~~~

Late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, Marcus Canfield pulled his official Los Angeles County Fire Department’s SUV up to the curb in front of the Images Community Center. He pulled right behind the white minivan that belonged to the Center and that Steve used for his errands.

Marcus cut the car off, looked in the rear-view mirror, then turned to look in the backseat. Smiling, he shook his head at the array of brightly-wrapped packages were packed in the back of the vehicle.

“Hey Steve! Where’s the fire?” Marcus joked as he held out his hand.

“Fireman Canfield!” Steve said as they shook hands. “Good to see you! Now, I’d love to chat, but I’m on my way to the hardware store. I have to get a couple more cans of paint before the store closes for Christmas Eve.”

He snapped his fingers. “Also, I have to get a referral for a metal company. I need to get some security bars for that window down in the basement. Even though we have an alarm system throughout the entire Center, and that glass in the window is pretty thick, I still want to make sure that that window down in the basement can’t get broken into. So I’ve got to leave for the hardware store. ‘Cause you know folks’ll be trying to leave early today because of the holiday.”

Marcus put on his best smile. “Well, it’ll only take a minute. See, you know how Lea took the kids Christmas shopping this afternoon?”

Steve nodded.

Marcus pointed to the SUV. “Well, it’s really to give me time to hide all these gifts for the kids.”

Steve gasped in mock surprise. “Wait. You need me to help you? You, Mr. Buff-Centerfold-fireman, you?” Steve cracked up with laughter.

The ruggedly handsome Marcus blushed. Ever since he’d appeared in the Los Angeles Men of Fire calendar, Steve teased him mercilessly about his muscular, shirtless photo.

“Ahh, Steve. That was one pic. And it was for charity. You know, to support the African American Firefighter Museum? So cut me a little slack,” he chuckled.

“I’m just yanking your chain, that’s all,” Steve grinned. Then he got serious and looked at his watch. “Now this’ll only take a minute?”

“I promise,” Marcus said, giving Steve another thousand-watt smile.

“Oh hell. It’s for the kids, right?” Steve sighed as they headed toward the SUV.

~~~

News reporter Cooper Cobb sat in the passenger’s side of the KNBC Channel 4 news van, reviewing his notes. Jay Ingalls, his longtime cameraman, and now driver, was behind the wheel, doing at least 80 mph on the expressway.

“Can you go any faster?” Coop asked, a sarcastic bent in his gravelly voice.

“Hey,” Jay clipped, “you’re the one who wanted to do this interview right before Christmas. We could have just as easily postponed this until next week.” 

Coop snorted, then ran his hand through his sandy-blond hair. “Yeah, I would have loved to, but Cynthia wanted this human interest story done before the holiday. Seems as though this gay and lesbian teen Center,” he looked at his notes, “Images, I guess, needs some last minute donations.  Turns out that Cynthia is good friends with the Director of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. They’re the ones that recommended that we do a story on the Center.”

Jay shrugged, a warm smile spreading across his tanned face. “Well, that’s not a bad thing. Kind of a warm and fuzzy story, huh?”

Coop smiled wryly. “Yeah, but I wish it were a better story, you know? Something with more bite. You know, something with, like, mayhem and destruction.” He playfully hit Jay on the arm. “I mean, you know our motto at the news desk!”

They laughed in unison. “If it bleeds, it leads!”

~~~

Twenty minutes later, Steve and Marcus were in the Great Room over by the Christmas tree, both huffing and puffing, with sweat dripping down their brown faces. They’d just unloaded over one hundred wrapped gifts, then hid them, one by one, in various room throughout the entire Center.

“Marcus?” Steve panted as he pulled his signature dark blue handkerchief out of his back pocket. “Remind me never to trust anything you say again,” he laughed. “I mean, what do we look like? A couple of black gay Santas?”

Tired and quite a bit loopy, they started giggling, then nearly doubled over with laughter. Reveling in their camaraderie, the twosome had hit it off from the first time they met when Marcus came to the Center two years ago to give his fire safety seminar. 

They immediately bonded when they found that each had faced some interesting situations since coming out as a teen. Steve was older, so he told colorful stories of his glory days as a young, black gay man, while Marcus, quite younger, regaled Steve with stories of the new black gay scene.

“I totally understand about that Santa thing,” Marcus said, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “But like I said earlier, as luck would have it, we got a ton of donations from the Human Rights Campaign. They heard about our Benefit and in addition to giving us a cash donation, they held a toy drive for us. All of their members got together and donated brand-new toys for our kids. And to add to that, me and the guys at the firehouse spent the past couple of days wrapping each one.”

Steve just nodded, still trying to catch his breath. Then, finally, he could speak. “Ok. Well it looks like we’re done here. Now I’ve got to get to the hardware store,” he said as he made his way to the door.

Marcus stopped him. “Wait. Before you leave, where’s Joelle? I didn’t see her anywhere inside while we were hiding the gifts. I wanted to let her know what all we got.”

“Last I saw, I think she was headed for Lea’s office. That’s the only place we didn’t hide any gifts, so I guess she’s in there. Anyway, she was pretty upset. I wanted to give her some space, so I just left her alone.” Then a sheepish look came across his face. “You know I don’t like girls crying and all that.”

“Crying? She’s upset?” Marcus frowned. “Why?”

“You know our headliner for the Benefit? Nina Lawson? Well, she cancelled on us.”

“Oh damn!” Marcus exclaimed. “That’s messed up!” He paused. “But wait. I heard that from Lea that she wasn’t really confirmed anyway.”

Well, here’s the scoop. It seems that – ” 

Suddenly they heard an awful banging coming from the basement.

“What the hell was that?” Marcus asked, looking around.

“The furnace,” Steve grimaced. “But the repairman’s on his way. Anyway, I’ll tell you about Nina later. I really have to get to the hardware store –”

“Well, before you go,” Marcus said, “why don’t you show me what’s going on downstairs. I’ve had some training on furnaces from the Department. Maybe I can pinpoint what the problem is before the repairman gets here. So you don’t get gouged, you know?”

“Hey thanks! That’s a great idea. And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you sooner. I had no idea you had training in that.” 

Marcus nodded. “Yeah, the Fire Department mandates that we have to have a basic knowledge about electrical systems. You know, just for situations like this.”

Steve smiled. “Good.” Then he sighed. “But this means that I’m never going to get to the hardware store in time, am I?”

Marcus shook his head as he checked his watch. “Not before I take a look at that furnace. Especially with the kids coming back soon.”

“You’re right,” Steve said as he motioned to Marcus. “Come on, it’s right down from the kitchen.”

Just then the doorbell rang. And rang. And rang.

“What the hell?” Steve said as he marched to the front door, with Marcus in tow. Steve flung open the door to see Tina and Diedre standing there, ready to ring the bell yet again.

Diedre burst into the Center. “Where’s Joelle?” she blurted, looking around.

“Well, hello Steve, how are you?” Steve said, glaring at Diedre’s brashness. “Oh, I’m fine, Diedre, how are you?”

Diedre had the good sense to look embarrassed. “Sorry, Steve.”

“Yeah, sorry, Steve,” Tina said, coming in right behind Diedre. “We just got off the phone with Joelle. She’s pretty distraught about Nina pulling out of the Benefit.”

“Well, that and…” Diedre began.

“And nothing,” Tina said, as she nudged Diedre sharply in her ribs. “She’s just upset about the Benefit, right?”

“Oww,” Diedre pouted. She rubbed her side. “Yeah. She’s upset about the Benefit. Anyway, we live just around the corner, so we raced right over.”

“Ummm…about that furnace?” Marcus said, looking at his watch.

Steve nodded. “Oh yeah. Marcus and I are going to the kitchen. We’re going to the basement to check on the furnace.”

Diedre grabbed Tina’s arm. “Ok, fine. And while you’re down there, we’re going to get Joelle from Lea’s office. We’ll meet you back in the kitchen in a minute.”

~~~

Just then, outside, Jay carefully parked the news van at the curb in front of Images, and right behind the Fire Department’s SUV. They also saw the Center’s van at the curb, along with Joelle’s car and Tina and Diedre’s car.

“Looks like a full house,” Coop said. Then he pointed to the SUV. “And look. The fire department’s here?” he wondered. “Hmm. This might be an interesting story after all.” 

