Chapter One: Wizard of Oz and a Funny God

All throughout AP chemistry, Joan and Adam had been privy to a one time performance of Grace humming. Yes, their very own leather jacket, political savvy, best friend Grace Polk was humming. Which not just threw Joan off, but it amused her non the less for she knew of the reason behind Grace's sudden cheerful mood.

"She was actually humming! In AP Chem! Can you believe that?" Joan laughed as the three of them exited the classroom. Grace walked ahead of Joan and Adam, still humming. Adam chuckled softly, more so at Joan being excited at pointing out Grace's good mood.

"What is she humming anyway?" Adam asked, walking the girls over to their lockers.

"That 'Wizard of Oz' song, I think."

"Follow the yellow brick road?" He regarded Grace, surprised that she knew that song.

At their lockers, Grace turned to glare at Adam, to which Joan tried to suppress a giggle as she corrected him. "I think it's maybe Ding dong the witch is dead."

"More like Ding Dong the Fascist Dictator is Incapacitated." Grace laughed, tossing her books into her locker and slamming it shut. "So Giradi, you seriously got nothing from your mother? No gory details as to how it happened?"

Joan turned to her own locker, then shaking her head, "None. Sorry, Grace. All I got was that Price had gotten mad hurt enough to be unable to attend school for the next few weeks..."

"Your mom works with Price, Giradi. This is one of those very rare occurrences where it's good to know someone working for and with the enemy." Grace stared at Joan, mildly surprised that Joan had no clue as to how their ever beloved Vice Principal had gotten injured over the weekend.

"All I know is that my mom had gotten a call this past Saturday from a co-worker. That apparently, Price had gotten mysteriously injured and was taken to the hospital. And that was straight from Principal Chadwick himself. Price isn't coming back to school until probably the end of next month. You should've seen my mother, trying her best to be all sympathetic. All the while suppressing relieved giddiness."

"Well," Grace began, "Who could blame her? Take a look around you, Giradi. Not a one person in this cell block misses him one. Bit." She regarded someone a few lockers away. Her gazed suddenly focused on Luke, Joan's younger brother.

Luke was having a conversation with his friend, Friedman. He was talking in a calm manner, though the relaxed grin that refused to leave his face caused Grace to comment, "Even Science Boy, a.k.a. one of Price's lackey's, is trying his best not to look completely ecstatic over Price's absence."

Joan glanced at Adam, whose head was now lowered, his gaze fixated on his sketch pad, "What about you?"

"What about me?" He replied, making it quite obvious that he wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. Adam looked up at Joan, while his drawing hand absently played with the lines made by his pencil.

Giving him a friendly smile, "About Price. How do you feel?"

Adam, being Adam, just gave a small shrug. "I don't know. I don't exactly wish anything bad to happen to him... but he's just..." His eyes held onto Joan's as he finished, "He's Price."

"Yeah, and we've all heard Adam's coffin story enough to know that Mr. Gavin--VP with a stick up his ass--Price will not be missed by anyone. News like this actually give me cause to believe that there is a God..." Grace smirked.

Joan bit her lower lip and briefly glanced heavenwards. Her gaze returned towards her friends, just as Grace added, "Or at least in some kind of higher power."

"Hey."

Joan tried her best to refrain from wincing at the voice, though Grace was more than glad to comment with an annoyed "Then again..."

"Hey, Iris." Adam smiled, his eyes regarding his petite girlfriend with a look that made Joan's heart break. He casually allowed Iris's hand to slip into his, which Joan managed to brace herself for.

Iris turned her attention from Adam to his best friends. Grinning at them, "Hey Joan, Grace. How was AP chemistry?"

Before both girls could come up with an excuse to avoid conversation with her, Adam piped up with, "Grace was humming that 'Wizard of Oz' song."

"Oh?" Iris's eyes lit up, interested, "Was it Somewhere over the rainbow? That's my mom's favorite."

Joan glanced nervously at Grace, fearing for her response. More so for Adam's sake because it would probably be a bitch to get a new girlfriend...

However, Grace being Grace... "Actually it was Ding dong Price is incapacitated. I could teach you the words, but I've heard that you're against promoting violent tendencies towards mankind. Though," Grace glanced at Joan, "I honestly don't see how Price getting injured would be considered a disservice towards humanity..."

Iris blinked at Grace's words, though hearing one of Grace's tangents wasn't a new development to the others. Joan bit back a haughty grin, while Adam's eyes averted back and forth nervously between Grace and Iris. His eyes finally landed on Joan's, somewhat pleading for her to prevent anything bad from happening between the two girls. Though Adam wasn't completely aware of all his surroundings, he was in tuned to those closest to him. He knew that Grace didn't like Iris too much, but he figured that if Joan could accept Iris... it'd only be a matter of time and patience until Grace felt the same way.

Finally, it was Iris that broke the awkward silence that surrounded them. "I know that Mr. Price isn't everyone's favorite person..." She began, but was interrupted by Grace.

"He's certainly not on Rove's Christmas list either."

Joan wasn't the only one that noticed Iris's look of surprise at that information. Taking full advantage of that, Grace smirked, "You didn't know? Don't tell us that Rove didn't tell you his 'coffin' story."

"Jane..." Adam turned to Joan, his voice soft and pleading. Joan could only give him a helpless look as Grace's own eyes sparkled as she added even more fuel to the fire.

"Did he at least tell you why he's given his friend over here the sickly sweet nickname of Jane?"

"Grace..." Joan placed a hand on her friend's arm. Slightly warning, "I don't think..."

