LOUD MOUTH → PETER PARKER ✓

Chapter Twenty-Two: Dim Sum Heartbreak

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎: DIM SUM HEARTBREAK

He was late. Again. For the second time that day, Peter Parker was late to a pre-arranged event. Callie ate her food alongside Gwen and her family, trying to engage in the conversations going on around her, but she couldn't help checking her phone every few minutes. Was she mad? No (?) She was mostly worried.

She wanted to tell him about Yale. About how she had returned home a few days ago to an acceptance letter to the college she had been dreaming about since she was little. Pictures of baby Callie in her father's old Yale sweatshirt still hung around the house, the sleeves much too long and the hem reaching nearly to the floor. She still saw those pictures and stopped, wishing she could go back in time and tell little Callie that she had done it. And an even bigger part of her wanted to tell Peter the minute she found out, but she had saved it until that night. For dramatic effect, of course. But he was late. And that sucked.

Gwen did her best to distract her by talking about her job at the Mayor's Office—it wasn't really much. She got coffee and lunch for Mayor Lewis, occasionally filed things and sorted through documents. What she really liked was the political side. Hearing the mayor's ideas on how to make New York a better place, working with reporters and journalists. It made Callie realize just how much she wanted to be where the mayor was. Where the president was. Where the influence was.

The internship had taken a long essay and a lengthy interview to obtain, along with almost a dozen teacher recommendations and some bragging by Police Chief Stacy, who worked closely with the mayor. Plus, being close with Spider-Man helped. Mayor Lewis respected that Callie chose to keep Spider-Man's identity a secret, though she did have her relay messages to him every once in a while.

Speaking of Spider-Man...

Callie caught sight of a familiar face standing outside the restaurant. She met eyes with Peter and felt a wave of relief crash over her. She smiled at him, though he didn't return it. He walked away from the door, clearly not coming in. Callie frowned, an ominous feeling beginning to grow in her chest. She quickly excused herself from the table and left, heading for the door. Peter was outside the restaurant in the empty street. Callie clutched onto her jacket for dear life as the weather had cooled down significantly since that morning's graduation ceremony.

Peter didn't look all right. Callie could tell straight away that something was wrong. "Hey," she said, trying to keep her voice light. "Aren't you going to come inside? Gwen's mom got this Jiaozi and it's actually incredible. I don't really know what's in it but..." she trailed off, sensing this was not the time to go off on a dim sum tangent. "What's wrong? And please don't bullshit me, I have the emotional radar of a shark."

Again he said nothing. She stepped closer. "Hey," she said quietly, her voice bronco got softer and more concerned. "What's wrong?"

"It's never going to end, is it?" he said suddenly, not meeting her eyes.

Callie swallowed. "What isn't?" She asked. He spoke forebodingly, like he was asking himself the question as much as he was asking her.

"As long we're together, you're going to keep getting involved, aren't you?"

Already a cold feeling was beginning to settle in her veins. "Involved in what?" Callie asked, her mind becoming frantic and confused.