As he unhooked his seatbelt, he turned to Jay. “Ok. Let’s get out and shoot some footage of the front of the building. Then we’ll see who’s inside. If we play our cards right, hopefully, we can get this interview wrapped up in no time.”

~~~

Before Marcus and Steve could get down to the basement, Tina and Diedre ran into the kitchen. “She’s not in there,” Tina said, panting and out of breath. “Where is she?”

Steve stroked his chin. “Well, did you see her car outside?”

Tina nodded. 

“Then she’s still in here somewhere,” he said.

“But she’s not in Lea’s office,” Diedre said. “So where is she?”

“Well, she’s not in any of the rooms,” Marcus said. “We were all over the Center, hiding all of the gifts. And when we went into each room, all the lights were off.”

“What gifts?” Diedre asked.

“The gifts for the kids. They’re presents from the Human Rights Campaign. They donated a bunch of stuff –”

Suddenly, Steve pointed to the basement door, which was wide open. “Wait! Who opened this door? I kept it closed because I didn’t want anyone down in the basement until after the repairman came.”

They all shook their heads.

Then he looked at the light coming from the basement. “And who turned the light on? This light to the basement?” Then he paused. “Wait – y’all don’t think Joelle’s down there, do y’all?”

“Trying to fix the furnace?” Marcus shrugged. “I couldn’t imagine –”

Then…

“BOOM!”

The unexpected blast knocked them all off their feet. Tina landed at the sink and slammed against the cabinet underneath. Diedre landed near the refrigerator and rolled until she hit the baseboard. Steve and Marcus flew all the way to the other side of the kitchen, right into the back wall. Then they both slumped to the floor.

“Ugh,” Diedre moaned, a searing pain shooting through her. “What the fuck was that?”

Suddenly, Marcus smelled smoke. Then his extensive firefighting training kicked in. “Ok, everyone, get out!” he shouted. “Get out, now!”

“I’m not leaving Joelle!” Diedre cried as she struggled to stand. “Fuck that! That’s my girl!”

Marcus crawled to the door as more smoke started wafting up from the basement. “I know. I’ll get her. You all just go! Now!”

Tina used the edge of the sink to pull herself up, then she limped over to Diedre. “Come on!” Tina shouted. 

“Make sure you get her,” Diedre warned, as she and Tina struggled out of the kitchen.

Marcus pulled himself up using the basement door and the doorknob. “Steve, you get out too. And call 911. Tell them that Images had a furnace explosion, and that Firefighter 9871 is inside trying to rescue a female victim from the basement!”

“Ohhh,” Steve moaned as he writhed on the floor. “My back!”

“Go now!” Marcus bellowed. 

Steve nodded, covered his mouth from all the gray smoke that began to flood the kitchen, then he stood and limped out the door.

“Give me strength,” Marcus whispered as he headed into the smoke and down into the basement.

~~~

“You getting all that?” Coop cried after he heard the loud explosion. He’d since ducked behind the van and was watching the people running from the building.

“I got it all,” Jay smiled as he focused his videocamera right onto the Center. “I got it all!”

“Good! Just don’t stop rolling,” Coop said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed quickly. A female voice answered and his words tumbled out.

“Hello, front desk? This is Coop. Get me William in the newsroom! We got an emergency at the Images Community Center!”

~~~

Denver Adair yawned as she sat up in her bed. Nestled comfortably in her bedroom, all the lights were off, except from the light coming from the television.

Feeling the warmth from the body laying next to her, Denver rubbed her eyes, then focused on the screen for a moment. She first watched a pretty female newscaster with a smooth, brown complexion. Then the picture suddenly flashed to a blazing inferno. After Denver strained to hear what was going on, she noticed that the television’s sound had been muted.

“Hey baby,” Denver said to the warm body lying next to her, covered by the thin sheet. “Can you pass me the remote? It’s right next to you on the table.”

“Mmm hmm.” The form stirred for a moment, then stripped the sheet away. Nurse Tamala, nude and fully exposed, reached for the remote on the nightstand.

Before she could reach it, however, Denver swiftly leaned down and kissed the darkened nipple that was revealed when the sheet pulled away. She licked the thick, dark peak until Nurse Tamala squirmed in delight.

“Denver, stop!” Nurse Tamala laughed. “I thought you got enough earlier this afternoon.”

“I can never get enough of your body,” Denver smiled, taking a last lick at the dark peak. “Thank goodness you gave me your number!” she winked. “Now hand me the remote, please. I want to see what’s on fire.”

Nurse Tamala giggled. Then she reached for the remote, turned up the volume, and passed it to Denver.

~~~

Coughing from all of the thick, black smoke, Marcus fought his way halfway down the stairs. “Joelle? Joelle?” He walked a few more steps. “Joelle!” he shouted.

Then he saw the limp mocha-colored beauty lying at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by a ring of searing-hot flame. He looked around the basement and saw that all of the flames were growing in intensity. 

Marcus ran down the rest of the long stairway, deftly dodging the flames that were now running up the walls to the ceiling. He kept running down, straight to where she lay. “Oh Joelle! Joelle, honey!” he said, trying to dance out of the way of the flames.

Joelle moaned. 

“It’s ok, honey,” he said as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Before heading back up the stairs, he took a minute to survey the situation. He groaned as he noticed the flames that began to dance on the ceiling. He said a silent prayer, then he gripped Joelle tight and began to take careful steps back up the stairs. “Joelle, can you hear me?” he asked as they walked, nearly out of breath, but needing to make sure that she remained conscious. “Do you know what’s going on, honey? Do you know who I am?”

“Nina?” she whispered hoarsely. “Is that you?”

Marcus laughed, then coughed as the thick smoke invaded his lungs again. “You’re lucky we’re both gay,” he said after catching his breath. “Or else my feelings would really be hurt right about now!”

Joelle moaned again.

“It’s ok, honey. I’m gonna get you out of here. We’ll be there in a minute!”

Just as he reached the middle of the stairway, they heard a loud snap above them.   Marcus instinctively looked up. He saw past the flames to the large crack forming in the ceiling, and with Joelle still in his arms, he knew what was coming and leapt back down the stairs, out of the way.

All at once, the middle of the ceiling caved in, and large chunks of wood and tile from the kitchen floor fell right into the stairway. As if it were nothing, the debris suddenly ignited, creating a flaming, fiery mass that blocked their pathway upstairs.

“Oh God!” Marcus cried as they lay at the base of the steps. “Oh my God, what now?”

~~~

Nina Lawson lay in bed, flipping past the channels on the TV. Her head throbbed as she thought of Joelle. She’d been calling Joelle’s cell phone repeatedly, but there was no answer.

She probably hates me too, Nina thought. The argument they’d had was one of the worst she’d ever been involved in.

Though Nina was notorious for speaking her mind, she wondered why she was so hard on Joelle. Then she thought of Joelle’s soft, curvy body. Nina also wanted to run her fingers through the girl’s thick, dark hair.

“You’re hard on her ‘cause you like her, you idiot,” Nina chided. She thought about Joelle’s warm demeanor, her gentle ways and her caring nature. In addition, Joelle’s soft scent always made Nina come undone.

Shaking her head, she needed a distraction. She glanced at the clock. “Time for the news,” she said as she picked up the remote. 

She quickly flipped to Channel 4. She grinned when she saw the pretty, black newscaster. Carrie Daniels was one of her favorites. She loved watching the woman’s soft, seductive lips and often imagined what it would feel like to have them pressed against hers. 

Excitedly, Nina turned up the volume on the TV.

“ – The blast totally rocked the quiet street and took all of the residents by surprise,” Carrie said. “Once again, our breaking news story concerns today’s explosion at the Images Community Center in West Hollywood. One person has been reported injured.” 

Carrie touched her earpiece. “Yes. The Center’s Assistant Director, identified as Joelle Steele, along with Los Angeles County Firefighter Marcus Canfield, have both been reported as missing. No other information is available at this time. In other news–”

Nina’s heart stopped. Explosion? Joelle? My Joelle?

She grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and dialed quickly.

A female voice answered. “Hello?”

Nina sighed. “Denver! Thank goodness you answered! Are you watching the news?”

