OMG I FORGOT TO UPDATE
AHHHHHHHHH
I am SOOOOO SO SO SO SO sorry! I don't know what happened, I just... well... tbh I had a horrible week and updating totally slipped my mind I guess.
Thank you so so so much to kidskye084 for PM-ing me and to bbergs03 and Guest for reviewing (and very subtly reminding me to update!).
There will another update TOMORROW, on schedule. I am really sorry again for forgetting this week!
Skye had been distracted the whole morning after they had gotten back from the nurse's office. Even though she knew that her sister was alright, she was still worried about her and was scared that someone would find out that Nattie had been faking it when she said that she slipped and fell in the bathroom.
She knew that she wasn't being a very good student but Mr. Coulson was being really nice and didn't seem to mind, so she only felt a little guilty. Mr. Coulson had given everyone a vowel worksheet to practice on and they were supposed to be working by themselves until recess but Skye was just staring at her paper. She didn't notice Mr. Coulson until he pulled a chair up next to her, sat down, and cleared his throat.
Not even bothering to pretend to be focusing on her schoolwork, Skye turned to face him. He gave her a smile, "How're you doing Skye?"
She wasn't doing very well and it made her sad that she couldn't tell Mr. Coulson what was wrong so she just shrugged in response.
Her teacher just nodded at her and gave her a sympathetic look, "Are you thinking about your sister?"
Twirling her pencil around her fingers she said, "Yeah."
"Do you want me to call your parents? If you're still worried about Natasha's head, I can tell them that they might want to take her to the hospital to make sure she's alright."
Mr. Coulson couldn't call John and Becky, that would just make everything worse, "No! I mean, no thank you."
Studying her for a moment, Mr. Coulson pointed to her untouched worksheet, "You need some help with this?"
Skye shrugged again and Mr. Coulson scooted his chair a little closer so that he could help her with her worksheet. Even though she tried to focus on what her teacher was saying, she just couldn't. All she could think about was what had happened last night and how scared she had been when Natasha was lying crumpled on the bathroom floor this morning.
Even though there had been a lot of bad things that had happened last night, she couldn't help but focus on one thing in particular. John had always called her names, he especially liked to call her dumb, but last night he had called her something he never had before. He had called her a mutt and she had no idea what it meant. She could tell that it probably wasn't a nice thing, John was hardly ever nice, but she wanted to know what that word meant. It was really bugging her.
She glanced at Mr. Coulson, who was still trying to explain her vowel worksheet even though it was obvious she wasn't paying attention, and wondered if he knew what it meant.
She spoke up when he was in the middle of a sentence, "Mr. Coulson?"
He didn't seem upset that she had interrupted him, "Yeah?"
Gathering up her courage, she said, "What does 'mutt' mean?"
Her teacher was silent for a few long moments while he studied her and then he said, "I'm pretty sure that people use that word to describe a dog that's a mixed breed. Why?"
Skye didn't know what that meant, "What does mixed breed mean?"
"That means that it's not a purebred."
Skye felt her eyes fill up with tears when she realized what Mr. Coulson was talking about. Not only did John compare her to a dog, he was making fun of the way she looked and her race. She knew that her skin wasn't as pale as Nattie's and her eyes didn't look like Becky or John's, that she looked more like Mrs. May than her foster parents, but she didn't think that was a bad thing until now.
Mr. Coulson was studying her and he tilted his head, "Where did you hear that word Skye?"
Staying silent, she worked hard to make sure that the tears in her eyes didn't fall.
"Skye? Did someone call you that?"
Skye ignored him and stared at her hair. She wished that her hair was blonde instead of dark brown. Maybe if her eyes were blue instead of brown, John wouldn't have called her that name. She hated her hair and her eyes and her skin.
Mr. Coulson leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, "If someone at school called you that, it's important that you tell me who it was so that they can be punished. It's unacceptable for someone to call you that name."
Finally, Skye cleared her throat and lied through her teeth, "No one called me that, I just heard it and didn't know what it meant."
She didn't know if Mr. Coulson believed her but right now, she didn't really care.
Mr. Coulson studied her for a moment before he finally let out a breath and nodded, "Okay. It's time for recess, are you ready to go?"
She nodded and watched as Mr. Coulson stood up and called for the rest of the class's attention. He ushered them towards the door and since she was the line leader, she was at the very front. Mr. Coulson opened the door and she followed him to the playground. As she walked behind him, she thought about what he said.
