After school, the duo parted ways. Elizabeth needed to go to her internship at Oscorp, and Peter said he needed to go get milk for Aunt May. Which was true, but he was going to do that after he patrols the city. They were going to the 'Back to School Bash' tonight, and Peter wouldn't be able to check out the city then ... unless duty calls.

On the ledge of a building, Spider-Man sat, dangling his feet over the edge with a police scanner softly chatting from his phone. When he first started, he thought about buying an actual police scanner but realized that it's bulky and obvious. He discovered the app a few months ago, and while it does work, sometimes its better to rely on his spidey-senses.

With the most exciting events on the scanner being several fender benders throughout the city, Peter let his mind wander. He started to think about his "date" with Elizabeth tonight. He sighed. How he wished it was an actual date, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He knew Elizabeth's type, and many of them were the boys that sat at their table at lunch - well, before they opened their mouths. Elizabeth didn't seem like she was into those type of guys, especially with the list of relationships she gave. Why would Peter be the exception? There's no way that Elizabeth's hugs or her constant grabbing of Peter's hand to pull him to class meant anything more than an excited friend.

Peter groaned. He needed to stop over analyzing everything Elizabeth does. Eventually, Elizabeth will pick a boy to date, take to dinners, take to dances, take to prom ... and Peter would be swept away under the rug until Elizabeth dumps him and finds another boy to date. Peter doesn't know how long he could handle the cycle before it kills him.

Peter tried to remember what actually was going to happen at the Back to School Bash. Usually, these events are filled with bullshit excitement to get tired teenagers, who forgot to get a full night's sleep the night before. He knew there was going to be food trucks, lame inflatables and some unknown band that only seems to know cover songs of '80s hair bands. The real event happens after 8, at Flash's house. Peter has never gone before, mainly because of the constant bullying from Flash, up until the spider bite, but Elizabeth was invited and she invited peter.

Peter picked up his phone and checked the time: 5:33 p.m. He stood up on the ledge. He needed to get going, if he was getting milk for Aunt May, and make it back home in time for Elizabeth to pick him up.

He closed the scanner app, as a large gust of wind blew by him. He blinked, unsure what that was. Wind gusts usually don't affect the upper skyscrapers in the middle of the city. it definitely wasn't a bird, unless it was a flock of them. Maybe it was Falcon?

"Is it no longer my shift?" He shouted in the direction of the gust.

"You wish," a jumbled voice laughed from behind him. Peter quickly turned around. A green metal-armored woman, floated in front of him on a contraption that Peter could only assume was a hover glider. He looked him up, noticed the larger build of the woman in front of him. It would be a fight and a tough fight. He met the woman's large metallic yellow eyes, he could almost see his reflection in them. It sent shivers down his back.

"I think the green is a little overkill," Peter replied, nonchalantly. "What are you? The swamp monster?"

"The Goblin," she breathed.

Peter laughed. "The Gobl-" Before he could finish, he felt a sudden pressure on his chest and his balance lost. The sound of glass breaking flooded his ears, and next thing he knew, he was on the floor of the building next door. "Repulsor beams?" He groaned, that would explain the glider. "That's a copyright infringement strike - ?" He looked outside the broken window, in search for the man that had blasted him off the ledge, but he was no where to be found. "Uh ... Goblin?"

No response. Peter hoped that was a good sign. He reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, only to notice a surprisingly small crack along the side of the screen. Manageable. Peter? Ego bruised, maybe his back, but running late. Peter had to get going ... hopefully this guy was just a one-time scare. Or, at least, just for tonight.

Peter rushed home, grabbed a gallon of whole milk from the bodega, and rushed inside. He glanced at the time: 5:58. Elizabeth was going to be there soon. Peter quickly shoved the milk in the fridge and went up stairs. He stripped and started to put on new clothes ... until he realized he smelled like a barbecue. He grabbed his phone, clothes and ran into the bathroom, sending a quick text to Liz.

P: Running late sorry

E: Me too, don't worry

Peter took a quick glance in the mirror, noticing a few small cuts on his back from the glass. He's going to have to find a way to explain that at Flash's, if they go swimming. Thinking about it ... he wondered if they were actually going to swim.

P: Are you bringing swimmers?

Peter jumped in the shower. He needed to get the smell off of him before Elizabeth thinks he took up smoking. He poured much more shower gel into his hands, lathering it all over. By the time he worked the soap into his hair, he heard his phone buzz. He stuck his head out of the shower, quickly glancing at the text before his phone went back to sleep.

E: No, Flash said skinny dipping.

Peter groaned, leaning back into the shower, letting the soapsuds wash out of his hair. Swimming was a confirmed possibility, and eventually, he will need to explain the small cuts. Or maybe he will luck out, and they will all be too drunk to care.

As soon as the heat left the pipes and cold water started to interrupt his thoughts, Peter shut off the water. He was in there a lot longer than he thought. He grabbed a towel, slipped out of the shower and into his room to change.

"Peter!" Aunt May called from downstairs. "Elizabeth's here!"

