THE THREE BEST FRIENDS WALKED THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING. Unfortunately, Peter was left to carry all of his books due to another one of his backpacks being stolen--turns out, his webs aren't as protective as he had hoped; never mind the fact that Peter made sure his backpack was leveled on the wall, away from any way of snuffing it. However, his plan was futile as Peter was left with nothing to carry his homework.

After discovering Peter's lost backpack, Eszter couldn't help but make fun of him once she found him taking the walk of shame. Eszter had lost count of how many backpacks, though she believes Peter must've gone through five different backpacks in only a few weeks; the boy has a bad habit of leaving his backpack somewhere along the streets of Queens. It was bound to happen. Each time Peter appeared with a new backpack, Eszter disciplined her best friend like a mother, but the enhanced realized that he would never learn from his mistakes.

Peter is merely distracted with wanting to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

"Why don't you just give me your bag before you go out? Or give it to Ned, now," Eszter chuckles deeply, crossing her arms across her chest as she walks on the other side of Peter. The enhanced hadn't bothered to help Peter carry his books. "Seriously, dude, how many times are you gonna have to get your backpack stolen for you to realize you're an idiot?"

Offended, Peter furrows his brows at the insult. "Rude," he grumbles under his breath. Shifting the books in his arms, Peter was unbothered by the weight of the textbooks. "I can't. I usually store my suit inside and like to throw my clothes inside it. I have to be out there right after school."

Eszter tried to get Peter to listen to her, but her friend is a little too stubborn for her liking. Although it wasn't a big deal--merely a backpack--but Eszter didn't like the way Peter was irresponsible. He tends to let Spider-Man take the upper hand, making him feel like he shouldn't worry about himself.

"Ned, tell him," Eszter interjects, hoping for backup.

However, Ned didn't deliver. "You got bit by a spider?" Eszter groans in annoyance. Ned was more intrigued by the idea of another one of his best friends being a superhero--Spider-Man at that. "Can it bite me? Well, it probably would've hurt, right? Whatever. Even if it did hurt, I'd let it bit me. Maybe. How much did it hurt?"

Peter stares at Ned's side profile, a blank look. "The spider's dead, Ned."

A little curious, Eszter glances over to Ned. "What about my powers? How come you wouldn't want something like mine?"

"Eh, it's okay," Ned wobbles his hand from side to side, not entirely impressed. "I mean, it's cool that you can move things with your mind, but to be Spider-Man--" Eszter stares with a deep frown, nearly glaring at Ned, but the enhanced tries not to be offended. "--now that's cool."

Exasperated and unable to contain her hurt feelings, Eszter squeaks. "What? My powers are way better this his," she juts her thumb to Peter, but then she glances at him, finding Peter staring at her with raised brows. "No offense."

Across the street, barriers blocked off the street corner with caution tape wrapping around a building, a familiar building that Eszter recognizes. A few police officers were standing just in front of the blue barriers, some speaking with a few civilians. Eszter stops just beside the boys, and her eyes widen at the scene before her--the buildings were torn and burnt, shredded apart by something peculiar. The building was destroyed; burnt marks were trailing the front of the building, and the store from across was also torn apart from the aftermath.

Peter hadn't bothered to mention the fact that he was caught in the fight, unsure of whatever had occurred here.

Concerned, Eszter spins on her toes to glare at Peter, but the boy already knew what was coming. "Don't look at me like that, Eszter," he clicks his tongue, looking away from the enhanced.

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?" She exclaims quietly, eyeing around the few people who were watching the scene.

"You were here?" Ned inquires, glimpsing back to the ATM building.

"Yeah," Peter looks away from Eszter, already feeling a lecture coming his way.

"And you could've died," Eszter exclaims. She clenches her fists to emphasize her frustrations, pursing her lips tightly. Huffing lightly, the enhanced looks at Peter worriedly, though Eszter was glad that he was okay. "That's not cool, Peter."

"Eszter, I'm okay! Look," Peter spins around, but it didn't seem to ease the enhanced's concern. "See? I'm okay. Please, don't smother me. I know you're worried, but I can handle myself." Giving her a look, Peter was stern. "You said you wouldn't tell me what to do?"

Kissing her teeth, Eszter decides to back down. "Fine, whatever," she rolls her eyes.

Out of the blue, Ned asks a ridiculous question. "Do you lay eggs?" Both Eszter and Peter pause for a moment.

"What?" The two heroes exclaim with a light chuckle; however, Eszter cackles.

"No," Peter looks at Ned like he was crazy.

Ned bobs his head in thought. "That would be weird if you did."

As the trio continues on their way to school, Eszter had wondered why they had bothered walking this one morning. She should've taken the bus this morning because Eszter hadn't signed up to walk this morning, but it was too late. For as long as they've been walking, Ned continued with his random questions that were more ridiculous than the first.

Eszter was growing tired of them, but she allowed Ned to ramble on with his insufferable questions.

💜

After a long day of classes, Eszter was dreading today. The enhanced was bombarded with many notes and worksheets; Eszter was certain she might doze off and give out the wrong answers. However, Eszter is brilliant, and oftentimes, the enhanced doubts her skills; she is confident in her answers--well, most of her answers.

