I rub my eyes and desperately try to pay attention to what Miss Harman is talking about, but apparently, Chemistry doesn't get easier when you're sleep deprived.

It's been two weeks since that MIT trip with Dad and twelve days since the Accords were made public. No one has really been sleeping well since it happened. Especially with the ultimatum looming over our us and the arguments about it. Everyone's taking sides, and I'm currently trapped in the middle.

I've been doing everything I can to not go supernova at the slightest thing. Like right now, when the bell rings. My muscles tense up, and eyes screw shut as I wait it out. I press my glasses close to my face to hope no one will notice the tears brimming in my eyes as I tremble from the strain.

"Lia, are—are you okay?" Peter asks when he notices me still leaning on my desk and offers me my cane. "Do you need me to take to the nurse? Or call you a ride home?"

"No, I'll—I'll be fine. I don't really want to go home yet." I tell him with a sigh and pretend to not notice him carrying my books. "I've been bouncing between my parents, and it's been a little more stressful than usual the past couple of days."

"How so? If you don't mind me asking that is." He says the last sentence as quickly as he can manage the words.

"It's nothing really. My dad is just having some trouble with—work stuff that has him away at a conference, and I hate going to my mum's because I'm either alone or just hiding out in my room to avoid talking to my step dad until she's back from work." I look towards Peter to see him already watching me with a confused expression. "Jim, my step-dad, and I haven't always been the best of pals. He wanted to have this perfect relationship where he got to play at my real dad, but I never let that happen. No matter how hard he and mum tried to let me think he was my dad, I never believed it.

"I mean, he's a blond with bright blue eyes, and my mum is a brunette with green eyes. So it was pretty obvious to me from an early age that one of them wasn't related to me. And since I have some of my mum's features, it wasn't hard to figure out the rest. Not to mention, he always bounces between treating me like a child and a lab rat, which really didn't help the relationship. When I finally met my dad, it all made sense. I mean, the resemblance was pretty clear right away, and then we just clicked after that. Jim's relationship with me only got worse after that."

"That's—it must have been hard." Peter mumbles as he stops outside the room for my next class, and I get the feeling he understands better than I know. "When did you get to meet your dad? I mean, your mom must have told you before too long, right?"

"I was seven when she first told me the smallest details about him. Then, when he was in London that next year, she let me meet him." I tell him with a shrug. "It's fine. I know him now, and that's what the important part is. 'Cause if I didn't, I'd have definitely gone crazy by now or even have moved here."

"Then I'm glad you have him. My reason is because if you didn't, then we wouldn't have become friends." A pattern of blotchy red climbs up his neck as he says the words, which makes me smile.

"It's one of my reasons too. I'm glad we met, Peter." In a moment of complete confidence, I wrap my arms around him in a hug, which Peter takes a moment to reciprocate. "I should probably let you get to class, huh?" I mumble into the collar of his sweatshirt.

"Um, y-yeah. I guess you should." Peter stutters, and I just let out a heavy breath.

"Unless," the syllable drags out as I smile against him, "you feel like living a little and ditching an hour of class with me? Very un-Peter Parker-ish, I know, but trust me when I say it will be fine."

"You know what? Let's do it." It takes me a moment to really process his reply, before I pull away to look at him with a wide smile. "Do you have a spot in mind?"

"Mhm. Let's ditch our books before we go." Peter's smile makes my heart flutter in my chest and this odd feeling I can place take over. "I think you're gonna love it."

Peter just laughs as I push my glasses up and drag him along to my locker—since it's closest—to dump both of our books. I can't help but grin at him as we sneak through the slowly emptying hallways and make it outside.

It's out behind the main building where people hardly come. The grass grows in a thick, luscious green, clover sprouting in patches, and a quiet that makes even a crazy day calm. This is my special little spot. I spread my arms out wide to show it off to Peter as I sit in the grass. "Welcome to my little sanctuary."

"Well, thank you for sharing it with me." Peter grins and sits across from me with our knees touching. "Do you come out here often?"

"Sometimes, when I get overwhelmed. Being out here—it helps me calm down a bit." My fingers pick at the clover. "It reminds me of this little spot in the park that my mates and I would go to when we needed to get away. We would sit under this huge oak tree and just people watch for what felt like forever. It was always the best little escape. What about you though? Where's your secret spot?"

Peter immediately looks away as he fiddles with the clover. "I—I don't really have a place. I just usually hang out in my room and work on computers or stuff."

"No, no, no. You don't get to leave me hanging like that." I tell him as I stop his fidgeting hands. "What do you mean work on computers or stuff?"

"I—um—I kind of find old computers and electronics to take apart and put together in different ways. It's nothing really."

"Really? 'Cause I think that's awesome." Peter looks up at me with wide eyes at the comment. "I'm always fiddling around in my dad's stuff to see what he's building and how to make something of my own. To be perfectly honest, he's much better than I am with most of it—and I'm sure you are too."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Why?"

