Either Scott tended to order a lot of food, or he figured I ate a lot. Or maybe he figured I would be stress eating. Whatever the reason, Scott had a lot of food delivered to the X-Men's apartment. Or, should I call it the ex-X-Men's apartment?

Eh, it doesn't matter.

Either way, once the table was set, I ended up eating a lot. I was sure my dinner etiquette was not in use. But Kitty and Scott didn't judge me. Without being asked, Kitty would prepare me another plate after I emptied the one I was eating from while Scott ate in silence. It was a lot of curry, a lot guay teow, a lot of larb… honestly, whatever that was put in front of me, I ate it until I was finally full.

Once I was done, I had the decency to go to the bathroom to wash my hands and face. I returned to my seat just as Kitty picked up the used dishes.

"Thanks for having me, guys," I said in earnest.

"It's no problem," Scott assured.

I went quiet for a few moments. "…How's Craig?"

"He's getting better little by little," Kitty called out from in front of the dishwasher she was filling. "He's in concussion protocol, and he's still fighting off whatever he got darted with, but Claire is sure he'll be fine." She closed the dishwasher before she walked back towards the table and retook her seat.

"That's good." I nodded. I sighed. "…These last two days sucked."

"Want to talk about it?" Scott offered.

"No," I replied. "…Yes?" Slowly I stood up before I turned around and walked away a few steps. "I don't know. I just…" I took in a breath before I turned and looked at Scott and Kitty. "I got… I feel like…"

"Take your time," Kitty advised gently. "Use your words."

"…I don't know what to say." I shook my head. "It's like… This past week was just weird. It's just…" I started to pace back and forth. I just had the urge to move. "Things were going great at first, you know? I spent some quality time with MJ. I actually got to see the entirety of American Idiot… I gotta say that was an awesome show and… now I really want to get the album." I allowed myself to smile a bit. I then shook my head and frowned. "But then Scorpion showed up, Craig got hurt badly. You guys had to save us. And then, the next morning, MJ checked up on me and… I was just tired of lying to her… to all of them. So… I told them to come over. I told them everything – the fact that I'm Spider-Man and about The Spell, including the events leading up it. A part of me feels like I should be happy that Ned and Betty are still my friends, but seeing MJ walk out just has me feeling gutted. And Ned tells me that there's still a chance for her and I because she has this thing where she says what's on her mind and she didn't say anything yet so it must mean she's just trying to sort out her feelings and…"

I paused in my rant and just looked at Kitty and Scott. I thought they were going to look at me like I was a weirdo. But... they didn't. They just gave me their undivided attention without any hint of judgment.

"I… I kept MJ and Ned at arm's length because I thought they'd be a lot happier without me being a huge part of their lives," I continued. "But… without them, I wasn't happy. So… when they befriended me, I was just happy to be close with them again. And I was even happier when I became close with Betty." I chuckled as I shook my head. "She was always nice but… I kinda regret not being closer with her before." I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I'm digressing. But… the thing is… MJ's upset, and now her and I are unhappy, and now I'm questioning whether reconnecting with them was even worth it.

"And that's where I'm at." I stood there for some seconds. I then huffed out a breath. "Why do I feel better now?"

"…You don't really talk to people about your problems much, do you?" Kitty observed.

"I do, it's just the amount of people I talk to is rather small. And that was before The Spell." I walked back to my seat and sat down. "And, prior to meeting you guys, the people who I'd talk to either don't remember me at all or are not alive."

Kitty breathed in through her teeth as she slowly averted her gaze. "I see." She cleared her throat before she looked back at me. "Peter, I have to ask – were you looking for a solution, or did you need someone to vent to?"

"…You know, I started with the intention of asking for a solution but… maybe I did just need to vent."

"It is like that sometimes," Scott commented. He stood up and walked over to the fridge. "But here's my two cents. Heartache and pain… it's an unfortunate part of having a close relationship with someone. I'm close with Kitty and Craig – they're like family to me. I love them to death. And to my shame, I've hurt them quite a bit along the way."

"Ditto on all of that," Kitty interjected, causing Scott to make a sound of acknowledgement with his throat as he pulled out three bottles of Ironbeer. After closing the fridge, Scott walked back to us and handed Kitty and I each a bottle.

