grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.7: New Inmate

  "So he wanted to transfer you?" Richard says and I nod. 

  "Yeah. All because he was so "afraid" for my life." I say then laugh. I was currently sitting at the common room table with Richard, Jerome, and Greenwood. We all had a chess game in front of us but none of us played it. I continue. "Said mobsters were coming after me." 

  "Damn what was with your parents?" Jerome jokes. I shrug. 

  "No idea. Basket cases I guess." I say. Richard looked to his right for at least the hundred time since we sat there and I finally looked at what he was staring at. It was that new inmate. Jim Gordon's wife. I think they were married. Whatever, they are, or were at least, together. I think her name was Barbara or something. I look back at Richard.

  "If you wanna talk to her that bad just go up to her." I say. His head snaps back to me. He shakes his head. 

  "Don't think I should. She would just reject me." He says, pushing up my glasses. I roll my eyes and scoff. 

  "Coward." I mutter. He narrows his eyes at me. 

  "Don't call me a coward." He growls. I smile. 

  "Or what? You'll drown me in your hot tub you always rave about?" I mock. He looked like he was going to jump across the table and strangle me to death. I dared him.

  "Alright alright kids calm down." Jerome says, putting a hand in front of me and settling down Richard. We still glared at each other. Jerome looked at Barbra. He muttered something then suddenly whipped around to face Richard. He slapped the table. 

  "You know what?" He said. Richard raised a brow. "We're gonna talk to her for ya! How about that?" I turn to him. 

  "What do you mean "we"?" I say. He smiles wider. I don't think that smile could ever get old. 

  "I meannnnnn you and me. Duh." He said as if it was obvious. He gets up and motions for me to follow him. I sigh but get up, walking with him.

  "You owe me one." I whisper. He simply keeps smiling. We near Barbara who was scanning and flipping a magazine like I used to. Did I look as guarded as her? Jerome whistles then jumps into a seat on the other end of the table and I take one closer to Barbra, crossing my arms on the table. 

  "Hello gorgeous, I'm Jerome and this is Grace." Jerome introduced us. 

  "Keep moving ginger and bushy." She says, not even looking at us. I frown even deeper, giving Jerome an "I told ya so" face. 

  "Just being polite." He says slowly with a half smile on his face. He glances at me then back to her. "So whatcha in for?" 

  "Killing my parents." She says. I smile and Jerome brings a hand to his heart.

  "Us too." Jerome and I say at the same time. Jerome then tilts his head. 

  "Well, mom anyhow." She glances up at bit before returning to her magazine. I butt in. 

  "Fun right? Killing your parents I mean. Such a thrill!" I say with a slight bang of the table. She looks at both of us with a bored expression. 

  "Yeah, alright then." I say. 

  "You see the big handsome fella staring at you liked fried chicken?" Jerome says, turning away from her. She turns her chair and I glance back to see Richard staring at her, his back pressed on the table and his glasses low on his nose. I hold back a scoff. 

  "Richard Sionis." Jerome says. 

  "He's a millionaire." I state, Barbara looking at me. "Got his own airplane. Got a boat with a hot tub on it." I take on an british accent then smile. 

  "And he killed 25 people." Jerome finished for me. He snorted. "Just for fun." 

  "So what?" Barbara whispered. I rolled my eyes. We were never getting to this girl. 

  "Soooo, he likes you." Jerome says, motioning his hands to Barbara. "He wants to be your friend." 

  "Hmm let me think. No." She says then looks back to her magazine. I shift in my seat and point to her. 

  "Look, from one girl to another." I say. "You need a friend in here. You see the guards...they don't care. They even might want bad things to happen to us. They figure bad things happen to bad people. They happen all the time in this dump. All the time." I remember Doctor Williams and I growl. Barbara turns to the table behind us before fully turning around. 

  "Hey you." She called out. I looked behind me. "Hello?" She raised her arms and snapped her fingers. "Baldy. Here here hello." Aaron turned to us. "Yes you. Hi. Come here." Aaron smiled. I glanced at Jerome to see he was already smiling at me. Aaron got up and walked towards her, the stupid grin still on his face. Richard watched this and I smirked at him. He glared back. Barbara got up and walked toward Aaron and they stopped in front of each other. I watched this scene with a smile planted on my face. 

  "Hi." Barbara said with a tilt of her head. 

  "Hi." Aaron said, a bit suspiciously. 

  "My names Barbara." She said. Okay, so I did get the name right. "Would you be my friend?" Aaron grinned ear to ear. Jerome put a his head in his hand and watched with his eyes flickering to Barbara and Aaron. Barbara ran her fingers down Aaron's shirt slightly.

  "If anyone here tries to hurt me." She says. Aaron's faces drops. "Would you protect me?" Aaron nodded like an idiot. 

  "Yes." He answered.

  "Thank you so much." She said then tapped his nose and he smiled. She giggled. "Cutie." She then turned her back to him and sat down in her chair, picking up her magazine and opening it up as Aaron walked away. 

  "Now I have a friend." She said, her voice dropping the girly attitude she once had. Jerome dragged a hand down his face slowly. 

  "You're bad." He said with a smile. I nodded. That was pretty bad ass to say the least. 

  "Yeah now why don't you make me a sandwich." She says, turning to Jerome. I hold back an eye roll, trying to keep up my act. Jerome holds up his hands and motions to Aaron. 

  "Your friend is a gorilla." He says simply. "My friend runs the joint." I lean towards her. 

  "He can get you things you know. Things that others. cannot. get. you." I say. She turns to us slowly. 

  "Things like what." She asks. 

  "Anything you need." Jerome says. I smile. We got her.

  "I need a telephone." She says. Jerome and I smile wider. I turn back to Richard and nod. He smiles.