I took the lead and walked MJ through the hallway.
"So, the room we just came out from was the living room," I said, gesturing toward it. "And this is the hall way."
"Where you ran around shirtless?" she teased with a smirk.
"Oh yeah? Says the girl whose mom warned me that you 'forget what clothes are' the moment you get home."
A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she nudged my arm.
"Oh my god, Peter—she exaggerates! I do wear clothes, thank you very much."
I chuckled softly at her flustered expression. "Alright, alright. I'll give you a break."
Then I stepped forward, gently bumping my shoulder against hers.
"Come on, let me show you the rest before your mom calls mine to compare embarrassing stories."
MJ rolled her eyes but followed, still hiding a smile.
We walked through the kitchen, then the tiny backyard. She asked questions about almost everything—she was surprisingly talkative.
Finally, I stopped in front of my bedroom.
"And this is my room," I said, pushing the door open.
We stepped inside.
My room was tidy and well-organized. A bookshelf stood next to my study table. Opposite it was my drawer, and near the window was my bed, with a dumbbell tucked underneath.
"Wow, your room is surprisingly clean," MJ said.
"What do you mean, surprisingly? You think boys' rooms should be a mess?"
MJ smirked, arms crossed. "I mean… for a boy who casually roams around the house naked? It's impressive."
I raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl who did the exact same thing. With that confidence, I bet your room's a total disaster."
"Wait… are you trying to trick me into showing you my room?" she squinted, smirking.
"Hey, at least it's worth a try," I said, raising my hand.
MJ folded her arms, leaning in slightly with that mischievous smile.
"You know what? Fine. Maybe I will show you my room someday… just so you can see it's cleaner than yours."
She poked my chest lightly.
"But don't get the wrong idea, Parker. I'm not giving you a tour because you're hot."
She turned away, clearly flustered.
"You think I'm hot?"
"Oh my god, I'm taking it back. Forget I said anything."
"Too late," I chuckled.
We were sitting on my bed, and now that I looked at her again, she was really beautiful. I leaned in a little closer, my voice soft.
"Now that I'm looking at you clearly… you're really beautiful, MJ."
MJ's breath caught. She opened her mouth to say something, cheeks burning—
"Kids! Come out and have some fruit! I cut a whole plate!" Aunt May called.
MJ jumped slightly, pulling back.
"O–oh my god—perfect timing."
I laughed. "We should go before she comes in."
She turned away, her ears red.
"Muscle idiot," she muttered.
After eating, Aunt May and Madeline chatted while MJ and I asked each other questions, trying to get to know each other better.
The day ended quickly.
"Bye, Peter. You should come visit our house sometime," MJ said.
"Yeah, I'll visit sometime," I replied.
As soon as they left, Aunt May gave me an all-knowing look.
"So… what do you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Peter. She clearly likes you. Don't act like you don't know what I'm saying."
"I'm really tired. I'm going to bed. Wake me up when dinner's ready," I said, ignoring her question as I went upstairs.
"Oh, it's good to be young," she said, laughing.
The next day, I was preparing to go to school. If you're wondering, I'm in grade 9—I skipped grade 1 when I was little, so no Flash Thompson for me.
I went down to the kitchen.
"Aunt May, I'm in a hurry, so I'll just eat the bread."
Why am I in a hurry? There is only ten minutes left before school started, and walking took fifteen. I am already late.
"I told you to wake up, but you didn't listen," she said, turning around—but I was already gone. Sigh.
I rode my bicycle, which Uncle Ben had bought me as a present, as if there were no tomorrow. Soon, I arrived at school, glancing at my watch—one minute left. I began to run even harder. Finally, I reached the classroom just as the bell rang.
*Ring Ring*
Damn, that was tough. I'm never doing that again. Our homeroom teacher came inside.
"Silence, everyone. Now we'll have roll call."
After the roll call, she taught us the lesson. Just before the bell rang, she handed out papers.
"On this paper is your parents' agreement for going to the Oscorp exhibition. If you want to go, you need to have your parent sign it," she said. Then the bell rang.
*Ring Ring*
Outside the classroom, I waved the paper in front of Harry.
"Sup, Harry? Guess what."
"What?"
"We're going to your father's exhibition!"
Harry was still in 8th grade, but since we went to the same school, we often met during breaks. We also played football and basketball together, and since we both stood out in our respective grades, we got along really well.
"Why are you so happy? I've seen that place more times than I can count."
"Come on, bro. Don't be such a party pooper. I'm really excited for this."
"Since you like it so much, when I own the company, I'll give you a forever free pass to the exhibition."
"Are you trying to flex on me?" I grabbed him by the neck and rubbed his hair with my knuckles.
Soon, the day ended. On my way out of school, a lot of people talked to me.
"Peter, next weekend we're going to play a match. Please join us," said a senior.
"Peter, wanna come to the arcade with us?"
Then there were girls who tried to talk to me, but since it's embarrassing, let's skip that part.
That's how my school days usually went.
When I got home, I opened the door and shouted, "Uncle Ben! Can you please sign this for me?"
As Uncle Ben looked at the document, he said, "Peter, you also want to go to the Oscorp exhibition? Okay, I understand." He signed it and gave it back to me.
I went upstairs to my room.
"Peter, after you're done changing, can you come help me?"
"Okay, Aunt May. I won't take long!"
Finally, the time had come. I know the timeline is a bit messy because I skipped grades, but if fate really wants me to become Spider-Man, I'll accept it.
Actually, I realize that I'm scared of becoming Spider-Man. Don't get me wrong—it's not that I don't want to be Spider-Man. It's just that I don't really know which version of Spider-Man I'd become.
That's not all. I don't like having responsibility. Some might say, "Why not just get the power and do whatever you want?" But it's not that simple.
After years of being with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, I've been influenced by them. Deep down, I know that if I got the power, I'd probably suffer like Spider-Man. So I've created a situation where I have a chance of getting the power—or not.
In summary, I'm just putting my faith in fate.
So… what will it be? Will I become Spider-Man, or will I just be Peter Parker?