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find_rightbrainTitle: In the Eyes of a Young Girl
Chapter: Fifteen - Forget This Cold Bohemian Hell
Feedback: Will make me love you muchly.
Characters/Pairing: Roger/April, Jessica, Mark, Benny
Word Count: 1154
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Rent, and I'm extremely unlikely ever to. Shiny?
Chapter Index
Chapter Fourteen
There was much to hate in this world, and too much to love. - Wicked, Gregory Maguire
"You should come out to California."
April blinked and just sat there for a minute or two, the phone held to her ear. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No, honestly. Please, April-star? It's been forever since I've seen you, and… It sounds like you could use a break from Roger and New York and everything. Come back home, just for a week or two."
April laughed disbelievingly. "Jessi, I can't just pick up and…"
She trailed off. Why not? Why the hell couldn't she just leave and go home for a little while, get some perspective? God knew she needed it, with Roger getting more and more distant, and those annoyingly sympathetic looks from Mark and Maureen…
"You know what? Maybe I will. I'm going to call Mom and Dad and see if they'll let me stay for a while. If they say no, can I crash at your place?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
April grinned. "Right, stupid question. I'll see you in a couple days."
Jessica squeaked happily. "Beautiful! I'll be counting the minutes."
With a laugh, April hung up the phone and quickly dialed her parent's number. Trust Jessi to make her laugh when for so long she'd been too on edge to even really smile. The phone rang, and April held her breath. It had been a while since she'd spoken to her parents, and for good reason—neither of them had been particularly pleased with her when she'd decided not to go to college and taken off for New York not long after she turned eighteen. But still. They were her parents. They couldn't say no, could they?
April let out the breath she had been holding when someone picked up the phone and she heard her mother's voice. "Hello?"
"Hey Mom, it's April…"
A short time later, once April had hung up the phone, she went into her room, quickly grabbed a backpack, crammed it with everything she'd need, and hefted it onto her back. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought, more exhilarated than upset. Roger's going to be pissed. But she had made her decision, however spur of the moment, and she wouldn't go back on it. "Hey Mark?" she called as she stepped out into the living room, well aware that he was the only one home at the moment.
He came out of his room after a few seconds. "Hmm?" He noticed April's backpack in a second, and his eyes widened a little. "What's going on?"
"I'm going home for a while, Mark. Don't look at me like that, I'm coming back. Eventually. I just need to get away for a bit." She handed him a piece of paper she had torn out of her notebook, which he accepted, though obviously a little upset about the situation. "That's got my parent's number and address on it, and my friend Jessi's too. If you need to contact me, you can use that." April turned and started for the door, then paused. "Tell everyone I said bye, okay? Especially Roger."
"But… but…" Mark sputtered as she walked out the door. "You can't tell them yourself? You have to leave now?"
She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Have to go get a bus ticket. I promise I'll call back when I get there, just to let you know I'm alive." April gave him a little wave and, without a word more, left.
*
"Where's April?"
As Roger marched into Mark and Benny's room with the two of them still asleep, Mark's first thought was, Well, it took him long enough. Roger had gotten home last night, and he waited until now to ask where April was? Then again, it had been late and, Mark figured, Roger had probably been high at the time, though Mark hadn't actually spoken to him and couldn't be sure. He'd been avoiding speaking to Roger about a lot of things…
His next thought was, Why does he assume I know where April is? Granted, he did, but…
Mark grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head, hoping Roger would go away. The idea of Roger screaming at him this early in the morning was not appealing. That tactic, of course, did not work. Roger simply strode over to the bed, yanked the pillow off of Mark’s head, and repeated his question with a bit more annoyance than before. “Mark, where the hell is April?”
Mark sighed and rolled over to look up at Roger, squinting a little to see him clearly without his glasses. Roger quirked one eyebrow, waiting for an answer, and Mark braced himself for an outburst as he said quietly, “She… went to California.”
For a moment, he expected outburst did not come. Roger just stared at Mark blankly, and Mark allowed himself to relax a little… and then Roger demanded, “She did what?” Mark flinched.
“She went to California. To visit her family, I guess. And… she… um…” There was really no way he could explain this, not least because April hadn’t really explained it all that clearly to him. He reached over and fumbled through the nightstand beside his bed until he found his glasses and the paper April had given him. He put his glasses on, and handed the paper to Roger, saying by way of explanation, “Her parent’s phone number and address, and her friend’s. I’d assume she’s staying with one of them.”
Roger just looked at the paper blankly for a moment, his expression unreadable, and then he looked back up at Mark. “She couldn’t wait to leave?”
Mark shrugged helplessly. “I asked her to. She had to… go get a bus ticket.” It didn’t particularly make sense to him either, but… that was April. “She said to tell you all she said bye. And that she’ll be back.” Eventually, he added silently—he had the feeling that if he said as much out loud, it might set Roger off.
Roger swore loudly and turned away from Mark, stalking out of the bedroom and slamming the door behind him. Mark flinched again. “This is not good,” he muttered under his breath.
Benny was awake by now—it would be hard not to be, with Roger talking so loudly with no concern with anyone who might be sleeping, and slamming doors… He rolled over in his bed to look at Mark across the room. “So April just took off?”
Mark nodded slowly. “Yeah. One minute she was talking to her friend, and the next… she packed a bag and just… left.”
Benny didn’t say anything else for a moment or two, and finally asked, “Is she really just visiting her family, or getting away from Roger?”
“I don’t… She didn’t…” Mark sighed and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Both, I think.”
Again, Benny was silent, staring out the window for a while. He looked back to Mark at last. “I don’t blame her.”
