Big Bad Joke

"You seen lover boy? What happened?" Laurel stared at me with her usual eyebrow higher than anyone I've ever seen before while she started walking towards the park, a bad place to be but that's where we were going. I guess we both had a death wish; we did it on the regular.

"Want the short version or the long version?" I asked as I held open a gate for her, and hopped over myself to follow.

"Which would be better? You do horrible with long versions," she sighed in defeat as she sat down the pizza box on the concrete picnic table, the one we usually came to, hidden in the bushes behind the large pavilion. "So its probably better if you just snap out the short version, then we'll eat."

"I was waiting for you and the bank wall exploded, I looked over and a bunch of clowns were running from the hole into a white van, the last guy just stood at the hole and it was him, Joker. He just stared at me, Laurel, he walked across the street, and he almost was hit by cars because he couldn't look away. He stood in front of me and I asked how he was here, well somewhat and he said that the city needs him like he needs the city, they can't keep him away and then I was staring like a fool," I grumbled at my idiocy, I was horrible with not only long story versions but being around people, just plain saddening. "He asked if I wanted to know how he got his scars and I said I don't care how you got them, I don't see them. and he touched my face when I touched his and then he walked back to the van and drove off."

"You had yourself a little moment with the Joker," Laurel grinned as she handed me a plastic plate and she held hers while she pulled out a piece of pizza for each plate. Then she sat her plate back in her lap while she opened the wine bottle and took a swing, then held it out for me. "That's kind of weird though, I guess everyone has to love though, even psychotic killers and homeless people."

"Gee, Laurel you sound happy today," one of the homeless women smirked as she walked up to us and took a seat on the bottom concrete chairs, while Laurel and I were on the tabletop. The woman's name was Montana, she wasn't like usual homeless bums in Gotham, she actually smelled nice and had nice teeth, she had a job but she couldn't afford any houses with the money, so she took showers at her friend's houses, like Laurel's and mine. And then she would eat at work or she would save her money for later, usually at Laurel's house. "Can I have a slice?"

"Eat up, Tana." Laurel handed her a large piece and smiled at her. "Did you hear what Riley said? She had a moment with the Jokester himself."

"Joker," I corrected timidly as the hedges around us started to shake, then suddenly another girl we know walked through taking deep breaths. "Mikey you okay?"

Mikey was a girl who usually stayed to herself, she hung out with us regularly but she was often picked on by the city bums, she was always by herself. She was tiny too so it was her disadvantage. "Just outran a big ass mobster," she wheezed, she had asthma like her bother, whose real name was Michael, hers was Rachel but she didn't like it so she kind of borrowed her brothers.

"Shit," Laurel stood up and took a swig of the wine, then readied herself to fight. She, being brought up in the slums as I said, learned to fight pretty good, she could take down some big boys over three times her size whenever she wanted, but if they had weapons, that was a different story.

"Any weapons?" I asked as I stood up and pushed Rachel behind me, she was whimpering in pain, like she had been hurt. "Rachel, tell me."

"Mikey," she grumbled, still pissy about her name. "And no just a knife, he works for Joker, he must have seen me when I started running. I seen someone kill old man Randal."

"Joker killed old man Randal?" I asked softly, I had really liked him; he was a sweet old man. Never hurt a fly but was always hurt himself, he was a real hero.

"No, the Joker had just got there when it happened, he was unloading big bags of money, must have robbed a bank."

"Or blew one up," Laurel turned to me and smirked as I glared at her for bringing that up.

"What did the Joker do?" I asked as the hedges started to shake like someone was trying to get through. Montana stood beside Laurel because she could fight too, not as well as Laurel but better than Mikey, I could fight but I had to protect short shit as I liked calling her.

"Nothing," Mikey whispered as a tall man and one short man wearing mask came through the opening, Laurel stood still as they walked over with guns in hands, she knew she had lost.

"Fuck, that's so unfair."

No one else had to comment, because they were all thinking the same thing as both men took us out of the bushes and led us down an alleyway not to far away, the whole time I couldn't think of anything besides this:

1: I could get killed along with my friends; we could all be stabbed or shot to death.

2: I wanted to strangle Mikey for leading them to us, but really I can't blame her, I'm glad she did.

3: I would get to see Joker, again.

"Nice evening, had to drag me from the house didn't you, Ri?" Laurel grumbled her sarcastic comment under her breath as she walked ahead of Mikey and me, with one of the men behind her with a gun pressed to her back, while the other man, the shorter one stood behind me with the gun to my back and Mikey holding my arm like if she let go she would fall into nothingness and die a painful death.