The Man in the Audience

The E-Mail.

Your POV:

EARTH-616
Y/N's apartment, Manhattan, NYC, NY.
1/9/24. 10:23 A.M. EST.

I was wide awake all night, anticipating the email that would be taunting me in my inbox once it came. Telling me whether I had made it into the ABT company or not. I invited Claire and Ashlee over last minute to give me moral support as I continued to wait. The minutes just slowly ticking by like molasses. I was sitting on the couch, accompanied by my best friends as I refreshed my browser on my laptop over and over and over again in hopes for the email to suddenly appear. It was so nerve-wracking. I felt like I would just vomit in about five seconds due to the nerves. "You're getting yourself wayyyy too worked up. Calm down." Ashlee spoke in a slightly stern tone, putting her arm around me. I didn't realize how tense my body was until Ashlee and I made contact. I eased into a more peaceful state as I took a deep breath, "What if I don't make it? What if they already sent the emails congratulating the people who got in? I won't have a job if I don't get in. I won't have money, I'll have to move, I'll have to-" Claire put her index finger over my mouth in a shushing gesture, "Shh. Shush. You'll make it in. You're a good dancer, Y/N. You deserve it." She reassured me. Her voice soft as silk. As much as I appreciated my friends' efforts to calm me down- it just wasn't working. I was still super worked up. I turned and gave both of them a nervous smile as I continued to refresh my browser.

That's when suddenly, an email popped up.

Marvel.com                                   Just Now
To: y/n l/n2000@email.com

SPIDER-MAN SALE

Hey, Y/N! Check out these awesome deals up to 40% off!

"GOD DAMMIT!" I yelled, feeling like slamming my computer shut and curling up into a hole to bawl my eyes out. Claire and Ashlee both frantically put their hands on either of my shoulders, "It's okay. They probably haven't sent the email out yet! Just be patient!" Ashlee said. I cried, "But I can't be patient! My friend Issac said the email would be out today!!! Why isn't it out yet?!" Ashlee and Claire looked at each other in disappointment as I began to sob harder into my hands. Almost as if they were telepathically communicating to each other. Probably saying, "Poor thing. Look how miserable he is! I feel bad...he's gonna have to come live with one of us until he can find a job." I wiped my eyes dry with a small sniffle at the thought, attempting at refreshing my browser once more.

Nothing.

I sighed in defeat. I just assumed I hadn't made it in. I was given false hope from the start, and I shouldn't have been too confident or cocky about it. Now I had no job. I closed my laptop silently, grabbing a blanket off the floor next to us and buried myself under it. "Come on, Y/N. Don't be so sad." Ashlee's muffled voice spoke through the blanket. "Yeah. Don't get discouraged. Just know you did your best." Claire declared. "Obviously, my personal best isn't good enough." I muttered, keeping myself buried under the blanket. That is until Ashlee ripped it off of me. "Hey!" I shouted, trying to get the blanket back from her. Ashlee shook her head in disapproval, "Don't you EVER say that about yourself again. You hear me, Y/N?! That's bullshit. Your best is good enough. And you showed them how it's done. If they can't see that, then they are some blind bats." She spat as she scolded me. I just looked at her, staring into her soul as a wave of silence washed over my apartment.

Miguel's POV:

EARTH-928
Spider-Society HQ, Cafeteria, Nueva York, NY.
1/9/24. 11:03 A.M. EST.