Fighting for you ~ Peter Parker and MJ

Pictures on the wall

September 4th, 2011
Midtown, New York, NY
*Flashback*
"So, are you making any friends?" Philip Jones muttered, between a puff of cigarette smoke. Driving down the busy street to the elementary school in Queens, New York.

"No not really, people are nice though." I muttered, staring down at my feet. Nervousness had taken over me that day, it being the second day of 5th grade.

"Good, don't bother with 'em. You don't need that drama in your life."

"What drama? I said people are nice, dad."

"You girls always starting drama and rumours, trust me I know. Your mother was the same way when I met here. It's exhausting, you don't need that Michelle."

"Mom told me she was shy when she was my age." I said, glancing out the window. Queens was a rough place sometimes, it was full of graffiti and robberies. But living there my entire life, I was used to it.

"Your mother was crazy, sleeping around all over the place. It took me to calm her down." My dad said with a chuckle. I leaned my head down, uncomfortable with him talking about her like that. He did that a lot, I didn't understand what he meant, but now I do.

"Anyways, don't bother with these people. They won't give a shit about you once you're in high school."

I didn't say anything to that, I had made a two new friends but I didn't want to share. When you went against what he said, it didn't go well. That's why things always went his way in our family.

"And you know what? Do you know what you are?" He said, looking back at me not seeming to care about the traffic ahead.

"Answer me Michelle, do you know who you are?"

"No." I said finally, my voice shaking a bit as he rose his tone.

"You're vulnerable, weak. You take everything so sensitively that you can't tell when you need to just stop. I don't need you crying to me when some boy breaks your small heart, okay? Promise me one thing, you won't get into that. Alright?"

I stared at him, words not quite yet being able to leave my mouth.

"Do you hear me, Michelle?" He said more sharply, snapping me back into my thoughts.

"Y-yes, I understand." Tears started to tickle my eyes, causing him to roll his eyes.

"You know what you also do? You just cry, cry, and cry. No one does it like you do, and i'm done with it. Grow up, Michelle. Harden up, you're going to hear way worse than this. One day, you'll thank me.

I didn't have to reply, we had rolled into the school parking lot. We pulled up, as i dried my eyes to wipe away any evidence that I had been crying a bit.

"Now get out, I'll pick you up later, alright?"

I nodded my head at his promise to be here later. I trusted him, I always did.

He didn't come to pick me up that day

***
Present day
Midtown, New York, NY

I packed my bag, getting ready for another long weekend day of my new Daily Bugle internship. If I was being honest, the internship so far wasn't very fun. Mostly men work there, except for Mae, the friendly but flirty receptionist. Today, I needed to bring in photos from home to "study" apparently before I can take real photos. J.Jonah obviously wasn't very trusting, but whatever it took to get there.