~~~

Marcus looked around the basement and saw that the flames were growing even larger. If they didn’t escape soon, they’d be trapped inside the inferno.

He got up off the floor and strained to see above the flames for some kind of escape. Suddenly, he remembered what Steve had told him earlier.

His heart leapt as he saw a storage cabinet way across the basement at the back wall, with a tiny window right above it. Luckily, the flames hadn’t made it quite that far back, and if they could make it to that window, they could get out alive.

“Come on, Joelle,” he said as he picked her up again. “We’re going to get out of here now!”

She just moaned.

He hunkered down and imagined a straight path to the window. “You have to get outside, Marcus! You have to get outside.”

Without any further thought, he gripped Joelle tightly, then sprinted toward the window. He ran through the flames, feeling the intense, searing heat all over his body, but he kept running. Finally, after several agonizing seconds, they made it to the back wall. 

“Made it,” he panted, smoke still filling his lungs, but he managed to breathe. He set Joelle down on the floor and looked up at the window. “Thank goodness we made it.” 

He then used his body to shove the cabinet just out of the way, then he reached up, but his six-foot-four-inch tall height was just short of reaching the window.

“I need something…something.” He thought about turning the cabinet onto its side and standing on top of it, but he thought that would take too long. Then he spotted a wooden chair just to the other side of the cabinet.

He took the chair, set it on the floor, and climbed on top of it. Thankfully, he chair put him just at the perfect height, but the smoke in his lungs began to make him woozy. He weaved unsteadily, even dangerously, as he stood on top of the chair. 

“Come on, Marcus,” he heard himself say. “You’re almost there!”

Finally, he got himself together. He ripped off his shirt, wrapped it around his fist and forearm, then struck out at the window.

The glass didn’t even crack.

“Damn!” He looked around again. Suddenly he spotted a small metal pipe on the floor near where the cabinet now sat. He jumped off the chair, got the pipe, jumped back onto the chair and started to beat the pipe against the window.

After a few hits, the glass started to crack, then it completely broke. Marcus struggled to breathe as he used the pipe to clear out the remaining glass. Finally with fresh air coming into his lungs, he regained his energy. 

He hopped back off the chair to check on Joelle. Seeing she was still breathing, he was now focused solely on getting their bodies out of the window and out to safety.

He jumped back onto the chair, and cried out when he saw a gloved hand sticking in the window from the outside.

“What the fuck?” Marcus shouted, nearly losing his balance.

“Marcus!” the voice belonging to the hand yelled. “It’s me, Tim! We were at the firehouse when the call came in. Thankfully, we’re right up the street. Now we heard that you were in the basement trying to save someone, so luckily we walked around to the back of the building and found this window. Now are you both alright?”

“Yeah! Marcus called out. “We’re ok for now.” Then he looked back into the basement. The flames were leaping wildly and they had spread to where they were just a few feet away, nearly right on top of them. “But we’ve got to get out now!”

Tim stuck his other hand through the window. “Hand me the girl!”

Marcus got down from the chair and picked Joelle up. He struggled not to cough from the smoke that was wafting closer, as he gingerly climbed back onto the chair. “Here she is,” he said as he positioned Joelle right underneath the window.

Tim gripped Joelle’s shoulders, then reached down and grabbed her arms. “Ok, I got her,” Tim said as he pulled her up and out of the window.

After a couple of seconds, Tim reached his hands back in. “Ok, now you!”

Marcus took one last look around. Suddenly, the flames were right at his feet, licking at the wooden chair legs. “Oh shit!” he shouted.

“Marcus come on!” Tim shouted, waving his hands. “Focus!”

Marcus zoomed in on Tim’s hands as he reached up and jumped for them. As he gripped Tim’s hands, the chair underneath him suddenly cracked and split underneath the heat of the flames, leaving Marcus dangling in mid-air.

“Oh shit! Tim, pull me up!” Marcus cried as he felt the flames on his legs. “Pull me up, now!”

It took every ounce of strength Tim had, but he struggled to pull Marcus until he was halfway out of the window. Just then, the other firefighters grabbed Tim’s legs and body and pulled hard.

In an instant, Marcus flew up and out of the window.

As he landed up and onto the cool grass in the Center’s backyard, he looked back at the building. He jumped when he saw the flames leaping out of the window. Then he shivered as he felt cool liquid splashing near him. He moved out of the way as Tim and the other firefighters sprayed the flames with their hoses.

Marcus sat up, looked around and saw the rest of the firefighters racing to front of the building, most likely to continue spraying the building. Then he looked over and saw Joelle lying on the ground. The EMT’s had arrived and were checking her for any injuries.

“Oh my God! We made it,” Marcus sighed as his body collapsed back onto the ground.

~~~

Lea dashed into the emergency room of the hospital, straight for the admissions desk. She was out of breath as she began to speak.

“Hi, is Joelle Steele here?”

The pretty brown female attendant smiled. “And you are?”

Lea reached into her purse to grab her identification. “I’m Lea Maxwell. I’m Joelle’s boss. I was watching the news and I saw that there was an explosion at our Center. The Images Community Center? Where is she? And where are my other employees?”

“Ma’am, wait right over there, please,” the attendant smiled as she pointed to the people waiting on the other side of the room. “As soon as I know something, I’ll let you know.”

Lea grit her teeth, frustrated, but went over to where the crowd of people was gathered. She relaxed as she recognized some of them as parents of the kids at the Center, as well as some of the Center’s supporters and donors. She spoke to everyone briefly, but couldn’t really give any comfort as she had no information herself.

Suddenly Lea spotted a dark, curvy woman in a nurse’s uniform that had just walked into the waiting area. After watching the nurse look around for a moment, Lea abandoned her pride and ran up to the woman. “Excuse me? Nurse?”

Nurse Tamala smiled. She had gotten dressed and raced to the hospital with Denver as soon as they learned what happened. “Yes. Can I help you?”

“I’m Lea Maxwell, I work at Images Community Center. I was watching the television and –”

“Oh good. I was just looking for you. Some of our patients are asking about you. Come with me.”

Lea followed Nurse Tamala back into the emergency room. They walked until Lea saw Steve in one of the curtained-off cubicles, lying on his side on a gurney. He was dressed in a hospital gown and had a large bandage on his back and an oxygen mask on his face.

“Oh Steve,” Lea cried, running to him. “Oh goodness, are you alright?” She stroked his forehead, looking in his eyes for recognition.

Tears welled up in Steve’s eyes and he slowly removed the mask. “Yeah, Lea, I’m fine.”

Lea exhaled when she realized Steve was coherent. “Where’s everybody? What happened?”

Steve struggled to sit up, very much in pain, but he managed to give Lea as many details as he could. But too weary, he fell back onto his side.

Nurse Tamala interrupted. “We can let him rest, but I can give you the updates,” she said as she led Lea back out into the hallway. “It seems as though everyone got out safely. Tina Bell has some bruises, as does Diedre Grant. But they’re both all right. And as you just saw, Steve Ross has a minor back injury.” 

She paused before continuing. “Now, Marcus Canfield has some serious smoke inhalation, as well as some cuts and bruises from his rescue. However, Joelle’s injuries are the most serious. She’s got a concussion and some bruises from her fall. She’s also got some tiny cuts from the glass as she was pulled out of the window.” Then she lowered her voice. “But she may have some broken ribs as well. Caused by the fall. And she could possibly have some internal injuries.”

Lea stifled a cry. “Oh God! Well, can I see her?”

“Not right now. Especially since we have her sedated. She’ll be awake shortly, I imagine, but for now she just needs to rest.”

Lea nodded.

“Now does she have any family here?” Nurse Tamala asked.

Lea shook her head. “Joelle’s family is all back East. Actually, we’re her family. All of us at the Center.”

Nurse Tamala nodded. “Well, alright. Anyway, let me go check on everyone. You just sit back here and I’ll be back shortly. Then, if you like, you can go back up front and give all of the people in the waiting room the updates, ok?”

“Thanks,” Lea said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in the hallway.

As Lea sat there, a tall woman walked up to her. “Excuse me?” the woman said. “I’m Denver Adair. You work at the Center?”

Lea nodded. “Yes, I’m the Director.”

Denver held out her hand. “Hi. I’m working with Nina Lawson. I’m her publicist.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lea said as they shook. “So what’s going on? Do you know anything about what happened?”

“I just got here myself. I’m sorry, but I have no idea what went on.”

Lea sighed. “I just want answers. I just want to know what happened!” 

All of a sudden, Lea heard a loud voice call her name. “Lea!”

Lea turned to see Diedre and Tina limping down the hallway, both dressed in hospital gowns.

“Oh my God,” Lea said, tearing up again. She jumped out of her chair and ran to embrace them.

“Ow,” Diedre winced. “I’m still kind of sore.”

Lea pulled back. “I’m sorry! But really, what happened?”

Diedre and Tina launched into the entire saga, from their phone call with Joelle all the way to arriving at the hospital. They left nothing out, to the relief of Denver and Lea, who were desperate for information.

While Lea was just thankful that everyone was safe, Denver visibly burned when she heard that Nina had cancelled her participation in the Benefit.

As the women talked, Denver heard a female voice call her name. “Denver!”

Denver spun around to see Nina hobbling in on her cane. 

“Denver, what happened?” Nina cried. “Is Joelle alright?”

“No this bitch did not just ask about Joelle!” Diedre shouted.

“Calm down, Dee,” Tina said, stroking Diedre’s arm. “Not here, and not now.” Tina looked around at the other patients and hospital staff that now began to stare at them.

“Fuck that! If it weren’t for this sadity diva,” Diedre spat, “Joelle wouldn’t have even been in the Center to begin with!”

Then Diedre turned and faced Nina dead-on. “And thanks for canceling out on the kids, you bitch!” Diedre growled.

“Denver? Tell them that I’m a good person!” Nina implored, pulling on Denver’s arm. “Go on! Tell them!”

“Did you cancel?” Denver asked, an incredulous look on her face. “Did you tell Joelle that you weren’t going to do the Benefit? The charity Benefit for the kids?”

Nina couldn’t speak. All she could do was nod.

“Then I won’t tell them anything,” Denver roared. “But I will tell you something: I quit! From this moment on, I quit!”

Nina gasped at Denver’s ire. But when Nina took a look around, and when she saw the evil looks from the women, she just took her cane and quietly slinked out.

