The alarm clock next to Jayde's bed read 7:58 the next morning when her eyes opened- two minutes before her alarm was set to go off. It just figured her body would wake her up one hundred and twenty seconds before she had to force herself out of bed. As she stood up groggily, the birds in the tree just past her balcony were screeching noisily, which she figured may have aided in her rather rude awakening. Squinting slightly, Jayde hobbled into clean clothes before going to brush her teeth and put some mascara on.
It seemed every time Jayde put any makeup on, she wondered why she did it, but then would reflect on how she had just looked and see the connection. There had to be some sort of compensation for the scar on her face.
Her hat and apron lay in the same position she had left them in the day before so after grabbing both, she stepped out into the hallway, bracing for another run in with Ms. McCarthy and her dog. However, upon turning around, Jayde found the entire floor was empty and she sighed, smirking a bit as she walked toward the stairs.
Once downstairs, the freezing morning air outside caught Jayde slightly off-guard, causing a short gasp to escape her as she tightened her coat across her chest. The snow she had noticed yesterday lining either side of the brick walkway to the street had started to melt in the morning sun, leaving the ground wet and a bit slick. Jayde tried hard not to fall and give every single person nearby something to laugh about for the rest of the day.
Starbucks seemed closer than ever that morning and after squeezing through the front doors and dazed customers crowding the store, Jayde found her way to the counters, gritting her teeth to keep from groaning. One o'clock seemed ages away but she figured the sooner she got busy and distracted, the sooner it would be there.
It seemed only a few minutes had gone by when Jayde looked up from the bar, once the line had gone down a bit and was surprised to check the clock to find it was already nearing noon. A huge grin slid across her face as she sighed, taking her hat from her head to wipe her forehead on her forearm. She wished Starbucks could be this busy all the time.
But almost as soon as she had wished this, the doors swung open again and a new group of customers came filing in; maybe she spoke a little too soon. The first few drinks ordered were cold frappucino drinks, meaning Jayde needed to have her back turned to the customers for a few moments, giving her the perfect opportunity to roll her eyes generously. Pretty much the only people that ordered these blended, milkshake type drinks were either teenagers or pregnant women needing their chocolate or caramel fix. Sure enough a few youngsters were chatting noisily at the hand-off counter, not even bothering to thank Jayde as they attacked the whipped cream oozing from the top of the dome lid.
"Yeah, you're welcome." She muttered under her breath as she moved to glance at the next cup.
It was a triple grande, soy latte and as Jayde leaned down to get the soy milk from the fridge, she thought to herself "twenty bucks says this is for a gay guy or a diva…or both."
No sooner had she began steaming milk, she heard a quiet voice from the hand-off plane say "Jayde", causing her heart to skip several beats in succession.
Looking up, Jayde stifled a gasp when she noticed a pair of bright green eyes peering at her from underneath a black baseball cap. His curly red hair was nearly bursting out from under the hat as he adjusted it awkwardly on his head; it was Dotcom.
His smile seemed slightly anxious as he watched Jayde gawk at him, momentarily stunned into silence.
"Oh my god…Um…Andrew?" she finally stammered, glancing around nervously although she could have jumped across the counter and hugged his neck at that moment. The steam wand began to scream as she neglected it in her temporary distraction.
"Yeah, hey. I figured I would find you here when no one answered at your apartment…" he paused, scrunching his nose to push his glasses back up a bit. "We need to talk."
Jayde's stomach again clenched up; his tone did not sound excited nor happy.
"Yeah, hang on, is this your drink?" she asked, glancing back at the soy latte she was supposed to be finishing. Dotcom nodded, smiling when Jayde grinned to herself.
Once she had handed it to him, Jayde told him to wait while she finished the last two drinks and went over to ask her shift supervisor if she could take a break for a few minutes. Permission was granted so she took off her hat and apron hastily, tossing them on the counter before joining Dotcom at the front doors to step outside to the farthest empty table. Once seated, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapping them lightly on the table before he opened it and lit one, inhaling deeply. Jayde watched him but then extended her hand when he offered her one.
