Thank you to Harliquinn for beta editing!
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It was the end of the first week of school. Skye was laughing as she left the school with her friends. The girl who had scowled at her on the first day had continued with that, but she never made any attempts to talk to Skye. As they were leaving the school Skye was bumped into and a cup of hot liquid was poured on her.
Skye whimpered.
The girl who had bumped into her looked at her. "I'm so sorry," she said.
Skye looked at her and saw it was the girl who had been scowling at her all week.
"I'm really sorry," the girl said again.
Skye took a breath. She could see right through the girl's apology. She had done that on purpose. But now everyone was looking at them, and Skye knew if she reacted badly she would be the one ending up looking like the bitch. "It's okay. It's just clothes, they can be washed. I'm okay," Skye said.
The girl nodded and then left.
"Am I the only one who could tell she wasn't actually sorry?" Ivy asked quietly.
"No, I saw it, too," Skye said, "but if I reacted badly, I'm the one who will look bad."
Happy had seen it happen and came over. "Skye, are you all right?"
Skye nodded. "Yes."
"Come on, let's get you home," Happy said.
She looked at her friends and smiled. "I will see you on Monday."
"See you Monday," they all said as she went off with Happy.
They got into the car and started the drive.
"That girl who bumped into you, had you interacted with her at all before today?" Happy asked.
"Why? Because it was obviously not an accident? Yeah, she's the girl who has been scowling at me all week," Skye said.
"All week? I didn't realize it had been more than the first day," Happy said.
"Yeah," Skye said.
"She been giving you any other problems?" Happy asked.
"No," Skye said. "I know that wasn't an accident. Her apology was fake. But everyone saw her accidentally bump into me and saw her apologize, so if I reacted badly then I would be the jerk. That might be all the school needs to kick me out," Skye said.
"You think they are looking for a reason to kick you out?" Happy asked.
"Steve doesn't know I know, but I know he had to fight to get them to let me into the school because of my criminal record. I'm sure I don't get any chances. One screw-up and I'm out," Skye said.
Happy let out a breath.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Skye asked.
"I think you should talk to Steve about that," Happy said.
"So, yes, but you're not supposed to mention it to me," Skye said.
"On Monday I think you should talk to the dean or someone about the interactions with this girl, someone who can act as a mediator to see if you can figure out what the issues are," Happy said.
"I feel like she is just a bully, and I'm her target. Maybe because I'm new, maybe because she recognizes who I am and is jealous or something," Skye said. "I'm going to be the bigger person, and, unless it gets worse, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut."
"You're planning on telling Steve what happened?" Happy asked.
"Yes," Skye said.
"Okay," Happy said.
"Partly because I know you will if I don't," she said with a smile.
Happy nodded. "You're right, I would."
They pulled in at home, and Skye went and changed out of her uniform. She took it to the laundry room to spray stain remover on the stain that was now on her white school uniform shirt.
Pepper came into the laundry room. "Hey, sweetie, uh oh what got spilled?"
"Coffee, I think," Skye said.
"You drink coffee now?" Pepper asked.
"No, someone else spilled it," Skye said.
Pepper grabbed some dish soap and vinegar off a shelf in the laundry room. "The best thing for coffee stain is warm water a drop of dish soap and vinegar and blot at the stain with a paper towel until it's gone," she told her as she started to mix up what she had suggested.
When they had finished getting the stain off Pepper looked at Skye. "Did you get burnt by the coffee at all?"
"No," Skye said.
"Did you get coffee on any of the rest of the uniform?" Pepper asked.
Skye held up her blazer. "But it's a dark blazer, so you can't see it."
Pepper looked it over. "Just a regular wash will be fine for it, then."
Skye smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the help."
"Of course," Pepper said.
Skye started a load of her washing that needed to be done anyway.
"I was told to let you know your dad got called to do something with the Avengers. He should be back tomorrow," Pepper said.
"Oh, okay," Skye said.
"So it's just you, Morgan, and me tonight. I was thinking we could do a girl's night," Pepper offered.
Skye nodded. "Sure."
"We can order in for dinner. You can pick," Pepper told her.
Skye smiled. "Anything with fries."
Pepper chuckled. "I should have guessed. Sure, we can do burgers with fries."
When they were finished in the laundry room Skye went to her room and emptied her backpack of the homework she had for the weekend. She set it up on her desk to work on the next day. The door was open, and Morgan ran into her room.
"Mommy said we are going to have a girl's night!" Morgan said.
"Yes, she told me, too," Skye said with a smile.
Morgan took her hand and pulled her to come with her to the kitchen, where Pepper was setting up some stuff to do their nails.
"She dragged you out here?" Pepper asked Skye.
Skye chuckled. "Kinda, but that's okay."
Skye and Morgan sat down, and Pepper started to work on Morgan's nails first.