Finally, she and her friends were in gym class. All the students sat silently on the bleachers as Coach Wilson rolls the TV towards the crowd, readying the assignment for the class.

Eszter sat in front of Michelle when she felt a book resting above her head, but the enhanced didn't bother to ask her friend to lift the book from her. Knowing that her friend is more interested in the book in her hands, Eszter allowed Michelle to use her head as a table.

"Hi, I'm Captain America," Steve's voice spoke from the speakers of the boxed-TV, making Eszter shift uncomfortably from the several eyes that trail back to her. "Whether you're in the classroom or on the battlefield . . ."

Tuning the video out, Eszter dips her head as she turns her gaze away from the TV.

"Do you know him, too?" A voice wonders in the silence, barely a whisper.

Peter pauses for a second, thinking before he shrugs. "Yeah, we met."

"--fitness can be the difference between success or failure," the video of Steve continues.

"I stole his shield," Peter says rather proudly.

"What?" Ned gasps in disbelief, amazed.

Eszter leans forwards, glaring harshly at the boys. "Will you two shut up," she hisses, making Ned and Peter pout suddenly. "I'm sure someone heard you."

Peter frowns at the girl, not expecting Eszter to suddenly snap at them. Discreetly as he can be, Peter inspects the students with wary eyes, wondering if they had overheard their conversation. He hadn't realized he and Ned were being too loud while discussing meeting the Avengers. Nevertheless, Peter was cautious about whether or not anyone had heard him.

Eszter merely rolls her eyes.

"Today, my good friend, your good teacher," Captain America points to the left of the students' perspective; however, Coach Wilson was standing on the opposite side of the TV. "Will be conducting the Captain America Fitness Challenge."

Coach Wilson turns off the TV.

"Thank you, Captain. Pretty sure he's a war criminal, but whatever," Coach Wilson makes a face but continues. "I have to show these videos. It's required by the state." Then, he blows the whistle. "Let's do it."

The students get up and climb down the stairs, picking their partner for the workout they were about to start. While Peter and Ned partnered together, Eszter wounded up with Michelle, though the enhanced doubts she'll be doing any exercises. Not to mention, Eszter wasn't a big fan of exercising.

Sitting on the mat, the enhanced did nothing while Michelle continued to bench her book, never taking her eyes away from the text. Eszter didn't mind. She enjoyed being Michelle's partner because they usually never have to do anything, granting the enhanced time to do nothing. Most of the time, Coach Wilson doesn't force the students to complete the challenges and fitness programs; usually, Eszter ends up sitting on the blue mats and relaxing for the rest of the period.

"This is why I love being your partner," Michelle hums in acknowledgment, barely listening. Not bothered by the way her friend disregarded her, Eszter continues. "Coach Wilson might be scared to even tell me to do anything, I bet. So, you can continue to bench that book."

"I didn't think anyone would be my partner," Michelle answers monotonously.

The enhanced chuckles. "What are you talking about? I'm always your partner."

"I know. I was kind of hoping that you wouldn't have today," Michelle confesses rather bluntly.

"What? Why not?"

Michelle lowers her book onto her chest as she dips her chin downward, touching her chest. "I have nothing against you, Eszter, but sometimes, I rather be alone," the curly-haired girl flashes Eszter a pressed smile before raising her book.

Eszter frowns at the thought, tilting her head like a confused puppy as she takes a moment to register Michelle's comment. "I don't know whether or not to be offended."

"Don't take it personally, E. You know how I am."

Eszter merely shrugs, believing Michelle is used to her friend acting like she likes being alone. The enhanced lays down on the mat, relaxing as the other students around her continued with their sit-ups. Eszter closes her eyes briefly, steadying her breathing as she could feel flashes of memories burning through her mind. A lump forming in the back of her throat, but Eszter forces herself to remain calm. A moment of silence was something that the enhanced despises in a crisis like this, and when Eszter finds herself trapped in that stance, she feels like she is falling all over again.

The feeling in the bottom of Eszter's heart hurts at the thought of Wanda, somewhere lost and alone, most likely on the run. She hates that things have escalated to this, to Wanda running away once again, leaving Eszter to wonder for her well-being. Eszter didn't know if she was angry or not with Wanda--if she is, the enhanced will slap her sister if she could, but Eszter would also hug her. Guess Eszter will have to schedule a reunion with Wanda at some point if it would be allowed somehow.

Would it even be possible if Eszter could speak to Wanda? Even if she's on the run? Wanda could be hurt, and Eszter needs to make sure her sister is okay. She couldn't imagine what could be going on with everyone--

"Peter knows Spider-Man!"

It was suddenly silent. Like a single pin could be heard.

Did Eszter hear that right?

With the silence, everyone turned their attention towards Ned and Peter, surprised by the sudden news of Spider-Man. Sitting in the middle of the gym, a petrified Peter Parker sat like a deer in headlights, staring straight at Liz; he hadn't a clue what to do, not expecting his best friend to nearly out him. No words could be expressed. What was Peter supposed to do? Now that Liz thinks he's friends with Spider-Man, he will have to play as if he is friends with the hero; how will he make that work?

