A/N: HAPPY NEW YEARS YALL! Hope 2020 is super awesome for all of y'all and thank you for sticking around with me and Adie for a whole year :,)

Pretty depressing chapter as usual. I think I wrote the saddest chapter ever a few days ago. It was post-Infinity War. I guess I just really like to write sad stuff *shrug*

"He misses you like crazy."

Adelaide had a problem: Midtown High started tomorrow.

Despite Mr. Delmar's motivational speech, she really didn't want to go back to Midtown High. It was her old life and she had made a promise to herself that she had left it for good. Besides, there were just so many memories. She would be insane to think that she could go back and still avoid facing everything.

Not to mention her little run-in to Graves. He wouldn't show up without a purpose. But, as usual, his words made no sense to her and he had thrown her into a swirl of skepticism and anxiety. What were the chances that he wouldn't try something once she went back to Midtown High? He'd already set the library on fire and nearly killed her. Who's to say he wouldn't burn something bigger this time?

But maybe, just maybe, there was small, tiny, microscopic part of her that wanted to go back, despite everything. Was it selfish of her to want to put everyone at risk just to feel the tiniest sense of normalcy again?

The tv had been playing for an hour now, but she couldn't focus on a word. It was some movie in Spanish that she had been trying to follow, but her mind kept wandering and now it was nearly midnight.

With a sigh, Adelaide decided it was time to go to sleep.

There was no use in meddling with her thoughts. They were just an endless train of what ifs that didn't really have answers. Adelaide took her dinner (the usual leftover sub) and put it into a tupperware container. She had only been able to get through half of it before her appetite left. Maybe she'd finish it tomorrow.

She made sure her front door was locked before turning off her lamps and slipping under the covers to sleep.

Adelaide was back at school.

She walked through the front doors and everyone in the room turned to look at her accusingly. She kept her eyes down and walked through the throng of students. They were whispering things about her but she couldn't understand what they were saying.

There, at the end of the hall, was a Do Not Cross sign. She stopped, swallowing. Suddenly, all the whispers stopped and she felt a cold silence creeping up her spine until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

She gasped and turned around, seeing Lukov himself standing there. He had a maniacal grin on his face.

"Welcome back, Adelaide," he grinned, "Couldn't help yourself?"

"Leave them alone," she begged, referring to the rest of the school, "It's not their fault."

"Oh I know," he said. The entire school was leaning forward, hanging on his each and every word. "It is always your fault."

She shook her head, frantically trying to take a step back but his grip was tight on her shoulder.

"I-I didn't mean to," she whispered, "I didn't know!"

"Do they know why their Coach Ross died?" he asked, his grin unwavering, "Shall I tell them?"

"It wasn't m-my fault," she whispered, feeling tears pricking her eyes.

"What did I say, Adelaide? It is always your fault," he grinned and she heard everyone gasping and the murmurs began. She swallowed, feeling a rising panic in her chest. They couldn't find out. They would kick her out.

"And what about the fire that burned down the library?" he said, his grip on her shoulder tightening. She gasped in pain, feeling the hot tears rolling down her face.

"I can't believe she did that," someone said.

"She burned down the library?"

"She's a murderer, I knew it."

"She's a freak! We're not safe around her!"

"Yeah! Let's throw her out!"

Everything began spinning and the voices got louder in her ears. She was trying to say something, but her voice wasn't working. She began having trouble breathing. Lukov released his grip on her shoulder and she stumbled away, almost falling over. She gripped her throat, trying to stop the burning.

"I can't believe you did this, Ada," someone said and her eyes snapped up.

The whole room was blurry and spinning, except for the boy standing in front of her, looking disappointed. She reached out for him, but the floor nearly gave away under her and she had to lean against the wall for balance.

"Peter, you have to believe me," she gasped, "It wasn't me!"

"That's what all murderers say," Ned said, appearing beside Peter. Adelaide looked at him with wide eyes. She shook her head vigorously even though it made the room spin harder. How could she make them see?

"I didn't murder him!" she shouted, begging him to understand.

"You're cancer," Michelle said, appearing beside her, "And you know what we do to cancer?"

"We cut it out," Peter smirked.

Adelaide stumbled back, shaking her head in fear. Her back hit the wall. She had nowhere to run.

