I failed my test...
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Words: 2,710
As soon as Peter is gone, Ada throws on her shoes and grabs her bag. Her phone is pressed to her ear before she's made it outside. Lexi answer quickly, letting the girl know she is, in fact, home and that she'd love the company. Ada grumbles a response before hanging up and marching down the street.
When she reaches the other girl's apartment, Ada walks in unannounced and falls down onto her normal seat. "Let's get drunk."
"That's a splendid idea," Lexi says and jumps up, pulling out the box from under her bed. "One problem, I'm almost out of alcohol." She holds up two, mostly empty bottles and Ada sighs. "But..." She trails off, handing one to the dark-haired girl who raises an eyebrow in question. "There's a party soon. Party means free drinks."
"I was never much of a party person," Ada mumbles before sipping her drink.
"But you want to get drunk?" Ada nods. "This isn't enough, so you have a choice."
Sighing, Ada rolls her head back before looking to the other girl. "Let's go to a party."
Ada hadn't realized how long she'd been passed out on her floor. With everything that happened after, she never even glanced at a clock. But after Lexi brought up the party, it seemed as if they were walking out the door mere minutes later.
"It's' a different place than last time," Lexi chats as they walk. "Further but worth it."
"Whatever you say, Lex." Ada mumbles, pulling her hood more securely over her head. She can't imagine anyone recognizing her but she doesn't feel like risking it.
Lexi was right when she said it was further. The two girls have to take a bus to get closer or they would've been walking all night. She texts Tony that she's fine before they enter the building. The scene is very cliché. Loud music, too many people crammed into a to small room, dancing or just standing around, everyone holding a red solo cup in their hands.
"Let's go find one of those," Lexi grabs her arm and pulls the girl in the direction she thinks is the kitchen. "One for you," She hands a cup to Ada and then grabs her own. "And one for me."
They both down the liquid, wincing when it burns their throats. "It's like someone mixed vodka, tequila, and something fruit punched flavored." Who thought that was a good idea? It tastes like acid. Feels like it too.
"It'll work better than anything I have," Lexi shrugs and refills their cups to the brim before once again dragging her friend in another direction. The two teenagers wander around, occasionally stopping in random corners. Ada waves off anyone - boys - who try to talk to them. She might be on the edge of drunk, but she doesn't plan on being stupid. Well, any more stupid.
A girl approaches them at some point. Ada somehow feels more flattered when she hits on her than she ever has with a boy. Maybe because boys are dense. Too bad that's the gender she's attracted too.
Leaning against the bathroom door, Ada rolls her head side to side as she waits for Lexi. It's then that she hears a familiar voice. Her eyes go wide and her gaze shoots towards the living room. Wow, life can't give her a break, can it?
In a split-second decision, Ada grabs the doorknob behind her and twists, letting herself fall into the small, brightly lit room. "Uh, hello," Lexi says from her position by the sink. Her eyebrows raise but Ada only leans on this side of the door, eyes closed. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"I wish," Ada whispers and stands. "Worse. Chris and Maisie."
"We can just leave," Lexi is quick to say and Ada almost agrees. Almost. But no, she's here to have fun with her friend. And they were here first. Where do those assholes get the right to control her life any more than they already have?
"No," Ada shakes her head and Lexi's apologetic face morphs into one of surprise. "No, we're not leaving. We came to have fun-
"-Get drunk-"
"-and they're not going to stop us." Ada points to the door behind her. "Screw them, they don't control me. They can't tell me what to do and what not to do."
"I don't want to assume anything, but I think that's the liquor talking."
"You know what they say, it's liquid courage," Ada shrugs and turns, swinging the door open. Lexi follows close behind her. Despite her words, when Ada's gaze lands on the other teenager, she purposely serves in another direction. But she's not avoiding, just...she wanted to go this way.
But confrontation was inevitable. Ada and Lexi could only avoid the other teens for so long.
Maisie and Ada make eye contact. The former rolls her eyes.
Gulping down the last of her drink, Ada sets ut down with a big sigh and walks forward. Lexi scrambles to follow. "Hey, Mais," She greets cheerily, more grateful than she cares to admit that Chris isn't with here. "What's up?"
"What's us?" Maisie repeats with a scoff.
"Yeah, what's up," Ada shrugs. "It's a party, I'm trying to have a civil conversation."
"I can't believe this," The girl mumbles to herself but Ada hears. Lexi stands behind her, looking between them both silently.
"You can't believe this?" Ada nearly scoffs herself. "I never did anything to you, Maisie. You just refuse to accept that because you can't admit what really happened, happened."