~~~

The next morning, Joelle lay in her hospital bed, her entire body aching. She’d been given a mild sedative and slept through the night. However, now that she was waking, the pain started flowing though her body. 

When Joelle opened her eyes, she looked around and tried to orient herself. Then she gasped.

She was stunned to see that her hospital room was filled with cards, flowers, gifts, stuffed animals and other get-well trinkets.

Then she heard a light voice. “Joelle?”

Joelle looked up to see a familiar face staring down at her. “Nina?” Joelle whispered, barely recognizing her own voice.

“Hey Sunshine,” Nina smiled. “How are you?”

“What are you doing here?” Joelle asked. Then she looked around. “Where am I?”

Nina reached out and stroked her thick, curly ringlets. “You’re in the hospital, Joelle. There was an explosion. Do you remember what happened?”

Joelle shook her head. Then she winced as a searing pain shot through her ribs. “Ohhh,” she moaned.

“That’s alright,” Nina said. “Don’t move. Just lie still.” Nina’s heart nearly broke as she took in the bandages all over Joelle’s body. 

“Anyway,” Nina continued, “I bribed the nurse to let me into your room.” Then she chuckled. “I guess that my celebrity hasn’t totally disappeared.”

“Where is everyone?” Joelle said sleepily. 

“Your friends Tina and Diedre are down at the cafeteria. Your other friend Steve’s already at home. So is Marcus, the firefighter that rescued you. I had to wait until Tina and Diedre left before I could sneak in.

Joelle nodded, then she yawned. Then a curious look came over her face. “What day is it?”

“Christmas Day,” Nina said. “Merry Christmas.”

Joelle smiled. “And a merry Christmas to you.” Then Joelle’s eyes widened. “Nina? Oh my God, Nina. I remember.”

Nina bit her lip. “You remember what happened?”

Joelle just stared at her for several long moments. Then a scowl came over her face. “Oh God! You cancelled! That’s why I was so upset! That’s why I didn’t see the smoke from the furnace! You cancelled!”

Joelle struggled to sit up. “Nina, I really don’t want you in here right now, so just go.”

“Wait, honey! I can explain!”

“Get out!” Joelle said harshly, pointing toward the door. “Now!”

“I’ll do the Benefit!” Nina cried. “I’ll do it! I promise! Just for you! I’ll do it!”

Joelle sat back against her pillow. “What did you say?”

“I’ll call Denver right now! As I was sitting here watching you, I realized how wrong I was. How selfish I was. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry!”

Joelle just sat there.

“So you heard me?” Nina sighed. “Oh honey! I’m so sorry. I’d love to help those kids. I was just…just stubborn.” She grasped Joelle’s hand. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Then an angry voice rang out. “Forgive you for what?”

Both women turned toward the harsh voice at the door.

To Joelle’s surprise, Cori Sanders sauntered over to the bed. “I said, forgive you for what?”

Nina’s back bristled. “And you are?”

“Cori. Joelle’s girlfriend.”

Nina’s eyes widened. “Joelle? You have a girlfriend?”

Joelle closed her eyes.

“Yes she does,” Cori said. “And I’m her. So would you please?”

Nina refused to back down. “Please what?”

“Please leave,” Cori said. 

Nina took a look at Joelle. She saw that Joelle’s eyes were still closed and her face had turned toward the wall.

“Ok, fine,” Nina said, giving in. Then she took one last look at her crush. “Anyway Joelle? Remember what I said. And I hope you get better soon.”

~~~

Fighting back tears, Nina slipped out of Joelle’s hospital room. However, not ready to leave, she dipped into an empty room across the hall. She stood there for a few moments, then she let the tears flow. Relentlessly, they flooded her caramel-colored cheeks. 

“Why am I so stupid and bitter,” Nina whispered. “All because of my mother? All because my mother doesn’t and won’t accept who I really am?” She wiped her eyes, but the tears kept flowing. “How could I cause so much trouble? How could I have made such a mess of things?” 

As she stood in the doorway, sobbing quietly, she heard a loud voice from down the hallway.

“Tina, like I said, I’m glad Joelle is ok, but I can’t wait to get her out of this fucking hospital! I hate hospitals!”

Nina peeked out of the doorway. She saw Tina and Diedre coming right toward her, heading for Joelle’s room.

“Oh shit,” Nina said, ducking back into the room. She stood behind the door and peeked out, waiting for something to happen.

She didn’t have to wait long. She watched the twosome enter Joelle’s hospital room. Before she knew it, Diedre’s voice exploded.

“Cori!” Diedre shouted. “You have some nerve coming here! Don’t you know Tina and I saw your whorish ass at the mall? With that other trick?”

Nina was glued to the doorway as she listened to the verbal confrontation. However, a tiny bit of her couldn’t help but be gleeful at Cori’s dressing-down.

After a few moments, Nina looked out just in time to see Cori flee Joelle’s room in tears, and sprint down the hall.

Nina smirked. “Well, thanks, Diedre. Thanks for taking care of my dirty work!”

Finally ready to leave, and a satisfied smirk still on her face, Nina reached into her handbag and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed quickly and a feminine voice answered on the first ring.

Nina spoke quickly. “Hello, Denver? This is Nina.” 

At Denver’s angry interruption, Nina held up her hand. “Wait, Denver. Before you begin, I…I want to help Joelle’s community center. I really do. For real. Now here’s what I want to do…”

Cell phone still in hand, Nina peeked out of the room to make sure the coast was clear. Not seeing any of Joelle’s friends, Nina continued chatting as she quietly dipped out of the room, headed down the hall and onto the elevator.

~~~

“So how’s Ms. JoJo?” Danita asked. “Is she going to die?” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Marcus took a deep breath. It was four days after the fire, and he was sitting with some of the kids. Gathered in one of the smaller rooms in the firehouse, he was holding a makeshift counseling session to try to calm them down and allay their fears. 

He sat in the middle of the room with the kids gathered around him. Looking into the expectant faces of Kim, Danita, Jeffrey, Tomás, Angelo and Samuel was the hardest thing he had to do.

