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Music is the only thing keeping me sane
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My eyes scan over the paper, the words spinning due to my staring at them to long. At this point I was asking if I was even using the wrong 'their' in a child's safety check. It's been a long week and the work that I'm getting from both the headmistress and school is just piling up at this point.
So yeah, I was stressed.
And I think Ned is starting to see through my act of saying everything is ok.
He doesn't know how hard things have been getting lately. I'm not going to tell him because he's my best friend, I don't want to stress him out. He is my best friend after all.
A bell rings through the community home and I don't pay attention to it for a moment. Then I come to my senses.
I quickly scramble out of my desk chair and look over to make sure Jason is awake, he's not. I shake him a little and he meets my eyes before rolling over. He is almost 18 and he goes to the local highschool. I have no idea how he is passing but he is, plus he isn't a bad person. He just is unmotivated.
I sigh and glance around my room. I make sure I have all my books for school, a decent outfit on and last of all my suit. The suit I have used for a little over held a year now and will keep using because I am Spiderman. I do one last look over of the room, grab my phone off it's charger, shoving it into my hoodies pocket before heading downstairs.
"All the others have left Peter," The headmistress informs me and I hum a little in response, dropping the thick packet of papers onto the kitchen counters which are slightly cluttered thanks to all of the kids. She hands me a brown paper with my name labeled on it. I say a quick thank you before putting it into my bag and then bolting out the front door.
I dig my phone out of my pocket as I run, checking the time and cringing slightly when it reads twelve after eight.
I panic internally because this will be the fourth time I'm late in two weeks if I don't make it there by eight thirty. I groan and pick up my pace, running as fast as I can because I might make it to class if I go as fast as possible.
I run because a subway is too slow and I don't even know if one is running to the school right now and there is no way I could change into my suit, swing to school, change into normal clothes again and then get to my first period class on time.
Running is my best option.
I easily move past the obstacles in my way and avoid people who are going to work and try to not look back as they yell after me. I start to run across a street but freeze up when a familiar feeling rushes through my body, practically screaming that there is danger nearby.
Just as I get back into my head I hear someone slam down in their brakes in the middle of the street where I would have been if I hadn't stopped running. I glance at the car to see it's some kind red sports car but I don't take a second look. I need to get to school and I'm only a few blocks away.
I speed around the car not even glancing at it again, letting out a shaky breath. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I never was bitten by that spider that made me who I am today.
Luckily, the community home that I currently reside at it much more closer to Midtown Tech school then May's old apartment building so it only takes about twenty minutes to get there. I heard and seen for myself that the building was rebuilt. They never knew what started the fire but it took the lives of five people. Five people I could have saved if I didn't go out, including May.
I rush into class just as the bell rings and I take my usual seat next to Ned. He looks over at me and I smile innocently.
"What took you so long dude?" He asks when he sees that I'm fidgeting from the run. I glance at him, not wanting to answer any questions right now, before locking my eyes into the teacher who is starting to set everything up for today's lesson.
"I got out a little late," Is all I say to my best friend, not wanting him to worry about me. I see him make a face out of the corner of my eye but I ignore it and grab my textbook out of my bag, waiting for class to begin.
The day is long. It drags on and people are rude. Those people consisting of literally one group who I literally go out of my way to avoid. It's just not worth the trouble to interact with them unless needed. There are so many different things to worry about.
Finally, after what feels like years, the last bell of the day rings and I practically jump out of my seat. I'm out of the classroom door and heading dow man the halls to my locker before everyone else in my last class is.
Within minutes I find Ned has appeared at my side, trying to keep up with me as I skip through the crowds of other kids. Then I see them.
The people I try my best to ignore heading my way so I simply take a short cut. I know this school by the back of my hand. While it will take us a minute or so longer to get to our lockers, we don't have to interact with Flash and his gang which is a win in the bigger picture.
"Hey can you come over tomorrow?" Ned asks and I look over at him as we approach my locker. "I have these really cool Lego Jets that we should build." He grins when I turn around to face him.
"Sorry Ned. I have work to do back at the home, maybe Saturday." I mumble as we approach my locker. I open it moving books from my locker into my backpack. I don't want to meet his eyes because I don't want to see him upset.
