

Angel has decided that today, everything and everyone is sexy. Don't ask me why- I have no clue. She moved back in with her family a few days ago, and until today she was a little upset. But suddenly everything is wonderful again.

"Collins! You are so sexy!" She giggles and grabs my arm. We're having lunch outside for a change, and Mark falls over onto the ground when Angel decides that he's her next target.

"Eek! Angel!"

"Marky, I can't help it that you're so sexy!" She pokes him in the ribs and he rolls around laughing. Maureen goes into spasms of laughter too. Roger and April have yet to be attacked. "Roggy…" Angel says slyly. "Roggy… You're sexy too. April- get him!" Together they tackle Roger and eventually have him pinned to the ground and gasping for air as they tickle him.

"Ow! Get- off- me- hey!" Roger articulates. I hear footsteps behind me, and so does Angel. She turns around, grinning joyfully.

"Why hello! Aren't you sexy today-" She stops and kind of laughs and gasps at the same time. "Hi Josh." I turn around to see Josh's usually-pale face turning bright red.

"Um… hi Angel. I'm glad you think I'm sexy."

"She probably doesn't. She's calling everything sexy today. I don't know why."

"Collins! Everything is sexy! Everything and everyone!" She starts laughing insanely and I worry momentarily about our safety. But then my attention moves back to the unwelcome guest standing near us.

"So… Josh. What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you…" He motions to me and Angel. "And her." Might as well humor him, eh? We both stand up and walk with him until we are out of earshot of the others.

"Okay. What is it, Mr. Sexy?" Angel asks with a sarcastic tone now.

"I needed to talk to you two. Um… first- I'm sorry. So incredibly sorry. Angel- you were right. I had no right to bother you two. Because… I am just like you. That's the other thing. I think… Well… I am gay. And I apologize. See, I was doing a lot of thinking about everything… and, well- can I hang out with you guys?" Angel looks to me for an answer, and I honestly don't know what to say.

"Um… let's ask everyone else." We go back to Mark, Maureen, Roger and April. "Hey, would it be alright with you guys if Josh was hanging out with us?"

"That bastard? Only if he tells us all why he's suddenly decided we're worth being around." Roger is the first to reply. April and Mark quickly agree with him, and Maureen does her best to ignore us all as she eats her pasta-salad.

"I want to hang out with you guys because… no one else will take me back anymore. Because I'm like them." He motions towards me and Angel again.

"Yeah. He's sexy- like us." Angel giggles and ruffles Josh's hair, making him blush again. "No, he means he likes guys. So he's either a gay boy or a straight girl. I'm not sure which. He is awfully effeminate." Josh moves away from us slightly.

"You know… I don't really have to be here right now. I can just-"

"Josh… It's okay. I'm sorry. We'll be nice now." I put an arm around his shoulder. "We'll just let this be… a clean slate. You can hang with us. Just don't try to win me back again, okay?"

"Yeah sorry…" he mumbles.

"Close on Josh- the once-popular boy who was in the closet and dating our friend Collins. Now he's dropped from his cloud to the ground to socialize with the commoners…" Mark narrates as he films Josh looking awkward. "How does it feel?"

"Um… Like I've gone from being admired by everyone to being bashed by losers?"

"Ouch. Want some ice for that burn, Mark?" April says, laughing slightly. "You know, we're only losers if you think of us that way."

"Sorry again. I have to work on that 'think before you speak' thing."

By the end of school word has spread about Josh's new group. I can almost feel the hatred of the other students as I walk with Josh to his locker. Luckily no one tries to stop us, and he's able to get his stuff and get to his car without any incidents.

"Collins, thank you so much. I know I was a total jerk to you. Why are you so nice all the time?"

"Um… because I can realize that sometimes people are idiots? Even myself, I admit."

"Well thank you."

"You're welcome Josh. Now don't get your ass kicked when I'm not around, okay?"

I leave Josh and start walking home. Angel had something family-related… family dinner or something… so she couldn't wait for me while I helped Josh avoid trouble. So I walk home alone. I guess Angel moving back in with her parents is depressing for both of us…

-Angel's POV-

I can't believe I moved back in with my parents. Why? I was so happy with Collins and his parents- and I gave that up to go back to being either abused or ignored by my dad. I'm such a freaking genius.

