The Promise of a Hero

Chapter Twelve

Warning: the gym teach is treated more as an OC. On with the story.

I don't know what I expected when I walked into school this morning, maybe people amazed that their classmates survived what could have easily resulted in a horrible death or maybe even a postponement for my chemistry test that I didn't study for. Okay, that one might have been asking too much. I am not lucky enough for that and no one seems to care that the quiz team defied death.

The two pieces of gossip that do float around the school tend to focus on Peter and his sudden disappearance or Spider-Man and why he was seen in D.C. I can't seriously be the only one who sees the connection there. Even with my insider information. Though I shouldn't be surprised no one has figured it out based on the rumors people have been coming up with. If I have to hear one more person say that Peter is part of the mob or that Spider-Man was visiting a secret love child, I'm dropping out of school. Consequences can be condemned to the Pit. It's a miracle when I escape it all by falling asleep in class again and only end up with a detention.

"Sup." Michelle nods when I walk into the detention room. "What are you in for?" her feet are propped up on the desk and a notebook sits opened in front of her.

"We got back late last night. I fell asleep in class. Now, I'm here." I drop into the plastic chair next to her. "What about you?" Michelle doesn't strike me as someone who would get caught breaking the rules.

"Oh, I don't have detention," she scoffs. "I come here to draw people in crisis." She taps her notebook where I can see the beginning of a sketch. I might be the supervising teacher if he had a thinner head and no torso. "Also," she lowers her voice, glancing back as the door opens, "there's that."

A teacher with a pinched expression escorts Peter into the room. He falls into the desk on the other side of Michelle; his bag thumping to the ground next to him.

"Okay," the gym, and apparently also the detention, teacher groans as he gets up from his chair. He lumbers over to press a few of the buttons on the boxy TV that looks like it's almost as old as I am. "I hope you all know why you're here because I don't." He glances at Michelle in confusion on his way back to his desk.

Captain America fills the television's dusty screen. How many of these did he make? The fake smile from the gym video is replaced with an uncertain frown. He's certainly perfected his caring but disappointed tone while lecturing us on the importance of following rules and respecting our elders. It might be effective on some students if you ignore the fact that he's now basically wanted for being a traitor. Not to mention, I was sure I heard something about captain America lying on a federal form to get into the military. This whole situation is a bit hypocritical. I really want to meet whoever thought using him as a role model for wayward teens was a good idea so I can box their ears in.

"Are you guys okay? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or well desk in Nico's case." Michelle taps her pen on her notebook to get our attention.

There's stinging pain on my palms. When I glance down, there are crescent shapes dug into the skin. Oops. "I'm fine, trying to stay awake," I tell her. I focus on Peter so I don't have to see if she believes me or not. His fingers are drumming on the desk slightly off beat from the tapping of his foot. "Peter?" I don't know everything about what happened at the capital, but something must have set him off. A few more unfortunate circumstances not going his way look like they'll send him spiraling if he hasn't started too already.

"I shouldn't be here," Peter mumbles, maybe to himself, maybe to use. I'm not sure even he knows.

"It's detention, no one thinks they should be here. Correction, no one but Michelle, who wants to be here for some insane reason, thinks they should be here." Michelle smirks at my quick fix.

"I have to go." Parker grabs his bag, ignores the teacher's protests, and hurries out the door. Michelle watches his storm out but doesn't move to follow as though this is a common occurrence.

"I'll go after him," I relent. It gives me an excuse to leave detention early.

I don't see Parker when I leave the room. His abilities don't include invisibility as far as I'm aware so he must be walking pretty fast. Still, I don't think he could have made it outside yet. I really hope he isn't planning on doing something stupid. I'm not qualified to talk someone out of a stupid idea. That used to be Will's job.

Trying to figure out what to say, I step into a shadow and then step out at the bottom of the front entrance stairs. Didn't I do this the other day? How many times will I have to shadow travel to beat Peter out of the school? The Clish of the doors sinking shut has me spinning around. Peter is frozen half way down the stairs. Well, that's new.

His jaw works to form some type of sentence. "How, how, what?" Parker stumbles over his words and down the remain few steps. "How did you do that? It was like you walked out of some type of pocket dimension."

"Woah, what? First of all, that is not what happened. I don't think I even know what a pocket dimension is. There is no way I walked out of one. Second, shouldn't you be freaking out more?" Even those that know I can shadow travel and how it works tend to startle anytime I appear out of no where with dark whisps of smoke clinging to me. Parker only looks curious, excited even. It's a little like when Harley discovers a new project to tinker with it.

"No? Why would I be? That was cool. I didn't know you had powers."

It can't be that easy for him to not be scared of me. He shouldn't accept my abilities just like that. No one else has, not really. "Oh," I guess he has fought some weird people while web slinging his way around New York. Geez Louise, I'm considering doing something stupid. Peter glances around me as though something else is going to pop out of the shadows or a door is going to materialize out of thin air. He doesn't look scared at all. Shoot, I am going to do something stupid. This is why I used to get some many lecture out thinking before acting. "I guess that makes sense. You've probably seen crazier stuff as Spider-Man," I tell him casually.

Peter stiffens. "Psh, dude I don't know what you're talking about," he laughs an octave too high to be normal. "That's a crazy theory you've got there."

"Peter, I was there the night of the arms deal. You took off your mask when you were talking to Iron Man. I saw you, but I haven't told anyone what you do in your free time. You don't need to worry about that." Then Stark basically kidnapped me and gave me no choice but to be a babysitter, but that's a conversation for another time.

Peter takes a deep breath. He's still fidgeting, playing with his hands, shuffling his feet, but he doesn't look three second away from bolting anymore. "Okay."

"Look, I don't know all of what's going on, but I think we need to talk. I want to help." I'm only mildly surprised when I realize I actually mean it. 

A/N: Hello. I'm alive. Please read the author's note to the end; I have a small favor to ask.

Thank you for continuing to read, vote, and comment on my story even though I have been missing for over a year. Oops, I'll try not to do that again. As for the favor, it was brought to my attention (I don't remember who commented it and there are too many comments to go back through and find it) that I might need trigger warnings on some of my chapters, especially in my previous book. I however have never done those before and prefer being safe rather than sorry. So, if you are aware of anywhere there might need to be a trigger warning in either The Promise of a Hero or The Shadow of a Hero please message me or leave a comment so I can include those at the beginning of my chapters. I want people to be able to read my stories without having to worry about the content. Thank you! I'll see you again in the future.

Oh, one extra thing. I am changing my profile a little bit. I am not changing the username on my book covers, but I am changing my username so it isn't the one I came up with when I was a freshman in high school. So if you see my stories on an account that doesn't look like mine has previously and it's under the name Lemilight, no one stole them. I am just doing some updating. Thank you!

Disclaimer: If it sounds familiar then it's not mine. I don't own it. Don't sue me.