"Oh, ok." Ned says, his voice drowning in disappointment making a twinge of guilt rush through my body. I want to hang out with him but I really need to finish what I am doing back at the home and I need to go on patrols. I have responsibilities and those come before hanging out with friends sadly. I mentally groan and try to think of something to say so we will both feel better.
"Maybe sooner," I suggest even though we both know it's a lie. "Anyways I have to go, bye." I close my locker, shooting him a smile before jogging out the school. I make my way to the closest alleyway and make sure the cost is clear before I change into my SpiderMan suit.
I made the suit myself and while it's not Tony Stark perfect, I think I did a pretty good job.
I play around with the suit a little before putting the web formula into the suit. I double check to make sure I have enough for my patrols and once I am sure I do, I hide my backpack on the roof of a building that is close to the community home. I stare at it and look around myself, hopefully I don't loose it. Again.
I look down at the ground to see what is going on down there. I see some of the kids pushing in each other in the front yard and laughing but my eyes move to a group of three people walking together. I notice that it is Lily and I grin. I was right, they picked her.
Good, I smile before jumping off of the roof and easily gripping onto another building and then swinging through the town. I preform some flips when I get bored and go through the city. I stop someone who was trying to rob a bank, helped a supple people with directions and finish the day off with stopping a car crash.
I change into my normal clothes from earlier before shoving my suit into my backpack and walking into the building. With a sigh I walk in and see all of the kids are hanging out in the main room watching some kind of show. The should be doing their homework but they've been behaving recently so I'm sure the will get everything dealt with.
"Peter," I hear the headmistress's voice call out and I glance around me, trying to figure out which room she is in. I raise my eyebrows when I see her walking past the group of kids surrounding the tv. "It's late, is everything ok? I was worried about you." She states and I look down at the ground because I really should've told her I would've been gone past six.
"Sorry ma'am." I mutter and she sighs.
"It's ok Peter, I just wish you would help around here." She says and I nod. I should be helping out here more. "In regards time that," She adds and I look up at her. "Another stack came in the mail today, can you help me with them again please?" She asks, motioning to a stack of papers sitting in a neat stack.
"Yes," I say and grab them, holding the papers close to my chest. "May I go up to my room?" I ask and she smiles at me, patting the top of my head.
"Yeah," She says with a smile and I feel slightly better. "Also," She calls as I start to walk up the stairs. "Thank you Peter." She says and I can't help but smile. I did something right.
I make my way upstairs and sit back down at my desk. It's covered in pens and papers, blank paper with scribbles in them and little doodles. I am happy to see that Jason isn't in here in his bed, he must be downstairs. I must've missed him. I work on my school work, finishing it then just as Jason comes upstairs I move onto the other work.
"Are you ever going to eat kid?" Jason asks, handing me a bowl of ramen. That's really all we really eat around here. Macaroni, peanut butter and jelly's and ramen. What a healthy diet.
"No, you can have it." I smile and he gives me a look as if he's asking if I'm sure. I nod and he gives me a small smile, moving to his bed and eating the food.
I wake up and groan when I see that I feel asleep while doing work. I look out the window that looks over the street outside and see it's still dark. I look back down at my desk and instantly shuffle back.
"What the-" I yell to myself and make it so my chair moves back lightning fast, almost making the chair fall onto the ground.
"Dude," Jason groans, looking over at me. "You good buddy?" He asks and I don't take my eyes off the very alive thing on my desk. He must follow my eyes and he chuckles a little, his voice deeper from being asleep. "Are you scared of a spider?" He asks still chuckling and I shoot him a look.
"Just deal with it." I whisper yell and he climbs out of bed. He laughs as he uses a cup and paper to move it to the window. Jason opens the window and lets the spider out without even hurting it.
"There," Jason says turning around. "Now sleep." He orders and I sigh, my eyes staying on the paper I had been working on before I fell asleep. "Dude, Peter look. You need to stop overworking yourself." Jason explains and I shrug. He's got a point.
"Ok," I sigh going to our closet and pulling out a sweatshirt. We don't have heating in the community home so we have a bunch of warm weather clothes to keep us warm alongside blankets obviously.
"Also," He says and I turn to face him once I have the hoodie on. I move to my bed and look at him confused. "Really spiders? Out of everything?" He laughs and I throw a spare pillow at him.
"Shut up." I laugh and hope we don't wake anyone up with our laughing.
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Originally Written: 11/05/19
Republished / Rewritten: 10/11/20
Proofread By: Caitlin A.