Marcus forced a smile. “No, Danita. Look everyone, Miss JoJo is going to be fine. She was very lucky, but she’s going to be just fine.”

Tomás raised his hand. “So what’s going to happen with the Center?”

Marcus shook his head. The Center had been completely damaged beyond repair. Not only had the explosion torn out the building’s foundation, the fire had ravaged most of the first floor. In short, the Center had been ruined.

“Well,” he sighed, gathering as much positivity, as he could muster, “it’s going to take a lot, but I think we’ll be back soon. In the meantime, we’re going to meet here a few days a week, and as soon as Ms. Lea finds us another building, we’ll be meeting there.”

“So, the building’s gone? Just like that?” Jeffrey frowned.

Marcus took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m sorry, kids. I’m so very sorry that all this happened during Christmas.”

Then a tiny female voice piped up. “But what about our Benefit? For New Year’s Eve?” Kim asked.

Marcus froze. He’d just been released from the hospital the day before, so he hadn’t heard any change from when Nina cancelled on Christmas Eve. “I’m sorry, Kim, but the Benefit will probably be cancelled too. We were going to have it in the Center, but the Center’s not available anymore.” He didn’t have the heart to tell them that Nina cancelled.

Samuel shook his head. “But what about that lady. Miss Nina? She said she’d do it. She can help.”

Marcus hesitated. “Well, Samuel, I don’t think Miss Nina can help us.”

“Why not?” Angelo asked. “We went over there and everything. Cleaned her whole house and everything! She’s got to help us!”

“Well, kids,” Marcus began, “see, it’s like this. Miss Nina just can’t —”

Just then an intercom went off in the firehouse.  “All personnel report to the conference room,” a loud voice boomed. “All personnel report to the conference room for a short meeting.”

“Ok, guys. Just wait here. I’ll be right back,” Marcus said as he got up and went to the door. “Now don’t y’all move. I’ll be right back.”

After he left, Angelo hopped up and went to the door and looked out. Then he closed the door and locked it. “Ok, y’all. He’s gone. Now what are we going to do?”

“We’ve got to get the Center open and keep it open. So we have to have the Benefit,” Kim said.

“But how?” Samuel asked. “Marcus just said it’s cancelled, right?”

Jeffrey stood up, stretching to his full six-feet-three-inches in height. “Ok. Tomás and I are the oldest. So we’ll decide what happens!”

Kim and Danita shook their head. “Nuh uh. We want to decide too.”

“Yeah,” Samuel and Angelo piped in.

Jeffrey looked at Tomas. “Alright, fine,” Jeffrey conceded. “What do you all think we should do?”

Everyone was silent for a moment as they looked around at each other. The small room they were gathered in suddenly seemed even smaller as their problems grew.

“I got it!” Angelo exclaimed. 

Kim looked over at him. “What?”

“We need to go see Miss Nina!”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Great idea, Dummy! How are we going to get there? We don’t have a car!”

Angelo pointed to Jeffrey. “Well…Jeffrey has his driver’s license.”

“Well, it’s only a learner’s permit,” Jeffrey said sheepishly.

Angelo shrugged. “That’s still a license.”

“Well, fine. But we’ll still need a car, stupid!” Kim said.

“We’ll just take the Center’s van!” Angelo said, getting angry at Kim’s reluctance.

“Are you crazy?” Danita said. “Mr. Steve keeps that van. And he keeps the keys. So how are you going to get it?”

Tomás looked at Jeffrey. “Don’t worry,” Tomás grinned. “We don’t need keys to drive that van. So just leave it to me!”

“Don’t get us in trouble,” Danita warned. “I’m not getting in trouble ‘cause of y’all knuckleheads!”

Tomás just waved her off. “Look, everyone. Let’s just go over to the Center now. I pass by there on my way to and from work and I’ve seen the van parked there every day. I guess Mr. Steve is working on getting the Center reopened. So, we’ll all just go there now, get the van and go see Miss Nina. Ok?”

The kids nodded.

“Ok then,” Tomás said defiantly. “Let’s go!”

~~~

At that very moment, Nina sat in her bedroom with Denver, finalizing their plans for the Benefit. The twosome had been on their phones working their entertainment industry contacts hard that afternoon, as they had for the past three days. 

With Nina’s name and status, they had secured a new location, gotten some of Nina’s celebrity friends to appear, set up a ton of radio and TV advertisements, arranged some publicity interviews and even secured some generous donations. After a quick call to Lea to announce their successes, their work was done for the evening.

“Ok, that’s about it,” Denver said, yawning. “We’ve got the new venue, the crew, the food, the celebs, the donations and the publicity. Good work, Nina. I’m impressed.”

Nina looked up, stars in her eyes. “Good. I think Joelle’s going to really like what we’ve accomplished.”

Denver took a good look at Nina, then she smiled. “You’re smitten, aren’t you?” Denver asked.

“No, of course not,” Nina sputtered. “It’s just that the kids are in need. We can’t disappoint the kids, can we?”

Denver grinned. “Fine. Fake it if you want to,” she joked. Then she stretched and stood up. “Well, I have to hand it to you. I never thought I’d see the day when the great Nina Lawson agrees to not only help a gay and lesbian teen center, but agrees to be the show’s headliner!”

Nina froze. “Excuse me? What kind of center?”

Denver frowned. “Gay and lesbian.” Her mouth dropped open. “You didn’t know that Images was a LGBT Teen Community Center?”

Nina’s voice turned ice cold. “No, I had no idea. Joelle never mentioned it.”

Denver was incredulous. “You mean, you’ve never seen any of their press? They’re the only teen LGBT center in the region! They do tons of good work. I even send them a donation every quarter.”

“Well, I’m just not up on…gay things like you are.”

“Well, anyway, it doesn’t matter. We’ve already got all of the plans set.” 

Nina huffed. “It most certainly does matter, because I’m not doing it!”

Denver’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Cancel everything!” Nina said, folding her arms in defiance.

Denver shook her head. “You can’t be serious!”

“I’m not going to be associated with anything…gay! What would my fans think!”

“Nina, where have you been? Over half of your fan base is gay!”

“Yeah, they are. But I’m not. So cancel it.” Nina reached in her purse and pulled out her checkbook. “Maybe we can send them a small donation or something. But as for appearing on stage? In front of all those people?   At a gay event? For a gay center?” She shook her head. “Nope. Not doing it.”

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Denver exploded. “Why are you so homophobic? Especially considering!”

Nina’s eyes narrowed. “Considering what?”

Denver threw up her hands. “Considering that you’re a great big dyke, that’s what! You’ve liked girls ever since I met you. Hell, you were even looking me up and down the first time we met!”

“Well, I never!”

“...And you never will, with that fucking attitude,” Denver spat. She grabbed her handbag. “You’re a piece of work, Nina Lawson. I hope you’re happy with yourself. Ruining a bunch of kids’ lives. I hope you’re really proud of yourself this time!”

Denver stormed out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door.

“Good riddance!” Nina shouted. “And for the record, I’m not gay!”

~~~

“Welcome home, Joelle!”

Joelle, now on crutches, carefully made her way into her living room. Diedre brought in her small bag of clothes, along with larger bags filled with her gifts.

“Why don’t you head on into the bedroom and get into bed,” Tina said. “We’ll put away all of your gifts. Then we’ll help you get settled in and get you something to eat.”

Joelle just nodded, the throbbing pain in her ribs still catching her off-guard. As it turned out, none of her ribs were broken, but she was still sore from all that had happened.

Tina and Diedre watched Joelle hobble into her room.

As soon as Joelle was out of earshot, Diedre turned to Tina. “Have you heard from Lea?” Diedre whispered.

“Not since the last time you asked me,” Tina whispered back. “She said she’d call us as soon as something happened. She said she’d keep calling to see if the Benefit could go on. And she was still working on getting an alternate location for the kids to meet.”