On the other hand, Eszter was just as surprised as Peter, speechless. The enhanced hadn't expected Ned to blurt such information, though Eszter wasn't sure if she should be that surprised. Pushing herself back by her elbows, Eszter watches the scene unfold, not wanting to butt in. She couldn't jump in and save Peter, and the boy had to figure this out on his own.

It wasn't that Eszter was sabotaging Peter's thing with Liz; the enhanced merely didn't want to interfere with something that will make Eszter suspicious.

Peter turns to face Ned abruptly, and his eyes widen in fear and disbelief. "Uh, no, I don't," the boy quickly jumps onto his feet, jerking his head between Ned and Liz, trying to come up with something. However, Peter was flustered as he stammers over his words. "No. I--I mean."

Deciding not to intervene, Eszter watches with a nervous glint in her eyes, unsure how this will end; the enhanced acts like this weren't her concern. However, if Peter can't muster up a good enough excuse, Eszter will jump to his rescue without making the situation any skepticism.

Peter had stumbled forward, walking on jello-like feet as they barely carried his weight. Liz's gaze was powerful, and it left Peter gasping for air; her stare can easily pull Peter into a trance, and with the way she is looking at him, the boy is pretty sure the words on his tongue disappeared. Liz has this effect on Peter.

"They're friends," Ned exclaims.

A sudden scoff catches Eszter's attention. "Yeah, like Coach Wilson and Captain America are friends," Flash jokes with a taunting tone lingering in his voice. He had jumped down from the rope he had been climbing, walking towards the group.

"I--I've met him, yeah," Peter tries again. Eszter huffs under her breath, annoyed that Peter is using his superhero persona to get a girl. "A couple of times. But it's, um . . . through the Stark Internship."

Liz dips her head, pushing a strand of hair from the front of her face. When she lifts her gaze, Liz gives Peter the eyes as she tilts her head a little. However, Liz was curious about what this leads to.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really supposed to talk about it," Peter hisses warningly at Ned, angry that he had bothered to mention something like this. He needed to clear things up and fast.

Ned smiles sheepishly, though the boy is pretty sure he had helped Peter a little with Liz. However, by the look on Peter's face, Ned is pretty sure that his best friend wasn't too keen on the idea of having to explain himself.

"Well, that's awesome," Flash grins in amusement. There was a troubling glint in his eyes. "Hey, you know what? Maybe you should invite him to Liz's party. Right?"

"Yeah," Liz hadn't thought about inviting Peter at the time, thinking that the boy wouldn't have accepted, considering he tends to avoid her. A little nervous herself, Liz never knows how to talk to Peter. "I'm having people over tonight. You're more than welcome to come."

"Having a party . . .?" Peter rambles, flustered.

"Yeah, it's gone be dope. You should totally invite your personal friend Spider-Man."

"Um . . ."

"It's okay. I know Peter's way too busy for parties anyway, so . . ."

"Oh, come on. He'll be there, right, Parker?" FLash chuckles, then he nods in Eszter's general direction, smirking when he meets her annoyed glare. "And that doesn't work, and then the witch can call him up. I mean, now that sounds more believable if we're all being honest here."

Peter clenches his jaw as the bell rings through the school--saved by the bell. Flash sends the hero one last smirk before passing Peter out of the gym class with everyone else.

Eszter leaves Michelle's side, though the girl doesn't know as the enhanced stomps her way towards Peter and Ned with a harsh, stern look.

"What were you thinking?" She hisses lowly, glaring first at Ned.

"Helping him out," Ned whispers. He seemed to be the only one to be ecstatic over the situation. "Did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you."

The enhanced scoffs so suddenly, a hint of jealousy lingers. "I wouldn't say him. More like Spider-Man."

Peter looks at Eszter with an offended stare, clicking his tongue at how unsupportive Eszter is with his crush on Liz. He hadn't noticed it until now, but Peter can see the way the enhanced wouldn't put in her own thoughts about Liz. Not that it bothered Peter, but the boy didn't necessarily want to hear Eszter put him down in his ear. However, after hearing Ned, the hero believes his friend might have a point.

Ned nudges Peter's arm as they make their way out of the gym. "Dude, you're an Avenger. If any one of us has a chance with a senior, it's you," Ned encourages, but once his gaze reached around Peter, he notices the look on Eszter's face. "I mean, you can have anyone if you want. You know, you never know; the person you're looking for is a lot closer than you think."

Eszter's eyes widen as she turns to face Ned, shaking her head as she motions for the boy to quit talking. The enhanced was scared Ned was trying to hint at Peter that Eszter has feelings, and as much as she'd like to do so, it wasn't something she had planned to do.

With that, Eszter walks away, unable to walk with her friends right now.

💜

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" Peter wonders with a hint of worry in his voice. The boy had called Eszter in a heap of stress, needing help from his other best friend. "I don't think I can do this without you."

Eszter nearly bit her tongue in retort, but the enhanced holds herself back, refraining from letting her emotions cloud her judgment. She had enough of letting her emotions get the best of her, and Eszter thinks she's doing a good job. If Peter needs her tonight, she's going to be there--with Pepper's permission, obviously. Eszter can't just sneak out with an intellectual A.I. system tracking her every move.

