The Stark Internship // Spider-Man [Book 1]

twenty-one {Peter's POV}

"Are you expelled?" Ned asked as he got up from the bench outside the principal's office. "Do you have to go to that high school on 46th where the principal has a crossbow?"

I heaved my backpack higher onto my shoulder. "Pretty sure that's an urban myth," I said. "And no, I'm not expelled." 

Ned let out a relieved sigh. "You're so lucky," he said. 

I scoffed. "Yeah, lucky," I muttered under my breath. I checked my phone and saw no new messages. After texting Arya this morning, I'd hoped she would have replied by now, but still nothing. 

In the few weeks I had gotten to know her, Arya had grown from an annoying girl who was just out to pester and bug me, to one of my best friends. I didn't know why she left. I guessed it had something to do with what Mr Stark had said to her the day of the ferry incident, but also something with her mom since she was in Seattle right now. 

My eye fell on the Homecoming banner over our heads. "Hey, we're still going, right?" Ned asked as he followed my gaze. 

"Yeah, definitely," I said. 

"Will Arya be back in time?" he asked then.

I shook my head. "I don't know." My phone buzzed in my pocket and I very-much-not-smoothly whipped it out, but I saw it was just May telling me she had picked up an extra shift at work and that dinner was in the fridge. I replied with a quick thanks. 

"Everything okay?" Ned asked. 

"Yeah, it was just May," I replied. "Hey, do you have time after school to work on the Death Star?" 

"Sure. I already redid the foundation so we can just pick up where I left off. I even marked it in the building instructions," he said, grinning proudly. 

I smiled. "Okay." 

After school, I attended detention again. After finishing my homework to keep me occupied, I had nothing left to do, so I rested my head on my folded arms on my desk. I listened to the humming of the fluorescent lights in the ceiling, the scratching of Michelle Jones' pencil against the paper of her notebook, the tapping of the teacher's fingers on his phone, the tapping of someone's foot on the ground. 

The bell rang and we were free to go. I didn't rush outside like I would've done less than a week ago. I calmly collected my things from my locker and took the train to Ned's house. His mom greeted me at the door and I found my way to Ned's room where we sat down on the floor to work on the Lego Death Star. 

"Can I ask you something?" Ned spoke up after we had built in silence for a while.

"Sure," I replied, putting a 2 by 6 plate in place. 

"You would tell me right?" 

I looked up, frowning. "Tell you what?" 

"If there was something going on between you and Arya?" 

I couldn't react for a few seconds. "Why- What are you talking about? Why would there be something going on between me and Arya?" My voice had gone up at least two octaves and it had suddenly gotten very hot in the room.

"Because she disappeared out of nowhere and you keep checking your phone every five minutes," he said. "And you guys have this tension." 

"Tension?" 

"Yeah, you know what I mean." 

"I really don't." 

"Okay, forget about it," he said. "So there's nothing?" 

I shook my head. "No, we're friends, and she didn't disappear. She went to Seattle to visit her mom. She'll come back." 

He nodded slowly. "Are you gonna ask her to Homecoming?"