A/N: Oh, I'm sorry it's been so long. Hope you like the chapter, please let me know what you think!!

Seds

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Lynne was critically observing Rita as she labored over her chemistry homework. She looked like Rita, or, at least, the Rita she had come to be over the last few months. But she definitely wasn't acting like Rita. She was fidgeting impatiently, sighing intermittently, and occasionally making noises of disgust and loathing as she faced each new problem to be solved from Chapter 24 of her Basic Chemistry textbook.

"This is ridiculous!" she finally cried as she slammed her book shut, startling Lynne into spitting out a mouthful of Skittles. A rainbow of damp sugary beads pelted the pale green comforter on the bed where she was sitting in her usual cross-legged pose, attending to her own homework.

"Daaang, Rita! What's the matter with you lately, you're acting bizarre!" Lynne admonished as she reached for something to clean up the mess with. She used the frilly doily her great-grandmother had hand-embroidered. Her mother insisted on covering her nightstand with it, in an attempt to lend a more genteel air to her daughter's messy and chaotic habitat.

"Nothing! It's this idiotic homework, who the heck cares what the chemical compound of hydrochloric acid is! When will I ever need to know what a covalent bond is? This is bullshit!" Rita, sitting on the floor, threw herself onto her stomach, in an outstretched pose of utter frustration and apathy, her head coming to rest on her crossed arms.

Lynne gave her a mildly shocked look. Rita didn't usually use nasty words.

"Hey, language, language! Look, if you're having such a hard time with chemistry, maybe you should get a tutor. There's no shame in that, I had one for biology last year...."

"Tutor?" Rita wailed in indignation as she raised her head to glare at Lynne. "And when, exactly, would I have time for that? I already spend two afternoons a week and all day Saturday at the darn Pic-N-Save, I don't want to waste any more time with some dweeb tutor, who breathes through his mouth and goes on about electrons and neutrons like they were his best friends in the whole world...."

Lynne stared at Rita, bewildered. It wasn't so long ago she and Rita considered themselves proud members of the dweeb-ish community, such as it was.

"But, Ritzy, you're going to need some help, you're already barely passing and it's just going to get harder...."

"Oh, great, now you sound like my mom!"

"Oh, really..." Lynne stated flatly.

"Yes, really! God, have you always been such a goody-two-shoes?"

"Goody-two...wow, Rita, you are really pissing me off." Lynne crawled off her bed and walked out of the room to cool off, muttering something about this being what happens when some people get too big for their britches. She took a deep breath and returned, determined to hold her temper. Rita was obviously going through a bad time, and she was going to have to help her, even if she had to bite her lip really hard to keep from screaming at her.

"Look, I'm just saying, you're going to need good grades to get into any decent school. I'm sorry if I sound like your mom, but it's true," Lynne commented in a calm but chilly voice as she again settled onto her bed.

"So, who cares if I go to stupid college or not?" came a muffled question from Rita, who didn't bother to raise her head this time and instead spoke directly into the carpet.

"Who cares? I care! Your mom cares! And, I thought you cared!" Lynne cried, aghast. Practically all she and Rita had talked about for the last year was where they wanted to go to school, what they wanted to major in, and what they wanted to do after they graduated.

Rita looked up and propped her chin in her hand.

"Yeah, well, I don't know about that," she muttered forebodingly.

"What! What are you talking about?" Lynne again climbed down from her bed and sat next to Rita, trying to look into her eyes. But Rita was staring blankly into the wreckage underneath Lynne's bed.

"I don't know. It all just seems so...unimportant, somehow," Rita said, almost dreamily.

"Unimportant! Just something that will affect the entire rest of your life, and that's unimportant. Huh." Lynne crossed her arms and stared at Rita defiantly, waiting for an explanation. One didn't seem to be forthcoming.

"Yeah...I mean, lots of people don't go to college...."

"Right. I see 'em on street corners all the time, they have little signs that say 'will work for food'."

"You know, just because a person doesn't go to college doesn't automatically mean they're going to be homeless...."

Lynne made a noise of frustration and tried again.

"Rita, you're one of the smartest kids in our grade. Why in the world would you give up on college at this point? It's the craziest thing I ever heard."

"Some things...are just more important to me, right now," Rita said, cryptically.

"Like what?"

"Like...you know, getting married. Having a family. I never thought I'd want that, but...."

For a moment, Lynne remained locked in silence. She was beginning to have a creepy feeling about her friend, as if she had some alien worm-creature eating her brain.

"Rita...may I remind you that you don't even have a boyfriend, yet?" Lynne pointed out in an even tone.

Rita gave a sly grin.

"Well...that's not exactly true..." she said.

"HUH?? What the heck do you mean by that?" Lynne demanded.