"The point, Peter, is that, unless you're doing it on purpose, you're going to have to accept that there are going to be times when you'll hurt the ones you love. And unless they're doing it on purpose, you're going to have to accept that the ones you love are going to hurt you, too."

I looked at him as I opened my bottle. I then took a hearty sip. After that, I stared at the bottle for some time. Finally, I looked back and forth between Scott and Kitty.

"…Love is bittersweet, isn't it?" I commented.

"Yup!" Kitty and Scott agreed in unison.

The next day, I woke up a bit early before I went to work with my camera. When I got there, I was at a desk, uploading photos I took of the city for The Daily Bugle to use as stock images. As I waited for the upload to be done, I leaned back in my seat, craned my head back, and looked up at the ceiling. I shook my head.

"I really don't want to be here," I said to myself.

"Sounds like a typical Monday to me."

I straightened myself up and looked to my left. Betty walked up to me with a with paper bag. Soon as she reached me, she placed the bag in front of me.

"For me?" I asked.

"It is," Betty confirmed with a nod.

"Thanks." I reached for the top of the bag to open it. Betty placed a hand on my shoulder, prompting me to look up at her.

"Before you get to what's inside of the bag, do you have a moment to talk?"

I raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

"Not here." She beckoned me to follow her. "Let's go."

"Give me a second." I turned towards my desk and pulled open one of the drawers. I plucked out a permanent marker, uncapped it, and used it to write my name on the bag. I put the cap back on the marker before I tossed it back in the drawer. I closed the drawer before I stood up. "Let's go."

I followed Betty into the elevator. Once inside, she hit the button for the basement, which I didn't know the building had. As the elevator descended, I remained quiet. After about a minute, the elevator reached the basement and the door opened up. Inside were rows and rows of filing cabinets. Betty stepped out of the elevator, and I followed her.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Archives of old articles from before we were born," Betty said simply. "And since people rarely come down here, it's kind of my quiet place – a place where I can be alone with my thoughts." She looked over at me. "Do you have a place like that?"

"It used to be the roof of Midtown High," I replied. "I shared that spot with MJ and Ned." I cleared my throat. "Nowadays, it's either The Empire State or Chrysler Building." I smiled slightly, remembering Peter Two and Peter Three. That smile faded when Betty stopped in her tracks and turned around to face me. I quickly came to a stop, a bit startled. She looked at me with a look of concern.

"I forgot to ask you this yesterday, and I apologize for that, but… are you okay?" Betty asked. "I'm talking about Saturday night."

"…Physically, I'm right as rain," I replied. "Mentally… I'm getting better." I gave her a small smile. "Craig is getting better little by little, but Scorpion is out there hunting for us. And Scott pretty much grounded me from Spider-Man stuff for a while until Craig is fully recovered."

"That's good." Betty smiled briefly. "…What about yesterday? Are you okay from that?"

I took a moment to think about my answer. I shrugged. "…Not really. I'm… Well… Is 'coping' the right word?" I furrowed up my eyebrows as I thought about that for a moment. I nodded. "Yeah, let's go with that. I, uh… I vented to Scott and Kitty after I had dinner with them last night. Thanks for calling Scott, by the way."

"I was worried about you," Betty explained. She walked to a filing cabinet, turned around and leaned against it. "You look devastated when MJ walked out. And you're living inside of this lonely apartment. So, when Ned called me after he left your place, I didn't think you being by yourself was a good idea." She sighed. She then chuckled as she shook her head. "…It's weird, you know? I'm standing here with someone who's been my friend for a while and I don't remember any of it." She then tilted her head. "Though, we weren't close enough for me to know that you're Spider-Man. What changed?"

"Well, to be fair, before The Spell, Ned found out by accident," I chuckled out. "And MJ… well, she's observant."

"One would call it being obsessed, but to each their own, I suppose." Betty smiled cheekily.

I laughed a bit at that before I continued. "But… you befriended me again, I got to see how awesome you are, and you're great with Ned, you know? I sort of wish I gotten closer to you before The Spell, and I guess telling you the whole truth is my way of saying sorry for not bringing you into the fold before? I don't know. All I know is that I figured you deserve to know."

