Chapter 81

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Peter winced and looked around the room sleepily. His whole body ached, which could only mean that he fell asleep in an awkward place. In a place that was not meant to sleep. Again.

"Who is finally awake?" Beck teased him as their eyes met.

Peter straightened quickly and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe he fell asleep at school! If his parents find out, a nice lecture awaits him at home. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Beck! I didn't want to fall asleep."

"It's nothing, Peter. I'll make an exception for you, but tell me what's wrong with you? Aren't you feeling well again? I thought it had improved," he asked carefully.

"It got better, but then it all came back," he sighed, "faster and stronger. But I don't want to say anything at home, because today we have dinner, which we are all looking forward to, and I would not like it to interfere because of me. Dad's going to ask Mom's to marry him today, you know?" he confided with a smile. He had waited a long time for this moment, and by no means did he want it to be postponed because of him.

"I understand you don't want a thing like your parents' engagement to be postponed, but you should think about your health. We all have only one," Beck tried to explain, but Peter just shook his head.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. Uncle Bruce says it'll all be good again, and I trust him. He's one of the smartest people I know," he said, slowly packing his backpack. He hoped someone was already waiting for him in front of the school. If he got home early, he could take a nap before dinner.

"In that case, I hope to see you fully fit on Monday and tell me about your dinner."

"You don't happen to have your miracle potion, do you?" he asked hopefully. It really helped him last time and now he would give anything for it.

"I happen to because I couldn't miss how pale you were in the hallway yesterday. I'm a little surprised you haven't dropped out yet. Here you go," he said, handing him the bottle.

Peter took it gratefully and unscrewed the lid at lightning speed. He was beginning to wonder if it was really a magic potion because the effect was almost immediate. "You are a real hero, Mr. Beck. I'll see you on Monday," he said goodbye to him and left the classroom.

But before he could reach the door, something went terribly wrong. A sharp pain hit him in the head and his legs turned to jelly. Literally. He didn't even have time to find out what was going on and ended up on the floor. In the distance, he heard someone calling his name, but it was soon drowned out by the rustle in his ears. Then in a second everything changed like a snap of fingers, and there was silence everywhere. Silence and darkness immediately.

"Peter!" Beck shouted several times, kneeling beside him. When he realized he was unconscious but had a pulse, he jumped to his feet and quickly closed the classroom door. Then he just stood idle over Peter, wondering what to do next.

This was definitely not planned.

•••

Pepper got out of the car, hoping her cover was adequate. She was wearing jeans, Tony's sweatshirt, and one of his sunglasses. On her head was a cap she had dug out at the bottom of Peter's closet. It was rapidly different from her regular outfits, so she didn't think anyone could recognize her. That didn't mean she wasn't nervous.

She took a deep breath and headed for a nearby park. She flipped through a list of Osborn's employees and came across a familiar name. She must have been very convincing, but in the end, her former high school classmate decided to help her. She didn't have high hopes, but it was the only clue they had at the moment.

She sat down on the edge of the bench, waiting to see what would happen next. She looked in front of the people in the park and somehow did not reveal that she knew the woman who was sitting with her on the bench.

"Wasn't anyone watching you?" she asked quietly.

Pepper just shook her head.

"Well, I hope you use it wisely. If anyone finds out, we're dead," she said, placing the newspaper next to her before she got up and left.

Pepper didn't understand what was going on, so she quickly reached for the newspaper, in which she found the folder she had longed for. As soon as she held it in her hands, she breathed. For a moment she thought she was fooled. With trembling hands, she pulled out the papers and began to read.

And she couldn't believe what she'd learned. This completely changed the situation. Although she was not a scientist, she read most of the important things from those papers. It all suddenly made sense. They were right all along, and Mary really wanted more than spending time with her son.

Pepper didn't wait any longer, she got in the car and drove towards Oscrop. She will end it with Mary for once and all.

No one will threaten her son.

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