As Luck Would Have It

4) Family Commitments

After finding the kids that turned the restaurant into a mad house, Peter decided to swing around and patrol the streets until he found himself within a reasonable distance from his apartment. He liked the feeling of web-slinging in the early summer air just as the night sky started to settle in. It was like swinging in a fantasy land or something. He eventually came to the edge of his neighborhood and decided to take a breather on a nearby roof. He landed in his signature pose and adjusted his position to sit down, hanging his feet over the side. Just as he was feeling comfortable, he pulled out his phone to make a call. He dialed his best friend Ned, thinking that he should talk to him about the last day of school the following day. The phone rang three times before Ned finally answered.

"Hey" he answered in an exhausted voice.

"Hey, you O.K., you sound stressed."

"Just a little bit man" he replied.

Peter started to wonder what troubling him. Ned was someone that wouldn't usually stress unless the situation was extreme. He remembered how full of energy he was earlier that the day, and how excited he was for summer vacation. Now he sounded like he was exhausted, maybe from working on one last assignment that he hadn't finished. "What's up" Peter continued.

"My parents just told me that were going to visit my extended family in Oahu."

"Well that's awesome man, I wish I could go to Hawaii."

"Dude, I don't think you completely understand what's happening."

"Well I guess, cause' it sounds like you're bummed about going when you should be excited."

"Cause' we're there for two months."

"TWO MONTHS" Peter exaggerated, spinning his body to the right.

"Yeah man."

"Do you know when you're leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"WHAT!" he loudly whispered underneath his mask.

"That's why I'm so exhausted, I've been packing everything for the past hour. My parents are really stressed about the whole thing because they kind of forgot about it and told me very late."

At this point, Peter could not believe what he was hearing. His best friend was going to be gone for most of the summer, and he would have no one to be with. Obviously, he would have Aunt May around when he was home, but no one that could fill up his free time as Peter Parker. And knowing that the Avengers weren't as active as they used to be, he knew that they wouldn't be calling anytime soon.

In disbelief of the situation, he shifted his eyes in multiple directions and shifted his body around some to find comfort. At one moment, he stopped to look down at the street where he thought he noticed a recognizable figure. But the spot he thought he saw it was now vacant, almost as if the figure had vanished in seconds. He thought that someone may have been watching him, but he just let it pass and continued his conversation with Ned.

"That's rough dude, do you know why you're gone for two months?"

"I don't know, and I know I'm gonna be tired of it after the first week," he said, feeling the urge to explain his crazy family. "My cousins are fun and all, but my uncle's wife is ridiculously annoying. And the part of the island they live in doesn't get the best coverage, so there's not much internet access or phone use."

"So... you're saying that there may be no way to call you at all?"

"Most likely, yeah."

"Well, can I at least see you before you go?"