Damaged Love // A Joker Origin Story

Chapter 4

"So you laughed at him because someone called him a freak. Then he got mad and proceeded to call you a rich bitch?" Cass asks, looking over at me as I park and turn off my car in front of the elevated levels of Wayne Manor. I sigh, not in the mood to talk about the earlier altercation. I step out of the car and shut the door behind me. Walking up a set of concrete stairs to the tall, black door of the house, I hear my best friend not far behind. "Well?" She continues impatiently, walking through the front door after me.

"Yes, and I have no idea why he flipped out the way he did." I walked into the kitchen, setting my bag on the large wooden island countertop and heading straight to the refrigerator. Since my lunch period is at 10 o'clock in the morning, I'm usually starving by the time I get home. I grab some water out of the fridge and chips from the pantry before shifting my attention back to Cassandra. One of her thin eyebrows lifts up in a skeptical way, her arms crossed, and her right foot lightly taps against the newly polished floors. I've seen this look way too many times.

"Bailey Grace Wayne, you do not get to play that card on me," my best friend scolds. I wince at my middle name coming from her mouth. Bruce and Cassandra are the only ones to use my middle name, which is typically when I've done something wrong. I was told by my brother that my parents also used it, but there's no way I could remember that since I was so young at the time of their deaths. In fact, I don't really remember a whole lot about my parents. I only know of the stories Bruce has told me and have seen them in pictures around the manor. "You know exactly why Jack acted the way he did. Bailey, you can't just laugh at something that obviously had a personal effect on him. You need to realize that not everyone can come home to a mansion, millions of dollars, a bed, or food. Especially in this city," she finishes, walking up to the island counter. I lean against the light-colored counter, feeling worse than I had at school.

Silence fills the decent-sized kitchen as I process Cassandra's words. She's right. I didn't think about how he felt at all, but only about how I felt, and it had nothing to do with me in the first place. 'Wow, I can be so selfish sometimes', I think to myself. After a minute or two of sorting through my thoughts, I look up at Cass to see her give me a soft smile in return.

   "You're right... You both are. I need to think about other people's feelings before I say anything. I don't even know him." I sigh, trying to think rationally. "His life at home could be hell, and I wouldn't even know it. Oh god, Cass, I feel terrible!" I put my hand on my forehead, feeling guilty as ever.

"I'm glad I finally got that through your thick skull. After how many years of trying to explain that you need to share the spotlight?" She grins, earning a laugh from me. She can always make me laugh, no matter the circumstances. "How about we just drop this and you can try speaking to him tomorrow about it?" She suggests.

"Okay," I nod, grabbing my water and snack off the counter that I placed there earlier. I haul my bag up onto my arm and start towards the many flights of stairs leading to my room, with Cassandra in tow with me. After two hours of working on school work, snacking, and talking about whatever comes to mind, a knock sounds on the tall, white door of my bedroom. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion about who that could be other than Alfred. Usually he is cleaning and doesn't bother us unless he needs to or takes a break, which is normally not around this time of the day. "Come in!" I call out, not wanting to move, as there are papers scattered around my bed with minimal moving space. The door clicks open, and my brother comes into view with a small smile.

"Hey," Bruce greets us, leaning against the door frame. I notice his attire hasn't changed from this morning, assuming he spent all day at Wayne Enterprises.

"Did you just get home from work?" I question him, moving some papers out of the way to make room. I stretch both legs, hearing a satisfying popping noise from my stiff joints.

"Yeah, I was in the office for part of the day, and did you know that there is a floor made just for lounging? I took over the company three years ago, and I just discovered it today. Did you know about it?" He asks.
I've never seen him this interested in something to do with Wayne Enterprises before, and it's scaring me a little.

"No, I didn't know about this floor, since it is your company. Let me guess. You spent the rest of the day on this floor doing nothing and then decided to come home when you wanted to."I laugh at how irresponsible he is and wonder how he runs the company at all. He simply nods with a faint smile on his face. "Anyway, what did you need?" I try to get back on topic, glancing over at Cassandra to see her finishing up a paragraph of her essay.

"Have you gotten Rachel a birthday present yet?" Bruce looks down, pulling on a loose piece of thread attached to his white button-up shirt.

"Yes, I bought it a couple days ago. I'm not telling you what it is because you will go blabbing your mouth at her like  always."I state in mild frustration, thinking about all the different memories of Bruce spoiling her birthday presents from me just to get under my skin. Bruce chuckles at my words along with Cass, who quit writing to listen in on the conversation.

  "Okay fine. I still have to buy her a present before we go out to dinner with her this Saturday. I have no idea what to get her, but I'll think of something." He finishes, turning around as I nod my head to myself. The door softly closes, leaving a comfortable silence between Cassandra and me. We spend another hour completing homework and hanging out in my room before it gets late and Cass decides to head home for the night.

The next morning, I woke up and got ready for school as usual. While driving, I think about how I'm going to get Jack to listen to me. He definitely won't want to talk to me, let alone listen to the excuses I have conjured up. I arrive at the school, park my car, and head to my locker to switch out books for the first few classes.

I stand at my locker and attempt to peer around the crowd of students, trying to get a glimpse of Jack's blonde curls. After a minute of searching for him, I give up and walk to my first class. The school day carries on normally until I get to 7th period anatomy. I enter the frigid classroom as the late bell chimes throughout the aging building. The sound of a scratchy throat clearing makes me come to a stop.

"You are late to my class, Miss Wayne. Take a seat." Mrs. Miller states this in vexation. I continued walking towards my assigned lab table to realize every student was listening to the old woman's comment. I roll my eyes; I am already tired, and it has barely begun. My thoughts about this class are so chaotic that I don't notice the brown-eyed boy until I'm sitting in my chair. "Today you will be working on and finishing your projects to hand in tomorrow. I want complete silence from all of you; now get to work," she demands.

Seconds later, silence fills the room except for the scratching of pencils on paper. While taking my assignment out, I look to my right to see Jack staring off in space with a bored look on his face. There's no better time to say something to him than now. I hesitate, not knowing what to say first. Just go for it. What are you waiting on? I scolded myself.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, nudging his arm a little. He glances over at me but turns his attention back in front of him. I frown. Maybe he took it worse than I thought.
The last hour of school consists of silence and being ignored by Jack. I attempt to work on my project, but I can't concentrate when he sends small looks my way and acts like I'm not trying to talk to him. Eventually the dismissal bell rings, and everyone shuffles out of the small room. I'm not surprised when Jack is the first person to walk out of the classroom. I sigh, starting to get annoyed with how he is acting towards me. Quickly walking through the hall, I successfully catch up to the quiet, dirty blonde.

"Jack, wait, please," I desperately state, placing my hand on his clothed chest. I can see him visibly tense up when my hand touches him. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He's acting differently than usual, and I have a sneaky suspicion that it's not just because of our argument. His eyes shift to meet mine, then he focuses on my hand, which continues to rest upon his torso.

"Oh, sorry." I awkwardly moved my hand away from him. He exhales in frustration, and I take that as my cue to tell him how I feel. "Listen, about yesterday... I'm really sorry I acted the way I did. It was wrong of me to laugh at you, and I feel horrible about it. I know I can be selfish, but it's a work in progress. I also don't really know you at all, but I'd like to get to know you, if that's  okay."I apologize, looking up at him. The reaction that I get is not at all what I expected it to be. Jack has a small smile on his face.

"I accept your apology, and I'd like to get to know you too, Bailey," he grins.