Amanda Smith (The Avengers ff) #English

26.

Monday.
One week later.

In the middle of the night I wake up and look around. Everything is exactly as I left it.
I don't know what they said this time, where I was.
Grandma said something about a visit to my brother. Whether they believe that?
Ned said Peter has been back for a while and told me which tests we write. Today, for example, we write an algebra test.

Slowly I'm getting ready for school. Mild fear rises in me, at the thought of seeing Peter again.

When I leave my room, Grandma is already in the kitchen.
It has been a while since we were able to have breakfast together.
"And how was it at your brother's?", Grandma asks as we sit at the dining table.
"It was nice", I lie.
"If you want to spend more time with him, that won't be a problem", she says, sounding somehow sad.
Does she think I would rather live with him?
"Better not Grandma, spending time with you is much better", I say, and she smiles.

After breakfast I make my way to school.
I keep an eye on everything around me. Somehow I feel like I'm paranoid.
There are many students on the school grounds who talk. At the stairs I see Ned and Peter. He looks pretty tired again, he was probably long on patrol in the night.
He looks at me briefly, then back to Ned. Now it's certain that our friendship is over.

I walk past them and hear Ned calling me, but just keep on going up the stairs.
Meanwhile, I hear him asking Peter what's going on. But he says he doesn't know it either.

After I enter the school building, I immediately go to my spinnt. I haven't been here for a while.
Now the other students go to their classrooms.
It's physics first.
When I enter the room, most of the students are already there, including Peter. He sits at the other end of the room and talks to Michelle, who made a funny sketch of Flash.
I go to my place slowly. The teacher comes to me and explains what I have missed and what I need to catch up with.

Shortly after, the lesson begins. The whole time I feel his eyes resting on me.
Unbearable.
Fortunately, in the second lesson, I have art history.
Fortunately, he didn't choose this course.
At lunchtime I stay in the library to avoid possible confrontations.

After class, I'm back at the locker and pack some books for home.
When I see Ned coming, I pack up as fast I can and want to leave. But he stops me.
"Amanda, what's up?
Why do you avoid us?", he asks, I'm not sure what to say.
"It's nothing", I say looking down.
"That's what Peter said too, you both are crazy at the moment", he says as we leave the building together.

When I arrive at home, I discover a note from my grandma. She writes that she went shopping and meets some old friends.
Slowly I go into the living room and take off my backpack. Just when I want to go to the kitchen, I suddenly hear sounds coming out of my room. I stop at the door for a moment before storming in.

Who I see there, I would never have expected.
It is Peter.
He stands in the middle of my room and looks at me.
A few seconds pass.
Then he ends the silence,
"We need to talk".