URANUS ▪ PETER PARKER

1 - Clown In Tights

"LOOK AT SPIDEY GO!" Patrice squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement as the blur of red and blue spun his way across the streets of Queens, New York. A thick layer of grey clouds loomed over the city, the only splashes of colour being the dull yellow of cabs and the vibrant suit of one of New York's finest heroes. Eloquin sighed dramatically at her best friend of three years, stashing her phone away quickly as the vigilante had run off to save the day once again. "I love how mysterious he is!" Patrice sighed, slapping her hands onto her cheeks as she marvelled at the hero. Something about the mystery surrounding the masked man failed to capture Eloquin's interest, the fact that she couldn't stick a face behind the mask frustrated her to the point where she wanted to pull her hair out. 

"He isn't even all that," Eloquin began, much to the chagrin of her raven haired friend. Patrice scowled at her, huffing before rolling her dark brown eyes. "Just you see, Ellie, he'll save your ass one day and you'll be left speechless." Patrice had a knack for being obsessed with things, or rather, people. Her obsessions would change as fast as the weather, her interests going from north to south at the speed of light. Eloquin shielded herself from most things, keeping focused on the more important things in life, like volunteering, and perfect grades. 

"Where do you think his dick goes in that tight-ass suit?" Patrice queried, sipping obnoxiously on her straw as she swirled her Starbucks drink around. "Patrice!" Eloquin reprimanded, slapping her friend playfully on the shoulder. "Watch your mouth!" The two girls kept giggling at the lonely bus stand, waiting for a bus that was infamous for never being on time. 

"We're soooo late for school," Patrice frowned, flicking a few stray hairs that had plastered themselves onto her face as she glanced at her jet black watch. She gave Eloquin a mischevious look, nudging her slightly with her elbow. "Fine, but only this time," Eloquin complied, lifting her sunshine yellow back and tying the laces on her crimson converse. "Excercise is good!" Patrice squealed, running off into the distance as her friend followed closely behind. 

- - -

Eloquin winced as the sharp ringing of the school bell assaulted her eardrums, the twenty minute run to school already setting her in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Out of all of the many things Eloquin Ernst did best, physical activity was not one of them. Sliding into a seat at the front of the science lab, she pulled out her elaborate array of textbooks, notepads, and pens of almost every colour out in front of her, setting up her usual desk space. 

The school year had just started, and Eloquin was more than prepared, as usual. Many moments passed and the laboratory began filling up at a decent rate, students piling into the room and plopping into seats listlessly. The seat beside her remained empty, as usual, since nobody truly enjoyed her company. She let out a troubled sigh as she slumped further into her chair, more upset than embarrassed that she was alone once again. 

"Good morning, class," Doctor Ivenbore, their chemistry teacher muttered, slamming the few books he was holding in his arms down on the bench at the front of the room. He was a middle-aged divorced man with a balding head and no respect for anyone, except for the twenty-something-year-old teacher in the English faculty that he was crushing on. Ivenbore was almost always stuck in a bad mood, his rectangular glasses crooked and sweaters stained with coffee and wine. 

"Look closely at the imbecile sitting next to you, because they will be your partner for the next semester." He said idly before taking a long drag of his coffee mug (which was most likely filled with Vodka) and scribbling a page number on the chalkboard. Eloquin turned to the seat beside her, her frown deepening when she found empty as usual. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, a boy clambering through it with loose papers slipping out of his hands. He had dishevelled hair and thick rimmed glasses taking up most of his face, and his earphones poking up through his t-shirt collar. "You're late, Mister Parker. Go take a seat quickly, before I give you detention for interrupting class." 

A look of panic washed over the boy's face as he searched for a spot to sit it. After a long moment of struggle, his eyes landed on the seat beside Eloquin's, his eyes just as wide as her's were. Her heartbeat increased by tenfold, a sudden panic bubbling away in her chest. She was almost glad that no one had sat next to her, the thought of spending a whole semester studying on her own was like a dream come true, only to be ruined by some boy who clambered into the classroom. 

He lingered for a moment, contemplating whether or not to sit, even though he clearly had no choice. After a few beats, he reluctantly gathered his things and plopped down into the seat beside her's, awkwardly shuffling in the chair. 

Eloquin shifted her books to the side, making space for the boy to place his things. Her beautiful set up of neon highlighters and every volume of their textbook was disrupted, her belongings being confined into a corner. 

The rest of the students got to work almost immediately, chattering away as they discussed their weekend and how eventful it was. The silence between Eloquin and the boy was almost eerie, his foot continuously tapping against the leg of her chair. She tried to brush it off, raking her free hand through her dark brown locks, trying to distract herself from his constant fidgeting. 

"Umm, sorry, am I troubling you?" 

Eloquin's head snapped to the side, surprised that the boy actually opened his mouth to speak. She had never heard his voice before or even seen him for that matter. He must've been hidden away somewhere at the back of the class, in a corner of the room where nobody looked. 

"Sorry I just, I could tell you were kind of... uncomfortable?" 

She shook her head vigorously, biting her lip to prevent any profanities from tumbling out. Eloquin barely ever talked to other teenagers or any other humans in general, so she had no idea how to behave in front of them. 

"Nope, not at all..." She mumbled, closely eyeing him for any facial expressions or movement that could indicate what type of person he was. But surprisingly, he didn't seem to move a muscle. He sat frozen with questioning eyes, waiting for her to speak again. "I-I'm Eloquin. Or Eloquin Ernst, or Elle, or Eloque, or Ellie, or Ellnut, or-"

A small giggled escaped his lips as he dropped his gaze, his hazel eyes crinkling at the edges. Eloquin's face dropped, her mouth popping open as she watched him giggle. "Excuse me?" She said, slightly offended. "Oh, oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything I just found that kind of funny..." He mumbled, words spilling out of his lips as a bright red blush began erupting across his skin. Eloque continued to stare down at him, confused at peculiar mannerisms.

"I meant Ellnut, I was laughing at the Ellnut." He continued to explain. "I'm Peter, Peter Parker."

It was as though a light bulb lit itself in her head, a connection forming right then and there. "You're Peter Parker?" 

He nodded his head, smiling slightly. Eloquin knew him as the kid-genius, the boy who always came first in everything, the golden child. She almost felt a pang of jealousy with Peter Parker achieving all the things that she never could. Brushing it aside, she stuck her hand out, a bright yellow nail polish adorning her nails. 

"Nice to meet you, Partner."