Take My Hand | Peter Parker

Chapter 21

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I forgot. I failed to remember that my kind of sort of almost to be crush was coming over to my house, to study. I'm not freaking out. Why was it any different than last time?

"Of course I talked to him about tonight! We're going to be studying."

She crossed her arms in disbelief. "Sure."

I sighed deeply, hoping to relieve some of the tension arising in my body. This was not okay, and the fact that I wasn't panicking just yesterday has proved something.

I like Peter, not Spider-Man. They even act completely different from each other.

Spider-Man is sort of cocky and confident. He knows what he's doing, and it seems like fighting crime is a side job. What does he even do in real life? Does he have a job? Is he a student?

Nora's statement about Spider-Man possibly being a student here, at Midtown, made me trail off into nothingness. What if I had passed him in the halls a few times? Or if I knew him... personally? The chances were close to impossible, but how would I know?

"What are you going to be studying anyways? Science? Math?"

I nodded, trying to dismiss those thoughts. "Yeah. Just for the upcoming tests."

As we finally made it to the cafeteria, I noticed the colour of the tables were different. The hue was usually lighter, but it appeared dull and darker.

"Hey... guys? Did they paint the tables or something recently?"

Ned looked up at me, confused. "No...?"

I sat down, taking another good look at the table. "What colour is it?"

"Usually gray, but I guess it isn't now," Ned joked. "It's just... light gray, I guess?"

They looked at each other in utter confusion.

No. The table was Charcoal gray, and he said it was Light gray. How did I even know that?

I glanced around our table, observing that the lunch trays used to be a faded Spanish Red, but they now appeared Chili Red, slightly lighter than the previous. I didn't know any names of colours. None of them. No shade had ever crossed my mind, and this sudden knowledge made me panic.

These were my powers controlling my own thoughts. 

My shoes used to be a Polynesian Blue. They're actually Egyptian Blue. Nora's hair colour was called Kobicha before I knew it was Russet. Her eyes were pleading with me to explain myself as I noticed they were a deep Sepia brown. 

I remained quiet as I tore my eyes away from her gaze. 

This was not normal, in any way. I had never heard of these colours until now. I stood up, took one good look at my Gainsboro coloured ring, and briskly walked out. 

My brain was being flooded with colours. A ridiculous amount of shades poured in and out like water, and it felt overwhelming. 

The empty halls gave me a moment to think. There were no students around for me to avoid looking at with their multicoloured backpacks and shirts, which would be enough to give me a panic attack. I shut my eyes, blocking out every image that came to mind. One colour repeated itself - eigengrau. Eigengrau. 

I couldn't mentally stop saying it, until I realized I was repeating the colour out loud.

"Eigengrau. Eigengrau. Eigengrau-"

A hand gently clasped my shoulder. The sensation brought goosebumps to my entire body. It felt oddly satisfying yet foreign. I relaxed to a point where the word was no longer present, and I was no longer muttering it.

"Hey. Are you alright, Ashley?" A manly voice asked me, soothing me further.

My brain didn't process anything as I turned to meet Peter's gaze.

"Peter! W-What - are you talking about?" I got lost searching his eyes. The colour wouldn't come to me, and I was relieved. 

He removed his hand. "You looked like you were about to pass out when Ned told you the lunch table was light gray. Is there - something going on? With you?"

My eyes widened in realization of what had just happened.

"Yes, I'm okay. I just - was really surprised to find out that the tables weren't my favourite shade of gray! That's all."

He narrowed his eyes, not believing what I had just told him.

"Really. You don't have to worry about me." I fake smiled, hoping he would buy it.

I proceeded to walk past him, hoping he would follow. We returned to the table with only a few minutes left to spare. MJ took off with Peter and Ned, leaving me and Nora together.

She appeared more tense than me, and I didn't understand why. 

"Nora, you look like you're about to pass out." 

She swayed slightly, taking a minute longer to respond. 

"I'm fine, Ash. Can you explain to me why you decided to run out of here like that?"

It was my turn to be tense. I looked at my hands quizzically, hoping she would leave it and we could get to class. I tried to walk away. She grabbed my arm.

"You aren't - telling me everything, like we both used to. Ever since the accident."

I gulped, knowing this was true. "I still tell you everything."

"Yeah? Then why did you storm out of here, pale as a ghost, saying some weird thing?"

I snapped my head towards her. "My feelings are personal. I'll tell you about them if I'm in the mood to."

We both stayed silent after that remark. She loosened her grip, then finally let go. I strode away from her as the bell rang. 

It felt so powerful, yet shameful. She was concerned over me, and all I did was bark in her face. Of course I was grateful for her, but in these circumstances, I had to figure out what was happening to me first. 

That's when I looked down where she had gripped me on my arm. The skin was seventeen different shades of blue, taking the form of a hand. Time to panic.