It was the last class of the day, and my teacher decided to let us have a free period, so I just spent the time watching dance tutorials and jotting down detailed steps in a personal notebook of mine. I had a single earbud in so I could listen out for anyone else.

Aunt May's lessons were helpful, but I knew it'd be better if I could learn much more. Then, there was the matter of the corsage. I still had to find one that could match her dress. Aunt May gave me some suggestions, so once I get out of school, I'll be heading out to find me one to buy. My tux was all set to go because Aunt May was kind of enough to get it all clean and proper for me. God bless her soul, I don't know what I'd do without her.

Still, prom might be a tough battle for me. I don't wanna make MJ look bad. She's amazing in every sense of the word! But if anything, I should still be able to move around in my tux.

"Yo Parker!" I heard Flash call out.

I let out a silent groan before putting away my earbud.

"What's up Flash?"

"Not much. I'm just excited for tomorrow night, is all. Aren't you?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"I guess. I've never been to a major party like prom before, so I can't be too sure about how excited I should be."

"Listen, Parker, a word of advice from me, your best bud, you should be excited. You've got a date after all." He tried his best to say that all without laughing before letting it slip.

"Are you seriously still hung up about that?"

Flash's posse turned to face me.

"Well, pardon me for my concern." He acted hurt before cackling. "All I'm saying is you should at least smile and make the best of tomorrow. Even if your Parker-ness ruins it for your date."

I raised a brow before the corner of my lips curved upward slightly.

"My fault, Flash, I'm truly honored to have someone like you looking out for me."

He backed away from my desk and just laughed.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing this redhead of yours!" He sat back down next to his girlfriend Sally.

I was about to put my earbud back in when Harry came up to me next.

"Here to let me know you're concerned?"

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Nah man," he started, "Dad wants you to stop by. He said he wanted to talk to you."

Norman? The hell does he want? Ugh...

I looked at Harry's eyes and could see a pang of jealousy in them.

"Does he have a reason...?"

"No. He just wanted to talk to you."

I held my head to give it a thought.

I really don't want to see that creep. He helped create Scorpion and Vulture. But I guess that gives me more incentive to go. Maybe I can see if he's planning something.

I rubbed my forehead before glancing back up at Harry.

"Yeah, I'll try and be there sometime after school."

"Cool... I'll... let him know." Harry awkwardly said before sitting back down and texting his dad.

Soon enough, the school day came to an end. I was ready to get off the campus when Harry caught up with me.

"Hey, (Y/n), do you need a lift?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Harry. Thanks, though. I've got some things to do first. But I'll be at your place soon."

"Alright." He said before awkwardly walking off.

I waited until he left to leave the campus and found a secluded spot and changed into my Spider-Man costume.

I'll kill some time so I can try and think of what to say in case Norman starts being weird.

In the distance, I heard police sirens going off, which caught my attention.

This'll do.

I ran off a building and let myself fall before shooting a web from my wrist and swinging myself over all the cars and civilians.

"WHOOO!!"

I did a few backflips while I was in the air before shooting another web and yanked myself to round the corner of a building and saw a white 2000 Toyota Tacoma driving haphazardly through after school traffic.

"That truck... Ha! Is it who I think it is?!"

I shot two webs at once towards the ledge of a building and pulled myself towards it. I rocketed forward, and once I reached the ledge, I pushed off it with my hands to do a flip and give myself some extra speed.

I shot another web at a building and let go right as I neared the peak of my swing. I was shot forward and glided through the air before aiming a web at the roof of the truck. I reached it and my body caused a bang to ring out and alert the driver and his passenger.

"Oh no..." Muttered the driver.

I clung to the roof and peeked my head down to look through open window and saw my two favorite screw-ups. Flint Marko and Aleksei Systevich.

"Spider-Man!" Aleksei barked out.

"Marko and Alex! I haven't seen you two in months! I was worried I wouldn't have anyone to discipline."

"Go away, Spider-Man!" Flint ordered.

"What?! Can't a guy say hey to the best power couple in all of New York? You two have been in the game even before I was Spider-Man. You're even giving the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic a run for their money."

"Ugh, I'm starting to wish I was back in the Raft..." Flint Marko said to himself.

"Don't worry! Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will get you there in a jiffy!"

I flipped over to the other side, and Aleksei had a gun ready as his window was down, too. Before he could think to fire it, I webbed the muzzle before ripping it out of his hand.

