Disclaimer: I do not own the Spiderman comics nor the TASM movies.
It was cold, dark, raining and goddammit, it just hadn't been her day so far.
To start it off, her usually pristine bed sheets and pajama bottoms were completely ruined by bloody red stains that made her curse the heavens for bestowing her with both X chromosomes. Then she noticed that she woke up literally five minutes before she was supposed to meet up with her best friend to walk to school, so she had to forgo breakfast. Perfect.
Stupid, cheap alarm clock.
Her mother was probably already off to work, so she didn't bother yelling out a goodbye as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. She locked the door, jumping when someone suddenly spoke, "Katie, you're late!"
She whirled around to face Gwen Stacy, gasping. "Jesus, you scared me. And hey! I'm not that late! Two minutes barely count as late," Katie tried to defend herself.
The blonde rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Whatever, let's just get going before we're really late."
They walked to the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor. It was silent for a few seconds, before Gwen said, "Your shirt's on backwards."
"What?" Her eyebrows shooting up in surprise, she looked down at her shirt. She threw Gwen a confused glare, "It isn't?"
"I know," Gwen smiled in amusement, "You just seemed out of it this morning. Normally, you'd be talking my ear off about your mundane life," she joked.
Katie gasped in mock disbelief, "I'll have you know my life is very exciting. You should be honored you're a part of it!"
The elevator dinged and they walked out, waving to the doorman as they walked closer. "Doesn't really answer my question, Kat." Gwen opened her navy umbrella as they prepared to step out into the rain. Katie scooted closer to avoid getting wet.
She sighed, "Guess."
"You ran out of instant noodles?"
"Even worse," she pouted. "My period started again."
"Ahh," Gwen nodded sagely, "Explains the big red splotch on your backside."
"What?!" Katie shrieked, dragging Gwen over to a random store to check. Gwen laughed, "I'm joking! Geez, Katie, lighten up."
"Ugh, why am I friends with you again?"
"I think the real question is: Why am I friends with you?" She teased the brunette as they neared school.
Katie scoffed, "Um, because I'm awesome? Seriously, Gwen, is that even a question?"
Gwen just rolled her eyes playfully as she opened the door, "Don't start— Watch out!" She suddenly cried.
"Wha—?"
A sudden pain in the back of her head made her promptly pass out.
Katie Wright snore softly as she hugged her pillow, letting out a sigh of contentment. She sniffed, wondering when her room started to smell like disinfectant. She opened one brown eye wearily, "Hm?"
"You're in the nurse's office," an unfamiliar voice said.
She slowly sat up, still hugging the pillow, rubbing her eyes with one hand. A quick glance to the side showed the nurse politely smiling at her. "Err, right. What happened?"
"You were hit in the back of the head with a football," the nurse answered. "You slept almost half the day away."
"Who plays football when it's raining?" She mumbled grumpily, stretching like a cat.
The nurse shrugged, "I've given up long ago trying to understand teenagers."
"Right," Katie nodded, looking around for her hot pink backpack. The nurse offered it to her patiently. "Thanks." She stood up, covering her mouth as a yawn passed out.
"Well, I better get going. Thanks, Doc."
She gave a nonchalant wave to the nurse over her shoulder, bringing up her left arm to look at her watch. Her stomach grumbled when she realized it was just about time for lunch time.
"At least I got to skip classes," she mused, turning the corner, where the indoor cafeteria was situated. She and Gwen normally ate in the outdoor cafeteria, but alas, the rain still raged on.
Gwen spotted her even before she walked through the doors. "Hey, Katie! Over here!"
All around the table Gwen sat at where some of their other classmates. Admittedly, they were more Gwen's friends than her's.
She waved in response, coming over to the empty seat next to Gwen. Said blonde gazed at her worriedly, asking her, "Are you alright? Does your head still hurt?"
Shaking her head, she zipped open her bag, looking for her packed lunch. "Nah, barely even felt it."
"Who even plays football during the rain, anyway?" Gwen complained as she took a bite of her apple.
"I know right? That's what I said!"
She continued to look for her lunch, when she suddenly groaned, dropping her head on the table. "What's wrong?" Gwen asked.
Her response was muffled. "I forgot to pack my lunch."
"So? Buy some, then?"
Katie raised her head to look at Gwen incredulously, as if she had suddenly grown three heads. "Excuse me? Have you ever tasted cafeteria food?"
