Chapter Three: Killer Party

"Bitch."

"Shouldn't she be at South by now?"

"What? Here to ruin the swimming team next?"

By that Thursday, Lindsey was quite used to the comments against her. They didn't faze her any longer. She had just as many supporters as she did haters. Among them, Monica DuPriest had decided Lindsey was her new best friend or something like it. Lindsey was at least on her good side, especially that day when a favor was asked.

"Do you know Dominic Randolph?" Monica asked her during lunch. Usually Lindsey would work with the rest of the staff through lunch on the next edition, but Mr. Riley felt she needed a break.

To Monica's question, Lindsey nodded, "He's the one John made switch tests. Why?"

"He's…really hurt. I didn't mention his name when they reported the story, but he got in some trouble here and at home for doing what he did. And I feel like it's my fault."

'Well it is,' Lindsey thought sardonically. "What are you asking me to do?"

"Could you talk to him? He's avoiding me and I just want to know how he's doing?"

Lindsey shook her head and stood up from the table, "I never see him during the day. And I have to leave right after school to pick my sister up. Claire might be able to do it. They both do announcements."

She knew she should feel bad for being cold toward Monica, but Lindsey couldn't help but partially blame her for letting the story get so out of control. It seemed as if the news stations had nothing else to report besides the "North Gotham Scandal."

Not all of the bitterness was directed to Monica though. Joan and Shawn had left for London on Wednesday. Lindsey decided to just have the aforementioned adults check on them in the mornings and evenings. She did not want to stay with Bruce and be uncomfortable.

"Brooks!"

As she was walking to her last class of the day, Nick caught up with her.

"You're coming tomorrow, right?" he asked. Lindsey laughed, "You think it's safe for me to?"

"Hell no," Nick answered loudly, startling a few underclassmen around them, "But if you and Monica both show up, it could be pretty interesting. I think she's higher on Johnny's shit list than you are now."

'Abby's spending the night at Chloe's Friday night…this could work out,' she thought to herself. She smiled at Nick, "I'll be there. I'll bring Monica."

"Sweet," Nick yelped and ran off to where Claire DeFranc and Aubrey Sanders were sitting. Claire was the valedictorian of the senior class, or at least would be by the end of the year if Dominic Randolph didn't catch up to her. Rumor had it she had a full scholarship to Princeton. She was best friends with Aubrey Sanders, the sickeningly sweet super Catholic girl who was unfortunate enough to catch the eyes of both Nick and John.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. She had the feeling Claire and Aubrey would be the next victims of Nick's cocktail special.

"Don't look now," Kelsey half whispered as Lindsey sat down next to her in their economy class, "The Mafia's giving you the group stink eye."

Lindsey giggled. Angela Benedetti was sure enough sitting with her clique in the back corner of the room glaring a hole through her head. Lindsey, Kelsey, and quite a large amount of the student population named Angela and her group The Mafia in seventh grade when Nick moved into town. He made the comment that Angela's last name made her sound like the daughter of a mob boss.

Angela, being John's girlfriend, would now and forever hold a vendetta against Lindsey. The latter wasn't too upset. She never liked Angela.

Aubrey walked into class soon after, taking her seat on the other side of Lindsey. The two exchanged smiles as usual. They weren't great friends, but they were friendly to each other. Then again, Aubrey would be friendly to rock that fell on her head.

On the same page of odd relationships, Aubrey developed a strange sort of friendship with Ian Gregor. Ian was the school's main "emo," wearing black all the time, looking angry 24/7, and was just overall very unpleasant. Aubrey was the only one outside his group to speak cordially with him. Lindsey remembered Aubrey even asked Ian to go with her to Nick's party. She doubted that would actually happen, though.

After economy, Lindsey managed to catch up with Monica.

"Hey. You know-"

Monica cut her off, "I know what you're going to say and I think it's a great idea!"

"…Go to Nick's party?"

"Yes! Imagine John's face…" Monica trailed off, clearly savoring the image of a red faced John charging at them, sleeves rolled up with the vein popping out of his forehead. Lindsey laughed, "So we'll meet up there?"

"Definitely."

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"

Lindsey cursed. Bruce had taken it upon himself to check on the girls that night. She told him about Abby spending the night with Chloe and hoped he would leave it at that.

"Well," she began, "There's this party my friend Nick's having."

Bruce's eyebrows shot up, vaguely reminding Lindsey of her own mother, "What kind?"

"What do you mean?"

"Pin the tail on the donkey birthday party or get drunk and get syphilis and/or pregnant party?"

Lindsey wanted to point and laugh at him, but knew that wasn't the right approach, "It's not a birthday party or anything. It's just a fun hang out type party."

She added after remembering what Nick told her earlier in the week, "It's pretty exclusive, meaning not too huge."

"Well, since you put it that way, I'm thinking along the lines of no."

"Bruce, please!" Reasoning hadn't worked, so why not resort to begging?

"I promise you I will not get drunk, syphilis, or pregnant," she pleaded, "Hey, I'll even do that thing my mom taught me. You know, I'll take my beer can- if I'm offered one- to the bathroom with me, dump it down the drain and refill it with water."

"I'm still saying no, Lindsey," Bruce answered. Lindsey groaned and trudged back to her room. She didn't need his permission. She was going anyway.

