Dancing Around // peter parker

3

When I got home that afternoon and allowed my bag to drop onto the only sofa that now pointed at a tv (my mom must have bought it), I hurried to my bathroom. I grabbed my conditioner from the corner of the tube and placed it on the sink before taking a photo of the brand. The fluorescent light above my head made its presence known in the photo, so I deleted it and moved to the living room where there was natural light. I took over 20 photos of my conditioner bottle from different angles before finally sending one I was satisfied with.

I had finished my homework and was about to make dinner when I finally got a reply from Sally. 'Thanks' the text read. I looked at it for a moment thinking if I had maybe spent too much time on the photo. My phone then dinged again. 'Great photo, by the way. It looks like an ad lol.' I re-read that line a couple of times with a smile on my face. No, I decided, it wasn't a waste of time. I placed my phone down on the counter, smiling to myself as I grabbed the bag of pasta from the counter. I had just opened the bag when there was a knock on my door.

Ms. May was looking at me with a tamed smile once I opened the door. She placed her ring-filled hands through her hair, and strains caught on the aggressive metal until the very end. Ms. May didn't seem to have felt any pain. "Have you happened to see Peter?" she asked.

I was surprised by the question. Ever since my encounter with Peter in the staircase, the only interactions we have had were the awkward moments when we made eye contact in the halls — in which we would stare at each other waiting to see who would look away first. Usually, he did once I flutter my eyelashes a little.

"No, I haven't. Is everything okay?"

She nodded her head, and her shoulders dropped. "He's not home yet and I made dinner already. He's probably at his Stark internship. I wish he would text me at the very least when he was going to be out late. Then I wouldn't have made my delicious potato salad. Oh well, I guess I will just have to let his portion turn cold and eat alone."

I stood still, unsure why she was telling me this. It soon became clear. I noticed the lightbulb shining brightly above her head. It was a surprise I didn't spot it sooner.

"Or, I just got the best idea. Why don't you have dinner with me, Marina?" she said.

I opened my mouth for a second before sounds finally came out. "Yeah, I'm..." I pointed behind me where my open bag of uncooked pasta was waiting for me. She fluttered her eyelashes at me. I dropped my hand. "Okay."

My first assumption about the Parker apartment was correct. As soon as I stepped into the unfamiliar territory, I questioned if I was still in the same building. The living area was larger than my entire apartment and decorated with so much color it put my grey decorating skills to shame. I thought the most stylish thing you could ever do was have a green sofa, but it seemed Ms. May laughed at that idea and made a place that seemed to come straight out of a magazine.

She placed the large bowl of her potato salad in the middle of the dining table, a large wooden spoon waiting to be used. We were matching plates; they both had a decorative red rose painted in the center. I always thought I was a pretty glamorous person with my shiny hair and cat eyeliner, but walking into the life of Ms. May, I came to realize that I had so much more to learn.

"Take as much as you want," she said. I did as the woman said, overfilling my pretty plate. "So, where did you live before?"

"A small town in Connecticut."

"Why did you move?"

"It just felt like it was the right thing to do."

"How so?"

I looked down at my potato salad, before taking a huge chunk of it into my mouth. I was hoping chewing would get me out of answering the question, but Ms. May waited until I was finished, all while having a sweet smile on her face. I looked down at my food again, but this time to say the answer out loud. "My parents got a divorce." I took another bite of my food.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push that out of you," she said. I only smiled politely, thinking that was exactly what she meant to do. "Actually, I was trying to but..." she admitted, before placing her utensils down. "I shouldn't have pushed."

"It's okay."

"It's not. My parents got a divorce when I was around your age too. I know it can be hard to understand why sometimes things just don't work out." She grabbed her fork again. The metal striking the plate hurt my eardrums. We sat in silence for a moment. I took tiny bites, trying to waste time as much as possible, unsure how to leave this tiny doom. "Is New York everything you thought it to be?" she asked.

"Yeah...no, not really. It's kind of scary, actually. I still haven't gotten all the streets and stuff memorized. I keep thinking it's only a matter of time before I get lost," I laughed.

Ms. May didn't laugh. "You know, if you want, since Peter and you go to the same school, he can walk with you."

My eyes widen. "You know, that's not necessary. I have soccer practice in the morning, and I wouldn't want to wake him up so early."

"Peter won't mind, plus this way he can give you a few pointers. Oh, this works out perfectly."

"Okay. Thanks," I said. Though I felt a bit weird about accepting, I was more pleased with the fact I didn't have to walk to school alone anymore. It was actually something that scared me. I always tried my best not to seem like an easy target or an object for someone else's sick game, but I practically had newbie tattooed on my forehead.

I moved my potato salad with my fork, feeling lighter than I did before. Feeling generous for Ms. May's compassion, I touched on a subject I never thought I would voluntarily. "My mom really does want to meet you. She's just really busy with work," I ended up saying. I eventually did tell my mom about Ms. May, but she seemed more irritated than anything else.

Ms. May waved her hand at me. "Don't even worry about it. I totally understand. Your mom and I will meet when the time is right."

We left a great chunk of the salad for Peter. Ms. May gathered it on a large plate and I watched her place it in the fridge. She then started to wash the dishes as I sat awkwardly at the dinner table, hearing her story of when she got lost. When she asked me to hand her my plate, I did just that and then stayed standing next to her. I looked down at the soapy dishes that only needed a rinse to be clean. I pulled the silver handle up and started to rinse them off. This was my way of saying thanks. I didn't realize it until much later, but it was the first time I'd had an actual dinner since my parents' divorce. It felt great not having to eat alone even if a few moments were awkward.

"You don't have to..." said Ms. May.

I ignored her and instead asked her, "So, did you find your way in the end?"

She smiled before nodding her head. "Yeah, I found my way back in the end."

The morning after, I made sure I had my keys, my water bottle, and my heels tucked into my bag before I left my apartment. I first heard the sound of my door wishing me a happy day before I saw Peter leaning against his own, his head dropped like he was asleep. Before I could say anything, he looked up and gave me a friendly smile.

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my oversize cardigan. "Some part of me didn't think you would show up. If you're tired, go back to bed." I was trying to be modest. Secretly, that was the last thing I wanted to happen.

He yawned. "It's too late. I'm already up." He stood up straight, blinking a couple of times like he was trying to adjust his eyes. He looked over my outfit, a small curve tugged at the corner of his lips as he started to walk towards the elevator.

"What?" I asked as I followed.

"Nothing. I've just never seen you without any makeup."

"I have soccer practice. There's no point. Does it freak you out? Do I look drastically different?"

"No." He pressed the button for the elevator. "You look the same either way. With makeup. Without. Though I am kind of disappointed you don't actually have gold eyelids."

The elevator doors opened. I stepped in first. "How will you ever survive now that you know the truth?"

He stepped in after me, pressing the button for the first floor. "I guess I'm just gonna have to be strong and move past it. It's going to be hard, but I think I can do it."