★・・・・・・★

"I don't like it," Erwin Stark scowled. "My younger sister is now older than me." She laced her high tops and brushed out her chestnut brown hair, her hair was so smooth and perfect, I hated it.
     "You were one year older than me," I scoffed. "It's not that dramatic."
   "Now your 4 years older than me!" Erwin mumbled. "Your like going into to collage and can legally drink now."
   I brighten up. Finally, something I could do that my sister couldn't. Thing was, I didn't like to drink. "The five years was crazy, I did miss you. And I got into collage a long time ago dumbass." I teased.
      "I'm sure you did," Erwin looked up, her eyes were so pretty, they hinted hazel while mine were plain blue.
    "I did! Who else wouldn't miss there sister who disappeared for 5 years," I frowned, I huffed under my breath, annoyed.
   "Your too self centered and full of pride to care for anyone but yourself;" Erwin looked at her.
   I stared at her, hurt. "That's not true.. I did everything for everyone else.." I told her.
    "You get it from dad," Erwin continued.
    I slammed my hand on the table, causing the cups on the table to shake. "Don't talk about him like that! He did change!"
    "Why are you two yelling?" Jada Hayes asked coming in.
   Jada had been my best friend since as long as I can remember, and also Julian's lover since the 8th grade. She was the pretty one and I even longed to be her. Her hair was a beautiful, dark and curly, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of brown.
  "We aren't yelling, we are having a sisterly conversation," Irene retorted, beaming.  
   "If that's a sisterly conversation then I don't wanna be part of it," Jada chuckled, grabbing a cup of water and looked at it for a moment before sipping it.
  "They're always fighting," a blonde haired boy came in, his roots were dark as his eyes were an icey blue, anyone could get lost in those eyes.
"Julian!" Jada gasped and hugged him.
"Why are you touching me?" He frowned.
"Because I love you," Jada beamed as she made a disgusted face. "When was the last time you washed this sweater?"
Julian looked away, embarrassed. "It's not the sweater."
"Oh, you should shower Juju," she ruffled his fluffy, even oily hair.
"Juju-" Julian raised an eyebrow.
"Yep! That's what I'm calling you from now on," she hugged his arm, despite his complaints.
"Julian, you are something," Erwin commented and left the room.
I huffed annoyed. "She's still little miss perfect." I clenched my nails into my palm. "I can't do anything right compared to her! It's impossible for me!"
"Relax Rene, you have plenty of other things you can do that she can't," she pointed out.
"Yeah like complaining," Julian piped in and Jada elbowed him. "Just joking."
"You can build cool suits and she can't, your funny and she's not, your smart-" she started.
"Let me stop you right there, I barely passed school, and I'm barely passing college right now, I'm NOT smart, so what? I can build suits, doesn't mean I'm smart." I shook my head, angry, at myself.
"You're smarter than Jada," Julian shrugged.
Jada glared and looked as if she would hit him. "Your not helping."
"But aside from all that, how are you two?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject.
"I watched an hour of Julian playing tag with Nora, literally the best hour of my life," Jada snickered. "Even with speed he can't catch a kid."
"That kid has portals," Julian pointed out. "I'd like to see you try."
"You guys apply for collages yet? Those were a hassle for me," I asked, tucking my light brown hair behind my ear.
"I'm not going," Julian shook his head. "If I have to do one more year of school I may actually kill myself."
"Julian Maximoff!" Jada scolded smacking him.
"Can't you guys take a joke?" He exclaimed.
"It's not funny," Jada whispered, looking down, then she left.
"Julian," I whined. "You just had to scare her off!" I pushed him, playfully.
"This is why I don't joke," Julian mumbled. Julian was boring, like the most boring person I've ever met, although the almost gets himself killed every week, by accident of course. Although sometimes I feel like he enjoys the pain. He couldn't and didn't know how to make jokes and he knew it, although he still tried. I found his dry humor hilarious.
"I've got to get to class; I'll see you," I sighed. I was in collage at Columbia University. I hated going. I hated it. Not because I didn't like school, it was because he went there.
    Cal Williams.

