Happy belated New Year! I hope everyone's had a good start to a new year. I know I don't really have room for a new story, but I needed something new and this idea has been bugging me for the past month. Hopefully it's a good one that you guys will enjoy! :) It's a little, maybe a lot, different than my other stories. But I decided to give it my best shot! I don't know about the title...but hopefully it'll make sense later on.

And please excuse any major grammar/spelling mistake. I'm using my laptop, which sadly doesn't have a writing program with a spell check. But I tried my best on my own.

Disclaimer: IMAA belongs to its rightful owners. Not me. :(

"Class, I'd like you all to meet your new classmate," the teacher announced happily, gesturing towards a teenage girl with bright red hair and brown eyes as she walked into the classroom, "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

The redheaded teen felt the excitement bubble up in her chest as she rocked on her heels nervously. "My name is Patricia Potts, but I'd like it if you all called me Pepper. That would be really nice! I'm really excited to be here!"

She earned a few laughs from the students, but she told herself to ignore them. It's what she's always done in her last school. The teacher scolded the class before turning politely to the new student. "Pepper, nice to meet you, you can take a seat right over there," the teacher pointed a perfectly polished nail towards a table in the back row, "right next to Tony."

As she walked, students were snickering and giggling, looking back to the boy who Pepper figured must be Tony. She bit her lip nervously as she felt heat rise in her cheeks as she realized how attractive Tony was. She couldn't tell what it was about him, but he definitely wasn't bad looking. He had messy, ebony hair with electric blue eyes that seemed to shock her when they made eye contact. She quickly looked down to avoid his gaze, still feeling his eyes on her as she took her seat next to him. Trying to ignore that he was still looking, she organized her spot as she pleased.

The teacher cleared her throat, to gain the attention of class. "Alright, it's time to focus back on the lesson, so I'd appriciate your attention."


A few hours had passed on her first day at the new school of Tomorrow Acadamy. A few hours in and she only knew one student's name. Tony. She was yet to figure out what his last name was, but she wasn't too concerned about that. She heard a few in the hallways, like Abby, Jack, James, and she wasn't sure if happy was supposed to be a name or someone just saying that they were happy. But none of them stuck out like Tony did.

Technically, there was a few reasons for why this particular student stuck out to her. To start, he hardly took his eyes off of her that first hour, when she sat next to him. It was a very awkward and nervous first hour of her first day at the new school. He sure knew how to welcome a new student. Then he also stuck out, because in her second hour, which she happened to share with him, he got sent to the office for back talking and disrespecting the teacher. Apparently that was a common occurance. And according to this one girl that actually talked to her that wasn't a teacher, that that wasn't the worst of Tony. It disappointed Pepper to find out that he was that kind of student. Which, brought up the last reason she was pretty sure why he stuck out so much to her. She somehow managed to get herself attracted to him on sight, and now she couldn't stop thinking about him. Especially his blue eyes, and how hypnotic they were when she gazed into them even for a second.

Suddenly, she was shoulder to shoulder with someone. Her head snapped up to face whoever it was that was now invading her personal space. She was quite sure that she had found a spot away from the crowd. She had figured out throughout the day that it was okay to go and eat lunch up on the roof, so that's what she had done. And if she heard correctly, they all said that nobody really went up there.

So she was a little shocked to find that her new blue-eyed obsession, Tony, sitting with his shoulder and leg pressed up against her side. She added to her list that he had no care for personal space of others. She was making a mental list of all the pros and cons of Tony, and so far, the only pro she has about him is his looks. This was a habit of hers. Making lists of pros and cons of people she meets.

"Decided you wanted to eat on the roof?" Tony asked of her, reaching out to steal the apple from her lunch.

"Hey!" she protested, snatching out to retrieve her apple back.

He held the apple out of her reach with ease. "No, no! You're the one who decided you wanted to eat up on the roof."

"So what?" Pepper questioned. "It's not like I'm hurting anybody up here. Now, give me my apple back!"

"How about," Tony began. "no."

"Why not!"

"Haven't you heard that nobody comes up here?" Tony spoke, rolling her apple in his hands thoughtfully as if it held the answer to his question. "Did you ever wonder why they say that?"

The tone of his voice made Pepper hesitate to answer. He sounded so playful before, even if it was the annoying kind of playful, but now he sounded kind of menacing and dark. "No, I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well," Tony sighed as he pushed himself off the ledge they had been sitting on and took a bite out of her apple, much to Pepper's dismay. "Nobody comes up here for lunch because this is where I eat my lunch."