"I'm not surprised," Maisie continues. Ada is momentarily confused as to what the girl means. Had she even heard what she said or is she choosing to ignore her? "I mean look at you, you're a mess," Ada already knows that. She says it all the time, has admitted it to herself but...hearing Maisie say it, it hits differently somehow. "You destroy everything around you, the people around you. To be close to you is like...a death sentence." Once again, her words hit hard. Ada hates it, but she can't say anything back, her words escaping her. "Better watch out, Lexi." And with that, the older girl is gone.
"Hey, don't listen to her," Lexi appears in front of Ada, grabbing the girl's attention. Though her eyes stay glued to where Maisie had been standing.
"She's not wrong," Ada mumbles, feeling all the alcohol swish around in her stomach. It makes her nauseous. "Maybe you should take her advice and leave."
"You're drunk, you're not thinking straight," Lexi says and grabs her hand, leading her through the throng of people and outside.
"Lex-..."
"Yeah," The teenager mumbles, directing Ada away from people as quickly as possible, pulling her hair back just in time for her to throw up, the contents of her stomach painting the grass outside the house. "How the tables have turned." She says to herself, hand rubbing circles on her friends back.
After a few minutes and her last dry heave, Ada stands back to her full height, wiping her mouth with her hand. She grimaces and quickly moves away from the puke splattered on the ground.
"I'm not drunk anymore," She shakes her head, voice slightly strained.
"Well, we both are, just maybe not as much." Lexi says with a sigh, looking around at the few straggles. "Stay here," She tells Ada before marching towards the closest person. She asks him for a mint or gum and he shakes his head. So she makes her to the next person who in turn directs her to the girl sitting on the steps of the house. She collects two pieces of mint gum.
"Here, chew this," Lexi unwraps it and all but shoves it into Ada's mouth before taking her own piece.
"Oh, that's strong," Ada winces. Mint has never been her favorite but it's better than the taste of fruit punch and puke.
"Wanna get out of here?" Ada nods in answer to Lexi's question and the girl's lock arms before staring down the street towards the bus stop.
"Tonight didn't go as planned," Ada whispers into the night after they get off at their stop. "But maybe that's for the best."
"What do you mean?" Lexi questions, glancing over at the girl, her grip on her arm tight.
"Lexi..." Ada trails off with a sigh, unsure of what she needs to say. Or how to say it. "I'm tired," She settles for. "I don't- I don't want to...be this. I just don't know how not to be."
"Maisie doesn't know what she's talking about."
"It's not just Maisie," It's Peter too. And MJ and Ned, if they knew. Pepper, Tony, Sam, any one of the other Avengers. It's all of them. "I just-" But before the girl can finish her sentence, two figures emerge from the corner, nearly colliding with them.
"Oh, sorry ladies," The two men, boys?, say. Ada shakes her head, eyes squinted in the dark. "You must excuse my friend here, he's a bit unsteady on his feet."
"Screw you, man," The other one says and Lexi shares a look with Ada.
"It's fine," The girl says before trying to move around them.
"Woah, where's the rush?" The first guy speaks again, grabbing her arm. She yanks it from his grasp quickly. "We were just- wait, you're Stark's new kid." Great, Ada thinks, the first time someone recognizes her - not that she wanted anyone to - it's two most likely drunk guys. It doesn't help that they're on a deserted street in the dark. Like really, how did they even see her face enough to recognize her?
"No, I'm not," She denies and pulls Lexi closer to her. "We're going now."
"Yeah, you are," The first guys continues and Ada winces when he shines a light in her face. "Ha, look at that, Rick."
"I'm looking," 'Rick' says, his voice behind them now. Ada hadn't noticed him circling them. "She's prettier in person."
"Back off," Ada growls, glaring daggers at both men. If you can even call them that.
"Or what, little lady?" The nickname only serves to make her more aggravated. That's Sam's nickname for her, he's the only one who can use it. Not this asshole.
"I'll knock your teeth in," She tells the first guy sternly. Some of that 'liquid courage' must still be flowing through her. And she's just had a shit day, sue her if she wants to go home and curl up in bed, sleep and never wake up.
"Ooh," They both laugh a little, the noise sending tingles down Ada's spine. She feels Lexi burrow further into her side and tightens her hold on the girl. "Confident, I like that."
"Good, I prefer quiet ones," Rick says, his attention turning to Lexi. Ada spreads her feet, placing her right a little behind her left. The first guy's attention is still on her, his lips turning up into a devilish smirk as he slowly inches towards her.
"Where's your new daddy now?" He asks but Ada barely registers the words. Instead, she grips Lexi's shoulders and whisper's a quiet 'run' to the girl before pushing her away and swinging her fist out to meet his nose. She feels the cartilage and bone snapping under her fist. Thank you, Bucky Barnes.
