The Seventh Avenger

Chapter 11: The Cure

"So you haven't exactly told me why you're in New York," Jess says to me as we continue to walk through the streets of New York, slowly getting closer and closer to Grayburn College

I give her a puzzled look from the corner of my eye. "I did? Family dramas.

"But you haven't given me the details of the said family drama," Jess replies. "Is everything OK? With Clint, Laura and the kids I mean?"

I shrug, returning my gaze in front of me, rather than focusing at her from a side glance. "They're the same old I guess. I mean, I haven't really seen them as much recently- I've been away for work a lot recently and then I took a month off to see if I could find the scientists. And it kills me not coming home to be with them but..."

"You gotta do what you gotta do," Jess finishes for me, understanding her voice as she says it.

I nod as we turn the corner of the street. "Especially with this. It came up and it wasn't exactly something that I could just push aside, even if I wanted to stay and spend time with Laura and the kids. They're my family."

Jess nods once again in understatement and I can guarantee she knows what exactly I mean when I say this. When her parents died and she moved in with Trish and Trish's 'mommy dearest,' something just clicked between her and Trish and the next thing you know, they considered one another like blood sister's, rather then just friends or sisters by adoption. It was how I felt now, after all these years of living with Clint, Laura and the kids. I valued Clint like a father, Laura as a mother and Cooper and Lila as my younger siblings. I had never had the courage to tell any of them this though: I think that I was afraid of rejection from them, that if I opened up and told them how I really felt that they would tell me that they didn't feel the same. It was the fear of rejection that made me keep my mouth shut. It made me wistful of Jess in this situation. She had no fear of showing Trish how much she meant to her- though she never did say that she loved anyone: saying 'I love you' was a no go for Jess.

"So if you're family dramas don't involve them: who exactly does it involve?" Jess questions.

I sigh. "It involves a recently discovered cousin of mine. His name is Bruce and I'm trying to help him and find him after what happened at the university-"

"Whoa hold on," Jess says, stopping in her tracks in the middle of the street, causing me to do the same and turn back to face one another. "You're telling me that what happened at the University the other day, with that big, giant green ass dude that totaled the army, involves what you're trying to do to help your cousin?" She demands, her brows furrowed together and eyes wide.

Oh shit. I didn't even realize that I had mentioned the university to her until just now- it had just slipped out without myself even noticing it when I had started what was most likely the start of a ramble.

"No!" I protest.

"You're a terrible liar Lyd," Jess replies, crossing her arms over her chest. "So don't even bother trying with me- I see right through you."

"I'm not lying!

"Try again.

I remain silent at this, trying to think of a good enough lie that Jess would believe but it was no use and I knew it. I couldn't lie with Jess- just as she said she could see right through me. It was even a bloody miracle that she believed the lie about my work. Granted, Clint and Laura told the same lie also so maybe she believed it because three people were sharing the lie. This time though, with this lie, there was me and only me and Jess was already taking my silence as an answer.

"You have some explaining to do," she says

"I can't tell you everything. Only snippets. Some of this stuff isn't mine to share.