Midtown High School:
'This is so not how I thought yesterday was going to play out,' thought Peter as he walked through the entrance to Midtown High. As expected, students littered the courtyard and were pretty lax as usual. However, he noticed that the students were somewhat quieter than usual. He passed a group of four who were speaking in hushed tones and had all leaned in closer as if to protect the privacy of their conversation. His somewhat enhanced hearing managed to pick up keywords like Osborn and Spider-Man. The behavior he expected from everyone at school considering last night's events, Peter thought, idly replaying the fiasco from last night in his mind.
Walking through the double doors, Peter trudged down the hall, slung bookbag in tow. The demeanor of the students lounging about in the halls of Midtown High mirrored those that Peter had passed earlier outside. Clearly, last night's event was the gossip of the day.
Peter hadn't bothered waiting or searching for Harry. After a short phone call with Harry this morning before he left for school, Harry revealed that he wouldn't be attending school that week. Investigations, eyewitness accounts, and questioning from law enforcement tend to disrupt someone's prior engagements.
Peter's eyes, however, scanned his surroundings in search of Gwen. She would still be attending school, and he was hoping he could speak to her about what had transpired. While Peter may not engage in general gossip with his peers, he was still privy to gossiping with his close friends. Hey, teenagers are going to eventually partake in teenage activities, one way or another.
Rounding the corner of the hall, Peter barely registered an individual as he stepped around the corner. Thankfully, his sharp reflexes allowed him to avoid the collision. "Woah, my bad—" Peter had begun to utter an apology before said individual interjected rather rudely.
"Parker," a shrill voice exclaimed with a sour undertone. It was, of course, Sally Avril. Her expression made it clear the was displeased with him. As per usual. Surprisingly, her face then softened, but still maintained that fiery look in her eyes. "About last night," she said before glancing around.
"Last night…?" Peter's mind blanked. He racked his brain, thinking about what Sally could be referring to. Really, he could only draw up the crazy fight between himself and the Vulture, or rather former Oscorp scientist Adrian Toomes. Also, his debut. Well, his alter-ego's debut. "What about last night?" Peter questioned with a tilt of his head.
Recognizing that Peter had no clue about what she was talking about, Sally replaced her once slightly soft expression with an irritated one. "You totally blew me off last night, you geek!" Sally enunciated her statement by sharply poking her index finger into his chest. Peter winced, finding the feeling of her long, albeit well manicured, nails, uncomfortable. Sally, on the other hand, was surprised at how solid his chest felt. Mentally discarding that observation, Sally continued. "You said you would tutor me, but you didn't at all!"
It took Peter's brain a moment to catch up before he finally began to remember. Upon seeing the news that was oh-so conveniently on, and seeing what was unfolding at his best friend's house, Peter had practically ditched the tutoring session he had with Sally Avril without so much as a goodbye to play superhero. Really, Peter felt a little sheepish that he had forgotten what he had done. "Oh, uh," Peter began, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. That. Listen, I really am sorry about that, but something really did come up, and I forgot all about it during our tutoring session."
For the second time that day, Sally's expression softened. She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply, seeming to have relaxed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You saw the news, you got worried about your best friend. Yada yada yada," Sally drawled out in an uncaring tone.
"Um, yeah, I guess," Peter said, going along with her assumption. He hadn't really thought of an excuse for when she would inevitably confront him about it.
"Is he, well, fine? He's not, like, dead or anything or in the hospital?" Sally asked in an undecipherable tone. Peter wasn't sure if she actually cared or not about Harry's wellbeing, but he would answer earnestly.
"Yeah. Yeah, he's just fine. Just a little spooked and all that."
"Oh," Sally said lamely, biting down on her lip. "That's—he's not with you, Parker; is he coming to school or what?"
Peter found this whole exchange so far to be very odd. Nonetheless, he answered without much of a fuss. "Uh, no, not really. You know how when stuff like this happens the police get involved and stuff like that takes some time so—"
"Yeah, yeah," Sally waved off dismissively, prompting Peter to raise a brow. "Not the point, Parker. Anyway, don't blow me off like that next time we have our tutoring session or else," Sally said, flipping her hair back in a sassy manner.
Peter sputtered. "A next time?"