"Please," she begged, sobbing, "It wasn't me."

Knives appeared in everyone's hands as they stalked towards her. She swallowed, beginning to panic. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She had no one to turn to.

"Please!" she screamed, but no one listened.

Murderer...cancer...kill her...kill her...kill her...

They were all dangerously close now, the blades in their hand glinting like jewels. Her head spun. She needed to run. But they were everywhere.

"Kill her!" someone shouted.

"She doesn't belong with us!"

Suddenly, something appeared in her hand. She looked down, seeing the familiar glint of a metal. A gun. She hooked her finger around the trigger.

"Kill! Her! Kill! Her! Kill! Her!"

Closing her eyes, she held up the gun and began shooting.

She didn't stop until she heard the click of the gun. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Realizing what she had just done, she dropped the gun, scrambling away from it. Her eyes traveled over to the rest of the room.

Peter, Ned, and Michelle were on the floor, each with a bullet hole in their forehead. There were other people there with them on the floor, oozing out blood.

She gasped, covering her mouth.

"No, no, no, no, no," she breathed, sinking to the floor. The horror of the images seeped into her veins and she began to sob. She had done it again.

"See, Adelaide? It is always your fault," Lukov said appearing in front of her.

And he was right.

Adelaide woke up with a gasp.

Not again, not again. She threw her covers off and raced for the bathroom.

Adelaide felt the panic growing in her chest like an inflating balloon until it was pressing on all of her organs. She pushed open the door to the bathroom, stumbling into the room. She gasped, realizing that she couldn't breathe. She began to heave, digging her fingers into her palm. She gasped for air which ended into a fit of coughs.

She fell to the floor, feeling tears pooling her eyes as the sobs overtook her. Her coughs grew. The feeling of dread grew. Someone had to be stepping on her throat. She became scared. What was happening to her?

Something came up her throat and she hurled into the toilet, gripping the porcelain like a lifeline. What was happening? Why couldn't she breathe? It felt as if her lungs literally could not hold that air that she needed. Her body was breaking into cold sweat and shivers traveled through her body. Her skin felt raw. She felt like she was going to jump out of her own body.

The panic, the dread, the fear, it grew heavier and heavier, putting more pressure on her throat until she literally could not breathe. She gasped for air clawing at her throat. Air! Damnit! Why the hell couldn't she breathe! She squeezed her eyes shut, seeing stars in her vision. She needed air.

Her thoughts were racing through her mind so fast that even she couldn't keep up with them. All of them sent her into a faster hurricane of panic.

The room began to spin and she felt dizzy.

She needed air.

She had to calm down. Everything was spinning. Everything was out of control. Nothing made sense. Breathe, breathe, breathe. In, out, in, out, in, out. It didn't work. Why wasn't it working? What the hell was wrong with her? Was she losing her mind?

"Help," she managed to gasp but it wasn't even loud enough to be heard the next room over. She pulled at her hair, almost tearing it from the roots. The feeling up her spine was pure agony and stars spun in her vision.

She gasped for air through her tears.

She clawed at her throat, leaving marks.

She yanked her hair.

She squeezed her head.

She screamed.

She cried.

But it wouldn't stop.

Adelaide hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep in the bathroom until she woke up with her cheek pressed against the cold tiled floor.

With a groan, she pushed herself off the floor, wincing under the sharp bathroom light.

She sat up, looking around. She had no idea what time of day it even was. There were no windows here. Then, the memories returned like a sword through her skull. She pressed her fingers against her temple, wincing.

Damn, her head hurt like hell.

She pushed herself back until she was sitting with her back against the bathtub. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them. She felt absolutely drained. For a long time, she sat in silence, staring at the peeling wallpaper. She listened to her steady breathing, grateful that she could breathe again. Her mouth felt unusually dry. Her face felt stiff and swollen, like it always did after she cried.

What had happened?

She remembered the feeling of absolute terror that had consumed her earlier. She remembered the nightmare so vividly. She had felt nothing like it before in her life. There was fear and panic and–

A panic attack. She had a panic attack.

Hey Happy

Just updating you on the latest!

Helped clear the road for an ambulance.

Stopped a guy trying to mug an old man.

Just being me, cleaning up Queens!

School is so boring.

