— • —

      "Ms.Moon."

      The unmistakable voice of Mr.Warren quickly brought Luna back to reality, all eyes turned to her as she lifted herself up from where she was lying on the stage. When the opportunity arose to escape her class, she took off running, finding solace in the empty auditorium, or more specifically, the empty stage. All the distress and sadness she felt from her talk with Peter seemed to vanish the moment she stepped on the stage, a sigh immediately leaving her lips before she found herself lying down on the center of the floor.

      Peter had been reluctant to let her go when they first arrived at school, his hand holding hers tightly as they walked to their lockers. There was no mistaking the worry across his face, and Mia and Liz could detect that immediately, the two watching in confusion as he spoke in whispers to his girlfriend. They kept their distance as the conversation took place, not seeming to connect Peter's deep frown to the bags beneath Luna's eyes. He left her on her own eventually, only after a prolonged hug and a delicate kiss on her forehead, followed by a quiet reminder of the love he held for the girl.

      From then on, it wasn't brought up again. The concern was immediately shifted to Mia, who, unlike Luna, seemed to be coping with things much better. Her smile was still present, hair neatly styled in typical Mia fashion. She insisted she was okay to her two friends when they asked, informing them that she released all her feelings to her brother the night before and no longer harbored harsh thoughts about the near death experience.

      That gave Luna one less thing to worry about.

      Though, that worry was quickly brought back as the school news team began speaking on the television above them. Luna couldn't help but frown as she listened to Betty Brant and Jason Ionello speak about "the Spider-Man", as they put it. She shifted in discomfort as she tore her eyes away, clearing her throat to make both her friends tear their eyes away from the video. She didn't catch the look Liz was sending her way, simply locking arms with Mia, keeping her head down as the three walked down the hall together.

      "Sorry," Luna mumbled, scrambling to collect her belongings that had been dumped to the side. Mr.Warren was frowning at the girl as she rushed off the stage, not daring to meet the eyes of him or her fellow drama club members. "I was just... I don't know."

      "Ms.Moon." Luna looked up as she was addressed, tensing up as she saw the familiar look of worry. "Is everything alright? I know you were involved with what happened at the Decathelon..."

      "Fine." Luna forced a smile, walking backwards towards the doors. "Just tired is all. Thanks for the concern." She didn't give the teacher a chance to retort, quickly whirling around and running to the doors, eager to get away from the prying eyes. She let out a sigh of relief as she exited the auditorium, back leaning against the closed doors, eyes fluttering shut.

      And yet again, her moment of peace was ruined.

      "Hard night?"

      Luna's eyes snapped open, and she immediately took a step away when she met the familiar hazel eyes. Danielle stood with a smile, her camera hanging around her neck, hands tucked in her pockets, making the girl appear nonchalant.

      "Heard about DC- who hasn't?" She began, just the sound of her voice being enough to make Luna's heart speed up. "Good thing Spider-Man was there, huh?" Her lips curled into a smirk. "Did you thank him for saving you and your friends? Give him a kiss? I'm curious."

      Luna swallowed harshly, eyes cautiously darting around the empty hallway, in search of anybody that could possibly overhear the two girls. "What are you trying to get out of this?" She choked out, causing Danielle to raise an eyebrow. "I don't understand. What do you gain out of torturing me?"

      Danielle's lips tilted into a scowl, eyes filling with fire. "You think I'm torturing you?" Luna's eyes darted down, breathe hitching upon seeing the girl's clenched fist. "My dad is being tortured, not you. My dad that you got thrown in jail." She let out a dark chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "I liked you, Luna. Can you believe that? The girl I liked not only got my dad thrown in jail, but she dumped me for a guy."

      "You dumped me," Luna reminded.

      "With good reasoning," Danielle shot back. "I don't feel bad about it, though. I mean, let's be honest, it's a downgrade. If you dated someone better than me, oh wow, you'd be in for a ride."

      She thought Peter was a downgrade. She thought Peter Parker was a downgrade from her. Luna could feel the anger growing inside of her as she sly jab taken at her boyfriend, instantly replacing the fear that'd been growing within her. "Peter is better than you'll ever be," she spoke up, Danielle raising an eyebrow, daring the girl to continue. "It was never about me in our relationship, it was always you. And-and you never left me alone, ever. Peter isn't to blame for whatever we had, you are. So don't try to blame him because you're selfish." Luna swallowed harshly as the girl's hard glare remained settled on her. "And... get over me, would you? Constantly bringing up our relationship that never existed is pathetic. I love Peter, not you, and that's never going to change."

      As Luna turned away from Danielle and stalked down the hall, she came to a realization. She needed Peter in order to face her fears, that's what the dream meant. And she didn't know how much she liked that.

      If Liz and Mia could sense that Luna was on edge, they sure as hell didn't show it. When the girl joined them at lunch, silently plopping herself beside Ned, they stared at her expectantly. All of five seconds passed before Luna's eyes darted between the three, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What?"

      All gazes shifted to Liz, making the girl let out a huff. "Peter got detention earlier," she informed the girl, Luna nodding slowly. She'd expected as much, seeing as he was in trouble for what he did in DC. "And then he left detention... and school."

      Luna blinked. "Are you serious?" Liz nodded. "How do you know?"

      "Because I'm still in detention for throwing milk on that bitch, Yvette," she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm so serious, you can ask Michelle. We both just watched him, he pretty much stormed out. I tried to run after him, but he was gone."

      Luna let out a heavy breathe, hand going to rub her temple. "Great," she muttered, eyes squeezing shut. Her eyes quickly snapped back open as her phone buzzed, a text from her dad on display. "Even better."

       — • —

      When Luna pictured reconnecting with her father, she expected to have a family dinner where they'd all be laughing and talking a little too loud. And it's exactly what she got. She was sitting beside Jorge, Alicia and Andres across from her, telling her all about their wedding plans. He texted her during school asking her to come over after school, and Luna didn't hesitate to cancel her meeting with the drama club to do so. Upon arriving, she was brought into a hug, and that's when she was able to connect that he heard about what happened.

      She didn't let him talk about it. The last thing she wanted to talk about was having to watch her childhood best friend dangle hundreds of feet over an elevator shaft while she could barely walk. It just wasn't the best experience to relive. So it wasn't mentioned by the two adults, and she didn't think she'd have to worry about Jorge saying it considering he was only four, but she thought a lot of things and always seemed to be wrong.

      Luna turned to her brother upon being poked, a slight smile resting on her lips when she met his wide-eyed stare. "I heard you met Spider-Man." Luna's smile faltered while Jorge's grew, the conversation fading out. "Was he cool?"

      Luna swallowed, nodding slightly. "So cool," she gushed, making Jorge's grin grow. "He's super nice, and I think he'd like you."

       A smile tugged at her lips when Jorge let out a noise of excitement, turning to his parents eagerly. Alicia was grinning at the boy, while Andres offered his daughter a sad smile, immediately noticing her discomfort as the topic was brought up. She waved it off, eyes trailing down to stare at her filled plate, fork poking at the food.

      "So, Luna–"

      Andres' attempt at start a conversation with the girl was interrupted as her phone began ringing, making her eyebrows furrow. She sent him an apologetic smile before fumbling for her phone, curious as to who was calling her. Everyone knew she was out with her dad, and most people would text her unless it was completely important. She only grew more confused as an unsaved number was displayed, and Andres perked up as he noticed her look of confusion.

      She answered the call before slowly bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

      "Luna? Is that you?"

      Her heart sunk as she recognized the voice instantly, a sick feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "May?"