Do You Remember Me?

6 Months Later

Peter's eyelids fluttered open, and as he yawned and stretched his arms across the bed, "Left hand free" echoed in his ears. His phone vibrated with every beat and word until Peter's finger found the snooze button and gently tapped it. The performance ended.

Cars honked their horns and chatter rose in the air, but none of it helped Peter's eyes cease their drooping. His arms snuggled under a pillow once more after his hand retreated from his phone screen, and the cotton cradled his cheeks. Peter's head grew fuzzy and soon, his ears blurred out the sounds of the city and his mind fell into a world of sleep.

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"Well, your left hand's free, and your right's in grip, with another left hand..."

Peter's eyes shot open and his head flew from the pillow, colliding with the low-hanging light bulb that hovered over his bed. A groan escaped his lips and a hand massaged the bruise that began to form on his forehead.

Peter regained full consciousness when the fuzziness of his sleep disappeared and his eyelids blinked rapidly, aiding his vision. As Peter's heartbeat throbbed in his head, he drew back the covers that encased his legs and rubbed his eyes furiously. Staring at his phone screen, Peter took a few breaths.

Today 10:00 am : GED TEST!

I can do this, I can do this. "I'm gonna do great."

Peter stood up, a head rush forcing his face to retract to his neck and his eyes to squeeze shut. His T-shirt was half-tucked into his sweatpants, the sleeves riding up his shoulders. Crease marks painted his cheeks and arms, his hair a nest of tangled curls. His sweatpants began at his stomach, one pant leg relaxing below his ankle while the other was bunched up around his shin. And the watch that clasped around his wrist barely hung on, reading 7:46 am.

Brushing away the tired feeling that irritated his eyes, Peter dragged himself into the bathroom. Cold water dripped onto his face, like fire to his skin and he regained energy. Blasting on music, Peter siked himself up for the test that would, well...determine his entire future.

While the atmosphere was perfused in song, Peter hopped around the apartment, one hand shoving his legs into a pair of jeans while the other opened the fridge door. Managing to scrape together a simple breakfast (he may have dropped an egg or two), Peter ate while reviewing history notes.

Paper creasing and flipping passed the minutes by until the ink on the pages ceased to exist. In full confidence, Peter slipped his phone into his pocket, pulled on a small backpack, and grabbed his keys. But as he grasped the doorknob, he paused, catching a glimpse of the Spiderman suit in the corner of his eye. Peter's feet shuffled away from the door. No, no. I don't need it. I can't be distracted, not today. The world can handle a day without Spiderman .

Running a hand over the shiny black spider that clung to the costume, Peter saw his face ripple back at him. He folded the suit and placed it under a pile of clothes before slowly pulling the door open with a creak and stepping out into the hall.

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Bright white lights blinded Peter as he walked onto the polished marble floors of the testing center. He balled his hands into fists as sweat puddled in his palms and sank into a nearby chair. He was in the midst of muttering facts under his breath when a lady approached him. Handing Peter a few forms to sign, she informed him of the GED format. Before Peter could release the breath he was holding in, he found himself sitting at a desk in an empty classroom. Peter ruffled his hair and watched as his chest rose and fell faster and faster as if he was on a rollercoaster. His heart pounded hard in his ribcage and his fingers shook upon lifting the computer open. Closing his eyes, Peter let his chest fill with air and after a few seconds, let it spill out through his mouth.