Picking Up The Pieces

49. Tears

   "So he hasn't spoken to you since his internship mishap?" Stacy asked me. The two of us were sitting in the school library looking over the playlist for Homecoming. Well, I was; she was scrolling through countless dress websites on her laptop to get inspiration. "Not even a text?"

"Nothing at all," I sighed. "I was literally arguing with Tony Stark for him to keep the job. I guess that doesn't matter."

"We have three days until Homecoming; he needs to get off his ass and ask you already," Stacy huffed.

"I mean if he doesn't, I can go with you," I pointed out, closing my laptop to give her a small smile. A few days after the ferry incident, Stacy told me that Flash had asked out Courtney from our choir class during lunch. She was bitter for a few hours, but she got over it. "Two besties showing up in style."

"As much as I love that idea, no," Stacy shook her head. "Just because I didn't get the boy I wanted doesn't mean you shouldn't. Actually..." She suddenly shut her laptop, causing me to jump in surprise. "Don't wait for him to ask you."

"But I thought you just said-"

"You can't wait any longer, Izzy. It's stupid. The dance is in three days and you're waiting for him to ask you. You need to ask him," she grinned. My jaw dropped and my heart began to pound wildly at the idea.

"Are you insane?"

"Yes, now let's get going." She stuffed her laptop in her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. "I know for a fact that he's in detention right now and that the bathroom break is in two minutes."

"And how do you know this?" I questioned, following her actions a bit slower. "Do you stalk him or something?"

"I asked Ned back at the beginning of school," she shrugged. "I had to interview one of the students for a project. Now, go!"

"Okay, okay," I laughed. As I walked out of the library, I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. "How do I even phrase that?" I murmured to myself, turning down a hallway. "'Hey, Peter, just wondering something....' God that's bad. 'Peter, you've been ignoring me. Could we catch up?' Definitely not."

"-Actually, I was so busy planning it, I never really got around to that part." I stopped in my tracks, my heart pounding at the familiar voice. Carefully, I looked around the corner, keeping out of sight. Liz and Peter were standing a few feet apart.

"Do... do you want to... go with me?" Peter asked her, clutching onto his oversized hall pass nervously. I flipped back to my side of the wall, covering my mouth with my metal hand. I could feel eyes burning.

"Yeah," I heard Liz say cheerfully. I closed my eyes in disbelief, two tears coming out against my will. I knew he had some feelings for her, but I never thought... she never told me... "Sure."

"Really? I mean, great. Cool. Cool." There was a pause. "I'm actually going that way." As I heard his footsteps fade, Liz gave a quiet squeal of joy before walking past me in excitement, not even seeing that I had slumped to the ground, tears streaming down my face. I should have known he wasn't going to ask me. He only saw me as a friend.

Wiping my face with my sleeve, I got off of the ground a few seconds before the bell rang. Students started to fill the hallway, chattering amongst each other while I walked past them, clenching my metal fist as I tried to hide my emotions.

"Hey, Star!" I turned around to see Flash grinning at me. He tossed a plastic water bottle between his hands. "So, my date for Homecoming might not be available for the entire night. Something about her dad being sick, blah, blah, blah. Save a dance for me?"

I stared at him blankly in annoyance, watching as his smile lessened slowly by the second. All I could feel was anger as I continued to look at him, his water bottle still going side to side. I clenched my other fist and opened it again, and Flash shrieked when his bottle exploded when it came in contact with his hand. As I walked away, listening to the laughter that erupted from other students, I couldn't help but let a small smirk come across my face for a few seconds before feeling a few more tears release.

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"Miss Stark, I really don't think you should be here," a security guard said to me as I stormed past her, throwing open the doors to the Avengers Compound. She followed me inside as I walked through the halls to his office. "Mr Stark gave us instructions-"

"I don't care, now leave me alone," I told her harshly. My quick pace turned into a run, and I could hear her sputtering orders through a walkie-talkie. Sure enough, there were two burly men blocking the hallway. "Get out of my way."

"Sorry, miss, orders," one said gruffly. I marched up to them with only a few inches between our faces.

"You let me through or I'll make you," I threatened. He paled a little while the other gave a quiet chuckle, causing me to glare. I pushed through them roughly and used my powers to slam them into the wall, creating a thin sheet of ice to pin them in place. "What did I say, boys?" I continued my way down the hallway and to my father's office. The doors were already opened, Dad in front of them with his arms crossed in annoyance.

"A call would have been nice," he sighed, closing the doors after I entered his office. He plopped down on one of his couches. "What's the reason you're skipping school? You do realize this goes against the UN's-"

"I need you to give Peter his suit back," I told him. My father made a noise in the back of his throat, rubbing his face with his hand.

"The fact he asked you to talk to me is just proving he can't get it back."

"But he's angry at me and I don't know why!" I pleaded, close to tears again. "And-and he's been ignoring me even though I stuck up for him and he's never done this to me and I thought after being in space..." I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a shaky breath and clenching my fists to keep from losing control. "All he wanted to do was help people. That was his only goal. He just wanted to get your approval and then you swiped away the only thing that made him feel like you were proud of him. I... I just want Peter back."

Dad's eyes angry gaze softened a little as he took my words in. "You like him, don't you?" he asked, the same question from when we had first met during the summer. I laughed bitterly.

"We're talking about Peter, not me."

"Answer the question," he told me in a stern tone, getting up from his place on the couch, looking down at me. "You like him, don't you?" I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip as a single tear came out.

"Yeah."