The Joker and the Ally Cat (Part 3)
Title: The Joker and the Ally Cat
Author: leejaehwa7
Pairing: Junhyung (Joker)/ OC (Ally Cat, aka Allison)
Member: Kikwang (AJ)
Rating: PG
Chapter: 3/4
Summary: The Joker (Junhyung) is a well known dancer who hides his real self. He likes to keep his two lives separate. On his way to the top he encounters AJ (Kikwang) who was the Kingka of the underground dance world. The Joker is fighting to take AJ's place. He meets this mysterious girl, who has serious dance skills. Their paths cross multiple times before they get to know each other.
( Part1), ( Part2)
She looked over at me and smiled causing my thoughts to come crashing down. I looked her over with my good eye to make sure she was okay. She didn’t seem to have any wrong with her. I guess dancing wasn’t her only talent. I don’t know what would have happened to me if she hadn’t shown up.
She let go of my hand and lightly touched the cut above my right eye. I flinched away from the pain. Shaking her head she turned to enter the store towards the end of the block. I waited outside for her to get whatever she needed. I’m sure the clerk wouldn’t appreciate me making an appearance and scaring all of the customers.
I took a seat on the bench outside the entrance to the store and leaned my head down, trying to make the blood stop dripping down my face. I could feel it drying against my neck and causing a wet spot to appear on my shirt. This is something I have no idea how to explain to my parents. I curse myself for letting my guard down. Was I being too cocky by ignoring AJ when it came to him and his threats?
I looked down to see down to see a pair of feet in front of me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I tilted my head up as she bent down to examine my face. She pulled out antibacterial wipes and band-aids. She began cleaning my cut and the side of my face and neck. There was no talking involved. I had learned from our previous encounter that she didn’t speak much. This time however the silence wasn’t awkward.
I watched her facial expressions as she continued to work. She knotted her eyebrow while she stared at my cut. I wondered how big it was to have spilled all this blood. The alcohol from the wipes stung as it entered my wound and made me flinch. She leaned forward and blew cool, soothing air on my cut. She wiped a few more times and bandaged me up.
Her fingers lightly touched the bandage before traveling down my face and neck to my shirt. She pinched the places where blood had stained my shirt. She pulled out a new t-shirt from her bag and offered it to me. I was surprised at the thoughtfulness and quickly accepted the shirt. I moved to the side of the store, near the alleyway and quickly changed. She turned her back giving me privacy.
There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but I didn’t want to annoy her or cause her to leave. Instead, I simply went back to her side taking the bag and placing my blood stained shirt inside. We stood together before I motioned suggesting that we take a walk. I had no exact destination in mind when we started walking, but I knew that I didn’t want to leave her just yet.
During our walk, I repeatedly glanced over at her. Sometimes we made eye contact and she would look away smiling to herself. I noticed a coffee shop not far off and suggested we go there to get out of the cool air and take a rest. I ordered us drinks, same as before, and sat with her in a corner.
After sipping our drinks in silence, I finally spoke. “Does this mean we are even now?”
Her eyes moved from her drink to me as she smiled and looked away again. She wasn’t going to speak.
“I feel as if I owe you now,” I added thinking back to the fight in the alley.
She reached over to touch my forearm and shook he head quickly. She let go after she thought she had gotten her point across. I continued to look at the place her hand had been and thought of how her touch still lingered on my skin.
“Can I ask you something?” I wondered. I waited for her to give me some indication that she was listening or even willing to answer. She gave a slight nod while tracing her fingers around the rim of her cup. “Why don’t you talk?” I was truly curious at this point because I had never seen her speak to anyone. “It’s okay if you don’t answer, I was just wondering.”
She pursed her lips in thought and pulled a pen out of her bag. She used a napkin as paper and wrote something before passing it to me. I read her neat handwriting again. “I lost my voice when I was seven.”
I took her pen and wrote, “How?” before passing it back to her. Since she couldn’t speak I would communicate with her in her way.
I watched as she began writing again. I read, “I was in a car accident. I had to have surgery and somehow one of my vocal cords was harmed in the procedure.”
I wrote, “I’m sorry. I think you are an amazing dancer by the way. :)”
She read the paper and smiled, blushing. She wrote, “Thank you.”
