Chapter 1- Charlies POV
The sun cast a soft, yet cool light through the school windows as Charlie Parker left her physics class. She shoved her books into her backpack and looked around while the other students loudly discussed their weekend plans. Normalcy..
For her, it felt like a distant concept, something she could only observe from afar without ever really being a part of it.
Sure, she was good at school, especially in physics and math—she was even the best in her class. But those achievements felt hollow when she often found herself alone in the evenings.
She watched as her classmates said their goodbyes and prepared to get ready for the upcoming parent-teacher conference with their parents. Her thoughts involuntarily wandered to May.
She had tried to ignore it, telling herself that it didn’t matter, but it gnawed at her that her aunt wouldn’t be coming again. Of course, May had a good excuse—she always did. Work, shifts, commitments. It all sounded so reasonable, so logical. But deep inside, Charlie felt a void she couldn’t shake. May had told her that morning that she wouldn’t be able to make it. "Charlie, I’ve got two back-to-back shifts, I can’t go," she had mentioned almost offhandedly as she got ready for work.
Charlie had just nodded and put on a smile that she had perfected—the smile that signaled everything was fine. But it wasn’t fine. It had never really been fine. May was always absent, always busy with something else, and it felt like she was keeping Charlie at arm’s length. Charlie knew May didn’t do it on purpose, but that didn’t change how she felt: alone. As she walked through the busy halls on her way to meet MJ and Ned, she felt waves of loneliness wash over her. It was as if she were surrounded by an invisible wall, and no one could truly understand how she felt. Her friends wouldn’t get it. MJ would probably try to analyze it, and Ned… Well, Ned would try to cheer her up, but neither of them knew what it was like to have someone like May. Someone who was physically present but emotionally miles away. As she walked down the stairs, she thought about the days when things had been different. When she was younger, May had always found time for her. There were times when she’d come home from school, and May would be there, cooking dinner, and they’d talk about their day. They hadn’t been deep conversations, but they had been enough to make Charlie feel important. Now, things were different. Now it felt like she existed on the sidelines of May’s life, just another responsibility that had to be managed. "Charlie!" Ned called out as she stepped into the courtyard and spotted him and MJ in their usual spot. MJ, always with a book or a camera in hand, leaned casually against the wall, lost in thought, while Ned gestured wildly as he talked about his latest video game. Charlie forced a smile as she approached them, but inside, she felt the darkness swirling. "Hey, you two," she said as she sat down and dropped her backpack. Ned immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation of "Galactic Wars 3," but she was only half-listening. "By the way," she finally began when there was a brief pause in Ned’s monologue, "May won’t be coming to the parent-teacher night tonight." The words came out so casually, but she felt their weight. MJ raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp, almost piercing. "Work again?" she asked bluntly, as was her way. Charlie nodded as she fiddled with her sandwich but didn’t really eat it. "Yeah," she said, trying to sound indifferent, but even she could hear the hint of bitterness in her voice. "Two shifts back-to-back, she couldn’t switch." That was always the explanation, and Charlie had heard it so many times that it almost automatically came out of her mouth. Ned, ever the optimist, shrugged. "Hey, maybe next time," he said, grinning encouragingly, as if that would somehow make things better. But Charlie knew better. She knew it wasn’t just about tonight. It was the constant absence, the growing distance between them, and she didn’t know how to bridge that gap. Charlie tried to adopt Ned’s positive attitude, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t that simple. Next time wouldn’t be any different, just like the time before. It was a cycle that kept repeating, and she felt trapped in it, with no way out. While Ned cheerfully kept talking, her thoughts drifted back to the evenings when May had actually been home, when she still felt like they were a real family—something like normal. But those evenings had become rarer, and each time May wasn’t there, the loneliness grew a little bigger. MJ watched Charlie, her dark eyes studying her intently. She was the one who often noticed the quiet, unspoken things right away. "It’s okay to be disappointed," she said softly, without trying to put it in a bigger context or offer a solution. That was what Charlie appreciated about MJ—she didn’t always analyze everything immediately; sometimes she just left room for things to be as they were. Charlie shrugged. "I know, it’s just… she works so much, and I know she doesn’t do it on purpose. But sometimes it just feels like she’s never really there." She spoke the words before she even fully thought about them. The uncertainty was audible in her voice, and she hated showing that weakness, especially in front of her friends. But it was out, and for a moment, she felt lighter. "She’s doing it for you," Ned chimed in, and his well-meaning comment made Charlie wince. Yes, she knew that, and that was why it was so hard to blame her for it. May worked hard, she tried everything to give them a good life, and Charlie couldn’t really hold it against her. But that didn’t change the fact that it hurt. She opened her mouth to say something when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Charlie reached for it, half