Cool Kids [p. parker] || SLOW UPDATES

EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
( CRISIS TIME )

TO PUT IT SIMPLY, Peter Parker was having a crisis. It wasn't a mid-life crisis or one about his secret identity, but more about the fact that platonic feelings about a certain friend of his were changing into romantic feelings. It was a crisis because he wasn't used to liking his friends in that way – other than Harry Osborn, but that doesn't count because everyone has had a crush on Harry at some point. He was used to liking people who he wasn't friends with; like Mary Jane Watson, or Liz Allen, or his brother's friend, Ezekiel. The worst part of it all was that he was realizing this during lunch time when he caught himself staring at him instead of Liz. And he had realized his crush on Liz was dying down, but it hadn't hit him until then that it was because of Nicholas fucking Berry.

Ned looked at Peter wide-eyed. The boy had his head in his arms, not wanting to look up in case he caught sight of Nick looking back at him, which has happened once in a while. "It's just a crush, man, it'll go away soon," Ned tried to reassure Peter. "Although, I kinda hope it doesn't and that he likes you, too. I mean, you'd be a cute couple. Imagine you two fangirling over Star Wars together!"

"He likes Star Trek better." The fact that he knew that made Peter pout even more; even more so about the fact that he remembers exactly where Nick had informed him of that information. It was over a phone call last week while Peter had been out being Spider-Man, and somehow Peter had brought about how he was going to have a Star Wars marathon Ned, which led to Nick saying he loved the movies as well but loved Stark Trek more after some time.

"So? You like those movies too – but I really do think its just because you find Chris Pine hot-."

Peter sat up and gave his best friend a look, one that shut him up. It wasn't that Peter didn't want people to hear that he liked guys, it was just that if the topic went in the direction Ned was accidentally pointing it to, then they'd never get on track again. Peter just wanted to mope about his new crush. A crush he hoped wouldn't last too long.

"Ned, this is serious. What- what if I end up telling him, or he finds out and doesn't like me back? We're friends now, that could ruin everything, you know?" Peter said.

"Dude. Olivia liked him, he turned her down, and they're now friends," Ned reminded Peter.

"If you think Sweetheart Nick is rude enough to stop being friends with you for feelings, your a dumbass," a voice spoke up farther down the table.

It surprised the boys because Gwen and Olivia were having girl time somewhere and Harry was with some of his classmates so neither of them was expecting anyone to speak up. Their surprise went away, however, when they realized it had been Michelle Jones. She was a quiet girl who kept to herself and read whatever book she had with her and drew occasionally. She was nice from what Peter and Ned had seen so far, and they actually quite liked the girl sitting near them.