clever as the devil, and twice as pretty.
It is a known fact that when you lie, you do it for a reason - but Nina was lying unhinged and she loved it. she loved the way they left the tip of her tongue. She loved the adrenaline she felt whenever she'...
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STEP ???: UNWIND
Nina already knows that she's about to get an earful.
She knows that she should be shaking in her shoes right now, especially after spotting the way how Illiana's features twisted in anger or the way that her mother had gripped her hand so hard that it left a mark, but for some reason, as she was thrown into the backseat of their van, Nina kept her eyes on the store - watching as Peter Parker stared into the ground like it was his greatest enemy.
"You know where to go," Illiana stated coldly, her tone sending shivers down Nina's spine.
As the car drives away, the figure of Peter Parker starts to disappear, and that's when Nina looks at her mother.
Oh, how she wishes she'd shut her eyes instead.
The first thing Nina sees is the obvious burn mark on her collarbone, which meant no good. What tips her over the edge, however, was the brass knuckles on her right hand stained with the slightest bit of blood - and before she knew it, she was panicking. More than panicking. She couldn't help what was running through her mind.
Valeria was in her mind. Nina wasn't dumb, obviously figuring out what happened out of context, but the fact that she had no clear idea of what had actually happened was killing her. What her mother might do to her. Making her want to scream.
After what feels like a million years, Illiana finally speaks. "I'm not mad at you, Nina."
Her mind is racing, her own thoughts an endless dark swirl of oh fuck, what do I say? Should I even say anything? Of course not, she'll only get mad at you for interrupting her, idiot. But what if she gets mad that you're not responding?
"I'm worried," her mother continues, her whole demeanor changing in a whole instant. Illiana slowly removes the blood-stained brass knuckle off her fingers, slender arms grasping Nina's fingers. "You've been off track lately. Slacking on missions, leaving Valeria to fend for herself..."
Nina didn't say anything because she knew that it was true. She had been slacking - the girl was a hundred percent sure that if she hadn't focused on school so much, Spider-Man would be dead by now.
"Is it because of that boy back there?" Illiana raises her brow, eyes furrowed together in concern. "You can talk to me, you know?"
Instead of being comforted like Illiana thought her daughter was going to be, Nina was terrified. Even just thinking of how her mother could easily switch from an emotionless trainer to a person who cared, a huge cycle of dread twisted in the bottom of her gut.
"He's no one," Not necessarily a lie, Peter Parker was no one, just a boy she occasionally found cute lately. Nina has been infatuated with boys before, and she was positive that this thing with Peter Parker would dissolve like the countless others. "Ran into him, forced me to take his hoodie, talked to him for a few seconds. I'll give it back tomorrow and that's it."
