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9) Job Search

"Work hard today," Peter said to his aunt as she prepared to leave their apartment, "I'll see you when I get home."

"You're still going out to do what asked, right?

"I will certainly try," he assured, "but you never know what's going to be thrown at me."

Peter and May had talked about a couple of places to find jobs the previous night. Peter had suggested the idea of Del Mar's, and May thought it was a great idea. She understood Peter's hesitation on the matter as well, but thought that if he had a chance to prove to Del Mar how good of a worker he was, maybe he would make peace with what happened.

May gave a quick kiss to the top of his head as she exited the apartment, "Bye, I love you."

"Love you too May, bye" he said as the door shut in front of him.

An hour later, Peter slipped into his suit, getting ready to make his rounds. He kept a small piece of paper with a list of jobs in his back pocket, but he hoped that he would find other options as he swung through the city. He pulled his mask on before opening his bedroom window. Why can't saving people be a job, he thought stepping outside, police and firefighters do it all the time. I guess it's because they go through extensive training, and I don't think I have time for that. In that case, let the job search begin, he whispered to himself as he leapt into the air, shooting a web-line to his right.

The first stop he made was to Citi Field, home of his favorite baseball team the New York Mets. He thought that his heightened abilities would be an excellent skill to have to be a ball boy during games. He thought it would be an easy job, getting to watch games for free, using his spider-powers to an extent, and maybe get great perks. As he entered the stadium, his heart was pounding rapidly. He had never been this excited about something since the day Tony Stark gave him an upgraded suit before doing battle with the Avengers.

The line of other applicants wasn't too long, maybe about a dozen or so. People of different ages, genders, and races came out to invest in the opportunity to be a part of the Mets organization. Peter was second to last in line, and he started a conversation with the gentleman behind him. He was tall and had a charming smile. His hair waved up, kind of how a skateboarder would fix his hair. They discussed their reasons for trying out, Peter's obviously being that his aunt wanted him to find a job because he isn't focused enough on his future. The stranger explained he dreamt of being a chimney sweep but couldn't because he didn't have a chimney to practice on at home. "I guess we've walked similar paths" Peter responded, seeing the stranger's situation paralleling his.

Soon enough, Peter's name was called, and he was star-struck to find that Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson would be hitting the balls to him. Peter grabbed a supplied glove and his reaction time was crisp, catching the ball every time. The tryout leaders thanked him for coming out and asked him to take a seat along with the rest of the applicants. Peter was feeling pretty confident about himself, figuring that he had the job in his pocket.

As he took his seat, the applicant he had conversed with was settling into his position. Granderson accidently hit the ball in the wrong direction and was zooming toward the seated applicants. Peter prepared to make a complementary catch, when suddenly the outstretched arm of the stranger casually caught the ball with his bare hands. Peter was in disbelief, his eyes wide open from what he had just witnessed. The stranger continued to make bare handed catches with every hit ball. The leaders thanked him and asked him to take a seat.

He took a seat next to Peter, who couldn't help but ask, "Where did you learn how to catch like that man."

"Oh, I took up juggling in 2012 and just gained a great hand-eye coordination" the smiling stranger explained. "I didn't know it at the time, but I once even juggled plutonium cases by accident."

"Wow, that's amazing," Peter complimented, and introduced himself to the stranger.

"Name's Andrew, pleased to meet you," he replied.

The leaders interrupted everyone's attention and thanked everyone for coming out one last time. They explained that there were only two spots open and announced the new hires. "Congratulations to Jerry and Andrew," they announced. Peter's jaw dropped, and his heart sank from the disappointment. Andrew stood up with a huge smile on his face, cheering loudly. He turned to Peter quickly and said kindly, "Hey, better luck next time mate."

=================================

A couple of days later he made his way to the second job located in Greenwich Village. May had seen a job advertisement for a pizzeria named "Jo's Pizza" that needed a new baker. Peter was unsure about this one because he was more comfortable eating the food rather than making it. However, he figured that if he worked well enough, maybe he could get discounts on the pizza and take some home.

He walked out of an alley where he had changed out of his suit and into a busy street. He walked up the block to Jo's and was getting more nervous with every step he took. He entered to find the pizzeria filled with chaotic commotion. Diners were talking over each other, the bakers were shouting orders from the back to the front, and the space seemed small considering the amount of people that stood in line. Peter stood third in line waiting to speak with the cashier about the job opening. He observed his surroundings and each of the customers, particularly the young woman standing in front of him.

He couldn't help but notice her bright blonde hair that flowed down to her upper back. The way she stood with her hands in the pockets of her black jeans and how her white t-shirt conformed to her thin body. Peter couldn't help but stare, it was like looking at Liz all over again. She suddenly turned her head and noticed Peter staring at her. Peter quickly shifted his eyes, hoping that she didn't see him observing. The girl smirked, chuckling to herself about how innocent his attempt to hide his staring was. "Looking for something" she cheekily asked.

