Faced with the principal's question, Billy stood frozen for a brief moment, caught completely off guard by how abruptly she had asked it. It wasn't just the question itself that stunned him, but the way she delivered it—as though she genuinely doubted whether he had given any thought to his future at all.
'What? I wasn't even offered a seat yet,' Billy lampooned inwardly, feeling oddly attacked.
Then another realization crept into his mind.
'...Now that she mentions it, I don't think I've actually thought that far ahead before.'
"Do you really have to think about it?" the principal asked, pulling him from his thoughts before he could dwell on the realization any longer.
"Of course not," Billy shot back with no hesitation, looking almost offended by the mere suggestion.
"Graduating is my one-way ticket out of this educational torture institute. Nobody in their right mind wants to repeat senior year when the finish line is literally just around the corner." The passion in his voice left no room for doubt, if there was one thing he wanted, it was to graduate and never look back.
"Though your priorities are heavily misplaced, at least your desire to pass is genuine," the principal replied evenly. "Unfortunately, your actions suggest you're steering yourself toward the exact opposite outcome. Rather contradictory, wouldn't you say?"
She gestured toward the chair across from her desk with the pen in her hand, silently inviting him to sit.
Billy obliged, lowering himself into the seat as the principal adjusted her glasses and opened the folder resting before her.
"It has come to my attention," she began, "that your attendance is becoming increasingly concerning. Tell me, Mr. Batson, why transfer into this school if you have no intention of taking the academic session seriously?"
'Shoot... she's got me.' Billy resisted the urge to grimace.
'Good thing I've been saving an ace up my sleeve for a situation like this. Time to pull a Reverse Uno.'
Despite the smug confidence running through his thoughts, none of it reached his face. Instead, his expression softened into one of earnest sincerity. Raising a hand to his chest as though appealing to her understanding, he answered in a calm, respectful tone.
"I had the opportunity to take part in an internship, one that's sure to improve my chances of getting accepted into practically any university of my choice."
"Hmm?" She arched an eyebrow, her expression seeming impossible to read. Billy couldn't tell whether it was genuine interest, had she actually taken the bait? Or simple disbelief at what she'd just heard.
Without breaking eye contact for long, Billy rummaged through his backpack, searching for the document he had prepared precisely for this moment. "If you confirm it with the A.P. Chemistry teacher, you'll find out I'm actually quite good at it.
That's one of the results of my internship." He finally pulled out a report and slid it across the desk toward her. "You could say I've been stretching myself a little too thin with academics, Prin..." His voice faltered as his eyes drifted toward the brass nameplate resting neatly on her desk. Lenora Whitmore. "...Principal Whitmore," he corrected himself.
She adjusted the report in her hands, scanning through it carefully. A faint squint crossed her face as though something in the letter had caught her attention. Slowly lowering her glasses from the bridge of her nose, she fixed Billy with a cool, unwavering stare that made him feel less like a student in the principal's office and more like a suspect sitting through a lie detector examination.
"Dr. Banner?" she asked, her tone laced with disbelief. "Bruce Banner?"
"Yes," Billy answered without hesitation. "I've been under his tutelage through one of his private internship programs."
"Well," she admitted, handing the report back to him, "that's certainly a step in the right direction. But it doesn't excuse skipping school." Her expression remained firm as she folded her hands atop the desk.
"With attendance as alarmingly spotty as yours, I need to speak with your parents or guardian. At this rate, I'm more concerned about you repeating the grade than graduating alongside your classmates."
'Shoot!' Billy cursed inwardly.
"Because of that concern," Principal Whitmore continued, "I'd like them to meet with me here at school. Career Day should be convenient enough for everyone."
Billy's stomach sank. "My guardian is... pretty tied up with work. He probably won't be able to make it." The last thing he wanted was for Tony Stark to walk into his school. Knowing Tony's unpredictable personality, there was no telling how it'd go.
"I'm afraid that's not up to them," she replied evenly. "This isn't optional."
'How am I supposed to tell her that my guardian isn't just a superhero, but Tony Stark, for crying out loud?' Billy lamented inwardly. 'Who even knows what that guy is up to on any given day? Then again, it probably wouldn't matter. He'd most likely dump this on Happy the moment he heard it. Sitting through a meeting with a school principal? That's exactly the sort of thing he'd consider painfully boring.'
