Museum Studies

Get mad, get even

And it's another win for the Big Apple Battle-axes! Scare Dinkum brings the thunder from Down under as usual, and nobody makes the opposition scream like Scream Latifah!"

The announcer skated off with a grin, the lights of the roller rink reflecting off his tall cap and Khnum shirt. The Battle-axes had just won against the Tribeca Terrors, and the atmosphere was electric.

"We did it!" Valerie cheered, pulling off her helmet. Her bubbe cheered from the bleachers, as did Wamuu, posing as Jorge again. He'd grown quite popular with the other skaters, and even Valerie's grandmother had remarked "oh, he's a nice boy!" Roberta sat down on the bleachers, and pulled off her skates with a satisfied sigh. She was sore and battered, bruises lying over her tattooed arms, and yet victory was sweet as a box of Jaffas.

"Congratulations, Roberta!" Wamuu said, walking down the seats to her. Roberta pulled her skates off, and hugged him with a grin.

"You're the best, Wamuu." She smiled, pulling off her helmet and knee pads. Wamuu passed over her gym bag, and she packed her gear away. Everyone had left by now, so it was just her and Wamuu in the gym.

"Roberta, Roberta!" A voice cried. She turned her head, and her blood ran cold.

It was him.

Mark stood in the doorway to the skating gym, holding a cheap bunch of flowers- a shrivelled bunch of carnations in cellophane, the white petals already turning brown and soggy.

"Mark!" Roberta gasped. He walked over to her, not being able to meet her eyes.

"Roberta, I'm... I'm sorry. I made a mistake because you upset me, I didn't mean to hit you. I just did something stupid, baby, but please forgive me! We can try again, we can have an... An open relationship!"

Mark kept going on and on, until he saw Wamuu sitting behind her. He took in the warrior's huge frame, his bronze skin, and his blonde locks.

"Who the hell is this?!" He demanded.

"I'm her friend. I'm Jorge, and I've just come over from... Guatemala." The pillar man replied. Mark stared at him, and his face soured.

"What the hell? You've got a new boyfriend? You never said you wanted to break up! You stupid, cheating bitch! And after all I did for you, I even got you flowers!"

Roberta flinched at these words, but then she stiffened. She stood up and glared Mark in the eyes, feeling her Stand rage beneath her skin.

"You leave me alone." She growled. Her stand aura began to activate itself, a ghostly green glow surrounding her- albeit one that was visible only to other stand users. Her hair waved in the power radiating from it, and Mark took a nervous step backwards.

"Baby, what are you..."

"Don't call me baby. I'm not a fucking child! And don't call me honey, or sweetie, or babe." Roberta glared, approaching Mark whilst gritting her teeth.

"But they're nice names! I called you those things because I love you!" Mark whimpered, like a bratty toddler being made to sit on the Naughty Step.

"Oh, what about the other names you call me? Like bitch, and slut, and whore? Loved ones don't call their special ones that. You are pathetic, Mark. You're nothing, and you'll never be anything."

Living Dead Girl burst free from Roberta, her bandages lifting scattered skates and pads into the air. Although Mark couldn't see her, he could see the items being lifted, and he took a nervous step back.

"What's happening?" He whined, backing against the wall.

"Leave me alone, Mark. We're through. You're nothing to me. Now either get out of town, or hand yourself over to the police for hurting me like that. And if you don't? I will get you."

Mark screamed, and ran away in terror. Roberta pulled her stand back, feeling about twenty feet tall as she did so. Wamuu was in absolute awe about how she'd faced her fears, and looked her abuser in the eye. To him, she was some kind of warrior queen, some kind of idol.

Why am I thinking so highly of a human? He asked himself.

Because only a fool wouldn't He then thought.

Roberta sat back down with a gasp, and Wamuu walked over to her. She was trembling, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Roberta, are you ok?" He gasped.

"I'm fine. When Mark showed up, I was absolutely terrified... But when he actually opened his mouth, I saw what a pathetic little man he was. It took guts, but I just said to him what I've been wanting to say for a while now. And god, it's... Cathartic."

That was true. Roberta hadn't felt so confident in years, and although she was still anxious and nervy, there was a seed of hope inside her. She could do it! She could stand up to Mark! Maybe she wasn't so pathetic after all?

"You were amazing." Wamuu replied, and Roberta went as pink as her hair.

"Awwww, don't, you're making me go all red. But do you really think so, Wham?"

She'd nicknamed him Wham a few weeks ago. In the past he would've reviled at a human giving him a pet name, but now it felt... Nice. It was comforting to be close enough to someone that they could give you a nickname.

"How could I not when..." The pillar man was promptly interrupted by a car horn.

"Roberta!" A voice called from the car. She looked over, to see Kakyoin and Jotaro in their hybrid, going home from date night at a fancy restaurant.

"The sumo's on tomorrow at 10pm, live from Japan. Why don't you come watch it, and we can invite Jorge around?" Kakyoin called.

"I would be honoured!" Wamuu replied, lifting his fists triumphantly. His rainbow jaguar print fuzzy jacket fell open as he did so, revealing his embarrassing shirt.

"It's a deal then, boss!" Roberta replied, waving the two goodbye as they drove off.

"The man in purple- he looks familiar. Like the man who sealed me in stone."

"Huh, does he..." Roberta replied, deciding that maybe saying she worked for the grandson of Joseph Joestar wouldn't get her into Wamuu's good books. So, as New York City headed deeper and deeper into the night, she led her ancient friend home to his case in the museum.

Meanwhile, a young man dumped a collection of bottles on the counter of an off-sale. Mark was shivering from Roberta's apparent psychic ability- the crazy bitch could make things levitate!- and was self-medicating with several bottles of Jack Daniels and Vodka, all brought via his parent's generous allowance. The cashier rang the bottles up, and Mark grumbled as he added a few flavoured vodkas to the mix.

"My crazy ex just screamed at me!" He whined.

"Hey man, get even." The cashier replied. As Mark took his bottles, stuffing them into a brown paper bag, a thought came to mind.

Get even. I'll get her back. What's dear to her?

He had to rack his brains for this, as Mark didn't care about Roberta enough to remember her favourite things. Then, it all came to him.

The Museum!