One week. Peter wants a date in one week.
I hold my phone to my chest, smiling to myself. I felt happy and I was somewhat excited, the excitement was new and quite refreshing, though anything could go wrong. I could get stood up, I could spill my drink, the usual. But something about this felt like it was going to go really well.
A soft knock came from my bedroom door and I sit up. "Come in!" I shout.
Betty walks in. "Michelle Jones? A date? What!" She was staying the night for a study session.
"I don't know how it happened, he just asked me over text one day. I was thinking a picnic? Just something small and cute."
"What if you order a pizza and take that?"
"He does like pizza." I say as Betty sits down on the bed as we begin to brainstorm ideas. "I should bring some coffee and donuts from the coffee shop."
"I can't believe you have a date." Betty says. I didn't class it as a date at first, but texts we had back and forth been sending really suggested thst he wanted it it be a date.
"Same, I'm excited but I have this inkling something will go really wrong."
"If it does, it's not going to be universe breaking right? You're not going on a date with a superhuman."
"I doubt that even if I did, they wouldn't break the universe for me."
"I don't know MJ, some guys are just crazy like that." Betty says as my phone pings. "Is that him?"
"I don't know yet." I say, "I haven't checked." I pick up my phone, I guessed the wide smile gave away who text as Betty grabbed the phone from my hands. "Give it back!"
"'Hi MJ I'm excited for our date on Friday! Mind if I ask where our usual spot is?'" Betty tilted her head to the side. "What does that last bit mean?"
My face falls, he usually knows where the spot is - the school roof. "Betty. Pass the phone, please."
She willingly passes the phone but with a shrug, "I'm going to go see what's for dinner."
I just nod, not looking up from the phone, did Peter get amnesia when he was mugged the other week? How did he forget? Maybe he thinks the choices were between Central Park and the roof?
'Midtown school roof, unless you want to go for Pizza?' I had to take the opportunity, but I hoped there wasn't more weird texts. 'I don't want Mr Jamison interrupting us again.' I then follow Betty out to the kitchen.
We spent the first hour of our night just chatting and talking about stuff, even helping dad with dinner. Betty had told me Flash had managed to get to the dating stage with someone, which was why he hadn't sat with us since valentines, I guess one of those love letters were real. "Who's that?" Betty asks pointing to a photo of Flash that I had drawn which was apart of my open sketchbook on bedside table.
"Flash got a detention one time, he lost his shit with the teacher and nearly flipped a table, pencils went everywhere, I had to capture the moment. It looked cool." I chuckle. "I also did one of Ned, he dropped his death star again, I wasn't planning on drawing him, but he liked the drawing none the less." I begin to go through my art after that.
"You should become an artist." Betty says.
"I would, but it doesn't pay enough, I might do commissions though college if I have the time."
Betty's face lights up. "Do you have one of me?" She asks.
"You're so put together, I'm almost jealous. I mostly draw people in a crisis."
"What if I fall off the bed?"
"Betty..." I begin to grab her arm. "Please don't throw yourself off the bed!" I laugh, but it was too late, she had leaned back far enough to actually begin falling.
"I guess you have to draw me now." Betty said through her hysterics as she crashed to the floor.
"I guess." I say with a smile.
She looks to her Left, which I didn't believed was intentional at all, but it caused her to look under the bed. Which meant she noticed the scrap box I had been making.
"MJ?" She asks pulling it out. "What's this? 'Don't open until Graduation.'" She begins to read the cover. "'For Peter Parker.' MJ..."
I fell speechless, I just shook my head as she looked up at me, as a way to tell her not to open it. I may remember Peter, but I'm definitely sure that Betty doesn't, I've gradually remembered, but I have no idea what will happen if someone remembered him all at once. "Please don't open it."
Betty puts the box on the bed, wraps her arms around me. But i didn't hug back. "I won't, I promise." When she pulls away she keeps her hands on my shoulders. "I'll leave you alone for a bit. It seems very private, and I invaded that, I'm sorry. I'm going to go to the bathroom." Betty gets up with a sympathetic smile and leaves the room.
I stare at the box to the point my eyes felt like they were drying out, before grabbing it. I felt like it was time, to read Peters letter. Now yes. It might not even be for me, however after studying Peter and the letter for a while, it was clear he wanted to read it to me. I was hesitant, I felt guilty. It could be anything, but curiosity guided me.
'Dear MJ. You don't know me so this is going to sound pretty crazy. But actually you do know me. Remember how I said it would sound crazy?
I have known you for a while, you will likely not remember but its a really crazy thing, in fact I've known you since we were in school, for years we weren't friends, but during junior year we seemed to have developed feelings for one another, becoming a couple. You also found out I was, (take her somewhere private...) Spider-Man, well rather figured it out.
We went through alot together, I'm not asking for you to remember me, but I promised I would come back and tell you, and so here I am. Telling you, we know each other, and I love you. Peter.'
I didn't have time at all to react to the words, the letter had likely triggered another memory I remembered the feeling all too well.
"Yeah, we're okay." I say, glad about the reunion, smiling, hopeful.
"Oh, you're bleeding." Peter says, grasping my face to take a closer look at my forehead.
I made sure to reassure him, "Im fine, I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine, I promise."
"Okay... okay."
"Um, we should go right?" I ask, but I notice Peters face fall as he struggles to form his words.
"You're gonna to forget who I am."
"What?" Ned blurts out just as shoked and confused as I am about the statement.
"Forget who you are - what are you talking about?" I ask. But my fears are instantly answered.