"What? You can't share the roof?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it not big enough for you?"

"No, it's plenty big," Tony agreed, "I don't exactly mind sharing. After all, I didn't kick you out, did I?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, but then why doesn't anybody else eat up here?"

"Beats me," Tony shrugged, taking another bite from her apple. "But it's been like this for a long time, so I've learned to like it this way."

His response made her think of how the students at her previous school treated her. She never really knew why, but they always avoided her and kept their distance from her. She assumed they all thought she was crazy because she had a habit of tattling on those who broke the rules or trying to arrest those who did. But that was normal for her. She was raised by an FBI agent after all. It wasn't like she wanted to cause trouble like that, it was just how she was raised.

"So, it's just you who eats up here?" Pepper inquired.

Tony shook his head. "Nah, normally there's one more person. But he's making up a test he missed yesterday for History class."

"Is he a friend?" Pepper wondered aloud.

Tony nodded. "Sure, I've known him since I was a kid."

"Must be nice," Pepper said.

"Sure," Tony replied with a shrug. Pepper couldn't help to notice that he didn't seem as playful as what she found normal. No, playful wasn't the right word. "Actually, I'm going to head downstairs," Tony interrupted her thoughts. "enjoy your time on the roof."

As he walked towards the door, he took one last bite of her apple before tossing it back at her. She barely stopped the apple in its tracks, before it could smash into her freckled face. She frowned at it in distaste, setting it aside from the rest of her lunch. Then, without anyone to keep her company, she ate her homemade lunch in silence.

Some first day.


It was a Monday, about two weeks since her first day at Tomorrow Academy, and she's gotten used to things. She's learned to recognize people by name instead of by face and she didn't need to look at her schedule to know what class she needed to go to each hour. Things had gotten easier and less complicated, that she could honestly say. But she'd be lying if she said that it had been nicer than it had been her first day.

Although she had never done anything wrong, and she had only done what every other new student would have done. Yet, they still seemed to look at her as if she was crazy or insane. They avoided her like the plague. She wanted to say that even though she wasn't able to truly befriend a person, she at least had a talk buddy at lunch, but even that was a lie.

Ever since that first day up on the roof, Tony hasn't spoken to her once. It almost seemed as if the blue-eyed teen was avoiding her. It didn't help that she found out that Tony has the worlds worst attendence record ever. In the past two weeks alone, she was almost positive that he was at least absent for one week. But of course, she wasn't keeping track. But she definitely noticed when he wasn't there sitting next to her during first period.

She sighed, wishing that it was her free period that she enjoyed so much. Especially when she was able to go up on the roof and watch the birds soar through the clouds and the wind that blew through her red locks of hair. But instead, she was stuck in first period, sitting next to Tony, who for once seemed to be paying attention in class. Or at least, wasn't making any trouble for the teacher.

He looked especially grouchy today, which was why she was surprised when the bell rang with no trouble from Tony. He silently gathered up his books and left the room at his own pace. She watched as he left the classroom as if it filled with poisonous gas.

"Do you like him or something?"

Pepper's head snapped towards the voice that belonged to a blonde haired girl she's seen in the hallways many times since she's been here. Her hair was very blonde that stretched down just passed her shoulders. She always seemed to wear more makeup than what Pepper would consider necessary. And her outfits generally consisted of a skirt, heels, and something orange.

"No!" Pepper loudly protested, trying to stop her cheeks from reddening.

"Then why do you keep staring at him?" the yet-to-be-named teen asked.

"I'm not staring," Pepper insisted.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Well, it sure looked like you were. Anyway, I'd watch it if I were you. He's not the guy you want to be with. It'd never last. Trust me."

"What would you know?" Pepper demanded angrily, forgetting what the blonde was referencing. "Did you date him? Is that how you know?"

"Actually, we did date once," the no-named blonde responded. "As you can tell, it didn't end well. And I promise, that it will be the same with you if you date him."

Pepper shook her head. "I told you, I'm not interested in him. We don't even talk."

"The name's, Whitney, by the way," the blonde, now known as Whitney, said as she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "in case you were wondering."

Well, I wasn't wondering, Pepper almost replied, but instead, she said, "My name's Pepper, nice to meet you."

Whitney gave Pepper a half-grin that Pepper decided looked like a half smirk and half smile. "I know, see you around."

Then the blonde beauty walked out of the classroom, her heels clicking on the hard flooring. Pepper, now frustrated and rushed, gathered up her school books and supplies into her arms as she rushed to her next class. Which, she had already forgotten was her free period.


