Gotham High: A Harley Quinn Story

Science Fair- Part 1

~Harleen's PoV~

The day was here, Gotham High's 23rd annual Science Fair had commenced. Students were beginning to set up their displays everywhere. Eddie's looked by far most complexed design I had ever seen, with a lot of words that looked like latin. Who knew, maybe it was latin? I didn't quite understand. For instance, what does endothermic mean? Maybe he is just making up these words. Anyways, I personally found my booth to be the coolest. It had pink and red sparkly letters all over it, not to mention a lot of glitter. You've got to pull people's interest into your experiment, or at least that's how I saw it. Other than that...I've got to admit..not my best work. It was flashy, however, between chats, cheerleading practice and pamela campaign I did not have the time to complete what I wished too.

Considering, the judges call up experiments to the stage in alphabetical order I still had plenty of time to roam around. With a last name like Quinzel, very few people were behind me besides Bruce Wayne and Jervis Tech. A frazzled looking Johnny caught the corner of my eye. Wait, Jonathan was never flustered, something had to be wrong. "Johnny?" I poke my head out from behind his display, which was covered with chemical compounds and brain studies written across it. "Earth to Johnny!" I giggle, waving my hand to grab his attention. His shaggy brown hair wavers as he jumps up, startled.

"Oh!" He froze for a second, a slightly paranoid look in his eye. "Oh Harleen! Forgive me but I do not have the time to chatter."

I tilt my head, sitting on the desk next to his display. "What's the matter? Is there anything I can do to help?"

His blue eyes gazed up from his test tubes before Jonathan shook his head no. "Ed cancelled on me last second, he was supposed to come up with up with me to demonstrate the dream experience and the effects of my composure-"

"I'll do it!" I smirk, thinking I have helped solve his problem. Jonathan has saved me so many times, how could I reject seeing him this stressed.- nre shaking his head no, "Eddie just cancelled on me to finish his project, he was going to be my partner to showcase the effects of the-"

"No worries Johnny, I'll do it." I smile, glad to finally lend Jonathan a hand, he seemed to always have the solution to my problems, hopefully I could ease his.

He shook his head no, "Harleen, I couldn't ask you to do that. Its dangerous, I don't know how your brain will differ in effects to his."

"Oh come on Johnny!" I groan, looking at the stuff. It didn't look that scary. It appeared to be some energy drink or right? "You've told me about it before, and honestly John I'd love to see my dream world while awake, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Well-I haven't tested it to this extent yet...." He seemed hesitant, but the judges called his name.

"Johnny, come on, you've got no need to worry." I smile, walking with him to the stage.

He looked to the other side of the stage and back to me. Jonathan took a deep breath, "Fine." He went towards the judges to explain his experiment. I giggle with excitement, this was going to be so cool. After a couple minutes he came back to address me on stage. " If you want to back out tell me." He whispers under his breath, a last plea for me to reconsider helping him.

"I will..." I sit down on the wooden chair across from his experiment. Jonathan hooks up heart rate sensors, along with brain things that stuck to my forehead to monitor its patterns. My eyes void the audience because I never did like crowds.

"Harleen, Thank you for doing this." Jonathan motions to myself before continuing to explain his compound. I doze off, finding myself venturing out to the audience anyways. No one seemed to be paying much attention. Pamela stood in front of her stand, flirting with one of her judges. Although, I don't understand why she would need to flirt with a judge, her plants seemed to have flourished in amazing quantity. Speaking of flirting, Selina and Bruce were sitting next to each other in the front row to the stage.

"Come on Bruce, let's ditch this place.." I heard her soft voice whisper in his ear. Selina did get bored easily when it came to school work.

"Now we begin-" Jonathan's voice grew louder, losing the shyness he once held. "Miss. Quinzel, whenever you are ready please drink the green vile."

I nod, taking a sip of the vile. Not feeling any immediate effects I finish it. "Ick." I mutter at the displeasing taste.

"Miss. Quinzel, Please walk us through the steps you are seeing in your dream state, to make sure you are not lying your pulse should lower as you transition into this world." Sounds a lot like Alice in Wonderland to me, which makes me even more excited.

"It's a getting a little foggy, but I can still see everyone."My vision starts to go, shifting into a foggy daze around the edges. No dream world ever came about, instead everyone's attention began to turn on me. They were all glaring.

"GET HER OFF THE STAGE!" A loud voice boomed in the distance, my heart sped up hearing the angry tone. They weren't mad at me, right? All the students started throwing stuff, screaming at me with furious rage. What did I do wrong?

"Harles? I never liked her too much, she's such a joke." Selina's voice echoes, as if I couldn't hear her. My heart drops to a pit in my stomach. What? "Oh, Me and Pam knew it the whole time, we just keep her around to amuse us. Did you hear her daddy's a criminal?" My eyes widen, how did Selena get that information. I start to panic, breathing heavily.

I can explain, I wanted to say but the words did not come out. "Who would like a jail birds daughter! BLONDIE GET OFF THE STAGE!" I start to cry, humiliated, why was everyone doing this. No one like me, they were acting like they cared.

"No one could accept you. No one would accept you, Harles" Pamela looked at me as if I was dirt-no- she liked dirt better me. In fear of the crowd and the horrible things they were screaming Didn't they like me. In fear I turn to Jonathan, before I could ask I saw him what was going wrong he shoved me to the ground. His expression stung, it was pure hatred and disappointment.

I frantically try to release myself from the binds, as everyone storms the stage. Jonathan puts his hands against my throat, trying to choke me. I gasp, seeing red chunky glasses fall from my face. No, they couldn't be back. Not those horrible things. I scream, shoving them away from me. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!! LEAVE ME!!!"

"and they say I'm a nerd." Eddie spoke mockingly.

"GO BACK TO BROOKLYN!"

"Did you hear, she's not even a real blonde?" Pamela yelled out to the crowd, yanking the blonde off my hair. Everyone keeps laughing, like I was nothing more to them then a joke.

His laughter was the next thing I heard, I recognized it clear as day. Jack Napier. "YEAH!" He screams out as two cops storm the stage, " Yeah that's the girl. She's the nerd that vandalized the hall." A weight pressed against my chest as too cops started to pull me away.

Everything was going horribly wrong, everything I could think of. I scream, closing my eyes tightly but it didn't seem like I was capable of closing them. The handcuffs Commissioner Gordon placed on me were bloody. "Knew you'd be just like your old man Quinzel."

"NO-no-no-YOU don't understand-NO-NOOOO" I try to get away, but they threw me into the back of the squad car. All of it was too much for me, all my nightmares coming true. Everyone hated me. I was a disappointment, a fake and a nerd but worst of all I was becoming my father. This was all too much, my heart gave out.