"Do you like going to regular school?" Morgan asked Skye.
"I do," Skye said. "I have done the homeschooling thing, and it's not for me," Skye said.
"Why can't I go to regular school?" Morgan asked her mom.
"Daddy and I think homeschooling is the best for you right now," Pepper said.
"Why is it for me and not for Skye?" Morgan asked.
"Skye is older, she knows better how she learns. In a few years, if you really want to go to regular school, we can talk about it then," Pepper said.
"You have lots of friends?" Morgan asked Skye.
"I have made a few friends, yes. I think a few close friends is better than lots of friends," Skye said with a smile as she picked up a bottle of black nail polish.
"Ooh, black, that is cool!" Morgan said.
"You want black nails?" Pepper asked Morgan.
"Yay!" Morgan said.
Pepper smiled. "Sure. Is that what you want too, Skye?"
Skye nodded and smiled.
"We are gonna match," Morgan said excitedly.
"We will," Skye said as she smiled at the younger girl.
"You ever been a home with younger kids?" Pepper asked.
"Yes, a few of the foster homes I have been in had younger kids. In the group homes, I have always been the youngest or one of the youngest," Skye said.
Pepper nodded. "What was the most people you have ever lived with?"
"There were eleven in the last group home at one point," Skye said. "That was pure chaos, and that didn't include the workers. Some days there were three there at once."
"There are more people living here than that," Pepper said.
"Yes, but they're not a bunch of teenagers who don't want to be here," Skye said.
Pepper nodded. "I see. Were there a lot of runaways?"
"No, we were locked in. We couldn't get out without being let out. It was a last chance group home before other things," Skye said.
Pepper nodded as she finished Morgan's nails.
"What other things?" Morgan asked.
"Um," Skye said, looking at Pepper.
Pepper took a breath. She should have expected that question. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"But I want to know," Morgan said.
"I know you do. But you don't get to know everything you want," Pepper said.
"Daddy tells me I should never stop learning, and I should ask questions when I want to know more," Morgan said.
Skye bit her lip to keep from laughing. Tony's words were biting Pepper in the butt.
Pepper nodded. "You're right, Daddy did say that. But sometimes there are things you are just too young to understand."
"Daddy said I'm smarter than the average person my age," Morgan said.
"Well, I agree, but you are still not quite old enough to understand this," Pepper said as she finished painting Morgan's nails.
"Now your turn," she said to Skye.
Skye nodded and put her hands down on the table.
"So Morgan, what is your favorite thing to learn?" Skye asked, trying to change the subject.
Morgan thought for a moment. "Math."
"Very cool," Skye said.
"What about you?" Pepper asked Skye.
"History," Skye said.
"What's history?" Morgan asked.
"History is anything that happened about twenty years ago or more. It's learning about how people lived a long time ago. The major events that happened in the past. You know how we just had to deal with Covid and lockdown and the world being shut down, and the snap where lots of people we love went away for a few years? Well, in twenty-years people will be learning about those things in school as history," Pepper explained to the girl.
"Right now I'm learning about immigration and how it affected the country," Skye said.
"Immigration?" Morgan asked. She was a very inquisitive girl.
"Immigration is when someone from one country moves to another," Skye said.
"You can verify with your dad, but I'm pretty sure your grandparents were Irish immigrants," Pepper said to Skye.
Skye smiled and nodded.
"So that would mean they moved to the USA from Ireland," Pepper told her daughter.
Morgan smiled and nodded.
"And Steve is kinda considered history," Skye said.
"Yes, he is. Have you ever been to the museum?" Pepper asked.
"I went once when I was about ten," Skye said. "It was a school field trip."
Pepper nodded.
"How can he be history when he's alive now?" Morgan asked.
"Well, he was born a long time ago. He wasn't born as Captain America. He became Captain American when some scientists did some things to his body that he agreed to and it changed his DNA. DNA is something we are all born with. But it can be changed if certain things are done to it. And because of that, he became Captain America. He became the face of the country, and he ended up going missing. He actually ended up getting frozen. When he came unthawed, it was seventy years later. You know how Daddy sometimes teases him and calls him an old man? It's because, technically, he is over a hundred years old. But because he had been frozen, and because of the way his body was changed, he doesn't age the way you or I do," Pepper said.
"How did Skye get the same powers as Uncle Steve?" Skye asked.
"DNA is something we get from our parents. So your DNA is made up of half of me and half of Daddy. So Skye got her DNA from her dad and her mom, so that's why she has them," Pepper said.
"Who is your mommy?" Morgan asked.
"I don't know. I never met her," Skye said.
Pepper finished Skye's nails.
"When mine are dry I'll do yours," Skye said to Pepper with a smile.
"Okay," Pepper said with a smile.
They finished their nails, and Pepper ordered them some dinner. They ate and watched some movies for the rest of the night.