Sam: A Summer With My Uncle (Tony Stark fanfic)

Ms. Potts

  Since I had just gotten out of the shower and changed into some clean clothes, I blow dried my hair to make the process go faster. Even though I was nervous and wanted to take my time, I knew that Mr. Warren would be waiting for me so I did my best to get ready pretty swiftly. However, the man surprised me when he stated that he was leaving in a few minutes. Unfortunately, I had to rush around just to finish my routine.
  My soon to be ex-foster parent led me to the car and both of us slipped in with silence hanging in the air. Of course, Mr. Warren wasn't my favorite person to hang out in the car with but I was sure glad that it wasn't Wendy - Mrs. Warren. She would've pretended to make a big deal about it and I would act like I didn't know that she was totally faking it.
  During the car ride, everything was silent in the space between us and the only sound was the white noise of traffic. Since Mr. Warren wasn't the chatting type, I ignored the silence and just decided to busy my mind with my phone. I didn't want to think about the whole moving-in-with-someone-else situation because then I would start to panic and I would become even more anxious about the whole meeting than I already was. It was good to keep my mind focused on something - even if it was Candy Crush.
  When I finally peered up from my screen, I noticed that the scenery had changed from houses and suburban streets to skyscrapers and unbelievably unbearable traffic. Even the noises from outside became louder with car sounds and people causing all sorts of ruckus. It wasn't hard to realize that we had entered the city and I assumed that meant we were getting closer. Even though I had been in the city a few times, it still impressed me with how active and busy everything was.
  Finally, Mr. Warren made a right turn and the adoption center came into my view. On sight of the horrific building, my chest felt like it tightened while my heart leaped into my throat and choked me up. I hated this place - for obvious reasons - and I found myself wanting to leave already. Fortunately, Mr. Warren mentioned that my aunt - and now caretaker - had already signed the paperwork so I didn't have to wait around any longer than I had to.
  As soon as Jared's car halted in the parking lot, my gaze wandered around the parking spots to see if I could find her car. However, then a grey Lotus vehicle caught my attention as I pondered, "That's not her car-... is it?"
  Even Mr. Warren's eyes seemed to widen as he grumbled, "Yeah, I think so."
  Upon verifying my suspicion, I was even more surprised at how fancy the car looked. I was so stunned that I hardly noticed my jaw dropping to the floor. To prove it was my aunt even further, a woman with a light shade of red colored hair stepped out of the vehicle. Even her outfit matched for the vibe that she appeared to be going for - professional but still stunning. The woman wore a grey, silky dress shirt which was tucked into her long, navy blue skirt with fabulous black heels to tie up the look.
  Not letting any more time pass in the car, I jumped out and jogged over to her, "Excuse me, miss. Are you Pepper?"
  Startled, the woman turned her attention to look down at me but when her eyes locked with mine, a kind smile tugged at her lips to show off her perfectly white teeth. Even her voice and speech sounded perfect as she confirmed my suspicion, "Yes, I am. And you must be Sam?"
  With a smile than involuntarily appeared on my expression, I nodded and politely replied, "Yes ma'am."
  When Mr. Warren joined us, she turned her attention to him, "Thank you for bringing her here. Um-... so do I just take her with me?"
  "Well, all of the paperwork is complete so you two are free to go," Mr. Warren shrugged and pulled a fake smile. Although, I even noticed him checking the woman out too.
  Pepper turned to me while she beamed and inquired, "Are you ready to go then?"
  "Yes!" I exclaimed, a little too excitedly. However, we all just ignored it as we switched my bags to Pepper's car. When everything was loaded up, the two adults said their goodbyes and Pepper motioned for me to hop on in. At first, I was pretty timid to get in her car. I mean it was so nice that I was nervous that I might get it dirty or something. Except, Pepper didn't seem to be the type of person that cared. She seemed really nice anyway. So, I eventually slipped into the car and watched as the adoption center disappeared behind us.
  In the beginning, the car was pretty silent as the two of us kept our racing thoughts to ourselves. I was even more nervous now because if she looked like this and her car was as expensive as it looked then I couldn't imagine what her house might look like. How did I get put into such a fortunate situation? Although, I was hesitant to be positive because I didn't know if Pepper was going to be as stuck up as people would assume she would be. So far, however, she came off really nice.
  Finally, Pepper started a conversation to break the silence, "Are you excited for summer?" 
  Turning my head to look at the woman, I nodded as a response while I answered - rather awkwardly, "Yeah."
  Shockingly, Pepper turned the upbeat atmosphere into something else when she admitted, "I have a confession to make..."
  Immediately, I could feel my heart drop at all of the scenarios that played in my head. That wasn't a good sign and I couldn't think of any positive message that could come after that sentence. What could it be that she had to tell me? It couldn't be too bad, right? However, my voice just comes out as a stutter, "W-what?"
  "I have a business meeting to attend to for a few weeks - all until you get back. But don't worry, you'll stay with my boyfriend," Pepper reassured me. Although, I didn't know if that was very reassuring.
  "Boyfriend?" I challenged.
  Still calm, Pepper confessed, "Yes, his name is Tony Stark..."
  Why did that name sound so familiar?
  Then she continued, "But don't worry. He is completely-... responsible." The words seemed like that didn't fit right on her tongue as if she wanted to use a different word but couldn't quite think of the word to use. 
  "Hm... Well, is he nice?" I tested.
  Luckily, Pepper nodded sincerely, "He is very friendly. I'm sure you two will be... fine." 
  To reassure the woman, I smiled and stated, "I'm sure I'll like him." Although something still seemed to be bugging her. When the conversation dropped, my mind couldn't help but wonder why she was so nervous. Was it that he was uptight? When I started to compare him to Mr. Warren, then I concluded that I didn't want to meet him. Pepper was sweet and patient so I'd rather hang out with her rather than some high-strung and rude guy.
  When a question came to mind, I let it out in the open, "Did you tell him that you're leaving?"
  "Yes," she answered simply.
  Still curious, I pressed, "And? How did that go?"
  With a forced laugh, Pepper promised, "I'm sure he'll get over it."
  Even though I nodded, I still wasn't happy with the idea. My mind kept coming up with scenarios of different ways that he would react to me. No matter how much I thought about, I didn't see it going well. So, I was already determined in my head that I wouldn't like him. Mission commence: be the rebel teenager.