Starlight › Marvel [1] ✓

018. odin arrives

› CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ‹

Since Raleigh had skipped an entire day of school, he was called into Principle Morita's office that next morning. When he arrived, Ned and Peter were just leaving and the two troubled heroes gave one another a short glance. They hadn't attempted to talk even when Raleigh returned Peter his stuff to him earlier. The wound was still fresh and they felt terrible for bringing the other down with them.

Principle Morita explained about skipping class and how he expected better from him. The man didn't understand why his students were getting out of control. "Since you haven't had any other problems since starting here, I'm letting you off with a warning. However, if you continue to skip classes, I'll be forced to put you in detention."

Raleigh understood and after a few more words from Morita, the man allowed him to go and so Raleigh left without another word. It was the end of the day—and since Academic Decathlon had basically ended, the meetings had begun getting more spaced out—so all he had was Robotics Club, which Raleigh had finally decided to drop out of.

Trystan thought it would be best if he dropped out of one of his extracurricular activities. The amount of work he was forcing on himself was pressuring him to the point of breaking him. Even though he currently couldn't do his hero work, Trystan still thought more time for himself would do good for Raleigh's health. It was funny because he originally wanted to drop the class, but then when he found out Peter was Spider-Man, he wanted to spend more time with another hero... but then the boy dropped it, leaving him straggling.

Ms. Hemmingway was just another person to add to Raleigh's list of people he had disappointed in twenty-four-hours. When he explained to her about his decision to leave the club for the rest of the year, she had made a fit.

"Next week is the annual Robot Battle Royal!" She claimed. At the same time, every other student turned to Raleigh and Hemmingway, wondering what was happening. It reminded him of when Peter told Harrington that he wasn't going to Nationals and everyone ganged up on him. "Are you sure it can't wait?"

Raleigh shook his head. He was the head of the club, not the leader as that title belonged to a senior boy, but the best student when it came to working steadily, so it was no surprise that everyone was upset. Championships were coming up in a few months and everyone was working hard. It didn't help that Peter left just a month prior.

"I have to, Ms. Hemmingway..." He tried to explain. "I just—I need time for myself. I've taken too much on at once."

She frowned but appeared to understand his struggle. She gave him the clear to leave.

Raleigh handed her his small plastic tote that held his mostly finished robot in. "You can use my robot for whatever. It just needs a little more work and it should be good."

With that, he left, ignoring the stares that followed him. What he did was the right thing, and just because he dropped the activity now, didn't mean he'd never come back. Perhaps next year he could try again, but it'd depend on what is going on in his life, he assumes. Since there was no decathlon meeting that evening, he left the school and got onto the subway.