I decided to be bold and ask her for her number. When I passed the note back to her, she bit her lip in thought and pulled out her phone. She passed it to me saying I should save my number. I did so and called my own phone to save her number. It was then that I realized I still didn’t know her name. I took the note and wrote, “Name?”
She reached over and took the pen to write, “Allison, but you can call me Ally.”
I liked that. I typed her name into my phone as “Ally Cat” deciding that it would be my nickname for her. I’m not sure why I thought of her as a cat, maybe it was the way her eyes were always searching for something or maybe it was how she moved while dancing and fighting. She was so graceful and powerful at the same time. She was also cautious. Every movement she made seemed tense, as if she were waiting for something to happen. I wondered what was bothering her but decided not to ask.
We ended our conversation for the time being. I was just happy that I finally had gotten closer to Ally and had broken past the cautious barrier she had put up. I hadn’t expected her to be unable to talk; it was sad to hear about her accident. But I’m happy she didn’t let it get her down.
We passed our time by staring out the window and sipping our drinks, while occasionally looking over at one another. This time Ally wrote first to ask me a question. I read the napkin, “What do you plan on doing about AJ?”
I sighed and wrote, “I’m still not sure. Any suggestions?”
She read my question and looked at me giving a shrug. I thought about it. There is no way I will be able to hide my face at school tomorrow and I would get in so much trouble if I skipped. Actually, I’m going to get in so much trouble when I get home and my mom sees my face. Hopefully she’s not angry enough to take away my privilege of going out at night.
As if reading my mind, Ally passed a note to me that said, “How are you going to explain your eye tomorrow?”
It was my turn to shrug and answer. I thought about it for a second and decided to ask, “Do you know who I am?”
When she read the note she looked up at me questioningly while tilting her head. I pulled the napkin back and rephrased my question. “Do you know my secret?”
This time when she read the question, she smirked with realization and wrote two words on the napkin, “Joker=Junhyung.”
I pulled out another napkin and wrote, “I guess I don’t have to worry about you saying anything.”
When she saw the words she lightly kicked my shin under the table and smiled while shaking her head. I’m glad she took the joke because I would have felt bad if it offended her. There wasn’t much to discuss after that. We had accepted each other’s friendship and with that friendship came an agreed silence. I liked the idea of not having small talk. Honestly, I was accustomed to not having friends or needing to constantly speak to someone. Her presence was enough to make me happy.
I suggested we go home before it became too late. When we started walking, we remained on the same path until we almost reached my house. She turned on a street down from mine and pointed to a house not far down, showing that is where she lived. I nodded and waved goodbye, quickly making my way home.
My mom was in the kitchen when I entered the front door. Too bad I had to pass it to get to the stairs that led up to my room. She immediately saw my face when I walked by and pulled me into the bright light of the kitchen examining me. I told her it was nothing, just a small scrape that had happened when I fell during dance practice. She scolded me on being careless and told me not to let anything else happen.
I was surprised she hadn’t been stricter with me, but I wasn’t about to question her decision. She made me go upstairs and wash immediately so that she could examine my cut after it was clean. I agreed, more willing to keep her calm.
Even though I iced my face to keep the swelling down, it didn’t stop the huge purple bruise that formed around my eye. No amount of make up would fix it and I knew going to school like this would definitely draw attention. I guess I will just have to try to keep a low profile. Too bad I can’t just wear shades all day at school.
Upon waking up I decided to text Ally. “Have you left for school yet?”
I continued getting my books together when she replied. “Not yet, leaving in ten minutes. Why? Want to walk with me to school?”
I smiled at her wit. I like that she can read my mind when it comes to certain things because it makes it easier for me. I text back, “If that’s okay with you.”
She quickly replied, “Meet me at the corner in ten. :)”
I rushed packing and made my way downstairs. Mom forced me to eat something for breakfast and complained about my face. “Oh…my beautiful son. Why must he be so clumsy?”
I gulped down my food and rushed out the door before she could give me seconds. I made my way down the street hoping I hadn’t kept her waiting. My heart leapt when I saw her standing at the corner waiting for me. She smiled when I got closer, but it quickly turned into a look of concern when she saw my eye. She pointed at it giving me a pained face, but I said, “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt, much.”
