Joey's
Takes place before Bare Skin.
She left the stale coolness of the bowling alley for the warm dampness of the spring evening. The scent of the year’s first blooms hung heavy in the air as she started her trekk to the bus stop, her shoulders hunched. The light wind whispered past her. And then it did so again.
And then it sighed.
She whipped around to see a brightly suited figure standing at the edge of the alley across the street. It was him; for real this time. She’d mistaken others for him several times in the year since they’d last met, only to be disappointed when they turned around and weren't a grown man in clown makeup.
"About time you heard me," he said as she slipped into the alley and crossed her arms before squaring up to face him.
"Sorry. Do I know you?"
The Joker chuckled, "Come on. Don't be mad, doll. I've had to lay low for awhile, especially since my last run-in with Gotham's finest flying rodent -"
"It's been a whole year!" she protested.
Why was he arguing with this little brat? "I was flung in the air -"
"- and then Batman stopped the runaway bus using an empty tram car." She rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, I heard it all. Girls at school were losing their panties over it.”
He'd had his finger raised and mouth open, ready to remind her not to ever dare interrupt him while he was speaking. His mouth snapped shut in puzzlement.
"Teenage girls like the Batman?" he found himself asking aloud. Images of the Bat on the cover of Teen Beat entered his mind, and he almost laughed. Almost.
She shrugged, getting an inkling that this new information was grinding his gears. "Sure, I mean lots of girls think he's great. A bad boy type, ya know?"
An odd heat crept up the back of his neck at her words, although he was loathe to acknowledge it. "What do you think?" he asked.
She shrugged again. "I think...he has a real strong jaw. Hard to tell what he looks like. That's the whole point of a disguise right?" The girl lifted her eyes from the ground to look at him pointedly.
Unsure of what to say to that statement, he reached out and patted her on the back. "How about some pizza? My guy Joey's got a place around the corner."
She smiled shyly and nodded. So easy to please.
They left the alley and began the short walk toward the pizzeria.
"By the way, are you alright? Sounds like you got flung pretty far."
The Joker just sniffed in response, ignoring her question and trying not to think about his very-probably-broken toe.
Joey's was empty save for the two employees behind the counter, neither of which seemed alarmed or surprised by the appearance of one of the city's most wanted men. While the Joker looked at the slices on display, she leaned idly against the counter.
"I wouldn't lean against that," he advised, still inspecting the pizzas.
She pulled back and looked down to find an oily stain on her light blue dress. Right across her left boob. Panicked over not letting the stain set in, she grabbed some napkins and tried in vain to scrub away the grime. She glanced up to see Joker glance over at her. Turning crimson, she spun around so her back was to him as she continued to scrub. The Joker chuckled and shook his head as the young waitress came to the counter.
"Sorry for the wait. What can I get ya?"
"Just two slices," he said and slapped his palm on the counter as a way of finality.
She spun around, "Oh, I want a Coke, too!"
The Joker's eyebrows raised and he licked his lips and she knew she was in trouble. "Is that how we ask?"
"S-sorry Mr. J."
He could have pushed her buttons further and play the "can you or may you" game, but he decided against it. They seated themselves at one of the rickety booths, the furthest from the serving counter and sat in silence for a moment. He could tell she was practically bursting with questions, and watching her struggle with which to ask first was quite entertaining.
"Are you gonna let me come with you?" Of course she chose that to ask.
He dodged her question. "I'm sure there's things you wouldn't wanna miss out on, right?"
The slices arrived then and she blew on hers while she thought for a moment. "Well…I guess prom might be fun. I hope." Her eyes lit up then and she sat up, looking as if she'd just had the best idea ever.
"Mr. J, you should come with me to prom. Make a real splash!"
He laughed out loud and her face fell. She'd known it was a dumb idea, but a girl could dream, right?
"Sweetie," he reasoned with her, "I'm a wanted criminal. I can't go to prom with you." The idea made him feel slightly sick, to be honest. All those greasy teens rubbing against one another, falling over from spiked punch. No.
She huffed, conceding and picking at the cheese on her paper plate. "Fine. I'll probably just get stuck going with Darren."
The Joker ripped half of his pizza crust off like a wild dog. "Who's Darren?"
He barked like one too, she thought.
The Joker, of course, knew perfectly well who Darren was, because he'd had his men find out everything about the boy the first time the teen had walked her home from school.
Unsure of what to make of the Joker's reaction, she answered carefully, "He's just a friend."
"A…boy friend?" He raised one eyebrow at her.
"Eck, no!" She shook her head. "I'm just not into him like that."
The Joker placed his arms on the table, folded, and leaned forward a bit, his voice unusually quiet. "But he likes you?"
She didn't answer, not wanting to lie.
"Looks at you just a second too long?" he continued, and started looking her up and down as a hungry dog would a steak. "Like this?"
Her collarbone felt hot. Her neck and ears felt hot. She felt faint and it was everything she could do to not cover her face in her hands in order to escape the situation.
He chuckled again and leaned back, checking his watch. "It's late. Let's get you home before your mom starts asking questions."
"She's not my mom," she corrected as she scrambled out of the booth, eager for a change of topic.
"Fine, let's get you home before Francine starts asking questions.” He rolled his eyes, thinking of the easiest way to...monitor prom night.
Perhaps a visit to Darren might be in order.