"I'll be there in a few!" Peter called back, panicking now, because Liz apparently doesn't know what running late means. He quickly threw on a graphic t-shirt and some jeans, grabbed his phone, socks and shoes and headed towards the door. He glanced at his book bag that was hiding Spider-Man's suit and softly sighed. He knew he should take it ... but he wanted to take the night off and be a teen. The Avengers are working tonight right? He ran downstairs, leaving the backpack upstairs.

"Hey Pete," Liz smirked, gesturing to the socks in Peter's hand. "It's getting kind of chilly out there, are you planning on wearing your socks?"

"Hah, funny," Peter said, taking a seat at the bottom of the stairs to slip on his socks and tennis shoes.

Elizabeth walked over and leaned against the wall. "Hey did you tell Aunt May that we're going out?" She whispered. "Or are we sneaking around?"

"What?" Peter laughed, tying his shoes. "No, she knows."

Elizabeth's face lit up and she relaxed. "Alright cool." Peter stood up, confused at why Liz thought they were sneaking out, when she came through the front door. He walked to the closet to grab a light jacket, just in case it actually got cold. May came around the corner and smiled at the two. "Aunt May, did you see how cute my date looks tonight?" She smirked, gesturing to Peter, who was rolling his eyes.

"He's very cute," May smiled. "I just wish he got rid of some of those band t-shirts."

"I dunno," Peter started, looking down at his Arctic Monkeys. "If I did, then how will people know I have a bad taste in music?"

"You'll tell them," Aunt May and Elizabeth said in unison.

"Come on, let's go," Liz said, grabbing Peter's arm and pulling him out the door. "See you later, Aunt May!"

"Be home before 11!" Aunt May called after them, knowing that the duo would find trouble after the bash. "It's a school night."

"Soooo, I'm kind-of grounded," Elizabeth said, winking to Peter as they were out of earshot. "I'm actually pouting in my room right now, but Dad missed the fact that I swiped some keys before I went up to pout."

"What did you do?" Peter asked, sliding into the car and buckling up.

"Went too far, I guess," Liz shrugged, as she did the same. "Good for Norman, though. I almost thought I came home to someone else's dad."

"He's not ... sending you away, is he?" Peter asked concerned. He just got Elizabeth back, he can't leave now. He remembers the day he went over to the Osborn's house in search for Elizabeth. The Osborn butler, Bernard, had opened the door and his face dropped to see 12-year-old Peter, and have to tell him that she left early that morning, that Norman had sent her away to a summer program. When school started, Peter was excited to see Liz in his class, only to realize that the summer program, turned into boarding school.

"Oh no, it wasn't that bad," Liz laughed. "I just pushed him a little too far." Liz glanced at Peter, who still looked worried. Elizabeth reached over, and took his hand. "I'm not going anywhere." Peter nodded, squeezing Elizabeth's hand in his, enjoying the comfort Elizabeth gave and the comfort of Elizabeth.

The bash was actually surprisingly enjoyable. Peter wasn't sure if it was because the school actually rented carnival rides instead of inflatables, had more options for games than "Pie Your Educator" and the food trucks were actually tasty, or if was because he was spending it with Liz.

The two ate Korean Barbecue from one of the trucks before checking out the entertainment. They rode several rides, from the tilt-a-whirl to the round-up to bumper cars. Much to Liz's dismay, they did not have a roller coaster. "I swear, Pete, we're going to ride a roller coaster tonight. We might have to break into Luna Park."

"I'd rather not go to jail," Peter laughed, hoping Elizabeth wasn't serious.

They played a few games, skeeball, basketball hoops, catch the frog. Liz even won Peter a few pencils and a notebook. It was a school event, after all.

They went on the Ferris wheel, listening to the surprisingly good band below them, playing songs they actually recognize. "Midtown actually did well this year," Peter joked.

"I can't complain," Liz said, not knowing what the previous years were like. She yawned, and leaned her head against Peter's shoulder. Peter's stomach jumped.

"Last year, Mr. Greenwich's band played," he laughed. "They were reliving the '80s, it was so bad. Like, they had the whole get up and everything. Tons of hairspray."

"Greenwich doesn't have any hair?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He had a wig," Peter grinned. "Not rented, not borrowed, he owned it."

"He should wear it more often," Liz snorted. Peter laughed, mainly at Liz's snort. He glanced at Liz's hand that rested on his leg. She moved her hand, slightly so their skin brushed. Peter needs to tell her how he feels: whether he tells her how glad he is that Elizabeth is here, attending school at Midtown, or how his heart skips a beat every time Elizabeth says his name. Which can't be good for his circulation.

Elizabeth's phone buzzed. She sat up, moving her hand away from Peter and reached into her pocket to read her text. "Flash says they're heading to his place, you wanna go?"

"Uh," Peter said, turning a little red. It almost felt like Elizabeth had pulled away from him after they touched. Thank God the sun went down, to avoid explaining his flushed cheeks. "Yeah. Let's go."