"Alex, guns are dangerous. You should know this by now. You don't want Uncle Spidey to be mad, do you?"

"You're not my uncle!" He yelled out before foolishly trying to strangle me.

I shifted my body, so I stood on the side of the truck as Marko was doing everything in his power to shake me off. I webbed the gun to a nearby mailbox before grabbing Aleksei's wrist and pulling him out of his seat.

"Alex, sweetie, why weren't you wearing your seat belt? I'm starting to think Flint is a bad influence on you. I don't want you hanging around bad men. I hope you know this. Here, let me show you how a seat belt works!"

Before he could do anything, I webbed his wrists together like a makeshift pair of handcuffs before Spartan kicking him away and webbing him to a street lamp.

"Damn you, Spider-Man!!!" I heard him shout as Marko kept driving ahead.

"Love you too, sweetie!"

I jumped into the passenger seat and crossed my arms behind my back, and put my feet up on the dash.

"Well, Marko, where's the next stop."

"Get the fuck out of my truck!"

"Hey, that was a killer rhyme! Wait a minute, are you listening to Green Day?"

I paid attention to the music he was blaring, and it was the song 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day.

"Damn, Marko. If you need to talk, I'm here for you, dude."

Without any regard for himself or others, he let go of the steering wheel and tried to lunge at me. I pushed his wrists aside before throwing a quick right jab to his nose. His head flung back a bit and hit the side of the truck. A grunt of pain escaped his lips before I grabbed his collar to pull him close and landed another jab to his face.

With him dazed, I held him close before kicking open his door and jumping out of the truck. I webbed him up in a cocoon before tossing him to the side of a building. His truck was still speeding forward, so I shot a web line at the tailgate and held onto it tightly. I dug my feet into the road as the wheels screeched in disapproval before the truck came to a halt.

I ran over and made sure to shut the truck off and let out a sigh.

"Well, Flint, I guess it's back to the Raft with you. Hey, be sure to write. I know it can get pretty lonely in there."

"Spider-Man, you're a buzzkill, you know that? Scorpion and Vulture were a bunch of punks, but trust me, one day, you're gonna get what's comin' to ya!" Flint Marko said defiantly.

I just stared over at Flint as police cruisers arrived.

"I pray that it's a large pizza. Those things are getting expensive nowadays!"

He just grunted as I chuckled to myself before leaping over to him and pulling him down to hand over to the cops.

"Thanks again for the assistance, Spider-Man."

I gave him a nod before leaping into the air before swinging away.

I'll grab my backpack and swing by Oscorp.

I web zipped to the building behind me before launching myself off the ledge for a boost in speed. I did a few tricks in the air before swinging across the New York skyline. After a couple of minutes, I reached my backpack and got it free from my webs. I slipped it on before peering down from the 5 story building I was on.

"All seems good for now. Better go see what Norman wants." I exhaled with dread present in my voice before swinging away.

XXXXX

DING

The elevator stopped at the top of Norman's penthouse, and I stepped into the massive living room. On the massive L-shaped couch was Harry sitting and watching a movie.

"Oh, (Y/n), you're here. Dad's on the balcony." Harry said plainly.

"Alright. Thanks, Harry."

I walked behind the couch and stepped out past the glass doors to see Norman Osborn reclining on a lounge chair with a tablet in hand. It seemed he noticed my reflection through the screen and smiled. He set the tablet down on a nearby table before standing up to face me.

"(Y/n). It's good to see you again, son." Norman said warmly. I smiled awkwardly and shook his hand.

"Likewise, sir." I responded. "Sorry if I showed up later than you would've liked."

"It's no issue at all. You're a busy man. I like that about you (Y/n). Have a seat."

I nodded and took a seat in a wooden chair as he got back on his lounge chair. I just noticed that he was laying under an umbrella to avoid the sun's rays.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, sir?" I asked curiously.

"Drop the sir, (Y/n). Just call me Norman."

I chuckled awkwardly before rubbing the back of my neck.

"I don't know... That'd be a bit disrespectful, wouldn't it?"

"I appreciate the concern. Very well. Call me sir or Norman. Your choice. And yes, I wanted to speak to you about something."

He grabbed his tablet before typing away at it before handing it to me. I took it and saw that he was viewing a news article.

"The Baxter Building will be open for tours. Sunday afternoon at 2 P.M."

I handed back the tablet as he smiled.

"Have you ever been to the Baxter Building (Y/n)?" He asked me.

"No, sir. I've only ever been around it."

