A/N: AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYSSSSSS LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUU... Jk. #FarFromHomeWasA1Quality.

Sup guys, just here to let you know that the format of my chapters are gonna change a bit. For starters, I wanted to put an Author's Note in the beginning t just let you know about any announcements or disclaimers or just to rant as well as to put on the chapter songs s you can listen and get the feel of the chapter and the mood for it. Like a soundtrack, really. But, reviews and incorrect quotes are still at the end.

I also saw this post on Tumblr (follow me buckysbitch4hire) where they said that if you cannot include all of your character's little quirks in the story, make random head canons for them. So, I wanted to try that out.

Uh, random headcanon: Danielle sleeps with her socks on like a heathen because when she stayed in Sokovia, it was hard to keep warm while sleeping in a cold cell. She had always grown used to sleeping with the socks on anyway and never grew out of it when she joined the team. :)

Chapter songs: Waiting For Love by Avicii (for the intro of the chapter as a sort of background song i just like the sound of), Cool Kids by Echosmith (for the second part of the chapter), and Hate That You Know Me by the Bleachers (for the final part of the chapter). So you can go ahead and listen to those songs to know the mood of the chapter parts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing Marvel related, just Jack and Dani. Land also, if you've seen Far From Home, please don't spoil it in the reviews for the people who haven't seen it yet. Thanks.

"Welcome back, Miss West," her Chemistry teacher, Mr. Cobbwell, greeted her as she entered the class with a small smirk.

All around her, Danielle was welcomed back by the familiar feeling of school and the people in it. Seated at a nearby lab table was Michelle with Charles and Cindy. And then seated behind them was Peter and Ned . As she made her way over to her spot beside Peter, he glanced up and met her glance with a smug smile that held all their secrets.

"Hey," he greeted her as she took a seat beside him and his best friend.

"Hi," she replied nonchalantly. And after the greeting, both went back to looking at their work or the front of the class where Mr. Cobbwell was trying to sound funny with his lessons. But deep down, both Peter and Danielle knew more than anyone inside that room, and it made them ecstatic.

It had been almost a month since Danielle had finally found out about Peter's secret when he stumbled through her balcony door with a bullet in his stomach and a scar on the back of his head. And nearly every night since then, Peter had been popping into her Penthouse with either a scratch from falling on the pavement, a bruise from hitting a window, or a stab wound from a mugger in Hell's Kitchen. "He was fast. It was dark," was what Peter used as an excuse when Danielle gave him a judgemental look before, of course, patching him up anyway.

But it was... nice. A break away from the tension-filled and awkward conversations they used to have before. It was as if they were both always holding their breath around one another for so long with their secrets clutched so tightly to their chests. And now, with everything out in the open between them, it was as if they could finally breathe again. And it was amazing.

Of course, being better friends with Peter wasn't the only thing Danielle was excited for this school year because now that she was back, she had the Academic Decathlon National Tournament in DC to look forward to in a week. Of course, she had to get through a week of school first.

"And that is how the Chernobyl Massacre was a large part of why the USSR was disbanded. Chemistry. Science. Physics. The Physicists would've never been able to figure out what was wrong in the RDM Nuclear Reactors in the first place had it not been for–" The bell suddenly rang, echoing through the classroom and cutting off Mr. Cobbwell's interesting lecture. After that, the students all around him were already up from their seats, shuffling to grab their belongings and head out of class while he aimlessly tried to call out something about homework and an assignment due on Thursday. Danielle wasn't listening because of the fact that she was too busy talking with her friends. A normal thing she did, with her normal friends, on a normal day.

"You're going to Decathlon Practice today during Advisory still, right?" Michelle asked her as her, Peter, Cindy, Ned, and Charles began their exit from the classroom to their next period.

Danielle nodded. "Definitely. Liz told me she had something she wanted to tell me this morning. Plus, I've been kind of slacking in practicing the Economics of Europe topic Mr. Harrington has me working on for Nationals," she explained.

Cindy groaned aloud. "Don't even get me started on the Hypotehtical Theory topic he gave me last week."

"Yeah," Peter chimed in. "I don't understand why there would even be topics like this at Nationals anyways."

Ned shrugged. "Whatever, Peter. You can't even complain because you got US Presidents," he retorted with a smug smirk. The rest of the group shouting in protest and disbelief as they entered the busy hallway.

"Oh, come on!" Charles whined. "Unfair. How come you get the easy topic?"

"Because he aces all his other topics," Michelle remarked with an unimpressed look.

"Alright," Cindy allowed with the roll of her eyes as her, Charles, Ned, and Michelle split off from them to go to their next class.

