Hero's Responsibility

Ch4: News Report

I apologize for this chapter being so rushed, I wanted to get it out on my busy schedule.

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Peter keep his word on attending decathlon practice the following day. While the rest of the team stared at him again as he entered the room as if he would suddenly run away like he did before, Peter was determined to not disappoint anyone any further. Especially when he held no other responsibilities other than school work. And the reason that the team captain herself was throwing piercing looks his way every chance she got. Not only during practice but every other chance she got leading up to the end of the school practice.

Earlier that day, they greeted her as she passed by them to walk to her class. She acknowledged them by lowering her book and while she glanced at Ned in her normal look, she held a piercing look with, at that moment nervous, Peter. Ned asked after she left saying nothing, truly curious, "What did you do?" Peter shrugged, responding with an 'I don't know,' before they went to the class. Similar events continued for the rest of the day. During one of the glasses they share, she gave him the same look before sitting down at the back of the class. By that time he thought it still as odd and maybe she was being extra observant of him, which made him feel a bit self-conscious that there might be something on him like dried sleep drool or toilet paper stuck to his shoes. At that thought, he couldn't help but look down at his feet and rub his sleeves on the sides of his mouth. By lunchtime, Peter was eagerly awaiting her arrival, as unconsciously as he could to see if it continued. When she arrived he relaxed his muscles and averted his gaze, acting as if he wasn't waiting for her arrival, but he did manage to glace quickly in her direction to noticed when she gave him another look before ignoring them, reading another book.

By decathlon practice, Peter answered questions while trying to avoid MJ's gaze searing onto the side of his face every time she gave him a question. As if he wasn't already nervous with her stare, his thoughts got the better of him, causing him to think if she was checking how fast his response time was. Was he delayed with all the uhs he was muttering before answering? Once this thought was in his mind he couldn't help comparing how fast he answered compared to the other team members. After it went one whole turn and it came back around to him, he noticed that he was slower at answering than them. That had to be what she was checking. Is that what the stares were about? But she was doing it even before practice. How could she have known that he was going to be slower than everyone else? Duh, you've constantly missed practice most of the time last year, he thought to himself.

During the break when he and Ned got to switch out by two other members stepping out, Ned told Peter, "I think that's her 'I'm keeping an extra close eye on you' look." Ned did his best to keep Michelle from hearing him.

Peter looks over at her, resting behind the podium. "How do you know? Can you distinguish her glares?" Peter asked astonished.

"Took me a while but yeah. You have to take the context into consideration. It's all about the context."

"And what is the context?" Peter whispers back.

"Remember what she said to you yesterday after practice? I think she's making sure you stick to your promise and don't ditch practice."

He swore to himself that he wouldn't after getting the same demanding look from Michelle for the rest of practice. By the end of practice, Peter was one of the first to leave the multipurpose room, finally having a chance to escape the surveillance. Ned followed after him and found Peter slumped over the lockers, his limps finally relaxed. Ned laughed at Peter's reaction. What a friend.

Ned assures him that after having to continue seeing his nervous reaction for the whole school, MJ wouldn't continue to do it the following day. Ned explained that she was insensitive at times but not a monster. From there, Ned goes to Peter's apartment for a game night May had promised them since she now was going to start working full time at the florist shop, taking over the shifts of the owner who went into maternity leave. She wouldn't be around as much and was apologizing through a dinner game night.