★・・・・・・★

Flashback

          I had  graduated high school at the time when I met him, I remember sitting alone in the Starbucks that one Tuesday evening, all my friends were blipped, my mother and father were busy with my baby sister, Morgan, I had no interest at the time. People were dead and my dad had moved on. My friends were dead, gone, literal dust. I didnt want to move on yet, I couldnt. Peter had blipped, Peter Parker had been my friend since the beginning of middle school, I remember him getting excited learning who my father was. Who else wouldnt want Tony Stark as their father, billionare.
           From the moment I saw Peter, ive had the biggest crush on him. His chocolate eyes, his soft hair, his warm smile. I missed it. Of course things didnt work out now that im 5 years older than him and well, yeah. Plus, Zoey had claimed her man, and I was okay with it. It didnt matter of course now that they were both gone.
        I sat alone, with my iced carmel latte in one hand and my phone in my other hand. I was waiting for THE email. The email that decided if I could go to the college or not. I was anxious of course, but I stayed cool.
         "I got in!" A boy in the corner booth shouted loudly, jumping up. All eyes went on him, even mine. "Columbia University baby!"
        "I applied there too," a blonde girl spoke up, her hair was short and was pink in the bottom, her eyes were grey and she was biting her thin  lips as she held her ipad closely. "Still waiting on mine."
    "Me too," I pipped up, shyly. I reloaded the page again, still nothing. The next thing I knew the blonde girl jumped up. "I got in too!" She squealed happily and even spilt her passion tea lemonade.
           The next thing I knew the blonde girl and the boy were standing over me, waiting with me, which made me more anxious, but I didnt say anything. Then I saw it, the email. The boy took my phone before I could open it.
     He read it before looking down. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered, my heart sunk. "Im sorry because you'll be stuck with me in Columbia University!"
        "WAIT ACTUALLY?!" I stood up, all eyes went to me, but I didnt care. I was happy, so happy I hugged the boy and squealed. I quickly jumped back. "S-sorry." I flushed in embarressment.        
       "No your good," he chuckled. "I'm Cal, Cal Williams. This is my friend Riley Smith, as you could tell, she got in too."
       I smiled, nodded intrigued. "I'm Irene Stark." I felt less alone than I have in the past months after the blip. This was my group, my friends, my heart still ached from loosing my other friends, but Cal and Riley made it better over the next 4 years. But friends dont always last, we all fell apart and fell distance, I grew hatred for them leaving me, I never wanted to go back to school, I didnt want to see them. Especially him, Cal.
     Cal and I had dated and grew fond of each other over the years, he left me and I couldnt see him, I was still angry at him, I hated him so much. I loved him, and he left me. Riley was angry at me, so she left. Why me? Why does everyone leave me? The year when everyone came back, I thought I had my life back, then my dad died, I felt empty, my idol and supporter was gone, it felt like I had nothing again, my best friends were back, my sister was back, but with my dad gone, it felt like it didnt matter. Even if my dad sacrificed his life to save the world, I felt betrayed and defeated.

End of Flashback

★・・・・・・★

    I grabbed my stuff from the hook on the wall, a worn down bag, that was ripping at the straps, carried my books and computer. I made the bag when I was a kid. I wanted to make things like my dad did, only I couldnt make suits, my mother, Pepper Potts forbade it. I would steal his helmets and put it on, it was really cool for a kid, I never understood the danger my dad put himself in everytime he put on the suit. When I was old enough to understand, I begged him not to, I begged him to stay home with me and watch a movie or play a game with me.
   But he would always toss me aside with, "Go play with your sister."
    Erwin was a people pleaser, little miss perfect, perfect grades, perfect everything. She was always popular at school, she even pretended I didnt exist when I first got into high school. She was a jerk, of course I didnt help with my snarky attitude towards her. But what else was I suppose to do? Let her walk all over me?
    "Rene!" a voice called from behind. Asher Davis rushed up to her panting, his short dark hair, I could see he was sweating, he had warm chocolate eyes, thick browns, a adorable smile and was a little taller than me.
    "Ash," I smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be at your own school?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
   "Yeah, but your school has chipotle," He scowled. "Can I at LEAST walk with you to your school?"
   "Fine, but its an hour walk," I laughed, skipping in my step a bit. 
   "Why do you walk, when you could drive?" Asher asked hoisting his bag on his shoulders, and spinning.
    "Because its exercise," I replied. "And my car broke down."
   "Ah," he nodded. "Maybe you should get that fixed."
    "No duh," I rolled my eyes. "Ive been too busy." I stared at my feet as I walked, suddenly feeling the urge to throw up. "Ash, do you have your car around?"