"See you at practice!" Ned shouted with a wave to the pair.

"Bye!" Danielle and Peter waved back at them before turning to head to their next classic the opposite direction. "You don't actually ace all your topics, do you?" Danielle wondered aloud jokingly once they were alone. Peter snorted in response. "So, how was your morning so far?" She asked as they walked at a steady pace down the hall.

Peter shrugged. "Eh. Same old, ya know? Texting Happy again, letting him know I'm still available and stuff. Uh... Flash almost hit me with his car again."

Danielle rolled her eyes. If there was one person she could always count on giving her a headache this early in the morning, it was Flash Thompson. "Him and that car," she muttered. "I'm surprised her hadn't married it yet." She joked and they both fell into a comfortable laugh.

Peter opened his mouth to reply when Mr. Cobbwell ca,e running from his class towards them. "Mr. Parker!" Both Danielle and Peter stopped in their tracks and turned back to their Chemistry teacher. "Miss West," he greeted her with a smile and nod as he walked over. "Peter, I just wanted to notify you that this is the third homework assignment you've failed to turn in on time. I'm afraid that another could result in you failing the class." Danielle furrowed her eyebrows at this information. Peter? Failing science class? He aced that subject, how could he be failing to turn in his assignments?

"I know that you've been a bit withdrawn lately. You quit Robotics a month ago, now this," Mr. Cobbwell continued, and Peter's frown deepened. "I'm not sure what's going on in your life, Mr. Parker, but I do offer tutoring in the morning and after school to help get you caught up."

"Um, thank you, Mr. Cobbwell," Peter replies with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright. You have a good rest of your day, Mr. Parker. Miss West." And with that, the man went back to his classroom, leaving the pair of enhanced teens to their own devices in the middle of the crowded hallway.

They were silent for a moment, Danielle still tring to wrap the fact that Peter was failing a class around her head when she finally spoke a minute later. "You're not turning in homework assignments now?" She asked him skeptically.

Peter grimaced as he looked around the hallway, avoiding her prying eyes. "Yeah. It's... It's not a big deal. I can just make it all up during tutoring-"

"Which you never go to because of your internship after school," Danielle interjected, causing Peter to deflate. He knew she was right, he had been putting off tutoring for weeks now, struggling to even manage to finish homework assignments on the subway ride to school in the mornings.

"I just don't get why it's such a big deal," Peter shrugged. "I mean, it's not like I actually need to worry about this stuff. I have my Internship I can always fallback on if-"

"If you drop out of high school?" Danielle finished for him, turning to face Peter with raised eyebrows.

Peter frowned and held up his hands. "Whoa, hey. I'm not- I'm not dropping out of high school, Elle," he assured her, but she didn't look all that convinced that he was being sincere. "It's just... It's just Chemistry. I can not turn in a few assignments and be caught up by the end of the month."

"Okay, then what about Robotics?" Danielle prompted. "Ned said something about you quitting weeks ago. Same thing with Marching Band. Why would you do that?"

"There was no time for that stuff anymore," Peter defended. "I can't... do Robotics, Decathlon, Marching Band, and– ya know–" Danielle watched as he made the hand gestured he did when he shot webs from his shooters. "So, I had to quit a few clubs. It's fine. I didn't need them anyway."

"Peter," Danielle cut in, stopping their walk in the hallway to turn and face him. "You didn't have time for these clubs because you're so focused on one thing: Spider-Man," she whispered beneath her breath. "And I get it; you're a hero, you save people. I've done that, too. It's great. But, this is different. You've been doing this before Tony gave you the new suit and still managed to make time for your clubs and school. You were an honor student last year, Peter."

Danielle let out a heavy sigh as she glanced around the hallway aimlessly. "I'm just worried that maybe you're not prioritizing what's important," she continued. "Take it from someone who's gone through the whole vigilante, secret persona thing; don't take for granted the normal part of your life. Please."

Peter frowned. Taking in her words. He knew she had a point. He had been prioritizing the "internship" over school and extracurricular activities ever since Mr. Stark had given him his new suit. But, it was because this was a whole new level. He no longer just swung through the streets as your basic vigilante. He now had the Avengers backing him up. He was a real hero. And he hopefully planned on becoming an Avenger one day when he grew up. And truth be told, he didn't need high school to get there. But, Danielle was right about one thing: he needed to take advantage of his normal life while he still had it.

"You're right," he told her as the warning bell rang, echoing through the halls. "I'll try to focus more on school. Take time to catch up on those Chemistry assignments."

Danielle smiled. "That's good. And, hey, maybe you can swing on over to the Penthouse and I can help you with it," she joked.

