STONY & SPIDERSON

Suspension

I woke up at 10:53 AM from the sound of my dads arguing about something, probably me. I groaned and swing my6 body over the side of the bed so I was sitting up, then I remembered: I was suspended. I headed downstairs to find that Clint was sitting on the couch playing some video game.

He looked up as I walked in the room. "I heard you punched a kid in the face yesterday" he chuckled. "What'd the kid do to you that made you lash out?"

"He uh... umm he called me a- a fag," I said, not making eye contact. I reached out and scratched the back of my neck. The smile drained from his uncle's face. "Oh gosh. Pete, I- I- I'm so sorry. I mean, that's awful," he sighed.

"I mean, we both got suspended, so I guess that that's fair," I said, not really caring. I zipped up my jacket, grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone and left. I walked down the block, need to clear my mind. I decided to grab a sandwich from Mr. Delmar's.

Mr. Delmar smiled at me. "Hey, Peter! How's your aunt?" he was referring to Natasha, his Spanish accent was thick. I ordered my sandwich and a drink then walked around the city. I ended up in some neighborhood that I've never been to. I walked up to a park that had a slide, some monkey bars, and a swing set. I sat on a swing, eating my sandwich and scrolling through my phone.

Pops: peter, where r u? youve been gone for over 2.5 hours. its getting dark

I sighed and buried my hands in my face, tears starting to streak down my face. I regretted punching the kid. It ruined my reputation, not that I had one but now I'm going to be known as 'the kid who punched Flash' and probably be avoided by everyone. I had never felt so alone in my life. I finally texted Pops back.

Peter: hey, Dad, can you come pick me up

Pops: sure, just send me the address

I sent him the address and waited. I saw the headlights in the distance, getting bigger as they got closer. I climbed in the front seat and we pulled away from the park. "Dad and I were very worried," he said finally. I stayed quiet, not knowing if he was worried or mad. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry, Dad" I said. "I just-- I guess I just need to clear my head."

When we got home, Dad pulled me into a hug, gripping me tightly. I hugged him as hard as I could and felt another body against mine. I turned my head to see Pops. He smiled down at me, his broad, muscular shoulders flexed as he hugged me and Dad as hard as we could bear. "I'm sorry. I love you and Pops so much," I said, crying into Dad's chest. "I know. I am too, Peter" he replied in a whisper.