"Well...Ok. I didn't want to say anything yet, but...I've been seeing someone," Rita confessed, smiling.

"WHO??"

"That doesn't matter...the point is, if I get married, I won't have time for college, and all this miserable chemistry homework is just a giant waste of time."

"MARRIED!" Lynne was then rendered speechless after her one-word outburst.

Rita shrugged.

"Of course, it's a little too soon to be thinking about things like that, but, you know, I've got a feeling...."

Now, Lynne lay flat on the floor on her stomach as well, also staring under her bed, utterly bewildered.

"You've been dating someone without telling me?"

"Well...I just wasn't ready to talk about it for a while. I kind of had a crush on him and I didn't think he'd ever....I mean, nothing was really happening, it was all kind of one-sided. But now...."

A sudden gritty realization hit Lynne in the gut, and she grabbed Rita's face with both hands, forcing her to look at her.

"Wait a minute...have you...been having...sex?" Lynne asked in a hushed tone.

"Uh..."

"Oh, my God, Rita! How could you do that without telling me?" As shocked as she was at the revelation, Lynne was far more hurt at being left out of Rita's confidence.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I supposed to get your permission?"

"No! I just mean...I thought that was something we'd, you know, discuss. First. Or, soon afterwards. Who is he? Where did you meet him? How long has this been going on? Come on, you've gotta tell me!"

"It hasn't been going on that long! I just...decided it was something I wanted to do, you know, now that I've found the right guy. And...it was great! You should try it," Rita added with a mischievous grin.

"Ugh. No, thanks. Not with any of the morons in our school."

"Well, exactly. That's why...well, he's not from our school."

Lynne stared angrily at Rita. Not from their school! Who in the world....

"Marguerite Nicole Ryan, you tell me who this guy is right now, or I will rip every single hair right out of your head, do you understand me?"

"Oh, stop it! Don't be such a drama queen!"

"Rita! I'm your best friend in the world, why won't you tell me?" Lynne was beginning to get really upset.

"Because you'll freak out."

A horrible thought crept into Lynne's mind.

"Freak...out?....Oh. Oh, my God. It's him, isn't it? It's that...that weirdo neighbor of yours, Mr. J, right? Right? I knew it! I knew you had a crush on him!"

Rita rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disgust.

"It's not a crush when it's a mature relationship...."

Lynne's eyes grew wide.

"Oh...My...God...Rita, you mean...oh, man. You mean, you've been having sex with...him?"

"See! I knew you'd freak out..." Rita was a little disturbed at revealing her secret, but at the same time, relieved.

"Oh, no, you couldn't...but you did! You've been having sex with a pedophile! Oh, my God, this is outrageous!" Lynne sat upright, looking as though she was on the verge of a melt-down.

"Oh, good Lord, he's not a pedophile! I'm not a little kid, and he's not an old man! You know, in some countries we'd both be old maids by now, you and me! Just calm down, everything's fine!" Rita assured her friend.

"Does your mother know?"

"No! Of course not. She wouldn't understand, and I'm beginning to think you don't either." Rita pulled herself to her feet and started gathering her things.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"I'm going home! There's no point in trying to talk to you if you're just going to go all judgmental on me."

"Wait, Rita! Don't go, I'm not being judgmental! I'm just scared for you, is all. Come on, sit down and tell me what's been going on." Lynne gave Rita a pleading look, and Rita relented, dropping to the floor to sit next to her best friend again.

"Ok, but you have to swear on your life that you won't tell anyone."

"Rita..."

"Either you swear, or I never tell you anything ever again in my entire life. Ever."

"Aughhh, ok! I swear...."

"Ok. Well...we've been seeing each other, that's all."

"And having sex!"

"Yeah, ok, a couple of times...."

Lynne stopped her gnashing of teeth and let the reality of the situation sink in for a moment.

"What was it like?" Lynne asked, suddenly fascinated.

"It was...wonderful," Rita sighed. "He's...wonderful. I just...you know, I've never felt like this about anyone, I..."

"Oh, my God, don't say it..."

"I think..."

"Do not say it!"

"I think...I think I love him, Lynne."

Lynne gave a wail of exasperation.

"Oh, you do not! He's creepy and weird, and he's going to end up carving you into a million little pieces and burying you in the vacant lot next door!"

"Ok, end of conversation...."

"Rita, listen to me. It's not just that he's a grown man, it's something about him...I don't think he's right in the head."

Rita heard Jack's words..."Don't worry, I'm not gonna go nuts on ya!" and felt a little shiver. She shrugged it off.