grateful for the distraction, half worried about who it might be. When she saw the name on the display, her heart sank a little. Theo. "Hey, sorry, but I have to cancel our plans for tomorrow. Work calls." Once again. She stared at the message, feeling a wave of disappointment wash over her. It had almost become routine—Theo calling or texting to cancel their plans, always because of work. And each time, Charlie tried not to let it get to her. But this time, it felt different. She had really been looking forward to spending time with Theo, like they used to before everything got complicated, before Theo drifted so far away. She put her phone back in her pocket and took a deep breath before saying, "Theo’s not free tomorrow either. She has to work." She tried to make it sound as indifferent as possible, as if it didn’t matter to her, as if it didn’t affect her, but MJ looked at her attentively, almost as if she could read the words in Charlie’s head. "Again?" MJ asked, and there was no accusation in her voice, just that quiet acknowledgment that made everything uncomfortably real. Charlie just nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, whatever. She’s busy." But inside, it was boiling. It was hard not to think about how different things had been before. Back when Theo had always been there for her. She had watched movies with her, come to her track meets, supported her in every little or big thing. But now it felt like her sister was just a shadow in her life, someone who constantly slipped away whenever Charlie tried to reach for her. As MJ and Ned continued talking, Charlie got lost in her thoughts again. She felt increasingly abandoned by the people who were supposed to be closest to her. And she knew she couldn’t tell the truth about how she felt. It was easier to keep up the façade of being the strong, independent girl who didn’t need anyone. But deep down, she longed for what she believed she was losing—the closeness to her sister and her aunt, both of whom seemed to be slipping further and further away from her. Just then, Brooke and Amber appeared, their steps light and bouncy, as if they had just walked out of a fashion magazine. Brooke’s laughter echoed across the courtyard, while Amber followed her with a quiet smile. Charlie forced herself to push her thoughts aside and engage in the conversation. "Hey, guys!" Brooke called out as she tossed her bag onto the table and sat down next to Charlie with a flourish. "Did you hear what Flash said in first period today? He actually thinks he has a chance of becoming class president!" She rolled her eyes theatrically, and Charlie couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Amber, the quieter of the two, sat down silently beside them and bit into her apple, shaking her head slightly. "Flash really lives in his own world sometimes," she murmured, her soft voice full of restraint but with a touch of humor. Brooke turned to Charlie. "You look kind of… distracted. Everything okay?" Charlie nodded quickly and opened her mouth to respond to Brooke when her phone buzzed again. A quick glance at the screen, and her thoughts immediately clouded. The message was from Tony. *Hey, kid. Are you free tonight? I’ve got some new stuff in the lab I want to show you.* Her heart skipped a beat. Whenever Tony reached out, it was different. It was like he was a constant amidst the chaos of unreliability that had been ruling her life lately. Brooke’s question faded from her mind as she involuntarily remembered how everything started with Tony—1.5 years ago, when her life had taken an unexpected turn. Back then, everything had been so different. She had just begun to understand her powers and experiment with them. She had no idea what to do or where it was all going to lead. Her first thought was to use these abilities secretly to help people without anyone finding out. But one day, she found herself in a precarious situation—a car accident, where she instinctively stepped in. Thanks to her lightning-fast reflexes, a family was saved, and she was overjoyed that she could help. But she hadn’t expected anyone to be watching. A few days later, when she came home from school, her first thought was to finish her homework and end the day as usual. But when she opened the door to the living room, her breath caught. On the couch sat none other than Tony Stark. Tony Stark, the hero, the genius scientist, the leader of the Avengers. He was sitting there casually, as if he had already been there for a few hours, and when he noticed her, his face lit up with a small smile. “Hey, Charlie,” he had said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be sitting in her living room. May stood beside him, looking a little unsure, as if she didn’t quite know how to handle the situation. Charlie could still vividly remember the feeling that had risen inside her back then—a mixture of excitement and confusion. Why was he here? What did he want from her? Tony explained that he had heard about her “little heroic act.” She had looked at him skeptically at first. How could someone like him possibly know about her? But Tony was Tony—he knew everything. “I’m here to make you an offer,” he had said back then, his smile never fading. “An internship, if you will.” Charlie remembered how concerned May had looked at that moment. She had been the one who made the conversation a bit tense, worried about Charlie’s safety. But Tony had managed to convince even May that it was a good idea—a way for Charlie to learn how to control her powers without putting herself or others in danger. The “internship” had sounded so harmless back then, almost like a regular job offer. But of course, it wasn’t. It was much more than that. Tony had introduced her to his world—a world full of technology, science, and responsibility. He had invited her to his lab, showed