With that we both turned and walked silently to school. She didn’t seem bothered to be seen with me, especially when everyone started staring. I guess she was used to getting looks, but I on the other hand was used to being ignored. When we made it to her locker, I waved goodbye to her and went to my own locker. I tried to avoid any path that would lead me to AJ and his band of goons.
I was lucky enough to stay out of sight. When I got to my locker I decided to text Ally, realizing I had forgot to ask her earlier. “Want to have lunch together?”
It wasn’t until I made it to my classroom that I received and answer. “Sure, meet me at the tables in the quad. I like to eat outside.”
I smiled thinking about it. I was actually going to have lunch with her today. Things were progressing faster than I had planned, but it made me happy.
The whispers around me pulled me out of my thoughts. “I wonder what happened to his face?” “Looks like he got in a fight.” “Did you see who he walked into school with?”
I gritted my teeth in order to keep quiet. I wanted so badly to tell them to shut their mouths and mind their own business. I wonder what they would think, or those that new about the underground dance world, if they knew I was the new Kingka. I smirked to myself ignoring their nosy questions.
It wasn’t until after second period that someone was bold enough to ask me what happened to my face. I rolled my eyes before looking over at the person who asked me the question. “Is it any of your business?”
I knew it probably wasn’t the best thing to say to keep a low profile, but I was tired of people talking about me behind my back and whispering things within hearing distance. His eyes widened in shock and he said, “Looks like you lost.”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath before making eye contact with him. “Considering four bastards try to beat me up and all I got was a black eye, I would say I won.” He leaned back at my smart remark with his eyes showing disbelief. “You think I’m joking don’t you. Would you like to find out first hand?” I added glaring at him and his friends who were listening intently to our conversation.
Standing up, I made my exit because I didn’t feel like answering any more questions. It was on the way to the restroom that I passed AJ. He was alone, walking with his head down, a scowl on his face. I tried to be unnoticeable, but us being the only two in the hallway made that impossible. He heard my footsteps and looked directly at me. We made eye contact. I continued walking, hoping he wouldn’t stop or speak to me.
In the end, my prayers were futile. I felt his hand on my shoulder pulling me to a halt. I pivoted on one foot and braced myself for the interrogation or whatever he was about to say.
“You look familiar. Do I know you?” he asked.
I ignored the questions and stared at him, waiting for realization to cross his face. It took a moment, but when it hit him he quickly backed away. The bruised and swollen eye along with my angry stare was enough for him to understand I wasn’t willing to play his games.
“It’s you,” he stated. “How did you…when did…you”
“What? Can’t find the right words? Too surprised that I’m your biggest rival? Me? A big nobody?” I wasn’t using these words to put myself down. I had heard them countless times before. People were always describing me as a loser, worthless, or nothing. These words gave me the strength to prove to everyone else that they were wrong about me.
Taking a step forward, I bridged the gap between us and leaned in to say, “Next time you should do the job yourself instead of sending your mindless goons to do it for you.”
He was still in a state of shock. I wasn’t in the mood to tease or push him around. Instead, I turned and walked away. I knew he would hate it more that I didn’t taunt him or fight back. He hated when a person pretended not to care, that was one point in particular I noticed about him during out dance competitions. It was always the nights that I ignored his insults that always riled him up even more. I loved seeing him blow up and act ridiculous. This was all a part of my overall plan. I was just hoping he wouldn’t find out about me this soon.
When I made it to the restroom, I stared at myself in the mirror and washed my face with cool water. I can’t believe I just confronted him like that, not as the Joker, but as Junhyung. There was no longer the separation between the Joker and Junhyung. I can’t hide anymore. Lucky for me, AJ is the type of person to save face, which means I can be sure that he won’t tell anyone I’m the guy who took his title. I mean, how would it look to the school if some nobody like me became the top guy?
Silence fell over the classroom when I entered. I knew they had been talking about me. I felt eyes on me during the next lesson. When the bell rang signaling lunch, I gathered my things to find Ally. She was sitting at the only table outside with shade. I waved and took a seat across from her. I was beginning to grow accustomed to the stares around me.
She already had a note written for me. She slid it across the table and began eating. “I saw AJ recognize you. Are you okay?”
