I Am Karen - Spider-Man / Peter Parker [1]

Chapter Fifteen - Spider-Man Mania

Maria had hated it. She knew she had no right to be at the school when the Decathlon team had arrived back from DC, so she had had to wait for the morning to actually see her friends. She knew she probably looked like a mad-woman but Maria was racing through the school trying to find the curly black hair of her best friend who had apparently chosen that morning to disappear.

Rushing down another set of stairs, Maria's head checked both ways down the corridor before suddenly her eyes collided with the person she was looking for. Maria quickly began pushing through various students to get to her friend. To say Michelle was unaware of her friend would have been an understatement. Maria came out of nowhere and tackled her friend into a hug. She felt Michelle resist for a moment until she realised that it was Maria.

"Are you alright?" Maria asked as she kept a tight hold on her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Maria, I wasn't in the elevator" Michelle answered uncharacteristically gripping just as tightly. Both Michelle and Maria had needed the hug.

"You were still there" Maria replied as they pulled apart. Michelle had had to watch from the outside as her friends were in a building that had an explosion happen inside and she had known something was happening. Worst still, she had had to wait for any news about her friends and Maria knew what that felt like.

"I'm alright" Michelle repeated grasping Maria's upper arms. Maria nodded in understanding. She was just glad everyone had gotten out okay. Before anymore could be said a new voice caught their attention.

"Hey guys." Whipping her head around, Maria found herself staring at Ned. Again, without much thought Maria launched herself at the boy and hugged him tightly too. Ned really didn't know what to do. Maria normally didn't hug him, correction, she had never hugged him. Awkwardly, Ned hugged Maria back.

"I'm so glad you're okay" Maria mumbled as she hugged him tighter. Ned had been in the elevator each time the elevator dropped. Hearing those words, Ned finally understood why Maria was hugging him.

"So am I" Ned joked causing Maria to laugh lightly as they pulled apart. Seeing the concern still in her eyes, Ned smiled brightly. "I'm fine honestly, I'm not injured, Spider-Man saved us though I won't be going into elevators for a while." Maria sighed. She hadn't seen Peter yet, she knew he was alright, she had been speaking to him as Karen but that didn't stop her worrying. Also, Maria was unable to forget about Peter and Spider-Man as the school had gone completely mad for him. The school news was of course going on about the near death experience the Decathlon team had experienced and how Spider-Man had saved them but this event had caused 'Spider-Mania' at school. Everywhere you looked everyone was supporting Spider-Man, talking about Spider-Man, generally gushing over the hero. It was all so strange.

Speaking of the hero, Maria noticed from the corner of her eye, the boy himself walking down a stairwell. Ned too had seen Peter for he gave the girls a quick goodbye before he began to walk over to his best friend. Maria knew she had to talk to Peter. With a quick goodbye to Michelle, Maria followed Ned's footsteps.

"Okay, come on, we'll be late to class" Ned said to Peter just as Maria got to the boys' side.

"I'm not going to class" Peter announced from his place in front of Ned and Maria.

"You're already in so trouble for ditching the decathlon" Ned argued before he suddenly looked towards his right and spotted Maria standing beside him. He quickly became speechless at her presence; Ned still wasn't aware that Peter knew that Maria knew about him. Maria and Peter just ignored Ned as they stared at one another for a moment before Peter broke eye contact with her and locking eyes back with Ned.