"Angelo, time for dinner!" my mother calls up the stairs. Joy. I wasn't allowed to do anything after school today because my dad wanted me to come straight home and finish my homework before dinner. It's "Family Night" so I have to be around for the rest of the evening.

"Okay. Coming."

I trudge down the stairs and into the kitchen, and I sit down at the table. No longer in drag (I changed when I got home), I still have the remnants of my makeup on. Guh. I hope my dad won't make a big deal out of this again.

"How was school today, Angelo?" my mom asks.

"Really interesting. Collins' ex who was in denial a few days ago came out today, and decided that he wanted to be our friend. I guess it's kind of weird, since he was being a total jerk earlier and harassing us all the time. But forgive and forget, or whatever." I get an interesting look from my dad, but I guess I can dismiss that as just normal disapproval.

"That's neat Angelo. I'm glad you made a new friend, and he isn't being mean to you anymore." Miguel says, grinning at me.

After a few minutes my dad actually says something. He looks at me for a moment.

"We've already had this conversation. Go wash your face."

I stand up calmly and go upstairs and into the bathroom. I close the door behind me, and almost immediately I just sit down and start crying. I try to stifle my sobs, but I let myself go in a way. It's better to let these emotions run their course than to keep them bottled up. So I stay motionless on the floor until I feel stable enough to get up and clean up my face so they won't know I was crying. Over the past few days I've gotten really good at that. I go back downstairs to finish dinner in tense silence.

After dinner and some more "family time," I temporarily steal the phone and hide in my room. I dial a number I know very well.

"Hello, Collins residence."

"Hi, Mrs. Collins. It's Angel. Can I talk to Tom?"

"Of course, sweetie. One sec- I'll go get him."

"Angel?" He says, sounding worried.

"Hi honey. I miss you."

"I miss you too. Are you okay?" I realize that my voice was shaking a little bit.

"I'm fine. Just stressed. Did you and Mr. Sexy get away from school without being attacked?"

"Yeah. Josh is fine, and I think everyone's given up on bothering me. Well, mostly. Aren't you excited about our 'Winter Break,' as they're now calling it?"

"Of course! Two weeks off to spend with you, hopefully. My family never goes out of town for holidays. God, I miss seeing you all the time." I really do miss him. But my dad wouldn't let me leave again, especially since he knows exactly where I would go if I left.

"I miss you waking me up in the morning. I mean it! You know I'm not a morning person… but I've started getting up earlier. We can meet at school earlier in the morning, if you want…"

"Sure!" I squeak happily. "That would be wonderful."

After a few more minutes of talking and saying a sweet "I love you," we hang up the phones. I sigh- and I can almost feel him sighing too. Weird. Suddenly there's a knock on my door.

"Angelo, do you have the phone?"

"Yeah dad. I have the phone. I was talking to Collins." I hear muttering and sense an argument about to start. "I'll give you money to pay the phone bill, if it bothers you that much."

"Just give me the phone."

I stand up and open the door, shoving the phone into his hands. He frowns at me before turning and going down the stairs again. I close the door and collapse against it, starting to cry again.

"Angel?" I hear a quiet voice outside the door. I move away from the door and Miguel pushes it open and gives me a hug. "I know that's what everyone else calls you. Can I call you Angel? I think it's pretty."

"Of course you can, Miguel." He smiles sheepishly and flops down onto my bed.

"I'm sorry dad is being mean to you. You already have bullies at school. You don't need another at home. I wish I could do something to help."

"Miguel, you have no idea how much you've already done. Just the fact that you support me is enough. Don't worry about him."

Mom calls Miguel and tells him to go to bed. This is accompanied with the usual ten-year-old's whining and complaining, until I offer to tuck him in and tell him a story. We end up reading one of his favorites- a kid's book called "Matthew's Dragon." It was one of my favorites when I was younger, too. By the time I finish, Miguel is sound asleep.

RAWR. I'm having writers block until I start writing. Then I latch onto an idea and go with it for as long as I can and still feel comfortable. So I find an idea (usually when I'm in the middle of a previous idea) and then I write as much as I can about it. And when it's done I go on to the next idea that I thought of during that idea… etc. And "Matthew's Dragon" is a real book, one of my favorites. :D You know what? I LOVE YOU ALL! As always, reviews are love.