"Okay cool," Elizabeth said, shooting Flash back a quick text. "I have a bottle of Jameson in the car if we want to get a few cokes to go. If not, I'm sure Flash has stuff."

"No, yeah, that sounds good," Peter nodded. He better watch how much he drinks and stick to water, or else he's going to be spilling out some truth.

There were only a handful of people at Flash's party.

Peter and Liz brought the group to twelve people, and the entire time Peter was there, Flash acted like they've been friends the entirety of high school.

Elizabeth's large bottle of Jameson was almost gone after 30 minutes. Peter and Liz had a drink each ... followed by a shot or two ... or three. Then the bottle passed around the room, everyone either taking a shot straight from the bottle or poured a bit into their drink. Those who passed on the bottle, end up pouring Everclear into their drink. Peter hated to say it, but he was drunk.

"Hey, someone finish this," Flash said, holding the nearly empty bottle up. "I got an idea."

Elizabeth grabbed the bottle and downed the last shot before passing it back to Flash.

"Everyone gather 'round," Flash grinned, gesturing everyone to the living room. He set the bottle on the floor and smirked. "We're gonna play, spin the bottle."

Everyone groaned. It was such a cliché game.

"Are you sure you don't want to play seven minutes in Heaven?" Liz laughed.

"What?" Flash stared at Liz before realizing it was a joke. "No. Just come do it." Peter laughed, trying to figure out what Flash was thinking, but soon everyone sat down, pretty quickly. He followed suit.

"Alright, I'll go first. It's my idea," Flash said, spinning the bottle. Before the bottle stopped, he grabbed it and pointed it at Bella Allen. She rolled her eyes.

"That's cheating."

Flash grinned and raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know." He leaned towards her, pucking his lips before she sighed and gave him a peck.

He shrugged before passing the bottle to Mary-Jane Watson, a college student that Flash knew.

"This is going to be the dumbest thing I've ever done," she groaned and spun the bottle. It spun a few times before landing on Elizabeth. "On second thought," She smirked and leaned in. Elizabeth returned the smile and kissed Mary-Jane. Peter could feel his heart heavy. Peter too focused on overthinking, he nearly missed the bottle being shoved into his chest.

"Your turn Parker."

"Oh ... I," Peter said, not sure if he even wanted to spin. Flash rolled his eyes, and the bottle was removed from his hands.

"I got you Pete," Elizabeth said, taking Peter's turn and spinning the bottle for herself. Peter watched as the bottle spun, then slowed down to land on him.

"The rules say you gotta - " Flash started, ready to inform the two that the rules don't discriminate across gender lines, but Elizabeth already took the initiative. She leaned into Peter, snaking her hand around Peter's back. She took Peter by surprise, but soon Peter relaxed and kissed back, resting his hand on Elizabeth's jaw line. He'd never thought that Liz would kiss him, let alone at Flash's -

Flash cleared his throat, audibly separating the two. "You turned down seven minutes in Heaven earlier."

"You didn't state the rules," Elizabeth said, shrugging and passing the bottle to Seymour O'Reilly, one of the guys on the football team. The party continued for everyone after the kiss like it was nothing ... well, for everyone but Peter. He couldn't stop thinking about how soft Elizabeth's lips were, how she held him when she kissed and how she didn't do that for Marin-Jo. He was surprised that he's still breathing.

Peter looked at the wall clock, "Shit."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, glancing up at the clock: 11:15, it's been more than an hour since they finished spin the bottle, mainly because O'Reilly kept trying to land it on Mary jane, and she punched him after the third fake spin. "Shit." She looked at Peter. "Do we need to leave?"

"Well ... yeah, we should." Peter grabbed Elizabeth before rushing out the door. Peter looked at Elizabeth, or in the direction of Elizabeth. "I think ... we need to walk."

"You would need to walk," Liz said. "I'm almost sober. I promise you, we'll be okay." Elizabeth had a strong alcohol tolerance, but it was also a four block drive, with no stops. Liz waited at the side of the car for Peter's approval. She wasn't getting in until Peter said it was okay, and Peter was hesitating. "We can walk if you want to -"

"No, you drive." Peter said, carefully walking towards Elizabeth. "Slow?"

Liz walked over to Peter, wrapping her arm around Peter's waist, helping him into the car. "Of course."

"We lost track of time," Peter remembers Elizabeth explaining in the entrance way.

"Everyone was drinking water when we left," Liz said on the stairs.

"We won't be late in the morning," Elizabeth promised at the edge of Peter's room.

"Good night," Peter remembers Liz called to Aunt May as she shut the door of Peter's bedroom.

"Good one," Elizabeth rolled her eyes, as she slipped into her underwear.

"To bed," Elizabeth said, pushing the nearly naked Peter into his bed. Peter tries to remember when he took off his clothes.

"Good night," Peter swears Elizabeth told him, pressing a gentle kiss against Peter's temple.

Peter remembers Elizabeth laying on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

He also remembers Liz leaning up and kissing Peter good night.

But it was all a blur. He couldn't remember what all was real.