It stayed silent for a few moments while Jayde lit her cigarette, meanwhile Dotcom watched her, his eyes scanning her face.
"How have you been?" he asked gently, nodding wisely when Jayde rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair with a heavy sigh, but did not answer.
"How about you?" she asked after another few moments. Dotcom shrugged, taking a sip of his latte.
"I've been better." He paused, leaning forward after looking around. "Alright, so…listen…" his voice dropped to a low murmur. "You remember that cop working for…you-know-who?" he asked. "Officer Linman?"
Jayde could remember seeing him, but had never heard his name before. She nodded anyways, encouraging him to go on.
"He and I have been in contact. He's been keeping me informed on what has been happening on the inside…with…you-know-who."
Jayde felt a rush of excitement at this information, but felt that emotion drain from her body quickly when Dotcom's face fell slightly.
"Please, tell me. Just spit it out." she encouraged him, bracing herself mentally.
Dotcom took a deep breath, glancing around.
"Joker is due in court tomorrow and…it's not looking good." He finally said, but continued, avoiding eye contact with Jayde until he had finished. "His list of charges is like a page and a half long and…" he paused again, clearing his throat. "The DA is lobbying for the death penalty."
"WHY?" Jayde suddenly asked loudly, causing several people nearby to turn and glance at her. She lowered her voice quickly, swallowing hard to push that lump in her throat back down. "That can't happen." She then put stubbornly. Across from her, Dotcom nodded, leaning forward on his seat.
"Which is what Linman and I both said." He stopped abruptly, taking a sip of his drink as if in an effort to keep his next words in his mouth. A few moments later, he went on. "Just promise me, Jayde, that you'll keep your head down over the next week or so. Things are happening fast and we need to play our cards right."
At that same moment, when Jayde was about to ask what he meant, her boss walked up, telling her she needed help so Jayde and Dotcom stood, facing each other. She wasn't really sure what to say.
"Look, I get off in a half hour…If you want to meet me at my place, we can-…" she began but Dotcom was already shaking his head.
"I can't. I'm headed to meet Linman right now but you and I will be in touch…soon." He promised, and after a quick hug, he took off, leaving Jayde as confused and distressed as ever.
An hour later, Jayde cursed loudly at her empty apartment and she slammed the door behind herself, causing several of her shelves to rattle precariously in the kitchen. Anger such that she had never felt before was coursing through her veins like poison and gritting her teeth to keep from screaming, Jayde snatched up a small empty vase on her hall table and threw it at the far wall as hard as she could. The glass made abrupt contact with the plastered wall and exploded, tinkling over the hardwood floor like small pieces of ice.
Her chest was still heaving from running up nearly six flights of stairs and it took every once of will-power she contained to keep from grabbing another object and throwing it too. Her back met the wall behind her gently as she tilted her head back, closing her eyes to try and steady herself. It was not immediately obvious to her why she was so angry, but on second thought, it may have had something to do with the fact that her constant hoping, praying that Joker would be able to break out seemed pointless now.
Nearly every day for three months, Jayde had woken up, hoping beyond reason that when she turned over, he would be there, sitting in the corner watching her sleep with that crooked grin mangling his features. She knew it was ridiculous but something about having that small bit of anticipation was comforting to her, even if it seemed impossible upon reflection.
"Don't cry, don't cry…" she told herself, opening her eyes abruptly. "It's not worth it, you'll just get upset."
Deciding to leave the broken glass where it lay and worry about it later, Jayde made her way into the living room, immediately moving to sit on the couch and flip on the TV. She knew the news wasn't exactly airing right then but Gotham, after all, was a fairly eventful city and there was usually some talk going on about something current. Jayde mentally crossed her fingers, praying something about Joker's court date would be on.
