In Love With A Good Man

Chapter 1: Strong Emotions

"Get your hands off'a me!" Harley shouted shortly before being thrown to the ground. She tumbled onto the sidewalk next to an empty street. As she slowly got to her feet, the two men who had thrown her closed and locked up a gate, leaving her stuck outside.

"Puddin', are ya just gonna let them do this to me?!" She shouted to her boyfriend, the Joker, for help. He tugged at the sleeves of his collared shirt, readjusting them within his coat as he approached the fence.

"I should let them do way worse. You're lucky I still have a soft spot for ya," He shook his head with an ironic chuckle. "You've contributed nothing to this gang since you started. You're a joke, Harley, and not the funny kind!"

"I've done everything I could for you!" Harley defended, pointing at him. She then softened up and tried to appeal to him, "C'mon, puddin'. We've had a lot of laughs together these past 3 years, haven't we? Taking on the Batman and tearing up Gotham? Please let me back in?" She begged.

Rather than say anything else, Joker simply turned his back to her and walked away, leaving her standing there. Harley pouted sadly, dropping her hand.

"Fine! You'll see! I'm gonna pull something big without ya! Then we'll see who's laughing! Then the joke'll be on you, Mr. J!" She yelled at him stubbornly...

Meanwhile, in a nightclub a few blocks away, a friend group of three walked in and sat down at the bar: their names are Mac, June, and Casey. Mac had invited the other two there. Even though Mac was there as the DJ, the group was there to celebrate.

"Finally finally finally! It's about time you moved to Gotham, Casey!" Mac laughed, patting Casey on the back. He chuckled a bit and sipped his drink.

"It is nice to have the old gang back together again, eh, June?" Casey asked, looking to June to agree with him. She smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Just like back in the graduation days. I think you'll like it here in Gotham. It gets a little chaotic, but you'll have way more business here than down south." She said to him.

"I hope so. I gotta pay off the little run-down house I'm moving into now." Casey said with an ironic chuckle.

"Don't worry, buddy. We got your back!" Mac reassured him, "Oh hey, my set's about to start, but I'll catch you throughout the night." He said to the others, patting them on their backs before rushing off.

"Haha, some things never change." June laughed, referring to Mac's way of carrying himself. Casey chuckled in agreement.

"Yeah, some things. But you've changed a little bit. You seem a little more put-together now." He observed.

"Ouch." June smiled teasingly.

"Oh come on, it's a compliment!" Casey laughed it off.

"I know. And thank you. Working at the bank was the anchor I needed to get everything else lined up. Speaking of which, a job position just opened up," She informed him. "Want me to put in word for you?"

"I'll consider it," Casey said. "I'mma spend a little time getting unpacked first. I gotta figure out my setups, get some gigs going, then I can figure out how many hours to put down on the application." He explained.

"Sounds good. Just keep me posted, okay? You got my number." She said, patting her hand on his arm as she stood up. He glanced back at her.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. I have an appointment tomorrow so I need to get some rest. But I wasn't gonna miss out on seeing you two. I'm glad that you're here." She said sincerely with a warm smile, ruffling his hair on her way out the door. He chuckled and watched her go.