PARADISE ↝ Leo Fitz

↳ FOUR

          A PART OF Jenna was expecting the lunch with her mother, brother and two friends to be unbearably awkward — then again, she expected that from most social interactions of any kind — but so far, so good. The five of them had settled into a booth at the café slash restaurant which Jemma and Leo had recommended, and luckily, the seats were big enough for the five of them — or else, Jenna would have turned red for all of eternity due to sitting next to Fitz, who had squeezed in next to her, and Simmons had then followed, leaving Magdeline and Evan on the other side of the table. Sure, their arms were grazing and so were their thighs, but as long as Jenna refrained from moving, it was okay and she didn't have to apologize for nudging the boy.

          Once everyone but Jenna had ordered the salmon Simmons had recommended, and the blonde had settled for chicken, the waiter left their booth alone and they could proceed to chat, which was less dreadful with Jenna's family there. She had missed her mother, who had always guided and helped her through life and the few hardships she had faced during her seventeen years, she had always supported her and her dreams, and moving away from the home Jenna had grown up in had been emotional. She had missed Evan too, even if the two didn't have much in common, they were both kind, good-hearted people who had nothing but love for their siblings.

           It was good to see them both again, and finally have the opportunity to catch up.

           "How has it been here?", Evan was the first one to speak up, nodding towards his sister but giving looks to Fitz and Simmons to confirm that they could answer the question as well — frankly, the gaze he directed at them caused Jemma to blush and twirl the curls of her hair nervously. Even though she had a boyfriend, she was clearly having trouble controlling her heartbeat around Evan, and it was causing both Fitz and Jenna to grin.

           "I was about to ask the same thing!", Magdeline took a sip of the glass of water in her hand. "Starting at a new school was always a struggle for you, Jen. I hope this transition has been a little easier on you. At least you've made some friends, hm?", her mother smiled whilst looking at Jenna, who sighed at the cold, hard truth. She had never really fit in, with her superior intelligence, big aspirations and a lack of social skills, which had always made it difficult to move from one grade to another. Starting school had always filled the poor girl with anxiety to the brim, until it boiled over and she, despite being smart, ended up panicking over the smallest things.

           But somehow, starting at the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy hadn't been as painful as previous experiences. Perhaps it was because she was finally surrounded by her equals, she was finally understood, and she could truly be herself instead of living in worry and drowning in insecurities. Perhaps it was because on her very first day, she had met someone as great and supportive as Leo Fitz, and he, as well as Simmons, had made it easier for her to settle in.

           That was why Jenna answered with a smile on her face. "It has been easier, a lot. I like it here. I'm doing great", she confirmed, which seemed to relief both of her family members.