"Um, no?" It was the truth. Gwen had always packed her lunch.
"Well, it sucks," Katie said bluntly.
Gwen shrugged. "It's either that or starve."
"I hate you," she said to the blonde as she stood up. "Seriously, I do."
"Love you too, Kat." Gwen smirked good-naturedly.
Katie blew her a raspberry, laughing as she turned to walk to where the lunch lady was, when an unexpected sticky feeling abruptly covered her whole torso. She gaped at the sight of her favorite t-shirt, ruined with gunks of food all over it, as well as the floor. She looked up to find a guy with brown hair and eyes holding an empty tray, seeming shocked as she is.
There was silence. And then the whole cafeteria boomed with laughter. The resident jock and school bully's guffaw louder than the rest of the students. Flash called out to the guy who spewed his lunch all over her, in a taunting voice, "Nice one, Parker!"
That seemed to snap the guy out of his stupor, before he blushed in embarrassment, taking out a napkin from God-knows-where and attempting to wipe off the mess he made. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't— I didn't mean to—" He cleared his throat nervously.
When she managed to find her voice, all she could choke out was, "It's fine," before Gwen steered her out the cafeteria doors, leading her to her locker.
"What have I done to deserve such a horrible day?" Katie whimpered to the ceiling, tears already springing out her eyes. Damn hormones.
Gwen looked at her with pity, patting her back. "What's your combo?"
"14-8-12," she replied, frowning at the floor.
Fortunately, she always had an extra change of clothes kept in her locker for emergencies. Like Adam Sandler said in Jack & Jill: "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."
Ten minutes later, she had already cleaned herself of whatever horrors the cafeteria had prepared, in fresh clothes that were gunk-free. Gwen had gone back to get their bags.
Her stomach grumbled again. She groaned.
When the final bell rang, she all but ran to the door as if the school was on fire. Everyone was taunting her about the incident earlier that day. There was no doubt about it. This was the worst day ever.
Today was a Tuesday, so she knew Gwen wouldn't be able to walk home with her that day, having to tutor Flash every other day.
She opened her locker, taking only what she needed and putting back what she didn't. In her bag were notes she borrowed from Gwen about the classes she had missed. Thankfully, they had almost all subjects together, with the exception of the last three classes.
It was when she was just a few meters away from the school doors did her brain register that it was still raining AND she didn't have an umbrella.
"Seriously?!" Katie threw her hands up in exasperation. "Why does this happen to me?" She placed her palms to her face as she leaned on the wall.
She raged around in her mind before she took a breath to calm down. Taking off her backpack, she raised it above her head, hoping it was big enough to stop any raindrops from hitting her. Just as she prepared to run though, someone yelled out her name.
"Katie!"
She whipped her head around, only to find the guy who dumped his lunch all over her. She still tried to escape though, taking no more than four steps before a hand seized her wrist.
"Damn, you run fast," she couldn't help but comment.
The guy smiled at her nervously. "Uh, hey. I'm Peter. Peter Parker."
She threw him a suspicious glance. "I'd introduce myself, but since you already know my name..."
"Um, about earlier..." Peter pulled at his collar anxiously. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't look where I was going and, well, you know."
Katie couldn't help but smile. "Like I said, it's fine. I wasn't really looking myself."
Peter smiled back. "So, uhh," he coughed, "Don't you have an umbrella?"
She sighed, crossing her arms. "No, I left it at home. Gwen and I walked here together and we used her umbrella, but I forgot she couldn't walk with me home today."
"I could walk you home, if you want?" When she gave him a look, he stuttered, "Uh think of it as an apology to what happened earlier. Plus, my Aunt May would kick me if she knew I let a girl walk home alone in the rain."
"I guess," she mumbled, peering up at him through her eyelashes.
He gestured to his umbrella. It was plain green in color. "It's pretty big, so we should fit under it."
She glanced at her watch. "We better get going then."
"So where do you live?" Peter asked as they stepped out.
"It's in the city, probably about a twenty minute walk? I don't know." She shrugged.
Peter looked to be in thought for a second. "Oh. Well, my house is close by. We could stop there first and eat, if you want."
Katie blushed, pressing down on her stomach. "Is it that loud?" She asked sheepishly.
He quirked a smile. "It's pretty loud."
