The next day, Peter, Maddi, and Ned were walking down the hallway at school when they heard Flash from behind them. "Maddi! Maddi, wait!" Flash says. He was running down the hallway to catch up with them. Maddi looked behind her and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, no." She says.
"What?" Ned asks.
"Flash. I turned him down at Homecoming and now he's going to try to ask me out again." Maddi says.
"What are you going to tell him?" Ned asks.
"I have an idea. Just follow along." Maddi says.
"Maddi!" The three friends stop once Flash had caught up with them. "Hey. So, I know we didn't get a chance to go to the Homecoming dance together but I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me? Maybe this Saturday? I know of a place in Queens and they say it's one of the best restaurants in town. What do you say?"
"Gee, Flash. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm flattered but I think I have a better idea." Maddi says.
"Really? What is it?" Flash asks.
Maddi catches Peter, Ned, and Flash himself by surprise when she raises her fist and punches him in the face, knocking him down. The students in the hallway stopped what they were doing and watched what was happening. "What was that for?!" Flash asked, holding his nose.
"For picking on my brother. And news flash, I never liked you. Never have, never will. So you can stop trying to ask me out because it's never going to happen." Maddi says.
"But, but..."
"But nothing, maybe people would like you more if you weren't always such a bully. But I guess that will never happen because that's what you are. A jerk." Maddi says. She turns around and walks away from Flash.
"Whoa, I cannot believe you just punched Flash Thompson!" Peter says.
"Yeah, well, no one messes with my brother or my friends and gets away with it." Maddi says, wrapping her arms around Ned and Peter. They continue to walk down the hallway but stop when they see Liz with her mom with a box full of her belongings. As Betty hugs Liz goodbye, Peter runs up to her.
"Hey, Liz!" He says.
"I'm gonna miss you." Betty says before walking away.
"Liz, look. I'm so sorry." Peter says.
"You say that a lot. What are you sorry for this time?" Liz asks, her cheeks stained with tears. For a moment, Peter was silent for he didn't know what to say. "The dance? That was a pretty crappy thing to do."
"Well, yeah, but I...I mean, your dad...I can't imagine what you're going through. If there's anything I can do to help..."
"I guess we're moving to Oregon." Liz says, fighting tears. "Mom says it's nice there, so that's cool. Anyways, Dad doesn't want us here during the trial, so..."
"Liz, I...I..."
"Bye, Peter." Liz says. "Whatever's going on with you, I hope you figure it out." Liz leaves the school as Peter watches her go.
~*~
Later that day, Peter, Maddi, Ned, and the rest of the Decathlon team were sitting in the library with Mr. Harrington who was setting a trophy on the table. Maddi noticed Flash was sitting at the end of the table away from her and avoiding eye contact. After punching him, Flash was sent to the nurses' office and they gave him an ice pack to help with the pain. "Congratulations, Decathlon national champions." He says as the students started clapping. "I'll have to put this back in the trophy case soon but just for motivation right now at this practice. I'm a little ahead of the game, but we will need a new team captain next year. So I am appointing Michelle."
The students turn to Michelle and clap. "Uh, thank you. My...my friends call me M.J."
"I thought you didn't have any friends." Maddi says.
"I didn't. " Michelle says.
Peter's phone vibrates. He takes out his phone which had a cracked screen and reads a text message from an unknown number.
You and Maddi to the bathroom.
He looks at Maddi and shows her the text.
"Maddi and I have to go." Peter says.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" M.J. asks.
The twins freeze as they try to think of an excuse. M.J. looks at them, a curious expression on her face. "What are you hiding, Peter?" Peter looks at M.J. and then at Maddi who just shrugs her shoulders, not knowing what to say.
"I'm just kidding. I don't care. Bye." M.J. says, a grin on her face. She turns to the Decathlon team. "All right, so we should run some drills."
Maddi and Peter get up from their seats and M.J. watches with curious eyes as they leave the library.
~*~
"This is the boy's bathroom. Why are we in the boy's bathroom, Peter?" Maddi asks as they enter the bathroom. The twins find Happy waiting for them inside.
"Hey, Happy. What, uh...What are you doing here?" Peter asks.
"I really owe you guys one. I don't know what I would do without this job. I mean, before Tony..." Happy was cut off by the sound of a toilet flushing, making Maddi and Peter smile a little. A kid walks out of one of the stalls and looks at Happy then at Maddi who was surprised to see her in the boy's bathroom. The kid washes his hands and gives Happy and Maddi one more look before leaving the bathroom.
"So, uh, how long you been here?" Peter asks.
"Long enough to be awkward. Boss wants to see you two." Happy says.
"Is he here too?" Peter asks, pointing at the stalls.
"In the toilet? No, he's upstate." Happy says.
"Upstate...Like, upstate-upstate?" Peter asks.
"Yeah, let's go." Happy says.
