Author's Notes: New chapter for ya! Hope ya like! Happy New Year!
I OWN NOTHING (only add-ons & plot).
Please read, review and enjoy!
Eight
Angel, who had managed to get a minute of sleep stirred when she heard the door opening to the apartment. Slowly she sat up, wiping her face of the tears that never seemed to end. Placing her feet into her pink slippers, Angel walked over to the doorway and stood there watching Mark carefully. He was a mess just as she was. The room was dark and before Collins could reach for the nearest light switch Angel had turned a lamp on that sat on their small buffet. The sudden burst of light caused Mark to squint a little bit. "Hi Baby." Collins said taking his coat off throwing it on the couch. "Hi lover." Angel said smiling faintly as walked over to Mark who tried to straighten up his posture as he was almost in a crouching state trying to keep the whole world out. "Hi sweetie." Angel placed her palm on Mark's cheek, giving the film maker immediate comfort. Mark smiled lightly at his friend before going past her to sit down on the couch. Collins walked up behind his girl, placing a kiss in the nip of her neck as she watched Mark stare into the living room wall. "Did you get any sleep?" He whispered lightly into her ear. Shaking her head, Angel left Collins' embrace to sit next to Mark who began to weep again. The professor watched the two until he felt nature calling him to the bathroom.
"Do you want to talk?" Even after loosing the best friend she'd ever have in her life, Angel still wanted to lend her heart out to those who needed it. This baffled the hell out of Mark. "Angel, why do you still want to comfort me after you're the one that has known Mimi longest? Why do you still feel like you have to be there for everyone? Why can't we be there for you sometimes?" Mark's words threw her off guard, but she didn't understand why he was so angry all of a sudden. "Mark, what else is bothering you? You seem…angry at me." The film maker stood up frustrated as he paced the front of the couch. "I just…don't understand. Mimi said that she was off of the drugs!" Collins walked into eyeing the situation. "Mark man sit down for a minute, alright?" Angel looked off to the side, as new tears began to brew into her eyes.
"Chica, I need to ask you something." Mimi said as she scratched her wounds that were covered by her long sleeve shirt. Angel placed the newly washed dish onto the drying rack in Mimi's apartment. "What's up my love?"
"I need…money." Angel stopped washing the dish, placing it back into the soapy water. "Money chica?" Mimi nodded shyly. "How much money chica? What happened?" Mimi and Angel watched one another for a moment, trying to figure out what the other was trying to say. "Nothing happened; I just need money to pay the rent. Benny isn't…helping me anymore." Angel knew what she meant by "helping" her, what she meant was that he wasn't sleeping with her anymore, which was a big surprise to Angel. No matter what anyone said, Benny might have wanted Alison for show, but he craved Mimi. The drag queen grabbed a dish towel, wiping her hands off with it as she traveled across to the living room. "How much is rent again chica?" Angel asked as she rummaged through her purse looking for her wallet. Mimi nervously followed Angel as she watched her best friend rummage through her purse. "$250." The price sounded familiar. Opening her wallet, Angel fingered out $250 handing it to Mimi. "Here, go pay your rent right now." Mimi was at a loss for words, she didn't expect for Angel to go this way in her interrogation. Feeling her hesitancy Angel cocked her head to the side waiting for some kind of reply. "Benny won't be here until later on this afternoon, I'll give it to him then." Angel sighed deeply, taking the money from Mimi and placing it on top of a shelf with pictures on it. "Give it to Benny when he comes okay?" The drag queen returned to the kitchen placing her hands back into the steaming water. "Thank you Angel." Mimi said watching her best friend wash the dishes that she didn't bother to wash. "Anything for my Mimi-Chica." That night, Benny never showed up as she knew he wouldn't. Grabbing the money from the shelf, Mimi stuffed it into her purse on her way to see The Man.
When Angel looked back on that time with Mimi, she felt stupid for not confronting Mimi when she had the chance. But it was too late now, too late for anything. She knew Benny didn't want Mimi's money anyway, and she knew for sure that Mimi bought drugs with the money. "Mark, just because Mimi said that she was off of the drugs doesn't mean that she was sweetie." Mark angrily continued to stomp around the room. "How could she lie to us like that?!" Collins walked over to his Angel who was beginning to cry, her fist clenched angrily. "Mark, calm down man, have a seat." Angel's shoulders shook violently, her sobs becoming uncontrollable. Collins ignored Mark for a moment, concentrating on Angel who continuously tore herself away from her lover. "Don't touch me." She said as her voice muffled into her arms. Collins backed away from both of them as he held his back against the wall, slowly sliding himself down until his backside hit the floor.
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Joanne eventually came out of the operating room, her hand throbbing slightly. Maureen quickly got up running over to her girlfriend, taking her coat from her. "How did it go baby?" Joanne stopped walking when she felt that Maureen was helping put her coat on. "I didn't feel too much of anything, they numbed me pretty good. I'm fine Honeybear I promise. But I'm afraid you'll have to drive." Maureen smiled warmly, giving her girlfriend a sweet kiss as they walked out of the hospital. "I wonder how Angel is." Joanne said absentmindedly as Maureen helped her into the passenger seat of the car. Maureen placed the keys into the ignition, turning it. "Let's go find out." Joanne laid her head back, her pain medication setting in. As Angel and Collins' apartment came into view, Maureen felt a pressing feeling in her heart about Roger. "We should go to the loft." The lawyer woke from her drug induced sleep enough to respond. "We're already here Honeybear." Maureen parked the car, opening the door for Joanne as she sleepily stumbled out of the car. "I'll help you up there, but I'm going to go get Roger he shouldn't be alone." Joanne nodded as the two traveled up the stairs. Finally reaching the apartment, Joanne opened her eyes as wide as she could to speak to her girlfriend. "Maureen, please be careful. You don't know what kind of state Roger could be in."
The performance artist kissed her girlfriend on the cheek knocking on the door as she did. "I'll be back!"
"Joanne?" Collins asked as he opened the door. "What the hell happened to your hand?" Joanne shyly head her bandaged hand, "Oh, I just hit it. Don't worry, I'm fine." Collins gestured her in, closing the door and locking it behind her. "Don't lock it; Maureen is coming back with Roger."
"Oh God, I have to go get Roger." Mark said exasperated as he began to grab his coat and scarf. "Have a seat Mark and rest for second. Maureen went to go get him." Collins said as he held out his hand in protest. Mark did just that, falling into the old arm chair in the corner of the room. Collins sat next to his Angel as he handed the glass of water that he was just about to drink to Joanne. She recoiled away from him slightly as he tried to place his arm around her. Leaning into her ear, Collins held his girl's hand. "I love you Ang. Know that."
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Maureen traveled up the stairs to the loft, opening the door with the key that she never gave back to Mark after she left. Flicking the light switch which only gave a little light, Maureen shed her coat and laid it on the old sofa. The light to the bathroom was still on. "Rog?" The door to the rocker's room was slightly open, so Maureen walked over to it opening it. Roger didn't move a muscle as the performance artist turned on the old lamp, giving the room a yellow glow. She sat herself on the bed, placing her hand on Roger's back. "Rog, it's Mo." She rubbed his back lovingly, trying to wake him but secretly not wanting to. He looked absolutely exhausted. She looked around the room, eyeing all of Roger's room she hardly saw any of. Yawning, Maureen laid herself next to her friend placing the ratty blanket on them both. "Rog, wake up honey." She said before drifting off to sleep, her arm protecting him.