The late morning sky was clear when Peter left for the community center Karen said this Jason Macendale would be found. Peter didn't bother suiting up as Spider-Man, the center was within a reasonable walking distance from his apartment building. Although, he did prepare a backpack with his suit inside in the case that things got tough. 

As he came up to the center, he took a second to think about what he would do once he was inside. It occurred to him that he was exactly sure of what he was looking for. "What if he's not in there," he whispered to himself, "am I supposed to just wait around until he shows up." That wouldn't be too good for Peter, someone was bound to ask what he was doing just sitting in the halls doing nothing at some point. But he needed some answers and he was not going to let any opportunity slip by. He clenched his lips, swallowing any form of doubt he had about the whole thing, tried to replace it with determination, and walked forward.

Once inside, he couldn't help but observe his new surroundings. Flyers and registration forms for every club and organization imaginable were scattered across the walls. A line of trophy cases along the wall to his right with little plaques of youth basketball champions were displayed. Peter imagined it was like being in the hallways of Midtown Science, full of color on the walls but many small rooms meant for different things. He couldn't help but smile at the idea, but the likeness was so uncanny.

As he treaded forward, he heard a loud mumbling from around a corner to his right. He figured that there must be a large social event taking place. His curiosity took over and he turned the corner into the gym where the commotion was coming from.

What he saw were dozens of people walking up aisles, carrying around sheets of papers with their names on them, and engaging with people at booths that were setup in rows. There was sound system that was playing "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, which fit the rhythmic commotion and groove of the bustling crowd. Peter continued walking, following the first aisle to his left. The pieces of paper in everyone's hands are either flyers, applications, or resumes, he thought as he made his way up the aisle, and the only reason for bringing a resume is to so your work experience. And the only people interested in peoples work history are employers. This must be a job fair. Peter was sure of it, even the booths that he passed had huge banners with the logos of New York area companies. Maybe there's a job booth that I can get into, he thought, that would be helpful.

He started observing every booth he came across, working himself to the other side of the gym. On the far wall, a long concessions table was set up for the guests and vendors to get an occasional snack. A handful of center volunteers stood behind handing out water bottles, granola bars, and a wide variety of fruit as people came to calm their hunger. Among these volunteers was Michelle, who was restocking a large tin tub of ice with water bottles. With every customer that came by, she gave a less than enthusiastic smile, knowing that she couldn't go home until her dad would let her. There was a bit of a break in the line and she dropped her head back in exhaustion. "Oh goodness," she groaned, "just two more hours M.J., push through." She was hoping that J-Mac or Lonnie wouldn't walk in. She would have nowhere to go if they did.

She brought her head back up to set back to work, but as she turned to engage with the next person in line, she thought she caught a glimpse of Peter down one of the isles. She shifted her eyes toward the direction he was in and searched through the scrambling crowd. She searched thoroughly, as if she was looking for the last word in a word search puzzle. Suddenly, she spotted a familiar haircut, all brown and curled back. He wore a red t-shirt and black athletic shorts with a familiar backpack strapped to his shoulders. His head was at just the right height to confirm it was him, all she needed was the older woman in front of him to move out of the way from his face. As if she was telepathic, the woman moved to the side at her thought, and a small fire burned in Michelle's chest as she looked upon her classmate and friend.

"Oh my God," she whispered to herself, she couldn't believe he was here. He never let her know if he was coming at all, and now he's standing around looking at all the booths like she suggested. You gotta be flippin kidding me, she thought as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She couldn't leave her post for a break yet, so she could only text him. She kept her phone close to the table top, trying to hide it from the customers and hoping to not catch the attention of Peter, who was starting to close in on the stand. She finished her message and quickly hit send. She re-engaged with the line of guests, occasionally glancing over at Peter to see if he had received her message.

Soon enough, Peter felt the vibration of his phone and pulled it out to read the message on his lock screen. -Hate to break it to ya, but there are no jobs for losers-, the text read, and Peter's eyes perked up at the name of the messenger. The memory of talking with Michelle about the job fair re-entered his conscious, and he felt silly that he didn't think about it before. What's worse, she was watching him without knowing she was there. He snapped his head in all directions, his eyes searching for the weird girl he considered a friend. Suddenly he noticed a tall, skinny girl with hair that fell across the right side of her face. She wore a royal blue t-shirt that complemented the sweet smile she gave to a guest as they were taking water from her hand.