"Yeah, Parker, I still need you to help me raise my grade so—"
Sally would be interrupted by Peter letting out a long-drawn-out sigh full of exasperation, shaking his head. "Sally, look, I'll admit what I did was uncalled-for, but I need you to realize that you weren't putting forth the effort that I was."
Sally blinked, an angry look rearing its way onto her face, but Peter continued. "When I'm giving you effort, I expect you to give it back. I can't expect to tutor you if you aren't listening to me at all. It's a waste of both of our times."
After his rather rational rambling, there was a brief moment of silence, filled with only Sally to look at him with nothing but shock. This would be broken by an individual coming up to them.
"Hey, Sally…?" Liz greeted behind Sally with a confused undertone, seeing Sally seemed to be interacting with the unexpected company. Liz eyed Peter skeptically. "Parker?"
Before Peter could respond, Sally would emit an indignant 'hmph' before obnoxiously flipping her hair back and turning to face Liz. "Let's go," she said simply before she practically stomped away. Liz looked at Peter with narrowed eyes for a brief moment, and then proceeded to follow Sally.
Peter silently watched the two walk away down the hall, thinking of how he could've handled the problem better. However, after thinking about it, he realized that he was in the right and he would stand his ground. Really, thinking about the tutoring session, Sally appeared to be more interested in other things than her own tutoring session. Given that academics can be pretty tedious, uninteresting, and boring to most, but how can Peter expect to tutor that cheerleader? How can she just request him to tutor her yet not…
'Damn,' Peter mentally cursed, irritation beginning to swell inside him. Just thinking about how unreasonably petty Sally was acting given the circumstances of her request and her inability to follow through with her end of the bargain made Peter want to web some thugs or even go for a little webslinging across Manhattan. He had better things to do than idly tutor a cheerleader who wasn't even invested in the session to begin with. Why were people like Sally Avril so complicated, Peter wondered to himself, clutching the sling of his bookbag with a little more force than necessary.
"Pete?" A familiar voice called to him from behind.
Letting loose a quiet sigh, Peter turned to face Gwen. "Hey, Gwen. Was just looking for you," he said, a little relief flowing through his voice.
"Yeah." Gwen pushed up on her glasses. "I just got here." She leaned in and cupped one hand on one side of her mouth. "I'm guessing you already know…?"
"Yeah," Peter said, letting his hand flow through his messy brown hair. "Crazy, right?"
"I can't believe all that stuff happened to Harry and his family," Gwen whispered, concern and worry laced in her words. "I hope Harry's alright."
"He's fine," Peter assured. His mind wandered back to last night and how he had showed up in the aftermath to ensure all was well with the Osborns. What followed after was a car ride back home courtesy of Detective George Stacy, Gwen's father. The night would be concluded by a terse lecture given my his own Aunt May before she would relent and begrudgingly praise and admire him for how much he really cared for his friend's wellbeing.
Gwen stepped back and put her hands on her hips, a wry smirk etched onto her lips. "So what was this about showing up at the scene of the crime after ditching a tutoring session with Midtown High's popular cheerleader Sally Avril?"
Peter stood there for a moment before an awkward laugh came over him. "Ah, well, that's a story for sure," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. His gaze was anywhere but Gwen. "I'm guessing you heard it from—"
"Yup," Gwen affirmed, popping the 'P' in 'Yup'. "From both my dad and Harry."
"That tracks," Peter grumbled. Then the first warning bell rang, signaling that the first class of the day would begin in less than five minutes. Peter and Gwen shared a look.
"Off to class, then," Gwen announced before walking past him.
Peter would follow her, then a nagging feeling suddenly overcame him. Why did it feel like he had forgotten something, Peter thought to himself. Just as he was about to step forward and trail along Gwen, yet another familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Aren't you forgetting something, hm?" The feminine voice asked him. Peter turned around to face the individual and once realizing who the voice belonged to, never had he wanted to facepalm so hard in his life. Embarrassment bubbled within, his face beginning to flush red with embarrassment.
"Oh my g—Mary Jane!"
The redheaded strolled forward with a casual smile. Dressed in a form fitting pink shirt and shorts, she waved. "Hey, Peter."
Peter, caught up with the commotion of last night as well as his drama with Sally Avril, had totally overlooked the fact that he was supposed to show Mary Jane around Midtown High for her very first day of attendance. God, he hoped Mary Jane didn't mention his blunder to either Aunt May or her Aunt Anna. He really didn't want to disappoint Aunt May any more than he did last night.