"Well, I guess we could do that... Nobody's waiting for me back home anyway. Mom's always at work." She said almost gloomily.
"What's her job?" He questioned.
"She's a lawyer," she responded. "My... my dad was a businessman. I think they met on one of her hearings. She's a pretty well-known lawyer. Well, as famous as a lawyer could get. What about you?"
He raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"
"What do your parents do?"
"Oh... they're dead."
Katie bit her lip, "Sorry."
He just shrugged.
The rest of the walk was silent. Katie internally slapped herself in the face. The first nice guy (even though he drenched her in cafeteria food) that comes along, she just had to open her big mouth and probably scare him off to not talking to her ever again.
It didn't go unnoticed to her that their shoulders were glued together. She hadn't been this close to a boy in... well, ever. She glanced at him sneakily. He was good-looking, she supposed. She didn't really get a good look at him earlier. He had shaggy brown hair, darker than hers. His eyes looked at her questioningly. Do eyes sparkle? She was pretty sure his do—
"Katie?"
She shook her head, blinking. "Huh?"
She realized they had stopped walking, in front of a modest two-story house. "We're here," Peter informed her.
"Oh, right. Sorry, got lost in my thoughts," she blushed, biting her lip.
He smiled at her, opening his mouth to say something, when the front door opened and a man who looked to be in his 60's called out to the boy beside her. "Peter?"
"Uh, yeah." He waved at his uncle. "Uncle Ben, this is Katie. Katie, Uncle Ben," he introduced them to each other.
Katie stepped up with a smile, holding out a hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Parker."
Ben shook her hand, smiling back. "Oh, call me Ben. Mr. Parker makes me feel old."
"You are old though," Peter pointed out, holding his hands up as if to surrender when the older man mock glared at him.
"Say, you look familiar," Ben said, squinting his eyes down at Katie. Then he nodded, his mouth in a silent 'O'. "You're on his computer!"
"What?"
Peter busted out fake laughter. "She isn't! I was—I was just touching up stuff. She's in the Music Club, so..."
It was then she noticed the camera hanging off his neck. "Oh! You're a photographer?"
"Y-yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Anyway, can we come in? We were hoping to have a quick snack before I walk Katie back home." Peter tried to change the subject, giving his uncle a look, mentally pleading he didn't embarrass him in front of his crush.
"Oh, sure, sure, come on in."
Ben stepped back to let them in. Katie looked around as she unbuttoned her coat, handing it over to Peter.
"May! Peter brought a girl home!" Ben shouted over to someone Katie assumed to be Peter's aunt.
Peter slapped himself on the forehead. "Uncle Ben..."
Katie giggled.
"Oh my gosh, really?" A woman in Ben's age poked her head out from somewhere. Judging from the smell wafting through the ear, she must've been cooking. "Oh! Peter's growing up so fast!"
By now, Katie had joined Peter in blushing.
Peter groaned. "Aunt May, she's just a friend."
She didn't know why, but she felt disappointed when he said that. But she hid it behind a smile, nodding to show she agreed with him. "Yeah, totally."
Peter made a beeline to the fridge, pulling out bread and cheese spread. "This good?" He asked Katie.
"Sure."
"You look familiar, dear, have we met before?" May asked after a moment of studying the brunette.
Katie shrugged, in the midst of grabbing a spoon that Peter offered her. "Uh, not that I'm sure of?"
Ben smirked, leaning over to whisper something to his wife. "Ohhh," May nodded in realization. Katie gave her a questioning look, which the older woman replied to with a sly smile.
They all continued to chat as she and Peter ate. Not long after, Katie found herself waving goodbye to the couple as she and Peter began to trek to her home. By now, the rain had considerably lightened.
"I'm sorry about them," Peter apologized as soon as they were out of their line of sight.
Katie just smiled at him. "Aren't all uncles and aunts like that?"
Peter grinned back.
They continued talking as they walked to the city. She must've stayed at the Parker's longer than she thought, because the sky was already turning orange after five minutes of walking.
By the time they made it outside her apartment building, the sun was already half-way down.
"See you tomorrow?"
Katie looked at his face for a few seconds, a slow smile crawling up her face. "Sure, why not?"
Maybe her day wasn't so bad after all.
Hey guys! I hoped you liked this. Any feedback would be very helpful! I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. If you have any questions and whatnot, feel free to ask!