They looked at each other, helpless. Then Tina put on a big, fake smile and headed for Joelle’s room. “Ok, Joelle. Let’s get you unpacked and into bed!”

~~~

Nina lay in bed, still fuming from Denver’s words. “How dare she call me…gay! I ought to fire her!” She tossed and turned underneath the sheets, thinking of various ways to pay Denver back for her insolence.

Just then, she heard the intercom go off. A smile crept across Nina’s face. “Ha! I knew she’d be back!”

Nina got out of bed, wincing at the pain still coming from her ankle, and carefully walked to the intercom at her bedroom door. “Yes?”

A young voice answered. “Hi. We’re here to see Miss Nina.”

Nina frowned. “Who is this?”

Pause. “It’s Jeffrey.”

“Jeffrey who?”

The young man cleared his throat. “It’s Jeffrey from Images Community Center. We came to see you.”

A smaller, male voice piped up. “We cleaned your house, remember?”

“Go away,” Nina said into the intercom.

“No!”

Nina was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“No! We’re not leaving until we see you!”

Nina grit her teeth. “If you kids don’t leave, I’m calling the police!”

A girl’s voice came over the intercom. “Then we’ll just tell them how nasty your house looked before we cleaned it!”

Nina’s mouth dropped open. Then she smiled. “A smart aleck girl. Just like me. Well, come on in.”

After she buzzed them in, she grabbed her cane and limped down the stairs and to the front door. When she opened it, she saw six young people standing outside her door. They all were frowning, and the girls even had their hands on their hips.

“Miss Nina,” Kim said. “We need to see you.”

Nina looked at the motley crew for several long moments. Then she grinned. “Fine. Come on upstairs.”

~~~

“What in the hell are we going to do?”

That afternoon, Steve stood in the vestibule of the Center, with a clipboard in his hand. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to even be inside yet, evidenced by the yellow police tape across the front door that he ducked under, but he wanted to inventory as much damage as he could for their insurance company.   He found that he couldn’t go too far into the building, because of the floor that had caved in, but he did his best to account for everything that had been damaged.

For the past hour, he had done his best to record the damage. However, his eyes kept watering at the charred remains of his beloved Center. Black soot covered everything in sight, and large puddles of water from the fire hoses had collected on the floor. He took the clipboard and slowly continued to detail all of the damage he saw.

As he stood inside, Marcus pulled up to the empty curb in the fire department’s SUV. As he got out, his eyes immediately became misty at the remains of the Center. He looked around and saw no other cars, no other signs of life in front of his precious Center. Then he saw Steve in the front window and decided to go in. He walked up to the front door, carefully ducked underneath the tape and went inside.

“Hey Steve. You know you’re not supposed to be in here, right?” Marcus said gently. “It’s really not safe. I mean with the floor and everything.” 

Steve turned, but not before wiping a few tears from his eyes. “Hey Marcus. Just trying to identify all of the damage for the insurance company, that’s all. I’ll be leaving soon,” he said as he sadly went back to writing on his clipboard.

Marcus nodded. “I see.” Then he paused. “By the way? Have you seen the kids?”

Steve stopped writing in mid-sentence. “What do you mean, ‘have I seen the kids?’”

“I had them with me at the firehouse earlier. I wanted them to stay for dinner, you know, to eat with the other firemen. But they all bolted off after our counseling session. I suspect that they’re all together, so I thought they came over here. Especially since the firehouse is just right up the street.”

“Which kids?”

Marcus counted off on his fingers. “Angelo, Samuel, Kim, Danita, Jeffrey and Tomás.”

Steve smiled. “Ahhh. The Usual Suspects.   Nope, haven’t seen them. Sorry.”

“Damn. It’s just that I had to give them bad news about the Center and I worry that they’re upset, you know?”

“Well, you want to go look for them?” Steve asked, tucking his clipboard underneath his arm.

Marcus threw up his hands. “Hell, I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for them. They could be anywhere.”

“Well, can’t it just wait until tomorrow, then?” Steve asked, wanting to get back to his work.

Marcus shrugged. “I’m not sure. See, I was talking to them earlier and I kind of half-assed them on what was really going on.”

Steve tilted his head. “Half-assed?”

“Well, I told them that Joelle was just fine, when she's kinda not. And I kinda told them that the Center was completely gone. And I sorta told them that the Benefit had been cancelled. But I hadn’t really told them the whole truth. And I didn’t mention at all that it was Nina who cancelled.” 

Marcus stroked his chin. “But after thinking about it, I realized that these kids have to know the truth. The entire truth. ‘Cause if they can handle being gay, they can handle this bad news. Plus, if they hear it from someone else, the media, even, I think their feelings will be hurt that we didn’t tell them the whole truth ourselves.”

Steve nodded. “Fine. We can use the Center’s van to go look for them,” he said as he pulled the car keys from his pocket. 

“The Center’s van?” Marcus asked. “The van’s not outside.” 

Steve’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean, the van’s not outside? I parked it out there when I drove up.”

Marcus shrugged. “Well, it’s not there now. When I pulled up, the curb was empty. There weren’t any other cars out there.”

“Oh shit!” Steve shouted.

Suddenly, he bolted outside, only to see the empty spot at the curb. Then he pulled his signature dark blue handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat that began to bead on his forehead. “Oh, what the fuck!”

Marcus followed him outside. They both looked at the empty spot, both deep in thought. 

“What the fuck!” Steve shouted again. “Somebody tried to steal the damn van!”

“Umm…tried?” Marcus pointed to the empty space. “Looks like they succeeded.”

“No, I was prepared for this,” Steve said, trying to calm down. “We’ll get the van back.”

“Really?”

Steve’s face relaxed. “Yeah, thanks to that GPS I had put on last year.” 

“GPS? Really?”

“Yeah, I was concerned about gay bashings and hate crimes and all that. So Lea and I not only got a security system for the Center, we also got a GPS tracking for the van.”

They both looked at the empty space again. Then Marcus snapped his fingers.

“Now wait,” Marcus said. “Okay. We know that the kids are gone, right?”

“Right.”

“And the van is gone, right?”

Steve was getting impatient. “Right.”

Marcus waved his hands. “Umm…Steve. All the kids are gone...”

Realization suddenly dawned on Steve’s face. “You don’t think –”

Marcus shrugged. “With this crew? Anything’s possible.”

Steve pulled out his cell phone as he headed for Marcus’ SUV. “You drive, while I call the office for the security company!”

~~~

Nina lay on her bed, staring at the faces of the six teens. She was quite shocked at the pain on their faces. Her heart nearly broke at their downcast expressions.

“So tell me why you want to save the Center?” she asked quietly. “You came all the way over here to talk to me. So tell me what’s going on.”

At first, no one spoke. “Come on,” Nina said. “It’s ok. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Finally, Angelo spoke. “The Center is my life,” he said. “You don’t know what it means to me.”

“What does it mean to you?” Nina asked.

Angelo’s lip began to quiver. Then the boy started to cry. “My mom hates me! She hates the way I am!”

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” Nina said, but not believing it because of her own issues with her mother.

“Yes she does! She calls me names! Bad names! Especially when she gets drunk!” he cried.

“Me too,” Kim whispered. “My mom calls me a worthless dyke.”

Tomás nodded. “The Center is the only place where we can be ourselves. We don’t have to hide.”

“And we don’t have to be ashamed of who we are. That’s what Ms. JoJo always tells us,” Danita said.

Nina frowned. “Ms. JoJo?”

“Miss Joelle,” Danita answered.

Nina nodded. Then she sighed as she leaned back onto her pillow. “It’s that important to you, huh?”

“Yes,” Angelo said, sniffling. 

“When I was your age, I felt…out of place. Like no one could understand where I was coming from. Now, meeting you kids, I can finally see how much we all need to belong. How much we all need someone to accept us exactly for who we are.”

Nina sat up. “Let me let you in on a little secret.” She pointed to her ankle, which was still bandaged up. “You see this? I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago. Wanna know how?”

The kids nodded.

“Well,” Nina began, “I was here in the house. All by myself. See, I don’t have any friends like you all. I’ve been pretty mean to people, so a lot of people just don’t like being around me.”

She took a deep breath. “So, I was here in the house, and I got really upset. I just started crying for no reason. And I decided that I’d had enough. I decided that I didn’t want to live anymore.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “So I got in my car, and drove up into the Hollywood Hills. And I started to drive fast. And faster. And even faster. And I saw this tree at the end of the road, just before the curve. And…I just closed my eyes and drove straight for the tree.” Nina put her head down and began to sob quietly.

Angelo looked around at the other kids. “What do you mean?” he asked. “What does she mean?”

Jeffrey put his arm around Angelo’s shoulder. “She’s saying that she…she…she tried to hurt herself. Like, on purpose.” He looked at Nina. “Right?”

Nina nodded. “Right. But later on, I woke up, and I was in the hospital. And you know what?”

“What?” Kim asked.

“No one was there for me. I woke up in that hospital all alone.” Nina fought back the tears. “So, I look at you all, and you are so lucky that you have each other. You are so lucky that you’ll never have to be alone again.”

“But we don’t have the Center, anymore,” Tomás said.

“Well, you’ll always have each other,” Nina said. “No matter where you are.”

Then Danita spoke up. “But what about the kids who haven’t been to our Center yet? Where will they go? What friends will they be able to make without our Center?”

Nina fell silent.

“So you have to help us save the Center!” Samuel cried. “You just have to!”