Peter laughed. "Yeah. I'll see what I can do."

"Bye, Peter," Danielle said with a wave as she made her way towards her English class. "I'll see you at Practice," she called over her shoulder.

"Definitely. Oh, and have fun with the Economics of Europe!" He called after her, laughing when he got a groan in response before heading off to class. Smiling as he made his way down the hall, thinking to himself how grateful he was to have a friend like Elle who kept him in line and helped keep his head on and who understood what it was like to be under the mask. But, sometimes he wondered if she was right all the time. It wasn't like... she had been going out every night as Eris anymore. Sure, she was practicing and regaining her strength, but she wasn't actually fighting in the streets. So, Peter had to think; did she really know what it was like?

After 3rd and 4th period went by in a flash and it wasn't long before Danielle found herself skipping by Peter and Ned at lunch.

"Hi guys," she greeted them as they entered the cafeteria. Both teenage boys waiting for her at the entrance like they did everyday since she got back. Ever since Cindy, Sally, Liz, and Betty stopped hanging out as much over the Summer, Danielle found more time to sit with just the boys... and sometimes Michelle when she crawled out of her place in the library.

Ned and Peter turned to her with smiles. "Hey, Elle," Ned greeted her with a wave.

"Hey," Peter chimed in. "I thought you were gonna meet up with Liz today?"

"I am. I just wanted to tell you guys 'hi' before I totally go and ditch you," she grimaced.

"You're not ditching us, Elle," Ned assured her. "You're taking one for the team. You're probably the only friend we have who actually gets invited to do stuff with seniors." Peter pouted and gave his friend an odd look while Danielle could only laugh awkwardly.

"Um, okay. Well, I'll see you guys during advisory."

Ned scoffed and rolled his eyes then. "Yeah. Where Peter's going to tell Mr. Harrington that he can't make it to Nationals this weekend." That caught Danielle's attention.

She raised her eyebrows and turned to see Peter cringe slightly. She figured he probably wanted to wait to tell her. Or maybe he planned on not telling her at all after their discussion in the hallway earlier that day.

"You're not going to Nationals?" She asked incredulously. "Peter, you've worked super hard to get here, and now you're just not going?"

"I just..." he began, but stopped when he side glanced to Ned, remembering he couldn't say everything he wanted to say. "I have to stay for my internship, you know? In case Mr. Stark needs me here," he explained lamely.

Danielle couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her and Peter knew full well that Tony hadn't called or messaged Peter about anything since dropping him off at his apartment building months ago. He was now just using it as an excuse to stay behind and fight crime in New York without getting caught and taking a break for a single weekend to go to Decathlon Nationals in DC. This couldn't have gotten any worse in Danielle's eyes.

She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Instead, she just sighed and figured that there was nothing she could do. He wanted to spend his life this way. Who was she to stop him? Someone who experience first hand what it was like to lose her normal life and someone who was jealous everyday of the normal life all her friends get to live. But, Peter didn't care about any of that.

Peter could see the disappointment in Danielle's eyes flicker then disappear, replaced with a glaze that made it look like she was lost. "Elle-" he began, but was cut off by the sounds of girly laughter and a single shout.

"Ellie!"

Danielle, Ned, and Peter all turned to see Liz smiling and waving at Danielle, Betty and a few other of Liz's new friends crowded around her like a little clique. Danielle tried to smile and wave back, but it just came out like a grimace.

"Hey, Ned and Peter," Liz greeted the the pair beside Danielle before turning back to her friend. "You still coming? I need some help setting up posters around for the Homecoming dance. Plus, I still wanted to talk to you," she told Danielle with an excited smile.

Ever since Danielle got back to Midtown after... everything, Liz had been acting a bit differently. She had always been happy and quirky, but lately it had been even more so. And especially when she was around her new friends Betty had introduced her to from the Student Council.

There was Cheryl; the brunette exchange student who was elected as Student Body Class Secretary. Quinn; the President of the School's Drama Club and past contestant of American Idol (or so she claims). And Nadine; the Editor of the School Newspaper. And then of course you had Jason, Betty, and Seymour who still stuck around over the summer. It was as if someone had gotten the most popular people in school and made a friend group out of them, and that was exactly who hung out with Liz. And then there was Danielle.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder why Liz even bothered with still hanging out with her sometimes whenever she was with these big, bright, and popular people who liked talking about gossip in school, cute celebrity guys, and the right lighting for selfies. But, when Liz was alone with Danielle, she was like an entirely different person. Less focus on her looks and public image and more focused on school and her future as the first female president. Danielle liked the normal Liz better, but she was her friend no matter what.

"You still on for lunch with us?" Liz asked, promptly pulling Danielle from her thoughts.