Eating in the cafeteria wasn't something she normally did, because she already made a habit of eating up on the roof, even if Tony seemed less than pleased to have her company than he had that first day. Not that he had been pleased that first time around in the first place. Now, instead of approaching her and getting all up in her business, he stuck to himself and his friend, whom she assumed was Rhodey. They haven't officially met, despite the fact that they share quite a few classes together.

The one time he really approached her was last Friday, and she had thought that he was finally getting over his 'ignore Pepper' stage, and figured that he was coming over to steal her apple once more, but instead she got a cold shoulder.

"Can't you eat in the cafeteria like everyone else?" he had asked her, not even bothering to look into her eyes.

Used to having people not want her around, she had sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Aren't you included when you say everyone else?"

She had to admit, that the face he had made was absolutely hilarious. Plus, he actually looked into her eyes for a moment. He must have not been expecting those words to come out of her mouth, because his reaction was without a doubt adorable. If she could even use the word "adorable" to describe Tony. Maybe she was using the wrong word. Either way, it was nice to see that even she, the lame new kid in school, was able to surprise the biggest trouble maker in school.

He had scoffed, looking away once more. "Actually, no I'm not. Because I was here first and no one said you could come up here."

"You didn't seem to mind it the first time I came up," Pepper argued. "Actually, you made me feel quite welcome."

"Well I'm sorry if I sent mixed signals," Tony deadpanned. "Because I stole your apple to tell you to come back."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry that you forgot that you gave that apple back," she replied, a smirk making its way on her face. "I figured that meant I was welcome to come back anytime."

Tony groaned, and threw his arms into the air. "Fine. I'm done arguing. If I ask nicely, will you not eat up on the roof anymore?"

Pepper had tapped a finger on her chin, feining thought. "Hmm, depends on how nicely."

Tony stared at her as if expecting her to tell him that she was joking, When no words were said, he rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Will you go eat in the cafeteria?" he looked at her expectantly, but found that she was raising an eyebrow at him. "..please?"

"Since you asked nicely," she had said, beginning to pack up her lunch, "I'll go, but I'm still allowed up here during free period."

Because they just so happened to share a free period as well as a common interest in the roof.

Which brought her to where she was now. Eating in the cafeteria that was practically filled to the brim with smelly teenagers and the grouchy teachers who got stuck watching over them. She was sitting almost shoulder to shoulder with people she considered strangers. Sure, she knew their names and saw their faces around, but she had no clue who they really were.

The girl sitting next to her vacated her seat and as Pepper bit into her apple, a broad-shouldered boy took the now empty seat next to her. When she glanced over, still chewing her apple, she managed to recognize this boy. She may be horrible with names and faces, but she had an easy time recognizing those who made an impression. And this boy, definitely made an impression. Not just because of his weird nickname, because she had a lot of trouble remembering it, but because he always made a big scene. Plus, he was half the reason why she knew the names of so many people already.

His name was Harold Hogan, people called him Happy. It took her a whole week to pick up on that one. After her first week, when she was still trying to get a hang of things around the new school, he had approached her. He had slung an arm over her shoulder as if the two of them had been best friends since childhood, and leaned in close as he pointed at people passing by the pair.

"That, is Rhona Erwin," he said loudly into her ear, "one of the smartest students in school, next to her is her brother, Andy."

Pepper tried shrugging off Happy's arm, only for his arm to tighten its grip. "You're Happy, right?"

He nodded. "That's right, Pepper Potts!" He looked around again and pointed a few more people and introduced them to her as they ignored the jersey-wearing jock. The next person, she already knew, and apparently Happy knew that. "You already know Tony Stark, so you probably also know Rhodey."

The name "Stark" sounded familiar for some reason. She could have sworn she's heard that name before, but she couldn't quite place a finger on it.

"Hey!" Happy called out to the pair even though the two were practically straight in front of them.

Happy tried rushing towards them, but had forgotten that he had his arm around her shoulder and had pushed her forward in the process. Being the clumsy person she was, she tripped. It was likely her least graceful fall yet and her most embarrassing. Especially as she was about to hit the floor when a hand suddenly caught her flailing arm by the wrist and steadied her enough so she didn't hit the ground.

The helpful hand was removed as quickly as it had come. At the time, she was too focused on the upcoming event of landing of her face to see who it was that helped her.

"Thanks," she had said despite not knowing who it was.

