Secrets Of Our Own

Chapter Sixteen: Let's Talk.

When I was sure that I felt better enough to leave the washroom, I walked out of the stall and was startled by what I witnessed in front of me. Michelle stood with her arms folded over her chest. A blank expression covered her dead looking face. I didn't know what to say or do, so I just tipped my head at her and walked over to the sink. She followed behind me.

"Ya, know..." She began following me and standing at my side. "Before today, I would've called you a looser." She watched as I washed the man's dry blood from my hands. I took an awkward glance at her.

"You called me that anyway." I half chuckled to cover the awkwardness.

"Yeah... But now... I think I'd call you a hero." I put my head down and suppressed a smirk towards her complement that I'd never gotten from her before. It wasn't needed. But it felt nice to hear, especially from her. I wasn't looking at her, but I could feel her patients growing thin with every second it took for me to reply.

"Thank you, Michelle." Was all I could think of. I turned off the tap and looked up at the really tall, lean girl. Her expression softened into a smile. It was a really awkward moment between us. I hadn't seen her smile before, so this was different. She was a really different person when you got to know her, and I only figured that out, 30 seconds ago when we began talking. I knew that deep down within the darkness of her soul, that there was some light.

"We should probably get to class." She said looking at herself in the mirror and scowling at her appearance.

"What?" I asked looking at her reflection too.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." She said turning around and heading for the door. I turned towards her and cleared me throat awkwardly. I felt bad for her. I guess someone like her would feel bad about her appearance. She wasn't hideous... she just needed to care about herself, not to just throw her hair up and carry on with her day.

"Michelle, tell me." I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she was able to reach the door. Her head turned around and I slowly let go feeling like I hurt her. Her eyes scanned mine for what seemed seconds until she sighed and walked back to the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror again and scowled.

"It's just a teen thing. Ya' know, when your hideous and everyone else around you is gorgeous..." I looked at her reflection with a tilted head. Was that another compliment?

"You just need... a makeover." I turned towards her. Her eyes turned to me with offended look in her eyes. "First of all, put all of your hair into a high ponytail." I told her. "Or put it down." She hesitated but grabbed a hold of her loose knotty looking ponytail and released it from a tight-looking hair elastic.

"There ya go." I commented when she settles her ponytail. I stepped back and motioned for her to look at herself in the mirror. Her face perked up, when she saw what her appearance became. Her loose hair from her low ponytail was now out of her face, revealing her full complexion. It wasn't all that bad, though. It was as if the hair infront of her face made her face look dark and deadlier.

"Why did you help me?" She asked tilting her head at me. I shrugged my stressed out shoulders, taking what she just asked me, into consideration.

"Because that's what I do." I told her. "I don't need credit. You have natural beauty. I just helped you make yourself see that." She nodded at me and looked down at her toes. I could see her lips curl into a smile, now that her bangs weren't in her face. As she turned on her heel and exited without saying anything, I sat on the edge of the sink and thought about what I'd just said.

Perhaps that's the reason I was upset with Peter. It had nothing to do with jealousy. Okay, it's partially jealousy, but it was also because Peter came in as a hero and took in all the credit he only partially deserved. Yea, yea, I get it. The students aren't avengers... But they could still do something about these bad occurrences.

Whatever, Peter did shoot the guy to the wall and saved the day... But if the students in the class were to sacrifice themselves the way I did, Peter wouldn't have had to come. We would've gotten through this without Spiderman. So why doesn't Peter promote this idea? He would've had to think of something like this, already. Maybe he just liked the attention of everyone. Praising the all mighty Spiderman that mankind didn't exactly... need, Because they're too lazy to do something themselves.

I opened the washroom doors and headed down the hall and towards our class. When I walked into the classroom and took my seat, I noticed people kept taking glances at me like I wasn't meant to be in this class... like I was an alien. I just kept my head down and paid attention to the work that was set in front of me.

......................................................................

I noticed I 'd been avoiding Peter through the school day, and he'd recognized it because when I was walking through the hall to my final class, I was pushed lightly into an empty classroom. I spun around, scowling at a familiar boy in front of me with hurt in his eyes.

"Your avoiding me." He pointed out. I just shrugged and ignored his gaze.

"Just haven't had time to talk." I lied. His head lowered so he could see eye-to-eye with me. I was forced to look up at his hazely eyes when his hand cupped on my chin and lifted my head up.

"I saved you." He chuckled lightly. "A thank you would be appreciated." I pushed his hand away, giving him one of my famous eye rolls. But a real one.

"Of course," I snickered. "Thank you! The all mighty Spiderman has come to save us all! I'm so sorry!" I said sarcastically. "I forgot to bow! Or should I kiss your feet?" I scowled at him. He looked at me with pain and... Horror? In his eyes, probably because I used his masked identity in such a manner.

"Kiss my- Where is this coming fro-"

"Of course," I intentionally inturuppted him. "Of course you don't know." I shook my head.

After all these years of being friends with Peter... This is how our friendship was gonna end? Was I being dramatic? Maybe a little. But he should at least take in consideration who punctured that mans arm. He sure didn't do it himself. And why didn't the man punish me right away? and what if he did? What if he didn't web shoot him to the wall on time? I'd be dead... Would he take credit for that too?

I feel so many emotions its so hard to explaine. It was as though I got these powers that my emotions have highend.

I swallowed, and let my head drop to the floor in shame of how I reacted to him. I didn't want to fight with him. It's Pete. I couldn't. All I wanted to do was scream at him. Tell him how selfish he was!

"I gotta go." I said walking towards the door.

Peter didn't stop me, and I was thankful he respected that. That was until I heard something and noticed that a web had been shot on the door knob that had firmly closed.

I turned and glared at him.

He was now sitting on a chair looking at his hands where the web shot out. His body shifted so that he was sitting back and his feet were kicked out in front of him.

"Are you insane?"

"Maybe." He said plainly folding his arms, staring at something on his shoes.

"Your risking your identity!" I snapped.

He looked up at me for the first time since he shot the web. "I won't."

I stared at him with nothing but confusion and frustration.

"As long as we talk things out nobody will catch us." He stood up and stepped towards me. "I don't want to loose you, y/n. There's something going on that your not telling me. You've been acting weird lately."

I looked up into his eyes blankly, struggling with the lump in my throat. Great! Now he knows that something's up. Should I tell him? About... everything? I couldn't. If he thinks we're falling apart now, I wasn't gonna make him fear for my life everyday when I'm working with the avengers. I was already fearing for his.

I sat up on the desk behind me, ready for whatever was about to come out. This reaction, made his tense shoulders relax.

"Okay." I nodded. "Let's talk."