Sucker for Pain//The Joker

Chapter 5: I'm Just a Sucker For Pain

    

     He picks up a menu and starts looking through the wine list and I do the same.

     "How do you fancy a bottle of Perspective?" he asks, referencing a red wine on the menu. I look at the description and it looks fairly expensive but satisfying.

     "Sure, I've never had it before," I say trying not to sound inexperienced or cheap. He smirks and sets the menu back down on the table, not bothering to look at the food. I look through the food and it all seems to be very expensive but very tasty. I settle for a chicken salad which looks pretty good and inexpensive. It's also a good first date choice, he doesn't want to see me scarf down a steak and coleslaw just yet.

     The waitress comes back to our table and takes the order of a bottle of Perspective wine and my order of the chicken salad. J orders a shrimp basket with a side of salad also. A bit of an odd combination but I decide not to question it.

    "So," J growls, "where do you work, sweetie?" he asks, talking in clearly and confidently. He seems a lot more self-assured than I am.

     "I work as a teacher at Gotham Elementary. I teach first grade, my students are wonderful. Where do you work?" I ask curiously, he hasn't mentioned much about himself and I can't see him working the typical nine to five job. He laughs and my question and seems to think about his word choice.

     "Well, I work as the... manager of a group of people who handle a lot of money and perform some services in deed to others, or themselves. I'm kind of the boss man." He says casually and carefully. I again decide not to question his strange word choice and go with it.

     "Wow, that's pretty impressive, did you have to work your way to the top?"

     "You could say that, I guess I'm just a natural born leader," he says reaching for the wine that has just arrived. The waitress has poured two glasses and he hands one to me. "Cheers," and we clink glasses, each taking a sip. As the night wears on and the wine runs out, we get to know each other more. I find out that he is actually quite the joker as he never fails to make me laugh. When the food arrives he lets me taste some of his shrimp as I have never had it before. It tastes like nothing but slightly fishy and a strange texture. I don't know how he eats the whole basket of fishy tasting nothings before I even finish my salad.

     I clumsily knock my purse off the table and the contents manage to spill out. We both reach down to pick them up and he finds a folded up piece of paper. I put everything back in but I don't remember having that piece of paper. He unfolds it and starts chuckling to himself. He turns the paper around and shows me one of my student's drawings of him and me at our wedding. My face turns crimson red and I try to laugh it off.

     "That would be, um, one of m-my student's drawings," I say sheepishly.

     "Well I would really hope that you can draw better than this and maybe not in crayon," he says laughing. I laugh to and take the paper back, folding it and putting it back in my purse.

     The restaurant is buzzing with conversation in dimly lit light, all is calm for the moment being. Until the window next to us smashes as many people dressed in strange costumes come bursting through. They all have machine guns and start mowing down people like grass.

     Everything feels like it's happening in slow motion. J almost jumps over the table and lunges towards me, knocking me and my chair to the ground. He shields me with his body as we roll onto the floor. He quickly sits up and knocks the table over for us to use as cover. He tells me to lean my back against the table and tuck my head into my knees but my ears are ringing and I can barely understand him. I can see him yelling at me but all I hear are gunshots and the screams of innocent people. I put my head down and feel the tears start slipping down my cheeks and absorbing into my dress. I whisper to myself that everything will be ok, that I will see my students again on Monday morning, that I'm going to sleep in my own bed tonight.

     The restaurant goes quiet. There are no more screams or gunshots to be heard. I slowly lift my head, shaking, and look around me. J is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly I hear a sinister howl of laughter that can only belong to one psychopathic maniac. The Joker. I choke a sob and cover my mouth with a shaky hand. I silently let out a few more tears and try to think of something to do.

     "Oh, baby! It feels so good to be back!" the unmistakable voice of the Joker cries out. His gang mates chuckle in agreement. I hear his footsteps coming closer and closer. I try to keep myself quiet and choke down tears, hardly breathing. His footsteps stop in front of the table I'm crouched behind. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, princess!" he yells. My heart jumps as I realize he is looking for me. "I know you're hiding, and don't get me wrong, I like playing games, but we don't have time for this right now," he says in a pouty voice. "So... COME OUT!" he yells losing his temper. A sob escapes my throat and I slowly reveal myself from behind the table with my fists clenched.

Ok so yay finally some action! I hope you enjoyed :) thanks for reading!

-elkj13