Orphan S.H.I.E.L.D agent

Part 9

The next day

Today was a regular work day for the most part. But during lunch, Phil called us all in for something.
"So today we, agent Fury and I, wanted to do something different for you guys.  Were going to be landing, and than you guys are going to be able to, with your own money, wander and look around for a couple hours.  Be back by 7 or we will leave you. We can't check everyone." 
"But he'll know if I'm gone."  I whispered to Clara.  She smiled, she wanted too laugh, but she has this stupid thing about looking "professional". Whatever that means. 
"So enjoy your time down here."  Phil walked away and went too the main carrier.  Everyone waited for him to come back, we could all feel the ship getting lower. Eventually, a huge door in front of all of us opened.  We all clamored out as everyone on the docks watched us. 
"We were above new York this whole time?"  Clara said.  I smiled.
"I've never been to New York. But I've always wanted to."  I told her.  She turned her head to me.
"You've never been too New york?!"  She asked.  I shook my head.  As everyone was loading off, Clara grabbed me and dragged me out, running.  Crushing the bones in my wrist. 
"CLARA!  SLOW DOWN!"  I yelled.  She only laughed and continued too drag me along.  Eventually we stopped running, and she guided me through a double door and threw her arms out. 
"Welcome to the best place ever!"  I squinted.
"Forever 21?"  She rolled her eyes and twisted my head too face forwards.  "Oooooh. The mall!"  She nodded proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Yep!  I've been here at least a thousand times." 
"You what?"  I said, confused.
"Did I not tell you?" 
"Tell me what?"
"I used to live in New York!"  She smiled brightly.
"Really?"  I asked.
"Yep!  Before I started working at S.H.I.E.L.D I was a waitress at a local restaurant in New York." 
"No way!"  I told her. She smiled brightly, again.
"Heck yeah I did."  We walked into the mall and looked at a few stores. We bought some stuff, went out for dinner, toke pictures. Probably some of the most fun I've ever had in my life.  Eventually when we were just walking down main street, Clara stopped and stared at a really tall building.
"Clara?"  I asked.  "What's wrong?"  Without taking her eyes off the building, she spoke.
"That's my old apartment!"  She called.
"It is?"
"Yeah!  I wonder if Kelsey and Sandra are-".  Suddenly we heard a yell from a few feet away.
"Clara?"  We both looked down the sidewalk and saw 2 girls with blonde hair and tank tops and matching skirts. They were wearing big sunglasses and one had their hair in a ponytail.
"Kelsey?!  Sandra?!"  Clara yelled. The two girls squealed loudly and Clara squealed with them. They ran towards each other and Clara gave them both hugs around their necks.  "Oh my gosh I've missed you guys so much!"  The kept hugging and squealing.  I stood about 6 feet behind Clara, and I was completely silent.  Clara turned around after that very noisy reunion.  "Kelsey, Sandra, this is my best friend, Ava!"  They both stared at me skeptically, they had gleams in their eyes that said, "I do not like you".  I guess they weren't to fond of me being called Clara's "Best friend" 
"Hi."  I said. They didn't say anything after that. They only stared at me. Hands on hips, sunglasses slightly tilted down, just so their eyes could peek through to stare at me with these, glares.  Clara cleared her throat and mumbled,
"She's Tony Stark's niece...". That's when both of their faces lit up. 
"You're Tony Stark's niece?!"  They yelled. I rolled my eyes. Some friends you have Clara.  I thought.  That's when they both swarmed me and started to talk to me about what it was like to be related to Tony.  I didn't have the heart to tell them that I wasn't really related to Tony.  But Clara said that I was his niece, because she could tell that they didn't really like me at first.  So I stayed silent and just smiled.  Eventually, we all walked back to the mall.   They both started to ask us about working a S.H.I.E.L.D and what it was like.  The wind picked up slightly and started blowing pretty hard.  "Can you show us your I.D cards?"  Sandra asked.  Clara was getting hers out when I pulled mine out of my wallet.  The wind suddenly got a hold of my card and blew it a few feet away. 
"Crap, hold on guys, be right there!"  I chased after the card as it kept flying away from my hands.  Eventually it blew inside the open mall and I ran after it, relieved that it couldn't fly away anymore.  I walked over to it but before I could grab it, someone else picked it up.  They held it in between there thumb and index finger.  I looked up at them.
"Oh sorry, I didn't know this was yours."  A young man who looked about my age, stood standing about 3 feet in front of me.  He had platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes (Like, holy crap your eyes are so freaking blue kinda deep).  His hair was ruffled and not well brushed, but it still looked good.  He had a plaid shirt on and jeans with black converse.  I felt my heart skip a beat.  "Did you want it back?"  He asked.  I looked at my card, realizing it was, my card, and suddenly came back to reality. 
"Um, yeah, sorry I just, sorry."  I said grabbing it from him.
"It's all good."  He told me.  He went silent for a minute while I fumbled and attempted multiple times to put my card back in my wallet.  "Avangaline, huh?"  I stopped and blushed.  I hate it when people figure out my full name.  He must've looked at the card... I thought.  "Interesting way to spell it. I have a friend who has a sister named Evangeline.  But she spells it with an E. not an A."  I laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah um, my parents didn't want to call me Eva.  They wanted me to be called Ava."  He nodded.
