Amanda Smith (The Avengers ff) #English

36.

A few days later

Amanda's Pov.

Since that incident, I haven't talked to Peter anymore. Apart from the missions, I avoid him.
But right now I can't even think about it. Inexplicably, the crimes are piling up in New York City.
Natasha told me that they wouldn't take me on missions until the wound has healed.
Somehow that's a good thing, but I miss the others.

Criminals fly around. One after the other lands on the ground. Passers-by run around screaming.
Their plan was to rob a bank.
Somehow typical.

Everything happens so fast.
One of the men is running in the Central Park.
I follow him immediately.
In a nearly deserted part of the park, he stops and takes a hostage. Unfortunately one of the popular students from my school who always bully me.
"Go away or she'll be dead!", he shouts and presses the gun to her shoulder.
"Calm down", I say and stop abruptly.
You can see that he's serious.
If I just move, he'll shoot her.

Again he shouts something.
She's starting to cry.
I can understand her, in such a moment I would have been crying too.
Where's Spider-Man when you need him?
Probably hanging around with Liz.

As if I had summoned it, a net comes up to him and hits him by the arm. I quickly take the girl to safety while he's fighting the criminal.
"Everything okay?", I ask and let her sit on a bench.
"Do I look like everything's okay?!".
Now I'm not sure if it was good to save her.
"Couldn't you have done something earlier?!
Thanks to you, I'm late for my manicure!", she walks away.
"Good luck next time!", I call after her and go back to the place where the criminal was standing.

There is Spider-Man now.
"Where is he?", I ask.
"Look up", he says, and I realize he's smiling.
"Get me down here, please!", he screams, handcuffed, hanging from a tall tree above us.
"Wow, well done", I say, considering,
"I leave him to you", I slowly go back the way.
"Wait!", he shouts and runs after me.
"Hey, what about me?!", the man yells.
"Amanda, wait a minute", now he caught up to me.
"What?", I ask and look at him.
"Why are you avoiding me?", he asks.
"What do you mean?", I look at him questioningly.
"I'm not stupid, I realize that you avoid any conversation and just hang around with Ned and Michelle", he says.
Now it is different.
"I just want to spend time with friends", I say and look around. Luckily no one's here around.
"Don't I belong to your friends?", he asks.
"Of course you do", I rub my arm.
"Then don't exclude me", he's pleading me.
"You don't even have time anyway", I say.
"For my best friend, I take my time", he hugs me, I start to smile easily.
"Liz only has two days left, then I have enough time again", he says, whereupon I move away from him rolling my eyes.
"See you later, Peter", I say annoyed and start walking.
"What have I done wrong again?", he asks.
"See you tomorrow" I'm just saying.

Peter's Pov.

I watch her beating them for a while. When suddenly one of the men runs into Central Park, I follow him.
"Go away or she'll be dead!", he yells. When I just want to jump out, I suddenly see her coming up to him.
"Calm down", she says and stops.

He starts to scream again, then I go to work and make him unable to fight. In the meantime, she takes the girl to safety.

After a while she comes back.
"Where is he?", she asks.
"Look up", I say with a grin.
"Get me down here, please!", the man yells, hanging from a tree above us.
"Wow, well done.
I leave him to you", she says and goes the way back.
"Wait!", I call and run after her.
"Hey, what about me?!", the man shouts.
"Amanda, wait a minute", I say.
"What?", she asks and turns around.
"Why are you avoiding me?", I'm just asking.
"What do you mean?", she looks at me questioningly.
"I'm not stupid, I realize that you avoid any conversation and just hang around with Ned and Michelle", I say.

"I just want to spend time with friends", she says, looking around.
"Don't I belong to your friends?", I ask.
Why is she behaving like that?
"Of course you do", she seems uncertain.
"Then don't exclude me", I'm pleading.
"You don't even have time anyway", she says.
"For my best friend, I take my time", I say, hugging her.
"Liz only has two days left, then I have enough time again", I say.
Suddenly she pushes me away from her.
"See you later, Peter", she says annoyed.
"What have I done wrong again?", I ask confused.
"See you tomorrow", she just says and leaves.
Is she mad at me again?

Amanda's Pov.

"Hey Grandma.
Hey Tony", I say and walk past the living room.
Shortly afterwards, I realize what just happened.
"What do you want here, Tony?", I ask.
"Amanda, don't be rude", Grandma says indignantly,
"Mr. Stark told me about Peter's internship, why don't you do that too?", she asks.
"Grandma, that's not my thing", I say. She gets up and goes to the kitchen.
"I'm here for Peter, I want to talk to him about a second internship", he says. I know what he means by that.
"Then go to him", I say and cross my arms.
"I wanted to, I was at his aunt's, but he wasn't there", he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
"And what does that have to do with me?", I ask and sit down.
"I thought because you're friends, you know where he is", he says.
"I'm sorry, I don't know".
He finally leaves the others privacy.
"When you see him, tell him to meet me", he says, standing up. I just nod and wait until he leaves.
In the evening I write Peter a message.

Without waiting for an answer, I put the phone aside. I'm not in the mood for the following conversation.