"Welcome ladies," Nick announced with a flourish as Lindsey and Monica arrived at the door, "Come in. Come in. I'll get you some drinks."

Monica made a gagging gesture to Lindsey when Nick left, sending Lindsey in a fit of giggles.

Aubrey and Claire, water bottles in hand, approached the girls.

"We're glad you're here," Claire shouted over the loud music, "It's pretty much us, Nick, the football team, the dance team, the cheerleaders, a bunch of freshman girls, and Nick's neighbors."

"Ian should be coming, "Aubrey added, "He said he'd meet me."

Monica snorted, "This isn't really his crowd, hun."

Angela suddenly shouted from the doorway to the kitchen, "What are they doing here? Nick!"

Lindsey and Monica looked at each other and shouted, "Yes!"

Aubrey looked confused, "You want people to be mad at you?"

Claire shook her head, "They like ruffling their feathers. I must admit it is pretty entertaining."

Aubrey still looked confused, but before anyone could elaborate, John stepped between the girls to face Lindsey and Monica.

"This is a private party," he said slowly, "You're. Not. Invited!"

Nick soon joined them with two cokes in hand, "Ah, John leave them be. I still like them. Ladies, I had a feeling you wouldn't like the alternatives so here you go."

John slugged Nick in the shoulder before returning to his group. Nick winked at the girls before turning his attention to Claire and Aubrey. Lindsey and Monica moved to sit down on the couch.

"You know this is spiked too, right?" Monica asked. Lindsey nodded, "Never doubted it."

Lindsey noticed Monica staring over her shoulder. In the back corner, Dominic Randolph was having a very one-sided conversation with Ian Gregor. Lindsey smiled, "Go talk to him. I know you want to."

Monica nodded vigorously. As she stood up and started making her way over, Lindsey shouted, "And tell Ian to save Aubrey."

Little did she know how serious that statement would turn out to be.

The music was cut off, causing mass confusion. Nick tried to shove his way through to the front of the crowd. Lindsey dared to stand up from her seat on the couch and found herself face to face with a gun hoarding man in a clown mask.

She screamed, but it was lost in the wave of other girls' cries. Lindsey noticed more men in clown masks around her and more coming in through the doors and down the stairs, caging the partygoers in.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Nick shouted as the men had quieted down the crowd.

A sinister cackled was heard from the staircase. Another clown face man strutted down the stairs, but unlike the rest, he wasn't in a mask. He was wearing makeup. Lindsey's eyes widened as she recognized the cheek slit scarred smile on his face.

"The Joker," she whispered to herself. He held his arms out as he came to hover over Nick, "Great party, kid. Let's move it up a level to killer!"

All at once, the clown men wielding guns fired. Others went after the girls. Lindsey was knocked to the ground by one who threw a screaming Claire on the couch.

Barely registering what she was doing. Lindsey kicked the man in the back of the knee. He was caught off guard and came rushing to the ground, snapping his neck on the coffee table.

Lindsey gagged and grabbed Claire's hand, racing to the back door. She lost her grip on Claire as she was roughly yanked outside in the back yard. She screamed as she saw the Joker had her arm in a vice grip.

"It looks like you killed one of my men, little girl," he said casually, as if talking about the weather, "How do you think I should take that?"

"Like a damn man, shitwad!" Monica shouted, running outside and kicking Joker between the legs. She pried Lindsey away, but the girls barely made it a few steps to the gates before Joker grabbed them by the hair.

"I really don't like people without manners," he taunted, pulling Lindsey closer so her back was pressed against his chest and tightening his grip on Monica, "But I do like your feistiness. I could have fun with you two."

"Or I could have fun with you," a raspy voice called out before the Joker was knocked away from the girls. Lindsey would've laughed at the other man's statement had the situation not been so dangerous. The girls hardly took the time to take in the Batman's form before bolting for the gate. They burst through, Lindsey being a faster runner was sprinting a few paces ahead of Monica.

She heard police sirens in the distance, and soon saw the lights of multiple police cars approaching. As soon as she was close enough to one of the cars, she collapsed.

Lindsey put her hands over her eyes, trying desperately to block out to Joker's face in her head and his voice in her ears. It was all she could see and hear. She couldn't even hear the officers trying to figure out who was dead and who was alive. She didn't even know if she really saved Claire or if Monica was still behind her.

The last question was answered when the Joker pulled her up to her feet by her throat. Lindsey tried to scream, but he held a knife in front of her face. Any attempts to call out turned to whimpers.

"Well, now that's more like it. A wise man once told me it's easier to resist in the beginning than the end. If you would listen to your superiors you would've saved a lot of heartbreak. Now, let's…" Joker trailed off, emitting a long, dramatic sigh before dropping Lindsey back to the ground. She was promptly pulled up to her feet and put in the nearby police car.

"Stay there," the Batman ordered. Lindsey didn't need to be told twice. The Joker was standing in front of Batman, looking extremely bored as the latter ordered an approaching officer to drive Lindsey out of the lot.

"Ok…ok," the young officer stammered as he started the car, "W-where do you live?"

Lindsey told him her address and looked out her window of the passenger side, shocked to see that both men were gone.

"Did that really happen?" she asked, mainly to herself. The officer replied, "Yeah. Yeah it did."