Whatever It Takes

Chapter 12

You could see the clean up and construction crew from down the street. Peter, Ned, and Emma all in a line on their way to school felt their steps fall short across the road from the remains of Delmar's shop. Ned huffed out a breath of disbelief, "you guys were here?" Peter stared at the scene as if he were staring through it. Emma hiked her bag up. Somehow she could still feel the heat that engulfed her through her suit. Ned kept his eyes on the scene. Police investigated with agents by their sides, "you could've died," he said. Emma's lips formed a tight line. She was well aware of that. She couldn't count how many awful scenarios flew through her head when the laser had gone out of control.

As Emma thought and ran down her personal list of the 1000 ways she and Peter could have died the night before, Ned somehow managed to keep his composure from before with his next inquiry. "do you lay eggs?" Emma's brow nearly touched her hairline and Peter shrunk back in disgust. "What? No."

These inquiries kept going through the rest of the day, thankfully without Emma, since she would be fielding a flurry of other ridiculous questions. If they spit venom, if they can summon an army of spiders, then a question of how far their webs could go. Really, Emma wouldn't have even known. The less than discreet superhero talk continued through to gym class, one class that Emma and Peter did have together. She purposefully took her gym credit a year late to have at least one class with her brother. All of the students sat in the bleachers, Emma beside her brother who was slumped back. That didn't stop an inquisitive Ned though. As a tape of Captain America played on the rollaway TV, Emma couldn't help but snort thinking of Captain America making school informational videos on top of saving the world all before lunch. "Do you guys know him too?" Ned was barely trying at this point to keep a low profile. Peter nodded, "yeah, we met." Emma snorted again, "yeah, that's one way of putting it," she muttered. Ned's jaw was practically through to the basement of the school now and no kid on Christmas morning had anything on the glimmer in Ned's eyes. Captain America babbled on, and Emma couldn't get over how much she hated his mask. She was grateful for his at least slight upgrade in their fight. "We stole his shield," Peter admitted. "Yeah, and then he dropped a trailer on us." Emma added. Ned however, was in another universe. Coach Wilson finally switched the TV off, "Thank you, Captain," he started bored, "pretty sure this guys a war criminal now, but whatever. I have to show these videos. It's required by the state." Emma's nose scrunched like sulfur had just wafted into the room, listening to Captain America lecture me about health and fitness is mandated by the state now? She thought. the class broke into their teams. Surprisingly enough, Emma partnered with MJ. They didn't say too much, and after they were done their reps, they parted to sit on the bleachers. MJ up top with a thick book on human biology, and Emma below, right next to Rachel Heathers. She and her friends were playing Marry, Fuck, Kill. Emma declined the offer to join, but sat and observed. Rachel was popular, but not stuck up popular. The kind of popular she actually liked. Or could at least stand. They had a few classes together, including art. Rachel had complimented her work before, and Emma couldn't help but feel a little bit elated afterword. Her hair shone in the early afternoon sun like spun gold as usual, her pearly teeth followed the demand of her sparkling blue - grey eyes that you could get lost in every fleck of. By the time Emma and caught herself just in time to hear Betty's thoughts on Thor. One of the heroes she hadn't had the pleasure of nearly being killed by. "F Thor, marry Iron Man, and kill the Hulk." Emma mentally shrugged. No love for the Hulk, she guessed. Maybe it was a good thing Emma didn't join, cause she could only imagine the stares when she admitted she'd probably dangle the playboy genius off of a building. Emma spied Peter and Ned doing sit ups as her next focus, not wanting her attention to stick around to hear anyone pick F Shellhead. Ned held Peter's feet down firmly, and an agitated looking Peter rose and feel form the floor. More questions, Emma wouldn't doubt. And she'd be right.