The Invention Left By A Little Stark | Book 2

5) Forever Is A Long Time

It was 6pm.

Peter had gone to his bedroom, lay on his bed as he stared blankly at the blue-painted walls and numerous geeky posters. He was remembering the conversation he had with Ned a few hours earlier.

He'd made the excuse of absence by saying he was tired from all the studying, but in truth he needed the space and quiet to think about what to do for your birthday. It was his favorite day of the year because you always spent it with him no matter what.

Not this time.

You were basically the sibling he always wanted, and now you were gone.

For the many years he'd know you, you'd all spend the day together doing something simple yet fun such as meals out or a family movie theater. One time he, you, Ben, and May drove all the way to the beach and Peter had sat on your shoulders while you all stayed to watch the sunset.

Without you, the day would be hard, but he couldn't just let it pass without doing something significant. He was going to visit your grave anyway so it hardly counted as something special when he did it so frequently.

A red light appeared on the watch you left him.

"Peter?" Karen spoke.

The boy blinked, coming back from his thoughts. "Hey."

"You should rest, Peter."

"I'm fine."

"I would recommend one hour each day to match with your study schedule and day-to-day activities. Mr. Stark also told me to make sure you get your 'beauty sleep.'"

Peter sighed and turned on his side to face a different wall instead. "Fine."

There was a beat of silence.

"Are you alright, Peter?"

He sighed again. "Yeah."

"I disagree."

He scoffed. "Why?"

"You don't appear physically hurt but your body is displaying symptoms of reduced cortical activation."

"No, I'm okay." He repeated. "It's just... I was thinking about what Ned said."

It only took a moment for Karen to recall the conversation from her data.

"The birthday of Miss Stark. As my creator, her birthday is logged into my system."

"I'm not sure what to do."

"May 30th is still some time away, Peter. You'll think of something. I believe in the meantime she would prefer that you focus on your exams."

"I know. It's just hard."

"Should I call Mr. Stark for assistance?"

"No! I mean, no thanks. I wouldn't want to bother him with the dinner and all. Don't mention it, please. Or to Ben and May."

As he talked, his gaze drifted to the open photo album on his nightstand. He'd been looking through it when he first got back to his room. The current page was filled with pictures of you and him building legos while doing the most ridiculous poses known to man.

Karen kept processing the signs Peter's mental and physical state were displaying and she could tell he was still feeling upset over it all. She wanted to help as much as her capacity would allow, but even for an AI such as herself it was hard.

"I understand, Peter." She said. "I won't tell anyone."

"Just tell them I'm studying if they ask."