Peter sputtered. "I-I am so sorry! I totally forgot about—"
Mary Jane put a finger up to his mouth, silencing him. "Shh, it's alright, Pete." She giggled.
Gwen had remained paused mid-step and watched the interaction unfold with curious eyes. She never noticed that a frown was overtaking her face.
"Just show me to the office so I can get my schedule. Then you can show me all around the school," Mary Jane said with a cheeky smirk.
Peter hummed an acknowledgement, nodding frivolously. Mary Jane then removed her finger from his lips.
"Uh, Pete, who's this?" Gwen finally spoke from behind him.
Once again, Peter found himself turning around for the third time that day. "Oh, uh, Gwen! This is Mary Jane Watson, my neighbor's niece and—"
"Peter will be my own cute personal guide for today," Mary Jane interjected, moving from behind and hugging one of Peter's arms close to her body. She flashed a teasing smile toward Gwen. "Hope you won't mind, um…?"
"Gwen," Gwen found herself replying tersely. She couldn't help but be irked by this admittedly attractive girl that was practically hanging off of Peter. Just the way she carried herself along with her behavior and attitude in correlation with Peter just didn't sit right with her. "Gwen Stacy."
"Nice to meet you, Gwen Stacy. I hope we get along," Mary Jane said, hugging Peter's arm closer.
Peter was becoming as red as a tomato can from this unexpected situation. He could also sense the tension between the two girls and decided to interject. "Ah, um, Mary Jane, let me take you to the office, and we'll get your schedule and go from there."
"Ah, okay, Petey," Mary Jane replied sweetly, looking up at him with a teasing grin. She, of course, noticed his discomfort and bashful attitude following her little physical contact.
'I think I found my new favorite hobby,' thought Mary Jane, mentally applauding herself.
"You can let go now," Gwen said with narrowed, skeptical eyes. With her glasses slightly hanging off her face, Gwen gave the both of them a mean look with folded arms. She didn't like the way Mary Jane was acting so familiar with Peter. Don't even get her started on that nickname 'Petey'. Hearing her call Peter that in that sickening sweet voice almost made her eye twitch involuntarily.
'That's my line,' Peter thought to himself before he felt Mary Jane loosen her grip and release herself from him, relieving Peter from his minor mental and emotional distress.
'Boo, buzzkill,' Mary Jane mentally pouted in disappointment. Well, at least she had a little bit of fun riling up Gwen and Peter. More so Peter than Gwen. It was clear that Gwen, right off the bat, wouldn't appreciate her company. Well, at least when it came to her and Peter.
"A-Anyway, Mary Jane, let's go," Peter rushed out, ushering Mary Jane along as he awkwardly waved farewell to Gwen. The blonde, however, remained motionless, arms crossed and a practical scowl that made her displeasure apparent. It was clear to Mary Jane that the target of Gwen's glower was herself. She felt a little proud that she was able to leave such a lasting and impactful first impression on Peter's friend, who just happened to be a girl.
As they were walking, Mary Jane turned to look at Peter. "MJ," she simply said.
"Huh?" Peter voiced out, shaken out of his stupor of worried thoughts about the interaction between Mary Jane and Gwen raced across his mind.
"Just call me MJ, Pete." Mary Jane gave him a smile that Peter found dazzling. "Makes thing easier. We're friends now, so you earned the right to call me by my nickname."
Peter nodded numbly. "Uh, sure. Red. Got it," he said stupidly.
MJ giggled. "So long as I get to call you Petey," she teased.
Peter grimaced. "Uh, actually, no. Not a fan of that," he admitted.
"Oh," MJ blinked in surprise, entirely joking about the nickname. She never really intended for that to be his nickname. But she was definitely not expecting him to retort so easily and reject it. "Alright, how 'bout Pete for now?"
"That works," Peter approved.
Suddenly, the final warning bell rang, signaling the start of class. The halls were beginning to thin out as the final students rushed through the doors of their designated classrooms lest they receive a tardy slip or detention.
Peter, however, was unbothered by it, knowing that he had a duty to guide his newfound friend around the school.
Mary Jane picked up on his lack of reaction to the bell. "You're not worried, huh?"
"No, not really. I know what I'm doing," Peter replied confidently.
Continuing their walk, MJ tagging closely behind, she decided to prod Peter some more. "So what do you do at this school? Any clubs you're in or…?"
