MJ sat in her room, 'Blitzkrieg Bop' blasting through her headphones while she finished off her homework. At some point, she had turned on her lamp, but she couldn't remember how long ago that was. The light spilt across her desk, running up her walls and dripping from the ceiling, illuminating her messy bed and the books strewn across every surface. She pushed one of her numerous sketchbooks off her math book and wedged her homework under the cover. The curtain was still open, revealing the dark apartment building next door, where he was pacing around his room, pinching the bridge of his nose as someone lectured him on the other end. MJ opened her window a crack, hoping to catch a glimpse of his conversation.

"Look, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to practice this afternoon, I was really busy and I- I didn't have time." Peter sunk onto his bed, sighing. "Yeah, I know, I know. I'm trying, it's just-" The other person cut him off, shouting something before hanging up. MJ watched as Peter stared at his phone in disbelief before sinking to the floor in defeat. She shook her head. Seriously, Peter needed to break up with Liz. There were so many problems with their relationship; it was a wonder that they could still have a somewhat civilized conversation. Mostly.

MJ looked at her wall, studying the drawings that shielded the dark paint from shining through. Hey, she couldn't help drawing him. He was so cute, with his smile and curly locks that hid his soft, hazel eyes... eyes that she wished would notice her own boring and plain brown ones. But no, who would notice her when there were girls like Liz? Girls who wore short skirts and pumps, not old band t-shirts and worn converse high-tops.

She sighed, switching her contacts for her glasses and walking out for dinner,

Why was football so boring? And loud? And crowded? One could hardly even hear themselves think due to the noise and rampaging. Someone bumped MJ for the 139th time and she scowled, curling up as small as her lanky, five-foot-ten self could muster. She looked up from her books, watching as the cheerleaders rallied and tumbled on the side of the field. Of course, Liz was the centre of it all, being cheer captain and all. But there was something about her smile that seemed so obviously fake. Michelle kept on watching, smirking slightly when the cheerleader's beam slipped for a second to reveal her frustration. Someone's mad. MJ went back to her book but was rudely interrupted when someone screeched down her ear. "Oh my gosh!" She stood up, ordering people to move out of her way so she could be free from this horrendous mess. She needed some peace and quiet.

MJ walked back into the school, roaming the empty halls mindlessly. She found herself drawn to the labs, where she found Peter finishing off an experiment. She watched him for a little while, slouching against the doorframe. "Hey, dork."

Peter looked up. "Oh, hey MJ," he said, pulling the goggles onto the top of his head. He studied the test tube, scribbling down an observation as MJ walked over.

"Aren't you supposed to wear those on your eyes?" she asked, tapping the goggles.

"Probably. But when do I ever follow the rules of the science labs?" He put the tube down, giving her a playful grin.

MJ tutted. "You're going to get detention for that, Mr Parker."

"Oh well, another excuse to not deal with social interactions." He dusted his hands, slipping his homework into his book and began clearing away the equipment.

"So." MJ leant on the bench, watching him from behind her fringe. "You're not going to watch the game? I think Liz is cheering."

Peter's entire demeanour changed. He sighed, running a calloused hand through his hair. "Yeah... yeah she is. She wanted me to watch, but I got homework and stuff to catch up on, so." He shrugged, continuing with his cleaning. "Guess I'll get another lecture on how to be a good boyfriend."

"That sucks."

"Yeah." Peter picked up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. "Anyway, I'm gonna go, wanna come? We live next door, so..."

MJ gave him a rare grin. "Sure." They left, talking about school and friendships and literally everything they thought of. MJ couldn't help but smile. Here he was, in worn-out jeans and a punny shirt, laughing and chatting like they had long before all of this. Long before Liz, long before Ben, long before high school. Like the days when they used to talk from their rooms using cans and a string, dreaming of the future. She hadn't seen him smile like he used to in a long time. Not ever since life had gotten crazy. But when she looked up at him, he was smiling. Not a forced mask he wore usually, giving a false illusion that everything was okay, but a real, genuine smile. She had missed that smile.

They stopped at a bus stop, sprawled out along the seat. MJ replied to Peter's comment with a sarcastic retort, filling the air with his laughs. Hey... This is actually really... easy. There was no tension, just pure friendship. Or maybe more. Who knew?

"I haven't you laugh like that in a long time," MJ said.

Peter quietened down, studying her with those gem-like eyes. "What do you mean?"

She sat back in the seat, picking at her nails. "You haven't been yourself lately."

He nodded, unconsciously picking at his own nails.

"Is everything okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, no, I'm fine. Really?"

Michelle raised her eyebrows, clearly not taking the lie, but she said nothing. "Okay," she said simply. "But you know, you can always talk to me. I'm not actually as cold-hearted as people think I am."

A soft chuckle escaped Peter's lips. "Yeah, I know."

They sat in comfortable silence, lost in their thoughts and observations of the world around them. It was oddly soothing, how the world moved on by, no matter what happened. However, their silence was rudely interrupted.

"Peter? What are you doing here? I thought you had homework?"