Peter gave a small smile as he observed her gentle behavior, and the way she smiled made him feel warm for a moment. Then she shifted her gaze, and their eyes met. Peter felt he had been caught of something bad as her eyes pierced into his, as if she was repeating what she had said in her message. However, her eyes relaxed, letting him know that she was happy to see him. Not knowing what to do, he just pursed his lips in defeat and gave a shy wave.

She chuckled at his timid greeting and set back to work. Peter figured she couldn't talk for a while but hoped that she would be able to soon. Plus, he knew she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to make jabs at him for coming when he said that he wouldn't. But if he was being honest with himself, seeing Michelle was already the highlight of his very short summer. It was as if all the stress of pleasing Aunt May, the absence of Ned, and the job search had been relieved. Ah, keep focus Parker, he thought to himself and walked over to a nearby information table. Across the table, business cards and job descriptions were laid out for people to take. Peter searched through each one hoping one would call out to his interest.

Out of Peter's peripheral vision, a tall figure in uniform came out of the gym office with a handful of extra flyers. He set a stack of them on the end of the table Peter was standing in front of and proceeded to sort them into their respectful piles. Once finished, he looked up at Peter and took a bit of interest in his appearance. "How are you young man" he asked.

Peter's head snapped in the stranger's direction and didn't know how to respond. The man was very dark and large, which would be intimidating to anyone at first. But his mannerisms and pure white smile suggested that he was rather friendly. It also helped that he wore a blue polo t-shirt with the Queen's Parks and Recreation logo over his left breast. Peter figured he was one of the volunteers, so he nodded his head and said, "doing alright I guess."

"Anything that you're looking for" the man continued.

"Just browsing for now sir."

"Alright," he replied, "you don't go to Midtown Science by chance, do you."

This surprised Peter and made him a bit uncomfortable. How does this man know where I go to school, he thought. "Yes, I do sir," he admitted, hoping that he hadn't given permission to continue asking discomforting questions.

The man smiled, "I thought I recognized you. I was there when the decathlon came back from D.C. I'm Michelle's dad." He extended his arm to properly introduce himself, Peter was a little nervous as he went to shake his hand.

"Oh well," he stuttered, "it's nice to meet you sir. I'm Peter."

"Well it's certainly nice to meet you Peter. And if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me O.K."

"I won't," Peter replied with a thankful smile, "thank you sir."

"Alright, see you around" Mr. Jones said as he walked back into the gym office with a wave.

"Yeah, you too." Peter was unsure of how to think about what happened. He had just met Michelle's dad, how random is that. In one way, he thought maybe it was a good thing, that it would be comfortable for Peter to be around him more if he and Michelle's friendship continued to grow. In another way, he thought that because he introduced himself as Michelle's father, that meant he was over-protective and his point was to intimidate him. The one thing he kept going back to was that friendly smile that seemingly glowed off his face, and from the way he talked, it seemed like he was just as friendly.

Peter cleared his head of the moment and pressed on. He made his way the other side of the gym to observe other employers that were set up. A couple of company names stood out: Roxxon, New York General Hospital, and Greyhound Bus Tours to name a few. However, none of them were able to attract enough interest to make him stop. He came to the end of the isle and was about to turn back to where he entered, until he noticed a "wanted' sign near one of the booths that read, "Photographers Wanted."

He stopped to see that the booth was run by Daily Bugle Magazine, as the banner implied with a large golden bugle displayed over a blue, bold-lettering, "DB." Oh my gosh, Peter thought and remembered his conversation with the Maguire gentleman in the pizza shop about the many opportunities offered at the Bugle. He took a step forward to admire the different editorials that had been published, the many sights and settings of New York that had been captured by camera, and all of the amusing slogans such as "Heralding the News" to attract new applicants.

"Can I help you with anything son" the man running the booth politely asked. He was slightly taller than Mr. Jones, and his voice was deeper. He wore an orange dress shirt under a tan jacket with a maroon tie around his neck. His black pants draped over his long legs that were supported by his leather shoes. Peter didn't want to waste any of the gentleman's time and seized the opportunity to ask questions, hoping to express his interest in working for the magazine. 

