"And if I stay, oh, I don't know,

There'll be so much that I'll have to let go,

You'll be disappearing all the time,

But I still see you in the light,

For you, the shadows fight,

And it's beautiful but there's that tug in the sight...,"

-Wish That You Were Here; by Florence and the Machine

Peter tried convincing May that he didn't need his wounds cleaned, that he already had it taken care of before May had come home. That didn't seem to matter, though. She wanted to help, and she had convinced Peter to sit down and allow her to clean his wounds, regardless if they had been cleaned beforehand. So, as he sat on the sofa while May put whatever medication she had available on the open wounds.

"Are you at least going to tell me his name?" she asked, looking at Peter; a hint of concern in her voice.

"It's no one," Peter said. "It's not important, May, really."

Snorting, May gave him a look of disbelief before shaking her head. "I don't understand why you let this happen," she sighed. "You're a good kid, Peter, you shouldn't be getting yourself into situations like this."

Peter's only response was a simple shrug of his shoulders. He understood May's concerns, and he appreciated it; sometimes he just couldn't help being the loser of the school. Because of his low status on the popularity chart, he was prone to being picked on, to being beaten up. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to. But he'd do his best to stay out of trouble, at least to ease May's worries.

0-0-0-0

Gemma wasn't sure why she even bothered. She tried explaining — on multiple occasions — why Peter was, in fact, a good person. She told Remy how Peter stood up for her against that creep Ty; she told Remy how Peter had been more concerned about her wellbeing than he was his own; she tried explaining how Peter protected her to the best of his abilities. Peter Parker wasn't a bad person, maybe someone with bad luck, but he certainly couldn't be a bad person.

That didn't seem to matter to Remy, though. Despite the multiple times Gemma explained the situation and the outcomes to him, it only seemed to fuel his irrational behavior and caused him to dislike Peter even more. Gemma did not imagine her first day of school ending the day it did.

After storming into her bedroom, Gemma slammed her door shut and locked it. Letting out a frustrated groan, Gemma buried her face in her hands, trying to find a way to calm herself down. She wanted to understand where Remy was coming from, but he could be so over-the-top that it was impossible to try and relate with him. Gemma just couldn't understand why Remy wouldn't take the time to calm down and listen to what she was saying. She tried to stop the fighting between Peter and Ty, not instigate it or get involved in any way. Peter didn't do anything that resulted in Gemma being pulled into the fight, she went in hoping to stop anyone — particularly Peter — from getting hurt.

Sitting down on the floor, with her back against her bed, Gemma let out a sigh. All she wanted was for everything to run smoothly, and she had to figure out a way to ensure that, hopefully, her new year in Queens wouldn't be filled with unnecessary drama. But would it really be that easy?

0-0-0-0

It was a couple hours later when Remy decided to come to Gemma. She had only left her room a small handful of times; to shower and change into her pajamas and to occasionally get something to eat. Titus and Jai had come to her frequently throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening to spend time with her, and while Gemma enjoyed their company, she didn't really want to be bothered. Jai and Titus were smart and figured it out quickly, leaving their only sister to herself while she tried to come to an understanding on everything that had happened.

A thought that really stuck out was how Izabela would react to Gemma's injury. Certainly Remy would say something, maybe get a little overdramatic, and get their mother all worked up. Gemma didn't want her mother to get worried about her, that was the last thing she wanted! Izabela was so determined to have her and her kids live as normally as possible, and Gemma would feel terrible if she ruined it in any way.

Burying her face in her hands, Gemma tried figuring out a way to stop herself from overthinking. That had been a bad habit of hers; whenever she was stressed or anxious or uncertain about something, she tended to overthink it, and that only made the situation worse. She wanted to support her mother somehow, to let her know that living in Queens wouldn't be as bad as she was making it, but Gemma wasn't the best at adapting. Izabela understood Gemma's difficulties when it came to change, and she tried her best to make her daughter as comfortable as possible, but Gemma did have a streak of making things difficult for those around her in situations like that. Looking back at it, she found herself feeling guilty for anyone who had to go through that.

Before Gemma could find herself wallowing in even more self-pity, there was a knock on her door.

"Gemmy?" Remy's voice came through the closed door. His tone was soft, unlike previously where he was furious out of his mind. "Can I come in? Please?"

There was a long silence, and some contemplation on whether or not she wanted Remy in her room. She was still frustrated with him, she didn't want to really see him, but she was curious on what he had to say.

"What do you want?" she called.

"Am I able to come in?" he asked.

"No."

"Look, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier," he announced. "I didn't mean to get you upset. I was worried."

"You were out of control."

"How was I supposed to react?" Remy exclaimed. "You've got a bruise on your face and you expect me to be OK with it?"

"I expect you to at least understand what I'm trying to tell you," Gemma snapped. "Not get overly-emotional by it."

There was a heavy silence, and Gemma had to wonder if what she said insulted Remy in any way. Maybe it did, but would she really care? Probably not. Give the way he acted earlier, she was tired of having to deal with him.

"I'm trying to look out for everyone," Remy sighed. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"You're not dad, Remy," she exclaimed. "You don't need to act all big and tough; like you're the head of the household."

Hearing a sigh from the other end of the door, Gemma hoped what she said was enough to get Remy to leave. Part of her believed that her eldest brother should stop acting as if he was the one in charge, he had power over everyone. It was one thing to be concerned about the family, and another to blow every little thing that happened out of proportion.

Brushing some of her hair out of her face, Gemma leaned her head against the side of her bed. Maybe waiting until their mother came home would be for the best.

(A/N):

A shorter, very poorly written chapter. Tell me what you guys think, OK? Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. Give some constructive criticism.

Nothing in the MARVEL franchise belongs to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I write in.

If you guys have any ideas on OCs or subplots, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? Leave a review or PM me your ideas and suggestions.

Thanks.

Jasper