𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀. Miles feels free when he finally gets the hang of shooting artificial webs and swinging from building to building. As he whips through the air between tall buildings, Taryn watches from the roof of the school.

Swinging from buildings in his own super hero suit is a feeling Miles can't even describe. He can't stop smiling.

"Hey Taryn, watch this!" Miles calls as he swings past Taryn on the roof, as if her eyes weren't already on him.

Miles flings himself into the sky and does a flip midair.

Taryn claps and whistles. "Impressive!"

He shoots a web at a nearby building and swings over to the school roof. His landing is a bit rough and he stumbles, but he keeps his feet under him.

Taryn slips off of the edge she was sitting on and steps over to Miles as he takes off the mask. His eyes are wide and bright.

"Did you see that!?" Miles exclaims animatedly.

Taryn laughs. "Yes, I did see that. You're like a real superhero."

Miles grins, but then it falters when the weight of being a superhero dawns on him. He has to fight bad guys. His dad and the rest of the Brooklyn police force are going to hate him.

Taryn frowns at Miles's shift in mood again and punches his shoulder lightly. His eyes lift from the ground to meet hers.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks lightly.

"It's just. . ." Miles sighs and steps over to the edge, sliding down to lean against the concrete. "I don't think I'd make a good superhero."

Taryn follows Miles and sits beside him. She leans her head back against the ledge and studies Miles.

"Can I be real with you for a second?"

Miles glances at her, unsure of what she's going to say next. She never fails to do something unpredictable. "'Course."

"I don't think you're perfect for the job," Taryn says, and before Miles can even feel offended, she continues, "But I think superheroes have to be flawed. If they weren't, then where would their drive be? They'd have nothing to fight for." She pauses. Then, she burps.

Miles crinkles his noise and turns away. "Gross, what did you eat? Onions and asparagus?" He fans the air away.

Taryn lets out a laugh. "I'm sorry that I had a little extra air in my stomach. It's a basic human function."

"Yeah, but it smells gross."

Taryn shrugs. The two sit in a moment of silence until she breaks it with a random thought.

"So have you told your uncle yet?"

Miles scratches his jaw. "Actually, I don't think I'm going to tell him, or anyone else. Isn't the point of being a superhero saving people and keeping the ones you care about safe? The only way I can do that is by making sure my identity is a secret."

Taryn nods. Then, she asks, "Since I'm the only one who knows your identity can I be your sidekick?"

Miles looks at her incredulously. "No?"

"Why not?" Taryn counters. When Miles stumbles for an answer, she asks, "Is it because I'm a girl and you don't think girls can be superheroes? Because you think girls are weak?"

Miles's eyes widen. He was not thinking that at all. "What? No! You just don't have any super powers!"

Taryn chuckles. "I know. I'm just joking."

Miles leans his head against the concrete and expels a long breath. Out of the corner of his eye he glances at Taryn. He sees her lips risen in a smile, but he also sees the pain she's hiding. Maybe it's because he knows her better after spending more time with her, or maybe it's simply because of his new spider-senses, but he feels like he can actually feel her suppressed emotions. He wants to ask what's bothering her and if her mother is doing okay, but he knows she won't just open up to him. So Miles just looks forward and lets the silence between them settle.

Miles did not expect to be all over YouTube the next day. At school he hears people talking about the new Spider-Man with a cooler suit, and he gets curious and anxious to see the videos everyone is watching. Ganke is showing his friends a video in class, so Miles peers over everyone's shoulders to take a peek. It's a short video of himself in Taryn's suit swinging high above the video taper. He disappears from view for a while before returning and doing a flip in the air. Ganke and his friends make impressed faces.

Miles sits back in his seat and fights hard against telling Ganke that he is the new Spider-Man. Miles has tried to show up in Ganke's social radar but he feels invisible to his old friend, but his secret would definitely bring him attention. It would make everyone, not just Ganke, want to be his friend. Then Ganke would have to fight to try to be in Miles's social radar.

While it is tempting, Miles lets go of the thought. There's no way he's going to crack and spill his biggest secret just to impress someone who doesn't even like him anymore.

By the time AP Physics rolls around, Miles has had an earful of students gossiping about the possibility of a new Spider-Man. Even some teachers have set aside a few minutes of class to show the video everyone's buzzing about.

Everyone loves Spider-Man, but Miles feels heavy. His heart, his mind, and his shoulders. He doesn't think he can live up to their expectations.

When Taryn walks into AP Physics, she takes one look at Miles and recognizes the look on his face from the night before. She rolls her eyes and sits in her desk front of his, turning to face him.

"What are you worrying about now? Everyone loves you," Taryn tells him with her eyes slightly narrowed.

Miles shrugs, tapping his pencil against the desk. "I don't know. I don't think I can be Spider-Man."

"We literally covered this yesterday, but to refresh your memory, you'd make a really good superhero." She takes the pencil he's anxiously drumming and threatens, "I will snap this in half if you don't calm down. Everything is going to be fine."

For some reason, her words of affirmation actually get him to loosen up. If Taryn Merrick believes in him, then why shouldn't he?

"Fine, give me my pencil back."

Taryn smiles at his less stressed expression. She hands the pencil back and turns around as class begins.

___
Hey everyone

So this chapter is severely unedited and short. I had another scene for this chapter but I felt like I haven't updated in so long so I decided to just put the scene in the next chapter.

Also this chapter is probably not written very well because I am a bit sick (long story short I think I have lead poisoning ?)

Thanks for reading!