❝You're Tony Stark, y'know? Girls tripped over themselves to be with you before you became Iron Man. Now, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not exactly popular, or hot. Girls never looked my way unless it was to copy geometry homework off me. She...
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In New York, the weather was abysmal, mirroring the atmosphere in the Mendes household.
In the week that followed, Nora was inconsolable. The once lively and caring fifteen year old was now a empty shell of a girl. On the day of the catastrophe, she came home in the police car, Rafe's jacket around her as she shivered in her spot. The gold light had dimmed to a glow and the black sludge had seeped back into her skin but the sight of her looked like she was going through withdrawals. Aliya kept a close eyes on her as she slept after they got home, her nurse training making her the one capable to do so. When she woke up the next day, it was like someone else had inhabited their sister's body. Nora walked around in a daze, constantly in her room, only coming down when the necessity to eat became too much. She was afraid to touch anything, even her own family members. Rafe had told Aliya that it would take time to get over what she had gone through. He was right for the most part, around Wednesday she started to crack a smile, but that progress was shot to hell when the news came on that night.
The news showed their dad standing on a podium, someone she didn't know beside him. All three siblings sat down at the tv, having just finished their dinner and watched as he began a speech that would shatter his youngest daughter back into the million pieces she originally was. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to talk about the incident that occurred at Oscorp a few days ago. As you may know from the recent newspapers, a laboratory test malfunctioned in the heart of the building, killing many innocent workers and guards. Today, CEO Norman Osborn is here to make an official statement."
Rafe muted the tv, but it didn't matter, Nora had heard enough. Tears rimmed her eyes as she stood up upon hearing the front door open. "Laboratory test?" she all but shrieked, rounding on him. He already looked ashamed. Aliya and Rafe stood to be beside their sister, Rafe resting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"I couldn't do much about it."
"Dad, we all know that's bullshit." Aliya snapped, gesturing to the tv where Norman Osborn was talking, their father beside him in his uniform. "You're up there defending them!"
"Language, Aliya."
Nora was crying again, a normal occurrence these past few days, but this time they were tears of anger. "Explain. Now."
Their father sighed, walking into the living room properly and sitting down. "I tried, I went to Commissioner Stacey and presented him with the evidence I had." he raised his hands in defeat, leaning them on his knees. "But it was inadmissible, do you know what that means?"
"Yeah," the three said, with Nora adding. "We watch Law & Order."
"Well, he said it was inadmissible. All he could get Ian on was threatening an officer with a weapon. It would only get him 3 years in jail with not nearly enough probation."