Mr. Coulson said that it wasn't okay for someone to call her that mean word. That meant he didn't think that she was a mutt, right?
Mr. Coulson was nice and Skye didn't think that he would ever call her a mean name.
She liked Mr. Coulson.
Even though she had only been in his class for a few weeks, she knew that he was good, not bad like John. He always smiled at her and helped her with her schoolwork. He was super nice and always made her feel special, like she was important, not dumb like John said she was. Skye didn't have a lot of friends, actually, she didn't really have any friends, but she wondered if maybe Mr. Coulson would want to be her friend.
Quickening her pace so that she was walking side by side with Mr. Coulson, she hopefully looked up at him, "Mr. Coulson? Do you have a lot of friends?"
If he had a lot of friends, he probably wouldn't really want to be her friend because he had a lot of his own.
Mr. Coulson smiled down at her, "I have a few." He paused and considered her, "Actually, I think you might have met one of them. My friend, Tripp, is a police officer and he went to your house last night. Did you see him?"
Skye remembered John calling the nice police officer that had said hi to her last night Tripp. She was relieved that Mr. Coulson's friend wasn't the mean one.
"Yeah, I saw him. He seemed nice."
Mr. Coulson's smile widened a little, "He's very nice. Mrs. May and I have been friends with him for a long time. I think you would really like him."
Skye could tell that Mr. Coulson really liked Tripp and she felt a little jealous. Mr. Coulson already had a good friend, now he wouldn't want to be her friend.
She didn't respond so Mr. Coulson spoke up again, "Why did Tripp have to go to your house?"
Skye scrunched her nose up, "What?"
"Tripp said that someone at your house called 911, that's why he had to go see if everything was okay. Was everything okay?"
They made it to the playground and the rest of her class fanned out and started running around the playground but she stayed by Mr. Coulson's side. She remembered what John had told the police officers last night and repeated it so that Mr. Coulson wouldn't be suspicious, "I accidently pressed the buttons when I was playing with the phone. I didn't mean to."
Squinting her eyes, she looked over to where Natasha was usually waiting for her by the fence but she couldn't see her sister. She scanned the big kid playground and finally saw her sister's bright red hair but Nattie was sitting by Mrs. May rather than making her way over to her like she usually did.
Deciding to change the subject so that Mr. Coulson would stop asking questions, she pointed to her sister, "Why is Natasha sitting by Mrs. May?"
Mr. Coulson looked over to where she was pointing and said, "Mrs. May probably doesn't want your sister to get hurt more than she already is so she's making her sit down during recess."
But… if Natasha was way over there, Skye wouldn't be able to talk to her until school was over and that was too far away.
She needed to see her sister.
Looking up at her teacher, she quietly said, "Um, can I… can I go see if she's really okay?"
Mr. Coulson and Mrs. May didn't like it when Skye or Natasha left their respective playgrounds but her teacher must have seen how desperate she was because his face softened and he nodded slightly, "Okay, but only for a few moments."
Skye eagerly nodded and was about to run towards her sister but Mr. Coulson held out a hand to stop her. He looked over to one of the other kindergarten teachers and asked her to watch his class before looking back at her and motioning her forward. Skye didn't question why he was going with her, that was probably a rule or something, she just cared that she was going to be able to talk to Natasha.
They quietly made their way towards her sister and Skye watched as all the other kids ran around and had fun with their friends. Sometimes she wished she was normal like her classmates.
Natasha saw her coming and stood up. Her sister took a few steps toward her but Mrs. May said something to her and Skye could see the annoyance on Natasha's face but her sister stopped walking and stayed where she was.
Skye picked up her pace and a few moments later, she was jogging towards her sister and throwing her arms around her. Nattie easily caught her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Skye took a moment to be comforted by being so close to her sister before taking a step back and studying Natasha, "Are you still okay?"
Her sister nodded and Skye noted how much better Natasha looked. Her eyes were more alert and her skin wasn't as pale as it had been this morning.
Thinking about Natasha's pale skin made her think of her own and that made her think about what John had called her.
Nattie must have noticed that she was feeling bad because her sister stepped close to her and lowered her voice, "What's wrong?"
Skye considered telling Natasha that she was fine but her sister would have known that she was lying and Skye didn't like lying to her sister, "Do you remember what John called me last night?"
Natasha looked confused for a moment before shaking her head, "What'd he say?"