"Because, you're the top of our class—trust me, I checked—one of the strongest members of the decathlon team, and you build computers in your free time? Yes, I am quite sure that you're a certifiable genius. But if it makes you feel better to call it my personal assumptions and opinion, feel free."

Peter just shakes his head at me and changes the subject. I swear, it's only ever around Peter or Dad that I smile and laugh this much.

Except, that all fades when ARTI pulls up an alert across my lenses, and my phone buzzes erratically in my pocket. It continues to vibrate in my hand as I read the mass of alerts. "Oh my—no." The words tumble from my lips before I clamp a hand over them. Tears brim in my eyes as I read about the explosion—at the same meeting my dad's at.

Peter doesn't waste a second before he's at my side. "Is—what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No, my dad—the conference he's—explosion." I barely manage, but Peter seems to connect the dots and immediately helps me to my feet. "I have to—I need to get back home."

My heart pounds so violently in my chest I swear it's about to explode instead of just me. I almost fall down flat on my face, but Peter keeps a hold of me to make sure I don't tumble to the floor. "Hey, just breathe. Okay? It's gonna be alright. I promise, but first, you've gotta breathe." He tells me as we stop outside the front doors, with me nearly a sobbing mess in his arms. "Do you need me to call anyone for you?"

I tap my watch a couple times and shake my head as ARTI confirms the alert send out. "Th—thank you." I stutter and bury my head into his sweatshirt.

"There's no need to." He tells me over the humming of an engine as Happy races into the parking lot. "Just try to let me know if things are okay? I'll try to call you later and check in." I nod absentmindedly before rushing off to meet Happy in the car.

"Is—is he? Do we know anything?" I grill the moment the car door shuts. "Any ideas on who did this and why? How many injured—or dead?"

"First, Tony's fine. He's a little banged up, but he and Natasha are fine." Happy informs me as he kicks the car into gear. "Second, I have direct orders to get you to the Tower as fast as possible and keep you there. Tony doesn't want you going out under any circumstances until everything is figured out. Third, when you get back, call him. He sent me a message saying he needs to talk to you about a few things."

"I'm already working on securing a private line." I tell him as I type away on my phone, each action mimicked on my glasses. "Do me a favor, Happy. Press the cruise control button twice and lock the doors."

He gives me a weird look but does it anyway. As the doors click locked, ARTI's voice chimes through the speakers. "Car is secure as requested, Lia. Connecting you with Mr. Stark."

"Lia, are you at the Tower already?" Those are the first words my dad says to me when we finally connect.

"That's not important. What happened? Are you actually okay? And what do you need to me to do?" I question and close my eyes to see if there's anything I can figure out.

"Basically the UN meeting was attacked, and according to surveillance footage from nearby, it looks like it was Bucky. I'm a little bit bruised, but the team is fine. What I need you to do is track someone down for me."

"Isn't that a job for a P.I. instead of your teenage, genius of a daughter?"

"Not in this case." He pauses and lets out a huff, "I need you to find that other hero that's been going around on YouTube—the Spider or whatever he's called."

My stomach drops when he says the words. I have an inkling of who it might be, and I don't know if I want to know the truth. A part of me hopes I'm wrong—which will be a rare occasion. "I'll get on it, but first, you have to tell me why."

"It's complicated, but if Bucky did this, then I have a feeling Steve will want to protect him. So I'd like to know I have a team watching my back if it comes down to it. Let's hope it doesn't, but it's better to be prepared."

"Okay. When I get back to the tower I'll get started and let you know what I find."

"No, you're going to pack a bag, grab your laptop, and go to your Mom's. I want you to stay there until things calm down. Trust me, it won't be for long. I just need you to be off the grid until I get back." He says, and I can hear the concern laced in his voice. "I'll call you later to check in. I love you, bug."

"Love you too, Dad." I whisper back before hanging up.

My head starts to pound again. Because while Dad is okay, I have a whole other set of issues to stress over. Such as, my new family engaging in a literal war, possibly getting arrested or branded as an international terrorist if I don't comply, and maybe finding out the secret I've pretending my best friend isn't hiding.

"Try not to forget anything. I won't be able to bring you back, and I doubt you want me to go through your stuff." Happy calls as we get into the tower's elevator, and I immediately head to my room to pack my clothes and the lab to grab my laptop.

Except, halfway to the door out of the lab, I stop. "Dad, don't be mad at me for this, I promise it's just a precaution. And, Dum-E, you better not rat me out." I whisper to the unpowered machine as I rush in the lab and stuff my prototype suit into my bag before returning to Happy in the main room.

"Ready?" He asks and I nod while I adjust my bag on my shoulder.

The entire drive over to my mum's apartment, I keep silently praying that my suit doesn't have a tracker in it, and that Peter Parker has a normal secret—and not a secret identity. Although, I'm fairly certain I'll be wrong on both counts.