Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift

Peter had never been so thankful that May had to work early at F.E.A.S.T. before. And it wasn't even because that meant Lila would pick him up for school, either. No, he was grateful because when Ted pulled up a block away, stopped by NYPD, he knew things were going to go wrong.

Other kids he recognized were being greeted by teachers standing next to the police, lists in their hands. Peter had gotten an email the week before, one that had been sent to the entire school. The students would arrive by grade, showing their student ID's to the teacher before a security checkpoint in front of the school. They had informed the student body of these protocols due to the staggering amount of press Midtown had been getting as they neared the beginning of the school year.

MJ and Ned were already there, waiting on the sidewalk. Funnily enough, so was Flash Thompson, looking camera ready for his first day, a book with his face on the cover in hand. Lila told Peter all about it, how he'd spent the entire summer writing a book about how he was best friends with Spider-Man. Self-published, and it only sold about a hundred copies. Most of which were bought by Flash so that he could sign and distribute them.

Peter and Lila both thanked Ted, the latter giving him a kiss on the cheek before exiting the car. Lila's dad wished them luck on their first day, and the pair stepped out into the noise. A wall of noise was the most apt description, for people crowded the sidewalks as best they could to catch a glimpse of Peter Parker. He kept his eyes trained on the police officer who eyed him warily, until he felt a hand slip into his.

He looked over and saw Lila standing right next to him, almost shoulder to shoulder. Together, they looked a little bit past the police line and saw what the walk ahead looked like. It wasn't ideal at all.

There had been barricades set up along the sidewalks, leaving the street clear and open like Peter had seen at parades. Unfortunately, he wasn't a parade float, he was just a kid trying to get to class, swarmed by the masses. He could hardly stand to look at the crowds of people.

He thought people had better things to do on a weekday morning than stand and ogle at underage kids trying to get to class, but apparently it was sensational news that Spider-Man was a senior in high school. His friends flanked him, his girlfriend stood next to him, and Peter took three deep breaths before walking over to the teacher with the list in her hand.

A small mercy was that she asked all of them to show their student ID's, even Peter, before instructing the policeman to wave the four (five, he kept forgetting Flash) of them onward. That was when the real hell began. Michelle whispered a small "Holy shit," as someone in the crowd yelled out his name. And suddenly, all eyes were on him.

News reporters flanked the crowds, their cameras and portable lights thrusting their reality into view, and Peter tried his best to keep his eyes forward. Posters of his face were up above people, some with devil horns painted on, some with "Hero" written above him. The noise level was ridiculous, jeers and taunts coupled with whoops and hollers created a cacophony of overstimulating noise. 

Worst of all was that not all the noise was directed at him. "MJ! MJ!" A voice nearby called, belonging to a grown man with last year's yearbook photo of MJ on his shirt. "We love you, MJ, power to the truth!"

"Delilah!" Another voice shouted, a young woman a few years older than them the culprit. She began coughing, a cloud of smoke leaving her lips that smelled distinctly like something that wasn't legally allowed near a high school campus. "Gardening girls for life!"

The crowd somehow felt like it closed in, the walkway towards the school feeling narrower. Police were heard shouting at bystanders to back up, though it didn't seem to help. The noise was just as oppressive.

"Delilah, you know he's a murderer, right?"

"Hey, Peter, do a TikTok with me!"

"Mysterio forever!"

"Do a flip!"

Peter was nearly about to explode when he made it to the doors with Lila. A security wand was waved in front of him, and he was ushered forward. He made it up three steps when he felt ice and emptiness where Lila's hand should be. He turned around, and she was still being waved down by security. He tried to wait, but the police were insistent, and she bravely smiled up at him. "I'll see you inside, okay?" He told her, and she nodded. One last glance at her and their friends, and Peter hurried inside.

It was quieter past the doors, but not entirely silent. Actually, it sounded like a typical first day of school — busy, but not deafening. Just normal. Jarring, was the word that came to Peter, the juxtaposition between the media frenzy outside versus the normalcy of school almost made it feel like a bubble. But Peter quickly learned that the bubble was much more like a fishbowl.