Pushing a heavy box closer towards her door, Eszter made a pile in the empty corner of her room, stacking boxes for the movers. Happy had yet to return with the moving company, so Eszter had done a little work before plopping flat onto the bare mattress. Her bed was stripped from its duvet and comfy pillows, leaving Eszter's bed naked. Ready for the movers to take it apart and toss it into the back of their truck.

Next to Eszter's head was her phone, still on speakerphone as she stares at the ceiling, arms resting over her belly. Eszter couldn't resist the defeated feeling weighing over her chest.

Eszter scoffs softly. "Of course, I'm going," the enhanced practically frowns at herself, wishing she could get rid of this feeling she had for Peter. However, Eszter still manages to fake the happy aura through the receiver. "Who else is gonna stop you from making a fool outta yourself?"

"I--I'm not," Peter stammers over his words. He quickly stops as he suspects Eszter is taking joy of his troubles. "Okay. Maybe I'm a little--"

"A little?"

"Are you going or not?" Peter huffs in the line, a small roll of his eyes.

Chuckling, Eszter rolls onto her stomach. "Yes, Peter, I'm going," the enhanced answers.

The conversation hadn't gone back to Pepper, but Eszter can only assume if the woman will allow the enhanced to go out late at night. Going to parties has never been something Eszter found herself wanting to go to, but what's a little experience like going to a high school party? A little curious to see how those go. Eszter wouldn't mind the fun.

However, Eszter would worry about it later and not let Peter worry about whether the enhanced would show up. Nevertheless, Eszter hops out of bed as she drags her phone up from the mattress, making her way towards the kitchen. With a grumbling stomach, Eszter was begging for a quick snack.

"What do you think Liz will think?" Immediately, Eszter's smile seemed to fade into a deep frown at the thought, not sure whether or not she should be annoyed at this point. However, Eszter wounds up listening to Peter babble. "You think this will make her like me? I mean, she's so pretty and nice, even though I don't exactly talk to her . . ."

Eszter drops her phone onto the counter as she starts to rummage through the small pantry of the bar, almost avoiding the conversation in the background. It was like the more Peter talked about Liz, the more uninterested Eszter grew; the enhanced didn't answer Peter's call to talk about the senior girl, but Eszter wasn't going to stop him. Fortunately, there's no bad blood between Eszter and Liz; in fact, the enhanced couldn't deny that Liz is incredibly nice and undeniably gorgeous--guess Eszter can see why Peter is into her.

Grabbing the leftover brownies from the fridge, Eszter pops them in the fridge for a few seconds before taking them out. The enhanced inhales the chocolatey goodness, plopping on the stool near the island.

Clicking sounds of footsteps near Eszter as the enhanced takes a bite of her brownies.

"Eszter? Kid, where are you?" The enhanced perks up from the sound of Happy's voice appearing inside the tower.

"In here," she annoyed, mouth stuffed.

"Who's that?"

"That was just Happy. He's supposed to help me get all my things into the truck and to our new place."

"Happy's there?" Peter perks, chirping lightly. "Do you think you can tell him that I've been texting and calling him? I know he told me not to, but . . ."

Happy walks into the room; finding Eszter sitting, he raises his arms. "What are you doing? Let's go. I've got places to be," Happy taps his wrist impatiently.

Happy stares blankly at the enhanced as she seemed unfazed by the sudden demand in hopes of speeding things up. Eszter has known Happy for a while, and as far as she's concerned, the man wasn't the least of her concern. Not intimidated by Happy, Eszter was more amused by the look on his face; it was quite easy to get under the man's skin, making it hilarious to mess with Happy. Meeting Happy's gaze, Eszter mocks the man as she takes a bite of her brownie, insisting that the enhanced wasn't going to rush herself for Happy's lateness.

Still, on the phone, Eszter hadn't realized Peter had been asking her to talk to Happy for her this whole time. The enhanced had zoned her friend out as he practically pleads with Eszter, asking the enhanced to make sure Happy checks his messages and his voicemails; hopefully, Happy will get into contact with Tony and possibly get Peter into something a little more than what he does now. Spider-Man can handle anything.

"I'm eating," Eszter responds with a slight attitude. With the mumbling in the receiver, the enhanced rolls her eyes. "Peter wants you to call him."

Happy glares over at the enhanced, shaking her head. "I don't have time for childish games," the man glances down at the bowl of food, furrowing his brows. "What is this? What are you eating right now?"

Eszter glances down at her plate and back at Happy. "A brownie. Want one?" She asks, shaking the bowl.

"No, I don't want one. Can you hurry up? Ms. Potts expects you to be at the new place by four-thirty," Happy taps his watch.

"I gotta go, Peter," Eszter sighs before hanging up the call, not bothering to wait for a response.

Throwing out the brownies, Eszter trails after the man when she spots a few unfamiliar men carrying her boxes as carefully as they could towards the elevators; one, in particular, Eszter reacts quickly upon seeing a random man holding a fragile box.

"Hey! Careful with that!" Eszter exclaims. A small apology came from the man, a little nod as he readjusts the box in his grip.