her how to handle her powers, and slowly led her to larger tasks. At first, their relationship had been oddly distant. Tony had always called her “kid” and only gave her smaller tasks, as if she weren’t ready for bigger things yet. Charlie admired him—how could she not? He was Tony Stark, the man the whole world knew as a brilliant inventor and hero. But he didn’t really treat her as a partner or even a friend. He was more of a mentor, keeping an eye on her but not fully letting her into his world. The first time she felt like she had failed was on that fateful day when she made a terrible mistake. It was almost exactly like the ferry incident she would but a building. She had acted too quickly, thinking she could handle the situation alone, and ended up nearly making everything worse. Tony had been angry—not loudly or yelling, but disappointed. He had looked at her as if she had done something unforgivable and had taken her suit away. That moment had hit her hard. She had felt so sure that she was on the right path, that Tony trusted her and took her seriously. But that mistake had set her back, and suddenly everything was in question. Tony hadn’t just taken away her suit; he had also cut off contact with her. Weeks had gone by without her hearing from him, and Charlie had felt alone and lost. Now, in the present, as she stared at the message on her phone, she remembered the emptiness she had felt back then. Charlie remembered how, after the incident, she had gone weeks without hearing from Tony. During that time, she had felt so lost, as if the whole superhero thing had been a lie. As if it had been a mistake to believe that she could play a role in that world at all. Without the suit, without the ability to make a difference, she was just Charlie Parker. A girl trying to deal with things while May and Theo drifted further away from her. It had almost made her feel like she wasn’t good enough, like Tony had just given up on her. But then, one day, the message had come. Short and to the point, typical Tony: Hey, come to the lab. I’ve got something I want to show you. Charlie hadn’t known what to expect when she arrived there. She had been nervous, the feeling of uncertainty deep in her stomach. Would he scold her again? Finally tell her she didn’t have what it takes? But instead, Tony had invited her back into the lab, and that had been the turning point. It wasn’t like she had immediately returned to her “internship,” but slowly, something had changed. Tony had stopped treating her as distantly as before. In the first few days after they reconnected, he had only given her a few small tasks in the lab. She had worked on projects that were almost trivial for him, but for Charlie, they meant the world. It was as if he was slowly rebuilding his trust in her. At first, he barely spoke to her. He seemed absorbed in his work, keeping her in the background, only glancing over his shoulder occasionally to make sure she wasn’t messing up. But over time, something had shifted. On one of those lab days, Tony had almost casually started asking more questions. It wasn’t a big conversation, just a comment here and there. “How’s school going?” he had asked as she checked a circuit. It had surprised her. Up until that point, Tony hadn’t shown any real interest in her everyday life, and she had assumed he saw her only as an apprentice—someone he had to train so she wouldn’t mess up again. But from that day on, the questions became more frequent. At first, they were only superficial things—how her tests were going, whether she was still the best in math. He asked the questions in his usual casual way, as if he almost didn’t care, but Charlie could tell that he was trying. Gradually, he began asking more. About her friends, about MJ and Ned, even about Brooke and Amber. She had never expected Tony to care about something like that, but with each lab session, his questions became more personal. It was a slow development. At first, he acted like he barely cared, but now he was the only adult in her life who really knew what was going on in her daily life. And then, the lab days had eventually turned into workshop days. Tony had involved her more and more in his projects, and Charlie learned something new each time. He showed her how to work with technologies she had only read about in books before. It wasn’t just impressive—it was the place where she felt safe. And over time, the meetings were no longer just about work. Tony started asking her, after a long day in the lab, if she wanted to stay and watch a movie. The first time he suggested it, she hesitated. She wasn’t sure what he wanted from her. Was it really just a movie night? But Tony had simply grabbed the remote, plopped down on the couch, and started flipping through channels. He hadn’t made a big deal out of it, and that’s exactly what had put her at ease. There were no expectations, no hidden motives. They watched old sci-fi movies, and although Tony often commented on how illogical some of the scenes were, she had felt comfortable in those moments. Over time, those nights became more frequent. Sometimes there were no new inventions in the lab, nothing to do, but they still stayed to watch movies or play video games together. It was a slow bonding process, something she had never expected. Tony, who had once been so distant and unreachable, now regularly asked her about her day, her friends, and school. Sometimes it felt surreal that he, arguably the busiest man in the world, knew so much about her. But it felt good. It gave her the sense that, at least in one corner of her life, she truly mattered to someone. Charlie’s thoughts drifted back to the present as she gripped her phone a little tighter. The invitation for tonight felt like a lifeline—a chance to escape the chaos that surrounded her life, even if only for a few hours..
