Spideychelle: a field trip

Monique Keener

It's the day of the trip. Two whole weeks everyone was looking forward to it. Everyone, even Peter.

"Alright, line up everyone! You can put your bags in the packing thingy in the bus. Pair up, you have to sit for an hour, we don't want any drama before we're even at the Tower," Mr. Harrington tells the class. 

"I'm carsick, so you have to keep the watch on the back of the bus," Mr. Dell shouts to Mr. Harrington. 

"What is it always with you and traveling?"

Peter and Ned sit next to each other, so do MJ and Betty. Betty is in the set-up, she has to keep MJ busy while Peter starts with his plan. He hasn't said a word to MJ, not one, so she probably thinks he forgot it's their anniversary. "Ned, I want you to hack the speakers of the bus. Can you do that for me, please? I'd do it myself, but I think you can do it faster," Peter tells his best friend. The first thing he does today is putting a playlist on the whole bus. Not just a playlist, it's the one with music MJ adores. Only Peter knows she loves it. As far as he knows, she told no one, ever, which music she listens to.

"Done! What do you want to do with it, Peter?"

"Just put.... this on!" Ned looks shocked. "Dude, are you serious? That's horrible."

"I know, right? Just do it. For MJ." Ten seconds later, everyone hears a weird mashup of Light 'em up x Radioactive blaring through the bus. MJ, who sits two places in front on the left of him, turns around. "Why", she mouths. "Happy Anniversary," Peter mouths back.

An hour later they arrive at the Tower. "Welcome Midtown High, to the Stark Tower. Your bags will be transported inside, where they'll go through a scan. If anything suspicious is being detected, the student to whom the bag belongs, will be recalled and possibly thrown out. Understand? If that doesn't happen, the bags are going to the dormitory where you spend the night," their bus-driver says. "I'll pick you up when your trip is over, have fun!"

As they walk inside, Peter can't hear anything but "Ooooh" and "Aaaaah". That was his own reaction when he first went to the Stark Tower too. Mr. Dell walks to the reception to inform their at this point unknown tour guide they made it. 

"Look, Ned. That's phase two." Peter points to a huge banner above the reception. It says: "To my love, you know who I mean, Happy Anniversary. I'll always love you. - P.P.S.D." 

"Where does P.P.S.D stand for, Peter Parker Sugar Daddy? I didn't know you had another last name," Ned says amused and confused. 

"MJ'll understand. She calls me P.P.S.D. sometimes. It means Peter Parker Spider-Dude. She loves to tease me with Spider-Dude, but for now I don't mind."

It's really sweet what he's doing. But MJ hadn't read the banner yet. She's engrossed with her book. "Betty, please point that out, please please please....." Peter whispers. She didn't hear him, but she still says: "Hey, MJ, look how cute! I've never seen anything like that. And they have the same anniversary as you and Peter! What a coincidence!" MJ finally looks up, reads it, and mumbles: "I'll be right back. Just wait here for me."

She turns around and walks to the bathroom, where Peter already went when he saw Betty pointing it out.

"You figured it out."

"Of course I did. I only call you Peter Parker Spider-Dude when I want to talk to you in private, and that's usually in the bathroom."

"You know you love it. I love you."

"I don't love it. I hate it. I hate you kept this from me and made me think you forgot our anniversary! How can I not have figured it out?! But you're right. I love it, and I love you too."