"Mr. Parker!" Spittle flew through the air as Ms. Walters shouted in his face. "I have been lenient and understanding of your situation for almost a week, but now you're just trying my patience. Snap out of it, boy!"
Peter flinched back as she jabbed an accusatory finger in his face. He'd zoned out for second while she was talking, and it frayed her last string.
Ms. Walters was an older widowed woman who had a mole perched on the very end of her double chin. Although she was usually able to keep up a facade of kindness and charity for the younger kids, whenever she was alone with the older ones her mood turned sour.
"Sorry, ma'am." Peter stared at the ground, fiddling with his hands nervously.
"If I have to put up with you for two more years, I expect obedience, and I'm afraid you're not off to a good start. If this happens again, there will be consequences."
Peter's shoulders slumped in relief as she plodded out of the room and slammed the door behind her. In his scattered memories of the past week, one of the few things he'd retained was his first interaction with Ms. Walters right after his social worker left.
"Let me tell you this right now. I have never had anyone over fourteen leave this orphanage with another family. You're too old. No one wants to adopt a headstrong teenager. So, since you've been dumped on me, I expect you to do your part. When you're eighteen, you're not my problem anymore. Got that?"
Peter nodded slowly, still in a daze, and she huffed and rolled her eyes.
"You're sharing a room with Tanner and Robert. Go settle in."
As Peter slowly shuffled away from her, he heard her mutter under her breath. "It's going to be a long two years."
Peter stared at the piles of dishes he'd been assigned to clean, and he felt his heart sink in dread when he realized that not only was he going back to school tomorrow, but it was also his first day of the Stark Internship, and he'd forgotten to tell Ms. Walters about it.
Peter wanted to scream, but instead he rolled up his sleeves and resigned himself to his chore.
~~~
"Peter!"
Peter spun around to see Ned waving at him as he tried to push his way through the crowded high school halls.
"Hey," Ned gasped. He took a moment to catch his breath before shifting uncomfortably on the spot. "So uh... How are you, uh, how you doing?" he asked quietly.
Peter swallowed hard before leaning close to whisper in Ned's ear.
"Please don't ask that Ned. Not yet. I'm just... Not ready." Ned quickly stammered out a flustered, genuine apology, and Peter smiled softly. "Just give me a few weeks. I'll be okay eventually."
They turned and began to walk to their chemistry class together, and it wasn't long before Ned was leaning close to quietly talk in Peter's ear again.
"So... Are you still doing the whole hero thing? Or is that on hold too?"
"Yeah," Peter sighed, "I'm going on patrol after the internship today."
Ned grabbed Peter's arm and stopped in his tracks. "Internship? What internship?"
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you! I got an internship at Stark Industries!"
Ned's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. "Dude! No WAY! That's SO AWESOME!"
"Yeah, hopefully--" suddenly Peter was interrupted by his spider sense, and shortly after he was slammed into the lockers.
"Oops," Flash called as he strutted past, "didn't see you there!" His friends laughed and jeered as Peter stared at the ground defeatedly, waiting for them to move on.
Ned leaned close again after they left. "Are you okay, man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Peter massaged his now throbbing shoulder as the five minute warning bell rang. "We better get to class."
Ned nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But I want to hear all about your internship tomorrow!"
Peter chuckled. "Deal."
(AN: Sorry, this one's pretty short. *Shrugs* it didn't feel right to keep going, but hopefully most chapters will be longer than 800 words (this one is 698) but, yeah. Keep smiling!)