"Well, that's no good. But Sunday is gonna be your lucky day. I got you a ticket for a tour."

He reached within his shirt pocket and handed me a ticket.

"Mr. Osborn! I can't possibly take this. Seeing what it would be like inside the Baxter Building would be amazing, but..."

"(Y/n). You're a brilliant young man. Your family is well aware of that. As am I. Don't think of this as a handout. I know you've adopted your stubbornness from your beloved uncle. Think of this as a key to new pathways."

"I... appreciate it. I really do. But why me?"

"Two reasons, son. The first is that I have an important meeting outside of the state that day. Secondly, I want a bright mind to be a part of that tour. Many of those who go are simply going for the press or sightseeing. They wouldn't be able to understand the beauty that is science. Unlike you." He smirked proudly before standing again. "Who knows? Maybe you'll make a lasting impression on everyone there."

"I guess that's a fair reason." I said to possibly reason with myself. "But what if they know that it's not my ticket?"

"I've got it worked out. I let them know ahead of time that someone else is taking my place. Just let them know Norman Osborn sent you." He huffed proudly before walking indoors. "It was a pleasure, (Y/n). I'll be looking forward to all the things you've seen."

With that, he walked off, not even sparing Harry a glance. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose.

Tell 'em Osborn sent me? Yeah, that might make them kick my ass out before I even walk in. Whatever. Well, I guess I'll make the best of it when the time comes.

I got up before walking past the couch Harry sat on.

"Hey (Y/n)," he started. "Do you need a ride to prom?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was hoping you and I could carpool with our dates." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck while looking down at the floor.

"I figured Flash would ride with you."

"Nah. The guy said he wants to ride only with his girl."

Harry then got off the couch so he could face me.

"Listen (Y/n), I..." He tried to say something but hesitated and sighed. "I wanna try and help you out."

I looked at him and saw a glimmer of sincerity in his eyes. There was a hint of shame in there, too.

"Do you know where I can buy a corsage?"

He looked over to me and tilted his head.

"Yeah, why? Do you need one? I can get you one if you'd-"

I raised my hand to cut him off from talking.

"I don't need you to pay for anything, man. I'm asking for help finding a place to buy one myself. You want to help me, right? Well, the time is now." I said with a small smile.

Harry chuckled a bit, and I saw his body relax a bit.

"Yeah. For sure. I'll send you the address. They should be open until 7."

Harry got his phone out and was just about to send me the address but stopped.

"Wait. You should probably unblock me first." He said.

"Unblock you? I never blocked you in the first place." I told him.

"Oh. Why didn't you?"

"You're my buddy, Harry. I may not be yours anymore, but I still have hope you and I can patch things up someday. I never blocked you because if anything happened, I wanted to at least be an option for you to reach out to."

Harry was stunned, and he looked away in guilt.

"God, I'm such an ass..." He mumbled.

He looked back at me with a small smile and sent me the location of the store. It was only a few blocks away, which isn't so bad.

"Thanks, Harry. See you 'round."

"See ya, (Y/n)."

That Night

I returned home with the corsage in hand.

"Aunt May, I'm home!"

Upon hearing my voice, Aunt May walked out of the living room and saw the box in my hand containing the corsage. She squealed with glee before rushing over to get a closer look at it.

"Oh, just look at this beautiful corsage! You're certainly going all out for Mary Jane, aren't you?" She asked teasingly.

"Well, you aren't wrong..." I chuckled.

"I already have your tux ironed out."

"Thank you, Aunt May. I appreciate it. Do you think you could also hold onto the corsage for me?"

"Of course, dear. I'll put this up, and we'll have dinner."

I smiled as she walked off to her room, and I entered the kitchen. I fished in my pockets and grabbed the Baxter Building ticket I got from Norman.

Well, at least a couple of good things came out from visiting him. I get to check out the Baxter Building, and I had a chat with Harry. Not bad for (Y/n) Parker.

The following evening

I was in my room groaning out in dread. I was standing in front of a full-body mirror staring at my reflection. I had slipped into my tuxedo, but my nerves were starting to get to me.

Why wouldn't they? This is my first time ever taking a girl out to a dance. This is my first ever dance, period. I took several deep breaths to calm my nerves and started to try and hype myself up.

"Come on, Parker. Get your head in the game. Tonight just isn't about you. It's about showing MJ a good time. Whatever I do, I gotta make sure it makes her smile. You got this. You're crazy (Y/n). You're not afraid. You're spectacular! You're-"

"-Date's here!" May seemingly finished for me.