Danielle, remembering he earlier hiccup with Peter, turned to glance at him for a moment. She contemplated staying with him and Ned, trying to talk him into going to DC, but figured that there was no changing his mind on this. "Uh, yeah. Definitely."

"Yay," Liz cheered before taking Danielle by the hand and dragging her along with the rest of the group of girls into the cafeteria, with not so much as a second glance to the two boys she left behind.

After getting dragged away by Liz and the girls, Danielle found herself having to help the Homecoming Commitee (yet again) with hanging up an enormous sign in the cafeteria. It wasn't the worse way to spend her lunch, but it was taking up a bit of her time to actually eat while holding the thumbtacks for Liz.

"Uh, maybe a little to the left!" Betty called from where she stood behind them a few yards away.

Liz slowly lifted the edge of the banner to the left as instructed from where she stood on the ladder. "This good?" She called over her shoulder.

Betty clapped. "Perfect!"

Liz smiled before turning back to Danielle on the ground beside her. "Ellie– thumbtack?" Danielle faked a smile through the pain of her growling stomach before passing her a thumbtack. "Thank you." Danielle hoped this was the last banner she would have to help hang up as she glanced around at the cafeteria and everyone in it eating food. Her stomach growled at just the thought. She hadn't eaten since last night's Chinese take-out she ordered for herself, and only herself.

It was true: Rae was a terrible caretaker. She showed up every so often just to pop in, grab something frm the Penthouse, maybe stay for a night, but she was always gone by the morning and wouldn't return for maybe a few days or a couple of weeks. It was a weird routine the woman had, but it wasn't like Danielle had time in the brief moments she saw her that she could ask why she was gone so often or where she was going. Not to mention, Danielle also had to lie to cover for her; Jack was still under the impression that whenever he talked to his sister and Rae wasn't there it was because she had either gone to the store or was still at work. Which, wasn't technically lying. She could've been at the store or work when Danielle told her brother that, she just wouldn't be coming for some time.

But, it was fine with Danielle that Rae was a bit of a deadbeat. It gave her time to practice on her powers in the house without getting in trouble for breaking something valuable. Like, for instance, the really pretty vase that say on the counter for the longest time that Danielle accidentally threw the remote into while practicing with tossing small objects. She tossed the small object, though... just a bit too hard.

"Finished," Liz announced as she climbed down the ladder, taking a few steps back with Betty to take a look at her work.

"It looks good," Danielle told her, a bit exasperated.

"I hope so," Liz said. "This is my last Homecoming and I really want it to be memorable." Panic hit Danielle for a split second before it dawned on her that Liz was right, this would be her last Homecoming because she was a senior and it was her last year of high school. Just like last year was Amber, Maggie, and Ashley's last year in soccer and high school and they had graduated.

Betty pouted. "Hey, don't talk like that," she scolded her friend. "It's going to be amazing."

"Yeah..." Liz sighed, sounding a bit unconvinced. "What do you think, Ellie?"

Danielle was caught a bit by surprise when Liz asked for her opinion, so all she could muster was a simple, "Hm?"

"What do you think about this Homecoming?" Liz reiterated. "You're still going, right?"

"I, uh..." Danielle blanked. She hadn't actually thought about whether or not she was going to yet another dance Liz invited her to. Usually, they ended terribly. The Winter Formal, for example, ended with her leaving early because her long lost Mom came breaking into the Compound. Then, the Valentine's Dance, which she got dressed up for but ended up getting poisoned by said mother before Rumlow assassinated her. Then the Soccer Banquet which she had to leave early after saving Betty from a mugger. Dances just weren't a good scene for Danielle it seemed. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it," she admit sheepishly.

"Oh, come on," Betty chimed in. "You have to go. It's Liz's last Homecoming."

"I..."

"Please, Ellie?" Liz turned to her with bright, pleading eyes. The same eyes she used on everyone else when she wanted something. No wonder she was so popular. Those eyes could've probably gotten her anywhere in life, Danielle was sure.

"I... Alright," she eventually relented, seeing no other choice but to let Liz and Brtty have their way.

"Perfect!" Betty cheered as Liz brought Danielle in for a tight embrace. "We can all go as a big group."

Once Liz released her, Danielle could only chuckle nervously. "I don't even have anything to wear."

"We can fix that," Liz replied matter-of-factly. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. So, get this: my parents are both going out of town tomorrow night and I was wondering if you could come over tonight after school to help me plan out the awesome house party I'm throwing then. And we can totally look for outfits for you to wear, too."