Happy and Eszter made their way to the car, starting it up as they slowly began driving onto the road; the two sat in silence while Eszter played on her phone, a way for the enhanced to avoid any sort of awkwardness. The silence allowed Eszter to think, but it wasn't the best thing that she could do--her mind was running in circles, and all she can think about is Wanda. Wondering where she was and how she's doing, whether she's okay. Then, it shifts onto Tony--angry and sad feelings mixed into one, wondering where the hell the man is. Since Berlin, she hadn't seen him, but Eszter was a little hurt that Tony hadn't bothered to contact her since.

Eszter hated that she felt as if Tony should be the one to call her first, to reach out and check up on her; the enhanced didn't plan on being the first, but strangely, Eszter wanted to feel as if she was cared about.

Lifting her gaze from her phone, Eszter slowly lowers it into her lap as she finds the street to catch her attention. Sitting in thought, the enhanced was hesitant to bring up the topic, but Eszter couldn't kill the curiosity burning in her chest.

"Happy, can I ask you a question?"

"No," the man says bluntly.

There was a small pause, hesitancy to bring it up. "Have you--have you spoken to Tony?" Eszter finally musters the courage to bring it up, frowning deeply as she keeps her gaze stuck on the scenery.

Happy was hesitant to respond, knowing where this was going. "Yes, I spoke to him before I got to the tower."

Eszter makes a face, shaking her head in disappointment. Softly chuckling, Eszter kisses her teeth as she practically glares out the window. A lump began to form in the back of her throat, making it nearly impossible to swallow. Still, Eszter carried on the facade, telling herself that this feeling wasn't relevant, and to be completely honest, Eszter had been the one to be ignoring Tony in the first place. Maybe that's why Tony resulted in talking to Happy instead of Eszter, considering that she ignored him first.

But there was still a small part of Eszter that wondered a little about Tony's whereabouts, wondering what he discusses about; if she wasn't going to be talking to him, Eszter might as well get some intel from Happy.

"What'd he talk about?"

"Eszter . . ."

"What'd he say?" Eszter asks again, more persistent.

Happy sighs, not wanting to upset Eszter. "Asked how you were doing," he glances between Eszter and the road, taking in her facial expressions as he watches for a reaction. Unknown to her, Happy was rather concerned. "Wanted to make sure you were doing good . . . you know, with the dampener . . ."

Just like Happy thought, Eszter scoffs at the thought, leaning back into her seat. "So, he called you instead of me. Wow," the enhanced kisses her teeth again, knowing damn well that she's a hypocrite.

"Well, you are the one ignoring him, so . . ."

Eszter crosses her arms as she pouts like a child, unable to make up her mind. "Doesn't mean he couldn't just leave a voicemail," she grumbles lowly.

"Well, you know how Tony can be. I'm sure he'd call if you just called him first," Happy tests.

"Are you kidding me? No. No, nope. I'm avoiding him, and I'm gonna keep avoiding him because of this," Eszter snaps, jabbing her finger onto the dampener around her neck. Rolling her eyes, the enhanced glares out into the distance. "Yeah, as if I wanna talk to him."

"Then you can't be mad that he's ignoring you when you started this."

Eszter makes a face of offense, squeaking abruptly as she jerks her head up at Happy. She couldn't believe he was choosing Tony's side.

"Whose side are you even on?"

"I'm just trying to do my job."

💜

After Eszter moved into the new house with Pepper, the enhanced was picked up later that night by Peter's aunt, May. This party is the first Eszter has ever been, and to say the least, the enhanced is more than ecstatic to get to experience it; curious as can be, Eszter wonders if it's going to be just like the movies. However, she knows she's not allowed any alcohol--if there's any--and Eszter doesn't plan on going home half-conscious.

May stops the car in front of Liz's house after a few minutes into the drive, gawking at the huge house; the memories from her childhood fresh in her mind, able to recall them as if they were yesterday.

"House in the suburbs," May stares in awe, reminiscing her teenage years. "Oh, I remember these-kind of jealous. It'll be a night to remember." She twists more in her seat, meeting Ned's gaze. "Ned, some hats wear men; you wear that hat."

Eszter chuckles at that, though the enhanced had a different opinion on the hat; not seeming to like the hat as much as May, Eszter thought it was a little too extra. A hat didn't feel like something someone would wear at a party, but Eszter didn't want to hurt Ned's feelings. She decided not to discourage her friend.

"This is a mistake," Peter began to second-guess this whole plan, feeling queasy and unsure of this whole thing. Feeling like he was making a wrong choice, Peter didn't want to use Spider-Man to make his way to the top of the popularity chain. "Hey, let's just go home."

"Oh, Peter. I know. I know it's really hard . . . trying to fit in with all the changes your body's going through," Eszter's eyes widen at the sudden topic, feeling highly awkward. "It's flowering now." Pretending as if he isn't bothered, Peter nods blindly, humming with sarcasm as May turns around to face the other two teens. "He's so stressed out lately."

"What helps with stress is going to a party. We should go to the party."

"I did not just make a deal to do the wishes for a whole week just for you to back out now," Eszter sasses with a roll of her eyes, pulling herself forward with the back of May's chair.

Mindlessly, Peter nods as he gawks at the house. "Uh, yeah. I'm gonna go," he began to unbuckle himself and quickly climbs out of the car.