"Wait, why does Tony want to see me?" Maddi asks as the three of them leave the bathroom.
~*~
Happy escorts the twins to the New Avengers facility in upstate New York. Peter and Maddi look at the facility in awe as they enter the building. A huge grin appears on their faces when they watch a Quinjet fly away while looking through a big glass window.
"Whoa." Maddi says.
"You don't see that every day." Happy says.
"Oh, there they are." Tony says. "How was the ride up?"
"Good." Happy says.
"Give me a minute with the kids." Tony says.
"Seriously?" Happy asks.
"Yeah. I gotta talk to the kids." Tony says.
"I'll be close behind." Happy says.
"How about a loose follow? All right? Boundaries are good." Tony says. Tony playfully punches Peter in the shoulder and puts his arms around Maddi and Peter. "Sorry I took your suit. I mean, you had it coming. Actually, it turns out it was the perfect tough love moment that you needed, right? To urge you on, right? Wouldn't you think? Don't you think?"
"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Peter says.
"Let's just say it was." Tony says.
"Mr. Stark, I really..."
Tony cuts Peter off. "You two screwed the pooch hard, big time. But then you guys did the right thing. Took the dog to the free clinic, you raised the hybrid puppies...All right, not my best analogy. I was wrong about you, Peter. I think with a little more mentoring, you could be a real asset to the team." Tony unwraps his arms from the twins and leads them to a door that had the Avengers letter A on it.
"To the...To the team?" Peter asks.
"Yeah. Anyway...there's about 50 reporters behind that door. Real ones, not bloggers. When you're ready, why don't you try that on?" Tony says. He presses a button on his watch and the door opens up, revealing an armored Spider-Man suit. "And I'll introduce the world to the newest official member of the Avengers: Spider-Man."
Peter walked forward, completely amazed at his new suit while Maddi stood back with a wide-eyed expression. "Yeah, give that a look." Tony says. "So, after the press conference, Happy will show you to your room, your new quarters. And Maddi, you are always welcome to come to the facility to visit your brother."
"Wait, seriously?" Maddi says. Tony nods his head. He turns to look at Happy.
"Where's he between? He's next to Vision?" Tony asks him.
"Yeah, Vision's not big on doors." Happy says.
"It's fun." Tony says.
"Or walls." Happy says.
"You'll fit right in." Tony says to Peter.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. But I'm good." Peter says. Maddi looks at her brother in shock. She couldn't believe what he was saying.
"You're good? Good? How are you good?" Tony asks.
"Well, I mean, I'd rather just stay on the ground for a little while. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Peter says. "Somebody's got to look out for the little guy, right?"
Tony takes off his sunglasses and looks at Peter. "You're turning me down? You better think about this." He points at the Spider-Man suit. "Look at that. Look at me. Last chance. Yes or no?"
"No." Peter says.
"Okay. It's kind of a Springsteen-y, working class hero vibe that I dig. Uh, Happy will take you two home. Yeah?" Tony says.
"Yeah. You two mind waiting in the car? I need a minute." Happy says.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Peter says.
"Yes, Mr. Parker, very well." Tony says, shaking hands with Peter. He turns to Maddi and shakes her hand.
"Bye, Mr. Stark." As the twins begin to leave, Peter turns and looks at Tony.
"That was a test, right?" He asks. "There's, uh, nobody back there?"
"Yes, you passed." Tony says. "All right, skedaddle there, Wonder Twins."
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. Thank you." Peter says.
"Yeah, thank you." Tony says just as the twins walk away.
"I can't believe you said no to Tony Stark." Maddi says. "I thought you wanted to be an Avenger." Maddi and Peter leave the building and make their way toward the car.
"I do. I just don't think I'm ready yet. I kind of want to do things on my own for a little bit." Peter says.
"Still, that was a very mature thing you did back there. I'm proud of you, you know." Maddi says. The twins smile at each other and hug before getting inside the car.
~*~
The twins were back in the apartment. Peter was walking to his room while Maddi went into the kitchen to grab a snack. "Aunt May, did you do dinner already?" Peter asks. After throwing his keys on a table, Peter stops at the door when he sees a brown paper bag on his bed. A note was written on it that said:
This belongs to you. -TS
Peter takes his earbuds out. "May?" When he doesn't get an answer, Peter takes out his Spider-Man suit and puts it on. When Peter pulls off his mask, Maddi walks by Peter's bedroom door and drops a plate of fruit she had in her hands when she sees Aunt May standing at his door with a shocked expression on her face.
"What the...?!"
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A/N: Well, my fellow Wattpad readers, we are sadly at the end of the first book of the Spider-Man series. But don't worry, Maddi's story will continue and you will get to see her interact with other Marvel characters in later books. I'm so excited about what's in store for her! What did you guys think of her? Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Yes, it's time for Infinity War. Be prepared guys, because the next two books in the Kaitlyn Saga series are going to be very emotional. You have been warned!
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