I am soooooooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long! The end of school got really busy, and I had the most severe case of writer's block in the world! Hopefully summer will give me more time to write. I am planning on ending this story next chapter, so please review and send me ideas for new stories-y'all come up with great ones I would never have thought of! Love y'all!

I was glad that I had an off period after lunch, because I couldn't have handled facing anybody. I was completely ashamed. I sat in that back hallway on the floor for a long time. After I was sure everybody had left the PAC-especially my family-I grabbed my backpack by my seat and walked out to the parking lot. Opening my door, I noticed some students standing by their cars and staring at me like I was going to go on a rampage and attack them or something. I tried to smile at them, but I think it came out more like a grimace because they quickly walked away.

I sighed as I slid into the driver's seat. Just like last time...

"So, are we ever going to talk about how Beth kicked Spangles in the face on our first day?" Tony asked the group while they rode home in the van. Taking on a more serious tone, the Avenger spoke again. "We really upset her, didn't we?"

Clint blew some air out of his nose. "Yep. Should we call the whole thing off?" he suggested. "I definitely care about Beth more than the government..."

Bruce barked a laugh. "Me too. But somehow, I think that they wouldn't care about her as much as 'the children of the future'." he responded. "I think we should continue with what we are doing, but no longer involve Beth and let her decide how she wants to proceed on her own. Even if it means she hates us a little while longer." he suggested.

Everyone murmured some form of an agreement. It was silent for a while, with the mechanical jostles of the moving van the only sounds.

"Beth doesn't hate us." Steve piped up suddenly, causing the gang to jump slightly-except for the Black Widow of course. "When I was wandering around the school today, I sat by myself in the cafeteria. A girl named Olivia came by and sat with me during her lunch period. She's an acquaintance of Beth's, and revealed to me that Beth wasn't really embarrassed about us doing the seminars. She was afraid of being the center of attention."

Natasha nudged Tony in the ribs ever so slightly. Tony nudged her back with an eye roll that Natasha rewarded with a smirk.

"You see, back when we were coming home from that mission and the world thought we were dead, Beth was suddenly thrown into the spotlight. Everybody at school treated her like a damaged freak. It was really hard for her. She just doesn't want to be the talk of the whole school." Steve finished.

The group was reasonably astonished and didn't speak for the remainder of the ride.

I got home, made myself a snack, and holed up in my room. I was afraid to venture out and accidentally interact with them. I just knew that they were going to be really angry with me. Who wouldn't be? I completely wrecked their presentation and made them look like idiots who couldn't control a teenager. I wanted to cry some more, but couldn't squeeze any tears out of my eyes, so I just dry sobbed for a while.

"Hey Jarvis?" I tentatively asked the AI.

"Yes, Miss Beth?" he replied.

"Can you warn me when they get home? So that I can hide?" I asked, rubbing my nose and eyes.

Jarvis sighed. I didn't think it was possible for him to, but then again, my life now was always filled with surprises. "Miss Beth. I will do as you wish, but I want to assure you that your family would rather you not avoid them. They love you very much."

"Not after what I did..." I said. "I kicked Steve in the face today during their presentation. I didn't mean to and it just happened so fast, but I basically ruined the program and made them look bad in front of my whole school..." I explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if they hated me..."

"I have watched over this tower long enough to conclude that the Avengers care deeply about you. People make mistakes. I'm sure they forgive you." Jarvis tried to convince me.

I wasn't hearing any of it. But I thanked Jarvis anyway.

I decided that I was hungry enough to sneak into the kitchen. I stealthily made my way down the stairs and was silently gliding across the floor in my fuzzy socks. My family hadn't me when they would be coming home, so I tried to grab sandwich stuff as fast as I could. Momentarily bathed in the warm glow of the fridge, I forgot about the incident of today and merely focused on making the perfect sandwich. I was digging through the condiments for the spicy mustard when the kitchen light flipped on. I froze, various sandwich fixings stuffed in my arms.

Nobody moved. I stepped back from the safe-haven of the appliance and turned to see my entire family. It was completely silent, neither side sure of what to do next. I accidentally made eye contact with Steve who was standing at the front of the group. His gaze was too kind after what I did to him. I promptly dropped the mustard and burst into guilty and embarrassed tears.

Next thing I knew, arms were around me and the rest of the sandwich supplies were taken from me and placed on the counter by unseen hands. I held on the mystery hugger for dear life. During a wracking sob, I breathed in the scent of their shirt. As silly as it sounds, the person somehow smelled like America and I immediately knew it was Steve. I held on to my big brother even tighter, repeating "I'm sorry!" over and over and over until I was sure I was red in the face.

"Shhhh. Shhhh, Beth. It's okay. It's okay." Steve said and kneeled down, his face level with mine. My sobs had quieted down to whimpers and sniffles. He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed. "I forgive you. We knew you weren't happy with us and we should not have called you onto the stage. Look, Beth-there's barely a bruise and it will be gone by morning. Your kick was really impressive actually- I didn't know you had that in you..." Steve joked. I chortled a teary laugh and hugged him again.

"I have had some time to think about our situation." I announced, wiping my face with my hands and turning to the rest of the group. "I've decided that...I want to participate." I said. Gasps filled the room. "After my kidnapping, I've realized that self-defense is too important not to teach. I want my school to know my story and to learn from it. Tomorrow, I would like to speak to my student body and lead the presentation. I mean, if it's okay with you guys..." I awkwardly added to the end of my declaration.

Thor was the first to reply. "That is a noble decision Beth. You will make us very proud tomorrow; I am sure of it." he said with a grin.

There's the box!