~~~

Marcus pulled up to the rusted wrought-iron gates of Nina Lawson’s mansion. “Well, this is the place, I guess,” he said, as he parked near the intercom. “This is the correct address, right?”

Steve looked at the piece of paper gripped tightly in his hand. “Yeah, according to the information we got from the operator over at the security company.” He looked at the gate again. “But where in the hell are we?”

“I have no idea,” Marcus said as he unbuckled his seat belt. “But we can easily find out.”

They got out of the car, went to the gate, and tried to peer inside, trying to look past the thick vines wrapped around the bars. 

“Look!” Marcus pointed to the house.

Steve parted the vines, looked through the bars and saw the kids gathered on Nina’s porch. He saw Nina hugging each of them, and rubbing their hair. Despite seeing the affectionate scene, Steve’s temperature suddenly soared.

“Angelo!” Steve roared. “Kim, Danita, Tomás, Jeffrey and Samuel!”

The kids froze, terrified expressions on their faces. They couldn’t even look in Steve’s direction.

Nina looked toward the gate. “Who’s there?” she called out.

“I’m Steve from Images Community Center and those are my kids! Let me in!”

At Steve’s booming voice, Nina quickly hobbled inside and hit the buzzer for the front gate.

When it opened, Steve didn’t even get in the car to drive up the driveway. He just stormed up to the front door, with Marcus closely in tow.

When he got to the porch, he pointed to the kids. “You kids go get in Marcus’ car!” Steve shouted. “Now!”

As the kids ran down the driveway to the SUV, Steve went over to the van, which was parked just near Nina’s front door. He peered inside. “Don’t see any damage, thank goodness,” he said. 

Marcus tried to smooth things over to help ease Steve’s temper. “Ma’am, I don’t know what to say, except I’m sorry.”

Nina held her hand up. “You don’t have to say anything. I completely understand.” She looked at the kids as they piled into Marcus’ SUV. “You have some very mature young adults there.”

Steve balled his fists. “Not tonight. All I have tonight is a bunch of thieves!”

Nina was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

Steve’s anger was getting the best of him. “They weren’t supposed to take that van! None of them even have their driver’s license!” He paced back and forth. “We never taught them this at the Center! We taught them to be responsible! Not to pull something like this!”

Nina reached out and took Steve’s hand. She stroked it gently. “First, have the kids come back inside,” she said calmly. “Then I’ll tell you who I am and why they were here.”

~~~

“Where are we going?” Joelle asked as she sat in front of her vanity.

It was New Year’s Eve and Joelle was at home in her bedroom. Tina and Diedre were there, searching through Joelle’s closet for a nice outfit she could wear.

“Like we said before, it’s New Year’s Eve, and you’re going out,” Diedre said, pulling clothes out of the closet. The ones she liked she showed to Tina for her approval. Those they didn’t like, she just tossed on the bed next to Joelle.

“I don’t feel like going out,” Joelle pouted. “I feel like staying in.”

“Well, you’re not staying in,” Tina smiled as she pulled out a royal blue sequined minidress. “This is a bit too much,” she muttered as she neatly folded it up and put it on the table next to her.

“I just got out of the hospital and I’m tired.”

“Correction,” Diedre said. “You got out of the hospital three days ago. And you’ve been lying in bed ever since.” She pulled out a deep purple full-length gown and showed it to Tina. Tina looked at it for a moment, then shook her head. Diedre shrugged, and tossed the dress onto the bed.

“Well, I’m tired,” Joelle said, folding her arms.

“Maybe,” Tina said. “But you’re really depressed about the Center and you’re also depressed about Cori.”

Joelle closed her eyes at the sound of her ex-girlfriend’s name. “Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to tell you, Diedre. You really didn’t have to cuss her out in the hospital like that.”

“Hmph,” Diedre said. “If you ask me, she deserved much worse.”

“Anyway, this isn’t about any of that,” Tina said as she continued rifling through Joelle’s closet. Finally, she pulled out a cute, ivory-colored sparkly top and a short black miniskirt. She pulled Joelle to her feet and held the clothes up against her body. “Yes, this will do,” Tina said. 

She handed the outfit to Diedre. “Press this, please. The iron’s on the top shelf of the closet.”

Diedre frowned. “You press it. I don’t iron.”

Tina glared at Diedre until Diedre held up her hands. 

“Ok, ok,” Diedre said, grabbing the iron from the top of Joelle’s closet. “You win, damn!”

Tina relaxed, then she turned back to Joelle. “Like I said JoJo. This isn’t about anything but you getting over your depression.”

Joelle sighed as she got back in bed and pulled the covers over her body. “Yeah, I guess I have been sad lately.” Then she paused. “Speaking of the Center, why hasn’t anyone called me?”

Tina exchanged a glance with Diedre, then she looked back at Joelle. “What ever do you mean?” Tina asked innocently.

“I’ve called Lea, Steve, and even Marcus. They talk to me for a hot second, then they claim they have to go. And none of them have called me back. Not a one.”

“Well, you know they’re trying to get the Center back up and running,” Tina said.  “Maybe they’re just really busy?”

“To busy to talk to their Assistant Director?”

Tina patted her hand. “Honey, you’re recuperating. So you need your rest. You can’t be thinking about work right now.”

“But the kids,” Joelle continued. Then her mouth dropped open. “We still have to get the mortgage payment tonight! Oh my God! What are we going to do?” She pulled back the covers and jumped out of bed. “Yeah, I do have to get dressed. We have to get down to the Center!”

Diedre shook her head. “No one’s there, Joelle. That place was condemned!”

“Condemned?” Joelle froze in place as tears began to form in her eyes. “I know you told me it had been damaged, but condemned?” Her shoulders slumped, and she began to cry.

Tina pulled Joelle into a warm embrace. “There, there,” Tina said, gently stroking Joelle’s back. “Everything will be alright. I promise.”

“Yeah, Joelle. Just trust us,” Diedre winked as she set up the ironing board. “I promise you: Tonight will be the best night of your life.”

~~~

An hour later, Diedre’s Honda Accord pulled into the parking lot of the famed Hollywood Bowl. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl was a legendary, outdoor musical performance ampitheatre.

“What in the hell are we doing here?” Joelle asked as Diedre pulled right up to the valet station. A tall, slim male valet attendant whisked them out of the car and they headed into the gate.

Joelle, still on crutches, hobbled next to Tina and Dierdre.  They kept walking in silence until they reached the front row of the arena. 

Joelle was surprised to see that the place was packed and a full band was onstage, tuning their instruments. “Why are we here?” she asked again. “Is this some kind of New Year’s Eve party? I told you that I’m not ready to be around a whole bunch of people!”

“Shhh,” Diedre said.

Tina smiled. “Joelle? Just you wait.”

In no time, the lights came on, the band began to play and a familiar sight walked onstage.

Joelle gasped as she watched the caramel-colored woman approach the microphone. “Wait. That’s…that’s…”

The smiling woman, walking gingerly with a diamond-studded cane, and wincing slightly in pain, began to speak to the audience.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Nina Lawson and I welcome you to the Images Community Center’s First Annual Charity Benefit!”

The crowd went wild. Joelle looked around at the thousands of patrons and donors crowded into the ampitheatre. She appreciated that the night was warm and everyone was excited.

