Chapter 3
The following week went quickly. Despite the slight change in relationship between Peter and MJ, everything seemed as normal as ever. The only difference was that the pair had begun to hold hands when walking to classes. Ned seemed over the moon, grinning at Peter whenever MJ looked away. His enthusiasm for their blossoming relationship puts Peter at ease because he’d been worried that Ned would feel rejected. But in between homework, interning and Spider-manning, Peter and MJ had not had a chance to spend any time together outside of school. Luckily, they’d all decided to go the party on Saturday which was a perfect opportunity for the trio to spend some quality time together, as well as with the rest of their classmates.
With Tony’s insistence, the two boys went shopping after school on Friday. His guardian, upon finding out about the party, had given Peter $500 and told him to go and buy himself something new to wear. It wasn’t like he needed a new outfit for a party; after all, his clothes were fine, and no one really dressed up much for a house party. But Tony had been trying to convince Peter to buy some new clothes for a while and on this occasion, Peter hadn’t been able to escape his guardian’s generosity. Truthfully, he’d gotten a lot more comfortable with the idea of taking Tony’s money due to how long they had known each other and how close they had become. He still felt odd about how quickly Tony would hand over large amounts of money whenever he got the chance, but Tony had convinced him that he’d earned the money by actually taking on an intern role at the company and also helping him out with Avengers tech.
Peter bought himself a new sweater and jeans, along with a new pair of white Converse. The outfit was expensive but still much cheaper than it would have been had he allowed Tony to buy him something. With much of the money unspent, he treated Ned to dinner at one of their favourite Italian restaurants and then headed out on patrol after dropping off his purchases at home.
It was almost no surprise to Peter that he found himself, later that night, back on a rooftop near Stark Tower, with a joint in hand. He had music playing on his phone and he sat looking down at the city below him. He’d resisted from partaking in his new hobby all week, figuring that it may interfere with his schoolwork, and his already hectic schedule. But, tonight had been a quiet night for Spiderman and he was feeling a little anxious about the party. He could feel the worry disappear from his head. He felt lighter. He felt like he could breathe a little easier. He decided to text MJ about the party, feeling more confident than usual.
Peter: hey 😊
MJ: hey, whats up?
Peter: just thinking about the party tomorrow
Peter: i reckon tony will give us a ride
Peter: if u want
MJ: sounds cool, pick me up at 8?
Peter: ok
MJ: ned said your still out in your suit, go home and get some sleep
Peter: im just hangin out
MJ: yeah?
Peter: yeahhhhh
MJ: go hang out at home
MJ: before tony and ned start to worry
Peter: only tony and ned..? ☹
MJ: and me
MJ: but don’t tell anyone i said that
Peter: 😊
Ten minutes later, Peter arrived back at the tower. His high had worn off enough that he felt capable of swinging home. He sent a quick text to MJ to tell her that he’d made it home safe, knowing that she’d pass on the message to Ned, and collapsed on his bed. He lay there for a while, watching random videos on YouTube. The slight high made everything much more interesting. Soon enough, Peter become aware of how heavy his eyelids had become. He checked the time, realizing it was nearly 4am and decided it was time to sleep.