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A/N: Wow, thanks for the awesome reviews! –gives a cookie to all reviewers- Here’s the next chap, hope you like!
The anarchist quickly clambered off the bed and knelt beside her, helping her slowly back to her feet. “You okay, Angelcake?” he asked anxiously.
She gave him a small smile. “I am now.” She wrinkled her nose slightly, looking at the dirt still on her hands and arms from the night before. “I need to wash up.”
Collins gently sat her down on the bed and gave her a small kiss. “Don’t worry, Angelcake, I’ll go run a bath for you, okay?”
“Well, okay.” She smiled weakly and leaned back on the bed, now occupied with trying to worm a finger under part of her arm cast to scratch an itch. Collins hurried off to the bathroom to get the water running.
Once Angel had finished bathing and her makeup (which had been a painstaking process with only one hand) was done, they were ready to head to the conference. Angel took one look at the crutches, glanced at her broken arm, and said, “How did he expect me to use those?”
Collins shrugged. “I dunno.”
Angel stomped her uninjured foot in frustration, tears starting to form in her eyes. “I hate this! I can’t do /anything/ for myself now!”
Collins wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Hey, hey, don’t worry about it, Angelcake. It’s that Alex guy’s fault, so don’t go blaming yourself either, okay? We can get through this.” As Angel looked up at him, he leaned down and kissed her gently.
Finally, Angel slowly pulled away, now with her usual cheerful smile on her face. “You’re right, honey. We just gotta get out there and show them that you can’t take down Angel Dumott Schunard that easily, no sir!”
“Exactly.” Collins agreed, feeling a smile spread across his own face. Angel put an arm around his back, and Collins did the same for her, and they headed out the door. Every other step, Collins would take some of Angel’s weight so there wasn’t as much on her bad ankle.
As they headed down the street towards the conference building, Collins noticed they were still getting a lot of stares. But now, only about half of them were malicious glares. The other’s looks were ones of shock and sympathy. He allowed himself a small, wry smile; it seemed they weren’t all such extreme homophobes that they would attack them for no good reason.
They got gasps of surprise from the people in the conference auditorium as well. Collins spotted Ashlee, leaning against the wall with a smug look on her face. He clenched his free hand, pushing away his violent thoughts toward the girl.
Soon, the leader of the conference, a woman by the name of Katherine Willows, came hurrying up. “What in the world happened?” she questioned, looking from Angel to Collins and back again.
Angel told her side of the story first, and then Collins told his. Throughout the telling, Katherine’s face grew more and more furious.
Once they’d finished, she stomped her foot decisively. “I will not stand for such blind, stupid act of mindless violence!” She sputtered for another minute before getting a very serious, deadest look on her face. “I won’t allow it! Come with me.”
Angel and Collins traded a puzzled glance and followed after her. She told them to sit in the front row, then headed up onto the stage and tapped on the mike to get everyone’s attention.
“Good morning everyone, and welcome once again to the Apgun teaching conference.” Her voice was forcedly cheerful, though her eyes were still smoldering.
“Before we get started, I need to address a very important topic. Last night, the partner—“ Good choice of words, Collins mused. “of one of our attending teachers was viciously attacked by several of our town’s men.”
She looked to Angel, who nodded in understanding. Collins helped her to her feet, both of them turning to face the rest of the audience.
Renewed gasps and whispers filled the room, people staring at Angel wide-eyed. She stood, stubbornly proud, for another moment before slowly sitting down again.
Katherine gave her a small smile, then turned her eyes over the crowd again and continued in a passionate voice, “Her—“ she ignored the few outcries at the pronoun, “injuries are the result of an act of mindless violence from a few of the men in our town.”
She slammed her hand down on the podium, making everyone jump. “Such blind hatred only comes from people who do not have the intelligence to form a reasonable opinion! Such stupidity will not be tolerated! If I or any of the other resident teachers hear of any such acts, the one who committed them will be dismissed from the conference. That is my final say on the matter!”
There was a moment of total silence, everyone shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
It was broken by a derisive voice from the back of the room. “So, basically, you’re siding with the fags.” Katherine turned her attention to the source; Ashlee.
Katherine locked eyes with her, their disgust for the other practically oozing from their bodies. “They. Are. People. Too,” she said through clenched teeth. “They deserve the same treatment as everyone else here.”
Suddenly, everyone was arguing loudly. On one side, Ashlee and about twenty others. On the other, Katherine and around thirty of the teachers. The others stayed in their seats, undecided or uncaring.
Angel shot Collins a look. He nodded and stood quickly, vaulting easily onto the stage.
Taking a deep breath, he bellowed into the mike, “HEY!!!”
Everyone jumped in shock, falling silent within a few seconds. Collins felt all eyes on him and coughed uncomfortably, eyes flickering around the area. He looked to Angel, whose deep brown eyes always calmed him down.
Angel slowly stood and hobbled up to the stage, where Collins carefully lifted her up. He stood beside her, offering support, as she spoke into the mike.
“Arguing like this will get us nowhere,” she said, quiet and calm but firm. “Obviously, they—“ she gestured to Ashlee’s group, “—are not going to be convinced through just talking. We’ll just have to show them.”
Collins smiled, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her full on the lips. The “Awwwww”s coming from the crowd almost drowned out the cries of disgust from Ashlee’s group. Collins smiled into the kiss; they’d soon learn why he’d been kicked out of MIT.
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