Accidents Happen

Chapter Twenty-Three-A Big Softie

Peter and Michelle sat in silence as they wait for Ned and the team to come up, neither one wanting the end the quiet. Barely even five minutes later Ned, Betty, and the others, who had conveniently showed up just as Ned had gotten to the first floor, were back.

Only a small fraction of the team was actually there, the main ones skipping out being Sally, who had a family thing, and Flash, who frankly, didn't give any real reason besides not wanting to come.

Michelle figured he still needed some time after she'd ripped him to shreds a few weeks ago.

Smart.

Everyone, meaning about eight people total, made themselves comfortable, all gathered in the living room, sitting in some form of a circle on the floor. The sound of random chattering of four different conversations and friendly laughter filled the small apartment, pausing only momentarily as Ned set up the game of Monopoly on the carpet and the teenagers took their seats on the floor.

They played a game, and Michelle was impressed with how skilled some of her teammates were at business. Clearly, she'd underestimated them, expecting to sweep the floor with her poker face and cruel exterior; perfect for business. Still, it was a tough game; neck in neck the whole way.

Of course, there could only be one winner, and it was obviously Michelle, and they'd all known that from the beginning, signing in frustration as she bankrupted each one of them with her many properties.

Her main competition came from Abe, who despite his normal humorous nature remained serious throughout the game, and Peter, who had been learning a bit of business from Tony Stark since they made him a real intern.

After the game, and after everyone agreed they would not give Michelle another chance to win, whether or not she was with child, they dined on pizza, courtesy of Ned's parents.

They'd tried to play a few rounds of Mafia, even a round or two of twisters (Michelle controlled the spinner) but given that they were a group of (mostly) agile teens, it got a little competitive, so they stopped playing that after someone got mysteriously pushed over for the fifth time.

Eventually the eight people turned into just five, Sally having to leave for some family thing, Abe having mountains of homework, and Charles having work.

While it didn't seem like that significant of a difference, losing three people surprisingly made for a much more intimate vibe, especially since Ned seemed really preoccupied with making heart-eyes at Betty the entire time. It was just Peter, Michelle, Ned, Betty, and Cindy at this point.

Michelle tried to stay in the background of the conversation, quietly sitting on the outside of the circle in order to avoid any more interaction. While she was trying to be more open, there's only so much socializing someone like her can handle.

But, the entire world seemed to be conspiring against her.

Cindy Moon was the head of the conspiracy (okay so maybe she was overreacting), and Michelle was getting slightly agitated.

Don't get her wrong, Cindy was a lovely, kind person (Michelle and lovely, kind people do not mix). She was smart and had a decently long list of friends, but unfortunately, with her intelligence came a ridiculous amount of curiosity. And you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.

"What does it feel like?" Cindy asked, leaning forward slightly, eyes shining with interest, referring to the elephant in the room. Or rather, the baby in the womb.

Michelle glanced around the room, becoming uncomfortably warm at the attention. It wasn't like it was that outlandish of a question; had Michelle has not been the one going through it, she'd probably want to know, too. "Uh... weird, I guess." The way her peers' gazes held her own told her to elaborate. Michelle never does what people tell her to do.