She smiled wryly. "Peter… you are a mess. But I'm touched." She straightened herself, taking her back off of the wall. She then stepped up to me and hugged me. I stiffened up, not expecting her to do that.

"Um… Betty… what's this for?" I asked.

"I'm thanking you, Peter," Betty explained. "For all the times you saved my life as Spider-Man. I don't think I ever got a proper chance to thank Spider-Man face to face. So… thank you."

I smiled as I hugged her back. "Just doing what I can." We embraced for some seconds and I… underestimated how much I really needed a hug. "…Thanks, Betty. Thanks for being my friend and having my back as Spider-Man when Mysterio exposed me… even if you don't remember that. And thanks for being there for me and the rest of us."

"Hey, if you guys are going to call me the mother of The American Idiots, I might as well play the part." She started to pull away. I let go of her as she did so. She looked up at me. "…Give MJ time. Something tells me that it's not over between you guys. So, keep your chin up, okay?"

"Yes mom," I replied before I laughed. Betty playfully punched me in the shoulder.

We returned to the floor we worked on. I returned to my desk to see that my computer uploaded all of the pictures. After nodding in approval, I opened up the bag and reached inside. Feeling a lidded cup, I grabbed it carefully before I pulled it out. It was a cup from Peter Pan. I raised my eyebrows a bit as I set the cup down. I then reached into the bag again. This time, I ended up pulling out a smaller bag. I opened that bag and reached into. Feeling a pastry, I pulled it out to see that it was a donut.

I recognized that donut – that nigh-black frosting, the smell of dark chocolate and licorice… Was it the same kind of donut MJ gave to me the day after the first time we tried to watch American Idiot? Well, there was only one way to find out. I bit into the donut. As I did so, I felt the cream filling spill onto my tongue. There was the vanilla, there was the cinnamon, and there was the cardamom. I chewed the piece of the donut in my mouth and swallowed. I then looked over at Betty. From her seat behind the desk, she gave me a knowing smile and a wink. I smiled back at her and mouthed my thanks to her. I then looked forward, reached into my pocket, and pulled out my phone. I went through my contacts and pulled up MJ's number. I then composed a text to her.

"Thanks. And, I'm sorry."

I took in a breath and sent it. I then placed my phone down on the desk before I picked up my cup of coffee and took a sip. I went about ejecting my SD card from the computer before I sat back and enjoyed my coffee and donut. I was a little less sad and a little bit more hopeful. I knew MJ was still upset with me. But I was glad to know she still cared.

Silver linings, I suppose.

Once I checked my e-mails for any assignments for the week, I left, bidding Betty a good day.

The rest of the day went by as normal, except I skipped my usual trip to Peter Pan. Part of it was because I already got my Peter Pan for the day, but it was mostly so I could give MJ her space. The next day was no different. I checked into work, I went to GED classes, and then I went home. And with me off of Spider-Man duty for a bit, I figured that I would be in for a rather quiet week.

Wednesday morning, I was proven wrong.

I wasn't woken up by alarm. I was awakened by my senses going off. I quickly sat up in my bed and looked around the room, trying to figure out why my senses were on 11 at the moment. I clenched my eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm myself down. But I couldn't. Instead, I just felt something like a pull towards a certain direction. I opened my eyes and stared at that direction for several moments.

"What's in that direction? Why am I being pulled…?" I trailed off as the realization sunk in. "Oh… Oh no."

Quickly I reached over for my phone and took it off the charger before unlocked, went through my contacts, and called up Scott. After some moments, he picked up.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Scott!" I exclaimed. "Look, I know this may sound weird but… I think something is going on at Midtown High!"

"I know. It's all over the news. The school is being held hostage."

I tilted my head. "What?!"

"Wait, you didn't know that? Then how did you know something was going on over there?"

"Long story short, I got these senses that tells me when there's danger around. But… it never did this before. I just felt like I was being pulled towards that school. And… I know you ordered me to lay low, but – !"

"I know," he interjected. "Kitty and I are already getting suited up. We'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay."

Five minutes later, I was swinging through the city with a belly filled with four protein bars and two energy drinks.