The Darker Side Of Life (Asylum Romance Sequel)

17: Two Different Roads

During the movie, I had taken Helena’s hand, and she had lay her head against my shoulder and snuggled up against me. It was really cute, and at the end of the movie, I went in for a kiss. The kiss didn’t last very long, but she definitely kissed back, and then our eyes went back to the movie.

My heart was beating out of my chest the whole time. It was nerve-wracking to have such a beautiful girl as my date, and a smart, sophisticated, wild girl at that. Usually the wild ones were promiscuous and dirty, but she wasn’t. She was different.

At the end of the night, I brought her back to her home. I parked out front and smiled at Helena, getting out of my car and quickly shuffling to get her door. I opened it for her and she gave me a gracious look, walking up to the front door. I followed, kissing her once she reached the door and turned to look at me. She smiled into the kiss, her arms wrapping around my neck. She paused for a moment and frowned, her hands tousling my hair.

“Is that blue. . .?”

I quickly took her hands and pulled them from my hair as gently as possible. “Helped paint my sister’s room. It’s nothing,” I muttered, fixing my hair so that part of my hair didn’t show. Damn, I needed to re-dye it pretty soon. “Just paint.”

She seemed a bit flustered, but she nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you Monday?”

I smiled. “Of course. Have a good night.” I quickly shuffled to my car and drove home.

When I walked in, I saw my father standing on the fridge with a frying pan in his hand and Rajan growling and trying to climb up it while my mother ran and screamed in a circle while Layla pulled on Rajan’s torso to get him away from the fridge. I sighed.

“What did dad do?”

“I just squirted him with water!” my dad spoke, trying to smack the tiger with the frying pan. Only in my house does shit like this happen. “How was your date?”

I walked over and started to scratch Rajan behind the ears. He relaxed and backed off of the fridge, growling at Joker before trotting off to another room.

“It was great. You need to dye my hair.”

“You need to learn how to do it yourself,” dad laughed, hopping off the fridge, stumbling and running into the counter. It caused him to laugh louder. “You’re almost a grown man.”

My mother stopped screaming when my father approached her, put his hands on her arms to put them down to her sides, and kissed her.  Layla muttered and went to her room, rubbing her arms. Probably sore from wrestling the tiger.

“I would but last time my hair looked completely fake,” I sighed.

“Well. . .”My father sighed, taking me by my forearm and taking me to do my hair.

He took out the supplies and set them out. “Thanks, dad.”

“Mmhmm. So what happened?”

“We kissed, then she saw the blue in my hair. And I lied and said it was paint, then went home,” I sighed.

“Ooh, buzzkill.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Stupid hair.”

“So why don’t you bring the girl over one day?”

“We just started dating.”

He sighed. “I don’t know how this dating shit works. I met your mother in an Asylum and we escaped together.”

I thought for a moment. “You never told me that.”

“Well, you’re old enough to know now.”

“Is there anything wrong with you?”

“Honestly, I’m not crazy. If I was crazy, there’d be no way I’d be smart enough to dodge every attempt to get me locked up. You know why I don’t go to jail?”

“Why?”

“Because I plead insanity and no one would believe otherwise. I can be let out if I prove sane. And security in Arkham is so easy to break out of, let me tell you.”

“And mom?”

Dad sighed. “Arkham messed her up. But no, she’s not insane. She’s just wicked from the stays. That’s why I always make sure to break her out as soon as she’s caught.”

I nodded. “Can I do that?”

“You have to prove you’re insane.”

I thought, then scoffed. “I’m the kid of Caerulean and The Joker. Doesn’t that count?”

My dad laughed, finishing with the product in my hair, taking off his plastic gloves and putting his leather ones back on. “Insanity isn’t genetic.”

“I’ll show ‘em,” I laughed. “Do you think Layla’s gonna join the family business?”

“Honestly, no. She hangs around Damian. Around Bruce Wayne. She’s going to prefer that kind of life. And your mother and I can’t force her into this life. You chose the darker side of life. Your sister. . . .Well, she didn’t. That’s how it seems, anyways.”

“I want this life.”

Dad sighed for a moment. “Yup, yup. Your mother is weird about you wanting to be in this life, but I’m not. I get it. You know what, we can’t force you to switch it up. If you want to, you’ll change identity and do it. If you choose this life, we’re gonna have to take a lot of precautions and teach you everything.”

I nodded. “When you think I’m ready.”