Groaning in pain, First Guy falls back, cradling his now broken nose. Ada tries to turn but his friend acts faster than she can and grabs her from behind. Ada grabs his hands that wrap around her waist and kicks her feet out. "You bitch! You broke my nose!"
"Let me go and I'll do a lot more than that!" Ada continues to struggle against the impossibly tight hold Rick has on her.
"No, it's my turn," First Guy says, poorly wiping the blood from his face as he steps forward. But before his foot can make contact with the sidewalk, he's suddenly yanked back. Ada takes her chance and throws her head back, connecting it to Rick's nose. He promptly releases her when pain flares in his face. Before tonight, Ada had never broken anyone's noses. Now she's broken two.
"Did no one ever tell you it's not nice to hit women?" A very familiar voice asks loudly right before Rick's legs become stuck together by web. "Or anyone really, I don't discriminate." Peter, or Spider-Man, grabs the man's hands away from his face and winces. "Ooh, that looks like it hurts." He says but there's no real sympathy in his voice and he webs Rick's hands behind his back before sticking him to the wall. "Can't say you don't deserve it though."
"I thought hitting was wrong," Ada mumbles while rubbing the back of her head. Nobody wins with a headbutt. She attributes the odd calmness she feels to the liquor running through her system.
"Not if you're defending yourself," Peter shrugs before moving to stand in front of her, his worry finally showing. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine-"
"Ada!"
"Lexi? I told you to run." Ada turns to the girl, catching her arms and shaking her head at her.
"And leave you here? Who the hell do you think I am?" The girl asks before her eyes shift to Peter. "You see him too, right?"
Opening and closing her mouth, Ada looks between her friends and closes her eyes before nodding. "Yeah."
"Okay, good. Hey Spider-Guy."
"Spider-Man," Peter and Ada mumble at the same time but it goes unheard by the blue-haired girl.
"I um, can we go?"
"Yeah," Ada sighs, taking Lexi into her arms once more. "P- Spider-Man, you mind walking us?"
"Of course," Peter nods and turns his head away from them, telling Karen to call the police and alert them of the two criminals now securely webbed up. He sends Ada a look, trying to convey his question through his mask. Ada only shakes her hand and squeezes his hand with her free one before returning it to her side.
Lexi's apartment isn't much further. They reach it soon enough and Ada walks the girl to her apartment. For the first time, the girl's mother is home while she's there. Lexi tells Ada she's okay to leave before rushing towards the woman, seeking her comfort.
Sighing, Ada turns away and returns outside where Peter still stands in waiting. "Hey, are you-" He's cut off when Ada collides with his chest. He lets out an 'oof' sound at the unexpected pressure but wraps his arms around her. She's shaking now, he hadn't noticed that before.
Ada gasps for air, digging her fingers into Peter's back. Her hand really hurts now, the adrenaline fading from her system. "Thanks for the rescue," She whispers to him, her voice muffled by his shoulder.
"Nah, you had it under control," Peter tells her, his arms tightening around her. "I'm sure of it."
Ada lets out a watery laugh but the noise falls flat and tears leak from her eyes. "I'm really sorry, about what I said."
"No, no, it's okay,"
"It's not," Ada shakes her head and pulls away. "I-I know- I know it's wrong, but-...it's just so hard," Peter wipes away the tears as the fall down her cheeks and screws his mouth shut. "I wanna go home."
"Okay," Peter nods. "Okay, we can do that. Let's go." With an arm around her shoulders, Peter leads her home.
Well, this night could have gone so many ways and it's still not over. Ada has some things to think about in a very short time. She's also very protective, I like that side of her. Peter is a great friend. We get to see Tony being a dad in the next chapter, but is he up for it? That's the question. I'd love to know what you guys think!
I have the next chapter - or two? - written but I've fallen behind on my writing with focusing on other stories. Life is also about to get much busier for me. To retake that test I failed will require lots of work and I've recently decided on a career change. Though I'll make little to no money doing that, I'm happy with my decision. So, not sure when the next chapter will be posted. But knowing you guys are reading and excited makes me excited and I write much easier knowing that.
Teasers: Dark, empty, and quiet. / It feels like her world has crumbled around her and now it's burning. / She sees her own pain reflected in them. / A weight hits Tony's chest, settling there. / How can he say that?
It was difficult choosing the teasers this chapter. There were so many good ones. But I decided on these and took the others out because I thought maybe it gave to much away? I don't know, maybe that's just because I know what happens. I love reading what you guys think of the teasers.
Thanks for reading and I really hope you guys enjoyed!
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