Eszter grins as she hides her excitement from Ned and Peter as she climbs out of the car, walking around the back end as she stands on the sidewalk. She and Ned wait on the side as May quickly talks to Peter for a split second, then she wishes him luck and to have fun.

"Dude, you have the suit, right?" Ned inquires, leading the group towards the house.

Peter shows the contraption around his wrist, letting Ned know that he did have the suit ready for the plan.

The house was big, but it was nothing compared to the homes that Eszter had lived, but Liz's house felt a little homier than her own; but now, living out of the tower, Eszter enjoys the ideal living of a smaller home compared to the tower.

"This is gonna change our lives," Ned exclaimed. He was the only one to be excited about this plan, ready to become one of the few to know Spider-Man.

"Yeah, well, I don't need too much change," Eszter raises her voice at the slightest once entering the house, music pumping in her ears aggressively. Then, the enhanced mutters low beneath her breath, barely audible under the loud music. "I've got enough as it is."

"Are you kidding? E, this could make us popular! You know how many people wish that could be us?"

"Not that I'd know. Popularity isn't everything, Ned."

Ned glances over to the girl, rolling his eyes at his friend's lack of enthusiasm. "It is when you're practically nobody in somebody's eyes."

"DJ Flash!" A voice shouts into the microphone, creating a roar of cheers.

Eszter knits her brows together at the sudden noise, and she looks around curiously; the enhanced finds Flash standing near the DJ booth. Eszter hadn't known that Flash could DJ; then again, the enhanced doesn't know anything about Flash. She supposes that one day she'd have to get to know him; being in the same Decathlon team, you'd think you'd know a little about you're teammate.

"Okay--" Eszter tears her gaze from the dancing bodies and back to her friends. "--we're gonna have Spider-Man swing in, say that you guys are tight, and then I get a fist bump or one of those half bro-hugs." Ned beams brightly. "E, how do you wanna be introduced?"

"Oh, no. I don't want any part of this," Eszter waves her hand dismissively, dissatisfied with their plan. "I'm sure they might be aware of being already friends with Spider-Man, and I also would rather not tag along."

"I can't believe you guys are at this lame party," Michelle suddenly speaks up as she smears the jelly on her toast, flicking her hair as she stares between the three friends.

Eszter gapes at her friend, raising her arms in offense. "Michelle."

"But you're here, too," Ned counteracts.

Michelle pauses for a second, narrowing her eyes as if she were teasing. "Am I?" The girl takes a bite of her toast before she slips back into the sea of people.

To herself, Eszter spoke into the open. "I don't know whether or not I should be offended."

"Oh, my gosh. Hey, guys," Liz greets brightly, suddenly appearing from the crowd as she spots the three best friends. Glancing between the trio, Liz catches Ned's hat. "Cool hat, Ned."

"Hi, Liz."

"I'm so happy you guys came," Liz smiles sheepishly. Her gaze would fall right back onto Peter, feeling a little giddy around the boy. "There's pizza and drinks. Help yourself."

"What a great party," Peter babbles, stuck in a trance.

"Thanks," Liz flushes, brushing her hair behind her ear nervously. A sudden glass shattering wakes Liz up from her own trance; glancing behind her to look for the perpetrator, she sighs. "Oh, I--my parents will kill me if anything's broken. I gotta . . ."

Liz nudges her head in the direction where she heard the broken glass, not wanting to be rude and leave the group of friends hanging. As much as Liz would love to stand here and talk to her teammates, but the girl would rather not have to deal with her parents' lectures if they find out something was broken.

Peter nods abruptly, humming as he tries to get himself to stop, but he couldn't think. "Yeah."

"Have fun," Liz smiles between the group, earning some smiles between the trio before she dismisses herself.

The enhanced stands in front of the boys as Ned turns to Peter with wide eyes. He was going to make sure Peter does his job right, help him get the girl if he plans on not getting the girl right in front of him. However, Ned wasn't going to say anything, only because Eszter was too afraid. Instead, the boy will help push Peter in the right direction.

But when Peter doesn't move, Ned frowns. "Dude, what are you doing? She's here," Ned stares at his friend, wondering when Peter plans on getting a move on. He was a little impatient, pushing his friend to make get on with their plan. "Spider it up."

"No, no, no. I can't--I cannot do this. Spider-Man is not a party trick, okay?" Peter responds, shaking his head at the thought of using his side job as a ticket to their popularity. It didn't feel right. "Look, I'm just gonna . . . be myself."

Eszter nearly praises Peter when--

"Peter, no one wants that," Ned blurts.

Peter narrows his eyes at his friend, offended that his own best friend would say such a thing. It hurt a little, but the hero knew that Ned was right, knowing that people nowadays don't like to go by personalities anymore. Maybe that's the one thing that Peter isn't fond of, but who knows, maybe Liz will actually like him for who he is. Besides, Eszter likes him, and that should be a sign that anyone else will appreciate Peter for who he is.

"Dude."

"I'm just gonna say it," Eszter interjects, glaring at Ned. "Ned, you're an idiot."

Ned gapes, shocked. "What? I'm just saying people nowadays don't care about personalities anymore. It's all about looks."

