SPIDER MAN'S SOCIAL DILEMMA it does during a fight with Doc Ock Peter slowly brings his hand back up and rests it on his desk Slowly because even though he's been doing his night job for a bit of time now he still likes to be extra careful about trying to look normal when people are paying attention to him despite his powers Reflexes Sorry sir I missed the question His voice lilts up at the end as if he is unsure if it was a question he'd missed or something else Dr Shah just pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a big sigh It's fine Mr Parker I know it's Friday and the weekend is calling but please try and pay attention attention I asked based on the reading I sent home last class what we can surmise the impact of easily accessible video manipulation might be on society The reading I forgot to do the reading He tries to focus but he is so tired and his leg still hasn't stopped itching He stares at Dr Shah as if doing so will pull the answer straight into his brain Without Peter realizing his hand inches down to scratch at the bug bite again Video manipulation manipulation The bite's tender and swollen now and the pain of his own scratching seems to break him out of his reverie Um I think it means I can put my face into whatever action movie I want and become the star and that is freakin sweet Flash's voice breaks into the silence and Peter would send a thank you up to whoever made that
PREETI CHHIBBER happen but he already knows what's coming next Parker would probably just use it to be in a chick flick so he can pretend to have a girlfriend Peter rolls his eyes and his shoulders straighten he's resisting the urge to put his head down on his desk Shut up Flash he says wearily hoping he doesn't sound as tired as he feels Mostly he tries to ignore Flash Thompson but sometimes his mouth gets the better of him Someone walks by the classroom doorway cutting a shadow across the light from the hall Thank you for that Mr Thompson Dr Shah says drily But that's an interesting thought We're here today to talk about the ethics of technology and wouldn't it be unethical to trick people into thinking you've done something something you hadn't And you'd be taking credit for someone else's work Liz Allan interjects You didn't make that movie someone someone else did Not that Flash does his own work in real life anyway anyway Randy Robertson says with a laugh from the back of the classroom Peter cracks a grin I heard that Robertson Flash makes as if to stand up Hey Dr Shah has his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice Mr Thompson please stay seated and everyone keep your comments to yourself unless they are about the ethics of video manipulation He looks at the
SPIDER MAN'S SOCIAL DILEMMA class thoughtfully Now Ms Allan brought up a good point Is it fair to pretend you're something you're not Peter sucks a quick breath in through his teeth Sometimes Sometimes he feels like pretending is all he's been doing for the last six months since he started his nightly escapades He rubs a hand through his hair and then raises his hand Yes Mr Parker Dr Shah looks at him over the rims of his reading glasses which he'd forgotten to take off his face again Isn't everyone kind of pretending they're something they're not all the time Like aren't we all just I mean He isn't sure how to end his question or if it was a question at all He considers if this is a sign that he really needs to get a better school vigilante life balance I agree Another voice speaks up and Peter almost cracks his neck turning to look back at the person who is speaking Mary Jane Watson is resting her chin in the cradle of her hand head tilted just so to the side She's using her other hand to lightly tap her pen against the desk The sun coming in through the window makes her hair look golden red and Peter is sure his pupils have turned into actual hearts She is so pretty he thinks Then his ears catch up to his brain and he realizes she said she agreed with him What do you agree with Ms Watson Dr Shah encourages her to keep going
PREETI CHHIBBER I think on some level we're all kind of faking it all the time And anyway- Not me baby I'm one hundred percent Flash all the time Flash jokes flexing a bicep MJ narrows her eyes at him Unless you're stealing the body of an action star so you can pretend to be in his movie Flash But the corner of her mouth lifts as if to soften her words Not that she needs to soften anything for Flash Peter thinks As I was saying I think on some level we are all pretending Like Peter said And But whatever MJ had been about to say is cut off by the ringing ringing of the bell signaling the end of class Peter shoves his notebook into his backpack not really caring when the cover bends up and over wrinkling the notepaper underneath MJ had agreed with him and she'd said his name Even if the rest of the day sucked at least he had that going for him Dr Shah's voice rises above the ringing Remember Next week I'm going to assign your groups for the OSMAKER prep project Start thinking about what you want to tackle Dr Shah can't we pick our own groups Liz's Voice has a plaintive note She definitely only wants to work with the popular kids Which Peter is not Obviously Sorry Ms Allan I have a system and it works I'll be assigning your groups you just think about what you want to work on