Both Peter and MJ instinctively curled up at the sound of Liz's voice. Peter cleared his throat, suddenly very interested in the cracks that lined the pavement. "Um- yeah, I was heading home to do it."

Liz crossed her arms, clearly not impressed. "Really. Then what's MJ doing?"

"I am also catching the bus home. Congratulations, you just learnt that we're neighbours. Ten points to Gryffindor." MJ pulled out her book, a strategy she used to trick people into thinking that she wasn't interested.

Liz huffed. "I better not catch you cheating," she hissed.

MJ looked up, locking Liz's gaze with a blank glare of her own. "Who would want to cheat with me? It's not like I'm like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not popular, I don't wear cute clothes or doing anything that is stereotypically cool, such as cheerleading, I don't have guys falling head over heels for me, I'm just-" she spread her arms, as though presenting her case. "I'm just me." She stood up, slamming her book and shoving it under her arm. "Have a good afternoon." With one last glance at Peter's crestfallen face, MJ spun on her heel and walked off, clenching her jaw to keep her face blank. 

That night, MJ spent time to herself, blasting "You Belong With Me" through her headphones and dancing around her room. None of her parents were home, which meant that no one was around to accidentally walk in unexpectedly. She had the song on repeat for hours, singing it at the top of her lungs in front of her mirror. She had never related to the song more than she did at that moment.

Peter, who had just come home, opened his bedroom door to see the scene, smiling despite his exhaustion. After a rather intense screaming match featuring Liz berating Peter, he had finally had enough and snapped, walking out and ending it for good. Now the anger had drained away, weariness filling the void. He dumped his bag on the floor and opened his window a crack, laughing softly at MJ's voice carrying across the gap. She still hadn't noticed him, and that was perfectly fine. He was content with watching as she moved around, her hair dancing wildly. She was honestly kind of... cute.

What the heck have I been missing this whole time? How had he missed her morning messages asking how he was, the shy smiles from across the room, the sarcastic jokes that made him gasp for air, the gorgeous eyes that lit up every time he smiled? Liz had never, never treated him that way, no matter how many times he apologized or sent roses, always backing out of plans then blaming him for not being available. The more Peter thought about it, the more he realized just how toxic their relationship had been. It's a good thing I ended it, he thought as he reluctantly dragged himself away from the window.

"No Betty, I don't have a date for Homecoming." MJ flopped on her bed, holding the phone up to her ear. "Honestly, I don't even plan on going. I don't do well with crowds."

"Come on MJ, it'll be fun! You can come with me!"

"Aren't you going with Ned?" MJ grumbled, sitting up. Homecoming was something she had been putting off for ages. She really, really didn't want to go.

"... Yeah... But he won't mind! You can be my wing-woman!" Another voice called from Betty's end and she responded quickly. "Hey, I have to go, but I'll talk to you about it later. Thanks for the help with science."

"Anytime. Have a good night." MJ hung up, scowling at the wall.m "I'm not going to Homecoming. It's that simple." She looked over at the sound of tapping on the glass. She pulled back her curtain to where Peter was waving wildly. She snorted and opened her window. "Sup dork, what do you want!?"

"I wanted to ask you something!" 

"What!?"

His cheeks flushed and he pulled out a sketchbook, flipping the pages one by one.

Will

You

Go

With

Me

To

HoCo?

Okay, so there was one thing that could make MJ want to go to Homecoming. She grinned and grabbed her own book, scribbling furiously.

YES!!!!!

Peter laughed. "Sweet! I'll pick you up at five!?"

"Sounds great!" MJ shut the window and squealed, crushing the book against her chest. "OhMyGoshHeAskedMeOutI'mGoingToDie-" she collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles, kicking her legs in the air. A thought popped into her head and she shot up. "What the heck am I going to wear?" She looked at her wardrobe and smiled. She knew exactly what to wear.

Peter knocked on the door, shifting his weight from foot to foot, drumming his fingers on the case of the corsage. A woman opened the door with a smile, welcoming him in. "Hi, it's Peter, right?"

"Yeah."

"MJ! Your date is here!"

A voice called from one of the rooms and out walked a queen in an a-line emerald dress with a boat neckline. Her normally wild hair was pulled up in a messy up-do, aside from her signature fringe. Peter shut his mouth, realising that he was gaping like a goldfish. "You look... really pretty."

MJ smirked. "And therefore I have value? I'm messing with you," she said hastily after seeing the panic on his face. "Thank you. You look... pretty too."

Peter smiled and held up the corsage. "I got some flowers." He tied them onto her wrist, looping the bow neatly. "Nice shoes."

MJ looked down at her black high-tops. "I wasn't going to wear heels. They're too painful. And also because I'm taller than you already, I don't need to be a whole head taller."

Peter pouted playfully. "Rude." He held out his arm, grinning broadly. "Shall we?"

She took in gracefully, unable to keep in her giggles at the height difference. "We shall." With that, they walked out, off to a wonderful night with Ned and Betty. 

And maybe a kiss at the doorstep.