THE rest of Jessica's lunch break was spent walking around Metropolis.
She showed the billionaire the best spots she's been in love with since college, while also trying to run away from the paparazzi. It reminded her of her time with Oliver. They would escape through the back of restaurants, movie theaters, even Arcades just to avoid paparazzi. Bruce was a little surprised at how well Jess could slip past someone.
Besides their hiccups, Jessica, being the good-hearted American that she was, kept on insisting to buy everything for both. She totally forgot he was Bruce Wayne. He shrugged her off, pulled out his wallet, and paid for every shop they stopped by.
She couldn't help but feel special, in a way, but she remembered that he was a playboy. She could not afford to get her heartbroken. "You don't get out to Metropolis often do you?" Jess asked.
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "Only for business, which isn't often." He looked at the billboards for a few seconds. "Besides, It's too bright here."
"What are you, nocturnal?" Jess joked with a giggle.
Bruce felt his brain freeze for a second. "Well, I know someone who is."
She nodded her head in agreement. "I do too, it may seem weird to normal people but I'm not normal." Bruce looked back up to see The Daily Planet was right up ahead. He grunted at having to end their little 'date' so soon. "This is me."
"Tonight at 8:30." Bruce smiled, it seemed like he enjoyed himself. Jessica smiled back, handed him her number and address, and left inside with an adjustment to her glasses. A habit she does when she's nervous. Bruce watched her walk through the doors with that same soft smile on his face.
She made him feel so warm on the inside, he felt guilty. There were other women he's been in serious relationships with that made him feel appreciated, but Jess made him feel loved. He hadn't felt that warm and cozy feeling since he was a little boy who still had his parents.
He turned around, looking over his shoulder to see that beautiful black hair of hers. She pointed at him with a playful glare. "For work!"
"Of course!" She walked into the building as he walked towards his car that was parked right in front of the building.
When Jessica reached the elevators, she saw maintenance had been working on it. "That thing really is a piece of junk." She mumbled as Charles shook his head in agreement.
"Who are you telling?" He grumbled. "It's a never-ending battle with this junk elevator."
"Good luck." Jess smiled. "I'll be taking the stairs."
Charles snorted at her sentence. "No wonder why you're so fit." Jessica sent him a playful glare before going through the door that led to the stairs.
It was so quiet that when she stepped forward, the click of her hollow heels echoed off the walls. She made sure she was alone, with no cameras, she super sped all the way up to her floor. "Elevator's out again." Jess announced with a huff, pretending to be out of breath.
"Dammit!" Chris growled in annoyance. "That's just perfect." While walking to her desk, Lois and Sheilah instantly grabbed her, practically dragging her all the way to the bathroom. Clark watched the whole exchange with a raised eyebrow.
He had been away from the office, in Gotham, researching the Bat and all the shady things he had been doing lately. He couldn't understand Jessica's views on the Bat. It boggled his mind how she supported Batman when he played Judge, Jury, and Executioner with his enemies.
"What's that about?" Clark asked, his hand in his pocket while the other was holding him up on his office desk.
Chris leaned out from his cubicle to look at Clark. "You didn't hear? Jess went on a lunch date with Bruce Wayne."
Clark felt his eye twitch at the mere thought of his sister, his world, going out with a playboy who she seemed to hate at Lex's Gala. It upset him to his very core. Was she trying to get back at him for being in her business all the time? It just didn't sound like his sister. "Seriously?"
"I think she's going on another one soon." Chris shrugged. "It's not my business and it shouldn't be yours either."
"And that's on God." Sasha praised, air high fiving Chris from across the room. Clark released an exasperated sigh at the whole situation before deciding to follow the girls, sneakily, to the bathroom.
Now, in Jessica's current predicament, she does not know why she lets herself get pressured into telling her friends anything. She was shoved inside the stalls by her two friends, like teenagers. "The hell!" Jessica gasped, pushing both away as she tried to climb up onto the toilet to getaway. Thank God they put the toilet lids on.
Sheilah had a wide Cheshire-like grin on her face as she clapped her hands together. "Tell us everything!"
"Not until we get out of this stall!"
