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Peter Parker is dealing with being Peter the teenager, but after something bad happens, he may have to take Peter the Spider-kid a little more seriously. When someone he cares for is hurt after rumored 'ties' with the Spider-man, Peter has to de...
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Peter
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"Do you think about it often?" I watch MJ's lips form the words, but I can't comprehend what she's talking about. I woke up this morning with a massive headache, and can't string a single thought together.
I blink rapidly, darting to look at her narrowed eyes, "Um, sorry, what?"
"The shooting. I'm asking about the shooting." MJ's tone is blunt and slightly annoyed. "It's been a week, and I still think about it constantly. Do you know that every time I walk into a new room, all I can think about is an escape route if something did happen? It's messed up. Kids shouldn't have to go through this shit."
Ned, who sits next to MJ, grimaces and gives our friend an encouraging smile.
"I think that's normal. The bad thing would be if you had to get used to it, but thank god that we're not all like Peter," Ned's words do not resonate as a giveaway until they're out of his mouth. His mouth drops and his eyes quickly find mine so that he can mouth, 'I'm sorry.' I try not to glare at him, but what the hell?
"What's wrong with Peter?" MJ frowns, clearly not understanding Ned's words, understandably. Our first day back to school since the shooting, and I can't even have one day without covering up my secret.
MJ's looking at me like I have three heads, instead of just one. The cafeteria is lacking students, so the awkward silence is worse than it already would have been. Hardly anyone showed up to school today. Most parents and students are still scared, and I expect there to be another week of this. Luckily for us, most teachers have decided to give us easy-A projects while this lack of students thing is going on.
I finally quit stalling and look at MJ with an unsure expression. What do I say?
"Um, my... my uncle. He, uh, was killed. I was there." Oh yeah, that's perfect. Let's get her uninterested from your secret with an even darker truth. What is wrong with me?
MJ doesn't say anything. She looks at me with her wise eyes that don't even hold an ounce of pity, which isn't what I expected. I was definitely expecting pity. It's usually the reaction people give me after they hear what happened. Instead, she nods her head apologetically, looks down at her tray, and has her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She's deep in thought, now, and I softly smile at her reaction. I'm down with this new way of dealing with serious stuff.
Ned looks at me with wide regret and I just shrug. It feels like an eternity ago, and I'm over it, anyway. If I was still agonizing about it, I would only be hurting Aunt May even more than she already feels. He was her other half, and he wasn't here anymore to fill that gap. I had to be strong for her, for Aunt May. I had to at least try and keep her remaining half in place.
The warning bell rings, and all three of us scramble to get to class after putting our trays up. Ned splits up from MJ and me, and we wave him goodbye. My class is close, and before I can turn to the girl beside me, her slim fingers wrap around my bicep and small squeeze follows. Her lips are a straight line as she looks me directly in the eyes.
