My eyes fluttered open to a blinding white light.
Was I dead?
No I highly doubt being dead smelt like anti-bacterial cleaner. The smell burned my nostrils and I groaned in response.
Once my pupils finally contracted enough to determine my surroundings, I relaxed more. I wasn't dead at all, I was in a hospital room. The beeping of the heart monitor beside me and the ugly hospital clothes made it more clear.
I licked my chapped lips a few times, then sat up.
Regretting it immediately, I laid back down. The beating in my head made it impossible for me to sit up without feeling like the room was going to crash beneath me.
The pain of my headache pulsated through me, sending painful shocks throughout the rest of my body.
I rubbed the back of my head, feeling startled when my hand ran over a few sticky bumps in my hair. "What the—"
"Four stitches, and a lot of blood missing."
I whipped my head to the sound of the voice to see Peter sitting there, his hands folded, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Peter…" My voice croaked when I saw the boy sitting in the chair. "W-Why are you here? What happened?" I rubbed my temples, massaging them. "God, my head hurts…"
"You got attacked by some crazy guy on drugs… seeing as it's my fault for not walking you home and leaving you deserted, I kind of feel obligated to be here." He explained.
"O-Oh..." My voice was hoarse. I felt like I had been asleep for a few days… "How long have I been here?"
He looked down to his phone, "Well its 12:00pm right now. You've been here since last night a little after I ditched. I'm really sorry…"
I shook my head leisurely, "Don't worry about it." After readjusting myself to sit up and face him, I asked, "How did I get here? I mean I can't really remember anything…"
"Uh… Spiderman I think." He responded, licking his lips.
"Oh," The left corners of my lip curved up. I could officially say Spider-man had saved me, and that was pretty awesome… I twirled my long hair in my fingertips. "How long have you been here? Is Sam here?"
"Since I got a call last night from the police, asking if I knew what happened. Since I was the last one to see you they questioned me. And Sam was here, but she left a little while ago to go for work, I think."
I nodded, looking away from Peter and down at my blue hospital gown that had a funky flower pattern on it. The intricate swirls on it made it almost mesmerizing.
"You don't have to be here, you know. I mean I appreciate it but you—"
"It's fine. They'll let you out in an hour, after you've talked to the police. Then I'll walk you home."
"Peter, it's the middle of the day. I think I can walk a few steps."
He cracked a half-smile. "I'm going to walk you home."
And that, clearly, was the end of that argument. I just looked down at my gown again, following the swirls with my eyes. Trailing from my hip to my leg.
The awkward tension in the room continued to be unsettling, but I tried to ignore it as best as I could.
"What happened to your eye?" I asked, referring to the swelled skin that started from his right cheekbone.
He perked up, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else other than this room. "Where? Oh yeah, yeah. I don't know… I think I got a rash." He rubbed his brow, above where the slightly swelled skin was.
I frowned. Not because I knew that was a lie, but because I could tell something was off with Peter. I mean, I didn't know him that well, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't alright. "Are you okay, Peter?"
"I uh… yeah. Yeah I'm alright." He scratched his head, turning away from me to look out the window behind him.
I left it at that, and lay down in the bed; continuing to twirl my long blonde hair in my fingers. I was laying on my side, the side that wasn't bruised up.
The police came in half an hour later. After sending Peter out of the room they asked me some questions about my attacker, questioning what he looked like. The deputy gave me his call card and left fifteen minutes later.
I buzzed the nurse in instantly. She dismissed me, as long as I promised to make a few trips to the doctor's office throughout the next few weeks. I promised, and then got up from the bed, searching for my clothes. Then it came to me: My clothes must have been covered in my own blood. I couldn't wear those…
"Your friend dropped some off for you before she left," The nurse stated, picking up my thoughts. "They're just over there." She pointed underneath the chair that Peter previously sat on. I snatched them from its place and made my way to the washroom that was in my hospital room.
"Really, Sam?" I mumbled to myself, seeing the hideous clothes she picked out. I already looked like shit, and now I had to wear baggy sweatpants and an old Disney sweater that had holes in it. I slipped them on, feeling the breeze through the little holes of the sweater.
I walked past the mirror a few seconds later, taking a double take. My right eye hurt a lot, and now I knew why…
The bruising around my eye was a deep purple, and it was very noticeable. I groaned. At least Peter had seen me at my worst by now…
I walked out of the hospital room and was met with Peter in the hallway. He looked extremely tired and extremely zoned out. I cleared my throat, grabbing his attention. "Ready to go?"