"Uh... I..." Danielle stammered for a moment. She nearly blurted out the fact that she had to check with her caretaker before remembering: right, she didn't have one at the moment. "Sure!" She answered with an excited smile.

"Yay!" Both Betty and Liz cheered as they brought her in for another group hug.

But, they were suddenly cut off when the bell rang, signifying the start of advisory and the end of lunch. Danielle mentally cursed herself for not at least trying to sneak away from Liz to grab a bite to eat as she bid Betty and the rest of the other girl's (who had gotten to eat) farewell before her and Liz started their walk to Decathlon Practice in the empty choir hall the school held debates, concerts, and assemblies.

Liz and Danielle werent the first to arrive either as the rest of the team began filing in. Cindy, Sally, Abe, Charles, Peter, Ned, Michelle, and Flash trickled in followed by their great coach Mr. Harrington.

Everyone began their greetings. Mr. Harrington welcoming everyone, Flash making a but of an obscene or lame joke, Mr. Harrington scolding him or Abe if he decides to come up with a witty retort, followed by Liz commencing the start of practice by listing any team announcements, and this time it's all about Nationals it seems.

"Alright guys," Liz began as she took the podium at the front of the group. "Nationals is days away. We can only afford so many wrong answers. So, today I wanted to try and work on quick sessions. Fast paced questions as practice to see how it would go during the real deal. So, let's split up into teams."

"Yes," Mr. Harrington joined in. "People who have finished the questions on their topics I assigned them can turn them in and start splitting up for the quick rounds, everyone who hasn't finished them, please start working." Collective groans spouted from all around the group of students. "Guys, it's for practice. The better you work, the easier it is when you get up to the stage."

While listening to their coach trying to justify himself, Danielle felt her stomach growl yet again. She placed a hand over her stomach and squeezed as if it were going to help. She doubted it would.

"Hey." A nudge on her shoulder caught Danielle's attention as she turned t face her offender. Beside her stood Michelle. She looked, as she normally did, bored as she held a book in one hand and not care in the world to give in the other. "Didn't think you ate anything at lunch, so..." Danielle watched as the brunette girl pulled out a PB&J sandwich from her satchel bag and held it out for her to take.

The enhanced girl looked between the outstretched food and her friend as if Michelle were offering her her firstborn child to her. "Are you... Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

Michelle shrugged. "Yeah. You ditched to go hang up those banners with Liz so I was stuck at lunch with Perv 1 and Perv 2 who were busy checking her out from afar, so my appetite was pretty much gone the entire time. But, I figured you were pretty hungry after having to hear all about Quinn's time juggling while saving orphaned kids from cancer on America's Got Talent," she remarked, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Danielle couldn't stop the snort that escaped from her lips at her friend's blunt jokes. "Thanks, Michelle," she said through her laughs as she took the offered sandwich.

"Don't mention it," she replied.

Danielle thought she saw a ghost of a smile grace her Lis which was definitely a rarity in itself. She figured, why not try for a real one? "And, uh... It was actually American Idol."

Michelle pursed her lips, trying to hold back the smile. But once Danielle laughed, it wasn't hard for the dam to break and Michelle let out a brief laugh. It was good to hear and it was safe to as it made Danielle's day to hear it.

A few minutes passed by and Practice was in full-swing. Liz was still up at the podium, a set of flash cards in her hands as she did a quick session with Cindy, Abe, and Charles on the stage. Michelle was up there too, but she was busy with yet another book in her hands. Ned was supposed to be up on stage helping, but he had left early due to something about Robotics.

On the ground was Flash with his feet propped up in another chair as he through a book in his lap. Across the room, Sally was looking over her binder of notes with Danielle eating her PB&J sandwich beside her. And at the end of the choir hall, seated at a table with Mr. Harrington as he flipped through the semi-completed topic questions, was Peter who nervously fidgeted with his fingers as he waited for the right time to break the bad news about Nationals to his coach.

Danielle, who was well aware of Peter's plan, listened from afar as she pretended to be paying attention to her paper in front of her about the economic trends in Europe. She really felt like Ferris Bueller right about now. "I'm not European, nor do I plan on being European, so who gives a crap?" Well, technically, she was European. Was; past tense. It all felt weird still...

"Peter," Danielle heard Mr. Harrington sigh. "It's Nationals. Is there no way you can take one weekend off?" She could hear the desperation in his voice and a part of her knew it was because Mr. Harrington– like most of the team– depended on Peter's knowledge and brain power. It was one of the reasons they had won all the other previous competitions and had gotten this far. He was a vital member of the team when it came to math and sciences.

Peter shook his head, unable to meet his coach's eyes as he began to explain, "I can't go to Washington because if Mr. Stark needs me, then I have to make sure that I'm here."

