AN: This is another little snapshot of when Clint first got to SHIELD and was still in training (Part of the TRAINING DAYS series but can be read independently).

I will be the first to admit that I don't know an awful lot about the American school system. (Seeing as I'm a Brit.) What I do know I learnt from Google and watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer in my teens. Please feel free to tell me if I got anything blatantly wrong and I will go about correcting. Enjoy.

.

-A-

.

"Why do I have to take the GED?" asked Clint as he walked into Coulson's office.

"Barton, what have I told you about knocking?" sighed Coulson as he looked up at the younger man.

"That it's polite." Clint took a step backwards, knocked twice on the door frame, before stepping forward again. "Now, why do I have to take the GED?"

Coulson stopped himself from rolling his eyes at Barton's actions before he answered. "It's a requirement for all recruits to have either a High School Diploma or a GED before becoming an agent. Most agents tend to have a college level of education."

"I have a diploma."

"You have a High School Diploma? There's no record of you attending school past the age of nine. There's no official record of you after the age of nine. Last known location was an orphanage in Iowa that burnt down. You and your brother were presumed dead."

Clint shrugged, "I still think of my brother as being dead."

Coulson arched an eyebrow, the tone of Barton's voice implied that he knew his brother wasn't dead, though he would very much like to think that he was. Which was odd, because according to SHIELD files and that of the FBI, Barney Barton was very much dead. There was a body and a grave. Shaking his head, Coulson plowed on with the current issue at hand.

"How do you have a diploma?"

"'Cause I attended school." Clint deadpanned. "Carson made all the kids go, that was the rules. Barney, myself and a few others had fake ID's though." He shrugged like he thought it was obvious.

Coulson pinched the bridge of his nose, the amount of secrets the younger man had probably rivaled Fury himself. "Alright, what name were you using for school?"

"Clint Carson," smirked Clint as Coulson rolled his eyes.

"Which State did you take the test in?"

"Florida, Tampa to be specific. That was where our winter base camp was. I'd go to Hillingdon High School on a near permanent basis during the winter months and during the summer when we were on tour we had tutors." Clint shrugged again, "Well, sometimes we had tutors. Sometimes it was just people who had a specific skill set. Like this one guy, he did all the pyrotechnics for the show. He taught us the more interesting aspects of chemistry. Like how to make a-"

"I get the idea," interrupted Coulson. He could only imagine the things Clint had learnt from a guy that essentially played around with fireworks. Indicating for Clint to have a seat, Coulson picked up his desk phone and called the SHIELD Education Department. The agents there helped recruits and agents get the qualifications they needed, along with helping them learn new languages and any specialist subjects for missions. They also just happened to have a database that held all school records, for anybody and everybody that ever sat an exam.

After nearly twenty minutes on the phone, Coulson finally hung up. "You got a score of 2260."

"I know."

"You had scholarship offers for three separate Ivy League schools. Coulson thought he actually saw Barton blush at this point.

"One of my teachers nominated me. Didn't tell me until the offers came through."

"You weren't tempted to accept any of them?"

"School was never really my thing," shrugged Barton, a sad smile on his face. Coulson suspected that there was another reason for not taking the offers, but now was not the time for those questions.

Barton fixed a big smile on his face. "So I don't have to take the GED?"

"No, your file has already been updated."

"Excellent," smirked Clint as he stood up to leave.

"Agent Holland, would still like you to attend the scheduled session though. Something about an IQ test."

Clint's smile vanished instantly as he trudged out of the office. "This sucks," he called back to Coulson.

.

-A-

.

AN: Thoughts and opinions always welcome.