The Field Trip... & Stuff

12. Guardian Who?

"I'm- I'm sorry, what?"

Mr. Warren exhaled through his nose and handed Peter's permission packet back to him.

"Peter, i need you to understand this is a serious situation."

Peter flipped through the pages confused, trying to figure what was wron-

Oh.

His emergency contact was Tony Stark.

"Yeah, well, uh, I guess May thought Mr. Stark was the best option," Peter almost laughed in relief. Of course, his teacher was only worrying on how available his emergency contact was, "you know, since we're visiting his tower, and he-"

"I get it, Peter, it's funny," Mr. Warren interrupted him, "but this- this rumor is going a bit far, don't you think?"

Peter stopped.

"what?"

Mr. Warren paused, searching for the right words, "this- this rumor, Peter. The whole internship thing. It's getting out of control."

"But- but it's real," Peter sputtered, "I- i intern here, Mr. Stark, he- I'm his intern-"

"Peter."

"-since last year, I even have my own lab. Fr-"

"Peter," Mr. Warren repeated his name, "listen,  I... I was really hoping you weren't the one who had started it."

Peter blinked a couple times.

Mr. Warren exhaled, "I'm sorry, Peter, i'm not sure if you have problems at home, or if you just want to make yourself feel superior-"

"Mr. Warren, I swear-"

"Peter, just stop. There's no use,"

"But Fr-"

"Peter." Mr. Warren closed his eyes, "the less you fight it, the less trouble you'll get in."

"T-trouble?"

"Peter. You really tried putting Tony Stark- of all people- as an emergency contact. Complete with a fake phone number and even his fake signature,"

Peter's head snapped up at that.

"Yeah, fake signature, not on the packet, but on the school's EC card. I called the school to ask..."

Okay, this he didn't know. He thought May had been kidding when she said she was mailing that card to Tony. That was months ago. He should've stopped her.

"... start off with a parent conference, depending on how it goes, we'll consider taking this to the authorities-"

Peter stopped breathing. His ears rang painfully as the words slowly faded in and out. He heard "forging a signature" "consequences" "possible expulsion" amongst other things.

"Mr. Warren please I-" he tried one last time.

"No," Mr. Warren interrupted calmly, "I cant let this slide only because you're a 'favorite'. Now, we're going to head back inside, and you're going to sit the lab out. We'll settle this in school, you understand? And if your aunt was in on this 'game' of yours... I don't even know what to say,"