RELAPSE - Arthur Fleck | Joker FANFIC/LOVE STORY

Chapter 3: Arthur

Sophie and I spent a few hours talking and catching up more than we were able to the last time we spoke. I told her about what lead me to being arrested for drugs, again, and how I was randomly sponsored by someone which enabled me to enter a very legit rehabilitation program so I could get clean and suffer through a year or two of probation instead of spending some serious time in jail. I never found out who sponsored me, but whoever it was - I wish I could thank him or her. I have been to rehab before, a few times, but nothing stuck.  However, this last rehab was definitely in a different league than the others and I felt like I actually did get some help this time. Typically I would be back on drugs as soon as I left rehab, but here I am, 6 days out of rehab, on my own, and I was still sober. Sure, 6 days isn't a lot, but for me it really was a miracle.

Sophie told me that she was working at a bank. She worked with a lot of assholes and she still struggled to support herself and her daughter; that is why she was living in this dump. Sadly, she didn't have many options. Even though she had her Associate's Degree, there was a major shortage in jobs. Even when there were jobs open, qualifications were usually looked over and it really came down to "who you knew".  She didn't have a relationship with any of Gotham's rich and famous, so she was looked over a lot. Sometimes, she just wanted to give up, but she was a single mother...she couldn't give up.  Sophie's relationship with her daughter's dad fell apart a few years ago, but she seemed unwilling to go into much detail about that.  Sophie changed the subject by gently running her fingers through my long blonde hair, "I remember how you always kept your hair dyed crazy colors like pink, purple, green."

"Yeah, I do miss having the crazy colors. I will probably do something with my hair once I get some money coming in, " I said as I reached up to touch my hair. 

There were a few minutes of silence.  "Lenora...I mean, Anon," Sophie gave me an apologetic face, "Anon, I really do miss this."  She waved her hand between us, motioning that she was talking about our friendship.  It was crazy that, after all of these years, we could basically pick up from where we left off and get along so well.  There was barely any awkwardness.  I mean, there was a little bit when some topics were brought up, but it wasn't enough to make things feel weird.  It felt nice to actually have this kind of relationship again, one that didn't revolve around drugs.

We talked about a few more random things until Sophie said that she had to run some errands. She took her daughter with her, even though I offered to watch her. 

After they were gone, I decided it would probably be best to start looking for jobs in the newspaper. I couldn't leech off of Sophie for long. I took some change that was sitting on the table, making a mental note to make sure and tell her that I took it. It was for a good cause, so I hoped she wouldn't mind.  Plus, I definitely planned on paying her back soon.  I left her apartment and made my way down the hallway. My plan was to walk outside to a nearby newspaper vending machine, but I heard some terribly loud sobs coming from a room I passed by.  I stopped, walked back to the room I heard the sobs coming from, and placed my ear close to the door. I didn't even give myself time to think about what I was doing before I knocked on the door. "Happy, is that you," a weak voice cried from the room, "what are you doing?! Come in here, you had me worrying!"

I decided just to open the door and, when I did, I saw an older woman sitting on the floor against the wall between the little living room and the kitchen. She looked very frail overall, her hair was a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her face took on a shocked expression as she watched me, some random person, walk in. I quickly explained myself, "I'm a neighbor. I heard you crying. Are you okay? Can you get up?" I walked closer to her and reached out my hands so that she could grab them.  She didn't move.  "Let me help you up. After I know you are okay, I can help you locate...who were you calling for?"