golden | peter parker

thirty four

The next day, Penny woke up with a bright smile on her face. Her and Peter didn't really interact after their dance, but every time she remembered his hands on her hips and how close they had been, her cheeks grew red and her heart fluttered.

It was the second day of finals, and she only had history. The grades for her Spanish and Algebra classes had come in. She had scored a 91 and a 96. She was excited for history, despite the fact that she was going to be writing a DBQ.

She got to school and took her seat next to Michelle, both on their phones until their teacher began the exam.

Of the two hour period given to them, Penny only used an hour and 18 minutes. She used the remaining time to daydream. She really shouldn't have been so distracted, but she couldn't help it. She was reliving last night, and how perfect everything seemed to have been.

Sara and William were leaving for their honeymoon in Australia at noon, so Penny would just barely miss them. She decided that she would spend her day in Central Park. She hadn't been in a while, and she would also visit the office. Mr. Jameson had given her time off to study for finals and to prepare for the wedding, something Penny wasn't even expecting to get.

She was snapped out of it by Michelle, who tugged on her hair. "The period is over, we can leave."

"Thanks MJ, good luck on your Bio final in like an hour," Penny replied, gathering up her backpack and phone.

Michelle groaned and walked out of the classroom, Penny following her until it was time for her to leave. 

She decided to walk to Central Park instead of taking the subway, this way she could also stop by Delmar's. She hadn't been in a while. Penny picked up her signature gummy worms, and pet Murph lovingly.

She was walking at a leisurely pace when she finally arrived at her favorite bench. Penny pulled out her camera and began to snap photos of the park. There were people meditating, playing soccer with their children, enjoying the nice weather, even flying kites.

Penny smiled softly to herself, this was the New York she loved. So many different people with different backgrounds, just coming out and having a peaceful time in Central Park. She put her camera away and she reveled in the warmth of the sun. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't see a man walk past her and scoop up her backpack.

She turned around, and saw that her backpack was gone. She looked around and saw that it slipped behind a crowd of people.

"Hey! Stop that man! He stole my backpack!" Penny shouted as she weaved through the overly large clump of humans.

She tried to push through them, but it was like they were multiplying. She couldn't see the man anywhere. She finally stumbled through but he was nowhere in sight. 

Penny raced up the path and saw that someone was running fast, a bright blue backpack bouncing up and down. 

She called out again sprinting as fast as she could, "Stop! Thief! Someone please! He stole my backpack!"

But it was no use, the man was too fast, and was clearly a skilled thief. He knew the park's terrain better than Penny, and was able to shake her off his trail.

Penny leaned up against a tree, out of breath. Everything was in her backpack. Everything was stolen. Her camera, her phone, her wallet, her notebook, and her-

Penny's breath hitched in her throat. She always kept a photo of her, her dad, baby Noah, and her happy healthy mom sitting on a carousel, in her backpack. It was so she could take her mom everywhere she went. And now it was gone.