Life's just a Circus: chapter 1

A/N: Well, first chapter's posted! Read and review 1

Angie Maroni didn’t feel like going to English class. It was Valentine’s Day, which meant all the pretty, popular girls would be talking excitedly about their boyfriends, flashing everyone their impressive stacks of cards, chocolates, and roses while the losers looked down at their desks all teary-eyed and miserable. That’s how poor, sixteen-year old little Angie felt: like a ghost, her voice never heard, face always half-hidden behind a curtain of sleek black hair that was as shiny as shoe polish. She was the beautiful daughter of an infamous mob boss, and even though her father was one of the most dangerous men in Gotham and she didn’t even live with him anymore; people still treated her like she was a coyote with rabies. It wasn’t fair, the way she had to sit alone during recess and lunch, nibbling on her ham sandwiches and drinking Kool-aid from a bendy straw like a little kid. She wouldn’t even be surprised if her foster father handed her a Power Rangers lunch box! He had done more than enough to humiliate her at school, especially when he picked her up in that rusted, pea-green Ford Taurus with the smashed headlight. He’d crank up his whiney country music full blast, making sure to deafen all the kids that walked by, rolling their eyes and muttering ‘it’s Angie’s new daddy.’ 2

They can think what they want, Angie told herself. She trotted into Miss Pennycoat’s English class with a scowl on her pretty face. The rosy-cheeked, fat teacher with her mop of curly red hair quirked an eyebrow at Angie’s annoyed expression. 3

“You feeling alright, dolly?” Miss Pennycoat started to scribble something on the chalkboard, her backside wobbling like crazy. It reminded Angie of the gelatin dessert she was forced to eat once at her uncle’s…it was orange and nasty and had carrot chunks floating in it. Glaring at her teacher’s jiggly flesh made her want to barf, so she quickly looked away, fixing her gaze on the dirty words that were carved into the wooden surface of her desk instead. 4

“I’m OK, Miss Pennycoat”, Angie grumbled moodily. “Are we gonna do our Shakespeare plays today?”5

“Actually, I want to do them tomorrow. There’s something I have to talk about today in class; it’s a very disturbing incident and Lord knows how long it’s going to go on for…maybe even for the rest of the school year.”6

“What kind of incident?” Angie asked, curious. She hadn’t heard anything interesting in the news except for that maniac in the purple suit who was named “The Joker.” In fact, that was the only thing people seemed to be talking about nowadays…how many buildings he blew up, the threats he made, how incredibly dangerous he was. Once, she had even watched a live videotape of the Joker making a threat on the news. He filled up the entire screen with his make-up smeared face, licking those wet ruby lips of his so they glistened as he prattled on about how the Batman needed to take off his mask. People were going to die, and the city was bleeding, begging, practically *whimpering* for the mysterious masked hero to take on Gotham’s most notorious criminal. 7

“Well apparently the JOKER—” she winced at the mention of his name, “—has been making some rather, uh, *inappropriate* references to a certain student in this classroom. He said all these nasty, graphic things like putting a camera in the showerhead to watch the female student undress after P.E. I’m terrified of what he might do, and he could so easily blow up Gotham High with us all still sitting in here acting out our Shakespeare plays! Because of the seriousness of the situation school will be cancelled next week, maybe even for two weeks…we just don’t have enough information at the moment. The bastard, excuse my language, is running around free in the city so we need to make sure everything’s safe on school grounds.”8

“Who’s the Joker making threats to?” Angie pressed, starting to shiver uncontrollably at the thought of her being the victim. A few students were piling into the seats around her, most of them with pale faces and worried expressions. They looked up at Miss Pennycoat as she leaned forward, her starburst earrings dangling, green, mascara-caked eyes piercing through Angie’s frightened brown ones.9

“It’s you, Angie”, she whispered in a small, dead-serious voice. “I’m afraid the student is you.”10