"Huh?" He jumped up with wide eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
We walked out of the hospital and onto the street. I could tell Peter really wasn't in the right state of mind because when I stopped walking to kneel down and tie my shoe, he kept walking, oblivious to the fact I had paused.
After catching up with him, which he also hadn't noticed, I looked at the fragile boy. He didn't look happy. He looked deep in thought. He also looked like he would breakdown crying any second. Since I wasn't really good at dealing with criers, I suggested I walk home by myself from there.
"No." He answered, which surprised me. His voice was only a harsh whisper though. "I'll walk you home. Maybe that will make me feel better after ditching you."
"Peter," I started, "You shouldn't feel bad. I'm alright now, aren't I? Besides, you bought me ice cream. That makes up for the next time you ditch me too," I teased with a smile.
He cracked a small grin, but still didn't look at me.
After walking in silence for the next five minutes, we turned the last left onto my street.
"Well," I said, walking ahead of him. I turned to face him, walking backwards. "This is casa de Anna."
He stopped walking, looking up at the small apartment building. "Nice." Was all he came out with.
"Thanks, Peter." I said, placing my hand on the lobby room door.
His bleak smirk made me sad inside. "No problem. I'll see you around?" He placed his hands in his pockets.
I nodded, "See ya Parker," and opened the door, stepping into my heated apartment building.
After eating a nice meal with Sam, which consisted of potatoes, roasted chicken, and some salad, I dismissed myself and went to my room. I quickly slipped into some comfy pajamas. I groaned after getting another good look at my bruised eye in my full length mirror, and then moved to my window.
With all my strength, I pushed the window up, wincing at the screeching noise it made. I hopped out on to the fire escape and sat on it, dangling my feet over the edge. I'm glad my room was facing the scenic view, giving me a nice glance of New York.
I usually came out here when I wanted to think, or write some poetry. But today, I just came out here for the fun of it. The view relaxed me. New York City buzzed with its usual noises, and I smiled to myself. The whizzing bikes, the rolling skateboards, the chatter of people, and the honks and sirens that was typically associated with New York.
And of course, with sirens, came Spider-man.
I smiled to myself as I saw the man dressed in spandex shooting webs from building to building.
I was surprised when I didn't see Peter the following Friday. I shrugged it off though. He might have been sick, or doing school work, or actually hanging out with someone. But he hadn't mentioned anything to me the day before, when we went out for lunch. Well, it wasn't like he was obligated to be here every Friday… I was just over thinking things.
After finishing my shift at three, I made my way to the flower store. Today was the anniversary of my grandmothers' death. And to pay my respects my parents had sincerely asked that I be there, for them as well as myself.
I bought the most beautiful (not to mention expensive) bouquet of white roses, and drove to the cemetery.
After finding a parking spot, I exited my vehicle, flowers in hand, and gradually strolled to my through the front gate of the grave yard. The dark iron gate hung grimly above me and I shuddered just looking at it.
When I found my grandmother I sat on the dew-y grass, not caring to get my black pants wet. I replaced the old flowers with new ones, and stared at the grave.
I was particularly fond of my grandmother, and seeing her past last year made my whole family depressed. I remember one memory of her and I at the beach, before the cancer took over her. It was probably the best memory I had of her, and I still had the seashells we picked that day sitting on my shelf at home.
For the next hour, I sat there righting a poem for my Grandmother, writing about our day at the beach. When the rain started to fall a little bit later, I stood up from my position, stretching out my aching body. After stretching my limbs out, I was equipped to go, but I didn't feel it was time for me to leave yet.
Instead of walking out the gate that was only a few yards away, I walked away from it, taking the long way round. I walked for a few minutes, enjoying the refreshing sprinkle of water from the sky. When the sprinkle transitioned into a down pour, I turned to find my quickest exit. I opened my umbrella and, well, I didn't run to my car, but I definitely walked faster than normal.
I was just about to walk through the gate, when something caught my eye. More specifically, someone.
I saw Peter, with his head hung low, letting the water soak him. It was like something out of a Nicholas Spark's book. The rain was pelting down so hard that I almost didn't see him, but I knew that green jacket and glum expression anywhere.
A cemetery wasn't exactly a pleasant place to make conversation with someone, but I couldn't just let Peter get soaked. Well, he already was, but I didn't want him soaked anymore.
I walked a few steps, getting a good look at the stone he stood in front of.
It read,
In loving memory of Gwendolyn Stacy
1995-2014
I paused, ogling at it for a brief moment.