"No!" She shouted pointing her tiny baby finger at the raven-haired female. Jessica scrunched her nose at the two. "We're going to stay in here, talk about our feelings, and try to figure out your ship name!"
"When people come in, they'll see us and think we're lesbians!" Jessica held her hands up. "I mean, it's not a bad thing. I'm Bi, so I'm all for the community, but still!"
Sheilah snorted at that comment. "I am and I'm proud."
Jessica ran a hand over her face at her best friends, she loved them, she would jump in front of a train for them, but sometimes; she wanted to throw them out a window. "Look, we only have two more hours before we go home. Then, I have to go home, get ready, and pray I do not mess up this stupid date..." Jessica instantly cringed, she let those words slip from her mouth.
Lois and Sheilah both looked at each other with their mouths halfway to the ground. "A DATE!" They screeched holding each other while they laughed.
"Finally!" Lois clapped.
Jessica felt herself groan; they will always hold that above her head. Jessica, the woman who could never get a date. She loved and hated both. "While you're out with Bruce Wayne, Lois and I are going to drink to celebrate. We're gonna tag along in secret to make sure nothing happens." Sheilah smirked crossing her arms, I can see the wheels turning in her head. "If he ever breaks your heart, his dick is gonna get cut right off!" She exclaimed as Lois nodded her head in agreement. The two burst out of the stall leaving Jessica to wonder if it was too late to cancel.
She was left in the stall just laughing to herself before she decided to follow her crazy girls. As soon as she walked out of the bathroom, she was met with Clark's stern face. "Clark!" She gasped while placing her hand over her heart. "You scared me."
When she noticed her brother was not replying, she raised a brow. She looked behind her to see if she walked out of the men's room. "What did I do now?" She asked with crossed arms.
Clark followed her actions, he seemed really upset. "Are you going on a date with Bruce Wayne?" He asked sternly. "The same man who talked to you like you were a quick hookup?"
Jessica rolled her eyes and moved past him. "Oh God, Clark, I don't have time for this." She grumbled, her brother instantly running her good mood. "Unlike you, I see that people can change."
Clark grabbed her arm to stop her from going anywhere. "Jessica don't make this complicated, ever since Zod you've been different."
"Here's with the Zod thing again." She grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "So, what Clark? What do you mean by different, hm?" She asked with a glare, snatching her arm out of his grasp.
"You haven't been my sister!" He hissed quietly. "It's like I don't even know you anymore."
"That's right because you don't." Jess growled. "You're still holding onto this image of a girl who died when her father did. I am a grown woman who can pick myself back up again when I fall. I've been doing it since you vanished after high school." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry if killing someone changes things, okay?" She mumbled. "I'm lonely... I'm tired of always seeing you so happy with Lois and I'm tired of being lonely and not having anyone to fall in love with." Jessica vented with her arms slapping to her sides.
This caught Clark off guard. He never knew she felt that way, she always put up an 'I don't need anyone' charisma. He opened his mouth to say something when she stopped him. "No, save it, I'm going on this date. I'm tired of living in Clark Kent's perfect shadow." With that, Jessica spun on her heel and away from her brother.
It aggravated her so much that Clark thought he could just swoop in and become her father. She hasn't had a boyfriend since Oliver Queen because she wanted to take her time to work on her career. A career, may she add, that she never wanted.
She wanted to be a scientist, but did she? No. She's sacrificed almost her entire life for her brother, now she wanted to be happy. Now that she had Bruce Wayne chasing after her, she decided to make the most out of it. She did not want his money or the fancy title of whatever she could be to him, she just wanted him and his company.
_______________________________
LATER that day, Sheilah was trying to detangle her comb from Jessica's hair.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" She cursed. "I hate your stupid hair!" Sheilah whined with a sigh.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault your brush sucks." She shrugged her shoulders with a smirk. Sheilah punched her in the shoulder and finally managed to detangle the comb from her hair.
"Let's just go with a bun?" Sheilah smiled sarcastically and began to part her hair. "Remember if I hit you, that means you're not doing what I say." Jessica rolled her eyes for the millionth time; God better pray for her himself.
Lois watched the whole drama show in amusement. "This is why you're not allowed to touch my hair."
"Nobody wanna touch your red Disney Princess hair anyway." Sheilah snarled playfully.
