I walked into school, my palms were sweaty (legs weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his jumper already: mom's spaghetti) and shaking. I felt like my heart was in my throat. I headed down the corridor to the office, picking up my schedule. I walked to my homeroom, sitting down and placing my bag next to me. I sighed, I wasn't ready for this.
Suddenly someone came walking over. They looked like your stereotypical popular girls. The main girl, the 'leader' if you will, came up to me.
"That's my seat." She hissed. I winced.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see your name on it." I retorted. She glared at me.
"You don't want to mess with Georgia." A member of her possey warned.
"Her Dad owns a big company."
I rolled my eyes. All these people thinking they were so big because their Dad's were rich. Then again, that was the threat I was about to use.
"So does my Dad. That doesn't make you anything. My Dad could buy out your Dad's company, or he could end it." The girl, Georgia, scoffed.
"Yeah, who's your Dad then?" I smirked.
"Tony Stark."
She and her gang burst out laughing. I started panicking again.
"What? Why are you laughing? They got closer. I started to back away.
"You really think we believe you? And if it's true, do you really think that he loves you? You are nothing. You're worthless." She spat. I winced.
"You're nothing. I don't love you. You're worthless." My Mum shouted. She threw a beer bottle at my head, I ducked and it smashed on the wall behind me.
"You think you're all that. You will never add up to anything."
"You think people care. You are nothing and you never will be."
Georgia pushed me to the ground. "You're weak." She kicked me and walked off.
My Mum punched me. I fell to the ground. "Puny." She kicked me and left.
I lay on the ground, a sharp pain ran through my arm where Georgia had kicked me. I winced, my head hurt as memories of living with my Mum shot through my brain. I clenched my teeth. I got up and sat down, this time in a different chair. I sighed, taking a mental note to ask Rose the extent of my injury.
The teacher walked in, sitting down at her desk. The whole class fell silent. I looked at my desk, taking out my notebook. I sketched a small doodle of Steve and Bucky hugging. I smiled. The teacher spoke.
"Hello class, today we have a new student. Violet Stark." I could feel my cheeks grow hot. I started to shake.
"So Violet, introduce yourself." I stood up, taking a deep breath.
"Well um, my name's Violet Stark and my Dad is Tony Stark. Well, adopted Dad. I, um, lived on the streets for three months before my Dad found me and took me in. I like to draw. I play 5 instruments, bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboard and piano, ukulele and drums." I sat down and the class clapped. Some meant it more than others though. I sighed, glad it was over. I didn't like talking about myself, especially with my life history. Dad was a superhero, Mum abused me, lived on the streets and got help from Wolverine. Not the kind of things you go round telling anyone.
I walked into music. It was my first class. Dad had enrolled me into a school that focused on the sciences, engineering, maths and the arts, the things he was passionate about and wanted me to do and the thing I was passionate about. I smiled as I sat down. Today was practical rather than theory so we got to actually play instruments. A kid sat down next to me. She had large circular glasses and freckles. I smiled at her. Her green curly hair was cut into something that resembled a pixie cut.
"H-hi. I-I'm Alicia." She stammered.
"Violet," I replied, shaking her hand. Her greeny-blue eyes sparkled.
"I saw you drawing in homeroom. It was really good. Stucky right?" I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Did you know that ship sailed?" Alicia squealed.
"Really?" I laughed.
"Yeah, I pushed Steve onto Bucky and they kissed. Then Bucky and I beat each other up. But then Steve and Bucky had sex in the infirmary so that's good." Alicia laughed. I saw how her face lit up when I mentioned them kissing then fell when I talked about the sparring incident.
"That's awesome." I smiled.
"Yeah. What do you play then?" I questioned.
"Guitar and Uke."
"Okay, class. Everyone get in pairs, I want you both playing the same instruments." Alicia looked at me and I nodded, grabbing a guitar and passing it to her before getting one for myself. We sat back down.
"You can play any song you want from these bands." The teacher, whose name I learned was Mr Stevenson, told us. I scanned through the bands. I turned to Alicia.