Charlie’s thoughts were still drifting towards Tony and the lab days they had spent together when she suddenly heard Brooke’s voice pulling her back to reality. “Hey, Earth to Charlie!” Brooke called out, snapping her fingers in front of Charlie’s face. “You haven’t even told us if you’re coming to the party on Friday.”
Charlie blinked and looked at Brooke, who was staring at her expectantly. A party? Of course. Brooke loved parties—she was the school’s It-girl and always knew what was happening where. It was no surprise that she was excited, but for Charlie, that just wasn’t her thing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually wanted to go to a party, let alone when she’d actually been to one. Her mind was usually occupied with other things—her school projects, her secret superhero work, and, of course, her meetings with Tony.
MJ just rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Parties aren’t my thing, and you know that,” she said dryly, absentmindedly chewing on her sandwich. “I really don’t see why I’d put myself through that.”
“Exactly,” added Ned, pulling a face. “I mean, I can’t imagine anything more fun than staying home and playing ‘Space Invaders 7.’”
Brooke made a dramatic face, as if she could hardly believe her friends found parties so boring. “You guys are impossible,” she groaned. “This is going to be the party of the year! Everyone’s going to be there. And…” She cast a meaningful glance at Amber, who just smiled shyly and took a small bite of her apple, looking a bit embarrassed. “Amber’s coming too, right?”
Amber nodded slightly and shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll go, but I don’t know… I kind of prefer quieter things.”
Charlie smiled gratefully in Amber’s direction. She always felt a little more understood by her, even though Amber always went along with Brooke. She was different—quieter, more grounded. It was always nice to have Amber around because she never made Charlie feel pressured.
Brooke rolled her eyes and straightened up, as if she wanted to steer the energy of the conversation in another direction. “Alright, fine, no party. But one day, you’ll see what you missed.” She sounded half-joking, half-serious.
Just as Brooke was about to say something else, a familiar figure appeared: Flash Thompson. His smug grin was unmistakable, and as soon as he spotted the group, he made a beeline for them. “What’s up, loser squad?” he asked in his typical arrogant tone, leaning over the table and placing a hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “What are you guys doing? Studying?”
Ned sighed loudly and rolled his eyes, while MJ shot Flash a look that made it clear she had absolutely no interest in his games. “Can’t you go a day without mocking us?” MJ asked coolly, taking another bite of her sandwich. “It’s getting really old.”
Flash just laughed, as if MJ’s comment was exactly what he wanted to hear. “What can I say? You guys are always an easy target.” He glanced at Ned and Charlie before leaning a bit closer to Charlie. “Hey, Parker. Still the class overachiever? Tell me, do you read your physics book as a bedtime story?”
Charlie felt her face grow a little warm, but she didn’t let it show. She was used to it. Flash was always looking for an opportunity to tease her and her friends, and Charlie knew it was best not to give him too much attention.
“Better physics books than your lame chatter,” she finally said calmly, giving him a tired look.
Flash made a face and let out a laugh. “Oh, good one, Parker! I didn’t know you were so funny. But hey, don’t worry, maybe one day you’ll be cool too.”
Before Flash could say anything more, Brooke stepped in. “Flash, leave her alone,” she said, slightly irritated but with a hint of impatience in her voice. It wasn’t the first time Flash had tried to provoke her friends, but he was always the big brother type, thinking he knew everything better.
“Whatever,” Flash muttered as he turned away from them. “I’ve got better things to do than hang around with you guys. But see you at the party, Brooke.” Then he disappeared as if nothing had happened.
The mood at the table was tense for a moment, but then Brooke broke the silence. “Sorry, guys,” she sighed, throwing an annoyed glance in the direction Flash had gone. “He’s really impossible.”
