"What happened to my sweet girl?" Aunt Laura sighed wistfully as she reached a wrinkled hand to pet Lucy's hair. She ducked it and hurriedly took her place across from her at the table as she shoved a piece of toast in her mouth.
"She's the local freak at her high school and everything sucks, so fuck it." She retorted, bits of toast flying from her mouth as she spoke. She was too sleepy and grumpy to humor her Aunt Laura, even though she knew she probably deserved better. She dodged her Aunt's sad, tired eyes rather focusing on the condensation on her glass of orange juice like it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.
"Language, young lady. You know the rule." Uncle Scott said overlooking his newspaper to glare at her. He tapped the swear jar that sat at the middle of the table. Uncle Scott, on the other hand, could eat her dick as far as Lucy was concerned.
"Where do you think I learned it, asshole? You don't exactly have the cleanest mouth yourself. I guess you probably learned it from all those thugs and street trash right?" Lucy scowled as she took her chain billfold out of her pocket and flipped through it to grab a single. She wasn't going to get another one for "asshole" though, because as far as she was concerned it wasn't that bad of a word. She'd give Uncle Scott the fact she probably shouldn't say fuck so brazenly. But again she was so damn tired, and the sun was too bright, and she wasn't sure she could dread school anymore that she did.
"I have spent my whole life with criminals, and I can't say I have learned anything from them. And I try to control my language. The swear jar isn't just for you. Believe it or not it's not always about you." Uncle Scott said emphasizing the word "criminals" like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. Just like the homosexuals and the terrorists. Lucy rolled her eyes as she could already feel a rant coming on. She could hardly stand listening to him talk some days, his tone was so fucking self-righteous.
"Please, like you spend any time with real criminals anyway. Your job is pretty much done for you these days by just one man. And he doesn't even have some asshole kid in tights to put in jeopardy, because somehow a brat is better at the job than most of Gotham City Polity. What use is a police captain these days? Especially in these lame ass suburbs you dragged us out to. " Lucy's words flew out of her mouth before she could process what she was saying.
"Lucy!" Aunt Laura admonished while looking at her with serious eyes and shaking her head. If her aunt could control her alone with her eyes, Lucy was sure she would. The forceful way she was looking at her got right under her skin. Her aunt's eyes were like a threateningly firm grip on the arm of an ill-behaved child in a grocery store.
"Oh, stop it Laura, whenever have you been able to control what I say? I barely do. You only try to control me, because he controls you." Lucy snapped stabbing at her sausage savagely. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she too tired, too angry to pretend like they were a normal family having breakfast.
"THAT'S IT!" Uncle Scott stood up abruptly enough to unsettle the breakfast table and savagely threw the newspaper at Lucy.
"I am sick and tired of your shit Lucy! We took you in when your piece of shit mother got knocked up by her terrorist, master criminal boyfriend, and decided she was too crazy to accept her own shit and take care of you. And this is how you treat us with your smart mouth and shitty grades? YOU ARE AN UNGRATEFUL BITCH YOU KNOW THAT? You think you know everything don-" His face was bright red and the vein in his neck was bulging. Lucy could feel herself shutting down for the oncoming verbal beating, but as quickly as he arose he fell into his chair coughing. Once he caught his breath he reached in his worn, bathrobe pocket for a pack of cigarettes.
Lucy laughed coldly, her own rage bubbling to the surface.
"You can't feel sorry for yourself when you keep smoking and eating everything in the whole damn house. You aren't allowed to whine about how you're dying, when you don't do shit to help yourself. You're ungrateful, that you have a family and life that you'll flush away, because you can't control yourself." Lucy spat back as she stood up. She swallowed all the angry bitter words she still had in her, about how much she used to admire him all heroic in his dark blue uniform and shiny badge. Even if he always said nasty things about her Aunt Harley, she still loved him. Now she only saw him as the most pathetic, vile creature she'd ever seen. She wanted to tell him about how she'll never forgive him for moving them out to this stupid suburb away from all her friends, and Aunt Harley - the only person whoever understood her, and then refusing to tell Harley where they were. It was because of Uncle Scott she hadn't seen her in years. Suddenly, she felt hot tears stream down her face, and she swallowed the hardest words: she fucking hated him. There was a honking from out front, and Lucy wiped her tears hastily as she grabbed her book bag.
"Hey, don't walk away young lady! We're having a discussion. Lucy I'm s-" Uncle Scott started, but she had already stomped her way to the front door.
"I gotta go. Wouldn't want to be late for class." Lucy slipped out hurriedly, resisting the urge to slam the door. She slow slid to the ground sitting down with her back pressed against the door, and allowed herself to weep a little before she had to face Mina.
"Come on, bitch! I can see you!" Mina honked and called outside to Lucy from the window of the red Mustang. It was too old to be considered vogue and not nearly old enough to be vintage. It was still a Mustang though, which was sexy enough on its own, and Mina prided it as part of her identity ever since she turned sixteen last summer.
"Sorry, I kind of hate my family these days…as sad as that is to admit." Lucy sighed as she stepped into the car. She let out a deep breath trying to collect her nerves.
"Sweetie, every teen hates their parents. Normal ones anyway, I'd hate my parents too if they moved me from Gotham to Quaintsville, New Jersey. No, Daddy's the one who gets his own penthouse in Gotham where he can snort cocaine and fuck pretty people who aren't my mom in peace. Actually, scratch that, I kinda hate them already, and I admit I'm totally spoiled. No real reason to hate my parents compared to you. Anyway, I don't think you don't actually hate them. Not in your heart of hearts, or whatever. You always try to get along with your aunt at least. You're just too sweet of a little ball of sunsh—oh my god, are you sure you're okay?" Mina lifted her sunglasses and looked Lucy in the face for the first time since she got in the car. It was obvious she had been crying. Her eyeliner and mascara streamed down her face making an awful black mess.
