MJ
MJ's POV
Michelle Jones pushed open the door of her apartment building that she shared with her mother, munching on a muesli bar as she began the long trek down the stairs. The elevator had long since stopped working and it was obvious the property manager had no intention to fix it, regardless of the many petitions the building's tenants signed that she took to the company. Old Aunt Glenda from the apartment across from her had to move as it was too much for her to walk down the ten flights of stairs with her old walker, though MJ insisted that she was more than happy to help her make the trek back and forth each day. In the end, Glenda had to move into a retirement home, something she was always fervently against but there was really nowhere else she could afford to go. Michelle's heart squeezed at the thought. She missed her. Aunt Glenda, she wasn't really her aunt but that's what she insisted MJ call her, was one of the few people in the world who appeared to enjoy talking to MJ and shared the same topics of interest; feminism, black rights and conspiracy theories concerning their current government. Michelle reminded herself that she would be visiting her at the end of the week, but after growing accustomed to seeing her almost every day for the past three years, it felt like forever.
Finally making it to the end of the stairs, MJ pushed the door open, wincing at the shriek the unoiled doors made and stepped out onto the busy street. In the past, she would have turned left and headed for the bus stop, but she turned right instead. MJ had decided to try walking to the school two years ago and hadn't stopped since. Even when it rained, she preferred to walk as she listened to true crime podcasts through her headphones as opposed to the shrieking of her fellow classmates who clearly hadn't had enough sleep and were much to excitable to be alive on a Monday morning.
The walk to the Midtown School of Science and Technology took an hour's walk, but MJ found it passed in a blur. The first few weeks when she started had been painful but now it was just second nature. She had familiarised herself with the different buildings and did not have to think about where she was going as her body took her to the school with automatic control. That gave her the ability to listen to her podcasts with better focus now.
Even though the walk to school meant she had to get up earlier anyway, she always tried to arrive at school no later than 45 minutes prior to her first class. MJ liked to sit on the front steps and people watch. She liked to observe her classmates at the start of the day before the classes and dramas of the day turned everyone into zombies.
Taking a set on the stairs, she switched her Podcast out for her music playlist. She had an eclectic music taste and put the playlist on shuffle. Filled with hundreds of songs, she never knew what she was going to get and had vowed to herself she would not get in the habit of skipping songs she wasn't feeling because any song she added to the playlist had a meaning to her at one point or another. The words of Florence and the Machine's Cosmic Love filled her ears as she positioned her backpack behind her against the pillar so she could get comfortable leaning against the stair pillar as she began her people-watching. She watched as the girls with their pretty sleek hair and short skirts giggled together as they entered the school. She watched as the jocks jostled each other and laughed loudly at stupid jokes they each told. She watched them all walk past her, but no one watched her back and that's how she preferred it. It gave her a sense of control to know what was going on with everyone else while she flew under the radar.
Or, she tried to.
"What's up MJ?"
She familiar voice of her classmate Ned filtered through Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness and she ripped out her earphones to grin up at him. Ned was hard to dislike. He was funny and such a nerd, but also really friendly. He managed to make friends with everyone, except those who thought they were too good to be liked by Ned.
But being liked by Ned was nice. Not that MJ would ever tell him.
"Not much Nerd, what about you?"
It was the right question to ask because Ned immediately launched into a tale about his trip to Target where he found a new Lego while offering Michelle a hand as he pulled her to his feet. MJ was only partly listening as they walked through the front door of the school as she scanned the crowd. She had come to learn that Ned didn't always need or want her full attention, just someone to talk to; because although Ned was friendly to others, they didn't often take the time to listen to him. Michelle liked to act like a badass and hold herself with an air that communicates to people that they should fuck off, but not for Ned.
Michelle was jolted back to the present when Ned shouted, "Peter! Bro, I have the most awesome story to tell you!"
She turned and watched as Peter Parker shuffled through the crowd, yawning, and waving at Ned as he made his way toward them. When he reached them, he barely had time to offer MJ a small smile and a "sup, MJ" before he was accosted by Ned. MJ laughed as they began to geek out together, all evidence of Peter's tiredness forgotten as he gave Ned his full attention with enthusiasm and earnestly. He was a good friend to Ned and while MJ found great joy in teasing them both constantly about their nerdiness, she had to admit they were a good pair. Where Peter went, Ned went. And where Ned went, Peter followed. A sudden pang hit her chest at the thought. She never had a friend like that. Her closest friends were Ned and Peter, but she'd never tell them that. Partly because she didn't want to give them the satisfaction and partly because she wasn't sure they felt the same way back. She sat with them at lunch and at school events and Peter was her lab partner in Science, but she wasn't entirely sure what they thought of her. She knew she scared them, especially when she was stressed with approaching exams, but she also knew they respected her and seemed to be the only ones in her class year who listened when she would rant about human rights or current public issues in the area. They signed any petition she showed them and attended marches with her. She wasn't sure if they were just doing it to be kind though.
They went their separate ways, Peter and MJ to science class and Ned headed off for maths. They exchanged promises to finish the discussion of the lego set over lunch and MJ let out a groan.
"How can there be possibly anything else to say about a Lego set?"
Ned looked like he wanted to tell her just why she was wrong but she turned and marched away. Peter jogged to catch up with her, shaking his head.
"I can't believe you said that."
"Are you genuinely surprised?" she raised her eyebrow. "I've had to listen to so many versions of that conversation and I still don't get it, but by all means, we have our hobbies. Mine is just different."
"Did you do much this weekend?" Peter asked as they pushed through the crowd.
"No," she winced. A lot happened the past few days, but nothing that she wanted to tell Parker. He was probably expecting her to respond with some story about reading or participating in another community charity event. No. The reality was much darker than that. She quickly shook her head. She did not have time to think about this. She had to focus on her studies. "You?"
They had made it to the classroom and took their seats at the desk. Peter hadn't noticed her reaction to the question and she was momentarily grateful that boys weren't as perceptible as girls.
Peter had just begun to talk about his latest Star Wars marathon when the teacher entered the room. MJ was glad. She relied on the classes to keep her head straight. She'd have plenty of time to think about other stuff later, she needed to be present now.
She flipped open her school book, shoving Peter's paper mess so it sat on his half of the desk, and began to study.