Wish I could be doing something more.

Just keep me updated.

You have my number, right?

Happy?

Press 1 if yes, 2 if no

How's Black Widow?

or should I say "Natasha"

I know it's a big sacrifice

I am completely committed

Peter sighed, dropping his head as he scrolled through the texts.

It had almost been three months since Mr. Stark had promised him that "We'll call you." He had told him that Happy was his go-to guy, but either he had lost his phone, or had been ignoring all of his texts. Peter had a feeling it was the latter, but Happy wouldn't do that...would he?

He decided to send him another text, just to be sure.

Hey Happy just checking in.

I'm out of school at 2:45 PM ?

Ready for my next mission!

It's Peter BTW.

Parker.

It was the first day of school which meant summer vacation was already over. Besides the big thing in Germany, he hadn't been able to do much as Spider-Man. Sure he stopped a few robberies and car chases here and there, but he wanted to do something more. He knew he could handle it. If only Mr. Stark gave him another chance. Instead, he heard radio silence for nearly three months.

Peter pocketed his phone just as the bus pulled up in front of Midtown High. He sighed.

Back to being the same old Peter Parker again.

"Taxi!" Adelaide shouted, but the yellow car sped past her as if she was invisible. Just like a dozen fucking cars before that.

At this rate, she was never going to get to school.

Maybe if she told Mr. Delmar she couldn't go because she couldn't find a taxi then he would understand. But then again, it was Mr. Delmar and there was no way to be sure of what he would do. There was a chance that he could fire her.

And she couldn't risk losing her job over a goddamn taxi. Or lack thereof.

"Taxi!" she shouted again, waving her hand maniacally but it sped past her. Maybe they didn't want a crazy teenager in their car. Well too bad for them because she was going to find a taxi one way or another.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up in front of her. Adelaide ignored it and continued to scan the road for a cab. The driver of the black car rolled down his window.

"Need a ride?" he asked.

Adelaide looked down. It was Happy.

The nostalgia hit her like a sack of bricks. She almost forget her situation and began to get happy. Then all the memories hit her like a sack of bricks and she suddenly remembered that she wasn't supposed to be happy.

"Get in," he said cheerily.

Her heart was begging her to get in and spill everything to him on the way to school just like she had done half a million times before. It was like slipping back into an old habit. So easy. So inviting. So damn comfortable.

"No," she said, walking away and further down the street. She heard him opening the door and getting out. She walked faster. Maybe she could just walk to school. It was only a few blocks away. And she could take exhaustion over a taxi ride any day. It was certainly much cheaper. And cheap was all she could afford nowadays.

"Adelaide, wait!" Happy said, catching up to her. She continued walking, ignoring him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I can't," she finally said, stopping and turning to face him. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why not?" he said again.

"I...I just—I can't."

He sighed, looking up and down the street. He was out of breath from walking to catch up with her.

"Look, kid, just get in. It's cold outside and I left my jacket in the car so just come with me, okay?"

Adelaide gave him a look. Then she sighed and looked away. She was too tired to fight him. Just this once, she would have to let her emotions get the best of her even though she knew she would regret it.

"Fine."

A minute later, they were much closer to the school than she would have gotten if she had decided to walk. Or had stayed to find a taxi.

The first minute had passed in absolute silence. And so had the next. And the next. And the nex—

"I'm glad you're still going to school," Happy said. Adelaide stubbornly stared out the window.

"I'm not going because I want to," she grumbled.

"What a surprise," he grinned, fingers drumming a happy tune against the wheel, "Who threatened you?"

"My boss," she admitted.

"You have a job?" he asked, surprised. He glanced at her through the rear view mirror. She didn't look at him. She wanted to cry. She wanted Happy to hold her and she wanted to cry about the last three months into his shoulder.

"I have to pay my rent somehow," she shrugged.

"Look at you, all grown up," he laughed, shaking his head, "So how's it like living on your own?"

The it sucks ass was on the tip of her tongue but she opted for a better response.

"I love it. Can't believe I didn't do it sooner," she lied. She could feel his gaze on her.

"Really," he said, clearly not believing a word. If he knew the kid at all, he knew she had to be lying.

"So when are you coming back?" he asked, taking a right turn.

Adelaide sighed, "Happy..."