You're so screwed!

I cleared my throat, put on a couple sprays of cologne, and patted my chest before reaching out for my door.

It's now or never!

I opened it and saw Aunt May left her door open to show the corsage resting on her bed. It was still neatly placed in the box. I quickly went in to grab it before stepping out and walking downstairs.

I reached the bottom and saw our aunts in the living room. I walked in, and May noticed me first.

"Oh my goodness, (Y/n), don't you look so handsome!" Aunt May said, hardly hiding her excitement.

Ana Watson turned and agreed with Aunt May. Then, it was MJ's turn. She turned, and I lost my breath.

Her red hair was straightened perfectly as she wore a black Halter mini dress that reached down to a little bit above the middle of her thighs. She was wearing black heels and had on some red polish on her nails. I looked over to those stunning green eyes of her to see her smiling with those luscious lips of hers.

"MJ... You're a knockout..." I said with hardly any breath.

This caused her to giggle a bit.

"Thank you (Y/n). You fill that tux out nicely." Both aunts failed to notice MJ licking her lips.

I shook my head before opening the box and grabbing the corsage.

"Right. I nearly forgot. This is for you."

She held out her right hand as I slipped the corsage on over her wrist. It was a white flower with black ribbons and tassels hanging around it.

"It's beautiful, (Y/n)." She said earnestly.

"So are you." I said without thinking.

MJ smirked and stepped closer to put a hand on my chest.

"Ooh, slick, tiger. I like it."

We heard a click and saw that our aunts took a picture of us. We shared a laugh and took more pictures before I walked outside with MJ. Ms. Watson had her car parked outside, ready to go.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two! This is just so beautiful. Isn't it, May?" Ana Watson asked.

"It really is. But (Y/n), remember to drive safe and responsibly. And don't stay out too late. You hear me?" Aunt May demanded with a glare.

"Of course, Aunt May!"

I opened the passenger door for Mary Jane as she sat in the seat before I closed it for her. We waved our aunts bye before I got in the driver seat, clicked my seat belt, and drove off to Midtown High. We got to a red light when MJ looked over to me.

"You're looking pretty nervous (Y/n). Something the matter?" She asked me with a grin.

"Ah well, this is my first formal school event. So I'm like incredibly nervous. Plus, my date is a really amazing girl. So I just wanna make sure things are all good. Especially for you." I said before the light turned green and the cars ahead of me started to move.

Mary Jane couldn't help but smile even more.

"(Y/n), there's no need to worry about making this a special night for me. I'm happy just being your date. Honestly. You're a sweetheart. And I'm damn lucky to be clinging to the arm of such a fine man like you." She reassured me before grabbing my right arm and resting my hand on her thigh.

I felt blood rushing to my face as she put a hand over mine to keep my hand on her thigh as I drove. I drove as normally as I could as I felt her run her thumb across my knuckles. Soon, we got to the high school and saw plenty of cars out in the parking lot as we saw couples walking towards the gym. We found ourselves a spot to park.

"Midtown High. Here we are.

"Are you ready (Y/n)?" MJ asked me.

I took in a deep breath before squeezing her hand softly.

"Yeah. I'm ready. Let's do this!"

I got out and opened the door for her. She smiled and wrapped her arm around mine.

"Wait, before you go. I might've told people I was coming here with a blind date I went on. Sorry."

"Oh, don't sweat it, tiger. You gave them a heads up. I just wish I could tell these other girls that you're my date." She said with a giggle before dragging me ahead to the gym.

We stepped in and saw that Flash and Harry were off to the corner where pictures were being taken.

"Follow me. I wanna introduce you to my buddy Harry." I said as we walked together to them.

It didn't take long for them and their dates to notice me.

"Hey guys, hope I'm not too late to the party." I said with a smirk.

"P-Parker! You're d-date..." Flash stuttered.

"Oh right, let me introduce you all to my date. Mary Jane Watson. She was the blind date I told you and Harry about. MJ, meet my buddy Harry Osborn and meet Flash Thompson. Liz and Sally are their respective dates."

"Nice to meet you all." MJ waved at them as she gently ran her fingers down my arm. "As (Y/n) said, I'm Mary Jane, but please, just call me MJ." She said politely.

I could feel Flash glaring daggers at me, so I turned to face him and smiled playfully.

"Oh yeah, MJ, I forgot to mention, but Flash and his clique are the popular types."

