The Butterfly Effect: a Peter Parker Fan Fic

Part 24; Silver & Diamonds

Tears come from the heart and not from the brain ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

The rest of the ride back is... bearable to say the least. My legs are numb and I almost topple over when standing up. If the chairs weren't there, that would be a hell of an awkward situation. I get off of the bus before Ned, Peter or MJ can catch up and find my single bag squished up amongst the others. I turn around to see Nate standing amongst the crowd, peering over everybody's shoulders and heads, looking for someone.

"Nate!" I call out and he notices me, an instant grin appearing on his face.

He walks over, "hey! How was Washington?"

How was Washington? How was Washington? Well you know, I kissed the guy I like and then he went and kissed my friend.

"Fine," I speak through clenched teeth to avoid telling him the truth, "hey, so what are you doing here? It's Sunday. There isn't like football practice on the weekend that I didn't know about or something, is there?"

He laughs a deep and attractive laugh, "no, you seem to be pretty filled in with the practice days. I'm actually... here for you."

He's... Nate Porter... is here for me?

"What do you mean, you're here for me?" I ask in disbelief.

"I mean what it implies," he shrugs.

I raise an eyebrow, "I just spent a weekend away and I'm pretty sure I lost a bunch of brain cells. So tell me, what do you mean?"

He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels nervously, "I'm telling you, can I please take you out?"

Nate wants to date me. That's nice... I guess.

My brows furrow, "now?"

He chuckles heartily, "you're really not good at this kind of thing."

"Well, I haven't had much experience," I tell him.

His eyes practically pop out of their sockets, "what are you implying?"

"I've never... really... had a, um, boyfriend."

"What?!"

My head tilts, "what is so surprising about that?"

"You're... well, you're..." his voice trails off.

"No, Porter. Tell me. Why is that so surprising?"

Nate turns away and shields his face from mine with his hand. He mutters, "you're gorgeous."

Dating him would be nice... if I had any feelings towards him which I don't. But the guy who I do like is just recently taken by my friend so it's a little too late to pursue him. But is it wrong for me to lead Nate on like this when I know that I don't have an attraction towards him? Maybe I could develop some if I get to know him more. Maybe anything I feel for Peter will disappear.

But is that possible? Is it possible to snap your fingers and switch any emotions or feelings you have off? I sure hope so, but there is only one way to find out.

"Well if that's so, sure. You can... take me out," I hesitate for a moment.

He doesn't seem to notice, "Friday night?"

I force a smile, "it's a date. You know where I live and just text me before you pick me up."

He nods his head to his car, "I'll drop you off now."

"Oh, you don't need to. I'll just take the subway and--" I begin to protest.

His arm snakes its way over my shoulder and he leads me towards the car park, "--nope. You can keep trying to stop me, but I won't."