Danielle suppressed a disappointed sigh when Flash abruptly chimed in from where he sat a few yards away. "You've never even been in the same room as Tony Stark!" He called from behind his book.

That seemed to grab everyone's attention as the rest of the team began to tune in to the conversation. "Wait, what's happening?" Cindy asked from her spot on the stage.

"Peter's not going to Washington," Sally explained in a dull tone from where she lay beside Danielle.

Everyone began to groan in protest. "No, n-no, no, no. No," Cindy shook her head as Ane rang his answering bell with his own question, "Why not?" Danielle could only bow her head as the conversation continued.

"Really? Right before Nationals?" Liz asked Peter disappointedly.

"He already quit Marching Band and Robotics Lab," a distant voice on the stage remarked. Everyone then turned their attention to Michelle who still had her book in her lap. Danielle tilted her head in confusion as to how Michelle had known all that. She certainly hadn't told her and no one else really talked to Michelle all that much either. Seeing all the eyes on her, Michelle quickly added, "I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just very observant."

Danielle chuckled softly beneath her breath until Liz suddenly sun around to face the kid behind her. "Flash, you're in for Peter," she called.

"Oof, I don't know," Flash replied. "I gotta check my calendar first I got a hot date with Black Widow coming up." Danielle rolled her eyes. If it weren't for the fact that Sally was an alternate for her and not Peter, he would've been off the team completely. But, unfortunately, he wasn't. Leaving him to be the annoying person he was today. She doubted Natasha would've ever put up with someone like Flash. She missed Natasha.

Behind her, a bell rang as Abe shouted out, "That is false!" Everyone broke into a small laughter, but all Danielle could think about was how Peter seemed to be nonchalantly throwing a piece of his life away.

"What did I tell you about using the bell for comedic purposes?" Mr. Harrington scolded as the school bell rang.

It didn't take long after Danielle had left the Choir hall for Peter to catch up to her halfway to her class. "Hey," he shouted as he approached. "So, I have patrols today after school and I was wondering if I could take you up on that offer to get my Chemistry homework finished at your place?"

Danielle grimaced slightly. "I can't. Liz invited to her place after school. Something about Homecoming and finding me something to wear," she explained with the wave of her hand.

Peter blinked in confusion as he fell in step beside her. "You're going to Homecoming?"

Danielle turned to face him with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you? I mean, I'm an unofficial member of the committee. I have to go."

Peter remained silent for a moment as he stared down the crowded hallway as if it were an endless abyss. Then, out of nowhere, he turned to face Danielle with an amused smirk. "Liz and Betty are making you go, aren't they?"

"... no."

Peter snorted. "They are-"

"They're not!" Danielle was quick to protest. "I want to go; no one's making me."

"Well," Peter said as his laughter sobered up. "At least Liz is noticing one of us." Danielle turned to Peter, his head bowed as he pretended that the laces on his shoes were suddenly the most interesting thing ever. A piece of her neary forgot that Peter had an enormous crush on her best friend. It was weird how they were so close to her, yet so far away.

"Hey," She said, cutting into his loud thoughts. He turned back to face her. "Maybe Liz would notice you more if instead of ditching Nationals, you went to Washington and helped us win," she suggested with a shrug. "Just a thought," she added with an innocent little smile and wink.

She saw a ghost of a smile cross Peter's lips before she started to head the opposite direction towards her next class. "See you tomorrow. Stay safe!" She called over her shoulder as she left.

"Yep. Bye!" She heard him reply before they were both out of sight from one another.

After that, Danielle's day went by smoothly. School ended, she bid farewell to Michelle and a few of her former soccer teammates she saw in Spanish and made her way to the train a few blocks away. After getting off the train, it was relatively easy to catch a taxi which would take her to the New York suburbs where Liz's house was.

The yellow taxi cab pulled up right outside the familiar house. The house Danielle hadn't been to since the last party Liz threw which resulted in her barfing all over the metal boots of the Iron Man armor after getting drunk off her ass.

"Thanks," she called to the Mediterranean driver as she tossed him a wad of tens through the passenger side window before making her way up the sidewalk towards Liz's large house.

Like clockwork, as soon as Dani hit the first step up Liz's porch, the front door swung open and she was greeted with a broad smile from Liz's Mom. "Danielle," she beamed as the teenage girl walked up the steps. "It's been awhile. Liz told me about what happened with your Aunt in Europe. I'm so sorry."

Danielle nearly asked what she was talking about before she caught herself. She'd almost forgotten about Peter's lie about her Aunt 'Kate' and her Summer in Europe. "Right..." Danielle said with an uneasy smile. "Thank you for your condolences," she quickly added, figuring that that was what people normally said when they apologized after a loved one died.