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter: Fifteen - Forget This Cold Bohemian Hell
Feedback: Will make me love you muchly.
Characters/Pairing: Roger/April, Jessica, Mark, Benny
Word Count: 1154
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Rent, and I'm extremely unlikely ever to. Shiny?
Chapter Index
Chapter Fourteen
There was much to hate in this world, and too much to love. - Wicked, Gregory Maguire
"You should come out to California."
April blinked and just sat there for a minute or two, the phone held to her ear. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No, honestly. Please, April-star? It's been forever since I've seen you, and… It sounds like you could use a break from Roger and New York and everything. Come back home, just for a week or two."
April laughed disbelievingly. "Jessi, I can't just pick up and…"
She trailed off. Why not? Why the hell couldn't she just leave and go home for a little while, get some perspective? God knew she needed it, with Roger getting more and more distant, and those annoyingly sympathetic looks from Mark and Maureen…
"You know what? Maybe I will. I'm going to call Mom and Dad and see if they'll let me stay for a while. If they say no, can I crash at your place?"
"Do you even have to ask?"
April grinned. "Right, stupid question. I'll see you in a couple days."
Jessica squeaked happily. "Beautiful! I'll be counting the minutes."
With a laugh, April hung up the phone and quickly dialed her parent's number. Trust Jessi to make her laugh when for so long she'd been too on edge to even really smile. The phone rang, and April held her breath. It had been a while since she'd spoken to her parents, and for good reason—neither of them had been particularly pleased with her when she'd decided not to go to college and taken off for New York not long after she turned eighteen. But still. They were her parents. They couldn't say no, could they?
April let out the breath she had been holding when someone picked up the phone and she heard her mother's voice. "Hello?"
"Hey Mom, it's April…"
A short time later, once April had hung up the phone, she went into her room, quickly grabbed a backpack, crammed it with everything she'd need, and hefted it onto her back. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought, more exhilarated than upset. Roger's going to be pissed. But she had made her decision, however spur of the moment, and she wouldn't go back on it. "Hey Mark?" she called as she stepped out into the living room, well aware that he was the only one home at the moment.
He came out of his room after a few seconds. "Hmm?" He noticed April's backpack in a second, and his eyes widened a little. "What's going on?"
"I'm going home for a while, Mark. Don't look at me like that, I'm coming back. Eventually. I just need to get away for a bit." She handed him a piece of paper she had torn out of her notebook, which he accepted, though obviously a little upset about the situation. "That's got my parent's number and address on it, and my friend Jessi's too. If you need to contact me, you can use that." April turned and started for the door, then paused. "Tell everyone I said bye, okay? Especially Roger."
"But… but…" Mark sputtered as she walked out the door. "You can't tell them yourself? You have to leave now?"
She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Have to go get a bus ticket. I promise I'll call back when I get there, just to let you know I'm alive." April gave him a little wave and, without a word more, left.
"Where's April?"
As Roger marched into Mark and Benny's room with the two of them still asleep, Mark's first thought was, Well, it took him long enough. Roger had gotten home last night, and he waited until now to ask where April was? Then again, it had been late and, Mark figured, Roger had probably been high at the time, though Mark hadn't actually spoken to him and couldn't be sure. He'd been avoiding speaking to Roger about a lot of things…
His next thought was, Why does he assume I know where April is? Granted, he did, but…
Mark grabbed his pillow and pulled it over his head, hoping Roger would go away. The idea of Roger screaming at him this early in the morning was not appealing. That tactic, of course, did not work. Roger simply strode over to the bed, yanked the pillow off of Mark’s head, and repeated his question with a bit more annoyance than before. “Mark, where the hell is April?”
Mark sighed and rolled over to look up at Roger, squinting a little to see him clearly without his glasses. Roger quirked one eyebrow, waiting for an answer, and Mark braced himself for an outburst as he said quietly, “She… went to California.”
For a moment, he expected outburst did not come. Roger just stared at Mark blankly, and Mark allowed himself to relax a little… and then Roger demanded, “She did what?” Mark flinched.
“She went to California. To visit her family, I guess. And… she… um…” There was really no way he could explain this, not least because April hadn’t really explained it all that clearly to him. He reached over and fumbled through the nightstand beside his bed until he found his glasses and the paper April had given him. He put his glasses on, and handed the paper to Roger, saying by way of explanation, “Her parent’s phone number and address, and her friend’s. I’d assume she’s staying with one of them.”
Roger just looked at the paper blankly for a moment, his expression unreadable, and then he looked back up at Mark. “She couldn’t wait to leave?”
Mark shrugged helplessly. “I asked her to. She had to… go get a bus ticket.” It didn’t particularly make sense to him either, but… that was April. “She said to tell you all she said bye. And that she’ll be back.” Eventually, he added silently—he had the feeling that if he said as much out loud, it might set Roger off.
Roger swore loudly and turned away from Mark, stalking out of the bedroom and slamming the door behind him. Mark flinched again. “This is not good,” he muttered under his breath.
Benny was awake by now—it would be hard not to be, with Roger talking so loudly with no concern with anyone who might be sleeping, and slamming doors… He rolled over in his bed to look at Mark across the room. “So April just took off?”
Mark nodded slowly. “Yeah. One minute she was talking to her friend, and the next… she packed a bag and just… left.”
Benny didn’t say anything else for a moment or two, and finally asked, “Is she really just visiting her family, or getting away from Roger?”
“I don’t… She didn’t…” Mark sighed and shrugged. “I’m not sure. Both, I think.”
Again, Benny was silent, staring out the window for a while. He looked back to Mark at last. “I don’t blame her.”
Chapter Sixteen