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-11

“Oh no, no, no, no…this *cannot* be happening to me…” Angie balled her hands into tight little fists and covered her face. She bit down on her lip to control the noisy chattering of her teeth. “Please Miss Pennycoat; please tell me this is a fucking joke.”12

“A joke?!” Miss Pennycoat scoffed, slapping her hand on Angie’s desk. “My dear, this couldn’t *be* more serious. Your life is at stake here!”13

“So what am I supposed to do now, huh? Hide in my bomb shelter?” She sprang up from her desk, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. A few students snickered but Angie didn’t give a fuck—she was prey to the most feared man in the city, it was her body he wanted to check out on the video camera when the other girls stripped to take showers after gym class. What, just because she was Salvadore Maroni’s daughter gave him the right to peek at her goods? What a filthy, disgusting and pathetic pig for having to plug in a fucking video camera in order to whack off. 14

“Just calm down, Angie. No need to be leaking those big alligator tears. You know I’m here for you…we all are. Nothing is going to happen to any of my students, I promise. He won’t lay a finger on your head.”15

“You really mean that?” Angie glanced up at this kind, frizzy-haired woman as she hastily wiped salty tears from her chin. “Maybe I should just pack up my stuff and go home.”16

“Please do”, Miss Pennycoat put a plump hand on her slender shoulder, brushed a lock of feathery dark hair from the worried girl’s high, angelic cheekbones, her own green eyes glistening with tears. “Don’t worry, I called Commissioner Gordon, your daddy is good friends with him from my understanding. He’s going to pick you up from school for the next two weeks. How does that sound, Angie? You can call me from home or just e-mail me if you have any questions or just need to talk. This’ll all blow over soon. Just be strong…can you do that, dear?”17

Before Angie could respond, the school speaker crackled with static and there was the sound of someone laughing hysterically in the background. It was the mad, hyena-like cackling of a criminal mastermind; one Angie Maroni was all too familiar with. She instinctively leapt into Miss Pennycoat’s arms at the sound of his voice, her body quivering, eyes wet with fresh tears that were smudging her mascara. 18

The Joker tapped the speaker a few times, grumbled “is it working?” to one of his henchmen and, clearing his throat, started to speak in that low, chilling drawl of his:19

“Attention, kiddies! Teachers: I do apologize for interrupting your lessons, but there’s a very naughty little girl who needs to report herself to the Principal’s office imm-ediate-ly. Now don’t be sneaking away, precious, or I’ll blow up this wonderful little school just like I’m gonna blow up a hospital if Batsy doesn’t take off his mask! There’s no need to be, uh, *afraid* of me girlie, it’s just a small favor I want from you…no biggie, just a one-night stand from the most feared man in Gotham!” He exploded into a fit of high-pitched giggles, and Angie buried her face into Miss Pennycoat’s chest with a small scream. 20

“Hm…why so serious, babydoll?” The Joker prattled on, his voice dripping with mirth. He seemed to be enjoying every minute of this. “What girl *wouldn’t* want to see my handsome mug? And in full make-up too! I plucked and preened myself just for you…even washed my clothes and everything. Is it the scars that make you nervous? Don’t worry, underneath it all I’m actually a pretty well-rounded fellow, minus the murders, mobsters I’ve dumped in the river, etc, etc. Any-hoo, enough chit-chat from talkative ole me! Daddy J wants to see that ad-or-able little tush in Mr. Teddy’s office at once. Do we understand each other? Good! I’m glad you’re so anxious to see me…then again, who wouldn’t?” He giggled wildly, his masterful presence making it hard to breathe. “I’ll be waiting for ya…and remember what I said: don’t be a sneaky little minx. One thing you need to know about me, Angie baby, is that I’m a man of my word.”21

Angie started to sob, her face all snotty and red with hot tears. She was so scared of what that terrible man was going to do to her, and she knew there was no way to escape him. If she didn’t obey he would blow up the school! There wasn’t a doubt in Angie’s mind that the bastard wouldn’t hesitate, either. It was all a game to him after all. 22