"The in-crowd, huh? They definitely seem like the type. Just not mine." She stated as she looked over to Flash, who was balling his fists. "Enough about them. Come on, tiger, we got a dance floor to tear up."

She started to drag me off as I gave Flash a mocking two finger salute.

"How in the actual hell does Parker have someone like her?!" Flash grumbled angrily. "He's not even good-looking!"

"Yeah! And who does that bitch think she is saying that the popular types isn't her type?!" Sally spat out.

"Well, (Y/n) is a decent guy." Harry reasoned. "I guess he won her over with some of politeness power."

"Plus, he cleans up nice. That tux is a solid fit for him." Liz said without thinking. "But enough about him. Let's dance!"

The other couples came onto the dance floor as MJ and I started to dance across from each other.

"So Harry, he's your only friend?" MJ asked curiously.

"Yeah. We were tight back in the day, but we grew distant freshman year. It wasn't until yesterday that we started to patch things up a bit." I told her.

"Wow (Y/n). I'm surprised you didn't break off all contact with him." She responded.

"Eh, I wanna give people the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he and Flash always start interactions with me, so there's not much to do about it." I said with a small laugh at the end.

She giggled a bit as a new song played, which was more funky than the last. We danced through a few more songs before taking a break at an open table. I brought us some punch to drink as well.

"Damn (Y/n), you know how to move, don't you?" She teased.

"Well, I'm not one to brag." I said with a proud smile.

"But?" She raised her eyebrow playfully.

"But I'm also not one to correct you." I responded jokingly.

We shared a laugh as I drank some of my punch. She then looked over at me.

"I'm having a lot of fun, (Y/n)."

"Really?" I asked hopefully and looked back at her.

"Really." She replied with sincerity. "I'm enjoying myself. That doesn't happen a lot on the dates I've been on."

"Why not? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Because the dudes I've dated before always had something to prove. They wanna show me that they're literally the greatest thing to walk on Earth, but it gets so damn annoying. It's always the same thing, too. The fancy cars, the watches, the shoes. Just whatever they have to flex." She let out an exasperated groan before drinking the rest of her punch.

"But during our blind date, you've done nothing but be extremely attentive towards. And when I told you my dream, a massive weight was lifted off not only my shoulders but my heart as well. For the first time in forever, I could have an honest conversation with someone."

I stared at MJ as time seemed to come to a halt. The many strobe lights seemed to cross over on another behind her, which caused her to have such a radiant aura. Without even thinking about it, I reached over and held her hand.

"MJ..." I began as she looked at me and squeezed my hand softly. "I'm happy to have been your outlet for a normal conversation. To be honest, I was way beyond nervous during that date. But just know that if you ever need a heart-to-heart talk, then I'll be there for you. Always! Plus, I would love the same from you. There are things that I want to tell people, but I'm afraid."

I looked away as I felt her use her other hand to hold mine between hers.

"I'm afraid that if I do... bad things will follow. And I don't want that. Especially not for Aunt May." I looked over to her and shook my head. "Anything to keep my aunt safe is something I'll always prioritize."

"(Y/n)..." She said softly as she continued to hold my hand between the both of hers. "I'll gladly take you up on that offer. I'll lend you my ear as long as you lend me yours." She smiled gently, which caused me to do the same.

"Thank you, MJ. You're the best."

"Look who's talking, tiger. I'm the lucky one in this situation. Now come on, let's get back on that dance floor."

I nodded as she dragged my ass back on the dance floor, and we continued to enjoy our time together. In the middle of the third song playing, I saw Flash pushing a guy out of the gym against his will. And it seemed like Flash had some of his friends from the football team following. I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice.

Turning my attention to MJ, I spoke.

"Hey, I gotta use the restroom. I'll be back."

"Alright, tiger. Don't make me wait too long." She joked before patting my chest and letting me go.

I got off the dance floor and scurried out the door, and tried to follow Flash. I didn't need to go far enough to see that two of Flash's friends were holding the poor guy by the arms to keep him from running. They were barely out of view from the camera placed on the outside corner of the gym.

The guy was struggling to break free, but it was impossible since the two athletes holding him in place were far stronger than him. Flash cracked his knuckles and laughed.

"Listen, man, prom night was supposed to be my night. But it has been a shit show! First, Parker ends up with a fine ass girl as his date. Second, Harry is defending the guy's bitch ass. Finally, you spill punch on me and my girl. I'm at my limit!" He lashed out.

