Set A Course For...
Penny did not read the letter.
Her mind whirled with the innumerable possibilities of what her late mother could've written to her. The thought scared her, especially considering the great lengths with which her mother went through to keep the letter hidden from prying eyes. That didn't bode well, whatever was inside the envelope would change her.
She wasn't sure she was ready for such a life altering revelation just yet. She needed to speak to Ned about it. Plus, she also wanted to keep the fleeting thrum of joy and excitement at actually having something from her mother alive for a little while longer. Once the letter's been opened, that'll be it. Nothing else to fill in the gaps in Penny's knowledge of who her mother had been.
Neither her aunt nor uncle had known much about her Mary Parker. She was a mystery to them. An enigma. That means the envelope she held was all her mother had left to offer Penny. Nothing else remaining of herself. The woman Penny never got the opportunity to know.
Penny returned the letter to its fourteen-year-old resting spot and stashed the box away in the dusty old attic near the spot where she kept her Spider-Girl suit.
She then tried to go to bed. Her attempt at sleeping was restless and pointless. All she could think about was the letter in the attic. She half considered just shooting Ned a text, but then hesitated.
The text was written, she'd deleted the message.
What if it was dangerous?
She didn't want to endanger Ned or herself by leaving a digital trail of evidence directly to either of them. Even without knowing the contents of the letter, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was as though snakes were twisting themselves into knots in her gut.
This had to be done in person.
And so, she'd tossed and turned all night, but she must've fallen asleep as some point because one minute she recalls tossing fitfully in her uncomfortable mattress and the next is the bright morning sun casting its morning light into her bedroom and onto her skin.
She squints at her clock made from scraps.
Penny drops her head back onto the pillow and groans. This is going to be a long day...
...
As Penny dragged herself into inside the walls of Midtown, she is accosted by Ned who practically drags her away from her locker the moment she puts her bag inside.
She lets him drag her along until they are standing by the bus area and then suddenly Penny remembers exactly what today is. Friday. The tour of Stark Industries is today, and she'd completely forgotten.
Mr. Harrington looks around at all the faces. He waits until the final bell rings before taking roll call.
Once he's sure everyone who's approved for the trip is accounted for, he permits them to start boarding the bus. Penny takes an empty seat near the middle and slides close to the window as Ned settles in beside her.
"I can't believe this is actually happening right now. I mean it's not like just anybody can get into Mr. Stark's building. So, you think we'll see the Avengers? Which one would you hope to see?"
"I doubt we'll see any of the Avengers," Penny said. Her mind still on the mysterious box and letter in her room.
"You're probably right, but there's always the possibility, right?"
She should just do it, just tell him right now. No one's likely to hear her over the loud chattering of their peers. As long as she's silent enough to ensure only Ned hears what she has to say.
"Ned. There's something I need to tell you."
He stops talking at her direct approach. His brows furrow as though trying to pull the words she hasn't said aloud right out of her brain through sheer concentration alone.
"You're not going to say you have a crush of me, right? I know Flash is always making snide jokes about us being like that, but I don't like you that way and it'll make things really awkward if—"
Penny's face flushes a dark shade of pink. "I don't have a crush on you."
She can't help the feeling of humiliation that sweeps over her.
Flash has always made it his mission to point out one glaringly obvious fact about Penny and Ned's friendship. The fact that she was a girl, and he was a boy. Any insults that weren't strictly against Penny for her looks, financial status, or intelligence was grouped with her friendship with Ned. While Flash insulted Ned for being heavier and befriended Penny, his main jab always reverted to Penny and Ned being more than just best friends.
He liked to imply that Ned was only her 'friend' to get into her pants someday.
They both knew that Flash was just blowing smoke, but he certainly made things uncomfortable for a while. A lot of their classmates wondered if Flash was telling the truth and had their attention focused on what Penny and Ned would do together.
It took months before things returned back to normal. They made sure to sit a fair distance apart so everyone could she they were holding hands under the table or rubbing each other's thighs. The tried not to brush against each other so no one thought they had 'unresolved sexual tension'.
Ned was rather weird about the whole thing.
Penny herself had wondered if Ned maybe took some of Flash's accusations to heart. Maybe wondering himself if Penny really had more than platonic feelings towards him. He avoided being alone with her, even after school. When she would go to his house after school to work on their Lego builds, he left the bedroom door open and sat away from her.
It irked her. She did not have romantic feelings for Ned. He was like a brother to her, the thought of kissing him made her face burn with embarrassment and anything further made her wish she could spontaneously combust.
They never aired out the situation once the scrutiny had passed, but the twinge of annoyance (and pang of hurt) that he seemed so bothered by the possibility. Even if it wasn't the case.
Was she really so bad that not even Ned would want to be romantically linked to her?
