「Sunflower」a Spider-Man/Miles Morales fan-fiction ☆

Chapter 3.

After my miserable attempts at getting parental permission to skip today's classes, father rushed me to the institution before the bell ring.

My alarming headaches kept me preoccupied throughout the first period, along with constant trips to the nurse's office. By the third visit, he seemed reluctant to send me back to class but I reassured him that with some Advil I should be good to go.

Unfortunately for him he would be bothered with another visit.

"Sir, could I please be excused to the nurse's-?"

I stopped after hearing the same words emitting from another person. To my astonishment it came from the seat besides me, where Miles sat in quiet surprise. We were both sent off to the nurse's.

There was only one nurse to assist with the entire school's health care. His office, for some brilliant reason, was located on the West wing of the campus while Miles and I were in the far depths of the East wing.

"So, what's your problem?"

My voice was so harsh and accusatory that even Miles looked astonished. What a great way to start a conversation, V!

The classmate shied away with a fake smile. "Just... headaches."

"Same," I tried to improve my tone this time, to sound a bit more friendly. But it must've been too cheerful for someone who seemed sick. "Also my stomach's not doing so well," I added, "Think the nurse will send us home?"

"I live on-campus."

Yew, dormitories.

"Sounds fun."

In a matter of seconds the air fell quiet except for the sound of our shoes squeaking against the tiled floors. I was racking my brain, trying to come up with a better way to engage with Miles.

There's nothing wrong with a quiet walk to the nurse's. Of course, there's also nothing wrong with getting to know my classmate.

"So," I picked at my brain long enough to find some new material for conversation. "Any thoughts on the new Spider-Man?"

Miles' gaze shifted to me. It was my first time seeing his eyes. They were a dark brown hue, almost dark as night. Yet there was something about the way they sparkled. His dark eyes seemed to ignite with so much intensity in that one second, before he looked away.

"I don't know, seems okay," he finally replied.

My mind was still caught up in the things I'd just seen, but I managed to utter out, "His costume seems edgy."

"Edgy?" His voice hit a high pitch, catching both of us by surprise.

I told myself not to laugh. It wouldn't be right to mock this kid's struggle through puberty. However, I could not hide my chortling noises from my African-Latino classmate.

"Definitely edgy," I snickered. "It just looks like spandex with paint smeared over it. And the shoes! They're pretty cool but it kinda shows the person lacks coordination."

"Well I like it," Miles went on the defense. "Plus, Jordans are comfy."

"You would know," I called him out on his flashy sneakers. "Besides, there was nothing wrong with the classic Spider-Man get up."

I could hear the hesitation in his voice when he asked, "You knew the previous Spider-Man, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" My fast response caught him off guard as we ascended the stairs to the school's main lobby.

"Um, I'm sorry for your loss."

"With a new vigilante on shift, things are going back to the way they were."

Another minute went by as we inched our way closer to the nurse's office. I felt guilty for slowing Miles down with our talk, but this was among the only conversations we've ever had. Might as well enjoy it.

Not admitting defeat, I spoke again. "So, listen to music much?"