Home was comforting. Not that the swing there was too stressful . I stopped a few smaller crimes, and called Tony to tell him I couldn't make today's shift. He sounded a bit disappointed, but understanding. Hopefully Aunt May would be the same. I still needed to find an excuse for skipping class. Lying to her was still hard for me. That trust in her eyes made me want to tell her everything.

I had climbed through my bedroom window about an hour ago, well before I was supposed to be out of school. There was no point of hiding I skipped, the school would've been calling May before I even came across Rhino. Hiding in my room wasn't the best course of action, I knew that much, but I didn't know if I could bring myself to talk to her.

I heard the front door open. Was her shift already over? The hours since I came home seemed to only last minutes.

"Are you home, Peter?" I debated staying silent, but that would only delay the inevitable.

"Yeah."

"Could you come out here to talk with me, please?" Her words were polite, but her disappointment penetrated the walls between us. I rose from my bed and opened my door. May was sat on her usual chair at the dinner table. She looked tired. Maybe I should ask Tony for a raise. "Why weren't you at school today?"

"There was… There was a test today. I wasn't ready for it, so I didn't go. I'm sorry." Didn't have to lie about that part. I really was sorry.

"Well that's out of character for you," she said. I'm sure she meant well, but I just felt like more of a disappointment.

"I know, I know. It won't happen again."

"I know you've been coasting through high school for a while now, but you should've been more prepared for this. You can't just run away when things get tough, you're better than that. You really are."

"How do you know? I really wasn't ready May. Maybe I'm not as good as you think I am." That slipped out before I had time to even process what I was saying. I expected her to look even more disappointed in me, but she just looked more determined.

"You are good. Especially at these things, Peter. Not everyone is. Some people don't even get the chance to do the things you can do. So, you have to make the most of it." Aunt May has always been urging me to do my best with school. Ever since I competed in my first science contest, she's said I have the potential for great things. I guess she was right in some way.

"I get you're trying to motivate me, but it's not that big of a deal. I'll just retake the test when I'm ready," I said.

"That's great Peter, but that won't always be an option. I'm trying to prepare you for the future! Your life, and others' lives, are going to depend on your work ethic."

"Others?"

"Oh yes. You're a scientist, and a good one at that," she said, standing up. "No matter what you end up doing, you're going to bring that mentality with you. And people are going to rely on you. Whether it's your scientific breakthroughs, or the pizzas you deliver." She smiled at her own comment. I figured she didn't think much of my job, but I guess she thought it was noble in some way.

"Yeah I guess-" Before I could finish, she hugged me. Tighter than usual.

"I'm sorry that I'm hard on you Peter."

"It's okay May, really. Don't worry about it."

"I just know you're going to do great things in your life. But you still have to actually do them. You have to take every step in stride, even if it's just a high school science test," she said. She let me go and stared at me with her bright blue eyes. This conversation definitely ended up differently than I imagined.

"I understand. Thank you, that means a lot. I won't let you down again."

"Oh, Peter. You didn't let me down," she laughed. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way. You can go back to bed if you want. Gotta be rested for your test tomorrow!"

"Of course." I hugged her before heading back to my room. Weight lifted from my shoulders as I closed the door. That lecture was a lot more motivational speech than argument, which I didn't expect. Regardless, I now felt like I had the strength to keep going.

Despite Aunt May's best wishes, I wouldn't be getting a lot of sleep tonight. Every hour I spent sleeping was another hour Rhino was allowed to rampage without restraint. Periodically checking my phone today, I could tell the cops were doing their best to slow him down. Sadly, that wasn't even close to enough to stop him. As I put on my suit, I noticed the hole through the leg. I webbed the missing piece back on, which wasn't a long term solution. That web would only last about 30 minutes before dissolving.

But that was all the time I needed.