Chapter Three

"Ivy!" I whined, shiftin' into a more comfortable position in the old wooden chair for about the tenth time. Now I was upside-down in the seat, my feet danglin' in the air and the blood rushin' to my head. "I'm so bored!"

"Harley," Ivy sighed as she gently traced the petals of a red rose with her finger. "That's got to be the tenth time you've said that."

"And that's got to be the tenth time I haven't been satisfied!" I griped. "Best friends are supposed to show each other a good time, ya know!"

"Didn't I do that for you last night, Harley?" Ivy countered. "We even ran into Nightwing! Wasn't that excitement enough for you?"

"Red, that was yesterday. Now it's today. And today, I'm bored!"

"Alright," Ivy agreed. "Let's go-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence before a burst of sunset colors ignited the room with flames and rocked the room like thunder.

I shook the stars out of my eyes and sat up, scannin' the room for Ivy. I found her lyin' by the wooden chair. She was a little burned, but alive. I offered her my hand. She moaned and took it, staggerin' to her feet with some difficulty.

"What..." she gasped. "What was that?"

"An explosion," I answered casually.

"I know that, Harley," Ivy retorted. "But who caused it? Maybe one of the fire flowers accidentally went off?"

"Not accidentally," I remarked, runnin' my finger across the ash-dusted frame of the chair absent-mindedly.

"How do you know that?" Ivy inquired. "Do you know for sure who did it?"

"Simple!" I grinned, throwin' my arms in the air as if I'd just finished a magic trick. "I did it!"

Ivy's eyes widened, "Harley! Was that really necessary?! Look at what you've done to my rose!"

"What?" I examined the wilting rose. "Nah, Red, all you need to do is water it and break out your nature-know-how."

"You could've killed it, though! Look at my poor baby!" Ivy cradled her rose and cast a bitter glance my way. "Were you really so desperately bored that you had to risk our lives?!"

"B-B-But, we made it, Ivy!" I stammered. "Even yer pretty rose! I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know we'd all make it through!"

"No," Ivy quipped. "You thought we'd all make it through, but you didn't know. And you took the risk anyway."

"What's happened to you?!" I cried. "Ya used to be fun!"

"I don't like fun when it endangers my babies!"

"My babies, my babies, my babies!" I mocked. "That's all ya ever think about, that's all ya ever talk about, that's all ya ever care about!"

"That's not why you're upset!" Ivy snapped venomously. "You're upset because you know I never liked the Joker, and that I still don't like him!"

I felt as though my heart had cracked. As if a piece of this vital organ had just snapped off and shattered.

"For the last stinkin' time, Ivy! Why can't ya just be happy for Mr. J and me?"

"Because that monster strapped you to a rocket!"

"Come on, one time he did that..." I argued. "Besides, it was kinda fun..."

"He abuses you!" Ivy shouted. "Even a psychotic clown girl should be sane enough to see that much!"

"Well, if ya hate it so much, then you can just go!" I spat. "I don't want a skeptical, grumpy maid of honor, anyway!"

Ivy crossed her arms, "So be it." Vines rocketed out of the ground and shoved through the creaky floorboards of the room, liftin' my best friend up and outta the room.

"Goodbye," I muttered as I ripped our sketchbook in half. I threw the torn sketchpad to the ground, and our design for the bridesmaid dress peeked through the messy heap of papers. I kicked the papers in frustration and they flew everywhere. Burying my face in my hands, I slumped against a wall. What was wrong with Ivy? She wasn't usually this skeptical. I mean, she's never liked Mista J, but I don't think she was ever this upset over him.

"Trouble with your BFF?" came a voice from a dark corner of the room.

I whirled around, scannin' the room for the source of the voice. I caught a flash of crimson as the person threaded their way through the shadows.

"Uh...that ain't Nightwing, is it? Listen, if yer upset about the poisonous spores, let me just say-"

"That it was Ivy's fault?" the Red Robin said as he stepped out of the darkness. "Alright, let's have a chat about her. Does she happen to be responsible for the giant flytraps and poisonous spores hidden all over the amusement park?"