The Weight of Us ｡ Peter Parker [3]

6 - Never Seen the Rain

Sunshine was gone from the city; clouds thick and angry and brooding. Weirdly enough, it did not match my mood because today was a good day. Life was a rollercoaster, and today, my heart was climbing higher and higher on the rickety tracks, ready for the double loop that came eventually. 

I had bad days; the stomach dropping downfalls that left your throat dry from screaming and your knuckles white from holding on for dear life. I had good days; the loops and dips that left your hair flying in your eyes and a smile pressed to your lips from the crazy adrenaline. My life was a rollercoaster; ups and downs and never ending. 

That was what Dr. Potters like to remind me anyway. 

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Doreen Green hovered in the isle of the yellow school bus half my science class currently waited in. Up front Mr. Harrington was double checking names on his clipboard and Michelle Jones was rolling her pretty eyes at something Clayton Cole was saying as they looked for free seats. 

My eyes darted away from the window. "Um..." Peter Parker was my seat buddy and there was an unspoken pact between us; we always saved each other a seat. It didn't matter if it was a seat on a bus to Oscorp for a field trip, or a seat in a busy cafe. We always had each other. 

Doreen Green shifted on her feet uncomfortably, her eyes growing wider with the very idea of rejection. In all honestly, Doreen Green was a background character in my life. We had shared many classes since freshmen year but we had never really interacted. I had my own friends from childhood and we were inseparable. To an outsider, it may have looked like we were not welcoming to new faces in our tight bubble. However, only one girl was left of that trio of girls and that was me. 

"It's okay," Doreen blurted out. "I'm sure you're saving it for somebody."

I watched as Doreen clutched her books tighter to her chest and the very act of movement had my heart twisting with pity. With my many months of therapy, I was getting pretty good at picking up things that many overlooked. A story shared by a lonely sophomore in the bathrooms to her friends as she sought comfort about her parents' divorce but her friends only heard she was wasting her nights watching reruns of Spanish dramas. That was a cry for help that was not heard. The slight movement of bringing your books closer to your heart, like a shield from the world. That was a reflective action of your body trying to protect yourself from others. Doreen Green may have been doing that her entire life, for she was an outcast because she did not fit the world's idea of pretty and thin and popular and ideal. 

"No, no...I mean yeah, I was saving it for somebody," My words were blurted out in the same fashion as the mousey brunette standing before me. "But it's all yours, Doreen."

Doreen's cheeks flushed a shade of pink, delicate like a mandevilla flower. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it," I said, shuffling closer to the window. Doreen dropped into the seat with a sigh, shoving her books deep into her bag and yanking free a bag of almond nuts. She offered me some and I shook my head. My eyes caught the doodle of a squirrel on the fair skin of her wrist. "Get bored in class, huh?"

Through a mouthful of nuts, Doreen explained. "Not really, my French class is really interesting. I just have a thing for these little guys. My mother once caught a squirrel in our backyard when I was really little and he was hurt. We nursed him back to health but he never left our neighbourhood. He lived in our oak tree. He was kind of my best friend when I was seven."

"That sounds sweet," I replied. "I had an imaginary friend when I was four. She was fairy from Neverland and her name was Cotton Candy. Colton used to tease me about it for ages."

Doreen smiled, her cheeks a little chubby and her freckles winking at me. "I called my squirrel Acorn, which wasn't very creative, but he it was super cute. Funny how we did really silly things when were were children." she mused, eyes melting a little bit with good memories. "My parents wouldn't dare let me keep a squirrel as a pet now. They're really strict, which is a new thing after you know, The Blip. They feel like entirely different people now."