Peter: always gets back up.

what is going on with you?

A/N: ⚠️read this! Okay I hope you don't mind, but this is not in chronological order. This is before the last chapter, but after everything else. Peters just tcoming back to school and no one knows why he's acting so strange. Uneditted.

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"Peter?"

"Peter?"

"Peter?!"

"Huh what?" Peter snapped out of his thought.

"Are you going to the football game with us?" MJ said looking at Peter strangly.

"Um... I don't think so." Peter said not really putting emotion into his voice.

"Why? Dude that's the only place you can get those fries! And like I mean you haven't had them, since Pennsylvania and all." Ned said.

"I... I'm busy, I can't." Peter said, again not really making it sound like he cared.

MJ was still looking at him, trying to figure him out, "Hey, are you okay?" She asked.

Peter look over to her, "huh? Oh yeah I'm fine just tired." Lies.

"Okay... But I'm always here for you Peter."

"Ms. Jones, can you tell me the answer to number five, since you obviously already understand all this?"

My snapped her head towards the board, "zero."

The teacher looked taken aback, "that... I'd correct. Now pay attention."

~

Later that afternoon MJ caught Peter looking no where again. Something had changed since Peter got back. He was completely different. His eyes always had this glassy look, like his mind wasnt attached to his body, he spoke less, didn't seem to care as much. He hadn't gone out in a long time either. Even as Spider Man he didn't crack any jokes, he just... Did his job.

It was like someone different was in Peters body.

Every now and then MJ would catch glimpses of Peter, just being Peter, but... He was hiding something. And MJ didn't have a good feeling about it.

"Peter! Peter!" MJ called down the hall. Peter stopped, then turned around, "yeah what's up?"

"We need to talk." MJ said, sounding serious, "let's go somewhere private."

Peter followed mj to a small, sound proof study room in the library. Peter plopped into an egg chair, not really knowing what was going on.

"Peter, what's going on?" MJ asked, worry in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

MJ sighed, "You, you left to Pennsylvania.  And then you came back, with, with a scar on your neck, for starters!"

Peter broke in, " I told you it was just broken glass, an accident, really." His voice was now exasperated.

"Every time I look at you youre dazing off! You haven't gone out since who knows when, you don't even crack stupid jokes much less talk much anymore! What an I supposed to think?! You seem so down in the dumps lately, and don't think I don't see every time you flinch over nothing! I'm concerned for you Peter! I don't know what's going on!"

Peter waited for a second, seeing if MJ was finished.

"Nothing is going on." Peter said definitively.

"Stop trying to figure me out. Oh-and don't talk to Ned about this, you'll just worry him for no reason... MJ, even if something was going on... I doubt you'd understand."

Peter got up and walked away, leaving MJ confused, and a little hurt in her beanbag chair.

Later that afternoon MJ had to stop by her mom's work to drop off her bag, before going to the game. She was walking down the hall, when she heard a familiar voice.

It was Peter, talking to one of the therapists, Jamie.

Mj had stopped. She knew this wasn't right, but she was worried about Peter and she had to know what was going on.

"My friends... They keep asking if I'm alright... But I'm not ready to tell them what happened. And I'm getting better, I really am... But today was a hard day. I just... Sometimes I feel like Im going to have to go back, and instead of feeling emotions I kinda... Train myself to not feel." Peter said.

MJ stood in the doorway. What was going on?

"I really want to tell them, I really do, but they- they'll treat me different. They'll look at me like a hurry puppy. They can't understand. And, and..." Peter was tearing up, "it's just hard. It's so hard. I thought when I got back everything would be perfect, but they don't know what I've done! You say it's not my fault, but I did it! I'm a horrible person! People look at me like I'm inspirational and amazing and happy all the time, but I'm lying. I'm lying about being happy, about being a good person- I- I."

Peter had raised his voice then got quiet, "I'm sorry for yelling."

The therapist looked at Peter caringly, "Don't let those voices in your head get to you. You aren't a bad person, and somewhere inside you, you know that. And Peter, you don't have to be happy. You don't have to be inspirational. You just need peace in your mind. No one will ever understand what you went through, but so many people still care for you. And they don't care for you because you're a horrible person, they care because you're a good person Peter. Your a good person."

MJ turned away. This was private, she had already heard too much. She had no idea what happened to Peter, but something big happened, and she had to respect that he wasn't ready to tell her. And that was fine. She could wait. He would tell her someday.

So she walked away. She walked down the hall, went to the football game with Ned, and she didn't say anything. She never, not once, mentioned anything she had heard that day.

She kept an eye on Peter, but she knew he was getting help.

She would wait until the day he feels comfortable enough to tell them. And if that was never... So be it.