The Tangled Web | Peter Parker

Chapter 3

The walk home from school went about exactly as I anticipated. Peter spent the first few minutes of our walk home scolding me for getting yet another detention this school year. He also questioned why I seemingly had a soft spot for Flash recently and made his opinion of him very clear. Peter held nothing back as he reminded me of how Flash had spent the past few years bullying him and beating him up any chance he got. He didn't understand why I continued to tutor him and help him with his English assignments; he said he was a lost cause.

Once he aired all of his Flash frustrations, he quickly switched the conversation to Gwen. He told me about how they ended up eating lunch together after he offered to look over her debate speech. I watched him with admiration as he talked about her. His face lit up at the mention of her name. He rambled on and on, stumbling over his words as he tried to express himself. Sometimes I wish he would talk about me the way he talks about her. I couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy as he spoke about her. I was really happy for him and I was excited for my friend, but it still hurts to hear.

I thought about what Flash had said earlier, about my feelings toward Peter being obvious. Peter wasn't cruel. If he knew how I felt about him, he wouldn't be talking to me about another girl. He was kind and considerate. That was one of the many things I lov- liked about him.

Once we finally reached our block, he asked me to come over to my house to work on our never-ending homework. I agreed but ended up falling asleep the minute we started on our assignments. I was exhausted from the day. I knew I had to get my work done, but it was so hard to stay awake. I always felt safe when Peter was near, and laying on my comfy bed while Peter sat opposite, humming quietly as he worked, was a perfect recipe for a well-needed nap.

When I woke up, it was dark outside. My window was cracked open, a slight cool breeze blowing my curtains. I watched as they danced in the light from the streetlamp on the street below. I let out a yawn, stretching as I propped myself up on my bed. I looked around the room. There was no sign of Peter. I sighed, flopping back on my pillow.

I reached over and grabbed my phone, squinting at the bright light as I unlocked it. There was a message from Peter: "Went home for dinner. Didn't want to wake you. May made spaghetti. Come over when you're up, I'll save a plate for you."

I rubbed my eyes, trying to remove the sleep from my eyes. I looked down at the pile of books that had fallen on the floor, contemplating if I should finish any of the work I had started before my nap. I decided it could wait for later when I was unable to fall back asleep.

I wrapped my blanket tightly around my shoulders and lifted the window so there was enough room for me to crawl out. Once I was on the roof, I carefully made my way over to Peter's window.

I paused before knocking on the glass, watching him for a few moments. He was hunched over his desk, searching frantically on his computer. He was biting his fingernail, clearly hyper-focused on whatever he was reading. He was wearing a pair of glasses I had never seen before. He leaned back in his chair, stretching, as he lifted his arms in the air.

I lightly rapped my fingers on the window, causing him to scream and fall backward onto the floor. He quickly scrambled to his feet and made his way toward the window, lifting it so I could come inside.

"You scared the shit out of me," he scolded, moving out of the way to make space for me to enter the room.

"I would have knocked sooner, but you looked pretty lost in whatever you were reading on there," I said, motioning toward his computer.

I scanned the page he had open, catching the name 'Curt Conners' on the screen before Peter ran over and closed the tab he had open. Pictures of Gwen decorated his background. He let out an embarrassed moan before quickly shutting off his monitor.