Well, it's nice to meet you, sir
I guess I'll go,
I best be on my way out
You treat me just like another stranger
Well, it's nice to meet you, sir
I guess I'll go,
I best be on my way out
-Ignorance; by Paramore
Peter got some food out, knowing that Gemma may be hungry; though she was probably not going to admit it. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable, since Gemma's discomfort was starting to radiate off her in waves. Peter had hopes that, maybe, he'd be able to get to know Gemma more, be the kind of person she could go to in case she ever needed something. Considering she was new to the area, Peter felt like he wanted to look out for her, at least. Especially after what she did for him.
"So you live with just your aunt?" Gemma asked, taking a small bite out of a piece of microwaved pizza.
Peter nodded, taking a bite out of a slice of pizza he had. "She's the only family I have," he said.
Gemma looked at Peter for a moment. He was avoiding her gaze, and she didn't blame him. He had said something very personal, and it didn't take a lot of effort to hear the emotion underlying his words.
"Is she nice?" she asked, hoping to lighten the mood just a little.
"She's really nice," he answered immediately, his mouth full of pizza. "She's feisty, though."
"My mom can be like that, too," Gemma said. "But that's only when she's really tested."
Peter looked at Gemma with an arched brow. "What's your mom like?" he asked, taking another bite of his pizza.
Shrugging, Gemma placed her partially eaten pizza on the plate Peter had given her, putting that on the table near the sofa. "She's pretty reserved at the best of times," she said. "But she does her best, which I think is amazing."
"What about your dad?" Peter asked, taking another bite of his pizza.
Scoffing, Gemma grabbed her slice and finished eating it. Even the thought of her father brought a bitter taste in her mouth; though she knew that Peter's question was just as innocent as Ines' had been. He was curious, and she wouldn't put it past him to want more info.
"He is currently out of the picture," she muttered, wiping her greasy hands on her pants. "Not like it'd matter much anyway."
"You guys don't get along?"
"Let's just say he preferred his new wife over us."
A slight grimace came across Peter's face. Crossing her arms over her chest, Gemma leaned back on the sofa with a huff. She only met her father's new wife once, and that was during the divorce hearings. She was way younger than Izabela; younger, prettier, and probably a little smug from what Gemma could tell. After the divorce was finalized, and Izabela gained sole custody of the kids, Leonard's at-the-time girlfriend was more than pleased with the result. She was even happier when the judge ruled Izabela and the kids move out, leaving the house and most of the furniture in Leonard's care. Needless to say, Gemma noticed how her father and his girlfriend gave each other a big hug and kiss once everything had been signed and official. Not even two weeks later, Gemma found out her father and the girlfriend married from her Aunt Tonia.
"That sucks," Peter grumbled.
Gemma nodded in response. "It's no big deal now," she said. "We're doing fine where we're at."
"Well, I think you'll like it here." Peter's mouth was, once again, filled with pizza when he said that. Gemma's nose scrunched up a bit in disgust.
"I hope so," she sighed. "The only friend I have right now is one of the girls in my bio class."
"I-I wouldn't mind being your friend," Peter exclaimed, stumbling over his words. "I, uh...W-Well, only if you'd like it. I just...I thought..."
"That's fine, Peter," Gemma said, smiling a little. "I appreciate it. If you want to, you can be. I was kind of hoping since you were the first person to be nice to me."
0-0-0-0
Gemma had to admit, she had just as much of a good time eating microwaved pizza with Peter as she probably would've getting a tour of the area. There was an obvious natural awkwardness about Peter that Gemma thought was kind of funny at best. His generosity seemed genuine and he was more than willing to help others, even if he was in a huge disadvantage. Gemma found all those traits to be great qualities.
After three and a half months of not really going out to socialize with anyone, Gemma finally managed to nab two friends on her first day of school. That had to be some kind of record for her, right? It was impressive! Maybe she'd tell Ines about it at class the next day.
Taking out her phone, Gemma checked the time. She'd been at Peter's for well over two hours, and she knew that Remy would more than likely be worried sick. The thought made her roll her eyes. It was bad enough she started thinking about all the things Remy would do once he found out what happened to her at school, but the last thing she wanted was for him to be even more worried sick.
"I should probably start heading out," she said. "My brother'll be pissing himself if I don't come home soon."
"I'll walk you back," he said. "It's the least I can do..."
"Are you sure?" Gemma asked.
"Yeah," Peter stammered. "I honestly don't mind."
"Well that's very sweet of you, Peter, I appreciate it."
(A/N):
If you can excuse this short, poorly written chapter, I'd appreciate it. Nah, though, just let me know what you think, OK? I know this isn't my best, and it certainly isn't my longest, but whatever criticism you have on this is welcome. If I'm getting the canon characters wrong, let me know; if you think I could put in some more detail, let me know; whatever it is, just tell me and I'll add it in/fix it as quickly as possible.
MARVEL isn't mine.
Do you have an OC or a subplot you'd like added into the story? Don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me. I'll add it in as quickly as possible.
Let me know if there's anything I should improve on.
Thanks.
Jasper