Students were making their way up the front steps, and Peter followed behind. The long stretch of hallway containing most everybody's locker was filled with kids, but he couldn't even get to them before being confronted with three of his teachers. Mr. Dell was flanked by both Mr. Harrington and Coach Wilson. Peter's academic decathlon teacher had an anticipatory smile on his face, and his gym teacher had his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Behind them encased in glass was a display of random things associated with Peter. Above it was a poster with the words Midtown High: Where We Shape Heroes.

It was about to get really awkward really fast, starting with Mr. Dell. "Peter," he greeted, his goatee coming in over the summer. "We would love to welcome you back to Midtown High. Where we shape heroes!" His voice trailed off in a whisper, and Mr. Harrington enthusiastically gestured to the case behind them.

"Or murderers," Coach Wilson added, and Peter wasn't sure if he had blinked at all since Peter arrived.

Mr. Harrington dropped his arms and scolded the coach. "Stop it." He straightened his tie and turned back to Peter, his voice almost robotic. "It's an honor to serve you, sir." And if that wasn't enough, he threw in a salute.

Coach Wilson shook his head. "It's not," he argued, "Mysterio was right."

"Stop—"

"Mysterio. Was. Right."

"That's all," Mr. Harrington said firmly. "Some of the students put this together for you."

"No, you did that—"

"I helped a little bit." Peter caught a flash of artwork and Spider-Man memorabilia in the case as well as what he thought was a picture of him and Lila with a photoshopped Mr. Harrington somewhere in Venice. His teachers were still talking over each other as Peter yearned to be literally anywhere else at that moment. Finally, Mr. Harrington gave him an out. "I hope you have time to stop and check it out."

"Yeah," Mr. Dell agreed. "And feel free to walk — o-or swing — down the hallways. Or crawl on the ceilings to avoid everybody."

"We all know you can do it."

"I'm just gonna..." Peter didn't even try to finish his sentence, he just started walking away from his teachers.

"We know what you did," Coach Wilson said to his back.

Mr. Harrington tisked, "You're embarrassing yourself."

The words went in and out of Peter's head, for the sea of cellphones staring at him finally grabbed his attention. He couldn't see the end of the hallway, he could barely even see the classroom doors that lined either side, for a never-ending wall of students filled the main hallway, each one primed to get a glimpse of Peter, a person they had gone to school with for years.

There was no way around it (even though Mr. Dell's invitation to crawl on the ceilings was sounding pretty good) but through. It wasn't even like a normal passing period, where Peter had to shoulder his way through the crowd. No, the crowd gave him a wide berth when he passed, everyone silent and staring, recording him as he walked. It was going to be an obscenely long day, and an even longer school year.

By some sheer miracle, Peter's locker wasn't located in that hallway, he merely had to turn the corner and walk down another hall, far away from the majority of prying eyes. As soon as he rounded said corner, the hallway erupted into noise, people talking, catching up with one another after the summer, and the lingering sound of Peter Parker's name in everyone's mouth.

Two class periods came and went before Peter found Lila. The two of them had a long lunch, followed by only two classes in the afternoon, and they were home free. But those two hours were agonizing, especially because he was alone. Peter could hardly focus on the typical introductions his teachers made at the beginning of the school year, nor did he even really remember what was on either class syllabus. The feel of eyes burning holes from all sides of him deafened everything, and the tension in his shoulders grew with each passing minute.

So when Lila found him at his locker, and a fresh wave of whispers crashed over him after she kissed his cheek in greeting, Peter didn't hesitate to remove them from it. Shouldering his backpack, he walked Lila down several hallways past the robotics lab and through a door she'd never been in. He led her up the stairs and into the sun, hardly aware himself that they'd just found access to the school's rooftop. Lila assumed it would've been locked, but glancing back at the door they just walked through, the slight dent in the door handle made her realize that Peter just took care of that problem.

The noise was still present, as it always would be in New York City, but it was nothing more than background, and Peter couldn't be more grateful. Their view was spectacular, they could see the city in the distance, and the sun shone down on their faces. It was a cooler day, welcoming in the fall and saying goodbye to the summer all in the same breeze. Peter and Lila set their backpacks down and sighed deeply. Both Ned and MJ were still in class for another hour, not having as long of a lunch as the two of them, so they took advantage of being in each other's presence for a little while.

