Frostbite ❆ Peter Parker

fifty-one

    When Peter got rejected from his first college, Beth passed it off as a fluke. Maybe they just didn't have enough space despite the fact that Peter was insanely smart she knew colleges were extremely competitive. 

    By the second rejection, Beth started seeing the pattern. She read the letters, about how the college could not accept Peter at this time because of recent news that came to light. 

     Beth felt like she couldn't just sit around and watch as Peter was punished for something he didn't do. So over the next few months, she'd stay up at night. Her fingers flickered across the keyboard of her laptop, a bowl of chips beside her as she worked.  

    Hacking into Stark Technology was no easy feat especially since it was under investigation by federal agents. Then combing through hundreds of hours of footage recorded on multiple drones made her want to rip her hair out. 

    By the time MIT decisions came out, Beth had just finished going through countless videos of what happened on their Europe trip. She had gone ahead and combined essential parts together, making sure that it exposed Mysterio for who he really was. A fraud. 

    Watching some of the footage caused her to curl up in a ball on her bed and not get up until Reyna dragged her out of bed. Having to see Peter get hit by a train again made her sick to her stomach.

    There was a loud bang on her window making her jump. Pulling back the curtains revealed Peter with an envelope in his hand. This was it. Peter's final chance to get into college.

    Beth opened the window and crawled out into Peter's awaiting arms. He didn't have a suit on and neither did she. There was no use hiding their identity anymore, the whole world knows. 

    It's been a couple of months since her apartment was broken into. Reyna and she had moved out into another building. Her mom had hired the best security detail to guard the complex around the clock. It's not like Pepper didn't believe that Beth couldn't fend for herself but it was always nice to have one more layer of security so that she could relax in her own home. 

    Peter drops them down in front of the coffee shop where MJ works at. The bell on the door rings distantly behind them as they rush inside the building. Ned's already inside with his own letter, along with MJ who's behind the counter. 

    Beth can feel the nervousness radiating off her friends. She wishes she could offer any kind of comfort or reassurance but she doesn't even know what those letters say. Their entire lives have been turned upside down. Mysterio is still ruining their lives from beyond the grave. 

    "I feel like I'm going to puke," Ned mutters. His letter is clutched between his hands.

    "Well don't because my boss will only make me clean it up," MJ grumbles.

    "This is our only shot. It's here or nowhere," Ned stresses.

    Beth can't help but feel guilty that this is happening to MJ and Ned. They're just normal people who got caught up in Peter and her world. Now by association, they're getting the same treatment that both Peter and Beth face. Maybe not to the same extent but she's stayed up on the phone with MJ as she's talked about people at school who badger her for information. Or her parents who get on her case about not getting into any colleges. 

    She can only hope to clear their name once she posts the evidence she's compiled. 

    "On three, okay?" MJ counts them down before the three of them rip into the envelopes. 

    Beth stands behind Peter, her chin resting on his shoulder as she peers over at his letter. She only has to skim the first few words before she knows the answer. She glances towards MJ and Ned to gauge their reactions. From the way both their expressions had fallen, it seems like they all got the same answer.