"Mister Parker! Any reason you're late again this Friday morning?!" Mr Mitter, my history teacher asks as I enter the classroom. The whole class stares at me, I hear Flash snicker from the back of the class. This morning I really did leave for school on time, but I heard a scream on my way and had to check it out.
"I'm really sorry Mr Mitter. I overslept." I say keeping my head down.
Mr Mitter sighs. "Go sit down, but know next time I won't be so tolerant!"
I give a slight nod his direction and quickly walk to one of the front seats of the classroom. I feel my spider-sense give a slight tingle, a subtle hint that Flash is watching me with a deadly glare. He obviously isn't content that Mr Mitter let my lateness slip through his fingers. I would have to hurry to my next class.
"That was all for this class, don't forget to hand in your assignments next Tuesday!" Mr Mitter says and the whole class stands up, eager to get out. I quickly grab my stuff and hurry out of the classroom, but I know Flash is following me. I take a turn to a less crowded hallway, but I curse under my breath as I realize I took the wrong turn. I turn around to face Flash, knowing I'd have to get through another beating.
"Pissy Parker! What's with the hurry?" Flash says as he approaches me. One of his friends follows him and puts up the same wicked smile. The few students around me give me a short glance of pity, but then just leave, not wanting get between Flash and his punching bags. I don't blame them though, it's not really their problem. Gwen was one of the only people who dared to step up for me. But it's better that others don't, I convince myself. At least I have a healing factor, I can take the punches.
I'm pushed against the wall and feel punch after punch, with an occasional kick, first targeted at my ribs, but I close my eyes as Flash starts targeting my face. I ignore my spider-sense, begging me to dodge his every movement, and just wait. Flash will grow tired eventually. Though the punching stops earlier than I expected, so I open my eyes again.
Flash is yanked away by a teacher. "To the principal's office, now!" I watch them both leave, partly relieved, yet horrified because I know his punches will be worse next time he gets the chance to let out his anger on me.
"Peter, are you okay?" I turn my head to see Mr Mitter looking at me concerned. I nod at him.
"Come on, let's get you something for that nosebleed before you paint the whole hallway red."
I follow him to one of the teacher's chambers. He hands me a bunch of toilet paper and watches me as I push it against my nose.
"How are you holding up with everything Peter?"
I take a short glance at the teacher but quickly look away again. "Fine Mr Mitter, I think my nosebleed has almost stopped."
Mr Mitter sighs and mutters softly "That's not really what I meant." If I didn't have super hearing I probably wouldn't have heard it. But yeah, I know that's not what he meant, I'm just glad he doesn't push the subject any further. I hate those questions about how you're feeling. So many people ask whether you're okay, yet people don't really want to know the truth. They just feel obligated to ask that question, but your problem is just your problem at the end of the day.
After a few minutes of silence I speak up again. "Can I go now Mr Mitter?" I ask "I still have an English class in a couple of minutes."
"Alright, off you go. You don't want to be late again."
After school I visit aunt May at the hospital, like usual. I sit down at a chair next to her bed.
"Hey aunt May." I say as I stare at her peaceful face. Her chest slowly rises up and down. "How are you holding up in there?" I wait for a second, as if she would magically answer my question. But as every other day, there's not even a slight indication she heard me. "Flash was a jerk today, as usual. But the teachers came to my rescue again." I rub my sore shoulder. "But I should be as good as new for tonight. I'm going to train with Mr Murdock. At least, I think I have to. I wanted to refuse his offer but…" I stop midway my sentence. I never told aunt May about my secret but it feels good talking to her about everything. Even if she's not saying anything back. "Do you think I can trust him? Do you think I should trust him? I mean, everyone around me dies or gets hurt badly. Even you." My throat feels heavy but I keep my emotions at bay. "I- I don't think he'll be any different. I don't want to be responsible for any more deaths. But he's just… He's expecting me to come, I don't..." I stop as one of the nurses walks into the room. Her face lights up as she sees me.
"Hi Peter, good to see you again." I give her a small probably not so convincing smile in return.
The nurse looks at aunt May. "She's making progress, you know. With the way things are looking now, I think she'll be okay."
I feel my heart skip a beat with by the nurses words. "Did you hear that aunt May?" I whisper. "You're going to be okay."
For the first time in a while I'm able to leave the hospital feeling relieved.
After grabbing something to eat and spending half an hour pacing around at a roof about whether to show up at the gym or not, I finally decide to go and see how things will turn out.
I still can't fully wrap my mind around everything that's been happening the past few days. I'm literally going to a gym with the blind lawyer, who was convicting my aunt's shooter and happens to be a vigilante. A blind vigilante. And on top of that the avengers still want to kidnap me, because I got bit by a spider once and I'm running around in spandex. What the hell did I do with my life?
I look through the window of the dark gym. He said Fogwell's gym, right? I look at the letters at the building. This has to be it. Carefully I try to open the door, half expecting it to be locked, but it isn't.
"Uhmm… Hello?" I try as I walk into the seemingly empty building.
"Peter! Glad you could come." Matt walks towards me from around a corner.
"I usually train with the lights off, but there is a switch to your left if you'd prefer to be able to see a little more. How was your day?"
"It was okay, Mr Murdock." I turn on the lights and follow Mr Murdock towards a room filled with boxing balls and training equipment.
"Call me Matt, please. I wanted to start with your technique of regular punches."
"Try to start your punches from your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent and use your shoulders to add more power."
I hit the boxing ball again; right, left, right.
"That's good. But you're still holding back. I need you to hit that boxing ball as hard as you can. Again."
I take a second to breathe, and focus on the boxing ball again. I think about aunt May and the shooter and I punch again, this time much harder that my last punches. I hear a loud crack and watch horrified as the boxing ball breaks loose from the ceiling and hits the wall, hard.
"I'm so sorry Mr Murdock, I didn't…" I start but am cut off by the blind vigilante.
"That was good, Peter. Don't worry about the damage, it can be repaired. Now let's start working on your kicks."
