Chapter 304: Chapter 304: "Awkward Encounters"
[As they continued walking, Peter spotted Doris carrying Liz's belongings. Ahead, Liz and Betty hugged each other, with the school principal following closely behind.]
[Quickly jogging up, Peter called out, "Hey! Liz!"]
[But Liz barely acknowledged him. When he called again, she turned her head away.]
[Undeterred, Peter stepped closer. "Liz, I'm so sorry!"]
[Liz furrowed her brows, finally looking at him. "You've said sorry so many times. What are you apologizing for this time? The dance? That was really rude, by the way."]
[Peter hesitated before replying, "Well… yeah! But—I mean, your dad. I can't imagine what you're going through. If there's anything I can do to help—"]
["I think we're moving to Oregon," Liz interrupted, lowering her head. "Mom said it's a nice place, so that's okay… Anyway, Dad doesn't want us here during the trial. So…"]
[She refused to look at Peter. At this moment, she had no interest in seeing him.]
[Peter pursed his lips. "Liz, I... I…" But the words stuck in his throat. He didn't know what to say.]
["Goodbye, Peter." Liz's voice was calm but firm. "Whatever you're dealing with, I hope you figure it out."]
[With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Peter standing there, stunned, watching her disappear from his life.]
"Poor Peter, he just got a girlfriend, and now he's forced to break up!" First-Gen Uncle Ben sighed with sympathy.
"He agreed to take her to the dance, and then he broke his promise again. No wonder she didn't want to see him," Aunt May lamented. "He keeps disappointing her—just like our Peter used to."
It seemed that Spider-Man's love life was destined to be rocky, no matter the universe. Even Second-Gen Peter and Gwen had been separated by tragedy in the end.
"Toomes probably doesn't want his family getting involved with Spider-Man," Steve Rogers commented. "It makes sense. He wants to keep them away from danger."
"Yeah, exactly, Cap!" Scott Lang nodded. As a father himself, he understood Toomes' decision. If he were in that situation, he wouldn't want his daughter anywhere near something this dangerous.
[In the classroom, Mr. Harrington placed the championship trophy on the table. "Congratulations, everyone! We are the National Decathlon Champions!"]
[He led the applause, and the students enthusiastically clapped along.]
["I'll have to put this back in the display case soon, but for now, let's just enjoy the moment. This is a great motivation for all of you! I may be slightly better than everyone else—"] He chuckled. "—but we need a new team leader for next year."]
["So… I now appoint Michelle as the new team leader!" At first, everyone looked surprised, but then they broke into applause. "Yeah!"]
[Michelle Jones smirked. "Uh… Thanks, everyone! My friends all call me MJ."]
[Ned, ever tactless, blurted out, "I thought you didn't have any friends?"]
[Michelle Jones hesitated for a moment before responding, "I didn't… before."]
[At that moment, Peter's phone buzzed. Checking the message, he saw it was from Happy: "I need to see you."]
[Michelle Jones frowned at his sudden distraction and asked, "Hey! Where are you always sneaking off to, Peter? What are you hiding?"]
[Spider-Man hesitated, struggling to come up with an excuse. But before he could speak, Michelle Jones smirked and rescued him. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. I don't care. Bye!"]
[She turned to the rest of the class. "Alright, let's get started on some practice." She played it cool, but her eyes briefly flicked back toward Peter as he left.]
[Peter made his way to the school bathroom, where Happy was waiting for him. Upon seeing him, Peter raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Happy… What are you doing here?"]
["I really owe you one, kid," Happy said earnestly. "I don't even know what I'd do without this job. I mean, before I met Tony—"]
[Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a toilet flushing echoed through the room. The air grew awkwardly silent.]
[Happy blinked. Spider-Man's eyes darted to the stall. Neither spoke.]
[A student emerged from the stall, eyeing the two of them with an odd expression. He walked to the sink, washed his hands, and then glanced back at them one more time before leaving.]
[Both Happy and Peter stood there in silence.]
[Finally, Peter broke the tension. "So, uh… How long have you been waiting here?"]
[Happy sighed, his enthusiasm completely deflated. "Long enough to make it really awkward, alright?"]
["Boss wants to see you," he added quickly, moving toward the exit.]
[Peter pointed at the stall and whispered, "Wait… Is he in there too?"]
["The bathroom? No! He's upstate!" Happy shot back, rolling his eyes before marching out.]
[Spider-Man, still trying to process it, muttered under his breath, "Upstate? Upstate? Upstate?"]
["Yeah! Now let's go!" Happy called over his shoulder.]
"Wow, Happy is hilarious!" George burst out laughing.
"They just froze the second they heard that flush! Haha! Oh my God, I can't breathe!" Second-Gen Gwen clutched at Second-Gen Peter's arm, struggling to contain her laughter.
"Yeah! That was actually really funny!" Second-Gen Peter admitted with a chuckle.
Especially the look that student had given them—it practically screamed, What the hell are you two doing in a school bathroom together?
Happy, watching this unfold, covered his face in shame. He wished he could disappear. That look the student gave him would haunt him forever.