Stronger Than Ever

Ch. 4 |Something's wrong|

On Monday morning all Peter could think was that the weekend was far to short. He put his sweater and jeans on before sliding down the railing down to the kitchen where his dad had made him cereal.

"Morning kid," he said with a small smile as before he took a sip of his coffee.

"Are you not eating?"

"I'll have something later," Tony said which Peter knew meant he wasn't going to have anything.

"No you won't," Peter mumbled into his cereal as he started it.

"I'll try Pete," he said as he swallowed his tablets with a glass of milk.

"Good," Peter said before having another spoonful of cereal.

"Peter, I need to talk to you," Tony said walking towards the table as Peter's phone pinged.

"Sure, what's..up?" He asked as he read the text he just got, accidentally dropping his fake smile for a second.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked noticing what Peter hoped he wouldn't.

"Uhh..nothing..nothing, it's fine," Peter stuttered faking his smile trying to make it more believable than usual, "it's just a reminder that I..have a math test today."

"Yeah? Well good luck," Tony said with a smile not sure if he believed what he was saying.

"I should probably get going or I'm gonna be late," Peter said standing up and running up the stairs leaving almost his whole breakfast.

Tony sighed knowing Peter would always find a way to avoid having the conversation that Tony needed to have with him. Even though he had no idea what it was about, Peter knew it would be bad.

He heard Happy's car as he got to the top of the stairs, he walked in his room and looked at the text that Flash had sent him again.

Flash: No one would care if you were dead.

It always got to him. He didn't know why, he wished it wouldn't.

What he says is true.

Right?

No matter how much his dad told him that he loved him and his life was better with Peter in it. There was always something that told him that they'd all be better off if he wasn't there.

Peter got his shoes and bag before walking down the stairs and out the door into the back seat of Happy's car. His dad drove him to school everyday but Monday's, that was when he saw his therapist.

Happy liked Peter a lot more than he told anyone, Peter knew that but he also never told anyone. For Happy.

The drive to school was quiet while Peter watched everything pass by out the window. Happy had also noticed a difference in him but most times he was the same so he thought nothing of it.

Just a teenage thing.

They soon stopped outside the school building. "Thanks," Peter said as he got out before he walked in the building.

He wanted to go home already.

He made his way to his locker and got his books while the bell went indicating his first class was starting.

Peter quickly made his way to chemistry. He hoped he would be on time for his classes, he didn't want to end up with a longer detention. Which was every Friday for the next three weeks.

He sat in his usual seat that was next to Ned who wasn't there yet, that surprised Peter. Ned was always early to his classes. Mostly to avoid the people who said shit to him.

•

By lunch Peter found out Ned wasn't in school, which never happened. Ned was always in school. Peter wasn't sure why he cared, they weren't friends and he knew they never would be but there was a part of him that couldn't help being worried.

He knew there was something going on with him for a while. He noticed a difference in him from the past half a year he'd known him.

Peter walked out his math class after Flash throwing things at him every so often like usual. He was about to head towards the library for lunch when he pushed into the lockers.

"Freak," Flash shouted as he walked past with his group of friends following and laughing.

A couple of them pushing him back as he was about to move. As soon as all of them had walked away he just started walking towards the library again.

He walked to the back of the room like usual and sat in his usual seat. He put his bag under the table and began reading his book, trying to forget about the homework he had in his bag that still needed to be done.

He soon saw Mj walk in like usual but she sat at his table instead of her usual one. Peter hid the fact that he was confused. She just took her book out and started reading.

Peter wanted to say something but didn't, he just kept reading. He wanted to know why she was there. There was something weird about sitting with someone at lunch.

That's something he hadn't done before, not even when he was in elementary school.

He had always been a bit of a loner. He knew it worried his dad which he hated but he'd never been good at making friends which didn't bother him. He never really wanted to make friends.

•••

Over the next couple days Peter noticed Ned wasn't back. He still didn't know why or why he was worried, he thought it was probably the SpiderMan in him but he wasn't sure.

During lunch he was in the library like usual. Mj walked over and sat at his table again, he wasn't sure why. Him and Mj were usually the only two that always sat by themselves at a table to themselves.

"I know your worried about Ned," she said quietly into her book.

"What?" Peter questioned looking up from his homework.

"I've seen it all week, I'm worried too," she said as awkwardly as she usually does as she looked up from her book.

"Do you know if..if something happened?"

"We've never spoke. So he wouldn't tell me."

"I'm his lab partner..but that's all we've..ever really spoke about."

"He'll be back."

"How do you know?"

"We would've been told if he was dead or something and if he moved we would know."

"That's true," Peter said going back to his homework.

"I think something's wrong though."

"Like somethings happened? I think so too," he said before going back to his homework.

I'm thinking of maybe posting 2 chapters a week? Should I? It would be Wednesday and Saturday if I did.