   "Er.. yeah, a few blocks away.." Asher looked at me.
   "Can you give me a ride actually?" I asked, this happened a lot. I felt like I couldnt breath, I felt an undying feeling of guilt.
    "Yeah, sure.." Asher nodded quickly and walked me to her car, I was in tears and I didnt know why. It was as if my feelings werent my own, and someone elses.
     "Are you okay Rene?" he asked concerned, handing me his water bottle.
    I took it shakingly. "Yeah.... Sorry, I dont know what came over me.." I whispered.
He pulled up in the parking lot of the school. I got out. "Thank you." she patted his shoulder. I glanced at my watch. I still had an hour until my class started. I walked along the sidewalk, over to a field where tiles of grave stones sat. I sat in front of one.

Rest in Paradise
Cal Williams
1999-2022
Beloved son and fiancé

      I reached into my bag and pulled out a couple of flowers and set them in front of his memorial stone. I sat crisscross in front of it in tears. "Why did you leave me?" I whispered.
    A shadow walked up. I looked up to see Riley, blocking the sun out of my eyes with my hand. No one could tell what went between us between the years that Cal died. No one. I havemt talked with Riley since the fight. She didnt say anything and just hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry, I didnt mean it." I sobbed, hard.
   "I'm the one who needs to be sorry," she looked at me. "I said things, I will never forgive myself for," Riley sighed, brushing her now long hair off her shoulders.
   "I was worse! I said hurtful things!" I cried. "Im a horrible person and friend."
   Riley closed her eyes. "Its gonna take time for me to completely forgive you for some of the things you said, but you are not a horrible person, we both said things, I lost my best friend, you lost your boyfriend, we were in grief, while that isnt an excuse for our actions, it still happened." she whispered.
    "I could have done something," I whispered. "It should have been me." I pulled my hair.
     "No one could stop a school shooting, and dont say that, please dont say that," Riley stroked my hair. It felt soothing and I felt calmer. "Its been a year.. and I feel ready to love again, is it too soon?" I whispered. It hurt to say that, I didnt want to seem over Cal, he was my fiance, then the collage shooting happened and he saved my life. The shooter got away.
     "No of course not, your healing, and thats a good thing," she told me in a hushed voice. "You can take as much time as you need."
     "Thanks," I whispered. "And I am sorry." I bit my lip.
       "Excuse me?" a voice came up. "I seem to be a bit lost.."
      I looked up to see a boy in hoodie and sweatpants. HIs hair was messy, soft brown, his eyes were soft brown and his frame was tall and lean. I stared up at him almost in a daze, as if I have known him my whole life.
    "Oh umm your in Columbia University in New York," I told him with a kind smile. He was looking at me with the same familiar glance. I stood up, wiping my face.
    "I-im sorry, this probably wasnt the best time to bother you," the man flustered, embarressedly.
    "No, no, your good, we were just about done," I told him quiclkly, guilt came back up.
   "Oh, okay, thank god," he awkwardly chuckled. I watched him anxiously put his hands into his pockets. I felt anxious watching him.
    "I'm Irene Stark by the way, you go here?" I asked. "Oh and thats Riley Smith."
    "Hello Irene, ummm and actually I dont go here..." he looked around. "I dont really know how I got here.." he admitted, rubbing his neck.
    "You drunk? Its only morning dude," Riley exclaimed throwing her hands up.
     "What?! No. Im not drinking," he quickly said laughing.
     "I still never got a name," I pointed out.
     "Oh right, umm its Peter Parker," he smiled.
     I blinked in shock, he was NOT Peter Parker, this guy was taller and more handsome than Peter (No offense Peter) He was older than 17, maybe around 26.
Oh shit

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