I smiled, happy that she was worried about me. I pulled out a pen and wrote, “Everything is fine, for now at least.” Then added, “I don’t think he will tell anyone about me.”
She read my note and nodded in agreement. We didn’t talk much after that. I didn’t want lunch to end because it meant going back into that classroom with all those judgmental eyes following me.
In the end, I was glad nothing more eventful occurred for the rest of the day. Ally and I walked home together, separating at the corner again. I spent the rest of the afternoon and night practicing for the next competition. My body was bruised and sore from the beating, but there was no way AJ would win like this. I was determined to show him that I was not someone he could push around.
Ally was at the next competition, but she didn’t dance. She lingered around the edge of the dance floor watching everyone else. She stood by me for a while, before going to see other people. I swear I could feel her eyes on me the whole night though.
When it was my turn to dance the crowd began chanting my name, “Joker! Joker! Joker!” It pumped adrenaline through my veins, hyping me for the intense choreography I was about to unleash on these people. I was going to blow AJ’s mind and that is exactly what I did. My constant flips, spins, flares, and freezes made his jaw drop. I could see him frozen on the edge of the crowd watching my every move. I showed them tricks like a pencil spin, a boomerang, a scorpion, and a no handed back flip. The crowd’s reaction was exactly what I wanted. AJ was history, old news.
I made my way home that night as the king of the dance floor yet again. This time the impact was larger. The crowd hadn’t expected me to top my previous performances, but I did. It took extra practice and I was in a lot of pain during and after practice, but this was my dream and I willing to risk it all. I had gotten a taste of fame and there was nothing more addicting that knowing hundreds of people wanted to be me.
Ally had left with me to walk home together. I was babbling for the first time while being around her because I was so hyped after my win. She laughed and smiled at me the whole time, only able to listen to my rants.
I’m not sure when someone started following us, but it was too late when I finally did notice. A gang of people surrounded us, holding us down and placing blindfolds over our eyes to make sure we couldn’t see anything. I felt someone picking me up and placing me into a van. I felt Ally’s heavy breathing beside me. I could hear guys’ laughing all around us. My arms were tied behind my back and someone was now working on tying my legs together as well. This was it; we were trapped with no way to fight back.
( Part4)
Author: leejaehwa7
Pairing: Junhyung (Joker)/ OC (Ally Cat, aka Allison)
Member: Kikwang (AJ)
Rating: PG
Chapter: 3/4
Summary: The Joker (Junhyung) is a well known dancer who hides his real self. He likes to keep his two lives separate. On his way to the top he encounters AJ (Kikwang) who was the Kingka of the underground dance world. The Joker is fighting to take AJ's place. He meets this mysterious girl, who has serious dance skills. Their paths cross multiple times before they get to know each other.
( Part1), ( Part2)
She looked over at me and smiled causing my thoughts to come crashing down. I looked her over with my good eye to make sure she was okay. She didn’t seem to have any wrong with her. I guess dancing wasn’t her only talent. I don’t know what would have happened to me if she hadn’t shown up.
She let go of my hand and lightly touched the cut above my right eye. I flinched away from the pain. Shaking her head she turned to enter the store towards the end of the block. I waited outside for her to get whatever she needed. I’m sure the clerk wouldn’t appreciate me making an appearance and scaring all of the customers.
I took a seat on the bench outside the entrance to the store and leaned my head down, trying to make the blood stop dripping down my face. I could feel it drying against my neck and causing a wet spot to appear on my shirt. This is something I have no idea how to explain to my parents. I curse myself for letting my guard down. Was I being too cocky by ignoring AJ when it came to him and his threats?
I looked down to see down to see a pair of feet in front of me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I tilted my head up as she bent down to examine my face. She pulled out antibacterial wipes and band-aids. She began cleaning my cut and the side of my face and neck. There was no talking involved. I had learned from our previous encounter that she didn’t speak much. This time however the silence wasn’t awkward.
I watched her facial expressions as she continued to work. She knotted her eyebrow while she stared at my cut. I wondered how big it was to have spilled all this blood. The alcohol from the wipes stung as it entered my wound and made me flinch. She leaned forward and blew cool, soothing air on my cut. She wiped a few more times and bandaged me up.
