I sat anxiously by the phone. After I had dropped Gwen off at her house, I had rushed straight home. If Gwen called, I would be there for as Peter Parker, not Spiderman. I could still feel her lips, cold and certain against mine. You have no new messages. The screen taunted me. With a sigh I closed my phone and tossed it to the door. The fact that my girlfriend, who I was madly in love with, had kissed another guy irritated me, even if the other guy was me. She was just upset and it hadn't meant anything, did it? I groaned and tousled my usually perfect hair. If Gwen wasn't coming to me, than I would go to her.
I threw on some converse and put my glasses on. I didn't actually need them anymore, but it would make no sense if Peter Parker stopped wearing his. He would never go for contacts. Plus, they were familiar and comfortable. They were a reminder of the awkward and nerdy kid that I had been before I was bitten by a radioactive spider. Within a few minutes, I got to Gwen's house.
After a moment's hesitation I knocked on the door. Gwen opened the door a crack, looking haggard and worn. "Peter." She let the word hang in the air between us. "Are you okay? I saw Spiderman take you away and I was, well, worried about you Gwen." She let the door fall open and stepped aside. "I'm fine Peter, really." I let myself into her apartment and dropped my coat on the chair. "Gwen, you just lost your father. You can't be fine."
She rubbed her eyes. "I don't understand Pete. I absolutely despise Spiderman for my father's death, yet when I talk to him, it's like I already know him." I looked at her. "You kissed him, didn't you Gwen." She looked up, surprised. "What do you mean?" I stepped closer to her. "You kissed Spiderman. I can just tell." Gwen sighed. "It's like you have a sixth sense sometimes. I'm sorry Peter. I love you, I truly do, but I was distraught and he didn't even kiss me back. He said to honor my commitments." I already knew all this, but it still made me angry.
"So, it's alright for you to kiss anyone when you're distraught?" She quickly shook her head. "Of course not, you're my boyfriend and my lab partner Peter; I would never want to hurt you." I knew I shouldn't have harassed her, not right after she lost her father, but I couldn't help it. "You didn't even call Gwen. I went out of my mind worrying about you, only to find out that you were off making out with Spiderman."
She wiped tears from her already damp eyes. "Why are you doing this now?" I groaned and balled my fists. "I don't know. I'm sorry, it's just I felt stupid when my girlfriend chose to be consoled by Spiderman." Who is actually me. Gwen shuddered. "I love you Peter Parker, and don't you ever forget it." A small smile played at my lips.
"I won't Gwen, I promise you that." I wrapped my arms around her petite waist. "Now, how are you really holding up?" I asked, concerned. Gwen shoulders shrugged as if holding the weight of the world. "Terrible. A little better since you came, but terrible none the less." I squeezed her tighter.
"When Uncle Ben died, I didn't know how I would get through it. Just the incredible guilt made me want to curl up in a ball and give up." Gwen knew that Uncle Ben had been waiting for me at the library when Flint Marko had murdered him. She didn't know that I hadn't actually been at the library though, and that I had been actually testing my Spiderman abilities instead. Maybe if I hadn't lied to Uncle Ben about my whereabouts he would still be alive.
"Gwen, I know it's rough but I will be here for you every single step of the way. I love you." She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a slight kiss. "That's good Peter Parker because I need a guy like you." I smiled. Gwen wiped some tears from her eyes. "What would I do without out?" I pulled her onto the couch. "I honestly don't know." She smirked as I carried her easily to the couch.
"Peter, my father just died." She said seriously as I sat down beside her. "I know." She gave me a sad smile. "I'm so confused Peter. Yes, my father is in a better place but is it selfish of me to want him back home?" I rubbed my eyes behind my glasses. "I don't know Gwen. If I could bring Uncle Ben back for Aunt May then I think I would selfishly, but it wouldn't really be fair would it? Would your father want it?" Gwen laid her head against my chest. "I don't know, but I wish he was here for me to ask him." I stroked her soft waves. "But he's not." She murmured. "He's gone, soon to be nothing more than a pile of ashes."
I nodded. "It was his line of duty. As a police, he was prepared to make that sacrifice. Had he not pushed that child away, a mother would be grieving for their baby boy right about now." Gwen looked out the floor length window of her high end apartment. "Instead, a girl is grieving for her father." I nodded. "And I know that. But see, this girl has a lot of people who really love her and want the best for her." Gwen nodded. "Well, should I do?" I smiled softly. "How do you feel Gwen?" She moaned.
"To be honest, I feel terrible Peter. One second I was standing there, watching the fight, seeing the falling rubble. Then some cop moved me to safety and in that second I could see my father. He was right there, standing in the middle of the chaos. Then he dove out of eye sight. So, I broke police bonds and went and ran right into the mess. But, he was gone. I couldn't find him. Then they took me away again." Tears glittered in her eyes.
"I lost him Pete. I actually lost him." What did I say? How could I make her better? I couldn't. I couldn't make her better. Instead, I just held her until she finally fell into an uneasy sleep.