No Place in My Heart for a Criminal Like You

I stared at the ‘Harley Quinn’ outfit with pure disgust. For the first time in ages, I wore my own clothes instead of the costume that The Joker made me wear. My face was completely scrubbed clean of any make-up, but I still didn’t feel like myself. It was currently bright and early in the morning and once again The Joker wasn’t in bed when I woke up. I had decided that I was no longer going to be a part of his little games, even if I was forced to stay in this god forsaken house all day long. That meant I had to be defiant and strong, being able to stand whatever punishment The Joker had for me.

I sat on the edge of the bed facing the bedroom door waiting for The Joker to enter. I had been for the past hour or so now. Eventually I heard the all so familiar footsteps begin to near the door.

“What are you doing?” The Joker asked as soon as he had entered the room. He closed the door behind him as he walked over to be on the bed and pulled me up.

“What do you mean?” I retorted as I stole my arm back away from him.

“I mean, what are you wearing?”

“I’ve decided that I’m not going to carry on with this Harley Quinn charade anymore. Therefore I wont be wearing that outfit no longer.”

“What are you talking about? You have to wear it tonight. Tonight is your grand finale, Harley! Tonight will be the night!” I really wish he’d stop speaking in riddles. Everything he said was always so cryptic, but the way he said it made it sound as if I was supposed to know exactly what he was talking about.

“Cut the crap, J. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“You will, toots. You will.”

“Stop it and just tell me what you’ve done!”

“What I’ve done? Oh, I couldn’t have done it without you. Oh, no no no no,” he repeated as he began to leave the room. I balled my fists up angrily as closed the door, still muttering nonsense under his breath. I grabbed the Harley Quinn outfit and heaved open the bedroom door.

I hurled the clothes down the hallway that The Joker was walking along and yelled, “Don’t expect me to wear this tonight! I’m not going to be part of your sick games anymore!” With that said, I stormed back into the bedroom furiously. I heard the footstep approach closer once again, except this time they were heavier and quicker.

When I heard the door opening, I instantly turned around to be met by a bunch of clothes come flying towards my face. I squealed in shock as all the clothing covered my face. “Put them on. Now,” he ordered menacingly.

I tore the clothes away from my face before exclaiming, “No! Leave me out of this!”

“Don’t answer back to me!” He bellowed before striking me across the face. I quickly grasped the bed post before I fell over and let out a low, quiet chuckle. I could easily play along with his own little game. Yes, two could play at this. I just had to continue to block the pain out.

“You’re a sick man, you know that J?” I asked as I brought my face up to look at him, his shoulders hunched as his chest raised up and down, breathing heavily. His teeth were clenched shut as well as his fists. He came storming towards me, growling slightly and then punched me, this time knocking me to the floor. I landed on my front and continued to laugh quietly to myself. “This doesn’t hurt! After everything you’ve put me through, you’d think I’d despise you! But I’d like to thank you, because you made me that much stronger.”

I attempted to get up off the floor, but I was only kicked back down again when I’d get to my knees. “What are you actually achieving out of this, huh?” I asked, with a sadistic chuckle.

“Pleasure. I enjoy watching you helplessly struggle to get up. I enjoy watching you suffer. I enjoy watching you cry. Is that the answer you’re looking for, Harley?”

“They were a few of my assumptions, yes. Just wanted to clarify, that’s all. Even after everything I‘ve done for you, you still enjoy…tormenting me and hurting me. I love you and then you just see this as a way of messing with my mind and manipulating me.”

“You’re pathetic, you know that Harls? Listen to yourself. I didn‘t ask for you to love me, toots. You really must be stupid to think that loving me will stop me from being who I am. And besides, what have you done for me, hmm? All you‘ve done is mess things up for me. Get up off the floor and stop whining,” he ordered as he turned around with his back facing me. Angrily, I obeyed him and stood up off the floor. “Oh, and you actually are wearing that outfit tonight. Because last time I checked, I call the shots. Not you. And I promise you, once tonight’s over you won’t have to wear it ever again,” he informed as he turned back around to face me. “Don’t look at me like that, toots,” he sighed, once he saw my furious looking face with teeth clenched tight.

Without a second thought, I swung my fist towards his face as hard I could. I don’t know why I did it; I just couldn’t hold in the frustration anymore. I heard a sickening crack as soon as my fist came into contact with his face. Instantly, I regretted punching him. Not because of what the consequences might be. But because I felt terrible for hurting him. It made me feel even more of monster, since I had resorted to physical violence to vent out my anger on someone else. This is what The Joker did and that moment I didn’t want to be anything like that.

The Joker stumbled backwards clutching his nose with his gloved hand and landed on the floor. Immediately, I rushed over by his side, kneeling down so that I could get a better look at him. I clasped his wrist gently, trying to ease his hand away from his nose.

“J…le-let me have a look. I-I didn’t think about what I was doing, I’m sorry,” I apologised still trying to tear his hand away. Eerily slow, he removed his hand from his face and then sinisterly turned his head so that his cold, hard eyes stared into my terrified, regretful ones. Blood was gushing out of his nose and pouring down his already blood red lips, but from the looks of it, it wasn’t broken.

“HARLEY!” He bellowed in my face. As quick as possible I stood up and began racing out of the room, screaming in the process. I darted down the hallway just as fast, hearing his footsteps not far behind. He was laughing sadistically and it reverberated scarily of the walls.

I basically jumped down most of the stairs and dashed into the living room without actually thinking about where I was trying to go. The living area wasn’t the right place at all, considering that most of The Joker’s men were sitting in there and they were most likely to aid him rather than me. I ran behind the coffee table and then turned around quickly to see The Joker making his way over to me. As we circled the coffee table, me trying to get away from him as he chased me, he continued to laugh maliciously.

“Hey, boss. You’ve got something on your f-”

“SHUT UP!” The Joker yelled at one of his goons and then returned to his laughter.

I’d squeal every time he’d change directions. Finally getting irritated with this childish game, he stood on the coffee table and then pounced towards me, making me shriek as I was knocked backwards onto the floor with him on top of me. I kicked and flailed my arms and legs for an escape, but it only made The Joker laugh more.

I shielded my face to block any hits that he was going to send towards my face, but instead of receiving any hits, he sighed heavily after laughing. “Oh, Harley. Maybe I underestimated you. Maybe you’re not as big of a coward that I thought you were.”

I let out a quiet awkward laugh almost timidly. “I guess not, Mr J.” I don’t know what he was trying to pull with all of this schizophrenic business, but I didn’t like where it was heading. I felt emotionally drained and I no longer knew how to feel or how he felt. I wasn’t sure if he was joking at the moment or if he was being serious.

“So, my little harlequin. It’s time for you to get dressed into your pretty little outfit, which I bought nicely for you. Otherwise we might be late for your grand finale and you wouldn’t want that now, would you? So, I suggest that you get changed now, hmm?”

“Yes,” I squeaked out, fearfully.

“Good,” he said with a malevolent smile spreading across his face. With that said he stood up and began to walk out of the room, clearing his throat awkwardly in the process as all his henchmen’s eyes followed him. Timidly, I stood up also and straightened up my shirt before leaving the room just as awkwardly.

It didn’t like the sound of The Joker’s new plan at all. He seemed to determined to make me carry this task out with him and the reason being was unknown to me. But he did say this was the last job I’d have to do and then I won’t have to wear that stupid outfit anymore. So hopefully, I could stay out of his games forever. Hopefully.