Hi Guys!

Wow-thank you so much for the reviews! I appreciate it. :)

So, here's another chapter. They're short, but there will probably be a lot of them.

Thanks so much!

-Homey

Disclaimer: Peter doesn't belong to me. I'm not sure I'd want him to. (Like, what a character to keep up with!)

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

A week lapsed without sign of him. He wasn't in school, he wasn't in her classes, and he certainly wasn't sending her the picture he'd promised. To be frank, she was worried. What if Flash or one of the other jocks had gotten to him? She resolved to talk to the stupid jock on Monday; get the truth out of him. But she didn't need to.

Peter Parker was suddenly there. Back. He slid into homeroom a couple minutes before the bell was to ring, looking more disheveled and harried than usual. But something had changed. It took Gwen a minute to realize he wasn't wearing glasses. They must've finally broken.

"Psst," she whispered, leaning across the aisle. The guy who sat next to her, some bored-looking emo kid with bags under his eyes, leaned far away as if offended. She shot him an apologetic look. "Psst! Peter!"

But he didn't hear her, or was ignoring her. She leaned away, slightly injured. Why would he do that?

"Hey," she said to the boy next to her. "Do me a favor, please."

He shrugged. "Fine. What is it?"

"Tell Peter Parker hi from Gwen."

He rolled his eyes but turned anyway, mumbling something under his breath. He passed the message to Peter, who looked genuinely surprised, finally noticing Gwen for the first time. He smiled and waved.

"Hi," he mouthed.

"Hi," she mouthed back.

He looked down at his paper and scratched something with his pencil. Gwen brightened, hoping it was a note, but then class started and she never got to find out.

Mary Jane rushed up to her desk right as the bell rang. "Guess. What?" She asked, with the intensity of a hyper-focused Labrador. "Flash and I broke up!"

"Really?" Gwen asked, playing along. She got to her feet and scooped up her books while Mary Jane babbled away. Really, though, she was watching Peter. He slipped from the room without a glance back at her.

"He like, thought I was with that guy from the party last night." Mary Jane sighed at the unfairness of it all. "He thinks I'm a dumb…blonde," she said at last. That got Gwen laughing.

"Mary Jane, you're a redhead and I'm anything but dumb. So shut up."

She hugged Gwen happily. "I know, smoochie pie! Speaking of smooching, what's the deal with Peter Parker?" They exited the classroom and she hooked her thumb to the left, where he was weaving his way against the flow of students.

Gwen stared at him for a moment. "Nothing," she said at last, after a sigh. "Absolutely nothing."

"Gwen, sweetie! Come help me set the table."

Gwen got up off her couch and went padding into the dining room to help her mother. She sunk her toes in the pristine carpet, delighted to be home. The rest of the school day had been difficult, namely her advanced science class. It was made more so by the fact that she kept sneaking glances at Peter Parker, who was also somewhat of a science geek, and missed a lot of what Mr. Barnett was saying about molecular cells.

"Did you have a good day today?" Mrs. Stacey asked, her mantra of sorts.

Gwen shrugged. "It was okay. Science was hard?"

"Really?" She handed some silverware to her daughter. They were having guests. "Do you need to quit the advanced class?" Her mom was not a fan of Gwen's extra homework and extracurricular duties. Captain Stacey was.

"It's fine mom, thanks," Gwen said after a moment's thought. She liked being smart, being the only girl in a room full of brainiacs. It challenged her. "I was just a little distracted today, is all."

Mrs. Stacey smiled. "Whatever for, sweetie?"

Gwen almost made up something. Almost. "I met a boy yesterday. At a party. I hadn't noticed him much before but now-"

Her mother was smiling so big she showed all her teeth. "Gwennie! That's wonderful! You should invite him over."

"Mom," Gwen said with a laugh. "It was one conversation. And it wasn't even really a conversation. He just wanted my picture for the yearbook."

Mrs. Stacey grinned. "He likes you. A lot."

"No he doesn't." Gwen shrugged. "I actually think he likes MJ. You know how guys are about her."

"I do, sweetie, but you're gorgeous, too."

"Gee, thanks, mom."

Mrs. Stacey laughed. "I'm serious!"

Gwen smiled. "And I'm serious when I say he does not like me. Okay?"

"Fine," she surrendered at last. "But please, keep me updated."

The rest of the evening went well. Their dinner guests-the Mayor of New York City, his wife, and their two kids-stayed until nine. Afterwards, Gwen helped clear the table and load the dishwasher, then hurried upstairs.

She almost typed an update to Liz, but then again there wasn't an update to type. Absolutely nothing had happened. So instead, she logged into her Facebook, checked her messages, and typed a status update. She really hated social networking sometimes. On a couple of occasions she'd come close to getting off, but Liz had always persuaded her to keep her account, even if she didn't get on hardly at all.

She was suddenly struck with an idea. She moved the cursor to the search box and typed something in. A second later, his name popped up at the top of the list. She clicked it in earnest.

Likes: Science, Music, Comics, Sneakers, and Photography.

Works: Freelance for the Daily Bugle.

Family: Aunt May, Uncle Ben

Gwen sent a friend request. His page was unprotected, though, and she couldn't stop herself from looking. His latest update:

Had an okay time at a party tonight. Highlight of the evening: talking to a girl who really seemed to get me.

Gwen felt all warm inside. She did. She got him. She thought so, and he did, too. Once again, she found herself excited for school the next day. She hoped she'd get a chance to talk to Peter for real this time.

Her mother appeared in her doorway with a cup of tea and two cookies. "Hey Gwen, your dad and I are going to watch a movie." She held the treats up. "Want to come along with us? I have food."

Gwen laughed and started to say no. But she didn't. She surprised herself by getting up and following her mom down the stairs.