She was let down once again, however, when she found the weather man jabbing away about how Gothamites should be expecting another few inches of snow over the next few days. Sighing heavily, Jayde felt a small bit of anxiety drain from her body when she remembered Dotcom's words. He had said that it was only a possibility for Joker getting the death penalty, and even then, it didn't seem likely that he would be put ahead of all the inmates currently sitting on death row, awaiting a day that was still many years away. Jayde assumed this was just her form of wishful thinking and that the best way to forget about it, was to forget about it.
Even though she kept telling herself she wasn't hungry, Jayde found herself pretending to make lunch, all the while thinking of the gray hoodie sweatshirt stowed away in the back of her closet. She had kept it there since the day after she had returned to her apartment and had only taken it out a handful of times since then. She would bury her face in it, inhale deeply, filling her brain with that familiar scent then hastily shove it to the back of her closet again before she gave into the temptation of putting it on.
Again, this time, she could not help herself and while her lunch was warming on the stove, she moved into her bedroom to the closet where the heap of black duffle bags on the floor met her. She knew exactly where it was but fumbled around none the less, hoping her better judgment would kick in and tell her to forget it while she was 'looking'. But her fingers beat her to it and felt the soft, worn fabric between them as her heart gave an achy pang. As she pulled the sweatshirt from the pile of bags, her mind flashed back to the first time she ever saw him wearing it and she quickly pressed it to her nose.
She did not inhale at first, knowing now that this could possibly be one of the only things she would have to remember her friend by, besides the rest of his old clothes and makeup brushes…that was if he was going to be executed. Hot tears began to gather at the inner corners of her eyes but Jayde sniffed heavily with her face still buried into the sweatshirt, bringing that familiar mixed wave of cologne, gasoline and a scent that was unique to Joker.
Only a second later, however, Jayde threw the sweatshirt back into her closet haphazardly, feeling a bit of that previous anger creep up on her again. She could hear the water on the stove boiling and bubbling away so she shut the closet to go make that tea she had been wanting.
It seemed so unfair to Jayde, as she dipped three bags of tea into the pot, that Dotcom would randomly show up at Starbucks just to give her some horrible news like that. It had completely upset the track she had been going down, of forgetting about Joker, moving on and getting used to being a part of a normal life again. Now, all she wanted to do was go down to the courthouse herself just to hopefully catch a glimpse of him. But then again, Dotcom had told her to keep her head down, so there went that idea. Jayde huffed irritably to herself as she moved about the kitchen.
She could remember Detective Mitchell calling a few weeks after she had been forced back to her life to ask rather politely if Jayde would consider testifying against Joker in front of a judge and jury. Of course, unbeknownst to the detective, that would require lying under oath in open court which could result in a lot of trouble for both Jayde and Joker. She had declined, with the excuse that she just was not ready to give the details of her 'kidnapping' and 'rape' in front of so many people. Detective Mitchell said she had understood and that there was enough evidence on The Joker to convict him without her help. Upon looking back now, Jayde wished there was more she could have done to lighten the blow to Joker's fate.
The next day, Jayde was off from work and vowed to herself as she cleaned up from making dinner that she would sit in front of that television all day and watch the news for any word on the trial.
Nothing seemed more pleasant at the moment than getting a really hot shower after eating so she obliged, noticing as she went that the hair on her legs was once again, exceedingly long. She swore, sometimes, that she forgot she was a girl and was supposed to shave every week or so. Jayde shrugged to herself as she stepped into the shower after grabbing a razor and shaving cream; it was wintertime and she did kind of need the extra fur.
A half hour later, Jayde emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her legs slick and smooth again finally. Clean underwear and a tank top seemed the only thing she felt like wearing to bed but after putting both on and finding herself still a bit cold, Jayde glanced about her room for something else warm to put on. Her mind quickly thought back to that sweatshirt she had thrown in the closet earlier. She paused in the middle of her room, weighing the consequences of wearing Joker's sweatshirt to bed. It didn't seem like it could hurt anything since Jayde was already pretty anxious about his court appearance the next day. Maybe if she wore his sweatshirt, it would send some sort of good luck his way and Joker would only be sentenced to life, plus twenty-five years in prison, versus death by lethal injection.
