Tony yanks his bag off the corner of his chair and throws it over his shoulder. He stuffs as many electrical parts as he can into it, hoping to have time to figure out the issue that had been plaguing his new device.
He looks at the phone that sits on his desk and grabs it, stuffing it into his back pocket. He grabs his shoes on the way out of his door and shoves them on his feet as he leaves. Jarvis, his dad's assistant, stands ready, door to the Rolls Royce open and waiting for him.
He sighs and checks his hair in the reflection as he slumps into the back seat.
"Thanks, Jarvis."
"My pleasure, Sir.'
—-
Natasha walks towards the giant brick building on the corner. It occupies a huge lot and she eyes it warily, gripping her backpack tighter against her. She braids her hair back quickly, and heads towards the front door, hoping to have a chance to explore it and get used to her surroundings before classes start.
—-
Bucky taps his feet anxiously against the subway floor as he waits for his stop. He's never traveled this far on the subway line before and he doesn't want to be late, so he sits at attention, watching each stop pass by, counting down in his head.
He finally hears his stop called and he's off the train in a second. He walks quickly up the steps and back onto street level. He checks his phone, he has plenty of time to walk there, so he relaxes and slows his pace so he doesn't look too eager.
He can't keep the smile off his face though, as the brick building with the huge sign over the door comes into view: Brooklyn's School for the Arts and Sciences.
—
Steve watches as a boy with dark hair practically bounds off the train and onto the platform. He stands up stiffly, his joints just a bit achy today. He steps out onto the platform and huffs slowly up the high incline steps.
He reaches street level and smooths his shirt. It's the only decent one he has right now, and he wants to make a good impression on his first day.
He gently pats his pocket, making sure the letter is still there, as he begins walking in the direction of the school. When he finally reaches the steps he's about to enter the front door when a body shoves him to the side.
"Out of the way, runt." A mocking voice calls. He doesn't see who it is as he squints into the building. His eyesight has been getting rapidly worse in the last few months and the brightness of the sun outside makes the contrast of the dark hallway impossible to see into.
Steve wipes the blood off his lip where he'd been slammed into the wooden frame. He takes a deep breath and enters through the doors. Not even bullies are going to ruin this day.
—
Clint Barton watches from across the street as a small, rail thin blonde kid approaches the school doors. He's sneaking his last cigarette for the day and he doesn't want to be spotted smoking, so he's climbed up to the roof of the building across and sits there, waiting till the time gets closer for the orientation to start.
He's about to head down when movement catches his eye. A large kid, probably a senior, shoves the skinny kid into the door frame, pushing past him. The kid hits the frame hard and stumbles. Clint's halfway down the fire escapes when he watches the kid wipe at his face and walk through the doors, disappearing.
His feet hit the pavement and he walks slowly across the street. He walks through the door and searches for the blonde kid, but doesn't see him. He plays the scene over and is a little bit impressed with the way the kid just shrugged off being pushed. That's a tough kid, is his first thought. Then a different thought enters his mind. Maybe that's a kid who's used to it.
He doesn't like that train of thought very much.
—-
Bruce watches as 25 kids gather into the room. These are the top 100 applicants out of over 3,000 and he's already nervous about his idea for separating them into groups.
Professor Erskine is introducing the students to the rules and expectations of their two month summer program. He scans the crowd and is unsurprised to see Howard Stark's son, Tony sitting at the back, headphones in. Tony has been attending the program since he was 11. They usually only accept highschool students, but with the money Howard had donated, and Tony's abilities, Erskine had made an exception.
He eyes a few other students he's unsurprised to see. But there's mostly new kids and he pushes down his anxiety as Erskine pulls him up to the podium.
"My T.A., Bruce Banner, will explain something new we are trying this year. Bruce?"
"Hi, I'm Bruce. Like Dr. Erskine said, I'll be the main Teacher's Assistant if you need any help with grades or schedules. This year we've decided to try something new. We are going to be splitting you into five teams of five. These five students will become a "Summer Family" here at B.S.A.S. You will go through the required general courses with them, eat lunch with them, and compete with them as a team during our final showdown." He hears murmurs as students who've attended are now listening intently to the new information, "Winning the showdown will mean a scholarship for each member of the team who participates and not to mention bragging rights for the year." He smiles at the students as he sees excitement start to grow. "These students you are assigned a group to will become your study group, your main sources of support as you go through the program, and hopefully lifelong friends." He watches as Tony's eyes basically roll back into his head. "We hope you will give your team your best." He emphasizes.
He steps back from the podium and lets Erskine finish the orientation.