"Tenacious D." We said in unison. We laughed.
"Tribute." We both suggested, again, in unison. I wasn't reading her thoughts, we were just that in-sync. I began playing.
"Long time ago, me and my brother Kyle here, we was hitchhiking down a long and lonesome road." I sang. Alicia smiled at me.
"All of a sudden there shined a shiny demon in the middle of the road." I laughed and we played and sung together.
"And he said:
"Play the best song in the world, or I'll eat your soul." (soul)
Well me and Kyle, we looked at each other,
And we each said. "Okay."
And we played the first thing that came to our heads,
Just so happened to be,
The Best Song in the World, it was The Best Song in the World." We burst out laughing and finished the song.
I walked out of music with Alicia walking next to me. We compared timetables. There were only two lessons we didn't have together, English and French. They were the two lessons we didn't like and the two lessons we couldn't help each other with. Next, we had engineering.
We entered engineering and I smiled. I was behind but I already knew quite a bit from helping out Dad around the lab. Alicia and I sat next to each other.
"Today I want you to design a smart, high tech watch. Explain how you would make it and what you would use." The teacher explained. We were handed pieces of paper and I got to work. I smiled. I turned to Alicia, showing her the watch on my wrist.
"This," I began. "Is a watch my Dad made me. It can check my vitals, bring up confidential files, tell my Dad where I am and what I'm doing, text, call, take pictures and I can have an educated conversation with it. Some of it is to do with the fact it has a built-in Ai. Some of it is to do with the tracker implanted in it, the rest is pure genius. Pure genius called Tony Stark." I explained. Alicia gasped, her mouth agape.
"That is so cool." She squealed. I laughed at her reaction.
"Let me show you."
We walked into the bathroom, making sure there was nobody around.
"Rose," I called for my Ai.
"Yes, Miss Violet?" Alicia squealed and I smiled.
"Check the condition of my left arm, I was kicked earlier," I commanded her. "Your arm is sprained, would you like me to call your father?" Rose asked. I laughed.
"No thanks Rose, it's just a sprain. I'll tend to it at home. Just give Bruce a heads up, it's him I'll be asking to help me." Alicia squealed again.
"Right away Miss Violet." I rolled my eyes at Alicia's stupidness.
"Oh and Rose, just Violet is fine."
We re-entered the engineering class and sat back down. Alicia hit me playfully.
"Why didn't you tell me you had that. It's so cool. And Rose? I need her in my life." She rambled. I laughed.
"She's great isn't she?" Alicia nodded.
~~~~~
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~~~~~
It was lunch and I sat down in the cantine with Alicia. We were the only people on our table but I was fine with that, I didn't really like people that much. Ever since I started living on the streets I don't trust many people. I'm also very specific with personal space, probably something to do with the fact that when my Mum was going to beat me she'd get really close to me and up in my face. I would freak out anytime someone shouted at me and I got something that resembled panic attacks when I had to talk about my past or people hit me and it wasn't training. I didn't like glass beer bottles either and more than once I've had to leave the room when Dad was drinking. Thinking about it I probably had PTSD but I shrugged it off.
Then I noticed that Georgia and her gang were walking towards us and I started panicking. I put in an earpiece Dad had given me so only I could hear Rose.
"Rose, check my heart rate and breathing," I whispered, trying not to draw attention to myself.
"Your heart rate is faster than usual and you are at risk at hyperventilating. You also seem to be abnormally hot." Rose told me in my ear. I cursed under my breath. I began to shake and I felt dizzy.
"Violet, if I may, I believe you are having a panic attack," Rose told me. I could hear my heart in my ears.
"You need to focus on your breathing," Alicia said. I turned to look at her, taking out my earpiece and putting in back in my bag.
"Listen to me and follow as I say. In for 3... hold for 5... out for 7. Okay, keep doing that. Focus on my voice." I managed to calm down and just as I did Georgia came over.
