"I'm a monster." Those three words started it all. I was sitting in a little café with a few of my closest friends, hunched over a steaming cup of hot chocolate. They laughed.
"Nah, Mel, you're just a mess," Tony Stark said, smirking. I rolled my eyes and sat back, allowing my limp blonde hair to fall away from my eyes. Yes, I was a mess, but this happened all the time. Ever since the incident a couple years back, all my relationships have become giant messes. This past one was no different.
"Josh Stevenson. God, I hate you so," I muttered, bringing my mug to my lips with a groan. "Why must handsome men bring out the beast in me? Why?" Pepper laughed.
"Beauty is a beast, Melanie. You've got the beauty; you've got the beast," she said, sipping her coffee. I chuckled.
"You think I'm pretty?" I laughed. "Let's get a man's opinion. YO, WAITER!" I called, waving one of the waiter boys over. "Tell me the truth, am I pretty?" The boy nodded and ran away. Pepper shook her head.
"Mel, you scared the poor boy," she scolded. I shrugged.
"It's not my fault I'm scary."
"Yes, it is," Tony broke in. "And why didn't you just ask my opinion?"
"Because you're not a man, Tony," I said. "Besides, you would've said I was ugly." Tony smirked.
"Yeah, I would've," he conceded. "But, really Mel, you're not a monster. If you want a monster, come meet the people I work with." Pepper began to scold him, but Tony wouldn't repent. And that's how it started, and I wound up tied up, sitting on the roof of Stark Tower, watching my world under attack. But that's later. Let's continue, from the beginning.