Chapter Two
A few days later, most of Gotham High's students had settled into their new routines. Tryouts for sports teams were beginning, and a handful of clubs were listed on the announcements every morning, their annual welcome meetings taking up classrooms every afternoon. While many people began trying to find their niche, Catwoman remained quiet, spending her study period in the back of the library. After school, she had nowhere to go, so she found a spot behind the school to sketch in her new, new notebook. She did this with a long face, her senses always telling her if someone else was near.
Today, this warning came too late, and Catwoman soon found herself surrounded by Joker, Bane, and an older student she didn't recognize. She slammed her notebook shut, hoping the coated cardboard cover would keep the inner pages safe from any wet wads. But they didn't seem to be there for another silly prank.
"So, this is the girl you've been trying to impress?" the older boy asked. Joker cackled, "No, no, this girl is fun to toy with. Interesting how the cat is the one getting played with," he laughed, Bane joining in with quick, deep bursts.
The older boy looked her over, "She's afraid of you, but not for the reasons you want her to be afraid of you. Tell me, Catwoman, what is your greatest fear?" the boy asked, sinking down to one knee.
"Oh, please, Scarecrow, give it a rest!" Joker hissed, pushing him back and causing him to fall on his rear end. He stood, brushing off dirt and bark while giving Joker a dirty look. "What, what? You weren't listening to me, Scarecrow!" Joker cried, pointing to Catwoman, "I want her to join us!"
"She wouldn't," Scarecrow noted with an even tone. "She's inherently good, afraid of the dark deeds you wish to place upon this school. She would never do anything for you but cause you problems, maybe ratting you out to Gordon and his goons. Sorry, but I don't see how I'm needed here," Scarecrow said, slowly walking away.
Joker sighed heavily, "Well, Catwoman, I want you to join me. I think your abilities would give my pranks a new edge, especially one of my latest ideas. Would you like to hear it?" he asked with a wide smile. Catwoman shook her head. "Well, no wonder they say cats are so snooty," Joker huffed, turning on his heel and sending dirt all over the notebook's cover. "By the way, that nun will have no choice but to let me back into her class. Will you be my reading buddy?"
Catwoman remained silent, but she wanted to tell Joker to be his own reading buddy. He walked off before she could answer him even if she wanted to, and Catwoman wondered where exactly this was going. Joker had never showed an interest in her before. She was the target of just as many pranks as everyone else. Why he was changing now made no sense to her.
After brushing the dirt off her notebook, Catwoman began a slow walk home, her eyes peeled for any good places she could hang out after school instead. She saw nothing, her mood falling further each step she took. She wanted to belong, but she didn't want to belong because she was bad. She wanted to belong because she had true friends, and the only true friend of Joker was Joker himself.
After school, Angie and Gardenia moved to a nearby park to discuss the upcoming drama club auditions for a short play that was supposed to be put on at the first open house. Unfortunately, neither girl could decide which piece to use for their audition.
"So, I thought I'd do a monologue from something current, something on Broadway right now, but I don't know which one to pick. Gardenia, what do you think?" Angie asked. Gardenia shrugged, looking over her own folder of monologues. "Well, the auditions are tomorrow, G. You need to make up your mind and fast, and then you need to help me."
"Give her time," a cool voice said. The young man was wearing a green suit and slick, black shoes, a top hat on his head. The girls had never seen him before, but they could tell he was an older teen, probably another Gotham High student.
"Who are you exactly?" Gardenia asked. The boy extended a gentleman's hand, "I am a young man, a junior at Gotham High, who appreciates the questions of life, mostly the unsolved questions."
"A name would be nice," Angie scoffed as she extended her hand to him. He shook it, a cool smile on his lips, "I'm known as The Riddler, but I've had other names as well. That just happens to be the only one I actually like."
"Do you have a suggestion for us?" Gardenia asked. The Riddler tucked his knees under the picnic table and looked over their pages, "Well, for one, you're taking this too seriously. High school plays are nothing more than children's affairs with important leaders. So what if Principal Gordon comes to every play? Who is he to you?"
"Well he's no movie director, I can tell you that!" Angie exclaimed, laughing loudly. Gardenia shook her head, "Even people like Principal Gordon are important. You never know who could give you your big break."
"Gotham High has no breaks for anyone. All of us will rot here, then, when the gates open after graduation day, you'll be surprised at how few actually leave this city's harsh streets. I'm just trying to give you girls a little dose of reality. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important matters to tend to. But first, a tip to the damned: Sometimes rethinking your sides will give you different results."
The Riddler slinked off to another part of the park while the girls stared at his disappearing figure. Angie was the first to put away her things, but Gardenia wasn't much slower.
"I don't know why people like him exist. I mean, Gotham High's theatre department is ranked highest in the region. That means something. He must go somewhere else or something," Angie said quickly, following Gardenia to the park's nearest exit.
"He mentioned that sort of riddle at the end. I think he means that if we'd sided more with him, he wouldn't have acted like that. It's standard human behavior, you know. You have to treat people how they want to be treated to get the right results. We were both pretty skeptical of him, but it's not like you see someone like him very often," Gardenia said softly, looking around to see if he was still around. Even though the park's exit was on a hill, making it higher than a good portion of the park, they still couldn't see the mysterious figure. And thanks to his words, they were still very much unsure of what to do for their auditions.