"But you don't say that to someone," Eszter sneers, looking at her friend like an idiot.

The two quit their bickering as they turned and followed Peter, who was drifting more into the house as he wanted to get away from Ned. Annoyed that he was right, but Peter wasn't going to say anything. When Eszter nears Peter's side, a loud voice echoes into the speakers, catching their attention.

"Penis Parker, what's up?" Flash creates a wave of laughter as his voice carries throughout the house. Eszter narrows her eyes at the boy, crossing her arms across her chest. "So, where's your pal, Spider-Man? Let me guess, in Canada with your imaginary girlfriend?"

Flash blares an obnoxious noise through the speaker. Eszter grasps Peter's shoulder and attempts to push her friend away from Flash's view, but the boy refused to budge; she speaks softly into his ear, telling him to ignore anything Flash says, but that's not what Peter could focus on. Peter felt a shiver course through his spine, revealing goosebumps build up onto his skin; the feeling was strange, weird even, but Peter merely blames it on the fact that it could be the eyes that stared at them.

Yeah, that's definitely it.

"That's not Spider-Man. That's just Ned in a red shirt," the crowd booms with laughter, embarrassing the trio. "Oh, look! At least we have the Witch--my bad, just the powerless and less important one."

Eszter tilts her head. "You wanna see power?" The enhanced barely threatens, but it was enough to spark an interest within the group of people watching the scene.

The crowd 'oohs and cackle as the enhanced defends her friends, but it was the thought of Eszter threatening to use her powers. However, no one could deny that they'd pay to see Eszter use her powers. Their curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of them; though, that doesn't deflect the few who are still afraid of Eszter, no matter whether the enhanced is wearing a dampener or not.

It seems like Eszter can still tap into her strange magic, and that leaves most students unsettled. How could they possibly let someone like Eszter out into the streets? To let the enhanced step foot in a school campus, where many vulnerable kids are told they are safe? Maybe other people are okay with it, but it should've been a warning beforehand.

"Let's just go," Peter calmly pulls Eszter aside, pushing the enhanced into the crowd.

Eszter clenches her jaw, feeling angry and embarrassed altogether, but the bomb felt diffused with the help from Peter. The enhanced has never been more bothered than with Flash always finding a way to pick on someone; using her powers or sister has a trick, and Eszter usually following into his trap.

The enhanced was motioned somewhere in the crowd, near the patio, Peter finally stops moving. Eszter sighs, looking around as she hates the way everyone was looking at her. It will never become something Eszter can get used to.

"Just stay here and watch Ned," Peter exhales, pulling Eszter closer to the backyard so they're further away from eavesdroppers.

"You're actually going through with this?" Eszter exclaims in a whisper, not pleased that Peter is making a bad decision. She glances around their surroundings. "Just because of what Flash said? Or what Ned said?"

Peter paused to think about it, but even he was stammering over his words. "No . . . yes. maybe--I don't know," the hero swipes his hand across his face, inspecting the wristlet. Then, he meets Eszter's green eyes. "Look, just stay and let me know how things are going. I won't be long."

Eszter merely rolls her eyes, huffing in defeat. "Fine, whatever. Just hurry. I don't really wanna be here alone," the enhanced glances around the room, beaming innocently at the sight of a normal game. "In the meantime, I think I'm going to try out that cup game. Looks like fun."

"Uh . . . I don't think you should play that, E."

"Why not? If you get to be Spider-Man, then I can at least have fun," Eszter grins.

But Peter places a hand on Eszter's shoulder, looking at her firmly. "Trust me. You don't want to."

Frowning, Eszter doesn't say anything before Peter slips out of the house, leaving the enhanced alone with Ned to babysit. Eszter walks back into the house and searches for Ned, making sure her friend doesn't end up doing something stupid. Still, she believes that this is a bad idea, but there was no stopping Peter from going further into this plan, so as far as Eszter's concerned, she will try her best to play along.

Eszter glances over her shoulder when she sees Peter jumping over the brick wall, hopping over and onto the building near the door.

Sneaking up beside Eszter, Ned watches. "Is he . . . you know," the boy mutters low enough for only Eszter to hear.

"Yes, Ned, he's changing. I'm not sure when he plans on making his entrance," Eszter glances back at the window, but she no longer sees Peter where she had last seen him. "Oh, great."

💜

Eszter pulls her phone out from her pocket when it finally starts vibrating, signaling that she was receiving a call. It felt like forever since Peter had gone missing, never to send a quick text as the hero had missed his few chances of swinging into the house. Stepping away from the crowd and Ned, Eszter found herself standing outside in the backyard, alone with the fairy lights and solo cups.

A photo of Peter flashes across her screen when Eszter furrows her brows, wondering why the hell he was calling her. It had been nearly 10 minutes or so, and not a single word from Peter, and now the enhanced is more than curious about where Peter is. For the time being, Flash had been enjoying his time messing with Peter, and no one seems to stop him; granted, Flash continued his fiasco as he and the other wait on Peter's friend.

With a swipe of her thumb, Eszter pushes the phone against her ear. "You better have a good reason why you're not here, right now, Parker," the enhanced interrogates.