"It's okay. I'm gonna come find you, and I'll explain everything." Peter begins, I feel a rush of sadness, I don't want to forget Peter, he's made me feel happy, safe, and it's just going to be thrown away because of a spell? Everything we've been through I'm going to forget. "I'll make you remember me, and it will be like none of this ever happened, okay?"
I begin to panic, what if that's not possible? "Okay, but what if that doesn't work? What if - what if we can't remember you? I don't wanna do that. I don't-" I feel on the verge of tears, everything we've built gone, and I have no choice in the matter? "I don't wanna do that."
"I know, MJ, I know."
I begin to think of different ways we could make it work where me and Ned could both still remember Peter, I could tell by the look on Neds face also that he didn't want to do it either. "But, what- is there something we can do? We can't come up with, like a plan or something, you know? There's always something we can do?"
Peter just shakes his head. "There's nothing we can do. But it'll be okay."
I try to catch my breath, mostly to stop myself from crying. As I do so Ned speaks up, "You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise."
As I catch myself from going into a full sob, Ned and Peter exchange their handshake into a hug, it's a bittersweet moment, and I know the pair will miss each others company, I know something will be missing every day and there's nothing we can do about it.
"I'll come find you. Okay?"
"I know you will." After the pair finnish their exchange Peter turns back to me.
"You better. If you don't, I'm just gonna figure it out. I've done it before I can do it again." I will be able to right?
"I promise I'll fix this."
"I really hate magic."
Peter laughs in agreement. "Yeah, me too."
I place my hands on his cheeks and I pull him in closer, "I love you." It's there first time I've said that to him, and quite possibly my last.
"I love-"
I had to interrupt him, "Just wait. Wait and tell me when you see me again."
I wake. A hand softly pulling my curls out of my face I look up, "How are you feeling?" Betty asks. "I came in and you were asleep and in tears."
"I- I think I'm okay."
"I'm getting really concerned." Betty spoke, stern and assertive. "You need to go to the doctors. How many times is that now? And its only February? Somethings wrong if you keep fainting."
I sit up. "I don't think I need to go to the doctors." I Shake my head. "I think- I think I know why I'm fainting."
"Tell me, them maybe we can sort it."
"I can't, Betty. I really can't."
"Why not?"
"I just can't." I look at her. She nods, a sign of agreement.
"The letters back in the box, I didn't read it. It seems like a cute project."
"Thank you."
The rest of the night was a little awkward. Of course it would be after something so weird happening and the tensions heightening, we ended up watching a movie before heading to sleep quite early.
I had met up with Peter in the week, I took some vacation days, which was the days I was in that week as per father's orders, I managed to stumble upon Peter in the street.
"Peter... we need to talk." I say.
"Mmhm what?" He asked, he seemed happy and cheerful, it was a nice sight.
I reached into my pocket. "You dropped this, and I've never had a chance to give it back." I smile, and I hoped the smile gave it away that I knew, about almost everything, again. I hope that he knew what the conversation was going to be about, because it would make it a thousand times easier.
He seemed to be startled. "You... didn't read it did you?"
I panic. "No."
Peters face fell, "Oh." He says.
"School roof, tomorrow 7pm." I say with a smile, "Bring snacks, I also have something to tell you." I fiddle with my thumbs, as if I was the one asking him on the date first.
"Tomorrow? Yeah."
"Tomorrow. It will be nice." I smile.
By the way I had senn his face fall at the answer for the letter, it seemed he expected me to read it, but I didn't want to say I did, in case he didn't want me to, I know it was for me but the possibility of it not being and I just read it, made me feel down about the whole thing.
'Tomorrow' very quickly came along. Over the week and the past day I had developed more memories, for the most part I knew our story, from beginning to the end, my favourites to remember were those when we were kids, they were just sweet, the thing that stuck that just wasn't coming out was the memory of receiving the necklace and a few others, but the necklace was a core memory. Everything had fallen perfectly into place in my memories. I gathered Peter got it for me, a sweet gesture.
There were many others that would likely come over time. But I felt confident and ready that I remember enough to confidently speak about it to him and reunite, properly. There was a slight problem, very slowly the texts I was receiving got weirder and weirder. it felt like it wasn't Peter, so I wasn't as excited for the date anymore. Especially if someone was pretending to be Peter but I had the comfort of knowing I asked to meet before hand, so I had slight hope. I did stop replying after a while, after I figured out it wasn't him.
"Expect dissapointment and you won't be disappointed." I say to myself in the mirror, he's been late often, in fact it had become a recent habit of his, I remember he used to be so good at being on time, especially in his adorable crushing stage in the fear of disappointing me. I didn't mind currently, it would make me anxious, don't get me wrong - but 5 minutes would be fine.
I decide on wearing something comfortable, it was still cold out so dressing up a little was out of the question, I just made my hair slightly more presentable than the 'I just woke up' tangles that had produced. I put on a coat, just for warmth and grabbed the bag full of stuff, and hoped Peter was at the roof and I didn't stuble into whoever was actually on the end of the phone.
If I was greeted with someone who I didn't want to see I'd be dissapointed, I knew the number was Peters, we had exchanged texts before he had asked for a date. Not only would I be dissapointed, I'd be scared, it could be a creepy old man for all I knew. The person who has the phone luring someone who's in high school to meet with them through their crushes phone.
The only think keeping me from staying home, was the fact I knew that Peter was going to show up. Now I'm not one for being a damsel in distress, but sometimes there are situations that will lead you to be that way, it could lead anyone that way in fact.