Song: American Love by Jack's Mannequin

**I no own**

P.S.-I rewrote chapter two because I don't like the idea I wrote anymore. I'm going to see where I go with this new idea for the story.

You see I got this American Love
A brand new planet in my solar system
I kiss her neck but I just can't look her in the eye
You leave for college at the turn of autumn
I spent the winter diving to the bottom
I kiss your neck but I just can't look you in the eye
yeaaahh
Big hearts big hearts
Big hearts are for breaking
(big hearts are for breaking)
Whoaa oh
Big hearts big hearts
Big hearts are for breaking

Something in Tony said he didn't want to leave, but he just couldn't handle everyone getting on his case and causing so much drama anymore. He didn't want to deal with people, he just wanted to get away. He wanted to be with the girl he'd only recently started to believe he likes, but life is too complicated for that. He just wanted an escape. Just wanted to get away from people, that was all he needed.

He came to the bus station. It wouldn't take him far, but it would give him transportation and that was enough for him. As long as he wasn't in the city, it was just fine for him. He could explore the rural, cozy homes of the state of New York. That is, if that was the escape he wanted.

Of course, there was other things he wanted to do. He wanted to know what college was like, he wanted to get to know what people learned in engineering school was like and what people learned in college. Not just the career info, but the life experience of college. He'd heard of a good engineering school in Rochester (of the same state) that would accept him in a heartbeat (who wouldn't accept a teenage genius?) and he would be delighted to see.

So that's where he headed. He took the bus to wherever the last stop was, and from there found his way to Rochester. Hours passed on the bus, and Tony didn't think it would go so far outside the city but apparently it did. Apparently the bus garage was that far outside the city that he could just take another bus to Rochester. The second bus ride was still a few hours, and he passed those hours by thinking about Pepper. How he'd left her, how he'd just abandoned her so abruptly. Why hadn't he just taken her with him? Why hadn't he just told her that he likes her and he wants her to just be with him without it creating more pain for him. But life wasn't that easy.

A few hours later, Tony came to a bus stop in Rochester. He got off the bus, curiously, slinging his two backpacks—one black, and the reverse side of his armor, and the other being a regular backpack filled with his charger and other things necessary for his survival—over his shoulder. Tony looked around. He found a map in a brochure that showed him the way through town, and eventually he came to RIT.

He gazed at the entrance to the college. It looked like a big campus from the outside, but he had yet to explore the inside.

Tony walked on campus and found his way to the admissions office.

"Hi," Tony greeted the person at the admissions office, "I'm here to enroll?"

~…~

"Umm, Rhodey? Have you seen Tony?" Pepper asked after she had looked around all the possible places that Tony could be.

"No, why?" Rhodey replied. Pepper sighed.

"Last I talked to him he was all depressed. He said he couldn't take it anymore, and just vanished. I have no idea where he is." Pepper explained. Rhodey painted a perplexed look on his face.

"Well that's not good. We have to look for him." Rhodey stood from his seat, but Pepper sat in another chair and pulled her legs close to her body. Rhodey saw the sadness in her eyes, and could tell she was very upset about Tony.

"Is everything, uhh, okay Pepper?" asked Rhodey. Pepper sighed. She was silent for a few minutes before answering.

"Where could he have gone? Is he okay? Why did he leave?" Rhodey could hear in her voice that she was very concerned and crestfallen for Tony's absence. She'd gotten to know where he was all the time, because he was usually in the same places doing the same things each day.

Words of Pepper's past with Tony echoed in her mind. Ooh, does he have a girlfriend? , Thanks, Tony. Yes, Tony? How she'd clung to him so often, and how she had no idea where he was and how he was now was something new to her. It wasn't something she liked, either. She wanted to know why he had left, why was he so depressed? She wanted to go to him, comfort him and make him feel better. She wanted to love him, but he wouldn't let anyone in. Rhodey sat down beside Pepper.

"Look, Pepper, I'm sure Tony will turn up soon. He probably just needs to be alone for a little while."

"No, he won't! I know he's not anywhere near here, I looked everywhere he would have possibly went and he's not there! He's gone, and he didn't even care to say goodbye to me." Pepper complained. Tears were welling in her eyes.

"Well did you try calling him?" Rhodey asked.

"N-no, actually, I didn't." With that, Pepper whipped out her phones and dialed Tony's speed dial. The phone rang several times until her call was forwarded to voicemail. Pepper sighed and hung up without leaving a word for voicemail. She wouldn't bother trying again, because if Tony didn't pick up the first time there wasn't a very good chance he'd show up the second time. It was just the way he was.

Where are you, Tony?

Suddenly, Pepper got an idea. She stood quickly with a smile on her face.

"We can track his cell phone signal, right?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, why?" Rhodey asked curiously.

"Then we can find where he is!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Ooh, I see where you're going with this!" Rhodey and Pepper ran to the lab.

Well, now I like this better. Poor Pepper just won't give up, will she? Review!