❝THIS COULD BE PARADISE.❞
In which Jenna Rivers always thought working for S.H.I.E.L.D would be her paradise, only to find out that it was merely a path towards one.
[AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D AU - SEASON 4]
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FOR JENNA RIVERS, socializing had never been something that came naturally of her, and making friends had never been her strong suit. All her life, she had been the weirdo in class who knew the answer to every question and probably enjoyed being the teacher's pet, but at last, she felt like she belonged. All the kids her mother had tried to encourage her to befriend weren't on her level — Jenna wasn't a selfish person, nor a mean one or someone who considered herself superior to others, but the truth was, those people were never smart enough for her. But now, she was finally a student in S.H.I.E.L.D's Academy of Science and Technology, one step closer to her dream, and no one judged her — no one hated on her for being smart and clever, no one made her feel like there was something wrong with her.
At last, she was comfortable, and capable of being herself. Even though home was a happy place for her, and living with her mother and two siblings had been blissful, the truth was, it was exhausting to have no one to talk to. No one to share her ideas and theories with. Just people who promised their undying support, and offered it, but could never actually understand what was coming out of her mouth. But now? She was surrounded by people with minds full of unexplored ideas, waiting to be written on the boards or shared among the small groups they walked around in.
Granted, that was one thing she was still missing — a group of friends to rely on, but in that moment, Jenna was unable to worry about it. She was too happy walking towards her first class after settling in her new room, which she had already began to decorate with lights, small plants and a few photos to remind her and others of the things she greatly loved. However, even though she entered the class of Chemical Kinetics all alone, she did just meet Leo Fitz earlier that day — she remembered that as her eyes wandered across the room and then landed on the same curly-haired, blue-eyed boy, dressed in plaid as his pen was scribbling something on a piece of paper.
A smile spread out on Jenna's pink lips as she looked at the boy, happy to realize that even though she was entering the Academy a few months later than most students — working on her PhD had taken more time than she had expected — she still had the same classes as, well, Fitz, for example. With that in mind, Jenna was about to walk over to him and take a seat next to him, relief washing over her once she noticed the empty place just calling her name, but before she could take another step, a girl suddenly walked past her and headed into the very same spot. The smile on Jenna's lips faded away as soon as it had appeared, due to the girl sitting down next to Fitz, and concluding from the friendly chatter they instantly broke into, they knew each other. Far better than Jenna and Fitz.
Biting down on the inner side of her cheek, Jenna tried to push aside the disappointment in her, and luckily, Fitz's eyes happened to dart around the room just then, successfully landing on the blonde by the doorway. Shyly, Fitz broke into a smile as he lifted his hand to give Jenna a small wave, and it filled her gloomy heart with new enthusiasm, before attempting to return the gesture.
