The Joker Goes to School/He Meets his Match, the Grisly Ghoul

Chapter 17

Two-Bits, who had seen the whole thing, returned to the Joker's lair and reported Susie's life status.

"Dead" he said.

"Are you sure?" said the Joker.

"Yeah, I saw the Warriors loading her on a meat wagon from the city morgue. The Boy Wonder was bawling his head off" said Two-Bits.

"Oh, well. Well, it had to be done, my Bad Pennies. What's the death of a greedy little dupe? This life, at best, is one long impractical joke" said the Joker.

He handed Nick a cigar and said "Have a memorial cigar".

"Why, thank you, Joker" said Nick.

When the cigar was lit, it exploded.

"The grief shadow has lifted! I'm my old humorous self again! Now what's the hour?" said the Joker.

Two-Bits looked at his watch and said "Five twenty-two".

"Quick. Cameras. Disguises. It's time for my greatest strike" said the Joker.

At the high school, the basketball players had heard of Susie's death.

The team captain, Fulton had just practiced a slam dunk.

"Okay, fellas, let's knock it off before we go stale" he said.

"Right you are, cap. We'll quit while we've got our sharp edge" said Joe, a team member.

"Yeah we'll beat 'em by fifty points. We'll do it for Susie" said Fulton.

The boys were about to exit, but then...

"Hey, the out of order sign's gone off the milk machine" said Fulton.

"Oh boy! It must be fixed. Who's got a dime?" said Joe.

"I got one" said Fulton inserting a dime.

But instead of milk or silver dollars, they got rolls of paper.

"What they heck? This machine's been fixed alright" said Joe.

"Gosh! These are neat weeks nationwide pre-college exam papers. Complete with the answers" said Fulton.

The Joker and the Bad Pennies walked in and took a picture.

"Oh, dear me. How disillusioning. The champs are cheats! Caught red handed with the answers to the nationwide pre-college exams" said the Joker.

"The Joker!" said Fulton.

"At the moment, merely an honest citizen" said the Joker.

"We was passing by to inspect this here school property which we support with our taxes" said Nick.

"And imagine our surprise" finished Two-Bits.

"We're not cheats" said Joe.

"No, it's a typical filthy Joker's trick" said Fulton.

"It hardly matters now, boys. Now does it? When the board of education sees this picture with you holding the answers to those exams..." said the Joker.

"Good gosh! We'll be suspended" said Joe.

"We won't be allowed to play Disko Tech tonight" said Fulton.

"Ah, well. I'm sure the scrubs will do their best" said the Joker.

"The scrubs? They'll be creamed" said Fulton.

"Oh, so sad, so sad. And after Batman's lectures to you about honesty... what on earth will the Caped Crusader say?" said the Joker.