Ava's POV
I still had paint on my hands. I was wearing this super stiff fancy outfit Aunt May picked out for me and I was standing in front of a crowd of people wearing equally as stiff outfits. And kids in Spider-Man t-shirts, looking up to the boy to my right with big eyes full of admiration. To them, Peter was their super hero. To me, he was just the kid down the street. The kid from social skills. My annoying ass best friend.
"Well, this is my first time giving a speech about being a super hero. I've walked through this whole exhibit and saw all kinds of heroes like firefighters, police officers, teachers... and I never thought I would be considered a hero like them. See, in my mind I'm just a kid from Queens. As many of you know I was bitten by a spider and from there used my brain to engineer things like my webshooters and suit. A lot of the things I was able to invent to help me be a super hero came from my best friend, Stella." I rolled my eyes. Stella, Stella, Stella.
"But there's also things about me that I didn't invent. Things about me that didn't come from being bit by a spider. There are things inside me and inside of all of us that make us heroes. If you've seen my movie you'd know I get a lot of the good that's in me from my aunt and uncle, which is true. But also all the qualities that make me a good superhero: my kindness, my bravery, the way I'm willing to put myself in harms way to protect others, the way I stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves... I got all of that from my hero. Ava Harper." I felt my face get hot and I fought the urge to hit him. I'm his hero? This man who fought a giant lizard and a man made out of electricity and who can travel to different dimensions and swing from buildings and invent pretty much anything... he looks up to me?
"I met Ava when I was 6 years old. I had just moved to Queens, I had just lost my parents. Everyone described me as a very serious kid. I had a hard time making friends, and I didn't really like to talk that much. So they put me in a class called social skills, where I met the lovely Mrs. Pine, who is here with us somewhere..." Peter started to scan the crowd so I did the same, stretching on my tiptoes looking for her. Sure enough, in the back of the room was Mrs. Pine, but what I didn't expect was that she wasn't the only familiar face in the room. She was with Aunt May, who I knew would be here, and four other familiar faces I didn't expect to be here. Stella, Oli, Louis and Flash all stood in the back with Mrs. Pine wearing these ridiculous t-shirts with my face on them. I covered my face because I thought I was going to cry, and Peter kept talking.
"And in social skills, I met Ava. Ava is... insane. Ava has more personality than anyone I have ever met in my entire life. But despite being crazy, Ava saw the world in such a positive way. No matter what she's been through, she always comes out of it with a smile. And more than that, Ava has always protected me and our friend Stella no matter what. In school me and Stella had to deal with a lot of unkind people, and Ava was always one step behind to defend us and make sure we were okay. I truly don't know where I'd be without my Ava, the big sister I never knew I wanted. So there is no one else in the world I'd rather have open an art exhibit about me. Ava is living proof that anyone can be a super hero, no matter where you come from or how absolutely insane you are. Thank you for always being my hero, Ava." Peter explained.
"Mine too!" We heard from the back of the room. I still had my hands over my face because now I really was crying. Peter wrapped me in a hug as the crowd erupted in applause.
"That was cheesy as fuck." I cried. He laughed.
"Yeah, never speak of it again. It's just always been my dream to make you cry." He explained, letting me go.
"Mission accomplished, asshole." I muttered, wiping away the tears on my cheeks. After the speech, the crowd was allowed to browse the gallery. I was supposed to be chatting people up, trying to convince them to buy my art work, but I had no interest in any of that. There was a group of people at the back of the room just begging to get yelled at.