"Oh look it's the little baby." She said, imitating a child crying.
"Shut up Georgia," Alicia hissed.
"No one asked for you to be here."
"You're such a baby." My Mum spat. I sniffed.
"Shut up," I whined, hot tears flowing freely down my face.
"Don't talk to me, no one asked for you to exist."
"Leave it," I told Alicia. Pain shot through my head as the memories of my Mum came back again. Everything Georgia said seemed to sound the same as something my Mum had once said.
"I'd love to leave you dead in a ditch." Georgia laughed.
"I wish I could leave you in a grave. Just chuck you in one and leave you there." My Mum cackled.
I grew more and more upset with every memory. Each one was like a shot in the head. Georgia pushed me off the stool and I fell on the floor. She kicked me in the stomach and I clenched it in pain.
"You don't deserve to be here." My Mum kicked me in the stomach and I felt sick all of a sudden.
Georgia kicked me in the arm, the same place she had before and I heard a snap. I winced in pain. Then she walked off laughing.
My Mum kicked me and left, laughing.
I got back up, groaning. I grabbed my bag. Then I ran to the bathroom, Alicia trailing behind me.
The pain in my stomach was so bad I threw up. I doubled over, curling into a ball on the floor. Alicia came rushing in, looking concerned. She frowned.
"Get up, the bathroom floor's dirty." She held out a hand. I took it and she pulled me up.
"Get up you dirty vermin." I sat up, my head throbbing.
I grunted in pain, my hand flying to my head.
"What, what's wrong?" Alicia asked, worried.
"Nothing, just a headache." I lied. Alicia looked at me.
"I believe Violet is suffering flashbacks as a symptom of PTSD," Rose said. I facepalmed.
"Thanks for that Rose." Alicia narrowed her eyes.
"You're welcome, Violet." I sighed.
"That was sarcasm. You know what, never mind. Rose, could you update me on the status of my arm?" I requested.
"Your arm is now broken," Rose informed me. I sighed.
"Great. Alicia, go to the office tell them that I've thrown up and am going home. Rose. Phone Dad." Alicia nodded heading off.
"Calling 'Dad (Iron man lol) for you."
D: Hey what's up?
V: Hey, can you come pick me up from school. Also, bring Bruce, tell him to bring a sling.
D: Vi, what happened?
V: Well...I may have sprained my wrist in homeroom because a girl kicked me. Then at lunch, she kicked me in the same place and now my arm's broken and I threw up because she kicked me in the stomach.
Dad sighed.
D: Right I'm coming.
V: Oh and Dad?
D: Yeah?
V: Rose may or may not have just informed me that I may or may not have PTSD. Love you bye!
D: Wait Violet,
Then I hung up.
~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~
I was sat on the stairs outside my school when a black car with tinted windows pulled up. I smiled as Dad came rushing out. He hugged me.
"Woah, broken arm!" I said, wincing. He pulled away.
"Oh yeah sorry." Bruce came out, holding a sling. He walked up to me.
"Which arm?" He asked.
"Left," I answered. He nodded, putting on the sling. I winced.
"Sorry." He apologised. I smiled.
"It's okay." Dad helped me up.
"Let's go home." He said. I nodded.
We got in the car. Dad turned to me.
"PTSD huh?" He asked. I sighed.
"Yeah. I was having flashbacks to when my Mum would abuse me and it caused pain in my head. Alicia asked if I was okay and Rose said that it was PTSD. It explains a lot really. Like my thing with personal space and people shouting at me. And why I freak out around beer bottles." Dad nodded. Bruce turned to me.
"The girl that was kicking you," He began. I nodded.
"Why didn't you just push her off? You knocked out your Dad and a super-soldier. You have powers, did you not think of it?" Dad glared at Bruce. I looked at him.
"Bruce, you've got 7 PhD's, do you not think if I could I would? I was having a panic attack and freaking out, I couldn't exactly beat up someone." Bruce looked at his feet, embarrassed.
"That's what I thought."