Charlie shook her head and smiled slightly. “It’s okay, Brooke. That’s just Flash.”
Ned looked thoughtfully at Charlie after Flash had finally left. He took a sip of his drink, seemed to think for a moment, and then said, "Hey, Charlie, if May isn’t coming to the parent-teacher meeting tonight… do you want to come with me and my parents? I mean, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you came along. My mom likes you, and you wouldn’t have to… you know, be alone."
Charlie smiled gratefully but shook her head. Ned always had that warm, innocent way about him that she appreciated. It was sweet of him to invite her, but it wasn’t possible. "That’s really nice of you, Ned," she said, "but I’ve already got plans tonight."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What plans?"
She hesitated for a moment before answering. What could she say? That Tony Stark had invited her to the lab to work on new technology? Of course not. "Uh… just some things I need to take care of," she mumbled, trying to make her voice sound as casual as possible. Ned nodded, accepting the explanation without question, but MJ gave Charlie a brief, scrutinizing glance before focusing back on her sandwich. It was only a fleeting moment, barely noticeable, but Charlie didn’t catch it. MJ had had a quiet suspicion for some time now that there was more going on with Charlie than she let on, but she never brought it up directly. She always acted casually, as if it were just a passing observation, but her watchful nature hardly escaped anyone—except perhaps Charlie herself.
Brooke leaned back in her chair and broke the silence with a dramatic sigh. "So, guys, have you heard the latest gossip?" she asked with a mischievous grin. Of course—Brooke loved gossip more than anything, and it was almost a tradition for her to update her friends on the latest rumors at school.
Amber looked at her with a half-hearted smile while still nibbling on her apple. "What’s new this time?" she asked softly, though her expression showed she might not be as intrigued as Brooke was.
Brooke leaned forward slightly, as if to build suspense. "So, apparently, Jenny and Mark kissed at Kevin’s party last week—and Mark’s supposed to be with Sarah!"
Ned made a face and raised his hands as if to distance himself from the conversation. "Oh, come on, Brooke, does anyone really care?" He took another bite of his sandwich, as if trying to push the gossip away.
"Of course people care!" Brooke cried out indignantly, giving him a reproachful look. "It’s the scandal of the week. Sarah doesn’t know yet, but trust me, when she finds out… there’s going to be drama!" She smiled triumphantly, as if she couldn’t wait to watch the whole situation unfold.
Charlie, still a little distracted by her own thoughts, gave a faint smile. Stories like this from Brooke were the reason why she often felt like she didn’t quite belong. Brooke lived for this social drama, while Charlie… well, she lived for science, technology, and her secret superhero duties as Spider-Woman. But, of course, she couldn’t tell anyone that.
"And what about you, Amber?" Brooke suddenly asked, turning to her best friend. "Have you planned that date with Liam yet?"
Amber blushed slightly and quickly shook her head. "I… I don’t know… I think we’re just taking things slow." Her voice was quiet, almost apologetic, as if she didn’t want Brooke to put too much pressure on her.
"Slow?" Brooke raised an eyebrow. "You’ve been talking for weeks now! At some point, you’ve got to make a move, girl."
Amber looked away, embarrassed, and Charlie couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. She knew Brooke meant well, but sometimes she could be a little too pushy when it came to things like this. Amber was more the type to take things slow and easy, but Brooke rarely had the patience for that.
As Brooke continued to chatter about the latest school drama, Charlie tuned out again. Her mind wandered to the upcoming night at the lab, to Tony and the new technologies he wanted to show her. It always felt like a bit of an adventure when she headed over to see him. The one time she’d made the mistake of mentioning it to MJ or Ned, she’d quickly downplayed it as "some science stuff" to avoid too many questions.
Brooke’s voice pulled Charlie back into the conversation. "What do you think, Charlie? Don’t you agree Amber and Liam should finally go on a proper date?"
Charlie blinked and took a moment to catch up with the conversation. "Uh… yeah, maybe. But it’s Am… Amber’s decision, right?" She was sure that Brooke didn’t really want her opinion but was more looking for agreement with her own conviction.
Amber shot Charlie a grateful look, while Brooke sighed, as if she wasn’t fully convinced.
