Legend's Apprentice

Apologies

Emma was across the street, leaning on her Mercedes. She didn't beckon me over or anything, so I presumed she was here to harass somebody else and started off down the street. That's my interpretation of the situation.

Pretty soon I heard the rapid click of heels on the pavement behind me. I increased my pace slightly. We did this a couple of times until I was going as fast as I could without looking like I was in a speed walking race and I had a big grin on my face. "Alex!" I heard behind me. Reluctantly, I slowed down and tried to wipe off the grin. "Didn't you see me back at the school?" she asked, puffing a little. Might want to get out of the tower more often, lady.

"I saw you, but you didn't acknowledge me," I said, and she sighed.

"Why else would I be there?"

"I'm sure I have no idea." I turned and started walking again.

"Alex," she snapped. I rolled my eyes and kept walking. "I'm trying to talk to you."

"No, you're trying to get the upper hand in dominance by using your status as an older, successful woman against a younger woman," I tossed off. "And I need to get to work. I don't have time for games." Unless they're my idea, anyway.

"I can give you a ride to work," she offered instantly. "My car is back that way."

"I'd rather take the subway. I don't want to be late."

"Do you really think I'd make you late?"

"You tried to get me fired, so yeah, I have no problem believing that."

"I'm not that bad, Alex."

I stopped and looked at her, this time letting her see the eyeroll. "Look, I have no idea what you do to make everybody think you're awesome, but your mojo isn't working on me. Admittedly, most of what I know about you comes out of the Avengers bio, but a huge big part of the marketing campaign centered around how those who cooperated really cooperated with the biographer, so it seems that that information is pretty accurate. And from that I know that when you were fired by Mr Stark, you took him to mediation and won a lot of money in an award that is the basis for your fortune. Then you've used that money, over time, to keep you going when you quit things and ran away from situations. You pointed out to people how they wronged you or made you feel bad about yourself. When I first met you, you were nice, then it was just the cookies, and then... I guess you showed what's really at your heart. And what that looks like is an influential person who is more concerned with keeping up appearances, who doesn't tolerate her shortcomings being pointed out, than being nice, let alone more than superficially kind. Kind of a bully, actually. And then you try gaslight me to make me think that it's all in my head. So yeah, you pretty much are that bad."

She looked like I smacked her. "Does Bucky know that you feel that way?"

"No. We never talk about you."

"Any other observations about me that you'd like to make?" her voice was brittle, red spots standing out on her cheeks.

"Yeah, actually. That thing with Natasha. You felt betrayed by her over the thing about Captain America's decline and death, but apparently you don't understand the power of loyalty. You might have hung out together, but that doesn't really make you friends, more like coworkers who do some social things together. But she and Captain America had literally been through wars together. They always had each other's backs. Did you ever really have her back? Did you ever demonstrate that kind of loyalty to her? If not, you can't blame her for choosing the person who was really her friend. Uncle Bucky went along with it too, but you forgave him. Was it because Natasha didn't grovel? I like her, I get along with her fine. Your friend Constance. Were you just skating along with a friendship that was established in college, or did you actually work to continue the friendship? Did you just take, or did you give too? Maybe she is as awful as you think, or maybe there are understandable reasons why she did what she did. In the biography, you said you sent flowers to Hawkeye's family's funerals, which legitimately must have taken time and trouble and money to arrange. But what did you do after that? Did you ask him what he needed? Did you actually do anything, or did you think you were done? Because friendship is more than a gesture, it's all about the followup. Drawing from these examples, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that you were nice at first, then... not. And I know I'm not perfect. I'm standing here unloading on you because you made me angry instead of blowing it off and getting over it. It feels really good to lash out, and even though I might be disgusted with myself later for not being a better person, I'm not regretting it right now. Because I was mad when you told me to go back to work at the tower, like I was being unreasonable by being upset, completely mortified when you used your connections to try to get me fired, providing confidential information to another person who had no rights to it either, and insulted by your half-assed apology. So unless you're here to make a heart-felt apology for trying to get me fired and leaking my medical information, just go back to your car and forget you were ever here."