"Oh..." He at least seemed apologetic for bringing it up. "Wait, so what is it then?"
She tells him about Mrs. Rossi picking her up and about their chat during the car ride. Then about the storage unit which held all of her aunt and uncles' belongings and how she has to get a job so she can keep their stuff from the auction block.
"Like you have time for a job, Penny." He brushed off her sudden, sour glance at his dismissal. "Don't look at me like that, it's the truth. You don't have enough time for a job between your school clubs and... Spider-Girl," Ned whispers the last bit, cupping one hand to block his mouth and contain the sound. He'd gone so far as to lower his head to muffle his words.
Penny sighs. He's not wrong, she barely has time to get her homework done or even wash her clothes. Between patrolling at night, Academic Decathalon, band, and Robotics Club, she's stretched herself too thin.
She literally is out of free time to add anything else. Unless she gave up her showers, eating, and clean clothing. Or drops out...
Penny perks up. "I've got it! I can drop a few activities to make room for a job. Do you think Mr. Delmar would hire me?"
Ned shrugs.
She shakes her head.
"I'm getting off topic. I found an old wooden box in the storage unit that I've never seen before. Apparently in was tucked away in the back of Aunt May's closet. It took me a minute to figure out the fancy script, but the name carved on the top of the box is my mother's name."
Her friend's eyes go wide. "Seriously? That's cool. I know you've always wondered about her. At least now you have something that belonged to her."
"That's not all, it gets weirder."
She lowers her voice and talks about the patterns carved on each corner and how shed cut herself. How the blood pooled into all the gaps and spun before stopping. Of how the envelope slide.so easily from between the top and the base.
"Oh my god..." Ned said, mind seemingly blown. "I thought finding out my best friend was Spider-Girl was the craziest thing I'd ever heard, but I think this tops that easily What did the letter say?"
"I dunno, haven't opened it yet."
"Why not? Aren't you curious?"
"Of course, I am, it's just a feeling I have. Whatever is in the letter is big. I know it and—"
"You're worried it'll change things?" Ned asked, already aware of why she feared such a thing.
Change was never a good thing. At least in Penny's own experience. It was the curse in her family which she dubbed the 'Parker Luck'. First off, the death of both of her parents. While that was horrible, she had Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Her parents had died when Penny was so young that she couldn't remember much about them. Their death had led to a change due to a freak accident. Then there was the gunshot, Uncle Ben's blood seeping between her fingers. A change through murder, selfishness, sorrow, and guilt. Aunt May's suicide. A change due to grief, depression, and Penny's failure.
There were more events she could recall, but she pushed them aside. None of those mattered nearly as much as the loss of her parental figures. Or how after Aunt May, Penny had bounced from one foster home to another. Never really settling anywhere. Always unstable in her living situation.
The only change that Penny can recall which was actually and good and positive thing was her alter-ego. Becoming Spider-Girl hasn't had too many terrible repercussions. There were the injuries of course, and she was always hungry. Yet, she saved people. She made their lives just a little better than what it was before. The sort of friendly helping-hand that Penny herself had never received.
"How about you bring the box to my place after school?" Ned asked, fixing his gaze on her. "We can read it together. Whatever happens, we're in this together."
Penny smiled. "I appreciate that, Ned. I don't think I'm ready to read it yet, but I'll tell you when I am."
Ned shrugs casually. ''Hey, whenever you're ready I'll be there to support you."
Before Penny gets the chance to respond, the bus pulls to a stop and Mr. Harrington stands up from his seat. He's facing the crowd of seated students; he holds some paper in his hand.
"Alright everybody, I have a few things I need to tell you before we disembark. This was all in the paperwork your parents signed, but I'm still required to go over it with you. You are expected to be on your best behavior while we're here. It's not easy for a high school class, STEM school or not, to be given access to Stark Industries. Therefore, no wandering off, no roughhousing, and no reckless behavior. We are about to have a firsthand look through the sort of labs that many of you may one day work in, along with an overall look at the process of how to get hired into such a profession. Do not make yourselves or Midtown look bad by behaving poorly. You will respect the tour guide and be respectful of them. They're spending their day to educate all of us about how Stark Industries functions, so be courteous of them and do not interrupt. They will take questions at allotted times before we move on to the next section of the tour so all your questions will be answered. I'm sure our guide will have more instructions for all of you, please depart the bus in nice single file. Do not push or shove your peers trying to get out quicker, we will not start the tour without you. Gather together in the lobby."
Penny and Ned stand up and wait until they are finally able to step out of their seats and into the throng of teenagers as they make their way towards the front of the bus. Ned nearly falls out of the bus and Penny doesn't understand why until her feet touch the sidewalk. Her eyes go wide as she stares up at the massive tower.
It looms over them, all glorious and impossible to look away from. Avengers Tower.
Or Stark Industries, it is both after all.