Old Friends 😈 (Jerome Valeska)

A familiar face

It was a typical day, I woke up, went to school, bla bla bla and then I was sat at home in my living room watching tv with my parents on our couch. I briefly remember the weather man droning on and on about what new hellish storm would devour us next. I began to tune out, listening to the sound of the rain on the roof, the soothing crack of the thunder and focusing on the odd flash of lightning as it zapped across the dull grey sky. Until I was snapped out of my daze by a news flash appearing our tv. I still wasn't paying it much attention until I saw an all too familiar face appear on the screen, and with it a look of despair spread across mine. A young redheaded boy, about 18 now, with an evil smirk spread across his face. Smiles are usually nice things. They're sweet, warm, kind. His was the opposite, it was unnatural and deadly, it told you everything you needed to know about him. As the news reporter said, that he was extremely dangerous and should not be engaged with, under any circumstance.
This young boy's name was Jerome Valeska, famously known for breaking out of Arkham Asylum, the GCPD massacre, taking over the stage as 'the great Rudolpho' and killing esteemed deputy  mayor Harrison Kane, all while maintaining leadership of Gotham's very own Maniax. At least that was before being shot by Jim Gordon and then taken back to Arkham Asylum yet again. However I'd known this boy far before he was like this, back when he was friendly and loving. We'd first met in the circus. We were passing through Kansas City around his 9th birthday, when I found him hiding behind my trailer, bloody and covered in bruises, with streams of tears flowing down his beaten face. He was hesitant to accept my help at first, but after a few weeks I gained his trust and over time we became good friends. He would come over to escape his witch of a mother and eat with us and sometimes even sleep on our couch. By the time we were 17 we were the best of friends. He practically lived with us, not that his drunken whore of a mother would've noticed. We felt happy, like we could spend the rest of our lives together, but when they found Lila Valeska's body my parents insisted we leave. I never would've thought my best friend was capable of something as cruel, as treacherous as murdering his own mother, let alone dozens of innocent victims. I know she was a bad person but I just couldn't believe it...
A spike of fear plunged itself deep into my heart as they announced live on tv that this famed killer had, yet again, escaped from Arkham asylum.

Ik this is short but I wanted to end it like this and I couldn't think of much else to add <3