"Ah, um, not really," Peter shyly admitted. "I just come here, go to classes, hang out with my two best friends during breaks, and go home."
MJ let out an exaggerated yawn, intending to tease him. "Jeez, Pete, could you be any more boring?"
Peter blushed, averting his gaze and adjusting the strap of his bookbag in a nervous fit. "Uh, sorry…" he trailed off.
MJ gave a friendly punch to his arm, startling Peter. "Relax, Pete, I was just joking. Really, though, why aren't you in any clubs? I figured you would've been a part of an academic decathlon team or some sort of science club."
Peter didn't think much about his answer. "It's because I really don't have time for all that, y'know?"
MJ squinted her eyes skeptically, tapping the bottom of her lip with her index finger. "Really? You just told me that all you do is go to school and go home. What could be taking up most of your time after school that you can't afford to join a club?"
Peter widened his eyes, cursing himself. He shouldn't have answered so carelessly. Was it starting to look suspicious to her? Did she have an idea of what he actually did in his free time? Did she perhaps see him emerge from his bedroom window as Spider-Man? Peter already felt he had a good grasp of MJ's character. She was fun, outgoing, and really enjoyed teasing, apparently. But there was a cunning layer that MJ possessed, or so he senses. He knew MJ was no fool and that she's very observant of people.
Ah, quick. He had to come up with an answer. The unexpected delay in his response was beginning to look suspicious, or so he felt. "Uh, um, y'know, I have lots of hobbies I want to keep up after school. Yeah, that."
Peter wanted to smash his fist through a brick wall. 'Stupid answer, Pete. Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he mentally berated himself.
Mary Jane hummed in recognition. "Oh, yeah. Photography, right?"
That's right! Peter happened to showcase his personal photo album to Mary Jane yesterday. Sure, most of the photos were taken as Spider-Man, but Peter knew, or at least hoped, that MJ wouldn't be none the wiser. Still, if he's able to get Mary Jane to recognize that those photos took a real good chunk of time and effort, that would justify why he'd be unable to participate in any after school activities.
Gaining confidence and strengthening his resolve, Peter calmed his nerves and answered as straightforward as he could. "Yeah. Photography can actually really be time-consuming and can take a lot of planning to get the perfect shot that I want."
"Yeah," MJ nodded with a casual smile. "I can tell. You've got a real eye for photography, I'll give you that."
Peter hummed in agreement. "Well, photography is one thing I'm confident in. I just find the right interesting or beautiful subject, take a lot of things into account like exposure, background, lighting, shadows, depth of field, and a bunch of other things and snap that perfect picture."
After Peter's explanation, there was a brief moment of silence. Peter took the silence as MJ being satisfied with his answer and not pursuing the subject any further. He'd give himself a pat on the back, breathing a sigh of relief.
MJ, however, reflected upon his words carefully. Thinking about his words, she decided that Peter practically fell right into her trap that she wasn't even aware that she set. She was feeling mischievous and cheeky once more.
"Well, if you're looking for an interesting and beautiful subject for your future pictures," Mary Jane began, startling Peter a bit and causing him to look at her. "You've got me all to yourself. Anytime. Anywhere." Mary Jane delivered a devastatingly flirtatious wink.
Peter virtually stumbled over nothing but air, nearly face-planting in one of the nearby lockers.
S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier
Undisclosed Location:
Hovering high above any standard aircraft's cruising altitude, the SHIELD Helicarrier was practically a monument in the sky, enclosed by several thick clouds that masked its position to any potential hostiles.
On the bridge where most of the Helicarrier's vital operations were conducted in, stood an imposing bald, dark skinned man clad in black clandestine clothing, overseeing both the crew and the large observatory of the bridge. The man's most remarkable feature was his eye patch, concealing his left eye. Upon closer examination, one could make out details of a deep cutting scar running across the man's left eye.
A feminine SHIELD agent approached the man from behind. "Director Fury."
The man, Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, heaved a deep sigh, glancing in the direction of the newcomer. "Agent Hill," he acknowledged with a curt nod.
Agent Maria Hill, Director Fury's second-in-command and most trusted ally, was a raven haired woman who possessed short hair in her late 20s. Dressed in the standard skintight SHIELD uniform and a sidearm holstered to her right hip, she straightened herself up and subconsciously went to the position of "at-ease," maintaining a professional attitude and composure.
