The New Girl Around

Chapter 30 ~ The Aftermath...

I open the large door in front of me before pulling the small suitcase through the frame. God I'm glad to be home. I see Mr. Stark greeting me at the door, although I think he just came from the kitchen and caught me by accident. This moment may have been small for others but right now I really feel like I'm home.

"Ah I was looking for you. I thought you got back this morning?" He says, a small smile finding his face. I shut the door and smile at him.

"We were running a little late, you know, because of the whole elevator situation. I'm so glad I decided to stay in bed that day." I joke and he chuckles slightly as he bites his apple in front of him.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you in person that you are now officially a stark." He announces. My lips open slightly and I feel a warm feeling in my heart.

"Anyway, Wanda will be training you ag-" he begins to say but I cut him off by hugging him. For a few seconds the gesture wasn't reciprocated but I finally feel his arms wrap around me.

A warm feeling encases me and I definitely begin to feel like I'm home. My new home. My safe place.

I pull away and smile back at his smile. "Get ready, Wanda is waiting to carry on training downstairs." He ruffles up my hair then I run up to my room to get changed.

~ Training ~

When I reach the bottom of the stairs I see Peter about to leave. We both freeze and stare at each other, unsure what to say so I break the silence.

"H- Hi." I stutter, offering him a small smile. He opens his mouth to reply but when nothing comes out he bites his lip before walking quickly up the stairs pass me. I turn and look at him for a few seconds before moving my gaze to the floor.

I walk to Wanda, still frustrated by the situation that just played out. Me and Peter hadn't talked the whole trip, we didn't even say a simple 'congratulations' or an 'are you ok'. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to, I just couldn't find the courage to.

"Ok, let's jump straight in. Nat is taking over training today because we need to work on your physical strength." Wanda says, explaining the plan. I snap my attention back to Wanda and smile slightly. I need to focus.

"Sure. What are we doing first?" I say, ready to train. Nat takes me over to the punching bag and gives me a pattern to repeat over 100 times. I remembered it off by heart after the 5th go.

"Right, Left, mid right, top right. Left, right, mid left, top left." I made a couple mistakes but it was good to let some anger out.

Doing this took my mind off Peter and made me focus my anger on something better. It was actually very relaxing.

"Ok, five minute break." May says, seeing the effort I'm putting in. I stop and take a deep breath. Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I drink from the already half empty water bottle.

"You ok Hope?" Wanda ask as she sits down next to me on the bench and smiles. "It's just, you seem a little tense." She finishes.

"Yeah I'm fine." I reassure her. I put on a fake smile and look at her hoping she will buy it.

"So what's up with Peter. He hadn't been doing too good in training today. Does it have something to do with that awkward moment you had by the stairs?" She questions. Well, she didn't buy it...

"We had an argument. I overheard someone say they liked him and he liked them when me and him got quite... close. He got annoyed at me because I didn't trust him." I say, deciding it might be nice to get an outsiders point of view.

She nods as if she's analysing the situation we are in before she responds. My hands begin to sweat thinking about the situation.

"Has he gave you any reason not to trust him?" She questions. As if it was deja vu, I didn't know what to say to that.

"That's what he said to me. I know he hasn't but I'm still worried." I admit, not sure why I'm telling her this.

"There's your answer. He hasn't shown you any reasons not to trust him so you should show him you trust him." She explains. I smile and get back up.

"Thanks Wanda. I'll think about it." I say, ready to continue training. She gets up and walks over to Nat with you.

"So you and Peter got close?" She teases. I nudge her playfully before getting back to training, both of us laughing.

~ Peters House ~

I don't even know how I got here. I think what Wanda told me got to me. I attempt to knock on the door but every time my hand reaches up for the door I pull myself back. When I finally get the courage to knock on the door Peter opens the door and his smile drops.

I made that smile disappear. I'm the one he sees and frowns at now, the person who ruins his mood...

"Hope? Uh, come in. Mays just getting some milk..." he says, confusion clear on his face. I crack a small smile as I step into his cute and quaint apartment. "What are you doing here?" He asks, somewhat nervously.

"I don't really know. I guess- no, I know I want to apologise. You haven't done anything to show me you're not good for me and I've still found a way to push you away. If I should be mad at anyone I should be mad at Liz. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry." I rush out, meaning every word of what I said. I look into his eyes as a smile appears on his face.

"I love you." He says easily, almost as if it just slipped out. My eyes widen at the words that fell out his mouth. His face stayed with his smile, a smile that melts my heart over and over again. But Instead of feeling scared and cornered like how I always thought I would feel, I felt happy. Like I wanted to treasure this moment forever and wish it never ends.

"I-I love you too." I answer, knowing instantly I reciprocated his feelings. His smile extends and so does mine.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him, the smile still plastered on our faces.

"Does this mean you'll stop going on dates with Flash?" He raises his eyebrows at me as if he's disappointed in me. I laugh slightly, forgetting about that situation.

"You know I never wanted to go out with him, right? The first one was so I could get that video taken down and the second was because we got in an argument and he showed up at my house." I reply, wanting him to know I only like him.

"Well, to make sure he stays away. Will you, Hope Harper, be my girlfriend?" He says cheekily. He kneels down to one knee and holds out an imaginary ring. I laugh and pull him up off the floor.

"Peter Parker, I will gladly accept your proposal." I say, unable to hide my grin. He smiles and wraps his arms around my waist. "But, just so you know, it's Hope Stark now." I correct him. I smile as he opens his mouth and grasps over exaggeratedly.

"I'm so happy for you! I hope you're happy." I nod quickly, my cheeks aching from the smile spread across my face.

He leans in quickly, and his lips cover mine, our focus turning solely to that.

I never knew moving to Peter Parker's school would turn my life upside down. I'm so glad it did though, otherwise who knows where I'd be right now.