Middle School Heroes

Chapter 29 - Psychiatric Evaluations and Cupid's a Jerk

As Valentine's Day approached, once again, dance fever took over the girl's side of the dorm, and Skye wondered vaguely if they'd consider letting her move to the boy's side to get away from it. Even Natasha, who normally didn't get all doe eyed over all of this stuff was excited. Skye suspected that had more to do with the fact that she was positive that Bucky planned to ask her again than anything else.

A few days before Valentine's Day, Skye arrived to PE and Coach Garrett called her over. "We are going to start some lessons on fighting with weapons during PE, Sunshine, and I thought you and your buddies," he motioned to Natasha and Clint, "might want to join us."

"Was that actually an offer, or more like an offer that's actually a demand?"

"I think it'd be good for you, so why don't we go with that last thing you said," he chuckled.

She sighed as she went to tell Clint and Natasha. Both of them were way more excited than she thought they should be. Skye was relieved to find out that it wasn't just them, though. Wade and Logan were both there, as were Dick and Bruce Wayne and Harleen and Floyd. Peter Quill and Scott Lang too. It appeared to be a small group of people. Not even all of the STRIKE team was taking part, just Hall and Rumlow.

"So, can someone explain to me why I need to learn this?" Skye sighed to Natasha as they joined the group.

From behind her, she heard a familiar laugh and turned to see Rumlow standing there smirking at her. "You have a tendency to rush into things without thinking, Sunshine, and that will get you in trouble every single time. When you don't know what you might be getting into, it's always better to figure out exactly what's happening before you end up in a situation that you don't like." He cocked his head toward her and smirked.

Skye rolled her eyes at him. "And what does that little nugget of advice have to do with me apparently needing to learn to fight with knives and swords? Also, Skye. That is my name. You know, in case you forgot."

"You shouldn't rush into things, but if you keep insisting, you better know how to fight your way out of it, Sunshine." She turned away from him, deciding that it might be more interesting, and less terrifying, to chat with Logan for a while.

Skye was relieved that they were at least starting with small rubber knives. It ended up not being so bad, and at least it was just during PE, and wouldn't interfere with the Engineering Special Interest class that she had just started taking.

"So, just out of curiosity," she said, while she and Clint were practicing what they had just learned. "Am I the only person at this school who has never thought to themselves, 'Hey, I should learn this stuff because one day, I might need to stab somebody!'"

Clint laughed, as did Harleen, who was practicing with Natasha beside them. She stopped and looked at Skye very seriously. "You may be suffering from a form of reverse Paranoid Personality Disorder, Skye, and therefor unable to imagine that there are bad people out there that would try to hurt you. I recommend that you try very hard to remember that just because you aren't paranoid, it doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you." She suddenly smiled brightly and turned back to take a vicious swing at Natasha's leg.

"So, that's a yes on me being the only one?"

Clint nodded and tried to stab her in the shoulder with his rubber knife. "Yep. Apparently so," he laughed, as he easily avoided her return swing at his head.

**********

After PE, Skye stopped by her locker to drop off her coat before lunch when she found a folded up piece of paper that had be shoved into her locker through the little vent holes in the top. She picked it up and unfolded it, glancing around to see if anyone near her might have left it, but there was no one around. It was a poem. A kind of a silly poem about Valentine's Day and Cupid's bow shooting arrows, but the bottom had a note saying that whoever sent it really wanted to ask Skye to the dance, but was afraid to do it face to face. There was no name on it, so Skye folded it up and shoved it in her backpack before heading off to lunch.

She caught Wanda before they entered the cafeteria, and showed her the note. "That is very odd. It is a sweet enough attempt to ask you, when you consider that it was written by a middle school boy without much experience in such things, but why no name?"

Skye shrugged. "Maybe he forgot?" It wouldn't be the first time that someone had left her something and forgot to put his name on it, and she wondered if maybe it happened again. Of course, she realized that he might have learned his lesson after Christmas, and was not likely to do the same thing. Besides, Clint didn't really seem like the mushy poem writing type, even if it did have a lot to do with archery. He also had plenty of opportunities to get her alone to ask her if he wanted to.

Unfortunately, for Skye the poem didn't stay a secret for long when Tony overheard Skye talking about it to Jane in the Commons, and brought it up at dinner. "So it seems our lovely Skye has gotten an invitation to the dance by way of poetry in her locker." He made a grab for the letter in her backpack, but she easily blocked him and gave him an angry look. "Hey, I'm just trying to help solve the mystery here, that's all. Really, Skye. You should let us read it out loud. Maybe whoever wrote it will fess up." He looked around the table, a mischievous look in his eye.

Clint groaned loudly, and his head fell to the table. Tony seemed to notice this, and continued to press. "So what do you think, Skye? Should you say yes to someone who asks by letter, without even putting their name on it? Seems like a cop out to me, but what do I know? How would you even tell them yes, when you don't have a clue who it's from? Obviously, someone didn't think this thing through very well."

Skye stood up and glared angrily at him. "Really, Tony? Can't seem to get your act together and get the date you want for the dance, so you want to make everyone else around you miserable?" Skye knew that Tony had asked Pepper to the dance earlier in the day, and she once again declined because she was going with Bruce Wayne. Skye also knew that she shouldn't be throwing it back in his face, but she couldn't help it. He obviously thought that Clint had sent the poem as well, and was purposely trying to embarrass him. Skye was suddenly glad that Pepper and Natasha had eaten earlier to work on a group project for their business class. Pepper would be horrified if she was there.

Steve decided to intervene. "Hey guys, lets calm down here. I think Tony's joke has gone a little off the rails and maybe he needs to sit down and finish his dinner."

Skye was too far gone to calm down, though. She practically shouted across the table. "You know what, Tony? I think I will say yes to whoever wrote this note, because at least one of us will have a date for the dance."

She shoved the note back in her backpack and turned in Clint's direction expectantly. He didn't move, just kept his head on the table in silence. Realization began creeping into Skye's mind as a voice behind her said, "Really? You'll go with me Skye? That's great!" She turned to see Ward standing behind her with a big stupid grin on his face. Skye felt the floor start to tremble ever so slightly, and she ran out of the room.