"Peter, are those... red tights?"
"Nope."
"Those definitely looked like red tights."
"I... do ballet?"
---
•The sole thing illuminating her path were the wispy rays of moonlight as she tripped over a trashcan and...
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THE HALLWAYS WERE QUIET around this time of day, the only sound being the slapping of Eloquin's sneakers against the squeaky timber floors. She stumbled around the corridors, opening doors to classrooms she wasn't supposed to be in and even popping her head into the boys change rooms, but Peter was still nowhere to be found.
Running a hand through her knotted hair in frustration, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and dialled Peter's number.
After what seemed like years, she was greeted by a wonderfully automated lady telling her to leave a message after the tone.
"Hey, Peter.... I'm sorry about what happened, I hope you understand that Patrice meant well, she just has a weird way of expressi-"
Her voicemail was cut off my a single beep, her attention now shifting to the notification flashing brightly on her phone screen that she had just gotten from the Daily Bugle.
SPIDER-MAN INTERFERES WITH THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT ONCE AGAIN, IS HE A THREAT TO THE CITY?
With a troubled sigh, she locked her phone and made her way to the cafeteria to go sulk by herself, before a familiar kind face stepped in her way to cheer her up.
"Eloquin! Hi, what are you doing here?" Mary Jane asked, her long red locks swept up into a messy bun sitting just below the nape of her neck.
"I was just looking for- you know what, never mind," Eloquin said, tucking some loose hairs behind her ears and smiling at the girl.
"I hope you're okay," Mary Jane smiled, placing a warm hand on her shoulder and nodding at her. When her head tilted to the side, her unbound pieces of hair fell onto her freckled face, a tender look in her eyes as she tried to search the depths of your mind to find what the true problem is. After a few moments of gazing, the silence between them growing stale, she backed away.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it," She spoke, waving goodbye before disappearing into the corridors of the vast school of Midtown Science.
Period after period past, the minutes ticking by like hours as Eloquin sat at her desk in the Chemistry lab, chewing on her pen while awaiting the arrival of the boy who had simply up and ran away. Dr Ivenbore kept droning on and on about Neutrons, while half of the class were either on their phones or chatting quietly to each other.
"Look! It's Spider-Man, he's in Times Square right now, fighting off a thug. Isn't he so cool?" A student from a few tables away whispered. Eloquin tried to ignore the chattering, rather focusing on her homework and the task at hand, although the only thoughts running through her head were of Peter, and how her friends had embarrassed him. Overwhelmed with guilt, she decided to go speak to him that afternoon, after school.
"Miss Elise, are you with us?" Dr Ivenbore called, his cloudy blue eyes glaring down at her from under his glasses as he raised his bushy eyebrows at her. She frowned, placing her pen down and smoothing out her skirt. "My name is Eloquin, not Elise, thank you very much." She deadpanned, a scowl running across her teacher's face before he quickly composed himself and resumed his boring explanation.
