In Midtown High…
Mark had finally gotten out of Juvie after his gambling addiction went too far as Liz wanted to be certain her brother was on the right path.
She knew that if Mark slips again, he'll go back to his habits and right back into Juvenal Hall. Even as his sister, there was only so much she could do for him. He needed someone who can bring balance to his life… someone who was patient, kind, and understanding with a wholesome sense of self…
"What your brother needs is a good relationship. I mean, look how I turned Rand's life around. Maybe hook him up with one of the football players." Sally suggested as Liz liked the idea of setting her brother up with someone.
That did sound good… have the empty hole in Mark's life filled with love. But it couldn't be one of the football players. No, they were too irresponsible, too immature, and less intelligent than needed to help Mark. No, it should be someone kind, mature, smart…
Wait…
Maybe…
"Hey, Sally. Isn't Peter Bi? I remember someone saying something like that." The cheerleader asked her friend.
"Puny Parker? Yeah, said he had a revelation when he finds himself attracted to guys too. Why? You can't seriously be thinking about setting them up."
"He might not be as popular… but I think he's what Mark needs and maybe what Peter might need too."
At lunch…
Gwen was still waiting for the right moment to tell Peter how she truly felt about him as it was getting harder and harder to do so.
Ever since that kiss, the two were trying to make sense of their emotions. Was it truly love or was it simply a spur of a moment of passion?
As she was about to reach Peter for lunch, Liz was able to snatch him away before she could have the chance to.
"Petey, hey! Glad I caught you." Liz greeted him with her arms around his, "I wanted to thank you again for helping me in science. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
"Oh, hey Liz. Don't mention it. I like to help." The kind-hearted boy smiled at his fellow classmate/student.
"Anyways, there's someone I want to introduce you to. I think you and he would really get along." Liz offered, trying to play the matchmaker.
"Oh, okay. Sure."
Gwen watched as they left, a little confused about what Liz was doing.
At the lunch table…
It was… a lot.
Mark just got out of Juvie, he was back in school, and everyone was talking about him and his time there. Going to Juvie, it was an eye-opener and caused his urges to gamble to submerge. After all, it was gambling that caused him to be trapped in that place, sent there, and disappointing his family. Well, no more. He was never going back there, he won't gamble ever again, no matter how tempted he is. He'll pull through this no matter what.
He was deep in thought as he was sitting at the popular table. At first, he wanted to eat lunch by himself and give himself time to unwind from everything he put himself through. But Liz… she wanted him to join her and her friends to get some catching up since he's been locked up. But he knew his sister too well. She was up to something, and everyone was being hush-hush about it.
Speaking of his sister…
"Has anyone seen Liz?" Mark wondered.
"Right here, Mark. I just wanted to introduce you to my tutor, Peter Parker." Liz introduced the now radiant Peter Parker.
Mark almost had a double take. The last time he saw Peter Parker, he was a wallflower, a waifish unseen thing who was easy to ignore. But now, he bloomed into a rose, a gorgeous thing with no glasses, hardly skinniness, and a better form. That wasn't all that had changed either because Peter now had the thing he needed most, confidence. He had confidence added to his newly acquired charm. It looked like puberty had done well for Peter.
But it seems that not only changed as a person but got a reputation as well. While he was locked up, he was given newspapers and there he learned about New York's latest vigilante and up oncoming hero, Spider-man. He then later uncovered who it was who took the pictures and was shocked that Peter would be brave enough or foolish enough to get so close to the fight.
"Peter, hey… nice to see you again." Mark greeted him as he shook the boy's hands.
"H-hey Mark. You're looking great. Not that I-I mean well…"
Mark laughed a little bit as Peter's skittish nature was cute, and not in a patronizing way.
"I get what you mean and look pretty great too." Mark complimented him as he saw Peter blush.
The two then sat next to each other and became engrossed in conversations. They talked about what went on in Midtown High, about New York with its new stuff, the villains, the new hero Spider-man, their likes and dislikes, and hobbies… they were so engrossed in conversation that they didn't realize how much time had passed before they heard the bell ring.
The two of them laughed as they realized a connection was there.
Peter… he seemed so unreal, so sweet and perfect, like an angel.
"So, how about after school, we can catch up and talk about other stuff." Mark offered the boy as he became a nice bright shade of pink.
"Y-you mean like a date?" Peter stuttered at the sudden proposal.
"Well, it doesn't have to be a date. It could be just hanging out, getting to know each other better." Mark clarified as he became more and more enthralled by Peter.
Liz believed it worked.
"Yeah, sounds like fun." Peter agreed.
"Great, see you then."
The feeling Mark had as he watched Peter walk to class, it felt incredible… something even better than gambling. It was so warm, so gentle, it almost was smothering him with emotions. Peter was something else and Mark believed it was a blessing.
This feeling… it was so warm it was almost molten.