Battle Scars {An Iron Man FanFic}

Chapter 4: I Hate...

a/n: Dedicated to my newest fan @sacredwolf ! Thanks so much for fanning :D

. : ☼ : .

Chapter 4: I Hate...

Andy POV

                I looked down at my new white shoes, resting on the floor besides my bed. My eyes glanced over to my feet, clad in a new pair of socks, and then over to the large mirror across the room. I stood slowly and walked through the large empty space to see myself. My brown hair was straight and a bobby pin held my long bangs away from my face. I was wearing a white shirt with short sleeves and floral patterns with some jeans. At first I figured they were like any pair, just some jeans. But apparently they were more than just jeans.

                Both Tony and Pepper commented on their worth and I made it my life's goal to keep them clean, otherwise I'd face disappointment from them both. I played with a small gem attached to the side and pinched it. I hate these jeans, I told myself. I hated them because they weren't mine. They were new and different and I couldn't be myself in them. I had to watch what I did and what I ate, just for a stupid pair of jeans. I groaned aloud and turned on the spot. All of the furniture in the room had been moved to the far right side, making it so that the unnaturally large room was even more spacious.

                I hated the immensity of the room. Who needed that much space? And I hated all the clothes I had, because now I had to match them and I could no longer shrug on a shirt just for the sake of it. I hated how the bed was so big and how the closet was nearly endless. I hated that dinner was spent alone, I hated how conversations started and ended with the same topic. I hated my white shoes, because I was sure I would get them dirty. I hated my jeans. I hated my life.

                Everything had changed and no one seemed to see behind the mask I put on. I liked things simple and easy, not complicated and... strange. I mean, who knew that I couldn't wear a green shirt with purple shoes? Now they were sending me off to school, the Tomorrow Academy, and I was scared to death. It's only been a little over a week since I got here and the awkwardness had not yet wavered. Pepper and Tony were always busy with Stark International and Iron Man duties. I know that Pepper was hell bent over me going to school but I was sure Tony would save me from it. He saw that I was smart in the most unexpected ways. He would ask me simple questions and I would answer in such a way that would leave him staring at me intently, as if wanting to hear more. But he didn't vouch for me and said school would be a good thing.

                I didn't want to necessarily act like a smart ass; I just wanted to prove that I was worth the troubles. My brain is all I have and if that makes the difference between staying and leaving then I'd gladly use it. Even if I did hate the jeans, the shoes, the bed, the room, the rules, and even the idea of going to school, I still wanted to live here. Where else was I supposed to go? I didn't want to end up on the streets again and I certainly was not going to an adoption center. Besides, being here with them makes me feel somehow closer to my dad. At first, I hated that fact too. But after awhile, I realized I had always had his presence at my house and now this was the only place to fill that gap.

                I sighed to myself and walked slowly across the room to my bed. The walls were white and so was the carpet. I felt like I was in a crazy room, you know, the one with padded walls and strait jackets. I slipped the shoes onto my feet and grabbed my bag from the corner of the bed. It was still my same brown satchel, except that the inside looked like Wal-Mart threw up in it. I raised the top blanket of my bed up into the air before smoothing it down and placing my pillow on top. I grabbed my StarkPod from the bedside table and tucked it safely away into the front pocket of my jeans. Just as I was beginning to walk towards the door, Pepper knocked and opened it.