"Oh, honey." She said empathetically and leaned over to hug Lucy. Despite herself, the tears resurfaced and she sobbed into Mina's shoulder. Mina smelled like her perfume, feminine and floral, and her long, manicured nails felt good stroking her hair. The screaming profanities of her uncle, his wretched cough, and her own cruel words were all echoing painfully in her head. Mina's affection made her heart swell with little butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and to her distress it made the tears come harder.
"Lucy, it's okay. It can't be that bad is it? Why are you sobbing like this? Did he call you something shitty again?" Mina murmured softly as she pulled away to try to clean the black mess on Lucy's face.
"I don't know. I guess it could have been worse. Him, I mean. But I was a total shit. Like I woke up in this 'fuck off' mood, and decided I wanted to make him feel as shitty as he makes me feel. Or at least I was too tired to really care about his feelings, and just said the first hurtful, awful thing my mind came up with. I look at him sometimes, and I barely recognize him from when I was a kid." Lucy sighed as she pitifully wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and murmured a quiet thank you when Mina fished her Kleenex out of the glove compartment.
"Lucy, you're like seventeen. He's the grown ass adult. Hasn't he totally taken out his bad mood on you before? So what you were mean to him at breakfast? He'll get over it. If you still feel that shitty later, you can always apologize." Mina sighed as she pulled out of the drive way. They were going to be late at this rate if they wanted to stop for coffee and maybe steal a cigarette.
"Right, and I'll show how sorry I am by sneaking out to go to a party with you in Gotham tonight." Lucy snorted. She got the feeling her Uncle Scott would just act like the incident didn't even happen. Maybe if he really felt guilty he'd do something nice like offer to pick up dinner from her favorite Chinese place, but he rarely actually apologized for the things he said. He wasn't going to change. And neither was she, at least not back into the dutiful child.
"I'm not sure I'd call it a party…you'll see. It's uh, like a club." Mina said her soft honey colored eyes darting nervously away from Lucy's questioning ones. She fumbled through her coat pocket looking for her lighter and cigarettes. She wasn't paying very close attention to the rode, she never did really, and Lucy had made the decision to just see Mina's driving as a free adrenaline rush.
"A club? I don't know Mina…I mean I know I agreed to be your partner in crime whenever you go to those big Gotham benefits your dad sometimes takes you to, but I'm not sure I would fit in with some sort of creepy, rich people club." Lucy's stomach did an uncomfortable flip thinking about being surrounded by debutantes in fancy designer clothes. She'd say something stupid, or something insulting, or something weird that made people give her that look.
"Oh, fuck no, Lucy. It's not one of those clubs. Please, you have to think I'm more fun than that. You'll finally get to meet Heath." Mina smiled brightly at her new beau's name. Mina must really like this guy, Lucy reflected, because most of the time when she talked about the guy she was seeing she sounded annoyed. Then again, those guys were usually picked out by her parents. Two kids dating is a good excuse to get together for brunch where business transactions may or may not (but definitely should) take place.
"Ah, I'll meet the infamous Heath. So is he like your boyfriend yet? Do you like like each other? You guys going steady?" Lucy teased her friend.
"Yes, totally. He gave me his class ring and everything," said Mina dryly shooting her friend a look out of the corner of her eye, "But I already explained this to you that we're not like that. We're not traditional. It's not a monogamous thing, but yeah we're getting pretty hot and heavy. He says I'm his favorite girl."
"Pfft, how serious can it be if he wants to fuck other girls? Sounds like he's getting his cake and eating it too if you ask me." Lucy scowled at the idea that her beautiful best friend was settling for being treated like anything less than the only girl he could want.
"Lucy, come on, don't be that way. Why are you assuming it's only him who likes it being an open thing? Do you really think I'd let some guy just use me?" Mina retorted, with more fire than Lucy anticipated. She growled at her lighter which refused to light the cigarette dangling from her shiny, red lips. Really it was criminal how Mina's make up always managed to be perfectly done.
"I just think you deserve the best, and traditionally that has meant someone who is in love with you, and puts you before anyone else." Lucy sighed, snatching the lighter from Mina, and deftly lightly the cigarette for her.
"Yeah, well love is important. So is freedom. And I know that I'll never be satisfied with a traditional relationship." Mina looked at her with a strange intensity, "I don't think you would either. You have too much love to give."
Lucy bashfully looked away as the butterflies returned to her stomach.
"So what kind of club are you dragging me to if it isn't one of those creepy rich people cults?" Lucy asked in attempt to change subjects.
"Oh, I promise you, it is right up your alley. You'll love it. Heath is actually pretty interested in you. He said specifically that you should come." Mina smiled fondly as she passed the cigarette to Lucy.
"What? You've told him about me?"
"Of course! You're my like favorite person, loser."
At long last they pulled up to the school, and Mina cursed softly under her breath at how far back she had to park for their tardiness. Lucy took a long deep breath in an attempt to compose herself for the day. It worked, for the most part.
"Come on, Lucy! In only seven hours you'll be having the night of your life. Get hyped!" Mina grinned brightly at her.
Despite the storm cloud that plagued her mood, Mina's sunshine always peeked through. An evening escape to a mysterious party in Gotham sounded just like the distraction she needed.