Side by side, they shut their eyes and lay on their backs, and that was where Peter launched into his day. Lila, the incredible listener she had always been, heard everything he said about his experience once they'd separated at the front doors. She hummed and hawed at all the right times, even laughed as Peter groaned in remembrance of the shrine dedicated to him near the front doors.

She admitted to having seen the shrine herself, a particularly large fan of the poorly modeled clay bust of Peter's head, depicting him with mismatching ears and the wrong color eyes. Peter smiled, glad that at least somebody found humor in this situation. That easygoing smile disappeared from her face, however, when Peter asked her how her morning went.

For the most part, it seemed to just involve a lot of stares, which Lila expected. Assuming there would be interest in the fact that she was dating a superhero, Lila was also not surprised at the questions thrown her way any spare minute she had. She just hadn't anticipated disdain from people she thought had been her friends before.

Brad Davis was one of the first people to meet with her, and it started civilly enough. However, the purpose of their conversation was for Brad to inform Lila he'd be seeking other tutors for the school year ahead, since he couldn't associate with someone who "ignored their morals because they had a crush".

"What?" Peter asked, genuinely confused.

Lila, who put her hands down after using air quotes, just shrugged. "Y-Yeah, I found out real quick he went down the — the Mysterio truther deep dive." When she turned back to face Peter's guilty face, she sighed. "Honestly, I was going to stop t-tutoring him this year, anyway, after all the stunts he pulled in — in Europe."

He let it lie, not saying more on the subject as he winced in memory of the drone he'd accidentally set on Brad. Part of Peter also wondered if his deep dive into Mysterio propaganda had anything to do with the fact that Lila didn't reciprocate any romantic feelings Brad might've had for her. A wave of smug satisfaction that she didn't go with someone so susceptible to lies washed over him, and he internally concluded that the whole conversation was indeed for the best.

"Harry decided what he was going to do with his gap year," Lila announced, a small, proud smile gracing her lips. Peter turned to look at her, interested in the topic change, and glad for a reprieve from things surrounding his situation. And Harry Osborn was always a welcome distraction.

It was the friendship he genuinely didn't expect in the midst of one of the most chaotic summers, but Peter would be the first to admit that he was grateful he knew Harry. After his legal trouble had died down, Peter found himself with a lot of free time indoors, same with Lila. And Harry was often along for the ride, since he didn't like to feel left out of spending time with Lila. Once they got past the initial phase of Harry asking all his Spider-Man related questions, he actually helped Peter a great deal with everything else.

If there was one thing Harry was more than familiar with, it was fame and notoriety. It was what he'd been born into, and even though he wore it well, Harry was the first person to say how there were moments where it felt like he was being eaten alive. And out of the unforeseen goodness in Harry's heart (he claimed it was there and on display the entire time), Harry made an effort to talk to Peter about how to manage his mental health going forward.

Concurrently, Harry was a high school graduate. He'd already been planning to take a gap year followed by starting college at Columbia the next school year, but his plans for said gap year changed around the same time his friendship with Peter began. And all because of a random shelf.

Harry was making plans to tour Europe and parts of Asia, and visited his dad's library to read up more on places he should go. It was there, behind the enormous grenaldi desk of his father, Harry discovered a bookshelf he had never taken the time to look at before. The name caught his attention more than anything.

Emily Osborn

Several volumes with her name etched on the spines accompanied Harry's afternoon, trips around the world completely forgotten. The pages were filled with her handwriting and sketches, and Harry spent hours tracing the indents on the pages with his fingers. His dad had taken the time to bind and cover Emily's notes, preserving the ideas that were within. And the ideas were grand enough that Harry had nearly zero idea what they actually were.

So he brought them to Peter, and the two of them spent the next day going over all the notes. Lila hadn't been around that day, something to do with helping a street vendor she and her dad knew with their housework (the missus had undergone surgery, and the elderly gentleman needed help with certain chores). He came equipped with his own fresh notebooks, and with Peter's help, Emily Osborn's ideas graced reality once again.

She was a remarkably innovative thinker, Peter realized, and said as much to Harry. She utilized her time at Oscorp to kickstart a research station program that, if it actually went into effect, would be spread across and gather data on the city. Using science-backed information to justify funding programs that would only stand to benefit the communities that made up New York was Emily's mission, one she would never see to fruition.

