SPIDER-MAN: MARK LEE

11

𝟭𝟭: 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬?

In Forest Hill, the location mostly adored by students would have to be the local library. The immense library was a winding mass of bookshelves that seemed to stretch on endlessly, with thousands upon thousands of books in every imaginable language. The dim lighting, and the vintage scent of aged books that seemed to transport its visitors to a different time and place, made everything else better.

That was why I loved this place. This was my go to location if I needed concentration. It was impossible to be sidetracked in here.

That was why I brought Mark Lee.

Mark and I chose an unoccupied table near the window. The location was secluded from the rest due to the presence of two enormous bookshelves on either side, providing us with more privacy, which I found rather nice. I positioned myself in front of Mark as he sat down, and while still standing, I placed my tote bag on the table and began searching through its contents.

"This is pretty cozy." Said Mark, his eyes examining each and every corner of the library with slightly parted lips. "This is a good choice of location, Juli." He complimented warmly.

I froze on my spot after hearing his words. My gaze fixated on him. I could feel how the redness on my cheeks was visible, but I figured it was pointless to hide them, especially when Mark was already looking. "J- Juli?"

Mark nodded, only one of his lip corner perking up. "Yeah... Can I call you that?"

There it was again, the flutter in my stomach, the churns and knots, and the somersaults. Mark Lee had a way of evoking these feelings in me.

"Yeah whatever." I mumbled, my head shaking a bit as I finally took the seat and pushed aside my tote bag after pulling out my books and laptop. "Anyways, do you know why I chose this place? Because this place gives people a sense of concentration. That's what you need." I pointed my index finger on him. In response, Mark looked at his chest. "We need to talk, Mark."

"Yeah, shoot."

"I don't know if you're realizing this, but I had. I noticed that this year, we're getting more paired up together. We're both in the Academic Decathlon team, and we have a couple of assignments together. Odd, isn't it? We usually don't. Anyways, I think you know what I'm trying to say: Don't ditch me and help me out with this school work we're both responsible for."

I could see the tint of red spreading on Mark's cheeks. And this was the first time I ever saw him flush. I knew he was a bit embarrassed by his actions lately, because he knew deep down it wasn't pleasant. "Uhh... Yeah dude, my bad."

I saw a slight hint of tension in his face, causing my lips to curl. While I was glad that I could finally confront him about his strange disappearances, I also wanted to consider things from his point of view. "Listen, Mark, you can be honest with me. Are you involved in other clubs? Or perhaps you have a part-time job? If that's the case, we can find a solution and schedule our study sessions accordingly."

Mark shook his head. "Nah, I don't have any excuse. It is shitty of me to ditch you." He said, his hand landing on his chest.

I was glad he at least acknowledged his mistakes.

I truly hoped he was just being a bit of a dick for ditching me, and not because he had to save Queens and shoot some webs. Because if that was the case, I'd feel bad for scolding a vigilante to prioritize more on his schoolwork than the safety of Queens.

I nodded my head. "Okay then. You better stay on that seat, Mark. You don't wanna make me superglue your ass on the chair."

Mark looked at me with genuine fear on his face. "Why does it feel like I'm being held captive by you, in this old library?" He feigned a shudder.