CAT SCRATCH FEVER | PETER PARKER

Back To Basics

Peter's eyes flashed open in alarm as he sat up in bed. Glancing to the clock beside him only increased his panic, seeing the time was already 8:00.

"Oh shit!" He ripped the covers off of him before jumping out of bed. Hoping they weren't too dirty, Peter grabbed the nearest thing to him from off the carpet. After slipping the slightly wrinkled jeans on, he went to his closet and pulled the first shirt he saw off the hanger.

Too preoccupied with lacing up his sneakers, Peter failed to hear May's approaching footsteps across the wooden floors.

"Peter?" May entered the room, startling the boy. "What's the rush?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" He rose off the ground, scrambling for his backpack. "I'm like thirty minutes late for school!"

May let out a small chuckle. "Peter, class doesn't start until ten, remember?"

He came to an abrupt stop, spinning around to see his aunt grinning at him. "W–What?" He squeaked.

"When you registered, you told me that you weren't going through the hell that was morning classes." May brought the coffee mug she was holding to her lips.

Peter blinked. "R–Right."

May threw back her head and laughed. "I'm going to head into work now. Have a good day, sweetie."

"You too, May." He waved at her but she had already left the room. He heard the door slam shut as he sat on the bed, heaving a sigh as he lied down on his back.

**

Since there was no point in going back to bed, Peter decided to just head down to the university. He figured he could try and find his class in the meantime since he knew how big of a campus NYU was.

It would be just his luck to get lost on the first day of college.

Besides, who knew how long the subway ride would take? Even worse than being lost would be being late.

So while he stood in the crowded car of the brightly-lit subway, Peter looked over his schedule several times.

"HIST-UA 9: U.S. to 1865," he repeated to himself, trying to memorize the class. "Location is the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life."

Had he stopped by this building on his orientation tour? He couldn't remember. The tour had been a blur of information with so many stops at so many different buildings.

As the subway screeched to a stop, Peter stuck his phone in his front pocket. Gripping his backpack straps tightly, he stepped onto the platform and rushed out of the station.

"Sorry! Excuse me!" He hurried past the mobs of people, accidentally pressing into them on the way.

Stepping out into the open daylight and out of the crowded station, Peter took a deep breath of the fresh September air. A smile crossed his face as all his previous anxiety dissipated and anticipation replaced it.

He was going to have a good day. He would make sure of it.

Walking along the pavement and seeing the groups of students passing him only made his smile grow. He was sure his heart about to leap out of his chest from how hard it was beating. Butterflies were not just flying around in his stomach, but soaring and maybe even doing flips in the air.

But when his eyes came upon the enormous buildings surrounded by swarms of students, his smile instantly faded. Peter gulped at the sight, standing still across the lawn as students continued to push past him.

He wasn't in high school anymore.

Peter shuffled forward a few steps to the person that had just passed him. "Um, excuse me."