Crazy Child

The Smell of Chlorine

They sat in silence together, their feet laying peacefully in the water. The water quietly lapped up against the side of the pool making soft noises in the otherwise quiet room. Connor had lead her from the hospital down a couple blocks to their school where he prompt broke in and lead her into the swimming pool. She stared deep into the water watching it move peacefully. She could hear the voice taping in the back of her consciousness. Ever since Batman found her she hadn't been completely able to block it out. It was calming to watch the liquid slosh gentle around, it was so docile and calming after her month... days, of torture. Jessie takes a breath then works up the courage to say, "I really like the flowers." She lets the words mull around in the air before continuing on. "It's nice to know someone was worried." She thinks back to the days before the incident, to how everything was. She is unsure if she would have ever thought someone would care that much. It was... comforting to know that people would look for her.

"I was freaking out when you didn't show up for dive practice for the third time. No one knew where you where." He played absentmindedly with the water, probably trying to play off the fact that.

"You watched me at dive practice?" She thought he was so consumed with his water polo practice. Not that she was watching him specifically or anything. She would have noticed him watching him because of other.. certain reasons.

"Only sometimes, I mean, not all the time. It's just when you dive you look so unearthly." Jessica made a face. "Not in a bad way. Like, you just always look like you know what you are doing and your face becomes this blank slate then PHFEWWWW" He makes his hand dive and twist in the air, landing in the water. "Sick dive." He pull his hand out and dried it on his pants. "You look elegant while doing it as well." He whispered the end but Jessie still heard him. The

"You thought I was elegant?" The voices in her head suddenly made a retreat from their persistent knocking, retreated into a corner of her mind.

"Yeah! Of course, I still do and..." He looked over to Jessie who was staring at him wide eyed. "And I am going to stop talking now." He put his hand over his mouth and leaned forward trying to contain his blush that was spreading up his neck and face. Jessie felt the shock of someone actually liking her wearing off. It was replaced with this squeezing feeling that welled up in her chest, almost like a light that had been turned off for too long. She saw her chance and she was going to take it. She took a deep breath and spoke her next words very slowly. She wanted to make sure she said exactly what she meant.

"Connor." Jessie began, "This is going to be so cliche but I had, still have, the biggest crush on you." He turned his head to Jessie no longer looking embarrassed but something akin to hope welled up in his eyes. "I want to be with you, in whatever since you interpret that word but," She looked up at him and met his eyes. His wonderful green eyes that shined like stars. She also saw his smile and felt his hand grab hers. "I would love to but, what happened during those three months with the Joker changed me in ways I don't understand and comprehend yet. In order to do you right I need to take care of myself first." Connor nodded and squeezed Jessie's hand.

"Wait. You said three months, didn't you?" Connor said slowly, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She nodded. That was how long she was gone. She kept a meticulous count in that awful room they kept her in.

"You were only gone for three weeks, Jess." He said seriously. He looked into her eyes searching them for any signs that she was kidding. When he found none he quickly turned to her and grabbed her other hand. She shook her head slightly staring back into the pool. Three weeks? No. That had to be wrong, she had to be gone for longer. She was in that room for weeks itself... wasn't she? She felt her breathing hitch up and the voices were over taking her head screaming at her.