"He's not crazy, Lynne. He's a sweet, wonderful person and I really care about him. Ok, maybe I'm letting this get to me a little too much. You're right, I need to concentrate on getting into college. I've been daydreaming too much...I-I need to snap out of it. But, I can't help it, I want to stop being sensible for just a little while! I want to have fun, I want to be in love! Can't you understand that?"

Lynne slowly shook her head from side to side.

"No. I can't. I can't believe you're willing to...to throw away your future for this...this weird guy. Has he said anything about marriage?"

"No! Of course not. We just started...seeing each other. But, honestly, I can see it happening, you know, someday, maybe...."

"Oh sure, he's Prince Charming and he's going to sweep you off your feet and take you to a life of leisure in his third floor walk-up..."

"No, that's not what I mean..."

"Rita, even if he's not technically a pedophile, don't you think it's possible that he's a plain, garden-variety jerk? You know, one who takes advantage of stupid young ladies such as yourself and then leaves them, broken-hearted and pregnant?"

"Preg...no way, we're being very careful about that. Very careful. And...he wouldn't take advantage of me, he cares about me! I know he does, I can tell."

"How?"

"By the way he treats me, the way he talks to me...he wouldn't hurt me. I know that. Lynne...when I'm with him...I'm happy. Really happy! Isn't that what life's supposed to be about?"

Lynne just continued to shake her head in dismay. She pulled herself to her feet and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Ritzy. I don't want you to, you know, screw up your whole life because some crazy guy gets you to fall in love with him and forget everything you planned to do with your future. But..." she sighed heavily, "if you're going to keep seeing him, I wish you'd talk to me about it. Maybe I can lead the bloodhounds to the right ravine when we're searching for your body."

"Uh...yeah, well, thanks for the support. I'm not stupid, Lynne. I know what I'm doing! And, I promise you--Mr. J--Jack--isn't going to ruin my life. I know that."

"Yeah. Sure. Ok....well, let's get back to homework, huh?"

"Yeah. Back to homework."

The girls stared at each other pensively for a moment, then Lynne smiled ruefully before scooting back into her homework position at the head of her bed.

Rita reclaimed the hated chemistry text and the two silently continued with their assignments, Rita feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her back, and Lynne feeling as if one had been thrown directly into her heart.

* * *

The Joker leaned against a brick wall inside of the old abandoned laundry he had broken into. He had chosen it for it's excellent concealment features and also because of its proximity to his unfortunate target for the evening. He glanced around the shambles left by the previous occupants, and swiped at the greasepaint on his nose with his leather-gloved finger. Damn makeup itched, sometimes.

It was boring as hell there, but the perfect place to position himself in as he waited for Rocky G. to come out of the old apartment building across the street. He had disappeared into it forty-five minutes ago, with his lady-friend on his arm. The Joker rolled his eyes impatiently as he glanced at a clock on the facade of the bank on the corner--jeeze, how long does a roll in the hay take these days, he thought irritably.

This guy getting laid was putting a crimp in his own plans for said activity, and his little squeeze wasn't a forty-five year old, dyed-blonde, ex-stripper, either, not that there was anything wrong with that. But, it did seem that if your mob-connected brother-in-law was going to put a hit out on ya for screwin' around on his sister, you might as well go for something cute and hot in the sack, right?

But, who knows, maybe he loves her, you know? Who's to say why people do what they do. Maybe he's known her forever and wishes he had married her instead of...the Joker's musings were cut short when, just then, the object of his evening's business came out of the brownstone and headed for his car, a cheeful smile on his face. The Joker stepped to the door, opened it a crack and took aim--he liked a nice automatic rifle with a silencer on it for this type of thing--and dropped the guy to the sidewalk, just before he stepped around the vehicle to the driver's side.

The Joker curled his lips in a sneer of disgust. This was too fucking easy, absolutely no challenge whatsoever. He ought to be ashamed of himself, had he no sense of pride in his work anymore? But damn, the money was so good...oh, well. It wasn't his fault the shit-head had no better sense than to sneak around on his wife with someone who lived on a street that the cops couldn't be bothered with. Speaking of which, he glanced around carefully, making sure there was still no one on the street at that moment. Nope, all clear.

He strode up to the body with his gun under his arm, his dagger in one hand and a plastic baggy in the other. He leaned down and slipped the knife across the guy's ear, deftly removing it, and dropped it in the bag, shaking his head scornfully. Damn Italians. Such sticklers for tradition....He placed the baggy in his coat pocket and ambled off to his new car, headed for a meeting with the guy--what was his name, again? Oh, yeah, Maroni...thinks he's going to be the next big thing in the Falcone crime family, ha ha. Oh well, stranger things have happened, he supposed.

Whistling tunelessly, the Joker drove into the night, looking forward to finishing his work and returning home. He had a date tonight.

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