"Uh," there was a sudden blast from the other end of the call, alerting the enhanced as she furrows her brows. "Whoa! Hey, Eszter, uh . . . I won't be able to make it back on time."

Eszter pauses for a moment, shifting the phone properly as she gazes back at the party before moving more into the backyard. "What the hell is going on?"

"Well, I was about to swing in, but then I saw an explosion a couple of blocks away," Peter screams abruptly into the line--something about his butt, but Eszter wasn't going to comment about that. Eszter's face twists in confusion. "But Eszter, these guys, they're dealing with weapons! And I think--I think that they're from the alien stuff."

The enhanced glimpse back at the party, spotting an uncomfortable Ned. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing, nothing. Uh--thought you got away from me, didn't you?" Peter calls out. "Surprise--whoa! What the hell?"

Suddenly, Eszter grew worried. "Peter? Tell me what's happening. Where are you?"

Eszter turns around and quickly examines her surroundings; the enhanced rushes towards the brick wall and begins to climb it with the help of Liz's property. Pushing herself up and over the wall, Eszter falls on her feet, feeling a harsh pressure shoot up from the flat of her feet and to her ankles. The enhanced grunts from impact but ignores it as she began to dart down the empty street.

The phone was no longer near her ear, but Eszter raises it back up, sprinting as fast as she can. The only light to guide her way is the orange streetlights. Her sandals clicked loudly against the asphalt and barely absorbed any of the pressure as Eszter could feel her feet hurting. Running in sandals wasn't ideal, but the enhanced hadn't imagined her first party to be chasing Peter.

"Peter! Tell me where you are," Peter was screaming through the phone as the wind whistled in the line. Neither of them could hear one another. "Oh, my gosh. Peter, please!"

"Eszter! Oh, my god. Oh, my god," Peter exclaims, terrified as he could feel himself falling. "I--I don't know! I can't see anything!"

Her breath quickens as she feels her eyes burn with the tears flooding her vision, but Eszter kept running through that determination. She was worried, sick, and terrified at the sound of Peter screaming through the phone; her friend was horrified by something, and by the sound of the wind and Peter's panting, Eszter couldn't bring herself to think about it. Eszter wasn't going to get to him on time, and that scared her. If she can't find Peter, the enhanced has no idea what will happen.

But then there was a splash and sloshing through the phone, and the only thing Eszter could hear was the sound of struggle. Eszter stopped at the sound, heart in her throat as she stares out into the dark street, panting heavily. Her legs felt like jello and unable to move, planting the enhanced like a tree. Eszter couldn't muster out a single word as the enhanced was crying silently to herself, scared for Peter.

It only lasted a few seconds before Eszter hears a gasp of air, Peter choking from the mask that stuck to him from the water. But it felt as if the enhanced could breathe again. The fresh air soothed Eszter as the enhanced was grateful that Peter was breathing once again.

Breaking back into a sprint, Eszter rushes forward and hopes to find Peter; he had to be near a lake from the sound of it, and if she does, maybe there's a chance of finding her friend. It took a while, but Eszter found herself nearing a park when she spotted a small figure sitting on the spiderweb plaything. She sighs in relief, but it came to a short end upon seeing a familiar suit hovering Peter.

Stumbling to a stop, Eszter watches from afar, curious and a bit afraid to face Tony.

"--Mr. Stark is no longer connected."

As the suited armor flies away, Eszter sucks in a deep breath, feeling a huge weight lift from her shoulders.

"Peter?" Eszter makes her presence known as she nears closer to her friend, worry and concern wrote all over her face.

"Eszter," Peter twists around, surprised to find his best friend. She must've been far from him, but it looks like the enhanced had sprinted down the street to check on him.

Climbing down from the playground, Peter walks around the plaything when someone crashes into his chest. The enhanced presses her presses close to Peter's shoulder, holding him tightly in her arms. It had caught him off-guard, but the hero doesn't push her away; instead, Peter wraps his arms around Eszter's shoulders, embracing her.

Beating near death, Peter is more than happy to be alive.

Panting out of breath, Eszter pulls away and holds Peter by his shoulders while inspecting for injuries. "Are--Are you okay?" The enhanced's eyes widen. "I heard the water, and I just--"

"I'm fine, Eszter. I'm okay."

"You scared the living hell out of me," Eszter smacks Peter's chest.

Peter sighs with a small nod, and he motions for his friend to walk back to the house. The same path Eszter ran through, the friends carry on with their retreat, but Peter suddenly stops. Almost not noticing, Eszter peeks over her shoulder with a confused frown; her friend's attention was elsewhere, but the enhanced seemed to be more aware of Peter's attention being caught from something else.

"Peter, what are you--?"

Eszter walks back to Peter's side, but then he started to walk towards a patch of grass, leaving the enhanced to wonder about his motives. But then Eszter had seen it--a glowing purple rock hidden inside of a weapon. It intrigued her curiosity, so she walks closer to Peter's side as she examines the glowing rock, tilting her head like a curious puppy. Neither one bothered to touch it, but Peter grabs a stick from the side, using it to poke at the object, inspecting it.

Briefly, Eszter glances up to meet Spider-Man's bug-eyes before shifting their attention back to the object they've recovered. They don't know what kind of mess they're getting themselves into.