Her fingers lightly touched the bandage before traveling down my face and neck to my shirt. She pinched the places where blood had stained my shirt. She pulled out a new t-shirt from her bag and offered it to me. I was surprised at the thoughtfulness and quickly accepted the shirt. I moved to the side of the store, near the alleyway and quickly changed. She turned her back giving me privacy.
There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but I didn’t want to annoy her or cause her to leave. Instead, I simply went back to her side taking the bag and placing my blood stained shirt inside. We stood together before I motioned suggesting that we take a walk. I had no exact destination in mind when we started walking, but I knew that I didn’t want to leave her just yet.
During our walk, I repeatedly glanced over at her. Sometimes we made eye contact and she would look away smiling to herself. I noticed a coffee shop not far off and suggested we go there to get out of the cool air and take a rest. I ordered us drinks, same as before, and sat with her in a corner.
After sipping our drinks in silence, I finally spoke. “Does this mean we are even now?”
Her eyes moved from her drink to me as she smiled and looked away again. She wasn’t going to speak.
“I feel as if I owe you now,” I added thinking back to the fight in the alley.
She reached over to touch my forearm and shook he head quickly. She let go after she thought she had gotten her point across. I continued to look at the place her hand had been and thought of how her touch still lingered on my skin.
“Can I ask you something?” I wondered. I waited for her to give me some indication that she was listening or even willing to answer. She gave a slight nod while tracing her fingers around the rim of her cup. “Why don’t you talk?” I was truly curious at this point because I had never seen her speak to anyone. “It’s okay if you don’t answer, I was just wondering.”
She pursed her lips in thought and pulled a pen out of her bag. She used a napkin as paper and wrote something before passing it to me. I read her neat handwriting again. “I lost my voice when I was seven.”
I took her pen and wrote, “How?” before passing it back to her. Since she couldn’t speak I would communicate with her in her way.
I watched as she began writing again. I read, “I was in a car accident. I had to have surgery and somehow one of my vocal cords was harmed in the procedure.”
I wrote, “I’m sorry. I think you are an amazing dancer by the way. :)”
She read the paper and smiled, blushing. She wrote, “Thank you.”
I decided to be bold and ask her for her number. When I passed the note back to her, she bit her lip in thought and pulled out her phone. She passed it to me saying I should save my number. I did so and called my own phone to save her number. It was then that I realized I still didn’t know her name. I took the note and wrote, “Name?”
She reached over and took the pen to write, “Allison, but you can call me Ally.”
I liked that. I typed her name into my phone as “Ally Cat” deciding that it would be my nickname for her. I’m not sure why I thought of her as a cat, maybe it was the way her eyes were always searching for something or maybe it was how she moved while dancing and fighting. She was so graceful and powerful at the same time. She was also cautious. Every movement she made seemed tense, as if she were waiting for something to happen. I wondered what was bothering her but decided not to ask.
We ended our conversation for the time being. I was just happy that I finally had gotten closer to Ally and had broken past the cautious barrier she had put up. I hadn’t expected her to be unable to talk; it was sad to hear about her accident. But I’m happy she didn’t let it get her down.
We passed our time by staring out the window and sipping our drinks, while occasionally looking over at one another. This time Ally wrote first to ask me a question. I read the napkin, “What do you plan on doing about AJ?”
I sighed and wrote, “I’m still not sure. Any suggestions?”
She read my question and looked at me giving a shrug. I thought about it. There is no way I will be able to hide my face at school tomorrow and I would get in so much trouble if I skipped. Actually, I’m going to get in so much trouble when I get home and my mom sees my face. Hopefully she’s not angry enough to take away my privilege of going out at night.
As if reading my mind, Ally passed a note to me that said, “How are you going to explain your eye tomorrow?”
It was my turn to shrug and answer. I thought about it for a second and decided to ask, “Do you know who I am?”
When she read the note she looked up at me questioningly while tilting her head. I pulled the napkin back and rephrased my question. “Do you know my secret?”
This time when she read the question, she smirked with realization and wrote two words on the napkin, “Joker=Junhyung.”
I pulled out another napkin and wrote, “I guess I don’t have to worry about you saying anything.”