"Cool.  So you're a S.H.IE.L.D agent?"  I was suddenly even more flustered.
"Uh yeah."  Oh my gosh I hate small talk so much.
"That's cool.  I've seen the helicarrier before.  But I've never actually been in it. What's it like to live there?"  He asked.
"Wait, how did you know that I lived on it?"  He shrugged.
"Lucky guess?  I don't know. I assumed everyone lived in it."
"Well, yeah but they all go home for holidays.  You know, family and stuff.  But I live on it so I don't."
"Why don't you?"  He asked.  I sighed.  Just be honest. I thought. It's better to be honest than just to beat around the bush. 
"Because both my parents are dead."  TOO MUCH HONESTY AVA.  He looked startled. 
"Whoa, um, I'm sorry...?"  I realized what I had just done and I wanted to slap myself. 
"Um, Sorry.  I was just trying to be honest but I make things really awkward.  Oh gosh."  I dropped my I.D card again, it landed right in between us and we both reached to grab it, but we ended up budding our heads together.  We both groaned and stepped back.  I covered my face and he did to.  We both groaned and laughed in between.  Seeing how stupid we looked was hilarious.  He put his hand up, gesturing for me too not grab it.  He reached down, still rubbing his head, picked it up and handed it back to me.  He smiled and I did to.  Ugh what was I doing?!  I heard Clara yell from behind me.
"Ava!"  She called.  I turned around.
"Yeah?"  I called back. 
"Where'd you go?"  I saw Sandra and Kelsey walk up from behind her.    
"Um.  I just lost my I.D card and I met... uh..."  I turned to the boy realizing I hadn't gotten his name yet. 
"Christopher."  He said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.  "But my friends call me Toph, or Topher."  He said smiling.  Clara checked her watch.
"Crap!  Ava, it's 6:45.  We better get a snack and go."
"Oh shoot you're right!"  I turned to Christopher.  "Bye toph."  I said.  He waved.
"Bye."  I walked back to a little cafe with Clara after she had her goodbyes with her friends.  We got a few treats and ran back to the helicarrier by 6:56.  We made it at 7:03.  It was kinda funny, because I knew Phil wasn't going to leave until he saw me get on the ship.  When we got there, he said,
"There you are!  I've been waiting for-"  He stopped himself when he realized that, in the beginning he said that he will wait for no one and if you're late he will leave you.  But it was pretty funny because, he waited for me (Because of the demon inside of me that he still doesn't trust?  I mean, do you think he wants to get blamed for leaving a demon on earth and letting it kill everyone?  At least, that's what he thinks it'll do.)  Anyway, when we got back to our dorm, I was pretty starstruck.  I wasn't in love, but that kid was pretty cute. 
"So Ava... who was that guy?"  Clara asked.  It was 11 pm and she was still trying to find an excuse for not to go to bed.  She sat up and layed sideways.  I opened my eyes, even though I was exhausted, the sooner I answer her question, the sooner I can go to bed.  I rolled over to face her.
"What guy?"  I asked.
"You know... The guy... Topher?"  She said.
"Ooooh Topher.  I dunno.  He was just someone who wanted to help." 
"Mhm..."  She said skeptically.
"What?"  I told her.  "I just... why?  Do you like him?"  She laughed. 
"He's cute... But did you forget who I'm dating?"  She asked.
"Oh.  Right..."
"What?  Don't you like him?"  I shrugged.  "Is it because I was your best friend first?"  She asked.  I flipped over to the other side of the bed and made a small growl sound.  She laughed.  "Oh c'mon.  You haven't even given him a chance.  Give him at least a week.  Maybe we could all go out on Thursday-"  I interrupted her.
"Oh no, not happening.  There is no way I'm gonna be your third wheel!" 
"You won't be the third wheel!" 
"No Clara!  Besides, Tony needs me on Thursday." 
"Oh yeah."  She said.  "What does he need you for?"  She asked me.  I thought for a moment.
"I don't know.  He's been postponing it for a while.  Like, he was going to tell me last week, and than before that, last month." 
"Whoa.  Do you think it's something super important?"  I shrugged.
"Probably.  I don't know why he would be nervous though."  
"Hmm."  We were both silent for a good ten minutes.  I thought that she had actually fallen asleep.  Until...
"So are you gonna try to like Landon?"   I groaned and pulled the skin down on my face and stretched out the skin around my eyes. 
"Ugh...  Sure... Whatever."  She laughed lightly.
"But seriously.  I mean, you don't see me getting mad at your boyfriend!" 
"Clara!  He's not my boyfriend!" 
"Mhm."  She said smugly.  "That's not what his eyes said."  I turned red.  There was no way this kid had a crush on me!  I pulled my pillow over my face.  Clara laughed and flipped back onto her back.  She sighed.  "Y'know Ava you're gonna have to accept people having a crush on you.  You're awesome!  But find somebody who will love you for you!"  I took the pillow off my face.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that people are gonna like you just so they can get closer to Tony.  He's rich!  He doesn't have any kids to pass his company to, so who do you think he's gonna give it to?"  My heart stopped beating.
"No way, nu uh, not happening!  There's no way that he would give me his company!  He has some sort of apprentice, right?"  Clara shrugged.
"Have you seen him with any other kid other than you?"  She asked. 
"Nooooooo!"  I yelled.  "I can't run Stark industries!  I'm not even a Stark!" 
"Well, maybe that's what he wants to tell you...". I flipped around to face her.
"What?"  She was quiet for a minute. 
"Nevermind. Goodnight!"  She flipped over facing away from me, while I stayed where I was. Completely silent. I wish I knew what people were saying all the time.