The Avengers Academy (ON HIATUS)

A Few New Changes

~~~~~~~~~~~~Peter's POV~~~~~~~~~~~

I push the elevator button to go up. I see that it's currently on the fifth floor, so I decide to take the stairs.

I run past people, trying not to spill the coffee, and go to the stairwell. I race up the stairs until I get to the fourth floor.

I burst open the door and put the coffee on the nearest table. "I...got...your coffee...Mr. Stark...." I say in between breaths.

Mr. Stark nods at me and continued writing. "Hey, thanks kid. I need to, uh, talk to you about something when you get a chance."

I nod. Finally I'll be an Avenger! This has to be what he wants to talk about. I mean, I practically am one already. He probably just wants to make it official. Remember, stay cool.

"What's up, Mr. Stark?" I ask.

He sighs. "So, look, kid. I know you're excited to have the internship and you've been a great help so far. But I decided to make things a little more interesting this summer."

"Go on," I reply. I have no idea where he's going with this, but it seems like it could be fun.

"So, I put an ad out in the newspaper for some, helpers, of sorts."

"You mean assistants?"

Mr. Stark nodded. "Sure, kid. Assistants. And these assistants will also partake in the Stark Internship. It will kind of be like a competition."

I frown, taking a minute to adjust to what he's saying. "So, are you trying to replace me, Sir? Because I can get better coffee. I can get it ten times faster if you want me to next time. I'll be---"

"No, kid, I'm not going to replace you. I'm just going to make your summer here more interesting. I need more people like you to help me. I figured since you've been so great at this, maybe other kids will be able to help me, too. And, maybe you'll make some friends. The applicants are all around your age anyway."

I turned to face him, panic rising in my chest.

"Mr. Stark, I will work twice as hard as the other interns. I know, you said you're not replacing me, but I just want to make sure you know that."

"I know, Peter. Also, the other candidates will be here in a few hours," he tells me.

I stare at him.

"What? There's no time like the present."

I take a deep breath and nod. "Okay. How many people are there? Also, how is this going to work? Do you need help choosing people, 'cause I'm pretty good at judging people's character," I tell him.

He considers for a minute then shakes his head. "No, to make it seem fair, you should act like you're interviewing like the other candidates. It would seem like I have favoritism otherwise."

"Okay. So, just act normal, like I'm interviewing for the internship. But, just so we're clear, I am your favorite, right?"

He smiles slightly and says "Sure, Peter, right now you are my favorite. But that's only because I haven't met the other candidates yet."

"We'll see about that," I say, smiling.

This will be an interesting summer.