Why Not?

Chapter Twelve: What The H e l l is Happening?

  

  School, while boring and unnecessary due to the fact that you've already graduated, was one of the best parts of your day.

You got to basically do anything you wanted, within reason. The only reason you were there was that all your college courses were online, and being in the school library kept you close to everyone. You could walk with them to and from school, and focus on all your lectures while in the school's library.

However, as you guys walked to school, everything was silent. You could practically hear Micheal's jaw grinding, and you actually could hear Scarllet picking at her nails.

With a silent sigh, you slip your hand into hers as you two walked together in sync. She needs to stop picking at her fingers until they bleed if she wants to use them to type more scientific theses. And she knew that too.

"Try not to get too anxious today. Everything's gonna be alright," you muttered, watching Scarllet nod along in your peripheral vision, "Did you take your meds today?" you ask, now actually turning to look at her.

She looked... too anxious to have taken her meds.

"I sort of... forgot.," she mumbled, trying to pick at her thumb. Your hand got in the way, and she gave you a slightly panicked look.

A sigh escapes your lips before you can hold it back, but you nod in understanding. "Just remember to take them when we get home, please?" You gave her a hopeful smile.

Scarllet nodded eagerly, "Yeah, but could you remind me? I'll probably forget by lunch with my muddled brain." she shrugged, a nervous chuckle escaping her throat.

You nodded, offering a small smile as you got to the doors of Chloe and Katie's school.

"Okay you two," you smiled at Katie and Chloe, "Have a good day at school! And if anyone bugs you, don't be afraid to tell 'em off." You winked, hoping they didn't actually know any swear words.

Well, Chloe probably does, but that's beside the point.

It's eight-thirty and everyone is in their class by now, so you've retreated to the library to watch your trig lecture. You wanted to just sit and sleep here; because Trig was your hardest subject. Not because the actual math is hard, but because you can never seem to focus on it. You always ended up zoning out, which meant you had to watch it over again.

Hours passed by, and you only left the library once to use the restroom, which surprised the librarian after she saw you chug down four coffees.

Then again, was that really surprising for you?

The last bell of the day rang and you left the library, actually a little nervous about what would happen when you asked about this morning.

But it was too late to be nervous. Because by the time you got home, things were too tense to be realistically okay.

Peter, seemed fine, as always. He asked if you could be his subject for his science project. You accepted, and he looked like he was going to pass out, then cry in his sleep or something.

Unfortunately, everyone else looked fucked.

Micheal had yet another busted lip (you've always wondered how he's managed to keep his snake bites in tacked since he's gotten them), a bruise on his jaw that looked close to bleeding, and the starting of a black eye. But the scariest thing? The scariest thing was how... frazzled he looked. You honestly thought he was going to cry when Maverik stumbled on the sidewalk.

Speaking of Maverik, he was acting strangely as well. It looked like he was trying to hide a limp and pain by his ribs. His hood was up the entire walk home, despite the fact that he had a hat (which ended up being held in his pocket), and he didn't talk or smile. Instead, he chose to glare at everyone who passed. He also tried avoiding your gaze, walking ahead of you and keeping his face down. And even though he tried to hide it, you could still hear the way he groaned every time someone bumped into him.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

Katie was on the verge of tears the entire way home, refusing to talk about how her day went. Actually, she refused to talk at all. She kept her head down too, playing with the rim of her shirt. She walked silently without purpose or care, which lead to her tripping multiple times. She also walked into a pole (which Chloe laughed at), and fell on her face without a normal reaction.

Chloe, acted as she usually did, somehow ignoring the angry glares Scarllet shot at her every time she sighed. It was like Scarllet wanted her to stop breathing or something.

The most surprising thing, however, was the fact that Malissa, who always oozed confidence with every breath and fiber of her being, seemed about as anxious as Scarllet is when she forgets to take her meds.

You don't know what's been going on, because you've been gone all weekend for a mission, but you know what happened had to have been bad.

And just when you thought things wouldn't get any worse, fate decided to prove you wrong.

When everyone got back to the tower, the real shit went down.

It all honestly reminded you of a scene from a movie as you watched it play out. Like it was too dramatic and horrible to be true.

Katie sulked in the living room as she slowly pulled out her homework and a bag full of animal crackers. As soon as she set it down, she hesitated, tears gathering in her eyes as she shook her head and put the bag back in her backpack.

Scott, a nearby observer, ave her a concerned look.

"Katie, is everything okay?" he got up from his seat on a nearby couch and moved to sit by Katie, who was trying her god damned hardest to keep herself from crying. "What's wrong?"

Katie sniffed, tried to shake her head, she tried to tell him to go away, but when she opened her mouth all she could manage was a choked back sob. She was trying so hard not to cry, she hated crying because it made other people sad, and yet here she was.

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong Kit-kat?" Scott asked, looking both pained and concerned by her tears. "What happened?"

Katie could hold back anymore, she bawled as she threw herself into Scott's opened arms.

"Chloe said she'd rather die than eat with me at lunch today!" Katie sobbed, her tears soaking her cheeks as well as Scott's tee shirt.

Scott looked surprised, to say the least. He knew Chloe could be a bit harsh, but he didn't think she'd go that far... There had to more to the story, right?

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, his eyes frantically searching for some sort of lie. He believed her, absolutely, he just hoped... he hoped Chloe wasn't that cruel.

Katie couldn't breathe, she was trying, she really was, but she couldn't. She was choking on her tears, her nose was too stuffed, and she couldn't focus. She was too distressed.

Then, as if fate wanted this to get worse, Steve and Bucky entered the living space after just having finished their midday training/workout and showering.