Pressure // MARVEL // PETER PARKER

CHAPTER 13: at least she still has the kings of jokes

'MORGAN, BEFORE YOU say whatever it is you're going to say, let me by you a macchiato first.'

Morgan smiled while Oliver literally immediately walked to the counter instead of first greeting her. Miles however sat down beside her on her left. Oliver got back with three drinks, the Amazing Americano for Miles, a Carefree Capuccino for himself and a Marvelous Macchiato for Morgan after which he sat down on her right side.

'So, Morgan,' Miles began. 'What happened?'

Morgan bit her lip and fiddled with her fingers. 'I got blackmailed about my parents. I first gave them money, the second time I gave them the first Iron Man suit and the third time I lost my letter. Apparently Peter had it. In the letter was written that I had to give them the newest Iron Man suit before midnight, but I didn't because I didn't know and we got attacked because of that. Turns out it was Ellie who was blackmailing me. Spider-Man and my dads saved me.'

'Question. Where are Peter and Shuri?' Miles asked his friend.

Morgan sighed, blinking back the small watery layer over her eyes. 'I can't really tell you, but let's just say Peter's not who he says he is. We got mad at each other for not telling the truth about my dads and his... secret.'

'Back up. Peter told me about him, but I still don't have any clue who Spider-Man is, to be honest,' Oliver confessed.

Miles looked up and turned to his friend. 'Dude, you need to have a life.'

'I could quote Zayn Malik here, but I don't think either of you would get it,' Oliver sighed.

It sucked. It really did. Because Morgan genuinely loved Ellie. Like a best friend. They had maybe just met two months ago, but Ellie was already an important part in Morgan's life. And the worst part of all is that Morgan really couldn't hate Ellie. She wished she did, then she'd know everything she was experiencing was normal. But she understood Ellie and she couldn't blame her in the slightest.

'Where is Ellie now? Like, a prison or something?' Oliver asked Morgan while she sipped from her macchiato.

'A S.H.I.E.L.D. facility,' Morgan told her friend. 'They have to interrogate her and because she's still underage change the sentence she would've gotten under normal circumstances. Stuff like that.'

'They should've let her rot in hell,' Oliver mumbled.

Morgan heard it. 'No, they shouldn't have. Ellie's just upset and I would be, too, in her place.'

'Are you kidding me, Morgan?' Oliver raised his voice. 'She almost killed your family and you're picking her side? Did she hit you on your head or something?'

It was silent for a moment.

Miles decided to say what was on his mind. 'Hey, Morgan?' Morgan replied with a "hmm-mm." 'Does this mean you're going to change schools again?'

'To be honest, I kind of avoided the topic at home. We haven't really talked about it. But the way it's looking now... The attack has been on the news. They even filmed my face, you're lucky they didn't catch yours. But now that my identity's known everywhere, I'll probably get home-schooled.'

'Your dads love us,' Oliver told Morgan, referring to Miles and him. 'Let us talk to them.'

Morgan looked up, becoming very alarmed. 'Heck no, the first time you met them you began to hold a cheesy joke contest in front of my dads. Do you know how many dad-jokes they told me since then?'

'I won that contest, by the way,' Oliver told everyone.

'No,' Miles said confused, 'you didn't. Steve and Tony chose me unanimously.'

'Want to test it out now? Morgan will be our audience,' Oliver proposed.

'No, no, no, no, no, no-'

'Fight me.'

Miles and Oliver placed their chairs on one side of the table. Morgan sighed deeply, knowing that last time Miles and Oliver had this "contest" they didn't stop, so Morgan had to kick them out of her house after an hour. God, those jokes were bad. And the worst part of that was that both her dads decided to torture her with those jokes the rest of the week.

'Do we have a category?' Oliver asked the three friends on the bench.

'Nope,' Morgan answered annoyed. 'Oliver, you can start.'

Oliver thought for a moment. 'Sometimes, I talk to my Spanish friends. I only know one word, though, so I'll just casually slip it into the conversation and say "mucho." It means a lot to them.'

'Amazing joke, 10 out of 10, can we stop now?' Morgan asked, already regretting meeting up with her friends.

'You know what's really odd? Numbers not dividable by two,' Miles fired back.

Then, at the exact right time, Fleetwood Mac began playing and Morgan was really grateful this bad joke contest or whatever the hell it was, took a break. She took her phone from the pocket in her jeans and looked at the caller ID. It said Dad the Second and immediately knew it was about the conversation she tried to avoid. She pressed the green button.

'Morgan! Wanna meet me at the park? I sent Friday to meet you,' Tony told his daughter cheerful.

'Really, dad?' Morgan sighed. 'Now? You know I'm drinking something with Oliver and Miles.'

Tony replied almost immediately. 'Good for you, but, Maguna, your dad and I talked about your school. If you're not coming to the park I might as well sell all your Disney DVDs. You know I would.'

'All right! I'm coming. Just let me say goodbye.'

Then, without any kiss or something, Tony ended the call like he would as usual. Morgan sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. She shove from the bench and stood up, eyeing her friends who stared at her too. She grabbed her long blue coat from the rack. This time she left her scarf at home, given the fact that it was already getting warmer in New York.

'My dad wants to meet me at the park, talk about school stuff. Wish me luck,' Morgan sighed, but smiled to her friends.

'Good luck,' her friends told her.

Morgan would need that.