"Of course. I'm just glad to have you back here." Danielle returned the smile Liz's mom gave her as she was ushered into their enormous house. The brunette had always enjoyed Liz's family. Her Mom especially was always super nice and used to bring snacks up for the girls during their other sleepovers or days that Danielle just came to visit. "Liz is upstairs I think, but I can call her down."

"Oh, no, that's okay-" Danielle tried to protest, but Liz's Mom was already at the foot of the staircase calling out, "Liz!"

Danielle winced at the volume of her shout but recomposed herself just as she saw her best friend's figure come bounding down the stairs. She smiled and waved down at Danielle and she returned it with a smirk and little shrug. "Hey, Ellie," Liz greeted her. "Come on," she gestured for her to come up the stairs.

"Thanks, Miss Allen," Danielle said with a small smile to Liz's Mother before quickly dashing up the stairs behind Liz.

"What took you so long?" Liz asked jokingly as they made their way up the rest of the stairs and into her room. "I thought you would've come with me after school. I would've offered you a ride."

Danielle shrugged as Liz shut the door behind them. "I had to drop some stuff off at my house first," she lied easily. She knew that getting a ride with Liz after school also meant having to ride with the rest of her new friend group. And that was a headache Danielle would've happily avoided.

Liz bought what she told her with the shake of her head. "Well," she sighed, turning towards her large bed in the middle of the room. "I have already set up a large selection of what to wear at Homecoming spanning from casual flowery sundress to chic black ball gown." Danielle followed where Liz gestured to what, at first, looked like blankets on her bed, but come to find, were actually just a bunch of dresses with heels all along the ground beside the bed.

"Wow," she muttered in awe. This almost competed with the large plethora of designer outfits stuffed inside of her closet back at the Penthouse.

Liz giggled at her friend's reaction. "Well, come on. Don't just stand there. Try them on," she urged Danielle with a little nudge towards the outfits on the bed. And so the fun began...

It seemed like Danielle had spent hours here at Liz's house before. Before the Summer. Before Germany and the Raft. Before her Mom. Before everything got complicated. Liz was always the person she could go to to try and forget the harsh reality of the life she lived being Enhanced. But, it was different now. Something felt off when she hung out with Liz now. Something was missing. Liz was different, that was a given. But, it was something else that Danielle just couldn't put her finger on.

"Ooh," Liz cooed as Danielle stepped out of her walk-in closet wearing outfit number eighteen; a sleevless beige button-up with a brown belt around the middle that Liz had paired up with some brown sandals. "It looks cute. Goes well with your skin tone."

Danielle grimaced uncomfortably as she shifted her weight in the sandals. "It feels a bit..."

"Brown? Underdressy? Casual? Open?"

"... Stiff," Danielle finished.

Liz let out a heavy exhale as she ran a hand down her face. "Okay," she said, bouncing from where she say on the edge of her bed. "How about we scrap looking for dresses in my closet and head to the shopping center after Nationals one of these days? I'm sure you're bound to fall in love with one of the dresses I get you into."

Danielle refrained from letting out a heavy sigh of relief. No more trying on outfits for the day! "Okay," she replied instead, quickly turning in her heel to walk back into the closet and change back into her clothes. However, when she came back out, Liz was absent from her spot on her bed. Danielle didn't freak out too much, she figured she must've been downstairs. And downstairs she went.

As she trekked her way down, she could hear the TV on followed by the sound f two distant voices. A male and female. Danielle recognized one voice as Liz's Mom, so she figured the other voice must've been her Dad.

Danielle had never met Liz's Dad. She'd seen him sometimes walking down the hall of the house or briefly on the rare occasions he would come to school to pick her up from school or the one time he picked her up after on if her soccer games last year. But, she knew Liz loved him. She talked about him all the time and how he was just always so busy with work. Danielle sometimes fiund herself envious of Liz's relationship with her Dad and wondered that if she herself had a normal life it would be something like what Liz had. A nice house, normal friends, good grades, loving family; a happy, normal life.

She tried not to dwell on it too much because when she hit the bottom stair, something else caught her attention on the TV screen: a picture of Spider-Man inside of what looked like a room filled with floating money with a bunch of other men. It looked like it had been shot in a security camera. And sure enough, it was.

"..Queens' very own Spider-Man was reported to have been stopping a group of ATM robbers when a large explosion shot out from the bank and into Delmar's Deli and Grocery store across the street. No injuries were reported and we have no confirmation if the robbers were caught, but we will be monitoring the situation as the night continues..."

