People always think that being a hero is the greatest thing ever. And, honestly, I couldn't really blame them for thinking that. From their perspective, what's so bad about it? You have cool powers, abilities, and gadgets. You got the fame. You got the cool costume. And you honestly have some of the most interesting people on Earth… and galaxy… and the universe as friends, allies, and acquaintances. It looks awesome and it sounds awesome.

Nobody really talks about how you have to tangle with villains that are as powerful as you, if not more. Nobody really talks about how those same villains often don't care who they kill or what they destroy while taking you on. Nobody really talks about how the court of public opinion can turn on you.

…And nobody talks about the hard decisions you had to make.

Every day, I wake up and think to myself I made the right decision – not the part where I urged Dr. Strange to cast that spell that made people forget that I was Spider-Man, but the part where I didn't tell MJ and Ned after the fact. Too many people were hurt or worse because I let them in… because I let them be a part of the life of Spider-Man. As much as it hurt me that the people I befriended and loved no longer knew who Spider-Man is under the mask, I knew it was best for everyone.

And yet, every day, I walk into the Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop, I order a cup of coffee, along with a donut or pastry or something sweet. And while I enjoyed consuming them, that's not the reason I go there. I go there because Michelle… MJ… worked there and Ned hung out there. Even though I was 100 percent sure that they're better off without me being a significant part of their lives, I wanted and needed to know that they're okay. And every time I leave, I keep asking myself if I did the right thing. And that uncertainty only increases when I go home and see the cup of the first coffee I bought from Peter Pan and the Lego Palpatine figure.

Why was I so unsure?

"You're here early, Peter."

I looked up from the floor I was seated on to see a tall black man with short, tapered hair and a pair of red lensed glasses I never seen him take off. As usual, he had on a dress shirt and pants underneath an open trench coat. I gave him slight smile and nodded.

"I needed a quiet place to think for a bit," I replied. "And since this school is empty around this time…"

The man nodded. "It wouldn't be my first choice, personally, but I suppose there are worse places to brainstorm." He brought his head upward and walked up to the door of the classroom. After fetching his keys and using one to unlock the door, he looked back at me. "You can come in if you want."

I thought about it for a moment, then nodded as I grabbed my backpack and stood up. He held the door open for me and I walked right in. I took my seat at the usual desk – middle column, third from the back. I pulled out my textbook and notebook from my backpack, along with a pencil, and lay them on the desk. After that, I checked my watch.

I still had 50 minutes until class started.

I sighed quietly and looked over at the teacher, who was busy cleaning off the dry erase board with an alcohol-soaked paper towel. I kept watching him, wondering about him. He didn't look old – I figured he was about 27 or something. But the way he moved… it seemed like every movement of his had a purpose, even if the purpose seemed only known to him. Something about him gave me feeling that he was more than just a GED teacher, and that he's had quite the life.

Or maybe I'm just overthinking things. MJ and Ned would often say I do that a lot.

"You know, if you had heat vision, you'd burn a hole through me," my teacher quipped. He turned around and tossed the now dirty paper towel into a nearby trash bin before he looked at me. "And that wouldn't be a boon for my teaching prowess." He smirked slightly – something he rarely did. "Still thinking about whatever you were thinking about in the hall?"

"…A bit." I furrowed up my eyebrows and drew my lips into my mouth as I looked off to the side. "…I'll try not to think about it during class."

"I hope not. You're doing extremely well, Mr. Parker." He took his seat behind his desk. "Is it anything I can help with?"

I doubt it, I thought to myself. I wanted to tell him what was going on. But that would mean explaining so much, including the part where I'm Spider-Man. And I didn't want to put his life in danger in any way. So, I wanted to just say no. But I felt like I needed someone to talk with about what I was going through.

I sighed as I looked my teacher. "May I ask you a question, Mr. Summers?"

"Scott," he replied.

I tilted my head. "I beg your pardon."

"Scott. See, while class is in session or we're talking about stuff related to the lesson after class, I expect and implore you to call me 'Mr. Summers'. Outside of that, you may call me Scott, if you want. And to answer your question…" He trailed and beckoned to the seat closest to him as he stood up, walked around his desk, and sat on top of it.

I took in a breath. I stood up and walked up to the seat he beckoned to. I sat down.

"Have you ever made a decision that you sure was the right decision, but still have doubts about it?"

"Yes, I have," Scott replied. "I've done so plenty of times. A lot of people have. That's normal. Why you ask?"

"…A while ago… I… cut myself off from everyone I hold dear, and did so in a way where they can't find me." Scott's eyebrows rose up from behind his glasses, but he didn't say anything. "I… because of things I did, I got them hurt. Even though they tried to reassure me that it wasn't my fault, I couldn't bear the thought of them getting hurt. So I… removed myself from their lives. I keep thinking it's for the best, and I wake up 100 percent sure about that, but then I go to certain places and… I end up missing them a lot."

"I see."

"What do you think?"

"…Well, I don't know how good of an answer I can give you." Scott stood up from the top of his desk. "There are a lot of details that you're not telling me, I'm sure – though don't expect me to press you on that. However, I'll do my best. There's an old saying you've probably heard. 'Hindsight is 20/20'. And that's certainly true – but one can only do so much with 20/20 vision. With some decisions, you can tell easily if they were good or bad, right or wrong, best or worst, and so on. However, there are decisions that you won't be sure about for a long while, if at all."

"Well what do I do if that happens?"

