Being a Banner [ 1 of JA ]

18

Monday, school, homework; Dad went back to work and left me, again. Why does it take so long to experiment a serum? It might as well be a bottle of water mixed with blue dye. Wonder how long it'll take him to realize it if it was.

"Hey," Jax greeted as he took his seat at our lunch table, right across from me as usual.
Levi came and sat a second later. "Sky looks pretty dark," He said, looking up at the sky with his sunglasses on. Levi took off his sunglasses and rolled them up on his head. "Whoooa! Looks really dark now." I caught Jax looking at me.
"Your Dad went back to work, didn't he?" He asked.
"Yeah." I mumbled.
"You can come back to my apartment if you want and hang." Jax offered.
"No, no, I'm fine." I reply. It was then I realized yet again, I had said the two words he didn't like to hear from me. Luckily, he didn't point it out.

"Well... Can I at least take you home?" He asked.
"Sure, thanks." I reply softly.
"Can you take me home?" Levi asked jokingly.
"No." Jax retorted.
"Awe..." Levi looked down at the ground.
A silence fell over the three of us. "I just don't understand," I confessed. "Why does it take this long to study a freaking glass of water?"
Levi looked at me funny. "What?"
Jax leaned over to him, "It's what Bruce is studying."
"Really? He's studying water? I have an answer for him, it's wet!" Levi said, whispering the last part. Jax elbowed him. "Ow! What?"
I sniffed and brushed my jeans. "I'm fine."
Jax's facial expression went to a straight, yet, concerned face.

"Kerry," He says, leaning over the table. "Are you okay?" Their eyes were staring right at me, as if they were trying to search deep in my brain for every memory I could and couldn't remember. Like they were trying to find the truth.
I nodded. "Of course." Lying had its price.

*************

      I have never tried so hard to put on a fake smile for someone. This someone was Jax. For the whole day he's been watching me, waiting for me to burst. If he thought I was going to fall on my knees and tell him the truth, he thought wrong. I've been 'ignoring' him since lunch, and it's actually pretty amusing.

"Miss Banner!" Mrs. Laster hollered. Her tone towards me sounded sassy and agitated.
"Uh-what?" I ask. Half the class laughed.
Mrs. Laster sighed, "I said, 'What can remove radiation?'"
"Oh, uh, radiation." I answer. She widened her eyes, pretending to be shocked.
"Hm. Good. Next time when I ask you a question, and you're not paying attention, say, 'Yes, ma'am'."
I glared at her as she turned her fat body around to the Smartboard.
Next time you eat a Twinkie I'll make sure to warn you.
Jax leaned over to me. "The whole class was waiting for you to roast her." He whispered so quietly I could hardly hear him.
"What I said in my head would get me in so much shit." I whispered back.

I thought of what Dad would think of me if he got a call saying I called a teacher fat, because she was being a bossy bitch. And I wouldn't want him to think that it was his fault if I ever acted like that.
All of a sudden, a completely different thought hit me: Was it his fault that I turned out to be an insecure, shy, chubby fourteen-year-old? Being gone everyday, having me be alone too much, and liking to stay home rather than going out; did that make me become the kind of girl I am today?

Maybe if he worked at home things would change. I'd be more outgoing, less awkward, more social with other people. Maybe Dad and I might be closer. I wouldn't see him as just my dad, the man who makes up fifty percent of my DNA, but possibly my best friend.
Maybe he'd care to pick me up everyday — even in the pouring rain, and give me his famous hug. I'd want to spend a week in a world like that, and if I liked it better than this world, I'd stay there forever.

I hear a snap. Looking down at my hands, I see my pencil broke in two pieces. Nobody noticed, except for Jax who gave me a new one. "Don't break it this time." How could I forget. Jax is bringing me home.

*************

      I have never been so happy and yet depressed to hear the school bell ring. Of course I was happy that school was over, but I was sad because... Well, I've already explained that too much. It did rain, and it was pounding the sidewalks. Everyone bolted for their cars, and had hoodies and jackets. I didn't bring any gear for this, so I used my backpack. The front covered my head, and I was sure that I looked like a discombobulated turtle. Jax chuckled, and started taking off his white hoodie. I raised an eyebrow at him as he held the white bundled fabric at me. "Take it." He smiled. I shook my head, but he wouldn't bring his arm back.
"Fine." I snatched up the hoodie as I sat my back pack down. "Thanks." After I had pulled the hoodie on, a car honked, and Jax took my hand.
"Ready?" He asked. His ride was turning in, but it stopped behind another car. We were about to step off the school stairs when I heard thunder and cried,
"Dear God! —Thor!"
Jax laughed at my remark. "Ready, set, GO!" He was dragging me down to steps and to his car, and I was for sure I was going to slip.

Jax dove in first as he opened the car door, then I jumped in and pulled it shut.
"Hey kiddos!" A familiar voice exclaims. My eyes adverted to the driver's seat to see Quincey Porter, Jax's mom.
"Hi, Miss Porter!" I smiled as I pulled the seatbelt over me.
"Kerry! I haven't seen you in a while, how's it been sweetie?" Miss Porter asked.
"Fine." I say with a fake smile.
"Fine?" Jax asked as he buckled himself up. I gave him my 'not now' look.
"How've you been?" I asked Quincey.
"Dandy, thanks for asking!" Miss Porter replied.
"Dandy?" Jax asked jokingly.
"Yeah, get with it, Jax." Miss Porter retorted with a giggle.
I leaned over to Jax. "I love your mom."

As the car started to pull out of school, Miss Porter asked, "How's your dad, Kerry?"
"He's good," I replied. The car turned a corner and Jax looked back at the four-way cross road out the window.
"Doesn't your dad work down the street a bit on the left corner of Darby and Kahn?" He asked, pointing back to the street addresses on the left cross road sidewalk.
"Wha...?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your dad's work building? What street is it on?" Jax asked. Wow. Is it bad that I don't even know what it is?
"Uh... Gosh, I don't know." I confessed. I don't even know what it looks like!
"Have you ever been there?" Jax asks.
"Nope!" I replied, popping the 'P'.
"You've never been there?" Miss Porter chimes in. I smile finding that amusing that she interrupted.

"No, I've never been there," I giggle.
"Oh, I'm sure you have." She smiled.
"You think it looks like Frankenstein's lab?" Jax asked. I giggle shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders.

*************

When we got back to our apartment building, Jax took me up to my apartment.
"Thanks for the ride, Jax," I say as I pull out my apartment key.
"No problem, Banner," Jax says. We shared an awkward silence until he said bye, but I stopped him. "Your hoodie!" I exclaim, already pulling on one sleeve.
"That's okay, keep it — for now — or when you feel like you want to give it back, but I mean you don't have to — " He stuttered.
I smiled. "Goodbye Jax,"
He chuckled. "See ya Banner." He smiled and walked to the elevator. I opened my apartment door and went straight to the fridge first because lunch was light for me.

I grabbed grapes from the fridge, and as I was closing the door, I saw a picture of a building on a pamphlet. It was a building for a Science Lab that was down the street of Darby and Kahn. Well, now I have an after school plan: I'm going to visit Dad at work.

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ok sorry if this chapter is iffy. But oh my gosh you guys 710+ reads on cover!!!!
And Kerry is finally gonna go visit Bruce!
And I got a snow day today!
Thanks guys ✌️

( well it's summer rn and I wrote this on a SnowDay )