"Yeah, w-what type of photographers are you looking for" he asks.

The man shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands out, "basically, anybody that is good with a camera. Do you have any experience in photography?"

Did he have any experience in photography? He did enjoy vlogging about his time in Berlin, as well as capturing his abilities as Spider-Man whenever he could. But he never considered it as real photography, just a way to entertain himself. "A little," he said solemnly, "but I'm willing to learn."

"Well," the man smiled, "let me give you my business card. If you're still thinking about getting into photography, take some pictures for the next week and email them to me."

Peter could have sworn the air was taken out of his lungs. Finally, there was an actual opportunity being offered to him. He had a chance to prove his worth. He understood that he wasn't guaranteed a position, but he felt the odds practically swinging back into his favor. "What should I take pictures of" he asked, wondering if there was anything in particular they were looking for in his pictures.

"Anything," the man cheerfully replied, "a dog catching a frisbee, exotic food, the city skyline. Anything that interests you." Peter was starting to like this man. He seemed like the type of person that worked hard for his position and was respected because of it. Peter watched as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket for his card and handed it to him. "If any of them catch my attention, I'll give you a call."

"O.K.," Peter said graciously as he took the card from the gentleman's hand, "I can do that."

"I look forward to seeing what you've got Mr...."

"Uh, Parker sir. Peter Parker" he respectfully replied holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Parker," the man said taking his hand, "I'm Joseph Robertson, but everybody calls me Robbie."

"Nice to meet you too Mr. Robertson and thank you for the opportunity."

"Absolutely Peter, have a good day now."

"Yeah, you too." And with that, Peter collected himself from the good feelings and thoughts that had been filling his body. To Peter, it was definitely something in the right direction and he felt excited about proving himself to Robbie. What probably made him happiest the most, was that he could tell May about this potential job.

He could picture it in his mind, her wrapping her arms around him, saying how proud she was of him. She would probably mention how proud Uncle Ben would have been as well, and to be honest, Peter could safely say that he would be.

These thoughts made Peter so giddy, that he needed to talk about it with someone as quickly as he could, or he might burst from the rising excitement brewing within him. He was practically skipping as he walked toward the back of the gym and the concessions table. Ironically, the first person he thought of was Michelle. She was the only other person that knew about his job dilemma, and he figured that she would be a good person to talk to since their last school day was made better by talking with her. But when he looked up to where Michelle had previously stood, she was nowhere to be found, as if she had disappeared.

Peter searched the entire concessions table for anyone that matched her appearance, but there was nothing. He snapped his head toward the direction of the gym office, but only saw her father conversing with someone over the phone. Where could she have gone, he thought to himself as he walked around to the other side of the division line of booths. After a few steps, he felt a sharp pain of a flicking finger against his neck. He quickly turned to see who did it, but was met with a pair of piercing, but sparkling brown eyes and a stern resting face with a small smile upon it.

"Looking for me loser?"

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A/N- Ohhh boy, that was a fun ride. I hope you guys were alright with the quick interactions Peter had to go through. Needless to say, I need to work on transitions between conversations. But, I still hope you enjoyed Chapter 13.

It's been fun to see how things have culminated to this moment. Michelle and Peter back to interacting with each other, Peter getting a taste of closure with his job dilemma, and the mystery behind the Felicia and J-Mac connections.

I also have 2 new casting choices for this chapter. I won't put them in the cast list because its so full already.

- Morris Chestnut as Mr. Jones. I've always enjoyed his work, especially in films like "The Game Plan" and "Like Mike." He has that ability to be so likable, fun, and caring, which fits Michelle's dad to a tee.

-Dennis Haysbert as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson. I initially wanted Danny Glover, but he's a bit too old for my depiction of Robbie. All the Allstate commercials Haysbert does remind me of a person as respectful as Robbie.

If you liked the chapter, please leave a vote and a comment. Tell me if you like the new additions to the cast. Any feedback is always appreciated.

New Chapter next week, and there's a lot of talking involved, so get ready. Until next time, BYE!!!