- - -
After school, the group gathered at their usual café lounge, settling into their favorite corner as conversations drifted from classes to everything that had happened over the past few days. It didn't take long before the topic circled back to Billy's mysterious disappearance and the man they had seen him with.
"So," Billy began, "He's... a friend of mine. And yes, he's an actual wizard."
Ned's eyes immediately lit up. "Can you do magic too?" he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
"No," Billy answered simply.
"Then why did he need your help the other day?" Gwen asked, narrowing her eyes curiously.
"Yeah," Peter chimed in. "Are you, like... his assistant magician or something?"
"I think apprentice is the word." MJ passively corrected Peter.
'Right... because I can definitely tell them the guy showed up asking for my help with an ancient prophecy about the end of the world, and that I'm supposedly humanity's champion,' Billy thought dryly.
"I..." he began, buying himself time as he hurriedly pieced together a believable lie.
Before another word could leave his mouth, however, the café door swung open and a familiar figure stepped inside.
It was then Billy remembered she was the new student who had walked into their classroom earlier that day. The platinum-blonde girl he had crossed paths with earlier in the hallway—the same one whose striking appearance had momentarily stolen his attention the time he'd been summoned to the principal's office. She paused near the entrance, quietly scanning the café as though searching for someone or simply taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
Grateful for the perfect distraction, he seized the opportunity without hesitation.
"By the way," he asked, smoothly steering the conversation elsewhere, "who's the new girl? I thought admissions were already closed for this session."
MJ glanced toward the entrance before answering.
"Oh, that's right. You were absent and missed her introduction to the class." she said. "She's our new classmate. Illyana."
As she spoke, MJ raised a hand and waved the blonde girl over to join them.
Ned chuckled.
"You've officially lost the new kid privileges," he told Billy. "The free trial expired the moment she showed up."
"Yep," Peter added with a grin. "You're one of us now. No more special treatment from teachers."
Billy rolled his eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as Illyana made her way over to their table.
"And why is she coming this way?" Billy asked, glancing toward MJ. "You know her from somewhere?"
"Not until she became our classmate," MJ replied. "Our homeroom teacher made it the responsibility of our dear class representative to help get her caught up before midterms."
Billy's eyes naturally shifted to Gwen, who calmly took another sip of her soda as though she'd long since accepted her fate.
"The burden of being class representative," she said with a resigned shrug.
Billy nodded as the pieces clicked into place. "So... she's joining our study group?"
"Yep," Gwen answered. "Let's just hope she actually stays for our first study session instead of disappearing with some magician." She gave him a knowing look. "Unlike a certain someone."
Billy let out a sheepish chuckle.
'Yeah... I walked right into that one.'
With little room for argument, Gwen also assigned Billy the responsibility of tutoring AP Chemistry.
'Just great,' he inwardly groaned.
Fortunately, he'd already anticipated this possibility after cheating his way to pass the class exercise and had prepared accordingly. Admittedly, his solution bordered on cheating—or at least it felt that way. It was the ace he'd quietly tucked up his sleeve to ace and survive exams and assignments alike.
'Pun absolutely intended.'
Before returning to school, Billy had taken advantage of Captain Marvel's enhanced mental capabilities and spent the previous night reading through his AP Chemistry textbook, along with several supplementary texts. With his acute intellect, studying had become less of a tedious grind and more like flipping through a picture book. Concepts that would normally take hours to understand clicked into place almost instantly, each theory connecting naturally with the next.
'Might as well back up all the talk,' he thought.
'It'd be a waste not to make use of the advantages you've been given, especially when they can tip the scales so heavily in your favor.'
As Captain Marvel, he could easily be one of the brightest minds and geniuses. But that isn't something that interests him enough to pursue that endeavor.
As the group continued discussing study schedules and brainstorming ways to help Illyana settle in and catch up with the class, the conversation gradually drifted to everyone's after-school commitments.
"I won't be available that often," Gwen mentioned. "I've got my internship at Oscorp."
'Oscorp?' Billy repeated inwardly, mentally filing the name away to look up later for she had made mention of it as though it was basic knowledge.
"Seriously?" Ned said, visibly impressed. "Oscorp's one of the biggest names in scientific research."
Peter couldn't quite hide the hint of envy on his face either after Gwen casually explained that she worked alongside researchers in the biogenetics division. The internship gave her access to cutting-edge laboratories, advanced equipment, and research projects that most students could only dream of seeing.
Watching Peter's reaction, an idea suddenly crossed Billy's mind.
