VII's 12 Days of Winter Writing

Day 5: Setting - Closet

"Peter?" Mr. Stark called him over.

Peter grinned, bouncing over. "Yeah, sir?"

Mr. Stark regarded him over the rims of his sunglasses. "You know how I'm having a party on the weekend and you want to be involved but your aunt doesn't agree with that?" he asked off-handedly. "Want to be my coat boy?"

Peter blinked. "What?"

"Your aunt doesn't want you to be in the party, but you do, and I think it's a compromise to have you work," Mr. Stark explained. "I'll pay you."

"Sure!" Peter smiled hesitantly. "Can my friend come?"

"The boy from your school? Ned?"

"No. My friend. MJ." Peter flushed. "She likes to earn a little extra cash on the weekends."

Mr. Stark's eyes flicked up and down Peter. "A girl?"

Peter blushed darker. "She's a friend." He fidgeted with his jacket zipper. "She's saving up for her university tuition."

"What's her name?" the billionaire asked. "Mary Jane?"

"Uh, Michelle Jones. Jones-Watson."

Mr. Stark nodded. "Sure. Bring her. Thirty bucks per hour sound good to you?"

Peter blinked again. "Sure!" That was pretty good money. "How long is the whole thing?"

Mr. Stark smiled. "The party starts at seven at night but staff come an hour early. Ends around eleven but staff leaves an hour late. Same old procedures. Maria would be your point person."

Peter wrinkled his brow. "Ms. Hill?"

"Yep." Mr. Stark tapped his phone that lit up and turned it off. "She's my assistant sometimes."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Peter shouldered his bag. "Well, Mr. Stark, I better get going. May doesn't like it when I'm late."

"Bye, kid," Mr. Stark said. "See you on Friday."

-

Peter hurried down the hallway to his lunch table with Ned and MJ.

"Hey," he greeted them.

MJ looked at him with a perfectly serious face, an open book in front of her. "You're late," she said stonily, snapping the book shut.

"I know." Peter sat down. "Sorry."

Ned chewed forgivingly.

The three ate amid the clatter of the cafeteria.

"Hey, do you guys want to study at my place on Friday?" Ned asked between his sandwich and his Snickers bar. "Lola's going to make puto."

Peter blinked and glanced at MJ. "Yeah— actually, about that." He punched his fist lightly. "MJ, Mr. Stark wants me to work on Friday night. He says you can come too."

MJ raised an eyebrow at him. "How much?"

"Thirty an hour." Peter looked at Ned. "Sorry."

Ned shrugged. "It's fine. That means I get more puto."

MJ nodded. "I'll take the job. Friday night?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah." Peter took a sip of his water. "I can swing by your apartment and we can walk to Avengers Tower together. We're collecting jackets. For about six hours."

MJ nodded. "Good deal. Dress code?"

Peter blinked. "Um." He took out his phone and sheepishly texted Mr. Stark, who responded very quickly. "They say to dress for a funeral."