ENOUGH FOR YOU « PETER PARKER

2. lemonade and liars

            

—LEMONADE AND LIARS

JULIETTE HATED LEMONADE, but not because she disliked its taste, but because it reminded her of her father. So the moment she brought the drink offered to her by none other than Cindy Moon to her lips, her night was just about ruined. The younger girl hadn't known, of course, and Letty would never fault her for such a thing, but still. Her mood had quickly turned sour, quite reminiscent of the dreadful drink in her cup.

She swallowed hard and thanked the girl for the drink before pushing herself off the wall she, Gwen, and Alora were leaned against. There was hardly any room for much else. Flash's expensive house was filled with people, some were dancing, others were playing a variety of drinking games. She hadn't even seen Flash tonight. 

"I'll be back in a second," Juliette said to Gwen over the music, glancing over at the girl who was dressed in a short green dress, her blonde hair flowing a few inches below her shoulders. She shook her head before Gwen could protest. "Just one second, Stace."

The blonde must've seen something in Juliette's eyes because, with a nod, she relented, falling back into her conversation with the two younger girls.

Juliette sighed before stepping into the crowd. She weaved her way through the dim house, keeping her head lowered. It felt as if she was doing a lot of that these days.

She slid into the kitchen, where there were hardly any people at all. It was probably the largest kitchen she'd ever seen and the least loved one too. It just looked... empty. That seemed to be a reoccurring theme throughout the house, which made Juliette's sympathy for Flash grow a bit more. And if she had to see a kitchen with so much white and grey everyday, she would probably be physically sick.

Her relief was almost palpable as she noticed the stainless steel sink along the wall of the kitchen. She rushed over to it, pouring the liquid down the drain and disposing of the cup. Her blue dress swished around her thighs, causing a burst of chills to form on her skin.

"That bad, huh?" A voice questioned from beside her, and she flinched in surprise. She looked to them, her eyes finding a disheveled Peter Parker. The green jacket he wore was loose on his shoulders, and it obscured the view of his dark t-shirt. His brown hair was unusually flat in the front. He was not dressed for a party, but how much did Juliette know about party dress codes anyway?

Peter Parker was good looking, in a bit of an undeniable way if you asked her, and he had a charming smile and maybe the kindest brown eyes she'd ever seen on a boy at Midtown High. His jaw was bruised, and Juliette's hands itched to heal him—to see if she could still do it, if nothing else. That too reminded her of her dead father, though.

She blinked a few times, clearing her thoughts.

"God, when did you even get right there?" Letty asked, exasperation coloring her voice. She hadn't remembered seeing him anywhere in the kitchen.

"Uh, didn't you notice me? I was standing over there," he pointed vaguely to the other side of the room before pointing to himself. "I'm uh—Peter—Peter Parker."

Juliette surveyed him a moment longer, a bit offended that he thought she didn't know who he was, and a bit more offended that he was lying to her face. She didn't bother introducing herself. "You shouldn't be here."

Peter raised his brows, his eyes flashing with something she didn't know him well enough to identify. "I didn't peg you as one of those people who cares about Midtown's social hierarchy."

Agitated, Juliette ran her hands over her slick hair, halting at the hair tie near the top of her head. "I really don't care about that. I only said that because Flash wouldn't have a problem punching you for thinking you could show up here after what happened." She rolled her eyes, moving past him. "But if you like that kind of thing, by all means, stay here."