Your Little Stark

Ch•2- Cross my Reactor

"Hey Jessi!" My friend waved and patted the seat next to her.

"Hi April" I sat beside her and we rode to school together. That day in school we learned about the 13 Colonies, rocks and minerals, dividing fractions, poems, and did the pacer in Gym. I aced a History test and read a poem from memory in front of my English class. From the outside, people think I'm the perfect, happy, daughter of a celebrity. Only one of those things are true in this circumstance (daughter of a celebrity is true, but I'm not perfect and I'm certainly not too happy)

"Hey Jes, want to come over today?" April asked later that day in the lunch room. I had to pack my own lunch this morning so it was nothing but junk food.

"Sorry" I shrugged, swirling my spoon around in the pudding "can't"

"Can I come over to your house?"

"Ehh, probably not" I shook my head.

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

"Maybe next time. Sorry April" and that was that. I wasn't in the mood for socializing.

       ***

Three Days Later

I walked inside the house that afternoon, finally home from school. Dad had been all over the news over the past few days. He's been spotted all over the U.S, partying and what not. I had been alone for a total of 5 days, that's the longest so far. He said he would be home three days ago...

I strolled down the hallway into the living room and tossed my book bag on the white couch, as I do everyday.

"Hi Jessi!"

"Pepper!" I practically yelled. She was standing there on the stairs as if she was just walking up from Dad's workshop. It feels like I haven't seen her in ten years! "You're back!"

"Sorry we were gone so long kiddo" she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a quick squeeze "there was some unexpected business in D.C that we had to attend"

"I know" I rolled my eyes "I saw it on Tv"

"Anyway" she smiled, clapping her hands together once "We got back late last night and..."

"Wait, last night?" I raised an eyebrow "You guys have been home all day and you didn't say hi to me?"

      "Sorry hun" she apologized, placing her hands to my shoulders "I had to go into the office early this morning, but you saw your father before school, right?"

"No!" I threw my hands in the air frustratingly "He was here before I left for school?! I haven't seen you guys in five days, and he doesn't even say hi to me! He doesn't even let me know that he's home?!"

Pepper glared down the stairs, mentally swearing at my Dad "You go downstairs right now and talk with him. Bother him until he screams"

I started for the steps "I will!"

3rd POV

Tony sat at his desk in the workshop, he was finishing off a glass of scotch when footsteps stalked down the steps towards him "Oh great, another angry woman" He spun around in his chair to face his daughter. It just now dawned on him that he hadn't seen her in almost a week, that's probably what she's mad about "Are you mad too? Want me to make you the CEO of something? It worked with Pepper"

Jessi squinted her eyes, trying to understand what in the world he was talking about, but instantly gave up "Um, you should be saying, 'Hi Jessi! How are you? Sorry I've been gone for a week! I got you a souvenir'. That's what you should be saying to me, Dad!"

"Well, I told you I was going away" Tony pointed out and spun around in his chair to face his computers once again.

"You promised me that you'd be back in two days. You and Pepper would fly to New York for that Expo thing, then catch the next flight back home the day after... What happen to that, huh?" Jessi stomped her foot on the ground.

"Uh... work happened. Short notice. Subpoena. You know what that means?"

"So partying in Las Vegas is work now?"

"How'd you hear about that?"

"The news follows you everywhere, Dad"

"Oh" Tony sniffed and ran his hand through his hair "God, Pepper gave me the disease. By the way, what's this?" He held up a circular piece of metal. It had red, white, and blue colors and half a star was placed on the middle. I wasn't completely finished with it yet.

"A shield, I made it... Or working on it, I'm not done yet" Jessi snatched the shield from his hands, giving it a stroke as if checking it for damages. His impressed expression dropped to a quick frown "don't change the subject"

Tony tossed some hologram trash into a hologram trashcan on the other side of the room "subject changed, Kobe!"

"That isn't the only promise you have broken Dad" Jessi set the makeshift shield made out of glass, metal and plastic down on the table and followed after him "That music recital at school on Thursday, you missed that. Also the science fair when I won first place, you missed that-"

"I went to that parent career day thing not too long ago!" Tony said over his shoulder.

"That was six months ago! And guess what? Five months ago you missed my birthday! My birthday Dad! That's really bad! Do you even know my birthday?" Jessi asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Of course" Tony said proudly, but then realized he couldn't remember it. He tapped his finger on the desk trying to remember the date "Octob-" Jessi shook her head "Novem-" she shook her head again "Dec-"

"I'm done" Jessi gave up and reached for the door handle of the workshop door.

"Wait! It's December..."

"Dad!"

"No wait, I got it! December... Jarvis" Tony whispered to his house computer "pull up Jessi's birth certificate, will ya?"

"Unbelievable" Jessi shook her head in disbelief.

"December 24! Christmas Eve! I didn't even look at the certificate, I promise, cross my reactor" he crossed his fingers over the electromagnetic planted in his chest "look, kid, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise"

"You say that every time" Jessi turned her back to her Father "Ever since the whole Iron Man thing, you've started to leave me behind"

"Come on, Jes" Tony stood up from his chair, about to reach for Jessi.

She sighed sadly and opened up the door. Her eyes glued to the floor "I need to go work on homework" After that, she shut the door behind her and took off up the stairs. Tony was left staring at the place where she last stood. He felt angry with himself. Jessi is the last person he would ever want to hurt, the last person he would ever want to fail. For some reason, he just couldn't quite get it right.