I saw him ready a punch, which was the sign for me to step in.

"That's your limit? I figured an all-star athlete like you had a higher tolerance for annoyance. But then again, with the number of times you've been tackled, I'm sure your mind is rapidly deteriorating." I stated loudly.

This got his attention as he turned around and laughed.

"Parker. Why aren't you with your date? Did she realize you're a lame ass mother fucker and ditch you?" He questioned with a laugh.

"Not in the slightest. In her eyes, I'm the bee's knees. Ain't that just swell?" I asked with a cheeky grin.

He growled lightly and glared at me.

"Flash, let him go. There's no reason for you to take your anger out on him. Plus, I know some tricks to wash out stains for your clothes. I can grab my notebook and write you some instructions. 'Cause trust me, red is a bitch to get out of clothes. Unless you're already wearing red." I claimed with a slight head tilt.

"Shut the fuck up, Parker! Don't try and act like you're all that just because you've got a bad bitch clinging to you!" He shouted.

"Flash, dude, she's not a bitch. She's cool." I responded, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Whatever, man, she's probably hanging with you out of pity. But you know what, I will let him go." He motioned to his friends to let the guy go who quickly ran back inside the gym.

"Glad we could get that settled." I said with a small sigh.

"This ain't settled!" Flash interjected. "I traded one punching bag for another."

He clenched his fists and raised them up.

"Flash, you don't wanna fight me." I said, putting my hands up as a sign of me wanting to avoid confrontation.

"You're wrong. I wanna fight you. I wanna beat the shit out of you!"

I looked over to his friends.

"Are you or are you gonna try and jump me? If you're too afraid to run the ones, then by all means, go ahead." I said in hopes of taunting him.

"Pfft, I don't need them to beat your scrawny ass. I've done it plenty of times. This won't be any different." He then turned to his buddies and told them to leave, and so they did.

And then there was one.

I glanced over to Flash to see his stained tuxedo as he once again readied his fists. This caused me to groan in annoyance.

"Flash, can't you just drop this just for tonight? It's prom. A time where we should be having fun, man! Our dates are in there waiting for us." I told him in hopes of reasoning with him even just a bit.

"Oh, they can wait. But MJ is gonna have to wait longer since you're gonna be laid out!"

I walked forward a bit before putting my hands in my pockets.

"Alright. If fighting me will make you feel better, then go ahead. Hit me."

"Huh?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Hit me as hard as you can. If you really feel like throwing a tantrum, then who I am to stop you?"

He growled before grabbing the collar of my tux and glaring at me. He pulled back his right fist as I simply stared at him.

"Well, are you gonna do it?" I asked.

"Why aren't you scared?! I am literally so close to punching your damn lights out!" He exclaimed.

"Flash, you're an intimidating guy; there's no getting around that. But if you really wanna know why I'm not scared, it's because I have so much more on my mind than some asshole wanting to make my school life miserable. I have problems out in the real world. Things you probably wouldn't be able to handle."

"Pfft, like what?!"

"Like worrying about not being able to help my aunt. She's the greatest woman in the world. I couldn't care less about what happens to me so long as I know she's safe and sound. You can throw me in a ditch for all I care, but I will claw my way out of the dirt and make it home to her. She's all I got left. There's nothing more I fear than losing the one person that matters most to me."

I grabbed his wrist and forced him off me, which caught him by surprise.

"That's why I'm not afraid of you. You're not even a footnote of worry in my eyes. You're just a sad, sad, little man. You do have my pity, though."

I turned around and saw that Harry, MJ, Liz, and Sally were there. I saw their faces, which carried different expressions. MJ's held the most empathy. I began to walk away as she followed. We walked together in silence before stopping near her aunt's car.

"I didn't mean to say all that. Especially not to him." I said to no one in particular.

"(Y/n), what you said was the cold, hard truth." MJ said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "What you have to do is something not many people have to do. It's noble."

"I'm glad you think so, MJ." I turned around to face her. "I think I'm done with prom. Is it okay if we go home?"

"Of course. But I want one last dance."

I nodded and put my hands on her waist as she put hers on my shoulders, and we slowly danced. Just us. No distractions, no villains, no worries. We slowly found ourselves holding each other tightly as she rested her head on my chest. I smiled and rubbed her back.

"Thank you, MJ." I softly said.

"My pleasure, tiger." She responded as she continued to rest her head against me.

Until next time, readers!