Xara's Guide To Befriending Superheroes (Not Clickbait):-
Rule 1: Call him a serial killer.
Rule 2: Blackmail him.
Rule 3: Be in love with his alter ego.
MCU!Peter Parker story.
Book [1] of the Paracosm series (but can also be read as a stand-alone).
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⋆ sixteen ⋆
The first few weeks of school seem to rush by, and it takes sweet time to get back into the swing of school again. I thought summer was stressful? Fall term is a lot more difficult than I remember. With planning Homecoming, my continued driving lessons, meeting with Spider-Man every weekend, and even harder studies than last year, I'm barely finding myself with any free time.
Doesn't help that while Alexandros and I would rant to each other at lunch about all that happened in our classes, I'm constantly making my way to the cafeteria, only to remember at my empty table that he's not really hanging out with me much anymore, preoccupied with constant practices for dance. Sometimes we'll hang out after school if I don't have Homecoming stuff to get to, and we spend time on the weekends, but it just doesn't feel the same.
But I guess... it feels nice not relying completely on him. Since we were kids we've been best friends, telling each other everything, and keeping secrets from him about Spider-Man feels strange. I haven't mentioned my crush again, and we're pretty much just chatting about the things that Joshua does during practice that makes him laugh. I guess now I realise how irritating I was about Peter, but I try to be happy for my best friend, ignoring the conflict going on in my own mind.
I sit in physics, completely tuning out. It's irritating because I don't really have friends in many of my classes, which is a huge downer. Sometimes it convinces me to actually do the work, but other times – like now – I just can't help but feel hugely unmotivated.
"Michelle and Xara, you can work together."
What?
My head snaps up at the mention of my name, wondering what the hell is going on, but Michelle's already dropped her bag by me, offering a smile. I didn't even realise she was in this class, but that's probably because I sit in the back for all my classes and stick to myself. "What's up, dork?"
I purse my lips in response, and while we chat all the time on text, it's completely different being around her. Same with the others. On text it's fine, but in real life it seems too... well, real. And with Michelle... when I'm around her, I can see why Peter likes her so much, and it makes me feel inferior in comparison. I mean, she's perfect.
When I finally snap out of my thoughts, I close my eyes for a second, trying to figure out what to say in words. "I-I'm sorry, I've not been paying attention all class, so I'm probably not going to be much help. What are we meant to do in pairs?"
"Don't worry, I'm usually the same," she reassures with a sly look in her eyes, her hair falling in her face. "We're supposed to make a project explaining centrifugal force in whatever way we seem fit. So, poster or an experiment or something. I was thinking we do both. You do photography, right? So we can create an experiment and take photos and explain them in a poster along with general information, you get me? And I can do some diagrams about how it affects different circumstances, I guess."