Taking a deep breath, Skye glanced around and saw that Mr. Coulson and Mrs. May were standing close and talking to each other, before whispering, "He called me a… a mutt."
It felt wrong to say that word and she hated it.
Natasha didn't say anything for a moment so Skye tried to explain, "It means-"
Cutting her off by putting a hand on her shoulder, Natasha gave her a gentle look but Skye could see the anger in her eyes. Skye knew her sister well enough to know that that anger wasn't directed towards her, "I know what that means Skye and you're not it. You're not."
Skye really wanted to believe her sister, "But he's right isn't he? I don't look like you or him or Becky. I'm-"
Her sister interrupted her again, "You don't look like us but that doesn't give him the right to call you that name. You're beautiful and kind and perfect the way you are."
Natasha was being really intense and Skye could tell that her sister really wanted her to believe what she was saying but Skye wasn't sure.
Natasha leaned down so that they were face to face, "Skye, you're perfect the way you are. Say it."
Skye looked into her sister's eyes and decided that Natasha might be right but if she was perfect the way she was, why did John hate her so much? Even though she was doubting Nattie, she did what she said, "I'm perfect the way I am."
"Good. John is mean and a bully and you shouldn't listen to what he says. Have I ever lied to you before?"
Skye immediately shook her head. Natasha always told her the truth, even if she didn't like it.
Natasha gave her a tiny grin, "That's right, I don't lie to you and I'm telling the truth. You're perfect the way you are."
Skye was about to respond but Mr. Coulson said, "Okay Skye, it's time to go back to our playground."
Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to Natasha's cheek and waved goodbye before following her teacher back towards the kindergarten playground.
Skye wasn't sure if her sister was right about her being perfect the way she was but Mr. Coulson never made her feel bad for being who she was. On the way back, she looked up at her teacher and wondered if he would want to be her friend even though he already had some of his own. Telling herself that the worst that could happen would be that he would say no, and that would not only be terrible but embarrassing, she decided to just ask him, "Mr. Coulson? Will you be my friend?"
Her teacher quickly looked down at her and he smiled widely, "I'd love to be your friend."
She grinned back at him and felt happiness rush through her. She didn't have any friends other than Natasha but Nattie was her sister so that didn't really count. Mr. Coulson was her first friend and she was so happy that she forgot about what John had called her and Nattie's head injury for a few moments.
Mr. Coulson lightly laughed and Skye didn't even think about it, she just reached forward and held onto his hand with her own.
Melinda watched as Natasha leaned back in her chair, eyes closing briefly. They were supposed to be working on their journals, however Natasha had barely written a sentence. The girl was obviously in pain and Melinda felt a wave of frustration wash over her. Natasha should be at home resting. She would send her right back to the nurse, but knew the only reason Natasha wasn't at home was probably because the nurse had been unable to contact her parents.
Melinda May wasn't dumb. She knew something was going on with Natasha and Skye. Maybe it was just the fact that they were foster kids, or maybe it was something at home, she didn't know. The fact that there had been a 911 call placed the night before only made May more suspicious, although Tripp had sent them a brief text telling them everything appeared to be alright and that he would talk to them more later.
Foster kids.
She thought about the papers sitting on their table at home, awaiting signatures. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she pictured the bed up in their guest room, imagining a little one sleeping in it.
Later. She forced herself to push the thought away, instead focusing on her class. A couple students were starting to fidget and most had put their pencils down.
"Alright class, put your journals away and then we'll have free time in the library," Melinda announced, smiling slightly at the wave of excitement that passed through her students. She loved their enthusiasm for books.
As they walked quietly through the hall, Melinda noticed that Natasha was lagging behind. She was about to call to her when she noticed that they were passing Phil's classroom and Natasha was trying to peer inside.
Even while probably in pain, Natasha was looking out for her little sister.
It was an incredible loyalty that Melinda had been observing over the past couple of weeks and still never failed to be amazed at. The two girls' dedication to each other was unlike anything Melinda had ever seen before. They were obviously not biologically related, and she knew that Skye at least was a foster kid, Natasha possibly was as well although she had never said anything about it before. She certainly didn't look like Rebecca and John Garrett.
Yet, she had never seen a stronger sisterly bond in all her years of teaching.
Soon they were in the library, her fourth graders happily scattering to pick out books and sit down and read.
Except Natasha.
The redhead had made a beeline towards one of the old beaten up couches and practically burrowed into it.
