Weekends are the only ones Peter could dedicate time to himself completely. But after that night's sleep, he couldn't think of anything else. He needed to tell the public about Screwball's hoax. But first, he took to the skyscrapers of New York. After swinging for a while, he realized that a young woman, about the same age as him, was having her purse stolen, without her noticing. Quick work, he quickly trapped the assailant in his web, and hurried to return the bag.
- Hey, lady — He exclaimed innocently — Your purse! That one almost took it.
- Uh?! — She seemed scared by the hero's appearance, took her bag from his hands, and started walking away, picking up her cell phone, making a call.
Peter didn't know what was going on, but then he started to notice the stares of many people, judging him from afar. He decided to go somewhere he felt comfortable. At the top of the college building, he opened his social media, taking off his mask. A bombshell, it was too late for Peter to do anything about Screwball, she had already struck first. One video, the title was just “Spider-Man”, and when he opened it, a whispering voice from the vigilante was heard over an image of the graffiti she had done of him, only all crossed out.
- He claims to be the “friendly neighborhood” — Her voice began, calm — Spider-Man is an attention magnet, a life sucker and… not who you might think. There's a reason why he wears a mask that covers his entire face, he's self-centered and arrogant, a person of bad character. He will always expect something from you in return. Feel lucky you weren't the victim of his… advances.
Peter couldn't watch anymore. He turned off the cell phone. He was red with rage, his anxiety rising as he watched the people watching him with disdain, rushing to get home. It was already in the news in the most varied newspapers, the video denouncing the masquerade was on everyone's lips, The_Spidey_Web was in a fast decline, and some people even tried to hit him with rotten tomatoes when he was returning home. He arrived in a state of despair, took off his uniform like an animal, and then all those negative thoughts just came right back. It ended up happening again, the only thing that made him feel normal after so long, ripped away from him by someone else. He screamed in anger, which attracted the attention of May, who after seeing all the headlines involving her nephew, decided to talk to him.
She knocked on the door before opening it and was almost hit by a flying cell phone. It slammed hard on the wall beside her, and after the startle, she noticed Peter. The poor thing was a mess, his hair in disarray, eyes red from the tears streaming down his face. His ire was only matched by the state of the clothes he'd put on, wrinkled, and contorted, a mess. She approached slowly.
- Peter…
- I don't want to talk now, May.
- Love…
- No, please.
- You need it — She sat on the bed, along with Peter — I saw the news, and I know it's not true. Not my nephew.
- Everything I do, May. All the good things I get for myself, someone comes along and take it from me! I'm tired — Peter's tears rolled as he babbled — Because doing what's right is so hard, I… Am I going to have to stop being Spider-Man?
- Oh... — She hugged Peter, and continued talking to him in her arms — Honey... They are the ones who are wrong, not you. You need to take this as a learning experience, and not let it defeat you.
- Ned tried to warn me, but I didn't listen to him...
- Yeah, you must listen to your friends, no matter the situation. I had my fears when you made that channel, but you had Ned, so I was calm. But you didn't stay with him. Remember what I said about just being you and me? This is not right. You need people who want you good, no matter the price.
- But I hurt him, Aunt.
- Look… — May let go of her nephew, and started to look far away — When I… I met the love of my life, Ben, we spent a lot of time together, it was like a dream. But my family didn't like him, mainly because he wasn't Italian like me, so all of them, my parents, brothers, and sisters, started excluding me from everything they did, I only had Benjamin. For a long time, I felt homeless, it was just the two of us against the world, no matter who was against us, we always moved forward. Got it? But it wasn't like this forever. After they got to know him, one way or another, they saw the mistake they made.
- And you forgave them?
- But of course, Peter. I did what anyone does for someone they love, if that person hurt you, but they regretted what they did, and you know that this regret is real, there's no reason to hold grudges, keeping something so bad in your heart only opens wounds that shouldn't be there. I also didn't have the best of reactions when they started judging me, but they were also willing to forgive me.