Brooke rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, sure, Amber can do whatever she wants. But sometimes you’ve just got to take matters into your own hands if you want things to happen." She grinned mischievously at Amber, who just gave a soft smile that seemed to say, *I’ll just let that slide.* Charlie could sense that Amber often felt a little uncomfortable in moments like this. Brooke was loud and impulsive, while Amber was calm and composed—sometimes Charlie wondered how the two were even best friends, but maybe it was exactly that balance that made their friendship so strong.
"I think Amber can decide for herself how she wants to handle things with Liam," MJ added dryly, finishing the last bite of her sandwich. "There are more important things than dates, in case you haven’t noticed, Brooke."
Brooke made a face and pretended to be shocked. "Oh my God, MJ, how can you say that? There’s nothing more exciting than a good date! And besides, what could possibly be more important than a little romance?"
Charlie couldn’t help but smile while MJ calmly raised her eyebrows and ignored Brooke’s remark altogether. That was MJ. She rarely let anything bother her and always managed to make her point without getting dragged into Brooke’s drama.
At that moment, Charlie’s phone vibrated again. She glanced at the screen—another message from Tony. *I’m in the lab early today. You can come by anytime. Got something really cool I want you to see.* A wave of excitement rushed through her. Even though not everyone understood, for her, the "coolest" thing wasn’t the latest party or the newest gossip. It was the feeling of working with Tony in the lab, doing something that actually mattered.
"Hey, Charlie," Ned called suddenly, noticing that she was distracted again. "Are you sure you don’t want to come to the parent-teacher meeting with us? My mom even said she’s ordering pizza afterward." His wide grin showed that he really wanted her to come along.
Charlie shook her head with a smile. "That’s really nice of you, Ned, but like I said, I’ve already got plans tonight." She tried to keep her tone casual, but deep down, she was relieved to have an excuse. Pizza with Ned’s parents sounded nice, but the idea of spending the evening in the lab with Tony was just so much more exciting.
"You’ve been saying that a lot lately," MJ commented, almost casually. Her tone was calm, like an offhand remark, but Charlie sensed a subtle edge beneath it. She tensed slightly, hoping MJ didn’t know too much. The truth was, Charlie had been spending more and more time outside of her friend group, and she knew MJ and Ned had noticed. Especially MJ. She was too sharp not to pick up on the fact that Charlie had secrets, though she never asked direct questions. It was almost as if MJ was piecing things together in her head without saying it out loud. *Maybe she knows more than I think,* Charlie wondered briefly, but she quickly pushed the thought aside.
"Yeah, I… just have a lot going on," Charlie said evasively, hoping the conversation would shift in another direction.
Thankfully, Brooke quickly took over and steered the attention back to herself. "Anyway," she began with her typical enthusiasm, "have you guys heard the rumor that Mr. Holland… you know, the chemistry teacher… is supposedly having an affair with the school secretary? It’s been going on for months, but now someone spotted them having dinner together!"
Ned groaned again as Brooke continued. "Brooke, seriously, who cares about that? It’s totally unnecessary drama."
Charlie nodded quietly, though she had to admit that Brooke’s stories sometimes provided a bit of distraction from her own thoughts. But today was different. Her mind was already focused on what awaited her later in the lab.
Charlie let Brooke's words wash over her as she continued thinking about the upcoming night in the lab. Her heartbeat quickened slightly at the thought of what Tony wanted to show her. It was a strange mix of excitement and relief. While her friends talked about parties, gossip, and school, she had something that pulled her out of that normal, almost mundane world. The superhero world, which she couldn’t share with anyone, gave her life a completely different dimension.
Brooke kept chatting, Amber listened quietly, and MJ leaned back, as if only half-following the conversation while, as always, quietly observing. But Charlie knew MJ was likely forming her suspicions again. Those silent but sharp glances made Charlie nervous. MJ never asked directly, but she was too smart not to notice the small inconsistencies in Charlie's behavior.
As the conversation slowly died down and lunch break neared its end, Charlie stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I’ve got to go," she said, trying to keep her tone casual. "I’ve got things to take care of."
Ned waved it off, unsurprised by her declining, while Brooke half-heartedly called out, "See you tomorrow!" MJ, however, studied Charlie for a moment, but said nothing. *She knows… or at least suspects*, Charlie thought, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
With a final smile in her friends' direction, Charlie turned and quickly made her way down the school hallway. She felt the slight weight of her phone in her pocket—the message from Tony, waiting for her. The thought of the lab, the technological wonders she would share with him tonight, pushed all her other worries aside for a moment. She was ready for whatever was coming—and at the same time, she knew she couldn’t tell anyone.