[1] BROKEN ONE // t. stark

15

I don't remember dreaming anything the other night. I thought I did but when I tried hard to recall what I dreamed, I couldn't find the picture. I tried to remember again, to see if I had dreamed about Dad or Mom, but I just couldn't. So at the end, I ignored it and stared blankly at the window.

     I didn't know how can I be awake in the early morning when the cloud was still dark outside. My alarm wasn't blaring either (I had stopped setting my alarm since I spent my time with Dad). The sun hadn't even appearing at the end of the horizon, but my eyes were already wide. I checked up the time on my bedside table and saw that it was only five in the morning. Even when I had schools I won't be waking up this early.

     When Ryder and Natalie's name crossed my mind, I just remembered that Natalie had acted quite strange yeaterday. For the second time since I awoke, I wondered what happened to her. I remember Ryder didn't say anything nasty to her at all. I had been friends with Natalie only for a few weeks, but I didn't think she was that sensitive. Whatever happened, I hope Ryder was handling it nicely.

     And then my mind drifted to my mother, who was staying at our apartment alone. It felt like forever since the last time I think and talked to her. Dad had been the main topic in my head since we went to Queens to recruit Peter even though I knew Mom was hurt more than before. I mean, why not? If before, it was only between her and Dad, but this time it was between the three of us. She might be thinking that I've been supporting Dad these whole times and that I didn't care about her at all.

     It just pained me when I think about my family. I felt like everyone was stabbing my heart with a bullet (I could've said with the Iron Man's beam, but I've never felt that before). Happy told me not to think about them, but how could I not? Mom and Dad are my parents and I needed them.

     It was half an hour since I woke up and thinking about these stuffs when my phone under my pillow rang. I felt excited for a second because I thought it was Dad. I wanted to hear from him if he was okay, but to my disappointment, it wasn't him. It was Mom.

     "Hello, good morning, honey," greeted Mom softly on the other side of the line.

     "Mom, it's early," I mumbled. It might sounded very rude, but I didn't have any moods to talk to anyone other than Dad, to be truth.

     "How are you doing, this morning?" asked Mom. "You sound like you're awake for some time."

     "Yeah." I chuckled, felt amused when Mom could tell that I was awake only by the sound of my voice. I thought my mumble sounded like a lazy person who just got up?

     "So how are you? Is everything fine there?"

     I bit my lower lip. "Yeah, everything's cool," I answered doubtly. Happy had probably told Mom what was really happening, but it was still hard to lie to my mother, who had a lot on her shoulders already. As the CEO of Stark Industries, she was popular to the cameras. The questions asked by the press must be the fire starter, but I knew my mother. She'll answer every question professionally as if it was nothing.

     "Yeah? Happy told me everything. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you, Terri. I know how you love your father so much. I should be with you."

     "What are you talking about, Mom?" I frowned to myself. To be honest, I'm actually glad that you're not here, I wanted to say, but did not. "We all love Dad. You, Happy, Rhodey. Even though you're far, but our hearts are close. Just pray for him, wherever you are, okay? I'm fine here. I have friends here. Don't come looking for me."

     "Terri, how can you say that to me?"

     "I don't want you to come here because I don't want you to get worried about me - or any of us; plus, I'm afraid if Dad came back and you're here, things only get worse," I told her. "You have a company to run. Help Dad with that. And I'll help you to take care of him, I promise."