She cleared her throat. "You wanted another report concerning the metahuman vigilante in New York?"
Nick Fury remained facing away, preventing Maria Hill to discern what reaction he had to such news. The momentary silence to her simple question was textbook Nick Fury, as Maria Hill would come to observe. This simply meant that his mind was active and planning the next course of action. He was calculating, cunning, and possessed a no-nonsense attitude. Nick Fury took his job very seriously.
"Bring up the news feed from last night," Nick Fury stoically commanded. Wordlessly, Maria Hill fetched a nearby tablet and complied with the request.
Eventually, a vast holographic projection appeared on the bridge, displaying the news footage in question. Audio started playing.
"There appears to be someone dressed in a…red and blue costume climbing up the Oscorp building!" The footage played out, showing footage of Spider-Man crawling up the walls of the building as a bright spotlight emanating from one of the news helicopter's engulfed him in light.
"Mute audio," Nick Fury commanded. His request was granted shortly after.
The entire news segment played out, Nick Fury watching with a singular cold, calculating eye. There were moments where the cameraman was unable to keep up with the conflict between Spider-Man and The Vulture, either be that they were too quick to follow or had moved out of shot behind buildings and whatnot.
'So those rumors were true,' thought Nick Fury, analyzing the whole fight being played. He had heard rumors of a superpowered vigilante who had appeared just before summer that was taking the criminal underworld by storm. Criminals were being found webbed to lampposts, streetlights, walls, or strung up high above the ground. At the scene of every one of these laid a note that mentioned a "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." The webs would eventually dissolve before any further analysis could be done on them.
Nick Fury didn't think much of it when it came to fruition. There were no grounds or any good justifications to redirect any SHIELD assets or man-hours to investigate what was just a mere boogeyman story. He had toyed with the idea of personally chasing after the fabled Spider-Man, but he dismissed the notion, considering there were much more important matters to attend to. Matters such as that were just far too below SHIELD's radar and their pay grade, and jurisdiction over that case belonged to local law enforcement.
However, returning to reviewing the footage, there was not much he could discern, given how far the distance between the news chopper and the subject was. Obviously, Nick Fury observed a colorful costumed individual who had the ability to climb walls and utilize webs that were being shot out of his wrists to swing from or utilize it to pull himself closer to his target. The applications of the so-called Spider-Man's webs were virtually endless in terms of combat capabilities, if Fury's estimation of the web's tensile strength were correct. It wasn't just a tool. It was a weapon.
With what little Fury was able to clearly observe with his single eye, Spider-Man appeared to have a build of a young man. An athletic build at that. Without question, Spider-Man held superhuman abilities. Superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes are what Nick Fury could confirm from the footage.
The footage would end with Spider-Man slinging away rapidly out of the camera's view, disappearing into the very night. The display paused, Maria Hill stepping up beside him.
"This is the best footage I was able to pull from the three stations that were able to report on the scene," Maria Hill said. "Sir, what's our course of action, if any, concerning this Spider-Man?"
Nick Fury contemplated the question. The buzzing and bustling SHIELD agents nearby were drowned out by Fury's own thoughts.
"Contact Stark," he impassively responded.
Maria complied, and soon the footage would be minimized and eventually most of the screen would be overtaken by the image of playboy billionaire Tony Stark, also known to the world as Iron Man and a member of the sanctioned superhero team The Avengers.
"Hey, what's up, patchy?" Tony answered the call with a grin. He appeared to be eating some grapes and carried a nonchalant attitude toward Nick Fury.
"Stark—"
"Calling me about that Spider-Man fellow from last night, right?"
Of course, Stark, the genius that he was, seemed to be on top of things already. "...What do you know so far?"
Tony Stark gulped down a group of grapes before responding. "I'm just as in the dark as you are. But he definitely has some superhuman abilities. Whether or not his webs are artificial or organic, that's up for debate."
"So we've come to the same conclusion," Fury nodded, thinning his lips. Maria remained silent, watching the exchange.
Tony Stark then suddenly took on a more serious and concerning expression. "You're not thinking of going on a wild goose chase for him and sending us, are you?"
Nick Fury did not reply, maintaining his stoic demeanor.
Tony Stark sighed. "I think he's doing some good. So far. He's handling all the small-time stuff that, admittedly, the police can and should handle. He's not a threat or anything. Plus, you know that we're busy right now to handle him."
