The study session was scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the school library.
Alex arrived ten minutes early and found a table near the back where they usually met.
Gwen showed up first. She set her bag down and pulled out her textbooks. "You actually came. I was starting to wonder if you were avoiding us."
"Not avoiding," Alex said. "Just busy."
"With what? Your mysterious new career as a tech writer?"
"Among other things."
Peter arrived next. He looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't been sleeping well. He dropped into a chair across from Alex and immediately opened his physics textbook.
"Rough night?" Gwen asked him.
"Just didn't sleep great," Peter said. He didn't elaborate.
MJ was last to arrive. She came in carrying her backpack and a coffee from the shop across the street. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore jeans and a vintage band t-shirt that probably came from some thrift store.
"Sorry I'm late," she said. She sat down in the empty chair next to Peter. "Work ran long."
They settled into studying. Or trying to study. Mostly they helped each other with homework assignments and prepared for upcoming tests.
Alex watched them interact while pretending to read his chemistry notes. His enhanced mind analyzed body language and micro-expressions. The small unconscious tells that people displayed constantly.
Peter kept glancing at MJ when she wasn't looking. His gaze would drift over to her face. His expression would soften. His whole posture would relax slightly whenever she spoke or laughed.
MJ smiled differently when Peter talked. It wasn't the polite smile she used for strangers or casual acquaintances. It was genuine. Warm. Her eyes crinkled at the corners. She leaned toward him slightly when he explained something about physics equations.
'They like each other,' Alex thought. 'And neither one of them realizes it's completely mutual.'
An hour passed. They worked through math problems and chemistry formulas. Gwen explained a history concept that none of them fully understood. Peter helped MJ with her physics homework.
Then Gwen's phone rang. She looked at the screen and sighed. "It's my dad. Hold on." She answered and walked away from the table to talk privately.
They could hear her side of the conversation vaguely. Something about her younger brother. Something about picking him up from some activity.
Gwen came back looking apologetic. "I have to go. Dad needs me to get my brother from soccer practice. Mom's car broke down."
"No problem," Peter said. "We can handle it from here."
Gwen gathered her books quickly and left. The library felt quieter with one less person at the table.
Ten minutes later, MJ checked her phone and frowned. "I need to head out too. My shift starts in thirty minutes and I need to get across town."
She worked part-time at some bookstore in Greenwich Village. The commute was apparently brutal.
"See you guys tomorrow," she said. She touched Peter's shoulder lightly as she stood. "Thanks for the physics help. You're a lifesaver."
Peter's face went slightly red. "Yeah. No problem. Anytime."
MJ smiled at him. Then she left, her backpack swinging as she walked through the library stacks toward the exit.
Alex and Peter sat alone at the table now. The library was nearly empty. Most students had already gone home for the day.
Alex closed his textbook deliberately. "She's something, isn't she?"
Peter looked up from his physics homework. His expression was confused. "Who?"
"MJ. You've been staring at her all evening whenever she looked away."
Peter's face went red immediately. The color spread from his cheeks up to his ears. "I wasn't. I mean, I don't. I wasn't staring."
"Relax." Alex kept his tone casual. Non-judgmental. "I'm not making fun of you. She's smart and funny and kind. She's got good taste in books and music. Pretty obvious why you like her."
Peter fidgeted with his pen. He clicked it open and closed repeatedly. "Is it that obvious? Can everyone tell?"
"To me? Yes. I've been watching you two interact for weeks now." Alex leaned back in his chair. "To her? Probably not. Girls can be weirdly oblivious about noticing when guys like them. Especially if they like the guy back and are worried about misreading signals."
"I don't know if she..." Peter trailed off. He stared down at his notebook. "I mean, why would she like me? I'm just Peter Parker. Class nerd. Guy who gets shoved into lockers by Flash Thompson. Not exactly boyfriend material."
Alex studied his friend carefully. Peter Parker sat across from him looking uncertain and insecure. Just a teenage boy with normal teenage insecurities.
This was Peter Parker. Future Spider-Man. Future Avenger. Someone who would one day be considered one of the most important heroes in the entire universe.
But right now he was just a kid who didn't know if a girl liked him back.
"You're selling yourself short," Alex said firmly. "You're brilliant. Actually genuinely brilliant, not just smart. You're kind to people even when they don't deserve it. You help people without expecting anything in return. And yeah, you're a nerd. But so is she. Have you actually looked at her book collection?"
Peter smiled slightly. "She does read a lot. We talked about sci-fi authors last week for like an hour."
"Exactly my point." Alex leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "Here's what I've observed over the past few weeks. MJ laughs at your jokes more than anyone else's. She sits next to you in every single class that you share. She asked you about the science fair project even though she's not even in that class and has no reason to know about it."
"Really?" Peter looked up with something like hope in his eyes.
"Really. I think she likes you too, Peter. But she's probably waiting for you to make the first move. That's how this usually works."
Peter looked terrified now instead of hopeful. "What kind of move? What am I supposed to do?"
"Ask her to do something. Not as part of the group. Just you and her together. See a movie. Get coffee. Go to that bookstore she works at and browse around together. Whatever feels natural. The worst possible outcome is that she says no."
"The worst outcome is that she says no and then avoids me forever and tells everyone I'm a creep," Peter corrected. His voice was anxious.
Alex laughed. "She won't do that. Trust me on this. MJ's not that kind of person. If she says no, it'll be kind and she'll still want to be friends. But I really don't think she's going to say no."
They sat in silence for a moment. The library was very quiet. Just the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant sound of a librarian shelving books.
"Why are you telling me this?" Peter asked finally. "I mean, you could. You know. If you wanted to ask her out yourself."
"She's not interested in me," Alex said honestly. "And I'm not interested in her. Not in that way. She's nice and I like her as a person and a friend. But there's no chemistry there. At least not from my side."
He paused. "But you two? You actually make sense together. You have the same interests. Same sense of humor. Same values. That's rare."
Peter nodded slowly. His expression was thoughtful. "I'll think about it."
"Don't think too long," Alex advised.
"Someone else might ask her first. Then you'll spend the rest of high school regretting that you didn't say something when you had the chance."
Peter's expression shifted to something that looked like determination. "Yeah. Okay. Maybe I'll ask her tomorrow. Or next week. Soon."
Alex smiled. In the original timeline, Peter and MJ eventually got together. He was just helping nudge things along. Making sure they didn't waste time being uncertain.
Besides, Alex had his own romantic complications to worry about. He didn't need to get involved with MJ when Peter clearly cared about her.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the message.
Text from Felicia: "Two days until Saturday. Don't forget to dress nice. I want you to make a good impression."
Peter noticed Alex looking at his phone. "Who's that?"
"Felicia Hardy. She invited me to a party this weekend."
Peter's eyes widened dramatically. "Felicia Hardy? The actual Felicia Hardy? She invited you to something?"
"Is that really so surprising?"
"Yes! She's like. She's Felicia Hardy. She doesn't talk to people like us. She barely talks to anyone at school except a few other rich kids."
"Well she talked to me," Alex said. "I'm still not entirely sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet."
"Probably bad," Peter said seriously. "I've heard things about her crowd. Rich kids who think rules don't apply to them. People getting in trouble. Drugs maybe. Definitely alcohol. Expensive parties in places that normal people don't get invited to."
"Probably," Alex agreed.
But he was going to the party anyway.
Because information was valuable.
Understanding Felicia's world might prove useful. And he was curious about what kind of test she had planned for him.
Besides, he has plans of his own.
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