Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

32 - All Hallow's Eve

"What's in that little journal of yours, Flo? You carry that thing everywhere."

The question almost made my lungs dry up and with a little bit of grace, I managed not to spit out my cherry coke. Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson were both staring wide eyed across at me like it was the most important question in the world. We were in our usual booth at Buttercrust Pizzeria, enjoying the company of just ourselves for the afternoon. "Journal?" I choked out lamely.

Mary Jane nodded. "You know the one. It's in your bag right now."

Sure enough, my journal was indeed stashed safely in the bag next to me. My eyes made a quick drop to make sure it was still there before glancing back at my friends, who were still waiting for an answer. I tried thinking on my feet but my mind came up blank. It wasn't like I could blurt out that the journal was full of snippets of weird visions that flashed into my head sometimes. It wasn't like I could tell them these cloudy and misleading clips of a future scared me senseless and sometimes kept me wide awake at night. I couldn't tell them because I didn't want to burden them, not with my crazy powers that they just wouldn't understand like Peter Parker could. "You know, it's just...scribbles. I'm testing my creative writing out."

Gwen snorted. "Since when are you into creative writing?"

"Since always."

Mary Jane sent a sweet smile over towards me while tearing apart her vegetarian pizza. Today was her first afternoon off from musical rehearsals and it was actually really refreshing seeing her pretty face at our table after school. "I think it's really nice. Maybe one day you'll write a stunning play for Broadway and I can be the leading lady."

There she was, my pretty creative redhead friend that adored the smaller things in life and always, not matter what supported me, even when I was bluntly lying through my teeth. "Thanks, Mary Jane." I felt terrible about lying but managed a brief smile for her. "Side balling that conversation, what are you both doing tonight for Halloween?"

Gwen shrugged while sipping on her soda, her eyes trailing the bus boy who indeed was heading our way, a shine in his eyes and a smirk pressed to his lips. "Nothing much. Osborn flaked on throwing a party this year. Which means I'm stuck at home on trick-or-treating duty with my mother. She's gotten us matching costumes too. I have to pretend to be a happy little clown fish. Worst costume ever." There was a little guilt in her voice and I knew she was trying to walk on glass around me, knowing all too well what this night meant to me.

"I've got an English paper to finish off," Mary Jane offered quietly. "What about you?"

Amidst the clouded thoughts about Colton and how on this very night, he had been taken away cruelly from me, from my parents, things were a little doom and gloom. All week my mind had kept replaying that night in my head and it had grown harder to plant a smile on my lips at school. What made matters even worse, my gaze would somehow fall upon Peter Parker in the cafeteria and find him watching me and I knew in my bones he wanted to check up on me, but just didn't know how with our recent slightly complicated relationship. "Um, I'm staying in with my parents. We're renting movies and ordering Chinese."

My friends shared similar looks, "They're taking time off from the labs?"

It was shocking for me too. "Yeah, actually. I think it will be...nice, you know? Just us spending some time together despite everything. Colton would find our family night slightly cheesy, but it beats sitting at home alone and wallowing."

Both of them knew the struggle that usually fell upon my shoulders around Halloween, how that howling pain of self loathing and blaming myself for an accident weighed me down. Even though the night was tainted with past pain, this year I wouldn't be alone. "That sounds really great." Mary Jane said.