Jessica giggled lightly before sighing. "Do you guys think I'm different?"
Lois and Sheilah made eye contact with each other with furrowed eyes. "What makes you say that?" Lois asked, sitting on her knees on the couch to make better eye contact with the girls behind her.
"I don't know, Clark had said something about how he doesn't know me anymore." Jess shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I guess he's right, I haven't been the same since... well you know."
Lois scrunched her red eyebrows in annoyance. She had already spoken to Clark about butting his nose into Jessica's business, she supposed he was just as stubborn as she was. It wasn't her place to get involved, but it was starting to get ridiculous.
Sheilah kept brushing Jessica's long black hair while sucking in her bottom lip between her teeth. "Look," She started. "Sure, you've changed. I am not going to deny it, but that's just life. You have been and seen some tough shit nobody should see and go through. So, if Clark can't accept this new you, then that's on him."
"I guess." Jess nodded before getting whacked over the head with a brush. "Hey!"
"Don't move!"
After an hour had passed, Sheilah, finally, finished Jessica's hair. Sheilah clapped her hands together in accomplishment. "Ah, let me admire my work." She sighed dreamily.
"Six years of being my best friend and I can't get used to you saying that." Jess chuckled.
Sheilah hit her arm with a smirk. "Oh!" She gasped. "Before I forget." She dug around in her purse before slapping a gold foil into Jessica's hands.
Jess stared for a second, not understanding what the square foil was. When she read the words TROJEN in bold black letters, her whole face turned red. "Why would I need this!"
"Just in case you know..." She wiggled her body. "Get in the mood."
"I won't get in the mood." Jess gasped, mimicking the way Sheilah said 'mood'.
"It wasn't a question." Sheilah shrugged. "You need to be a hoe at least once."
"Superwoman isn't a hoe."
"Not yet she isn't."
"Okay!" Lois laughed nervously. "No one is getting laid tonight..." Lois stuffed the foil into Jess's bag. "Bruce Wayne really is hot though. Just take it just in case."
Jessica shook her head with her lips pursed. "Wow... no faith." She stood up straight and mentally prepared herself to walk to get her purse when her ankle buckled. The girls only laughed. "Why are you forcing me to wear heels!"
Sheilah laughed to her heart's content. "Hot damn, that was too funny!"
"God, I hate you sometimes." Jessica grumbled. She looked at her watch to find it was 6:30.
Sheilah noticed the state Jessica was in and sighed. "Are you sure you don't want to show Clark?" She asked.
"No, Clark already has a problem with this whole thing." Jessica mumbled while rummaging through her bag. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was giving her brother the silent treatment. At this point, he deserved it.
Suddenly, there was a knock at Jessica's door. She carefully rushed to the door, but Sheilah quickly stopped her. "Don't forget these!" Lois gasped, plopping the black-rimmed glasses onto Jessica's face. She was just a lifesaver that way.
"You're the best!"
"I know I am!"
Opening the door, there stood an older male with glasses. He bared a kind smile, he looked almost happy to see her. "Hello Madam Kent, I am Alfred Pennyworth. I am here to escort you to Master Bruce's home in Gotham safely." He explained with his thick British accent. Jessica blinked in surprise.
"Damn, he got a butler too?" Sheilah mumbled into Jessica's side causing a small giggle to leave Lois' mouth. Alfred held his arm out for Jessica to grab.
She linked her arm with the butler and made her way to the car.
"Have fun! If he does anything he's not supposed to, I'm gonna kill him!" Sheilah shouted with her hand waving back and forth.
Jessica rolled her eyes, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She could be so embarrassing sometimes. She looked at Alfred, who had an amused look on his face. "I'm so sorry, she's overprotective."
Alfred only chuckled, he seemed to be enjoying the situation. "It's quite alright, is she a sister?"
"Heh, don't I wish." Jessica snorted and entered the car that Alfred was holding open for her.
When he closed the door, Jessica started to feel her heart beating faster than she would have liked. Sure, the man she was going on a date with was supposed to be highly professional, but he didn't make it seem that way. What was the deal with rich men having infatuations with a small-town nobody from Smallville? "Are you ready to go Madam?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."