The week couldn't go by quick enough. It was painstakingly long day after another, grinding for any cent I could pocket. I still hadn't told my boss that I was quitting, as to try and avoid immediate termination. So here I was, juggling the late-night drunks that would always try to cop a feel, or the needy stay-at-home wives that would flood in for their brunch time gossip and mimosas. And to think it was only Friday...no, Saturday? I didn't know anymore after having worked a straight double. The joys of a 24 hour establishment.

At some point I must have shifted in and out of consciousness because I didn't remember what I was doing seconds prior. Everything just kind of went black until Jenny's shrill "Hawleen!" stirred me from my fog. I blinked at my reflection in the large, glass pane window. Something hot and wet splashed my ankle and it wasn't until I looked down that I noticed coffee spilling from the pot in my hand.

"Shit!" I yelped, quickly lifting the pot up and brandishing a rag from my apron pocket. I bent down to wipe up the spill. Unbeknownst to me, Jenny was frantically ringing the kitchen bell.

"Ya got table six waitin'." She urged.

I nearly stumbled trying to get back up to my feet. Jenny pursed her lips as I rushed past her to retrieve the food waiting at the kitchen window.

"Betteh not let Tony see ya like this. He's been on evehyone's ass this mohnin'". She huffed, her eyes kept low as she counted the cash at the register.

I ignored her, not wanting to linger on the fact that I still had a couple more days of hell awaiting me. Gathering the tray, I glided it through the winding obstacle of counters and table tops, only to be met with a group of disgruntled middle-aged women. After a minute of them lecturing my service, I sucked in a frustrated inhale and came to terms that they were a lost tip. Better luck next table. I turned on my heel and darted back toward the kitchen, just about past the 'employee's only' labeled door before I heard a "Hey, toots!" hollering after me. I immediately clenched down on my teeth, reluctant to face Tony.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talkin ta ya!" He barked, grabbing me by the arm to spin me around. I tore myself away from him and backed into the counter. "Wanna tell me why ya left a table unattended while ya were busy staring off inta lala land?" His breath reeked as sour as the rest of him. I leaned away, my glare piercing back at his own.

"Sorreh, Boss." I growled through gritted teeth. "Won't happen again."

"Ya damn right it won't. I'm still docking ya check foh this one. Now get back ta work and stop fuckin around." He pointed aggressively forward, his meaty arm too close for comfort.

I felt my cheeks grow red and hot with rage as I held back every retort that clawed desperately to escape my lips. Inhaling hard, I turned away from him. I didn't make it so much as a millimeter before I felt the wind nearly knocked out of me and the stinging sensation to follow. His grip lingered on my ass for a second too long before releasing me with a tumble forward. Silence filled the air as anyone within visible range witnessed what had just happened. I met Jenny's mortified eyes and could tell it took every ounce of patience in her to hold her tongue. I silently reassured her before taking a slow turn in Tony's direction. He was immediately taken aback by whatever expression had settled onto my face. My eyes narrowed in on him, my throat dry.

"Ya deaf or what?" He challenged, leaning in to assert dominance. "Get. Back. To. Work…." He hissed each syllable between his teeth like some menacing reptile.

My soul must have slipped from my body at this point. I lost all control. Without a second of thought my fingers intertwined around the handle of a knife that had been set neatly on a counter place set. I saw red. I couldn't tell if it was from my own rage, or from the vast amount of blood splatter that met my face as the knife wedged itself under Tony's Adam's Apple. I could hear screams and bodies scattering from all around me, but saw nothing. Nothing other than the gurgling, bloated mass of a man before me. It must have taken three more thrusts before he slumped against the wall and to the ground. I admired his now silent corpse with a giggle of both disbelief and satisfaction at what I had done.

My eyes fluttered and to my dismay the image before me was gone. The sting of the smack was still there and I bit down on my lip to contain newly budding rage. I walked away from Tony, not wanting to arrive at Arkham as an inmate. Jenny watched me sympathetically from the cash register, her cheeks just as red as mine. I could tell she was having her own fantasies.

"Jesus Fuck…" She muttered once I reached her side.

"Scuse me." I replied, nudging her lightly to access the register.

"Uh…, Whatcha doin there, Harls?" Jenny questioned me with a single raised brow. I only smiled and slipped my hand down her apron to steal a cigarette and light.

"Quittin'!" I chirped, lighting my cigarette with one hand and retrieving a wad of cash with the other. "No one fuckin' touches me." I dropped the lighter back in her pocket and flipped through the bills. "One hundred foh rent…and anotha foh workplace harassment." My hand slapped the money down on the counter as I inhaled a long but satisfying drag of my cigarette.

"Are ya nuts?!" Jenny gasped. "He won't hesitate ta call tha cops-" I immediately cut her off with an abrupt chuckle.

"Well good luck tryna prove it was me. That dumb-bastard is too cheap ta install a single security camera." I tucked the money comfortably in my bra before untying the gaudy blue apron around my waist. "Behsides, he funds his alcoholism from every Friday night's earnings. Doubt he'll notice." With an elegant sway of my hand I let the apron fall to the ground. "See ya at home, babe." I flashed Jenny a playful wink and spun around on the balls of my feet, darting for the sweet freedom that the exit promised me.

"Where ta fuck is she goin'?!", was the last thing I heard, to which I threw both of my middle fingers up in the air behind me.

I've never welcomed change as much as I did today. As I sat at my vanity, I stared back at the girl in the mirror. A mixture of fear and excitement of the unknown swirled around in her blue hues. She was alert and ready to engage. The girl before me had purpose, she had a mission and she believed that things were really starting to look up for her. She smiled.

My fingers tenderly weaved loose strands of blonde hair up into a bun. I grabbed a final pin to seal the deal, tucked in the end of my shirt and lined my lips in a stunning matte red. The final result was a professional. I was no longer a rambunctious little girl with big dreams that seemed too far out of reach. Success was near and from this day on, I was Doctor Harleen Quinzel.

When it came time to leave, I hurriedly packed my purse. I was so frantic in the moment, nearly rushing out the door when I realized I had forgotten it. I stopped short, spotting the little yellow folder resting at my bedside table. I retrieved the folder, taking a short moment to peek at its contents again as a sort of good-luck send off. A newspaper clipping with Arthur Fleck's grinning mugshot stared back at me. I felt my stomach twist. Except this time I couldn't be sure that the feeling was attributed to nerves.