For a moment, Nick Fury stared silently. Eventually he would speak. "I'm aware that you and the other Avengers are busy at the moment. Right now, though, even I'm not sure what to do with Spider-Man. Now that the rumors are confirmed to be true, we can expect the public to have all their eyes on him. However the public will respond to him in any future endeavors will likely dictate our response. Whether he becomes a threat to the public will also play a key role."
"Then we agree, then. Leave him alone for now?" Stark said before sipping on his cup of orange juice obnoxiously loud.
Fury narrowed his eyes but nodded in affirmation. "Yes, we'll remain stagnant for now. We'll just monitor whatever comes up and intervene as needed."
Stark nodded approvingly. "Got it, sounds good. Anyway, I gotta go and suit up now. Gonna oversee this peace summit thing real quick. See ya," Stark said before the call was disconnected.
Maria opened her mouth to ask a question, but Fury had beaten her to it. "I don't see a reason to dig deeper into Spider-Man. We'll leave him be. For now."
Maria wordlessly nodded.
"Now, what's the status of Captain America and Thor's mission?"
Midtown High:
Both Peter and Mary Jane emerged from the office doors. Mary Jane carried her schedule sheet while Peter still maintained his slung book bag.
"Cool, now that you've got your schedule, let's see…" Peter said.
The bell suddenly rang and shortly after several students emerged from their classes and littered the halls. What was once a quiet hallway now turned into a bustling and crowded area with students shuffling about.
"That took longer than it needed to," Peter said to himself, MJ wordlessly watching curiously as he looked over her schedule. "Surprisingly, you share a few classes with me. Namely, Chemistry, English Literature and Composition, P.E, and Precal."
"Well, ain't that quite the coincidence," MJ cooed, bumping his shoulder playfully.
Peter managed to not flush from the close physical contact. "Er, yeah. Anyway, since you share the same second period as I do, just follow me, and I'll introduce to our teacher Mr Warren."
"Sounds good," Mary Jane chirped, happily trailing behind Peter with a spring in her step.
While they traversed the halls towards their second period, students began to look toward their way, noticing how out-of-place Mary Jane seemed to be accompanying Peter Parker. The well renown geek didn't appreciate the curious and questioning gazes that befell upon both him and Mary Jane. He could hear the whispers of students that were gawking at him, pointing out that Mary Jane didn't belong beside him. He'd frown as the students verbally admired Mary Jane's beauty and attractiveness. Some had even cursed him for being, as they say, a lucky dog.
Eventually, Peter successfully guided Mary Jane towards their shared class. It was relatively empty, save for a few students that were lounging around at their desks, paying no heed to the arrival of him and MJ. The teacher, Mr Warren, a somewhat bald man with a thick walrus mustache and relatively bushy eyebrows, eyed the two of them from his desk but made no move to acknowledge their presence.
"Here we are," Peter gestured towards the chemistry class. "Mr. Warren's Chemistry class."
"Yup, it's definitely a Chemistry classroom, alright," Mary Jane said.
"I'll introduce you to Mr. Warren," Peter nudged his head towards the man in question. Mary Jane followed in-step.
"Hey, Mr. Warren," Peter greeted the teacher with a friendly smile. "Got a new student for you here."
Mr Warren paused in his shuffling of papers, squinting his eyes to examine the newcomer. "Ah, Peter, good to see you. And you might be…?"
"Mary Jane Watson, sir," Mary Jane respectfully replied, exchanging a handshake with the teacher. "First day here and Mr. Parker here will be acting as my sponsor for the rest of the day if that's all right?"
Mr. Warren nodded approvingly. "Of course, nice to meet you, Ms. Watson. I hope Mr. Parker here will prove to be more than competent in guiding you around our campus?"
Peter laughed sheepishly. "Ah, I'll do my best, sir. The office will excuse me of any tardies today, so long it's in the interest of helping Mary Jane familiarize herself around the school."
"Good man," Mr. Warren praised before turning towards his computer, maneuvering his mouse and clicking intermittently. "Ms. Watson, I already have you in my attendance roster, so it seems you're good to go, at least for my class."
"That's good to hear. Will I have an assigned seat or no?"
"For the sake of today, I'll allow you to sit near Peter so that he may help you catch up in our class. However, don't get too comfortable with your arrangement as that may change," Mr. Warren warned, although in a friendly tone.
