Arachnophobia ⇒ Peter Parker

fourteen: peter to the rescue

[chapter briefly mentions of domestic abuse.]

     I was sprawled across a bunk bed in the small room of an apartment. My eyes flickered open to view my surroundings. A large figure was hunched over the desk to my right. Memories of yesterday lay like mosquitoes hovering a pool. As for Isaac, he knew exactly what he was doing by fooling those men into thinking that I wasn't Amalia. He probably wanted a good show for Peter. The boy would see my truly terrified face and cut up neck and pity would strike him.

     Was it a true partnership if one was working for their family's safety while the other was working for self-profit? The thought of him made me want to scratch away at my own skin, thinking that it had been charted territory for him. Tears began to collect in my eyes and my stomach knotted as vivid memories of him grabbing me and whispering down my neck flooded my memory. A single sob escaped from my lips, causing the figure beside me to turn around.

     "Rose, you're awake," he rushed over to me and bend down, "do you feel alright?"

     In a scratchy voice, I whispered, "I'm fine."

     A lie. I stared into Peter's eyes and felt strongly compelled to reveal my betrayal. This boy was innocent enough to believe all that I had told him. He didn't know that the girl he was staring at was being forced to compromise with a mastermind to end him. I resented myself for being weak and following Isaac's orders.

     "Peter, I've done something--"

    My words were interrupted when a text message from my phone rang out. I picked it up, knowing that only one person contacted me from it.

     Isaac: My men just returned. Remember to do what I told you to do. Reveal anything and I will uphold my promise.

     I squirmed as I remembered his 'promise'. My family and friends were in danger. Peter gazed at me with a concerned expression. It was filled with compassion but lined with a seriousness that I had never seen on him before. His jaw clenched as he grabbed my hand and lifted it up.

     "I need you to stop lying to me Rose," He pointed at my hand that he had lifted up. Below it lay the rim of bruises that I had received the day before. He continued, "Why were you in that alleyway in the first place?"

     Though Isaac belittled my acting skills, I knew that I had enough to convince him. I thought for a moment and decided to speak.

     "It's my stepfather. By the time I returned home, he kicked me out in a drunken state." I paused for a moment, making sure to speak cautiously and with a choked voice, as though I didn't want to reveal the following information, "This isn't the first time."

     Peter's stern expression morphed into sadness. Knowing I didn't want his pity, he smiled falsely at me. He had brilliant honey brown eyes that glinted through the light of the sunset. He wore a loose t-shirt from Midtown High School that draped over him. He looked delicate, soft. Our connection was broken when a shrill voice yelled out.

     "Dinner!"

     We both mustered a smile. He grabbed me and helped me up. I felt in surprisingly good shape considering the circumstances. Apart from my neck, nothing had been touched. Aunt May was hopping around the kitchen, cleaning up her mess and adding final touches to the meal. Once she was done, she ushered us to the table. She had prepared a white fish with rice to accompany it.

     "Peter doesn't think my fish is any good," she addressed to me, "but this one is the one. I'm sure of it."

     I nodded kindly. We all picked up our forks and began to eat. The salmon was a luminous pink color with a dusty brown framing its edges. Flecks of herbs and lemon scattered it. The piles of rice that sat across the plate glowed under the light from above. Paths of steam rose from the food, spreading a warm aroma outwards. I placed a piece in my mouth.

     A putrid taste of acidic lemon and rotten fish was the first sensation that came to me. I suppressed the gagging reflex that slammed my throat. Peter had the same expression. His mouth looked as though a toad was inside, waiting to jump out.

     "I forgot the basil!" May said quickly and rushed back over to the kitchen. Peter and I both spit out our meals on to the platters in front of us. I roared with laughter as Peter attempted to scrap the remnants of the fish off his tongue. Aunt May returned as soon as she had left.

     She saw the expressions on our faces and confusion enveloped her. After scolding us and assuring us that the fish tasted perfectly fine, she took a large piece of hers and pushed it into her mouth. Her expression changed to one of disgust and she repeated what we had done. The three of us burst into fits of laughter.

     "Let me go order take out."

     Peter and I drifted back to his room as we waited for a proper meal. He fiddled with the collar of his shirt and tapped his foot.

    He glanced up at me and awkwardly said, "You might want to change into your pajamas."

     I nodded and he left the room. I rummaged through my back to find my night clothes. A smile crept on to my face when I found my shorts, but my shirt was nowhere to be found. I must have been so shaken the night before that I had forgotten to pack it.

    "Peter," I hesitantly said, "could I please borrow one of your shirts?"

     He flung the door open. He warmly offered me an oversized t-shirt. The front read 'I survived my trip to NYC'. I grinned at this and thanked him. Once he left, I followed through with the plan Isaac wanted me to do. I placed small cameras on the four corners of his room. I stared sadly as I placed the last one beneath his desk lamp, disappointed with what I had to do. After exiting the room, I saw Peter and May comfortably lounging on their couch. Peter got up and walked past me to his own room. In the middle of the coffee table lay a box of pizza.

     "Please get some," May said, affectionately patting next to her, "Peter told me about what happened."

     Dread filled my expression as I realize where she was going. In an attempt to avert her attention I said, "I have a hard time talking about it."

     An expression of guilt replaced her worried one. Realizing that I had made her uncomfortable, I decided to open up more.

     "I can't leave my mother. She means the world to me. If I wasn't there to protect her, I don't know what would happen."

     My voice cracked at the end. All I had previously said about my mother was true. I wished I could engulf myself in her sweet scent and be left with marks from her lipstick filled kisses. I missed the sweet nothings and tender actions. And my little sister. She was such a wonderful girl. To think that I was here living my life while hers had to be put on hold.

     May reached forward and grasped me, hugging me as tightly as possible. I refused to let tears fall from my eyes. They were bloodshot and unable to produce any more. The warmth of her action left me with a gaping smile on my face. The moment lasted until the sound of a door opened and Peter stepped out of his room.

     "Did I miss something?" He asked as he jumped on to the couch. After shaking my head, I reached forward and grabbed a warm slice of pizza.

     The rest of the night, we spoke of many things. The hours faded away and the pizza in front of us that was once piping hot now sat dormant in its place. The moon crept further into the dark night, leaving nothing but the desolate sky in our hands. We knew that the brilliant shine of the moon may fade into the sparkling sheet of velvet that surrounded us, but the warmth that had we facilitated never would. These were the moments that caused the shackles that bound me down to this dark world to loosen, and I almost felt free.

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Love that last paragraph with a deep passion. Did you all? Thank you so much for 342 reads! Let me know by commenting or liking below. Until our next meeting!

Next chapter: October 7, 2017