Chapter Seven
The next morning, Gardenia and Angie met early so Angie's mother could cook them a special breakfast. The girls thought they'd have a happy morning after their first high school audition, but both were slightly upset about the intruder, namely Angie.
"Why was she even up there? She didn't bother telling anyone, and it's just…it's disgusting!" Angie spat. Her mother sighed, shaking her head firmly, "Everyone has motivations, remember? Even in real-life, people are always motivated when they do what they do. For example, I'm motivated to make my baby girl and her best friend feel better as I make this delicious breakfast."
"She has a valid point, Angie," Gardenia nodded, sipping fresh orange juice. "I think she has a reason but she couldn't reveal it in front of everyone. Hey, what if she wanted to audition but was afraid of the competition? Riddler was all over school probably scaring people away."
"Probably from that girl Chrys," Angie shuddered. "I could see her rig up a light to fall on someone or trigger a trap door at the wrong time, well the right time for her, but you get my point. She just looks dangerous."
"So do a lot of our classmates. If only some of them knew what I could do," Gardenia grinned, wrapping her glass with web in mere seconds. Angie's mom sighed heavily, "I've told you not to do that here, G."
"Sorry," Gardenia blushed, gently peeling the web from the glass, "And that's just part of what I can do. I mean, if I wanted to, I could use my fangs to kill my fellow classmates. I wonder what they would say about that."
"You'd never kill," Angie scoffed. Gardenia grinned playfully, "But I have the option. That's the important part."
"Well I think you're both making too big a deal out of this. You're letting your nerves get the best of you. You auditioned for important roles, yes, but diversions happen. I say you should get to know this girl. You might need to help her with something," Angie's mother suggested. Angie groaned loudly; this wasn't the first time her mother suggested being friends with so-called enemies.
Gardenia was intrigued with the idea. What if they did become friends with the people they thought were their enemies? Would it really be so awful? Gardenia would have to think about it, but she felt Angie's mom was right this time, even if she hadn't been before.
A few minutes into Catwoman's walk to school, she heard strange sounds from behind her. She looked back to see Bane and Joker, who was laughing heavily at their prank. They ran up to her, flanking her on both sides. Catwoman continued walking, not letting them bother her.
"I thought we'd get a reaction, Bane. Well, Scarecrow said we would," Joker laughed. "He has a friend who knows some things about you. I hear you made a crash-landing at the audition last night, or tried to."
"You know cats don't always land on their feet, right?" Bane asked darkly.
"But Batman was there to save her," Joker cackled, his breath coming out like hisses from a balloon. "Tell us what happened, please! The anticipation is killing me!"
"I was spotted and chased off the catwalk. Batman saved me, but you have nothing to worry about. He was nothing like the other actors. He has no chance against them," Catwoman said softly, the words hurting her as Joker began to laugh even harder at the news.
"He's a shitty actor! I love it!" Joker screamed, grabbing onto a light pole for support. Bane helped grab him, carrying his friend across the street towards Gotham High.
"No one knows why I was up there, and I plan to keep it that way," Catwoman said, stopping and facing them sternly. "Is it our secret or are you going to throw me under the bus again?"
"It's our little secret, Cat," Joker said, walking to the school with Bane and leaving her behind.
As Catwoman stepped into the school, she immediately noticed stares. Some were sympathetic, namely from Batman and Robin's friend group. But others were sinister, and Catwoman immediately noticed Chrys's black and red hair among the crowd. She was standing with Scarecrow, a scowl on her face. Catwoman knew she now had an enemy, all because of Joker and his stupid antics.
But she also had something else when it came to Batman. She dreamed of him the previous night almost constantly, her mind going back to the moment when he wrapped his strong arms around her and flew her to safety. Her heart pounded at the memory, her cheeks glowing red. She also realized what was wrong with her: She had a crush…on Batman.
