Girl Erased

Homecoming 8

I watch the bus drive away and I start on my walk back to Peter's apartment. I pass by several neighborhoods and many different stores and sandwich shops - none as good as Delmar's. I stop at a park and find a lonely little bench and sit down. Several families are tossing a ball around or playing tag or even just walking and I start to imagine myself as a part of one of those families. For a while, I was. I was the young kid on the dad's shoulders and the one skipping around on the sidewalks but one day, that I cant seem to remember no matter how hard I try, it all changed. I get up and just as I'm about to leave the park I see the man I spoke with yesterday. I stop where I am and I smile as he walks up to me.

"James West," I mumble when he's caught up.

"Ruby." He says with a cheerful grin on his face. I walk back to the same bench with him and he talks about the birds that he sees each day he comes here. And he points out his favorite trees.

"Do you ever picture yourself as a part of one of these families?" He asks, which totally catches me off guard.

"I always put myself in the place of the kid," I say, looking back at him.

"I would love to have a family, but I'm afraid I'm too old."

"Oh, I don't think that's true," I say, straightening up in the seat. I look down at my hands and start to fidget with my fingers. I recall the times with Bucky where I helped him with his memories and I realize, I might be able to help my dad. I look back and forth between him and my magic hands and I start to consider it. Before I get the chance to say anything else, he stands up and cups my shoulder.

"I think it's about time I go home." He says, smiling with the same old, easy smile. He reaches into his brown paper bag and hands me a PB&J that he made and he starts on his journey home. I grin at him and look down at the sandwich. I start to weigh the pros and cons of bringing back my dad's memories as I take a bite of his heavenly creation.

Peter answers the call and walks to the back of the bus, where Ned and M.J. are seated.

"Hello?" he says , sitting down.

"Got a blip on my screen here. You left New York?" Happy asks on the other end of the phone. Peter covers the microphone and mutters to himself.

"Tracker."

"Uh, yeah. No, it's just a school trip. It's, uh, it's nothing." he says, speaking in the microphone again, "Look, Happy, I gotta say, you tracking me without my permission is a complete violation of my privacy." M.J. points to the hologram in Ned's lap and Peter whispers something to them.

"That's different."

"What's different?" Happy asks. Peter tries to think of an excuse and fails.

"Uh, nothing. Look, it's just the Academic Decathlon. It's no big deal."

"Hey, hey. I'll decide if it's no big deal." Peter looks up, furrowing his eyebrows, and mouths "What?" annoyed.

"Sounds like it's no big deal, but remember, I'm watching you." Happy continues. Peter pulls the phone away from his ear and sees the 'call ended' alert.

"What was that about?" M.J. asks

"There is a tracker in my suit and I didn't think to take it out before I left. Happy know's I'm not in New York." He says, disappointed.

"Is that what Ruby was talking about?" Ned asks, over the seat.

"I guess so." Peter starts to stand up and just before he starts walking to the front, his phone starts to ring again. Looking at it he sees a picture of Tony. What? He answers quickly and starts talking immediately

"Look, Mr.Stark, I'm just going to D.C. for a school thing." He starts to explain.

"Peter, It's me." Ruby's voice comes over the other side of the phone. Peter looks at Ned, confused.

"Ruby?" he asks loud enough to clue him in.

"Yeah, I'm upstate."

"Why? And why are you calling from Tony's phone?"

"I lost mine and I didn't have time to find it."

"Okay."

"I'm here because I needed someone's advice on something," she answers

"On what?"

"It's nothing. I was just letting you know that I'm not at your place. And I was wondering if you had any updates on your mission."

"Not really. We have, like,  30 more minutes 'til we get to the hotel and they still haven't moved."

"Okay, well, call me if anything changes. And please don't die."

"I'll try." He says, jokingly, "Bye, Ruby."