"Got it, sir. Sounds good."
Shortly after, Peter would lead her to his seat, and she would sit across from him. He put his book bag on the desk and gathered some materials such as a notebook and textbook from his bag and placed it on his desk.
"So, this is where I sit. Expect the other two spots to be filled by my friend Gwen and a guy named Hobie Brown. The last seat's going to be empty today because my other friend, Harry Osborn, went through some…stuff last night," Peter trailed off.
Mary Jane gasped, eyes widening. "You don't mean the very same Osborn that was on the news last night with that Spider-Man and Vulture guy?"
Peter nodded solemnly. "The very same, I'm afraid." Noticing her worried look, he interjected and waved his hands in front of her in reassurance. "Don't worry, he's fine! He's just going through some questioning and investigation by the police. Honestly, when I talked to him about it, he wasn't all that shaken up, if at all."
Mary Jane breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Man, that was crazy last night. I saw it all live and I still couldn't believe it," she marveled, eyes showing amazement as memories played in her mind.
"Um, yeah," Peter awkwardly agreed. "Uh, anyway—"
The first warning bell rang, interrupting Peter. Soon, students began to enter the classroom in intervals and Mr. Warren was beginning to prepare for the period. Mary Jane looked at him expectantly.
"Now, we, er, wait," Peter mumbled, awkwardly waiting. MJ replied with a mirthful smile, resting her hand on her chin and stared at him as if she found him interesting or like some exorbitant exhibit. Peter found her gaze to be uncomfortable.
Soon, this would be broken by the arrival of an obnoxious jock.
"Well, well, well, Parker," Flash snickered, strolling up to the two. "Who's this babe you got here?"
Mary Jane knew she wasn't going to like this jock if that was how he treated Peter and looked at her.
"Hey, uh, Flash," Peter greeted with hesitation, ducking his head down. "This is—"
"Mary Jane, Flash," Mary Jane answered tersely, folding her arms and looking at him with an unpleasant look.
"Well," Flash began suavely, not recognizing that Mary Jane was already displeased with him. "How about you come hang out with us over here at the popular table," Flash said, thumbing towards the table near the back of the classroom, where Mary Jane could already see two cheerleaders and other jocks were seated and conversing. "We'd love it if you'd come and sit with—"
"No," Mary Jane almost grounded out, surprising both Flash and Peter. She looked towards Peter and place her hand on top of his nervous and sweaty ones, exaggerating how affectionate she was of Peter. Which was a partial lie. "I think I'll sit here with this cute guy over here," she said in an exaggerated sweet tone. Peter ducked even lower, blushing profusely.
"Huh?!" Flash exclaimed. Thankfully, it wasn't loud enough to draw attention, but it was enough to satisfy Mary Jane. "Wait, there's no way you just—"
"Like I said," Mary Jane repeated, this time more serious. "I'm staying over here with Peter. You can leave now."
Flash, once again, was shocked. His eyes went back and forth between the two before he finally gave up, stomping away angrily towards his seat. It then seemed that he told of the whole confrontation to Liz, Sally, Randy, and Kong at his table. In unison, the in-crowd cast their gaze toward both Mary Jane and Peter, the cheerleaders giving a judging look toward MJ. She paid no mind to that while Peter began to bury his head in the textbook, pretending to gloss over words and look at pictures.
Mary Jane turned her attention toward Peter and couldn't help but quietly giggle to herself, watching how Peter reacted. She noticed how obvious Peter could be when it came to interacting with other people. He was shy, meek, and didn't like any extra attention, but he was also considerate, genuine, and helpful. Traits that Mary Jane could admire and respect.
Ignoring the glares the two cheerleaders from the other side of the classroom gave her, Mary Jane began to play footsie with Peter. Not expecting her to partake in such a thing with him, he let out a muffled startled cry, amusing Mary Jane further. He didn't verbally respond, and just tucked his legs underneath his chair to avoid her own.
So far, at Midtown High, Peter Parker seemed to be the only one Mary Jane Watson could envision herself getting along with.
A/N: Felt inspired, felt like writing again. In the Air Force, so it's hard to find time in my day to do stuff, much less write. Don't expect much out of me, okay? I don't mean that in an antagonistic way, but just don't get your hopes up. Sorry, but this is really a side hobby I like to do on rare occasions.