It was hot. Suddenly, the room began to heat up. Or so it felt that way for Danielle. SHe wanted to shout or scream or run for her life, but it felt like her feet were used in place in the ground and a lump was forming in her throat, stopping her from making even a noise. But she had to, she had to get to Peter and make sure he was okay. It said on the news report that no injuries were reported, but Peter would've fled the scene and been severely hurt, it wouldn't have been the first time the news didn't know something about the safety of Spider-Man after he saves the day. But she did. She was supposed t be there for him at the Penthouse. But instead she was here with Liz... Liz.

"Ellie?" Danielle spun around to find Liz coming down from the stairs behind her. "I was in the bathroom and came back to find you were gone. Are you leaving already?" She asked curiously.

"Um," her words caught in her throat again, but she was quick to swallow down the lump before she continued. "Yeah. It's really late, and I should get going."

"Do you need my Dad to give you a ride?"

Danielle shook her head as she subconsciously began walking to the door. "No. My foster parents can come pick me up. Thank you, though."

"Ellie, are you sure? Ellie? Ellie!"

Danielle could hardly hear Liz through the loud ringing noises in her ears as she shouted a quick 'goodbye' over her shoulder and rushed out of the front door, down the long sidewalk, towards the street, down the block, until she finally reached the closest subway stop.

For Danielle, this night couldn't have gotten any worse. The train seemed to be delayed for some reason even though it was eleven o' clock on a Tuesday night. She had tried several times to get ahold of Peter from her phone, but he wasn't answering. She began to think the worse as she changed trains over four times u til she eventually made it to Manhattan. By the time she caught a cab to Rae's building, it was midnight and Peter still wasn't answering.

For a split second as Danielle started to unlock the door to the Penthouse, she debated whether or not she should go to Peter's apartment to make sure he was alright. But it was then that her phone began to buzz and a familiar face popped up on her screen. She answered within a heartbeat.

"Peter," she said, all the air that had been building up in her chest finally being set free when that name fell off her lips. "You're okay."

"Yeah," came his unphased voice on the other line. "So... the fourteen missed calls might be a sign that you saw the news."

"Yep. Almost two hours ago," she replied a bit bitterly as she entered the Penthouse, flipping on the lights and making her way to her room after her long and stressful day.

"I'm really sorry, Elle. I should've called or at least swung by, but I knew you were at Liz's and I just got back from eating Thai with May and I'm sorry for freaking you out–" he began to ramble.

"Peter," Danielle interjected with a soft voice and a smirk playing at her lips.

There was a heavy exhale on the other line. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

She giggled and nodded to herself even though he wasn't anywhere to see. "Yes, you are." She could hear him open his mouth to reply, but she quickly beat him to it. "And please don't apologize. I've heard enough for the night."

"Okay. Sorry," was Peter's response.

Danielle merely rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt," she told him as she began to kick off her shoes.

"Yeah. But, you really won't believe what those guys had at the bank! I mean, it was insane," he began to explain excitedly through the phone. Danielle winced slightly. "They were all in masks and the crazy weapons they had– oh, man, Elle. I was literally frozen in the air–"

"Hey, Peter?" Danielle yawned into the receiver.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you can tell me all about it tomorrow?"

"Man, was Liz's house that crazy?"

"I tried on seventeen Homecoming dresses; it was pretty draining," she explained as she stretched a bit in her bed.

"Hm," she heard him hum in amusement. "Wanna meet at the bleachers in the morning then?"

"Sure. See you then."

"Yeah. Goodnight, Elle. Sorry about worrying you."

Danielle couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she replied, "Goodnight, Peter." And with that, the line went blank as the call ended. Danielle wanted to try and stay up a bit longer, but after she shed her jacket, sent out a goodnight text to Jack, and shut off the lamp beside her bed, it was fair game the moment her head hit the pillow and all of the day's events caught up with her.

Man, she hoped that today was the craziest day she would have the rest of the school year.

A/N: Procrastinated the fuck out of this chapter because life has literally been hitting me with a spiked bat over and over again and I don't appreciate it. Sorry, guys. I'll probably start updating this story bi-weekly because of how hard it's been recently. :/

Anyway

Reviews:

PrettyRecklessLaura: Sorry I kept you waiting so long, here's your next fix.

Love. Fiction. 2019: Thanks! :)

Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:

Peter: *gets down on one knee*

Dani: *gasps* Oh my God, it's happening.

Peter: *ties his shoelace*

Dani: He finally stopped wearing Crocs.

[In his defense, they're comfortable as FUCK!]

Dani: You know what I love?

Peter: Me?

Dani: Bitch, no. *holding up Quintin* Chicken.