golden | peter parker

one

Penny Collins woke up to Replay by Iyaz blaring through her phone speakers. She regretted her life choices as she desperately tried to turn off the patronizing alarm, reminding her that it was time for another grueling day of school at Midtown High.

While she had first loved the song, giving her a sense of nostalgia every time she heard it, now it only filled her with dread. Penny grabbed her phone again checking the time; 6:46. She sighed and opened up Twitter to see what news she had missed in the five hours she had been asleep for.

She was not phased in the slightest when she saw that the hero Spiderman had saved a woman from getting mugged. Penny felt indifferent about the man in the mask, it was true that he was doing heroic acts and saving people from danger, but wasn't that supposed to be the police's job? Why did he need to wear a mask if he was a good guy?

She clicked her phone off after ten minutes of mindless scrolling. Once she had completed this crucial step in her morning routine, she trudged out of bed immediately changing from her pajamas into some jeans and a striped shirt. She brushed her hair and decided to keep her brown mess down, like every other day. 

Penny slipped on some socks and her navy blue converse and walked to the bathroom where she could finish the rest of her morning routine. After almost falling asleep at the sink, a loud knock broke her from her trance.

"Jesus Christ, Pen! How long are you gonna take?!" Noah, Penny's younger brother, demanded in annoyance. Penny rolled her eyes, opened the door, and shoved past him. She made her way to the kitchen and made herself some cereal. She sat down at the table and began to eat.

"Morning Pen! How'd ya sleep?" Sara, her dad's girlfriend, asked her chirpily from the island in their kitchen. Instead of replying, Penny simply grunted.

"That bad, huh?" Sara giggled. Penny smiled as she shoveled another spoonful of Trix down her throat.

"Slow down, Penny. You're gonna choke, and how will I explain that to the mortician? Death by cereal?" Penny's dad joked as he straightened his tie. She simply glanced at him before going back to eating.

"Here's your hot chocolate, I know you can't survive without it," Sara winked as she set it down next to Penny. Penny looked at her gratefully before taking a sip. Instantly she felt more invigorated.

Most people depended on coffee, but Penny put so much sugar and creamer in it that it might as well have just been a different drink altogether. That's why she loved hot chocolate, it tasted like heaven but had the sugar she needed to jump start her day.

"Anything good happening at work, dad?" Penny finally spoke for the first time. William glanced at his daughter, surprised she had uttered a word before 7:10. He checked his watch and saw that it was in fact 7:02. He showed Sara and she chuckled at his playfulness.

"The usual. The law firm is busy, too many people try to sue each other. When will they learn that just because you can sue someone doesn't mean you should,"  William said exasperated. Penny and Sara laughed and shook their heads.

Noah emerged and started to make himself some waffles. He slathered them with an unholy amount of butter and syrup and added chocolate chips for good measure. Penny shared a look of disgust with Sara and her father.

"Have fun getting diabetes and dying before you even finish the 5th grade," She commented while putting her bowl and spoon in the sink. 

"You're just jealous of my taste buds, while you're stuck with those bland lumps in your mouth that thinks peppers are good. Disgusting," Noah retorted while scrunching up his nose in distaste.

Penny rolled her eyes at her brother, while packing her backpack for the school day. She checked her phone and saw that her best friend Michelle had texted her.

hey im at the school already. you wanna come early so we can chill together??

Penny typed out a quick sure and started to pack up faster.

"I'm leaving early today guys. Bye, love you!" She said while hugging her dad, hugging Sara, and then smacking Noah on the back of his head.

"Bye!"

"Love you too!"

"Hey!"

Penny hurried out of her apartment and raced down the 8 flights of stairs, since the elevator was being repaired. She made it out onto the street slightly out of breath as she started the walk to the subway station. She swiped her MetroCard and hurried onto the F-Train as it had just pulled up.

She found a seat and put in her earphones. She sighed in content as she felt the familiar sway of the subway car as she listened to Perfect Situation by Weezer. Before she knew it, she was getting off at her stop and was practically hopping up the steps of the tunnel. She walked the final two blocks, people watching the entire time.

She smiled slightly as she saw businessmen and women scurrying about, hustling to get to their respective jobs on time. Penny was known for being observant so she couldn't help but notice when suddenly there was a presence that was behind her.

She turned her head but saw nothing. She slowly turned back around but not before a man ran into her causing her to fall down. No one stopped to look, let alone help her up. Penny grumbled as she collected her phone but was surprised when she couldn't find her backpack.

"What-" She was cut off by someone tapping her on the shoulder. Penny turned around and smiled at the boy in front of her.

"I, uh, I think you dropped this," Peter Parker said looking at his feet the entire time.

"Thanks Peter," He snapped his head up at the mention of his name. "But you didn't have to help me," Penny said frowning a little.

"Sorry, I just thought that you might want help and I didn't want your backpack to get accidentally stolen. You know how New York is," Peter apologized, a slight blush dusting his cheeks in embarrassment.

Penny laughed because it was true, New York was notorious for crime. They stood in silence for a few seconds, it quickly becoming awkward as they didn't know each other all that well. Penny hated awkward situations so she asked, "You wanna walk to school together? I'm meeting Michelle there."

Peter looked surprised at her question but was quick to shake his head.

"Uh. Sorry, I'm supposed to meet Ned here, and he usually comes late."

"Alright then, see you in Bio Peter," Penny said turning away, happy to be rid of the uncomfortable vibe that was lingering in the air.

"Later, Penelope!" Peter called out, but it was too late as she was already halfway down the block.