"Well, that leads to another decision you'll have to make. Are you willing to live with that decision? And if you can't, can you do something about it?"

I sighed. Somehow, this whole talk felt both helpful and unhelpful. I frowned. I had one more question. "Have you ever tried to cut yourself off from someone for their own good?"

Scott paused again. Even though I couldn't see his eyes behind those red lenses (and, come to think of it, I never saw his eyes before), I could just tell he was staring straight into my eyes. "Yes. I have – once. And I almost got myself killed because of it." Now it was my eyebrows rising up. "Pete… do you mind if I call you Pete?"

"I've been called worse," I replied with a shrug.

"Well, Pete… I was doing a lot of sacrificing and putting others before myself. And, that's not a bad thing in and of itself. But, doing so without looking out for yourself can be rather detrimental. People admire those who'd dive on top of a bomb to protect others… but the one who cuts the wire? They're going to be alive and well to help those in need again. Anyway, when I cut myself off from the people I held dear… I realized I was hurting myself as much as I was hurting them. And I didn't realize it until it was too late. I don't know if your current situation was similar to that situation but… food for thought."

He wasn't kidding.

After class, I walked home. I had my hands in the pocket of hoodie. As I walked, I thought about what Mr. Summers said. I wanted to dismiss it. There was no way I was hurting MJ and Ned, was I? They were happy without me. Every time I saw them, they look well adjusted. Well, granted, MJ's boss tends to be quite the jerk, but that's how some bosses are, right? And I was okay with them being okay without me… I thought. But every time I saw them, memories just kept coming back of the times we had together. And I'm just tempted to grab the both of them, take them to a discreet location and explain to them everything that happened…

…like I promised I would.

"Why am I like this?"

"We've been asking ourselves the same thing, dork," a voice replied – a voice that caused a flutter in my chest whenever I heard it.

I stopped in my tracks. I saw MJ, dressed in all black – jeans, shirt, and jacket, and Chuck Taylors. I knew that outfit well – it was one of my favorite outfits of hers. Next to her was Ned, who had on blue jeans, a black Darth Vader shirt, and his Midtown letterman jacket.

There they were, a few feet in front of me.

"…Hi," I greeted. I swallowed. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well… we've been waiting you for a while," Ned stated.

I tilted my head. "Here?"

"…You're rather oblivious of your surroundings at times, aren't you?" MJ commented before she pointed up to the sign of the building I was next to. I looked at it.

Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop.

"…Oh." I blinked a few times before I looked at them. "How long were you guys waiting? And why were you guys waiting on me?" My eyes went a bit wide. "I didn't stiff you on the price of the coffee, did I?"

"What?" MJ eyebrows furrowed. She then shook her head. "No. It's just, at school, a friend of ours – Betty – gave us tickets to go see a musical. Musicals aren't really my thing, but I'm trying to be better at this 'hanging out with friends' thing. Thing is, it's four tickets in total, and, between Betty, Ned, and I, there's an extra ticket. She asked us if we knew another person who'd like to come. I said yes… if only because Flash wanted to come."

"Flash is… a bit of a pill," Ned added.

MJ looked at Ned with a scowl. "Flash is an asshole."

Ned looked back at MJ. "That too." Ned looked at me. "The point is, we promised we'd have someone, and I said 'Hey, why not that weird guy that stops for coffee every day?' …No offense."

"I've been called worse," I said.

"So, we waited… but you didn't come during your normal time. But here you are so…"

"I'm…" I trailed off. I sighed. "I'm flattered that you guys thought of me, and I'm sure it'll be a great show tonight but… I can't. I have to study tonight."

"For the GED?" MJ deadpanned. "I highly doubt it."

I scoffed. "What do you mean? I'm not a Midtown student like you guys. For me, GED classes take effort."

I really wished I didn't ask that. I knew what was going to happen next. And it happened like clockwork.

First, MJ brought up a very good point.

"Peter, a couple of weeks ago, you used a penny, a gum wrapper, and one of my coworkers' roach clip to fix the TV here," MJ pointed out. "And then, a week after that, I saw you breeze through a Sudoku book like an elementary school crossword."

Second, I froze up before I became a stuttering mess. Funny thing about me is that I'm a very good liar until someone brings up a point I can't really argue against.

"…I… uh… I mean, I-I'm sure there a lot of p-people who could do w-what I did." I smiled sheepishly. "I-It was m-more luck than a-anything a-and – "

Next, was the part where Ned backed MJ up.

"There are people who take science and math classes with us that wouldn't have been able to do that," Ned added. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're not in Midtown with us."

"Please come with us," MJ said. She walked up to me. As soon as she was close enough, she placed her right hand on my shoulder. It was a simple touch for her. But for me, it brought back a lot of memories – memories she no longer had. So, it took all of my willpower not to turn and run. "For me." She looked me straight into my eyes. She then cleared her throat as she turned her face away. "And Ned."

At that point, there was no excuse I could come up with. I still loved them. I always will. And while that love fueled my desire to stay away from them for their own safety, that same love for them is also the reason there's little I wouldn't do for them if they asked.

I sighed. I then nodded. "What show are we seeing?"

"American Idiot," MJ said with a smile. As Ned pumped in his fist, she playfully punched me in the shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

MJ turned and walked. And I walked with her. And soon after that, it was MJ, Ned, and I walking through the streets of New York. I still wanted to run away. I knew I could at any moment. But after that conversation with Mr. Summers, I needed to know if me staying away from them is the right decision.

…And honestly? I missed MJ and Ned too much.