Nina held up her hands. “As I said, this is the first annual Images Community Center Charity Benefit. We have an amazing line-up planned for you tonight. But first I have an announcement.”

She took a step back. She closed her eyes and nervously rubbed her hands on her glittery, jade-colored evening gown. Then she stepped back to the microphone. “Everyone. I’m gay.”

Joelle gasped.

The entire audience gasped.

Then one person began to clap. Then another. And another. Soon the entire building erupted in applause.

Tears welled up in Nina’s eyes. “I never thought that I would ever say that, let alone in public. But it feels so good to be honest with yourself, doesn’t it?”

Joelle’s mouth hung open. “What in the hell?”

“Just wait,” Diedre said. “There’s more.”

“Anyway, before we begin the show,” Nina continued, “I have a few announcements. First, where are Lea Maxwell and Joelle Steele?”

Lea, dressed in a stunning white sequined dress, proudly strode from backstage right up to the microphone.

Joelle looked at Diedre, astonished. “Am I supposed to go up there?”

Tina pulled her to her feet. “Yes! Now let's go!”

Joelle, still maneuvering the crutches, carefully made her way to the stairs, then onto the stage next to Lea.

Nina pointed to Lea. “Ladies and Gentlemen? Here is the Director of the Images Community Center, Lea Maxwell!”

The crowd cheered. Lea stepped forward, took a quick bow, then stepped back.

Nina then winked at Joelle. “And here is the Assistant Director, Joelle Steele! And she’s already back with us from her accident just days ago!”

Everyone gave Joelle a standing ovation. Joelle’s eyes teared up as she stepped forward and took a modest bow.

“Now, ladies, I have a special gift for you.” Nina motioned backstage. A minute later, a young man and woman, dressed to the nines, came out on stage with a huge, cardboard check.

“Ladies, on behalf of me, and all of my celebrity friends, I’d like to present a check to you both for…Fifteen million dollars!”

The crowd erupted into cheers as Joelle almost passed out.

Nina held up her hands. “And that’s not all. Tonight’s take at the door? Over seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars!”

Everyone went wild.

“Now ladies, why don’t you both take your seats, and enjoy the rest of the show!”

Joelle nearly floated back to her seat in the front row. She turned to Diedre. “You all knew about this?”

“Yep,” Diedre said.

Tina nudged Joelle. “Aren’t you glad you came out tonight?”

Nina pulled the microphone out of the stand. “Now, let’s start the show!”

She gripped the microphone. “Introducing first, a woman that’s near and dear to my heart! Someone whose heart is as big as her beautiful voice. Now, when she found out about the Center, she immediately asked what can she do to help. And in addition to making a generous donation, she traveled all the way out here just to perform for us. Ladies and Gentlemen…Miss Patti LaBelle!”

The crowd went wild.

Miss Patti grabbed the microphone and tore the entire stage up. She performed for twenty minutes straight. The crowd was ecstatic. However, Patti LaBelle’s performance was the first of a night full of scalding-hot performances. 

Next up, came an amazing set by Earth Wind and Fire. The band sounded as great as ever, and the crowd was nearly delirious with its applause.

Then the rap artist Ludacris hit the stage for a hot performance of his greatest hits. But before he left the stage, he was joined by the famed rap artist Common and the hip-hop group The Roots. They immediately launched into a set of some legendary hip-hop anthems. 

Next came a video message from Beyonce, who couldn't attend as she was in England performing. However, at the end of her two-minute video message of hope and inspiration for the kids, she proudly showed off a two million dollar check from her and Jay-Z.

For the finale, Nina had arranged a performance by none other than the legendary Tina Turner. Tina performed all of her hits, singing and dancing for almost forty minutes. 

Finally, for Tina’s last song, Nina joined her on stage. Together they sang a rousing rendition of Nina’s greatest hit, and Joelle’s favorite song, A Love of My Own.

It wasn’t lost on Joelle that Nina sang the song directly to her.

Toward the end of Nina’s set, Joelle took both of her friends by the hand. “Oh my God, thank you,” Joelle said as she squeezed hard. “Thank you both so much!”

Diedre smiled. “Thank Nina! She set this all up.”

Joelle looked up into the sky, filled with diamond-like stars, and sent a silent thanks to the Universe for saving the Images LGBT Teen Community Center.

Epilogue

~~~

Eleven months later.

~~~

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for coming.”

Lea Maxwell stood at an elaborate podium in front of a large mound of dirt. They were across the street from the original Community Center, but on a plot of land that was much larger, almost taking up the entire block.

“It’s our great honor to welcome you to the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new and improved Images Community Center!”

The crowd applauded wildly. The audience was filled with politicians, musicians, actors, actresses and community activists. Plus, all of the kids from the Center were gathered up front.

“Today,” Lea began, “marks the beginning of a new chapter for Images. Thanks to our New Year’s Eve Benefit, we’ve raised enough to build a brand-new Center to replace the one we lost. And we thank you, each and every one of you, for your support.” 

Lea continued. “Our new center will be three times as large, and will feature the same recreation rooms, kitchen and dining areas, classrooms and game rooms as our old Center. However, in addition, this new center will feature, for the first time in Los Angeles, a residential living facility especially for gay and lesbian teens!”

The crowd cheered.

“That’s right, we will now have beds available for homeless and displaced LGBT teens who need a place to stay! Isn’t that wonderful?” Lea beamed.

As Lea continued her speech, Joelle stood off near the side of the crowd. She smiled to herself as she reflected on the past year. She, Lea, Steve, Marcus and other community leaders had been consumed with their new duties. 

Between all of them, they were responsible for purchasing the plot of land, formulating the business plans, designing the new Center and the new residential living quarters, keeping track of the donations and, of course, mentoring the kids.

Then Joelle heard a soft voice behind her, whispering in her ear.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Joelle turned around. “Hey stranger!”

Nina stood behind her, crutches-free, with a bright smile on her caramel-colored face. Her jade-green eyes sparkled. “It’s nice to see you again, Joelle.”

“Likewise,” Joelle said. “And thanks for the generous donations. They come every month, just like clockwork.”

“Well, it’s the least I could do.” Nina paused awkwardly, then she cleared her throat. “Have you gotten the other donations? The ones from my friends?”

Joelle nodded. Then she watched an embarrassed red flush creep up Nina’s neck.

Nina cleared her throat again. “Good. Great.”

Nina looked at her hands. Then she looked at Joelle. “Well, I was wondering,” Nina said. “Maybe…maybe we could go out sometime?” Then she held up her hands. “To talk about the Center, of course.”

Joelle grinned. “Like on a date?”

“Well, if you want it to be a date?” Then Nina stopped talking and waited expectantly.

Joelle frowned. “Well, there’s only one problem.”

Nina looked hurt. “What’s that?”

“I only date gay girls.”

Nina grinned. “Well, I’m in luck. See, I just happen to be a gay girl.”

“Oh really,” Joelle smiled as she slid her arm in Nina’s. “Do tell.”

“Yeah,” Nina said. “See, almost a year ago, it seems as though this pretty, sexy, smart and compassionate woman really turned me out.”

Joelle laughed. “Oh really?”

“Really.” Nina leaned in and gently kissed Joelle on the cheek. 

Joelle blushed. “She must be some girl.”

Nina smiled. “She sure is.” Then she paused. “Joelle, I missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Joelle leaned her head on Nina’s shoulder.

Nina sighed. “I’ve missed you so much over the past months.” Then she smiled. “But I have seen all of the press about the new Center. So I decided to just leave you alone while you focused on your work.”

“I see.”  Then Joelle grinned. “But what about you, Miss platinum-selling recording artist? I got your new album, and it sounds great! You did an excellent job!”

Nina blushed. “Yeah. And the tour is selling well too. We start in late January and we’re going all over the world.”

“Good for you.” Joelle tilted her head. “So it feels good to be honest and truthful, huh? Especially with yourself.”

“Yeah. It does.” Then Nina reached out and stroked Joelle’s curly, black hair. Nina sighed as she twirled her fingers in Joelle’s ringlets. “Merry Christmas, Joelle.”

Joelle beamed. “Merry Christmas, Nina. And Happy New Year.”

© 2008 Stephanie Rose Entertainment, LLC.  All rights reserved.

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