Walking the Wire | PETER PARKER [1]

| 23 |

The next two days, Eloise is a mess. She's as lonely as ever, but she doesn't have anyone around. Elena, Luis, and their family left yesterday to visit family in Maryland for Thanksgiving today, and Lucy is spending the holiday with her grandparents in New Jersey. Eloise would visit Alev and her mother, but Alev warned her about her mother's worsening condition and told Eloise it would be best if they didn't have visitors.

So, with Eloise's parents and friends out of town, she has nothing to do. She aimlessly walks around the apartment and tries to brighten her mood with some catchy pop music, but halfway through the first song she shuts it off. Eloise succumbs to the worry clawing at her chest, the anxiety sprouting from what is impending to come on this day and what could happen to her friends, and curls up on a recliner in the small living room for the remainder of the day.

That is, until there's a knock on the front door.

Her head pokes up from her blankets and she glares at the door, wanting to just wallow alone in her anxiety and stress.

When there's a second knock Eloise sighs and climbs out of the recliner, knees popping. Shs lumbers through the kitchen towards the door. She unlocks and opens it without looking through the peep hole.

Eloise almost gets knocked down at the sight of the bright smile that's waiting for her on the other side of the door. May, dressed in nice jeans and a sweater, beams at Eloise. Her casual elegance makes the teenage girl slightly embarrassed to have opened the door in her pajamas and uncombed hair.

"Hi Eloise!" May greets.

Eloise forces a smile. "Hi." She stands there awkwardly for a second, unsure why May is at the door.

May folds her hands in front of her. "You're aware that Peter's gone, I assume?"

Eloise nods.

"Well," She says, "I saw that your parents' cars are gone from their usual parking spots, so I was just wondering if you would like to, you know, come over and join me for a little Thanksgiving dinner." She ends with a small shrug.

A genuine smile takes over Eloise's tired, strained one as an unfamiliar warm feeling erupts in her chest. Her eyes soften as she looks at the kind woman in front of her. Although Eloise would rather be alone to wallow in her loneliness, May is all alone for Thanksgiving this year, too. It wouldn't be fair if she turned her down. Plus, it would be a marvelous distraction from Peter and Ned and whatever Russo has planned for this day.

So, spirits rising, Eloise beams at May and says, "That would be lovely."

🕸

"It was his dream," May says, swallowing a spoonful of instant mashed potatoes. She sets her elbows on the table and looks across the table at Eloise with a smile. "He drew a whole bunch of pictures of him right by Iron Man and Captain American's side as they battled bad-guys. He used to say that he was Iron Boy."

Eloise lets out a small laugh. She can see a younger Peter saying that, dressed up in an Iron Man Halloween costume with his crooked toothy grin on his face.

Eloise pushes the green beans around on her plate. "It's cool that he has that Stark internship," She comments before shoveling some green beans into her mouth.

May shrugs. "I'm not so sure about this Stark guy anymore." Eloise's brow pulls forward. May sees the young girl's confusion and explains, "He's got Peter working so hard lately. I'm barely ever seeing him anymore, and when I do see him, it's only for a few seconds and he's so stressed out." She pauses, biting the inside of her cheek. Then, quietly, she adds, "I'm worried about him."