Chapter 216: Smith Internship. 2016 CE
[Summer of 2016]
A boy with a red and blue spandex costume was swinging through the streets of New York using a kind of spider web. Everytime he swung, he shouted sporadically, as if he was having fun doing it.
“HEEELLOOOOOO NEEEEWW YOOORRKKKK!!!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. The passersby below him noticed him, a lot of people even greeted him, calling him ‘Spider-Man’.
The boy kept swinging through New York, but suddenly, there was a call that appeared in his interface behind the mask. He immediately picked it up, as he doesn’t want the person calling him to worry.
“Hey May!” he shouted. “What’s up?”
“Peter! Where are you?” asked the woman behind the phone, his aunt, may. “We’re waiting for you here, please don’t embarrass our family in front of Mr. Smith…” from the phone, Peter could hear someone talking to may, it was a woman’s voice, after that, May went back to the phone. “Oh, and Peter, is Theo with you? His mother’s asking.”
“Oh crap.” he quietly cursed. “Um… yeah, I’m in Smith Medicals right now, doing my internship… yes, definitely.”
“At this hour?” May questioned. “Peter, the sun is setting, don’t you remember that Mr. Smith invited us to a barbeque?”
“I-I know May, I’m coming right now…”
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
“Sorry! I’ll be there in a sec.” As he approached his school, Peter saw a familiar boy sitting on its roof, seemingly staring blankly at the sun that was setting on the west. “Alright, I’m going to Theo now, bye, love you!”
“Peter—”
Peter then hung up the phone as he landed on top of Midtown High’s rooftop. “H-Hey Theo, you alright? Not coming to the barbeque?”
Helios turned around, he was wearing his newly made Eternals suit. Its design was a mix between Thena’s and Pluto, with black as a base, gold laced around the suit, with a symbol of a sun on his chest. “Hm? Oh shit, it’s today?”
“W-Well yeah… May just called… they’re calling us.” said Peter. “H-Hey listen. They’re not telling May about this “Internship” right? If she knows, I’m doomed.”
Theo shook it off. “It’ll be fine,” said Helios, standing. “They’re not gonna tell her. I think…”
“You think?” Peter said, a bit nervous. “Dude, come on man, if your parents say this ‘spiderman’ thing in front of Gwen’s dad, he’d pull a gun on me, you know he hates Spider-Man.”
“Don’t be such a wuss Peter. My parents aren’t rats.” Helios sighed. He then suddenly floated, golden light surrounding him. “Let’s go, I’ll carry you, much faster than swinging.”
Peter just nodded, and golden light surrounded him as well. Both of them quickly ascend from the rooftop, before disappearing from people’s sight using a device given by Helio’s dad.
They sped up, traveling through the New York Sky. Peter enjoyed the feeling of the air hitting his face, especially at the end of Summer where the air is not too cold.
“Man, I wish I could fly.” Peter commented, closing his eyes, fully enjoying the sensation.
“You have spider webs and that tingle-thing, Peter, it’s pretty good to me.” Helios commented flatly.
“Weird calling it ‘tingle-thing’.” Peter murmured.
“Then name it?” said Helios, as if it was the obvious thing to do.
“I don’t know… I’m bad at naming… How about Peter Tingle? No, wait, if I said it outright they’ll know my name… um… sixth sense? No, that’s too cliche…”
“Think it yourself Peter, don’t make me hear it.” Helios groaned.
“Sorry…” Peter mumbled. “Hey, did you join the team?”
“What team?”
“The Decathlon team?”
“What? Why would I do that?” Helios asked, confused. “Wait, you join?”
“Yeah.” said Peter, shrugging.
“Why?— wait, it’s because Liz is in it, isn’t it?” Helios sighed. “Peter, just ask her already! It’s so frustrating seeing you just stare at him all day.”
“W-Well, what about you then?” Peter shot back.
“What about me?” Helios asked, turning to Peter with a weird face.
“You and Gwen!” Peter exclaimed. “It’s hard to hang out with the two of you anymore because it’d be really awkward!”
“What? It’s not awkward, what are you talking about?”
“Dude! You are dumber than me, don’t talk to me about asking Liz out.” Peter sighed. “Honestly, do you even like her?”
“Like her?” Helios hummed. “Yeah, of course.”
“No, I mean, like ‘Like’ her. Like I ‘like’ Liz.”
Helios thought about it, he paused for a long time before answering. “Yeah, isn’t it obvious? She’s literally my only ‘friend’ that is a girl, and she’s really nice to me, even if I acted like an asshole.”
“What? She’s not your only ‘friend’ that is a girl. No, what about Betty?”
“She’s just a clubmate.” Helios shrugged. “Besides, she’s too touchy, it’s weird.”
“Dude… I bet even Liz has a crush on you…” Peter mumbled.
“Why would she have a crush on me?” asked Helios, confused.
“I mean, your dad’s rich… you’re smart, pretty handsome dude, dress well, why wouldn’t she?”
“I don’t even know her.” said Helios, dropping both of them in front of his house. “If she likes me because of my appearance and money, then I’d rather stay away from her.”
“Why?”
“Because the second you lose both of them, she’ll leave you, that’s what my dad said anyway.” Helios answered straightforwardly. “Change your clothes dude, quick.”
“You haven’t changed either!”
Helios shrugged as he tapped the sun on his chest, changing his clothes to his normal ones.
“Why didn’t I get one of those functions?!” Peter groaned, starting to take out his clothes from his bag.
Helios rolled his eyes. “Make it yourself then…”