'Maybe it's time to give the neighborhood hero a little push toward high school romance.'
"So, Peter..." Billy began casually, drawing Peter's attention away from the conversation he'd been having with Gwen. The boy looked over while absentmindedly sipping his soda through a straw.
"I've been wondering…"
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Dating anyone?"
"Pffft!"
The question blindsided him so completely that he sprayed a mouthful of soda straight across the table and onto Ned's face before doubling over into a fit of coughing, nearly choking in the process.
"Sheesh, dude," Billy said, laughing at Peter's explosive reaction. "Don't you think that's a bit much? It's not like your crush is sitting here or anything."
'This self-proclaimed love coach apparently knows absolutely nothing about being a wingman,' Peter mused to himself, inwardly questioning Billy's supposed strategy as a love coach.
Across the table, Ned slowly turned his head toward Peter. The expression on his face suggested he'd completely run out of energy to react properly.
"...Really, dude?"
"Sorry, Ned," Peter said sheepishly, quickly tossing him a handful of napkins.
As Ned wiped the soda from his face, Peter shot Billy an exasperated look.
"What does my dating life have to do with any of this?" he asked, unable to keep the embarrassment out of his voice. Even so, his eyes instinctively drifted toward MJ for the briefest of moments before snapping away again.
Billy caught it.
"Nothing, really," he replied with a shrug. "It's just that we're all so focused on schoolwork that we're forgetting to actually enjoy our senior year. You're about to graduate high school without ever having a high school sweetheart." He spread his hands dramatically. "Then you'll head off to college, bury yourself in books all over again, and history will probably repeat itself."
MJ rested her chin lightly on her hand, genuinely giving the matter some thought.
"He's got a point, Peter," she admitted. "Come to think of it... I don't think I've ever seen you with a girlfriend."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Peter immediately threw his hands up in surrender. "Why am I the only one under interrogation here? These two are in exactly the same boat I am."
Without hesitation, he pointed accusingly at Billy and Ned.
Billy simply raised a finger.
"I've got an excuse," he said. "I'm new here."
He placed particular emphasis on the last two words.
'...Literally,' he added silently to himself.
After all, he really had dropped into this universe from an entirely different world not all that long ago.
He turned to Ned with a grin.
"Ned... what's your excuse?"
"I... uh... well..." Ned stammered, his brain visibly scrambling for anything remotely convincing before the awkward silence could consume him.
Before he could produce an answer, Illyana initiated conversation for the first time since joining them.
"Are you new to the city as well," she asked Billy, "or did you just transfer schools?"
Billy shifted his attention toward her.
"Just moved here a little while ago," he replied smoothly.
Before the conversation could continue, however, a loud commotion erupted from somewhere outside the café. The sudden burst of shouting and raised voices filtered through the windows, drawing everyone's attention toward the source of the disturbance.
The distant thrum of helicopters, the screech of twisting metal, blaring sirens, and the unmistakable sounds of chaos immediately put Peter on alert. To anyone else, it was just another emergency unfolding somewhere in the city. To Peter, however, it may as well have been Spider-Man's personal theme song announcing that it was time to clock out as an ordinary student and get back to work.
"I think I've had one too many sodas," Peter said casually as he pushed back his chair. "Gotta use the bathroom."
None of the others thought much of it. Their attention had already been averted toward the windows, curiosity drawing them to the source of the commotion outside. Taking advantage of the distraction, Peter quietly slipped away from the table and briskly made his way toward the café's rear exit but failed to escape Billy's notice.
Billy joined the others at the window, eager to see what had caused such a scene and anticipating he'd get to watch his superhero classmate in action. Instead, his eyes widened as he spotted a familiar nightmare.
A monstrous creature bounded effortlessly from building to building, using walls as footholds with horrendous agility. It looked almost identical to the creature he had previously helped Spider-Man fight. There was one crucial difference, however.
Where Carnage had been a grotesque shade of crimson, this one was pitch black.
It was also noticeably larger, far more muscular, and somehow even more imposing than its red counterpart.
Billy's expression darkened.
Without offering so much as an excuse, he quietly stepped away from the group.
If Spider-Man was about to face that thing alone, even with armed forces pursuing it through the city, the fight wasn't going to be easy. Billy had no intention of standing by and watching.
He might as well do whatever he could to help and protect civilians from getting caught up in that ruckus.
- - -
Author's Note :—
Can anyone guess the identity of the new girl?
Patrn Da_suprememaverick