"Aren't you going to say hello?"
Jerome's mind raced back to his conversation to Barbara Kean. Everything he'd said was a rehearsal for Harley, hell his whole life had been a rehearsal... until this moment of course.
He skipped over till he was less than an inch away and he plopped down cross legged in front of her.
"Hi gorgeous, I'm Jerome."
Instantly her expression turned stony and she looked past him at the padded wall, as if it were much more interesting then he could ever be.
"If you ignore it, it'll go away." Her voice came across monotone, and the action seemed to prove she wanted to turn him away. But Jerome knew better. She had an attitude and he liked that. She was testing him. She wanted to play a game. And Jerome was more than happy to play along.
Biting back a grin, he bared his teeth. "Just being polite." He hissed.
"So what are you in here for?" He asked.
Suddenly her eyes, and they were such pretty eyes, snapped back to his and she smiled cordially. "I'm just trying something new. Testing the waters." She said sweetly.
Jerome slapped his knee and rolled over in a fit of hysterical giggles. Oh he loved it! How she acted like this was nothing more than trying a new hairstyle. As if she chose to come here. Then again it was very likely she did. God knew she was smarter then the rest of the loons in here, inmates and doctors alike.
Harley just watched him as he rolled around. She watched him intently. When he was beginning to calm down she spoke up.
"What about you? Why are you here?"
Jerome paused. How on earth could he explain this? He could barely explain it to himself. He chose his next words very carefully. "I've been looking for you for a very long time Harley-girl. Ever since I was 7 years old."
Her mouth didn't twitch, she betrayed no sign of surprise so he kept going.
"When I heard you were also here, I guess I just had to see the dangerous girl myself."
At this Harley put her head down, tucking it under her arms.
"So you think I'm crazy?" She whispered, voice tinged in hurt.
Jerome's eyes widened, he shook his head vigorously. He reached over and with an apprehensive manner stroked her hair. "No no no Harley-girl, you got it all wrong. When I heard of you I realized, you and I, we're the sanest people in this hellhole."
Tentatively she raised her head. She smiled so angelically that for moment he almost regained hope in humanity. " You really think so?"
Jerome smirked. "I know so baby doll."
He noticed he was still absentmindedly stroking her hair and he pulled back, momentarily embarrassed. He struggled to come up with another subject and when he did he brightened up.
"Well well doll face, is that a bit of Narrows accent I hear in your voice?"
She nodded. "I used to live there."
Jerome was surprised at this little piece of information, he had not read anything mentioning this. Her parents had been very important politicians and he knew they would never live in somewhere so dirty and crime filled as the Narrows. But he had a feeling that Harley wouldn't be so willing to share about that.
When looked back at her, she was back in the same position again, head on knees. They sat in silence for what could have been hours, minutes, days. Neither of them knew. But they just sat there, each reveling in the others presence. Well at least Jerome was, Harley herself might have just lost interest in him. This thought disappointing him and he decided it was time to leave. Without a word he stood up and headed to the door. His fingers brushed the door knob...
"Mistah J?"
Jerome stopped in his tracks. That one word seemed to stop time. He turned to see Harley scrunching her black and white dress into her tiny fists, her eyes wide and sad and hopeful. And fixed on him.
"Will you come back?"
Jerome grinned.
"Always Puddin."
As he turned and skipped out the door with a little extra spring in his step he couldn't see the golden haired girl smirking in the corner of her cell.
Buh bye.
Mistah J.