Grace shrugged off Joan's hand, crossing her own arms as she snipped, "Relax, Giradi. Just doing what I've been asking you to do."

Much to Joan's relief, Iris was too focused on Adam to ask about Grace's last comment. Iris gave Adam this mixed look of hurt and curiosity as she asked, "You wouldn't tell me the other night, or the nights before, why you didn't like Price. Nor would you explain why you called Joan Jane... yet you have no problem letting Grace in on those answers?"

"Well," Joan spoke up, wanting desperately to protect Adam. "On Adam's behalf, you have to consider the fact that he's known Grace a long time!"

"Tighty whities, remember?" Grace smirked, which earned her a "Not helping" glare from Joan.

"I've told you nearly everything about me, Adam..." Iris whispered, her voice betraying her hurt.

Adam opened his own mouth, about to defending himself when Grace chimed in with a final blow that sent Iris walking away. "Yeah, well, guess Rove doesn't trust you enough with everything."

Joan closed her eyes, wincing at the harsh reality of Grace's words. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she felt bad for Iris. Despite, Joan thought with soft delight, it having drove a wedge between the couple.

Adam watched as Iris gave him this one last pained look before turning on her heels and leaving the group. He watched her go, stunned and confused. He finally turned towards the other two girls in his life, giving them each a different look. With Grace, it was one of pain and disbelief. With Joan, it was one of helplessness.

Joan returned the look, honestly at a lost for words. Her own emotions were mixed up because as thrilled as she of the possibility of an Adam/Iris break up... she didn't want Adam to feel anymore pain. Hell, she's already given him enough of that the past year.

He gave one big sigh before leaving them. Not even a word of good bye or an acknowledged nod of the head. Adam just silently turned towards the direction Iris exited and left his best friends.

"Nice one, Giradi." Joan had watched Adam leave them, then blinked in surprise at the sharpness in Grace's voice.

"What?"

Grace scowled, indicating towards Adam. "You're going to let him chase after her like some whipped puppy going after its master?"

"Why not? That's his girlfriend, Grace. Whether we like it or not..." Joan felt herself grimace at referring to Iris as Adam's girlfriend. "And don't you think you were kind of harsh on her?"

"Oh come on, Giradi! Admit it," Grace smirked, "You enjoyed watching me shatter her conception of being the only one privileged to the real Adam Rove."

Unable to hid a smile, "It was still kind of cruel..."

"What? You have no problem wrecking his art yet you have some moral high code for protecting his girlfriend's feelings? You like him, right?"

Joan wanted to comment about the whole art show fiasco, but vouched that this was a subject not worth defending herself again. Instead she answered the second question, "I don't get how my feelings towards Adam..."

Not letting her avoid the subject, "Yes or no, Giradi?"

"Yes! Okay? I like Adam!" Joan stubbornly admitted, allowing a frustrated groan to escape her lips. "You happy?"

Grace patted Joan on the arm before turning and leaving her with the final thought of, "Then do us both a favor and get rid of her! Your father's Italian, right? He's from Chicago? I'm sure the man has some connections, cop or not..."

Joan held back a laugh. "And here I thought you of all people avoided stereotyping!" She shook her head, smiling as she watched Grace leave before turning back to shut her locker.

Just as Joan was about to head towards her mother's classroom, giving her a heads up that she was stopping off at the mall for a much needed smoothie, she had heard a noise of books being dropped coming from behind her. Joan turned, seeing a young woman in a soccer uniform stumble to pick up her books. She especially took note of the fact that the young woman was wearing a cast on her right foot and had crutches, to which Joan decided to help her out.

"Hey, let me help you with that." Joan approached the fellow student and also kneeled down to pick up the textbooks.

"Thank you." The soccer student smiled kindly at Joan.

"No problem," Joan returned the smile. With one hand holding the books, she used the other to help the girl to her feet. Once the young woman was well balanced on her crutches, Joan gladly handed the books. "Here you go."

"Thank you," The young woman began, accepting the books from Joan. Her eyes were twinkling warmly at Joan, causing a queasy stir in her stomach. It was a look Joan actually recognized. The "young woman" confirmed Joan's suspicions with, "I appreciate the help, Joan."

Joan nodded, her usual annoyance stirring within. She regarded the crutches and the cast. Unable to help herself, "What happened to you? Fall out of your heavenly throne?"

With a small chuckle, "That's funny, Joan. You've got yourself quite the sense of humor."

"Well, I figured that since I'm dealing with God... one might need it just to stay, I don't know... sane? So seriously, what's with the cast? And more to the point, why are you here?"

God didn't miss a beat in replying, "The cast is thematic, Joan. And as for why I'm here... well, it would take more than just one lifetime for me to truly explain to you of my entire existence."

"Now look whose trying to be funny. Though... I'm not laughing." Joan crossed her arms, clearly not amused. "You know very well what I meant."

There was a sparkle of amusement in God's eyes. "Fine, if you didn't find the humor in that, let me try this one. See, there was this man that had gotten himself hospitalized. There's also this Omniscient Being that decided to suggest to a young woman to visit said man in hospital. Now, are you ready for the punch line? You're going to love this... Gavin Price is the man, I'm the Omniscient Being, and you are the young woman being asked to visit Mr. Price." God took a beat before adding, "You're right, Joan. I am funny."

Joan's mouth dropped, stunned. Before she could even remotely protest, God reached over, gave a neat pat on Joan's shoulder, then turned and hobbled away from her.

"Wait! What? You want me to do what?" She finally found her voice, and it was an angry and frustrated one at that. As God gave her the infamous back-hand wave, Joan cried out, "I hope you break that other leg!"