Peace

v. The Party

              A few juice boxes later, Felicia was pouring herself her first drink.

              "For confidence," as she'd usually say. Not that she needed any more of that.

              Guests kept arriving and Felicia started getting nervous again. She wished she'd just left Parker alone instead of moving mountains for him to come.

              She could not even believe herself — putting that much effort, for a man? Unheard of. Boys were always at her feet begging for a chance, and she'd usually give it to them out of boredom only to not talk to them ever again. She was not a relationship kinda gal, but there was something about Parker that had her turned into a complete mess. 

              And just as she wondered if he would even show while pouring herself a second cup of spiked punch, Peter Parker walked into the party followed by Harry and a girl. 

              Felicia's stomach fell to the floor when she saw this girl. She was very pretty and looked much nicer than her. Hoping it was Harry's date, she downed her cup and left it on the counter to go greet the new guests.

              "Hey, guys, I'm so glad you could make it!" she said enthusiastically, her hands shaking behind her back. She was not sure if they were on hugging terms so she tried to save them all some trouble.

              "Hi, Felicia, thanks for having us," replied Peter, a small smile on his lips. He held her gaze for a moment before looking around nervously.

              The girl spoke up next, "Hi, I'm Amy — Peter's sister, I don't think we've met,"

              Felicia couldn't help but sigh in relief and smile, "No, I don't think so, either. Felicia, nice to meet you," 

              Amy smiled back, but as soon as she did, a tall blonde girl came rushing towards her, squealing as she pulled her into a tight embrace. "What are you doing here? Oh my god, you need to come with me, Anna's playing beer pong!"

              Before Amy could reply, her blonde friend was dragging her away excitedly. The brunette waved at the group and called, "I'll see you around!"

              Then an awkward silence settled between the rest. Peter cleared his throat, "Do you mind if I use the bathroom for a moment?"

              "Not at all — upstairs, first door to your right," indicated Felicia. This was not her party. Or her house, for that matter, but she knew it like the back of her hand.

              Peter smiled stiffly before disappearing into the crowd of partygoers, leaving her and Harry by themselves.

              Felicia looked at her feet and then turned to Harry. "You want a drink?"

              "Please," he replied.

              Felicia lead him to the kitchen where a couple was making out. She ignored them completely and opened one of the coolers.

              "We have some punch, uh...beers — canned, bottled, and wine in case you're feeling fancy."

              "Some variety we have here," Harry said sarcastically, picking up a box of red wine.

              "Hey, I know it's no Chardonnay but after a couple you can't really tell the difference,"

              Harry raised an eyebrow, "I think I'll pass."