"I won't. I promise."
"Good." MJ finished her coffee. "And Peter? Just so you know, I'm not giving up. I've liked you for years. A little competition isn't going to scare me off."
Peter laughed. "Noted."
They talked for another hour. About art. About journalism. About her dreams of becoming a serious reporter. About his plans for after high school.
It felt natural. Easy. Like talking to someone who really understood him.
When they left, MJ hugged him tight. "Thank you for being honest. That means more than you know."
---
Seven PM. Library. Gwen Stacy waited with her science fair materials spread across a table.
"You're late," she said when Peter arrived.
But she was smiling.
"Three minutes. Hardly late."
"In science, precision matters. Three minutes is an eternity."
"Fair point." Peter sat down. Looked at her presentation materials. "Okay, walk me through it."
They spent the next two hours refining her presentation. Gwen was brilliant. Her understanding of quantum mechanics was exceptional. Peter challenged her. Pushed her thinking. Made her explain everything in multiple ways.
"You're a good teacher," Gwen said during a break. "Patient but demanding. You don't just give answers. You make me find them myself."
"That's how real learning works. If I just told you everything, you wouldn't retain it."
"Is that how you learned everything? Just working through problems until you understood?"
"Partly. Also a lot of reading. Experimentation. Failure. Trying again."
Gwen leaned back in her chair. Studied him. "Peter, can I ask you something personal?"
"Sure."
"What are you planning to do after high school? College? Work? You could do anything. Literally anything."
"I don't know yet," Peter admitted. "Part of me wants to go to college. Experience that. Learn from other brilliant people. But another part of me feels like formal education might be limiting. I could learn faster on my own."
"What about MIT? Or Stanford? You'd get accepted anywhere."
"Maybe. But there's also the question of what I want to do with my abilities long-term. Help people, obviously. But how? Through technology? Through direct action? Through teaching?"
"You don't have to decide everything now," Gwen said softly. "You're sixteen. It's okay to not have all the answers."
"I know. But time feels limited. Like there's something coming. Something important. And I need to be ready."
Gwen reached over. Touched his hand gently. "Whatever it is, you will be ready. You're the most prepared person I know."
Peter looked at her hand on his. Different from MJ's touch. More tentative. Scientific curiosity mixed with personal interest.
"Gwen," Peter said. "I should tell you something."
"About MJ and Felicia?"
"How did you know?"
"I have eyes, Peter. And a brain. It's obvious all three of us are interested in you. And you're being careful not to commit to anyone."
"I don't want to hurt anyone. But I also don't know what I want yet. I'm trying to be honest about that."
"I appreciate the honesty." Gwen didn't pull her hand away. "And for what it's worth, I'm okay with taking things slowly. Getting to know each other better. Seeing where things go naturally."
"You're not worried about competition?"
"I'm competitive about science. About academics. But relationships aren't competitions. They're about compatibility. Connection. If you and I are meant to be together, we will be. If not, we'll figure that out too."
"That's a very logical approach."
"I'm a very logical person." Gwen smiled.
"But I'm also human. And I like you, Peter Parker. As a person. As a mind. As someone I want to spend time with."
'Yep, I knew it,' Peter thought.
"I like you too," Peter said honestly.
They finished the presentation work. Walked out of the library together. The night air was cool. Stars visible despite the city lights.
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