"Huh..." he replied, feeling quite silly for staring at her and passing it off as if he hadn't. As he tried to come up with a reasonable response, he studied the youthful spirit in her bright blue eyes that twinkled in the sunlight coming through the windows. "Umm, I-I'm actually looking for a job."

"Really," she exclaimed, "well staring at me won't get you any closer to getting one, so don't embarrass yourself." She turned back to the front, letting her message sink into Peter's brain.

Peter lowered his head, feeling ashamed of himself. "Sorry."

She looked back, this time with a simple smile across her lips. "Don't worry about it kid, I was only teasing." Peter looked up at her with his lips pursed in his embarrassment and the two met each other's eyes. They stayed silent for a moment, when the sound of the doorbell caught their attention.

A man with glasses and brown hair that was gelled back had walked in and stood in line behind Peter. He seemed chill for the most part, but he bobbed his body up and down as if he was in a hurry to get somewhere.

The two young teens took their attention away from the him and reengaged with each other.

"Felicia," the girl said, extending her hand.

"Peter," he replied graciously, shaking her hand.

"So, Peter, you wanna work here huh?"

"I guess," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "not really interested in anything else around here, so..."

"Trust me, everything here is a steal," she said. "Half the time, their 29-minute delivery guarantee fails, so people get free pizza anyway. That's why it's always busy here."

"Really," Peter said questioning the reputation of the place he may be working at.

"Really" she said with small nod of her head.

"NEXT IN LINE"

Felicia stepped forward, giving Peter a small smile before engaging with the cashier. "Hi, I was just thirsty today, but what can I get with $5?

Sweetheart, I can only give ya a small soda or a bottled water" the cashier said with a light Hispanic accent.

"Soda it is then," she replied, handing over her five, "and keep the change."

The cashier handed her a Coke cup, and she took it down to the end of the counter to fill it.

"NEXT IN LINE"

Peter approached the counter with a friendly smile. "Hey, I heard this place was hiring. Is the position still open?"

"Oh um, we were hiring, but we filled the position yesterday. Sorry kid."

Again, Peter's heart sank, feeling that the world was totally against him. "Oh ok, thank you for letting me know" he said and sat down at an empty table by the window. Resting his head on his palm, he wondered how long it was going to be before he made any progress. "What do I do now" he whispered to himself.

"NEXT IN LINE"

"Hello, can I get one large hand-tossed cheese pizza to-go? And can you make it quick, I'm running late for a meeting."

"You're in luck sir," said the cashier as he took the man's credit card, "we just put one in the oven and will be done in a minute. Just wait awhile for us to cut and box it for ya."

"Thanks" the gentleman said taking a seat on a counter stool. His eyes wandered throughout the pizzeria as he waited. He kept an extended look upon a moping Peter and consoled, "Hey, don't worry about the job kid." Peter raised his head, surprised that someone had noticed the conversation he had with the cashier. "I used to work here 13 years ago, and it was one of the most stressful jobs I've ever had."

Peter narrowed his eyes at this stranger that had taken interest in cheering him up. "Really, what did you do here?"

The man chuckled a sweet smile, "I was a delivery boy, but there were always... disturbances that kept me away from the job."

"What do you do now" Peter asked.

"I'm a sales representative for Daily Bugle Magazine, he said and soon had a thought that could help the struggling teen, "... and I think we have a couple of positions open, if you're interested."

"Oh," Peter stuttered, he didn't expect this random stranger to be so willing to help. "Thank you for the suggestion, where can I pick up an application."

"Well, our editor-in-chief is always busy, so he can't meet with any potential applicants. However, our vice-editor is always going out looking for new talent."

Peter thought about the prospect of working for a magazine, and what skills he could apply there. He was never the best writer in school, so he knew that he couldn't be a story writer. He used to like to film his everyday activities, so maybe he could use his interest in photography at the magazine.

"Thanks for the info," he responded, "I'll definitely consider it."

"ONE CHEESE PIZZA FOR MAGUIRE!"

As the man turned to receive his pizza, Peter felt this weird alarming sensation, implying something was wrong. He noticed a blonde feminine figure approaching from his left and turned to find Felicia walking towards the man named Maguire.

What's happening? What is she...? Oh boy, here we go. 


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A/N-  This was a fun chapter to write. Ideas just kept coming as I wrote, and it was certainly fun to write in some "cameos." Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. I also haven't touched on the subject of Felicia in a while, so I figured this was a perfect time to bring her back. 

Some action is coming next chapter, obviously. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Please vote if you did, and as always, comment your thoughts. 

On a side note, I've started a new story and I would appreciate it if you guys would take a look at it.

Until next time, BYE!!

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