When she saw the words she lightly kicked my shin under the table and smiled while shaking her head. I’m glad she took the joke because I would have felt bad if it offended her. There wasn’t much to discuss after that. We had accepted each other’s friendship and with that friendship came an agreed silence. I liked the idea of not having small talk. Honestly, I was accustomed to not having friends or needing to constantly speak to someone. Her presence was enough to make me happy.
I suggested we go home before it became too late. When we started walking, we remained on the same path until we almost reached my house. She turned on a street down from mine and pointed to a house not far down, showing that is where she lived. I nodded and waved goodbye, quickly making my way home.
My mom was in the kitchen when I entered the front door. Too bad I had to pass it to get to the stairs that led up to my room. She immediately saw my face when I walked by and pulled me into the bright light of the kitchen examining me. I told her it was nothing, just a small scrape that had happened when I fell during dance practice. She scolded me on being careless and told me not to let anything else happen.
I was surprised she hadn’t been stricter with me, but I wasn’t about to question her decision. She made me go upstairs and wash immediately so that she could examine my cut after it was clean. I agreed, more willing to keep her calm.
Even though I iced my face to keep the swelling down, it didn’t stop the huge purple bruise that formed around my eye. No amount of make up would fix it and I knew going to school like this would definitely draw attention. I guess I will just have to try to keep a low profile. Too bad I can’t just wear shades all day at school.
Upon waking up I decided to text Ally. “Have you left for school yet?”
I continued getting my books together when she replied. “Not yet, leaving in ten minutes. Why? Want to walk with me to school?”
I smiled at her wit. I like that she can read my mind when it comes to certain things because it makes it easier for me. I text back, “If that’s okay with you.”
She quickly replied, “Meet me at the corner in ten. :)”
I rushed packing and made my way downstairs. Mom forced me to eat something for breakfast and complained about my face. “Oh…my beautiful son. Why must he be so clumsy?”
I gulped down my food and rushed out the door before she could give me seconds. I made my way down the street hoping I hadn’t kept her waiting. My heart leapt when I saw her standing at the corner waiting for me. She smiled when I got closer, but it quickly turned into a look of concern when she saw my eye. She pointed at it giving me a pained face, but I said, “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt, much.”
With that we both turned and walked silently to school. She didn’t seem bothered to be seen with me, especially when everyone started staring. I guess she was used to getting looks, but I on the other hand was used to being ignored. When we made it to her locker, I waved goodbye to her and went to my own locker. I tried to avoid any path that would lead me to AJ and his band of goons.
I was lucky enough to stay out of sight. When I got to my locker I decided to text Ally, realizing I had forgot to ask her earlier. “Want to have lunch together?”
It wasn’t until I made it to my classroom that I received and answer. “Sure, meet me at the tables in the quad. I like to eat outside.”
I smiled thinking about it. I was actually going to have lunch with her today. Things were progressing faster than I had planned, but it made me happy.
The whispers around me pulled me out of my thoughts. “I wonder what happened to his face?” “Looks like he got in a fight.” “Did you see who he walked into school with?”
I gritted my teeth in order to keep quiet. I wanted so badly to tell them to shut their mouths and mind their own business. I wonder what they would think, or those that new about the underground dance world, if they knew I was the new Kingka. I smirked to myself ignoring their nosy questions.
It wasn’t until after second period that someone was bold enough to ask me what happened to my face. I rolled my eyes before looking over at the person who asked me the question. “Is it any of your business?”
I knew it probably wasn’t the best thing to say to keep a low profile, but I was tired of people talking about me behind my back and whispering things within hearing distance. His eyes widened in shock and he said, “Looks like you lost.”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath before making eye contact with him. “Considering four bastards try to beat me up and all I got was a black eye, I would say I won.” He leaned back at my smart remark with his eyes showing disbelief. “You think I’m joking don’t you. Would you like to find out first hand?” I added glaring at him and his friends who were listening intently to our conversation.
Standing up, I made my exit because I didn’t feel like answering any more questions. It was on the way to the restroom that I passed AJ. He was alone, walking with his head down, a scowl on his face. I tried to be unnoticeable, but us being the only two in the hallway made that impossible. He heard my footsteps and looked directly at me. We made eye contact. I continued walking, hoping he wouldn’t stop or speak to me.
In the end, my prayers were futile. I felt his hand on my shoulder pulling me to a halt. I pivoted on one foot and braced myself for the interrogation or whatever he was about to say.