The bell rang for the end of lunch period before she could get an answer. Happy had slapped her on the shoulder as his goodbye as he rushed down the hallways while Tony and Rhodey had walked to class. She ended up just sighing and joining in with the rest of the crowd.

So, here she was sitting between a somewhat stranger with a name, and a stranger.

"Having fun?" Happy asked her.

She shrugged. "Just eating. Nothing too fun about that."

"That's because you're doing it all wrong, Pepper!" Happy stated, plucking a grape from her lunch. She was starting to wonder if that was a thing with the boys of Tomorrow Academy. Steal fruit from he new girl's lunch. "You've got to do it like this." he tossed the grape into the air and caught it in his mouth. "Now you try."

Pepper could hardly see how playing with food was fun, but with what little she knew about Happy, she knew it was best to just go along with his antics. She pulled a grape off it's stem tossed it lightly into the air, only to get hit in the eye with the grape as gravity brought the grape back down.

"You didn't even aim," Happy said with a shake of his head as he stole another grape. "You've got to do it like this," he tossed the grape carefully into the air and caught it in his waiting mouth as a demonstration.

Pepper mentally sighed as she grabbed another grape. But before she could even begin aiming her grape, the bell ran, signally the end of lunch. This time Pepper verbally sighed as she realized that in the process of finding an open seat and thinking of so many things and playing with grapes, she had lost track of time and wasn't able to finish her lunch. Lunch had been so much easier when she was able to eat on the roof.

"Maybe next time, Pepper," Happy said, slapping her on the shoulder as his customary goodbye. "See you later!"

He rushed off into the crowd of teenagers, while Pepper silently packed up her lunch and threw away the wrappers. She wasn't entirely sure that she would consider Happy a friend, but so far, he was closest thing she had to one so far.


Another few weeks or so passed by and she finally managed to move into the new house completely. There wasn't a single box left unpacked and her dad had finally gone out and bought some real food that didn't come out of a box. She was getting really sick of eating frozen TV dinners and plain noodles with butter. Then, with the help of their friendly neighbor, she was able to arrange her room as she pleased, which was her favorite part of the move.

It wasn't just her house that she had grown fully accustomed to. She'd learned the route by heart on how to get to places nearby the new house. Places like the grocery story, the book store, the library, and even the new candy shop that opened up across from the fancy clothing store. She even found herself a favorite coffee shop just a few blocks away from home. She even figured out the streets and areas of the city that she should avoid.

Even more of a plus, she was happy to say that she officially befriended Happy and this other redheaded girl, who went by the name, Annie. She even learned the basics of who to avoid and who she wanted to get on their good side. Hanging out with Happy, who apparently knew anything and everything about the people and the happenings in Tomorrow Academy, worked wonders in helping Pepper in understanding what she needed to know in her new school.

As she already knew or at least suspected, Tony wasn't the person she would want to get on his bad side, but he wasn't someone she would benefit from befriending either. According to both Happy and Annie, Tony wasn't exactly a mean person, he was just more trouble then he was worth. She was best off not getting involved with him in any way shape or form. Yet, Annie told her that it was perfectly fine talking to his friend Rhodey. Actually, Annie even encouraged her to talk to him some time just to see the difference between the two, who seem nearly inseparable. Another person she was told to avoid being on the bad side of, was Rhona. Not so much her brother, but she was definitely a person to avoid angering. Annie warned her to avoid Whitney as much as she could. Apparently, getting involved with anything Whitney was nothing but bad news. There was also this group of three boys who thought they had the run of the school, Pepper was told to just avoid making contact with them too.

All this information saved Pepper a ton of trouble. Knowing just who she can trust to be nice and understanding of her and who would only end up hurting her, was the greatest thing she learned in school. At least socially wise.

Within these past few weeks, Pepper was proud to say that for the first time since she moved to the big city of New York City with her dad, she finally felt happy and content. Especially with two new people she was able to call her friends. She just hoped that things remained that way for a long while.

So, a little different, yeah? Pepper and Tony seem WAY OoC, but I intended for them to be that way. It's a sort of AU story, I think that's what this story would be classified as, so expect OoC characters. This will probably be the longest chapter, but who knows? And it was kind of a "filler" chapter too, but I hope to pick up the pace in the next chapter or so. :) So don't be discouraged!

Fun Fact: I like all sorts of different music. But I tend to favor rock music over others.

Thanks for reading and please, can you guys share what you think? Should I continue this story? It's a bit different than my other stories so I wanted to know. :) Thanks!

Hugs and Love, SilverPedals! :D