My Ginger Maniac

We Need To Talk

Weeks had passed by- months, even, until I even talked to or saw Jerome again.

Needless to say my dad had found out I went to visit Jerome- but only after the guard at Arkham called him to let him know.  What a snitch.

So, in his anger, he grounded me for two months.  Two months!!  And in that time all I could do was sit at home and listen about the interesting things going around in Gotham second hand.  Interesting, and also dangerous.  Not much had shocked me, since I always knew Gotham was a pretty dangerous city, but there were a few things here and there that did in fact shock me.  

First it was Barbara.  When Jim had Harvey over to talk about her case, and how she was sent to Arkham because she'd murdered her very own parents, my mind immediately began to swirl.  All of my life Barbara was so nice to me.. she was like my sister, and like my mother.  Besides lauren, she was my best friend.  And to hear she did something like that.. it was unimaginable.  That was the first tick in my mind.  Was everyone in Gotham going truly insane?

Then it was the breakout in Arkham.  When my dad told me Barbara and Jerome were of the few who were broken out, I couldn't get my mind off them.  Did that mean they were wandering somewhere around Gotham?  Was there a tiny chance I might get to see Jerome again?  Ever since I talked to him at Gotham, I knew there was something pulling me to him.  I couldn't hide my attraction to him any longer.  Well, not from myself, anyways.  No one else had to know about my crush on a psychopath who killed his own mother- Kaya didn't need any more dirt on me to taunt me for at school.  Although, what I continued to try to deny, was the fact that part of me knew my attraction to him was due to his insanity.  Anyways, back to the point- the breakout in Arkham was the second tick.

Then the mayor was taken.  I still wasn't allowed to leave the house most of the time, not really due to being grounded, but due to the fact that my father was afraid I'd go out in search for Jerome, and run off with him and become a new member of the new psycho group, 'The Maniax.'

Well.. he never exactly said that.. but I could tell that was what he was thinking.  And it was starting to piss me off.  Actually, it had been pissing me off ever he'd grounded me.  I'd obviously lost his trust, and he wouldn't ever leave me alone anymore.  Last week when I wanted to go into a cafe to grab a cup of coffee, he wouldn't even let me walk into the store alone!  He was treating me like I was six, and not eighteen.  And he's been so distant lately.. he hardly even tells me about his day anymore, or ask about mine.  He wouldn't even tell me when he got fired!! I heard about it from Lee!!  He'd always done it, really, but now it had just gotten worse.  It had gotten to the point where I couldn't take it anymore.

So, I started acting out, doing things to get my dad to notice me.  

No, I didn't go out and do anything like smoking, or drinking underage, or doing drugs- I was trying to get my dad to notice me, not destroy my body.  The only thing I'd done that could've been even remotely harmful to myself was dying my hair, and that turned out fine.  I'd dyed it a jet black color, but kept some blood red highlights in it.  I changed my entire wardrobe, wearing all dark colors, usually black ripped jeans with some sort of band t-shirt or a dark colored, long sleeved mesh shirt.  My black winged eyeliner had gotten thicker and somehow darker, and my bright red lipstick had changed to dark purple lipstick.  Needless to say, I looked emo.  

Yet, my dad didn't say a word about it.  Not one.  He probably didn't even notice.  

One day, the day of this charity event that event Lee and Jim had been talking about nonstop for multiple reasons, I was sitting at home, watching the news, when that ignorant pig, Theo Galavan appeared on the screen.  I rolled my eyes at the screen and then proceeded to search for the remote to change the channel.

I never trusted that guy Galavan, never believed his stupid act for a second.  There was something about him, something just not right, and I could feel it.  As I was searching for the remote, my dad walked in.

"Reyna, I have to go out.  I'm working on a case at the station.  Are you gonna be okay here alone?"  His eyes looked worried and tired, and I nodded, sitting back on the couch with the remote in my hand, taking a big bite out of my sandwich.

"Of course, dad.  I'll be fine.  I'm not six anymore."  He sighed, and packed up his stuff, before walking over to me.  

"Yes, so you keep reminding me."  He said, ruffling my hair, which hurt a bit considering it was in a ponytail.  I cringed and immediately tried to fix it, grimacing.  He kissed my forehead and said, "Be good, kiddo.  Don't have a party while I'm gone."  I sighed and kept staring at the TV.

"A party? Me?  You don't need to worry about a person who has no friends having a party, dad."  I looked up at him and he smiled softly.

"You have friends.  What about Lauren?"  I smiled back and laughed. 

"FriendS is plural, dad.  Even though Lauren's personality is about equivalent to ten different people, legally she only counts as one."

He laughed too.  "Alright.  Just be safe."  He began to walk out, but before he got out the door he turned back to me.  "And.. Please, please, please, don't leave the house."  And with that, he walked out the door, locking and closing it behind him.  I sighed and just continued to watch TV, eating my Italian sub, until I heard the phone ring about fifteen minutes later.  Assuming it was my dad calling to check up on me already, I picked it up.

"What's up?"  I said into the phone, setting my sandwich down and picking up a glass of water.  

"Reyna, it's me," said a familiar voice on the phone.  I looked up and immediately dropped the glass cup, letting it fall to the ground, shattering everywhere. "It's Jerome.  We need to talk."  

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey guys!  So, once again, I'm sorry for not updating for a while.  Since Gotham has ended for the first half of the season, it's been hard for me to write.  Sorry about the delayed writing, but I hope you like it! I'll hopefully be updating soon, since I now know what I want to write about. :)  Thank you guys so much for getting this to 1,000 reads!! I love you all!! Keep it up, thank you so much, I love you!! :):):)