CHAPTER 2

"Peter, we need to take you to a doctor."

"Aunt May, it's fine."

"You broke our door. Twice. You need to get this worked out." My aunt clearly isn't backing down.

"Aunt May, please. I don't want this to be a big deal."

"Peter, you need to stop being so stubborn. We're going tomorrow. And that's that."

"May, I can't-"

"No. You're going."

I decide to not have a fight with her. Honestly, I would take any opportunity I can to escape school. But the reason I'm hesitant to go is because I'm afraid they might find something…. wrong with me.

"I just don't understand what's happening," my aunt says. Though I'm sure she's heard in the news, and suspects I'm one of them. And I don't know what we would do if I were one.

So I went to the doctor today, and it was…. weird. A lot of it was just waiting around while nurses came in and out to ask questions and draw blood. When the doctor came (which by the way, am I the only who notices that the nurses almost ALWAYS do more work than the actual doctors?) it was a weird interaction.

The details are a bit rough, but here's how I remember the conversation going:

"So, Mr. Parker, what appears to be the problem?"

I look at Aunt May, who pressures me to speak.

"I'm…. strong."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I accidentally ripped out my aunt & uncle's bathroom door."

The doctor shows concern. "Okay… when did this start?"

"Over the summer."

"Did anything happen prior to this issue that you would consider to be abnormal?"

"I don't think so."

I'm pretty sure the doctor didn't believe me at first. To summarize, he checked my reflexes, and I kicked him hard before he even whacked my knee with the stick thingy. (I don't know what it's called.)

After the fact, he seemed mortally terrified of me while interacting. Long story short, my lab results come back in a week or so, and I'm supposed to check back in with them in a month.

So yeah, that was awkward. After the fact I tried to convince May to drive me home, but apparently education is more important than happiness. So now I'm sitting in my Biology class, waiting for the day to be over.

As is every day during sixth period, I'm tired, hungry, and just want to go home. Biology is actually quite interesting to me, contrary to everyone else in my class, but I only wish it were earlier in the day. It also is pretty work intensive, and it's only the second day.

My teacher, Mrs. Meredith, seems to be done with life. (Maybe having kids wore her out. Or maybe it was her students. Probably both.) She tries, but overall teaches in a bored manner. She also is a bit too relaxed with kids doing whatever they want in their classroom, which leads to things like a group of "popular" girls in front of me checking their Snapchat and talking endlessly.

Before I go on, I feel this is an issue I need to address: nearly a decade of going to school has made me realize that "popularity" is not an actual thing. Or at least its not as big of a deal as one might think. You see, I think it all comes down to who you make friends with. If you're naturally more extraverted and outgoing, than you'll make friends with people who get naturally more attention than those who keep to themselves and don't talk much. It also is worth noting that the more "popular" people (i.e. the more outgoing kids) are more likely to join athletics, which gets far more recognition in the school compared to fine arts, where weirdos go (this is something I might talk more about at a later time).

So yeah, its not so much about how well you're liked as much as it is what clique you join and how often you put yourself out there. It's just an issue I felt the need to address.

Anyway, the girls in front of me are really distracting, especially when I'm trying to learn. Instances like this make me hate "popular" people, but everyone has their issues I guess.

I want to try and tell them to stop, but I really don't want to come across as annoying. (I'm afraid people already think of me negatively.)

A soft, timid voice speaks "hey, can you guys quiet down?"

My heart races, and I see Gwen Stacy looking at them annoyed, adjusting her glasses. I look away, hoping isn't looking at me, but at the same time hoping she is looking at me.

They didn't hear her, and continue talking.

Gwen has always been a bit shy, but from what I can tell she is the brightest student in this school. I feel sorry for her, because she never gets recognized. I would try and become friends with her if I didn't have a creep vibe going on.

Okay, I'll admit I have a minor crush on her. And by that I mean that I think of her roughly six to eight times a day. And I'm kind of embarrassed of it. So feel free to make fun of me all you want for being afraid to ask out a fellow social outcast!

While I'm technically not following this tip, I think its valid for those who don't have overwhelming social anxiety:

TIP #5: If you have a crush, then don't feel afraid to ask him/her out. (Once again, this is for people who actually have adequate social skills.)

"Hey, Mrs. Meredith, what are your thoughts on the superpower outbreak?" Some kid asks.

Mrs. Meredith stops, and thinks. "Are you asking because it's biology related or are you asking for my person thoughts on it?"

"Either or."

She sighs. "It's a difficult situation to understand. But we need to help these kids in what they're going through."

"I heard some kid could shoot lasers out of his dick," one kid says. That grabs everyone's attention, and they giggle. To me, that sounds terrifying.

Mrs. Meredith shrugs that statement off. "Mutants are not a subject to be taken lightly, but it is a fascinating topic that scientists are still looking into."

"What if one of us could be a mutant and we just don't know it?" another kid asks.

Yeah, I've thought about that a lot. And it scares me.

The conversation continues up until the bell rings. Which leads me to another tip:

TIP #6: If you want to avoid doing schoolwork for a class period, then keep the teacher off topic with a subject that s/he's vaguely interested in. It works better than you think.