This question was the reason she hadn't wanted to get in the car. There were too many expectations with everyone. She would just have to disappoint them all again. And there was only so much guilt that she could take. As she had proved last night.

"He misses you like crazy," Happy said, focusing on the traffic. She felt a sharp pain in her chest. Tears threatened to prick her eyes. She was not emotionally stable right now, given everything that had happened the night before.

"But did he forgive me?" Adelaide asked but she knew the answer to that. She hated the sound of the slight hope in her voice. Happy stayed silent, confirming what she already knew.

It was hopeless to think otherwise. But she had already spent three months tearing herself apart over this and just when she was finally feeling the smallest sense of consistency in her life, she wasn't about to throw it all away for a shred of hope. She just couldn't get trapped in the circle again. It was her endless hell.

"He'll get over it. Just come home," Happy said, taking another right onto the street where Midtown High was. She could see students crowding the steps like a colony of ants. They all looked so excited for the first day of class. Lucky them. She swallowed her fear.

"I'm not coming back. I'm done," she said sternly just as he pulled up in front of the school. She wrapped her hand around the door handle. Happy turned around, looking at her in desperation. How could he make her see what her absence had done to them? She left behind a disaster.

"Please–"

"Please just stay out of my life and leave me alone. It's over," she said before stepping out of the car. She didn't stop to see his expression because she knew she'd break into sobs if she did.

She closed the door and began walking up the steps as fast as she could, trying to keep her calm. She stopped at the final step and glanced over her shoulder. Happy was still parked there as if she had changed her mind in just fourteen steps.

With a shaky sigh, she turned away and entered the school.

SOMEWHERE IN QUEENS

Adrian Toomes didn't like to take help.

But he had decided to make an exception for the man who could supposedly turn into sand.

He knew the strange sightings in the news were not accidents or hallucinations. In a world like this, nothing was strange. His men had tracked down this supposed man named Flint Marko for him.

Adrian was waiting under the bridge, staring at the graffiti that read NY SUCKS when he heard a rustle behind him. He grinned to himself before turning around.

"Flint," he greeted, "So nice to finally meet you."

"Who are you?" Flint asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes. He looked angry and desperate for something. Just the kind of qualities he was looking for. Adrian smiled.

"Adrian Toomes," he said, "I've seen what you can do. I'm impressed."

"What do you want?" Flint scowled. His guard was up; he didn't trust this stranger.

"Straight to the point," Adrian grinned, "I like that. To put it simply, I want...you. I'm an arms dealer and you can turn into sand. What do you say we start working together?"

"I work alone," Flint said, turning away, "Don't try to contact me again." Adrian sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He watched the man walking away.

"64th Street, Woodside, Apartment 36," Adrian said, "Residents: Emma and Penny Marko."

Flint stopped. Then he turned around, giving Adrian the most furious look he could muster.

"You stay the hell away from my family," he hissed. Adrian smiled sympathetically.

"Oh but they're not your family anymore, are they?" he said, "You got kicked out for being a criminal."

"I am not a criminal," Flint said, glaring hard at him. Adrian took a step closer.

"Believe me, I know," he said, "You're just misunderstood."

Flint stayed silent, staring at the underside of the bridge. Adrian stepped forward carefully. He of all people knew exactly how to tame a beast.

"I have a daughter as well, Flint," Adrian said quietly, "And I would do anything for her."

Flint looked up, catching his eye. He looked conflicted. But he was considering something he hadn't been two minutes ago. Adrian considered that progress.

"Join me. I'll get you more than enough money to treat your daughter," he coaxed, "You can treat her. You can be a family again. Isn't that what you want?"

Flint stayed silent for a long time, racing through a million thoughts in his mind. Adrian waited patiently, knowing that he had said everything he could have said. Then, Flint took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"What do I have to do?" he asked.

Adrian smiled.

A/N: So I figured Adie probably wasn't exactly mentally stable and I wanted to make it super accurate so I wrote the scene with the panic attack. Hopefully it accurately describes what she was going through cause I know it's a pretty sensitive topic and I just wanted to get it right :/

Somehow my brother forced me into playing Monopoly when I'd rather be doing a million other things :(

Question: What theories do y'all have about this new villain pairing? *side eyes*