Crossing the room to her closet, Jayde quickly found it again and put it on, wrapping it around herself and pulling the sleeves up slightly so she could use her hands to brush her teeth. Instantly that mix of scents reached her senses but instead of holding her breath, she welcomed it, inhaling deeply.
Curling up in bed was always Jayde's favorite time of the day, but this day in particular, it felt especially welcoming. With her eyes closed, everything seemed less daunting and tiring. Her body felt immediately exhausted and it was not long at all before Jayde was drifting off, her hands still closed tight around the edges of Joker's sweatshirt.
It seemed in no time at all, Jayde was rolling over to find her bedroom soaked in bright, morning sunlight. Squinting, she sat up but glanced down only to sigh when she noticed the sweatshirt she was still wearing. It had done exactly what she hoped it wouldn't; she immediately remembered Joker's trial. That anxiety she had been feeling the day before returned full-fledged and suddenly, she felt as tired as if she had not slept at all. For a few moments, she considered staying in bed under her covers but her curiosity for any news on the trial over-powered that desire.
The living room seemed icy in comparison with her warm toasty bed but after grabbing a thick blanket she curled up in it on the couch, zipping up the Joker's sweatshirt as she went. Within moments she was warm although the nerves she felt upon flipping to the news caused her to shiver slightly.
A woman with blonde hair was currently showing a map of some of the interstates leading in and out of Gotham and was telling Jayde that traffic was due to be heavy until noon or so. Jayde rolled her eyes heavily. Who gave a flying fuck about traffic? Why was there even a segment on the news for that sort of thing? If one is stuck in traffic, they were more than likely not watching TV. So while this continued, Jayde went to the kitchen to start a press of coffee.
All afternoon, the news went on and on, seemingly touching on every single topic they could imagine except the trial going on at the courthouse. After a while, Jayde deliriously began to think they were doing it on purpose to torture her and thought it might be a good idea to change the channel for a bit. But a moment later, upon second thought, she had a feeling the moment she changed it, something would come on about the trial so she left it alone.
More than anything she wished she could call Dotcom and get some news, she thought as she watched mindlessly. It had been obvious when they spoke the previous day that he had known more than he was letting on and the fact that she had no way of reaching him was rather infuriating. For a split second, she thought of looking through her phone but then again, she could not remember putting his number in there…she wasn't even really sure he had a number.
The day passed as slowly as it possibly could and by three o'clock, Jayde was considering giving up all together and walking down to the courthouse. She knew there was a slim chance of her actually seeing him or even Dotcom, but it sure beat sitting in her apartment alone, waiting on tenterhooks for a scrap of news.
But luckily, or not, at around five o'clock, Jayde was in the kitchen, debating on what to make for dinner when she heard the jingle come on for the official news program and halted with her back turned, listening. The beginning of the first story sounded as boring and uninteresting as the entire day of news had.
"This evening, we bring you breaking news from the Gotham police department and the Gotham county courthouse…"
Jayde felt her stomach drop to her knees and despite herself, she trotted back over to the couch, plopping down as she punched the top of the volume button. She tried not to but she could not help but stick her hands inside Joker's sweatshirt pockets and hold on tight.
"Terrorist and deranged psychopath, The Joker was finally sentenced today after several months of investigation. After mere moments of deliberation, the jury found the inmate guilty of almost one hundred crimes, including arson, murder and terrorism. Due to the severity of his crimes, the Joker has been given the death sentence and is set to receive execution by lethal injection on March the first of this year…Finally, an end to a reign of terror, none of Gotham will forget for years to come. In other news…"
The newswoman went on but Jayde's ears had been filled with a low, droning, humming noise, drowning out whatever other sound was present. Her stomach, which had tensed up in anticipation, now relaxed forcefully, leaving her feeling as thought she was about to be sick.
There it was, the wait was over. The Joker was at his end; he had finally met his match.
** Well, then! Things are just moving on along quite nicely, aren't they? Leave me LOTS of reviews and our next chapter just might come out within the next few days…. –QOM