It gave Harry pause, and in a moment of vulnerability, confided in Peter that rediscovering her work left him feeling more lost than he had previously. And Peter, who was fully aware that Harry was not the only person in his friend group feeling lost (his girlfriend had shared her own tales of feeling academically aimless), gave the only advice he could. He told Harry to look more into it, if it really interested him. But in the meantime, he shouldn't put all his eggs in one basket. The right answer would come when he was ready to hear it.

"What's that?" Peter asked Lila, squinting a little as the sunlight met his eyes.

"Community o-outreach," Lila answered, pride heavy in her tone. "I guess he wants to look more into the communities h-his mom's research would help the most, so he'll be working around the city."

"And his dad's okay with that?"

Lila shrugged again, "I guess his dad sees it as good P.R., and it's — it's different enough from the parties and expensive t-trips he normally takes, so there really isn't any pushback on that front." Peter hummed in acknowledgment. Lila's hands rested on her stomach, and she fiddled her fingers while Peter took note of the new color she'd painted her nails. "He said he was going to t-talk to May about picking up a day to volunteer at F.E.A.S.T."

"Whoa," Peter exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "No way, that's awesome!"

"It'll be so — so good for him," Lila agreed. "I mean, if anyone could successfully boss him around..."

"It's May," the two of them agreed simultaneously.

The pair found each other's hands, enjoying their time up on the roof together while talking about anything and everything. Enough time passed where Peter pulled out a textbook to prop his head, while Lila put her bag underneath hers.

He sighed heavily, "Could we just, like, stay up here all day? It is so crazy down there."

"How would we get water? And food?" Lila played along.

"I'll get Ned to throw snacks up, and MJ can spray us with a hose or something," Peter answered confidently, and smiled when he heard Lila laugh.

"I've seen you eat too m-much to know you can't run on snacks alone, Pete," Lila countered, turning to face him. "I'll just DoorDash something to us, didn't Mr. Delmar j-just put his deli on there?"

"You really are the woman of my dreams," Peter answered, laughing along with her this time. Their laughter died down a little, and they caught each other staring. Leaning in felt natural, and they both felt anticipation for the kiss—

That wouldn't happen. "Finally, some privacy!" Ned's voice rang out on the rooftop, his backpack thrown down near Lila's head as he sat down directly next to them. "It is so crazy down there."

Lila and Peter shared a look before sitting up, making room for their friend, and the fourth person who just made it onto the roof. MJ squinted against the sun, eyes adjusting as she toted her backpack as well, breathing deeply at the drop in noise level. She made her way over to the trio and sat down next to Peter.

"Abraham gave me a copy of the New York Post like it was actual news," MJ scoffed. "Apparently we were all mentioned in it, and he had the gall to ask me if it was actually accurate."

"What did the article say?" Lila asked out of polite curiosity.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "It just talked about all the powers Peter allegedly had. It ranges from the ability to lay eggs to the male spider's ability to hypnotize females. Which is apparently how they think you seduced Lila."

"Entirely accurate," Lila deadpanned, earning a nudge from Peter. She smiled teasingly, nudging him back.

"Moving on, I've been thinking," Ned continued, "When we get into MIT, we should all live together!"

"Yeah, for sure," Peter agreed, echoed by Lila and MJ, who were both in agreement.

Ned had fished his computer out of his backpack, the screen open to a leaflet on MIT's website. There was a picture of a group of students outside, laughing at something off-camera and apparently hilarious. Ned gazed at it proudly, "This is gonna be us."

"Yes," MJ agreed. "Minus the frisbee and the smiling."

"MIT's obviously the dream for most of us," he grabbed Lila's hand and squeezed, "But if we match up our backup schools, then either way we'll all be together in Boston. New school, new town, I could Spider-Man there. I mean, they have crime in Boston, right?"

"Plenty, I'm sure," Lila assured him.

"Yeah, wicked crime," Ned said.

Peter nodded. "Yeah, so it'll be like a fresh start."

Michelle was the only one who didn't seem to eagerly agree. And when Peter asked her what was up, MJ shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel like if you don't... If you expect disappointment, then you can never really get disappointed."

"Come on," Peter tried, "It'll be a fresh start. And we'll all be together."

An apprehensive sigh precluded MJ's nod. "Yeah, yeah you're right. A fresh start."