Mazes Of Red

CHAPTER 7 : Learning To Laugh

patrons who approach Penny's Café in Gotham, can't help but feel a bit uneasy. 

The exterior of the building is weathered and worn, with peeling paint and cracked windows. The neon sign that reads "Pennys" flickers intermittently, casting an eerie glow over the otherwise dimly lit street.

 the heavy wooden doors greet patrons with  the clattering of dishes and the chatter of  other patrons. 

The interior of the café is dimly lit, with flickering Fluorescent lights  hanging from the ceiling , the walls are lined with peeling wallpaper with outdated posters showing both its age and need of update all brought together with the scuffed and stained linoleum floors.

The atmosphere inside Penny's is rough and gritty, with a distinct lack of charm or comfort. The air is thick with the scent of fried food and cigarette smoke, and the patrons seem to be a mix of Gotham locals and shady characters.

Despite the less-than-inviting ambiance, there is something intriguing about Penny's. It feels like the kind of place where secrets are exchanged and deals are made under the cover of darkness. 

locals regard penny's as a  hidden gem in the heart of Gotham's underworld.

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JASON POV

my foot taps impatiently against the floor.

I have my elbows resting on the table in front of me my phone clasped in-between my hands.

"where is she" I question looking out the window beside me and then at my phone for the 5th time in 3 minutes.

*DING*

I take my eyes off the window to take in the person who just entered the door.

my body relaxes at the sight of Lauren bobbing and weaving through the small  crowd towards me. 

"hey" she greets with her usual big smile as she slides into the booth across from me.

"hi" I greet happily  back my worries and anxieties dissipating with each passing minute.

"bit wet" I remark to Lauren with a snicker as she shakes her wet hoddie sleeve.

"just a little" she laughs back as she takes in the atmosphere of penny's.

Lauren looks a lot more tired than the last time I saw her the bags under her eyes show it.

her eyes also look a bit puffy and red as if she had been crying not to long ago.

I open my mouth to question whether she's okay but falter.

"Want anything from the menu" I question my eyebrow raised as I hand her the battered menu.

"hmmm" Lauren scans the menu flicking the peeling laminate on the corner absentminded for a minute before waving over the disinterested waitress.

we both order our food well I say we Lauren orders a apple pie whilst I stick with coffee.

 "so" Lauren starts before taking a spoon full of pie into her mouth and eating.

"what happened with you and the bats then?" she ask her interest seeping into her voice.

I let out a breath and look around trying to decide which points I should tell her first.

"wellll.... after we left you at your house which may I add is a lot nicer than my house" I gushed with jealousy as I point with a finger lifting my cup to drink.

"anyway he took me back to the bat mobile and drove for a while until we pulled up to Gotham GCDP" I shake my head with a laugh as I recall the next moves I took that night.

" lets just say I took a stupid move and may or may not have shoved my elbow into the bats and ran as soon as i stepped out the vehicle" I confess rubbing the nape of my neck.

Lauren face drops  saying are you fucking stupid.

she shakes her head and says nothing as she waves her spoon signifying she wants to hear more.

I swallow the lump in my throat that's now formed at the sight of a disappointed Lauren.

"so I start running like a bat out of hell the bats hot on my tail but unlucky me forgot he does this for a living and so I hit the floor mid stride" I tell her my voice picking up with the rising annoyance and disbelief I had shared on the day.

Lauren laughs her heart out dropping her spoon again half way through and ending her stomach laugh with a silent one.

I feel myself laugh with her for a moment something I hadn't done in a while.

 I let it fall off as I take in her laughing face.

she's so pretty....

wow...

I shake my head to dissipate these thoughts I cant be caught up in that.

"sorry.....sorry" Lauren collects herself wiping a few stray tears from her face "continue" she waves her hand at me.

"so the bats finally catches me my ankles are now bound and he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder he then walks back to the bat mobile and throws me back in" I roll my eyes at past me how the hell I was caught I don't know.

Lauren nods and eagerly waits for me to continue.

"I get yet another tongue lashing from the caped crusader before he pulls away from the GCDP he tells me he was using it as a way of putting fear into me clearly it worked, we drive again for a while until he pulls up to a school" I shudder at the thought of my current home.

"school?" Lauren questions pushing her plate to the end f the table.

"yeah Ma Gunn's school for troubled youths motherfer put me with the other rejects..." I huff out crossing my arms " at least I was better living on the streets"  I mutter this last point.

"MA GUNNS" Lauren shouts her eyes wide and she leans forward her hands on the table.

"yeahh..." I say skeptically glancing behind Laurens head at the crowd.

" be careful there Jason I heard a few things about that place and if any of it happened to you well...." she trails off fiddling with her fingers and avoiding my gaze as she slides back into her booth.

"no need to worry about me" i tell her confidently trying to get her too look at me.

she visibly relaxes a quick smile sent in my direction.

"what have you heard about this school?" i ask with a hushed voice.

if she feels there's something wrong with this school then I must be a psychic  I thought the place felt off.

Lauren looks around  quickly before leaning forward.

authors note

ooooo I wonder what's happened at ma gunns.

anyway sorry for the long ass update I've been busy af.

hope you enjoyed this chapter.

:)