The morning at Midtown School felt normal on the surface. Students moved through the halls in steady streams, lockers slamming shut every few seconds, bits of conversation overlapping — full of the usual young energy.
Jack was heading toward his class when something ahead caught his attention. A crowd of students had gathered in a tight circle near the lockers, blocking half the hallway. The noise stood out immediately — louder, sharper, more focused than the usual chatter.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Phones were already up, some students standing on their toes, others pushing forward to get a better view. A few were laughing, a few shouting, and some just watching with that curious look people always get when something's about to happen.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Jack frowned slightly. A fight? Here?
He picked up his pace, slipping through the gaps between students, brushing past shoulders until he reached the center — and stopped.
Peter? And Flash?
The two of them stood a few feet apart, tension thick enough that it didn't need words. Peter's posture was different — more rigid, more forward than usual. Flash looked like he was enjoying every second of it.
Jack didn't think. He stepped in.
"Hey — stop. Both of you. Don't do this."
Peter glanced at him, jaw tight. "Jack, stay out of it. I'm not backing off this time."
That alone was enough to throw Jack off.
Flash let out a short laugh. "What, nerd? You serious right now? You actually think you can take me?"
Peter didn't respond. He just took a small step forward. Flash mirrored it. The crowd got louder.
"Yeah, do it!"
"Flash, beat him!"
Jack shifted between them, trying to hold the space. "Hey, don't fight here."
"Stay out of it, Walker," Flash said, annoyed.
"What is going on here?"
The voice cut through everything. The noise dropped almost instantly.
The principal pushed through the crowd, already irritated, his expression tight as he looked between the two of them.
"I got a report about a fight," he said sharply. "Parker. Thompson. This is a school, not a boxing ring."
Neither of them spoke.
"Both of you — office. Now."
He turned and walked. Jack caught Peter's eye and gave him a look. What happened?
Peter gave the faintest shake of his head. I'll tell you later.
Both Peter and Flash followed, the crowd parting for them. The tension broke just as quickly as it had built.
"Thought they were actually gonna fight."
"Yeah, shame the principal stopped it."
Students started talking again, already moving on. Jack stayed where he was for a moment, watching them go. He hadn't seen how it started.
"What happened?"
He turned. Gwen and MJ were pushing through the last of the crowd, both looking straight at him.
"I didn't catch the start," Jack told them. "By the time I got here, they were already about to throw punches. Then the principal showed up."
"What?" MJ blinked. "Peter was actually going to fight him?"
"That doesn't make sense," Gwen added, frowning. "Peter's not like that."
"Flash is the one who started it."
They turned. Liz Allan stood a few steps away, arms loosely crossed.
"Liz — you saw it?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah," Liz said. "Flash and his group were walking through. Peter was by himself. One of Flash's guys shoulder-checked him — hard enough that Peter's camera got broken. Then Flash started running his mouth."
MJ frowned. "So Peter just snapped?"
"Pretty much," Liz said. "He didn't back down this time."
Gwen's expression hardened. "Didn't Flash say he'd leave Peter alone after the bet?"
Liz gave a small shrug. "He's saying he kept his word. He didn't touch Peter. Just… didn't stop his friends either."
MJ let out a short breath. "That's such a cheap way to get around it."
"So he lays low for a few weeks, then comes back like this?" Gwen shook her head. "That's worse."
Jack nodded slightly, more to himself. "Yeah… I didn't think he'd play it like that."
Liz glanced between them. "Anyway. That's what happened."
"Thanks, Liz," Gwen said.
"No problem."
The bell rang not long after, breaking things up. They headed to class.
Peter and Flash came in late after the break. Jack leaned slightly toward Peter.
"What happened in the office?"
Peter kept his voice low. "Warning. First offense."
Jack nodded. "Could've been worse."
"Yeah." Peter didn't say anything else after that.
"I heard your camera got damaged," Jack said, lowering his voice. "Is it working?"
Peter shook his head. "No. The lens is broken. I'll need to replace it."
"That bad?"
"Yeah," Peter said, glancing down for a second. "It won't focus properly anymore."
Jack hesitated, then added, "If you need help paying for it, I can cover it for now."
Peter looked up quickly and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll manage."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," Peter said, a little more firmly this time. "I've got it."
Jack gave a small nod and didn't push further.
After the next class, Gwen and MJ found them and pulled up seats nearby. Gwen went straight to Peter.
"Are you okay? What did they say in the office?"
"Just a warning," Peter said, setting his bag down. "First offense, so… yeah. That's it."
"That's it?" MJ raised an eyebrow. "Flash starts it, his guy wrecks your camera, and you both just get a warning?"
Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "Technically, I was the one who stepped forward."
"Because he pushed you into it," Gwen said, her voice firm. "Flash knew exactly what he was doing. He let his friends handle the mess so he could stay out of trouble."
"Classic Flash," MJ said flatly. "Too much of a coward to do it himself, so he hides behind his crew."
Peter didn't argue. He just let out a slow breath and nodded. "It's fine. Could've been worse."
Gwen didn't look fully convinced, but she let it go. "Still — if anything else happens, tell us."
"I will."
The bell rang a moment later, cutting things short as students started settling in. The teacher walked in, dropped some books on the desk, and the lesson started.
Jack ended up in the seat beside Gwen. He lasted about five minutes before his attention drifted.
He leaned slightly closer. "So… about yesterday," he said under his breath.
Gwen glanced at him. "What about it?"
"You nearly gave me a heart attack jumping me like that," Jack said quietly. "Who even does that?"
Gwen's lips twitched. "You looked fine to me."
"Yeah? Didn't feel fine," he muttered. "I'm still recovering."
She rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. "You're being dramatic."
"Am I? Pretty sure that counts as attempted murder."
That got a small laugh out of her — quiet, like she was trying to hold it in.
"Focus," she said, nudging his arm lightly.
"Can't. Still traumatized."
Gwen shook her head, but the smile stayed as she turned back to her notebook. Jack watched her for just a second longer than he meant to, then looked away.
A few seats back, MJ leaned slightly toward Peter, keeping her voice low.
"You seeing this?"
Peter glanced up. Jack and Gwen were closer than usual — heads tilted toward each other, voices barely above a whisper, both trying not to laugh in the middle of class.
"…Yeah," he said.
MJ smirked. "I'm telling you — they're gonna end up dating."
Peter considered it for a second, then gave a small nod. "I think so too."
MJ leaned back, satisfied, as the lesson continued up front — mostly ignored by at least a few people in the room.
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