𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮, peter parker

xxx. graduation

chapter thirty
graduation

     PETER WAS LATE.

     Of course, Peter would be late to their graduation.

     Nina awkwardly sat in her row beside two graduates in the middle of the alphabet like her. She kept glancing down at her phone, waiting for a response from Peter to let her know how far away he was. Underneath, her fingers brushed the folded piece of paper that was her speech, feeling her heart race at the thought of standing up in front of the entire student body and their family. She's faced many things the past two years, but standing up on that stage and speak? Nina needed Peter here. She needed to see his face in the crowd and smile at her, letting her know that she'll get through it. That she won't stumble over her words or forget a sentence.

     But he was late, and the ceremony was about to start, and when she glanced back to the line of 'P's sitting patiently, she could see the gaping space where he should sitting.

     Her phone lit up and she glanced down. Gwen was texting her all the way down by the 'S's: Where is Peter? She sent. There was a second before she added. Is he━you know━thwip-thwiping?

    Nina was sure he was. She kept a check on the Manhattan, Queens, Harlam, Upper East Side, Upper West━every piece of news she could grab on her phone to try and see what he was spending his time doing that made him late. There was a high-speed chase happening in the centre of Midtown Manhattan, and Nina wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly where her boyfriend was.

     She glanced over her shoulder again, catching the steel gaze under a heavy blonde fringe. Gwen raised her brows, expectantly and Nina shrugged, their silent conversation something only they could understand across an entire student body. Her friend subtly motioned her hand in front of her, gesturing as if she was Spider-Man jetting out a web to say: Is he? What's going on?

     Nina answered back with another shrug and a shake of her head, I don't know! He hasn't texted me yet.

     "What are you doing?" the boy beside her asked.

     Nina jumped, glancing at him briefly. "Uh ..." she shifted so she sat properly in her seat again. She fixed her blue graduation cap amongst blue robes. "Nothing ... what are you doing?"

      In the end, she sighed and searched for Peter's contact on her phone. The graduation was starting, and Nina was not graduating and giving her speech without her boyfriend present.

     Placing the phone to her ear, Nina discreetly glanced behind her, gazing at the skyscrapers in the distance, hoping to see an approaching flash of red. She heard it ring, and knew it was playing the theme song a local band had given Spider-Man on the streets. Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can ... it was catchy. She put it on his phone for him.

     It wasn't long before he answered. Nina narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the sound of something buzzing in the background. There was distant chatter, his voice sounded far away, "Hey! Hey, I'm━I'm sorry I'm running a bit late, babe, but I got stuck in some━uh━traffic..."

    Nina watched their principal step up onto the dais, still fiddling nervously with her speech in her other hand. She was introducing and celebrating the students, wishing them all a congratulations for getting through high school. "Peter," she whispered, glancing briefly at the boy sitting beside her. She shuffled a little off the side of her seat, "you're timing is terrible, okay? It's started already."