"How are you feeling?" Melinda carefully sat down beside her, not missing the way Natasha moved slightly away.
"Fine." Natasha's face was set in a blank expression and Melinda almost wanted to throw a book at the window. She had been staring at that same face for weeks. The only person who seemed to get emotion from Natasha was Skye.
"It's okay to admit you're not okay," Melinda leaned back into the couch. Natasha was silent, green eyes only glancing briefly at her. "Maybe you're worried that it will scare Skye?"
She was probably overstepping and her heart sank as she saw Natasha stiffen.
"She shouldn't have to worry about me."
Melinda turned to look at Natasha, eyes widening slightly with surprise. Natasha was refusing to look at her and her arms were crossed over her chest but she had engaged.
Melinda May had gotten a full sentence with emotion from Natasha Romanoff.
She took a deep breath, treading carefully, "I think she's going to worry no matter what. Skye loves you a lot. And I can tell you love her a lot too."
"I do," Natasha's voice was slightly defensive but it didn't bother Melinda at all.
"I never had any siblings but I always wished I had a sister," she said conversationally. "It was mostly just me and my mom."
Natasha wasn't looking at her but May could tell she was listening because when she stopped, Natasha spoke up.
"Sisters can tell each other anything," Natasha glanced at May. "They always know what's going on with each other."
"That sounds like a very beautiful relationship," May smiled, not missing the way Natasha had relaxed slightly, no longer holding her form rigid. "Have you and Skye always been sisters?"
Natasha frowned slightly, body tensing again, and for a moment Melinda was worried she was going to be shut out again.
Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't feeling well, or that the couch was pretty cozy and the library was nice and quiet, but Natasha answered her question.
"She came to my foster home this summer." Natasha's green eyes slid back to look at her and Melinda kept her face in a neutral expression despite her surprise. "But we're forever sisters," the redhead added quickly, her voice containing a defensive edge.
"I can tell," Melinda smiled.
She wanted to ask about a million more questions but she knew she was going to have to take it slow. The conversation she had just had with Natasha seemed small but for her it was a monumental accomplishment. Different children trusted differently and May knew that she was still earning Natasha's.
Melinda's eyes fell on a book lying on a table.
"I have an idea." She quickly grabbed the book.
Natasha sighed and reached to take the book, obviously not actually wanting to read.
"Nope," Melinda pulled the book. "Your head is hurting, so I'm going to read it aloud."
Natasha's eyes flickered with surprise before hardening.
"I'm not a baby," she frowned.
"I'm not saying you are," Melinda raised an eyebrow. "We read stories together in class and my mom read to me until I was thirteen."
Natasha's eyes narrowed slightly but then she relaxed back into the couch and closed her eyes, looking too tired to argue.
"Fine."
Melinda smiled and turned to the book.
"Matilda, by Roald Dahl..."
"Bye Skye! I'll see you tomorrow!" Phil waved at the little girl who was beginning to walk away with her sister. To his surprise, Skye turned around and ran back to him.
"Thanks for being my friend," she whispered before giving him a hug and racing back to Natasha.
Phil watched the two of them make their way down the hall and disappear out the door, trying to get ahold of his emotions.
Skye was quickly making her way into his heart.
It wasn't that she was she most well behaved kid, or even the smartest. In fact, Skye was one of his most difficult children. She barely socialized, was easily distracted, and sometimes had violent outbursts. But he was falling hard for her and her beautiful dark eyes and little shy smile. He saw the way she watched her sister, the way she tried really hard on her homework even though she was a little behind. He saw how she stood up firmly for what she thought was right. They were working on her issues, he was gaining her trust, and he was seeing little improvements here and there in class.
Quickly, his smile disappeared as he thought about Skye's question about the word mutt.
Phil Coulson was not an angry man but thinking about that made his blood boil. He had seen the way Skye's eyes had filled with tears when he had explained what the word meant. Someone had called her that name and it was so incredibly inappropriate that Phil almost wanted to question every single child on the playground and make sure it hadn't come from their school.
"Tripp's going to go grocery shopping with us, we're going to meet him there."
Phil turned to find May beside him.
"Right. We should go."
They made it all the way to the car before Phil's thoughts burst out of his lips.
"Something isn't right." He turned to his wife, blue eyes shining with worry.
Your thoughts are always loved.
Thank you for your patience and see you tomorrow (!) with the next update!