Mary Jane stood at the stairs, clutching her pocket book and a newspaper. She was beaming, her auburn hair almost glowing. She gave a soft, sad smile.
"Sorry. Is it a bad time?" she asked, still showing that innocence he'd noticed the day they met.
"Yeah. It is, actually. I'm expecting someone over for dinner."
"Oh. I better get going, I just wanted you to see this."
She handed him a copy of the Daily Bugle.
"There's a letter inside...to Spider-Man. I figured you'd need it incase you get any ideas for some photo opportunities." She said, glancing at Aunt May, who was indeed listening.
"Thanks, M.J. And, I heard you on television..."
She smiled. "Yeah...well, no matter what happened, I still think Spider-Man is amazing. And that he looks good in tights."
Peter started laughing as she walked down the stairs. He waved good-bye as she trotted down the street. At least they were still friends.
Amanda showed up a few minutes later, wearing a beautiful black skirt and blouse. She had her grandmother's necklace on, which she only wore for special occasions, and he dark hair was straightened perfectly. She had light eye shadow on, and her lip-gloss glistened in the light.
"Hey." Peter said, breathless at what was happening.
"Hi. Thanks for inviting me."
"Oh, thanks for coming."
He walked her inside and shut the front door.
"Something smells wonderful." She said as they walked into the kitchen.
"Yeah...my Aunt makes a mean pot roast."
She shook Aunt May's soft hand, smiling wide and warm. "Thank you so very much, Mrs. Parker."
"Anything for my nephew. Please, have a seat, Amanda, isn't it?"
She nodded as she took her seat next to Peter in the wooden chair. She poured herself a glass of homemade pink lemonade.
"The pot roast is amazing, Mrs. Parker! It melts in your mouth!"
"Thank you, dear. And please, call me Aunt May."
She nodded as she scooped some noodles onto her fork.
"So...I, uh, heard you on the news." Peter said awkwardly.
"You did, huh? Sorry the guy called you an idiot."
"Nah, I work for him. I'm used to it." He laughed.
"You work there? That's so cool! I want to be a reporter there."
"Really? Awesome. I'm a freelance photographer. I take pictures of Spider-Man." He said.
She giggled as she sipped her lemonade. "I dunno, Pete...I just can't trust him. What do you think, Mrs...uh...Aunt May?"
Aunt May shook her head. "I don't really know. I do think he's a bad influence on younger folks. Soon we'll see teenagers trying to fly."
Peter laughed. "I guess. I dunno...taking pictures of the dude...he's pretty cool to me. Funny, too."
"Well, you're funny, Peter." Amanda laughed.
"Thanks. I try."
Peter found himself talking about Spider-Man throughout dinner. No matter what he did, Peter just couldn't compete. It was like he was fighting himself for attention. To him, that was seriously messed up.
Peter walked Amanda home after a healthy fruit-filled dessert. He wasn't sure if he should walk arm-in-arm with her, so he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"It's a wonderful night, isn't it? Look at that moon."
"Yeah. You can barley see it sometimes, because of the city's buildings and lights. That's why there are no stars."
"I know, Peter. You're not the only genius in school, you know." She joked.
"What?"
"I've seen you answer all those questions in science class. You're smarter than our teacher."
Peter blushed. "I guess."
Once they reached Amanda's house, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for a wonderful night, Peter."
"Yeah. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
She nodded. "But this time at my place. But I don't think my mom's cooking can even compete with your Aunt's."
Peter smiled and walked away as she walked inside. He needed to get home. He had school tomorrow, and he needed to read that Bugle article.
He could just guess who it was from; his three best friends in the whole world.