secrets - peter parker

f i v e

"These spaghetti and meat balls are really good, May." I said before taking a small sip of my lemonade.

"Thank you, sweetie. I have a new and improved recipe." She smiled before explaining the cooking process to my mom, at which point I zoned out and averted my attention to the fine, intricate cracks on the surface of the wooden table.

It was Friday evening when May had called me and my mom over for dinner, almost as a welcome home party. It felt warming to return to such a familiar setting for a home cooked meal. It's not like I had anything better to do with my Friday night, and I very much enjoyed the company of the Parker's, but I would have preferred it if Peter hadn't been so unnecessarily awkward.

The shaggy haired boy sat directly opposite me on the small table and had barely spoken two words. Every few minutes or so, he would turn to look out the window, as if he was expecting something to come through it. There was certainly an unsteadiness to him that night to which I could not explain.

My caramel orbs trailed his gaze, I saw nothing but the city lights glimmering in the darkness that folded over the city. As pretty as it was, he had this view every night, so what was so interesting about it now?

Between his poignant looks to the window, his glance would meet mine for barely a millisecond, almost as if I was somehow involved in his paranoiac, on-edge behaviour. Yet considering I desired a contempt evening with no mind games, I decided to say something, seeing as my mom was very occupied with listening to how May would prepare the perfect apple pie.

"Everything alright there, Parker?" My eyes remained on the pasta I was swirling onto my fork, while my voice was low, yet audible.

"Huh, what?" He shot a glance at my direction, but this time his eyes remained on me.

"You seem anxious."

"I have to... uh, I have a paper due to for tomorrow. Haven't started it." The cracks in his voice revealed a suspicion that I was not ready to investigate. Yet I couldn't help but worry about the boy siting adjacent. From what I had known, he had always been this straight A student, homework done weeks in advance. I never knew him as a slacker.

That was the end of a very short conversation – but it was worth a try. A sharp sigh escaped my lips as I leant back in the chair, suddenly losing my appetite.

A few minutes went by when Aunt May's voice pulled us out of the silence. "Peter, you and Violet should go to a party or something sometime, have some fun!"

My mom and Aunt May gave us exciting looks, which were only returned with Peter's confused expression and my raised eyebrow in their direction.

"You both work so hard, always studying. You deserve a break." My mom added.

Me and Peter shared a worrying glance as we began to speak simultaneously. I don't know about him, but mass socialising at things like high school parties was not a preference of mine.

"I don't think- "

"That's not really our- "

"It's an order." Mom gleefully smiled. "We order you to go out and have fun." I groaned and inwardly cringed as a response to my mom's comment.

"What is this about?" I placed my fork down, watching Peter do the same as we kept our perplexed expressions.

"Well, you've just come back and it'll give you two time to catch up, in a more teen friendly environment than this." My mom's eyes bored into mine, as if pleading me to agree.

"We've caught up already." I don't know why I was being so grouchy, but I think it had something to do with how quiet and annoyingly distracted Peter had been the whole evening. I know we didn't have much to talk about, but I didn't necessarily want to be here as much as he did.