- … What do I do now?
- First of all, you're going to spend the whole weekend here with me, Spider-Man is not very well liked out there and you rarely spend one with me since you started this little double life of yours, I suppose.
- Hahaha, sorry — Peter already wiped the tears.
- And second, when you go back to school, you're going to apologize to Ned, and go after that Screwball, no matter how long it takes.
- Yes ma'am.
- Now come, help me in the kitchen.
Spider-Man's sabbatical weekend was something he really needed to have. Peter sometimes forgets how good it is to be in the presence of his aunt, the only family he has left besides Ned, they talked more about insecurities and all the dramas they went through together until the day he returned to college, this time without ride on the web. He was relieved that he hadn't gone out in his uniform that day, because, like every day since he created that channel, the conversation was always about Spider-Man. He didn't have the courage to talk to Ned until the break, he was still thinking of what to say despite spending the whole weekend on it. So when he plucked up the courage, at the break, he approached the table where he and MJ were, who he'd also had to reckon with the last few days, so it wasn't a problem for her to be there. He slowly approached them with the lunch tray.
- Hi… — He said, in a low voice, blushing — Can I… sit down and talk to you?
- Go ahead — MJ said, after Ned looked at her, seeing if she was comfortable with it.
- I… — He started to say, after sitting down — I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. For you two. I don't have a lot of people to rely on, and I already have a pretty small family, I don't want to exclude anyone else. Can… You forgive me?
- Prove it — Michelle said to the amazement of both Peter and Ned.
- How can I prove it?
- Say I was right about what I said about this Screwball and Spider-Man thing.
- Ah… Is that all? Of course, you were right.
- That's all I wanted to hear — She smiled, a genuine smile this time — Welcome back to the land of the lucid, Peter.
- Thank you haha — Her smile, her real smile, was a gift Peter didn't think was as rewarding.
- Peter, look… — Ned continued — I'm not mad at you, I know that everything you've been going through in the last few years has been hell, and I don't blame you. I was just worried about you, and it's good to see you're okay. MJ, would you excuse me and Peter, please? You know how it is, man talk.
- Hm? — She raised an eyebrow, curious — Okay...
- Sooooooo… — Ned waited for her to get up, and after she left, he continued — What about the Screwball situation?
- She's horrible, Ned. All her acts of heroism were a farce, paid actors, accidents, robberies, arsons, all her work to gain more views. She knew I was going to leak everything, and she ruined my online popularity because of it.
- And what do you want to do?
- What May told me to do, go after her and end this charade once and for all. But how to do that is the hard part.
- Peter, you have your chair nerd back. I already know what we can do.
Later, they were in the computer room, hiding, as the end of school day bell sounded, Ned, preparing to hide in the room and use the machine on that night's mission. He started to tell Peter the plan.
- Here's the thing, you have some kind of alternative webs there. Don't you have a shock web?
- Yes.
- Give me the tip of the conductor.
- Here — Peter said, right after opening the web-shooter and taking it from one of the compartments.
- Okay, you open it and start putting this in — Ned showed him a USB key, and so Peter began, and he continued — I will hack Screwball's systems as soon as you launch this web into something on her network. I can get into any system given time, you know, I've even hacked into a Stark tech suit, a little nobody like her won't be a problem. The real problem will be how long it will take me to do this, and you need to keep her busy for as long as necessary, and until then, you can't do anything that incriminates you in the public eye, otherwise she will definitely use it against you.
- So, I have to distract her, but I can't do anything that compromises me?
- Yeah, at least until I get into her system. The last part is to get everything that incriminates her to leak on the net in the most popular way possible, since her channel is no longer an option…
- Got it, I'll talk to him later — Peter confirmed his friend's thoughts, of course they were going to draw on the greatest power they had available.
- Plan traced, goal set, are you ready?
- No, but I have no option.
- Good luck, man, we’ll keep talking in the suit.
- Thanks — The two made their touch, and Peter climbed out the window.
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