Taking a break from school to proofread this chapter but how are you all doing?

Year Two: Game Changers

Wakanda's Royal Hospital Wing - 12:41 PM

Iqadi knew she should've been sitting down. It was in her gut feelings and even her medical advisors suggested it in a way that was more of an unforced order. It'll help you relax if you sit down, Princess. Iqadi couldn't agree more as much as she couldn't sit down.

Her body kept on shaking as she waits to hear back so she had to pace across the private waiting room. It'll keep her mind focused on her steps and prevention from falling and crashing, but her purpose for being here is still the prominent thought. This shouldn't have happened … at least, not now. Now, all she can do is hope for the best.

"Princess?"

Iqadi looks up. Her body goes cold as ice as she looks up to who called her name.

-o-

Residence Parking Lot - 15:43 PM

James walks through the residence parking lot after finishing a lab for quantum mechanics. He still has some time to kill before his next lecture but is more surprised that he thinks he'll go to that class. It's not like he has any other plans. If he didn't go to class, he would just sit bored in his dorm, waiting for Daniel to come back. But Daniel would either study, do homework or call Emily. After calling his parents to catch up, James would just watch Sex and the City again which doesn't sound so bad but there's only so much Carrie Bradshaw he could take, especially when he misses his Carrie Bradshaw. He could always turn to Buffy but that wouldn't be so helpful either.

James looks ahead and thinks he's hallucinating when he sees her, but it's his Carrie. Angela steps out of a car, closing the door. As she walks around the front, she makes eye contact with him. They both stop walking for a second, staring at each other.

James can't help but feel like shit because when he found out that she went home, he knew he was responsible. He wanted to call her but what would he say? It wasn't a conversation to have over the phone and he wanted to look at her directly so that she knows that his words are genuine.

He told his Exes that he'll start heading in her direction. Michel-Angela. So he begins walking over to her. Angela doesn't move or tell him to beat it, so he doesn't stop.

"Hey," James says. His stomach knots so tight which is unlike him. He's usually smooth in conversations, even those with strangers, but this is awkward … probably because she isn't a stranger but he screwed things up with her.

"Hi," Angela responds, straightening her posture although she was already like a ruler. Her arms are crossed at her torso, hands gripping the forearms of her Buffy-esque leather jacket.

"So…" James starts before drifting off. God, this is so tense and he hates it. He looks over at the car and almost goes into cardiac arrest when he sees her father glaring daggers at him from the driver's seat. Thor, this got worse when he didn't think it could. "Hey, Cap."

"James," Steve states using the flattest and deepest and most threatening tone possible. He didn't think the man could hate him even more.

James doesn't know what to say so he says nothing. He looks back at Angela and sees her mother approaching from behind her. Angela turns around to face her.

"I parked the car back in its spot," Peggy says to Angela before looking at James. "Hello, James."

"Hi," James responds. Her threatening tone sounds so much more pleasant compared to her husband, but still terrifying.

Peggy looks back at Angela and hugs her. "Come back whenever you like."

She makes eye contact with James and narrows her eyes for a split second. There it is. When they part, Peggy rests her hand on Angela's arm for a second before getting inside the car. Angela turns around and waves at her dad as he turns the car around and drives off.

Now, Angela and James are alone in the parking lot. He isn't sure what to say to her and he believes that she won't talk to him which is fair. Silence is what she'll provide because he deserves nothing and he knows that.

"I'm going to head back to my dorm…" Angela says, taking a step back slowly to leave this conversation.

"Wait," James says.

Angela stops. "What?"

"Can we talk? Please?"

Angela hesitates, looking at the ground for a second. "Uh, sure."

"Great."

Angela waits for him to say something because he's the one who initiated this conversation but he says nothing. When Angela feels her heart racing, she takes advantage of the silence.

"Actually, I'm going to drop a bag off at my dorm first," she says. "I'll meet you in the courtyard in about thirty minutes."

James nods as she runs off. He didn't bother asking anything and starts walking towards the courtyard. She didn't even have a bag with her.

-o-

Atlantic Residence - 16:00 PM

Out of all the people on campus, faculty and students, she just had to run into James, one of the reasons why she was off-campus. For the first time since they broke up, she started to see the pain affect him. The way he carried himself was less confident and it didn't help that her dad wanted to run him over when they spotted him. Angela had to stop him.

And it felt nice to talk to him again, even if it was a few words and unsettling silence. She isn't even sure why she went back to her dorm. She didn't bring a bag and he knew she didn't have a bag. At least he didn't question it.

Angela walks into her dorm, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. She's relieved to see Merida even if she's hanging her training uniforms.

"Hey, you're back," Merida says. "How was New York?"

"Still there," Angela responds. "Did your parents tell you they're picking up gardening?"

Merida looks at her in shock. "What?"

"They were talking to my parents about perennials."

"The fuck is a perennial?"

"A plant that survives the winter and comes back next year, according to your father. He said that's like you and the school year." Angela laughs a little before remembering why she came here. "I saw James in the parking lot."

Merida's perplexed face looks like it's still processing the perennials. "And so?"

"He wants to talk to me. What do I do?"

"I have an idea … go talk to him."

Angela narrows her eyes. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Merida shrugs, smiling a little. "Seriously. Talk to him."

Angela eyes her friend for a moment. "First your parents take up gardening and now you're actually caring about James."

"I smoked pot and had some thoughts, now get out of here."

Angela leaves before questioning that any further. She has a much more important conversation to have first.