“You look familiar. Do I know you?” he asked.
I ignored the questions and stared at him, waiting for realization to cross his face. It took a moment, but when it hit him he quickly backed away. The bruised and swollen eye along with my angry stare was enough for him to understand I wasn’t willing to play his games.
“It’s you,” he stated. “How did you…when did…you”
“What? Can’t find the right words? Too surprised that I’m your biggest rival? Me? A big nobody?” I wasn’t using these words to put myself down. I had heard them countless times before. People were always describing me as a loser, worthless, or nothing. These words gave me the strength to prove to everyone else that they were wrong about me.
Taking a step forward, I bridged the gap between us and leaned in to say, “Next time you should do the job yourself instead of sending your mindless goons to do it for you.”
He was still in a state of shock. I wasn’t in the mood to tease or push him around. Instead, I turned and walked away. I knew he would hate it more that I didn’t taunt him or fight back. He hated when a person pretended not to care, that was one point in particular I noticed about him during out dance competitions. It was always the nights that I ignored his insults that always riled him up even more. I loved seeing him blow up and act ridiculous. This was all a part of my overall plan. I was just hoping he wouldn’t find out about me this soon.
When I made it to the restroom, I stared at myself in the mirror and washed my face with cool water. I can’t believe I just confronted him like that, not as the Joker, but as Junhyung. There was no longer the separation between the Joker and Junhyung. I can’t hide anymore. Lucky for me, AJ is the type of person to save face, which means I can be sure that he won’t tell anyone I’m the guy who took his title. I mean, how would it look to the school if some nobody like me became the top guy?
Silence fell over the classroom when I entered. I knew they had been talking about me. I felt eyes on me during the next lesson. When the bell rang signaling lunch, I gathered my things to find Ally. She was sitting at the only table outside with shade. I waved and took a seat across from her. I was beginning to grow accustomed to the stares around me.
She already had a note written for me. She slid it across the table and began eating. “I saw AJ recognize you. Are you okay?”
I smiled, happy that she was worried about me. I pulled out a pen and wrote, “Everything is fine, for now at least.” Then added, “I don’t think he will tell anyone about me.”
She read my note and nodded in agreement. We didn’t talk much after that. I didn’t want lunch to end because it meant going back into that classroom with all those judgmental eyes following me.
In the end, I was glad nothing more eventful occurred for the rest of the day. Ally and I walked home together, separating at the corner again. I spent the rest of the afternoon and night practicing for the next competition. My body was bruised and sore from the beating, but there was no way AJ would win like this. I was determined to show him that I was not someone he could push around.
Ally was at the next competition, but she didn’t dance. She lingered around the edge of the dance floor watching everyone else. She stood by me for a while, before going to see other people. I swear I could feel her eyes on me the whole night though.
When it was my turn to dance the crowd began chanting my name, “Joker! Joker! Joker!” It pumped adrenaline through my veins, hyping me for the intense choreography I was about to unleash on these people. I was going to blow AJ’s mind and that is exactly what I did. My constant flips, spins, flares, and freezes made his jaw drop. I could see him frozen on the edge of the crowd watching my every move. I showed them tricks like a pencil spin, a boomerang, a scorpion, and a no handed back flip. The crowd’s reaction was exactly what I wanted. AJ was history, old news.
I made my way home that night as the king of the dance floor yet again. This time the impact was larger. The crowd hadn’t expected me to top my previous performances, but I did. It took extra practice and I was in a lot of pain during and after practice, but this was my dream and I willing to risk it all. I had gotten a taste of fame and there was nothing more addicting that knowing hundreds of people wanted to be me.
Ally had left with me to walk home together. I was babbling for the first time while being around her because I was so hyped after my win. She laughed and smiled at me the whole time, only able to listen to my rants.
I’m not sure when someone started following us, but it was too late when I finally did notice. A gang of people surrounded us, holding us down and placing blindfolds over our eyes to make sure we couldn’t see anything. I felt someone picking me up and placing me into a van. I felt Ally’s heavy breathing beside me. I could hear guys’ laughing all around us. My arms were tied behind my back and someone was now working on tying my legs together as well. This was it; we were trapped with no way to fight back.
( Part4)