"I finally watched your valedictorian speech not too long ago. It was beautiful. I'm sorry I missed it. I miss you. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me most. I know you wouldn't want me to blame myself, but I still do. Maybe if I listened to your father we wouldn't be in this situation. He's probably yelling 'I told you so' at you right now." Peter sniffled. I felt bad for eavesdropping, but I didn't know what to do. I was not going to let Peter walk home in this, so my only resort was to stay here. "I've tried to move on Gwen. I really have. But every time I see that little Thai restaurant we went to, or that little letter you wrote me, or see a picture of you, everything comes flooding back. I guess I'm really here to say I'm sorry, to tell you that a part of me died with you that day. I don't know what the future will bring, but I know that no matter what. I will never forget you Gwen Stacy, and I'll always love you." He sniffled once more, then I thought I heard him whisper, "I will become hope."
I gave it a few minutes, hiding behind a nearby bush, before approaching Peter. When it was time, I headed towards him. I was still quite a distance away from him. I wanted to give him space.
"Do you want a ride?" I yelled over the pelting rain.
Peter's head snapped up, looking at me. He took a deep breath, before sullenly nodding.
The rain pelted against the windows, beating against the roof of the car. The only sound was that, and my squeaky windshield wipers.
I pressed my hands tighter to the steering wheel, feeling comfort in the familiarity of its warm grooves.
It battered against the car like a hail of bullets.
The noise started to stress me out, so I turned the volume of my radio up, just a tad.
"A left here," Peter muttered.
I nodded, signaling.
As I sat, stopped at a red light, I glanced over at Peter. He sat there, with his hood over his head (as usual) and he clung to his jacket, as if it would protect him from something. He looked like he had jumped into a pool. The beads of water that formed on the tips of his hair fell, sailing towards the seat beneath him.
I wanted to ask if he was okay, but I clearly knew the answer. This boy had just tried to come to terms with the idea of a life without Gwen. I felt like he was saying goodbye to her, like he was finally taking the last step to moving on without her, but of course who could forget the love of their life?
He had been crying, clearly. But the rain covered up most of it, making it look like his tears weren't tears at all. I could tell by the puffiness of his red eyes though.
"A right," He directed.
I took the next right, and then glanced over at him for a brief second again.
Feeling my gaze, he looked up at me. "Thanks for doing this."
I smiled, "No problem." A few seconds later, I asked the one thing I promised myself I wouldn't have. "Are you okay?"
I instantly cursed myself internally. If I weren't driving, I would be giving myself face palms. Why would I ask that?
"Yeah its…" He wiped his face with his wet sleeve, "It's just…"
"It's okay Peter," I smiled at him, letting him know it was okay to be upset in front of me.
He let out a shaky sigh. "It's just we were supposed to go to England together… and, and, I'm not supposed to be here."
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. I pulled over to the side of the ride, finding a space to park in, and turned the car off. I leaned over to him, giving him a hug. I was afraid to touch him at first, but decided to go through with the gesture anyways. I wasn't sure if he would accept it, considering we weren't really close, but I was relieved when he wrapped his arms around me too.
"I'm supposed to be in England..."
"I'm sorry, Peter." I mumbled into his wet jacket, pulling him closer to me. "I'm so so sorry."
We sat there for a while, just clinging to each other. When he was ready to talk, he did. I asked him what Gwen was like, trying to cheer him up, and he told me. He talked about her for more than a half hour, his face lighting up whenever he said her name. This girl meant so much to him. And it wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. He didn't deserve this, and neither did she.
I didn't know how Gwen died, and I was definitely not up to asking why.
Maybe one day I would ask.
After another half hour of talking, and Peter finally starting to look happier, I drove him home.
"Thanks again," He said with a bleak smile.
"No problem," I smiled through the passenger door, looking up at him as he stood in the rain.
"Bye Emily," He said, getting ready to close the door.
"See ya, Parker," I replied, watching him close the passenger door and walk up to the steps of his porch.
The next few days were busy, busy enough that I hadn't even had the chance to talk to Peter. When I finally did get the chance to talk to him on a Sunday afternoon after work, he invited me for dinner. It was an odd gesture, but I gladly accepted.
When I showed up around their doorstep around five, a woman opened the door. Assumedly, this older looking woman with brunette hair was Peter's Aunt.
"Hello—"
"I got it, I got it," Peter yelled from behind her. I saw him fly down the stairs, landing with a thump as he hit the floor. "Oh."
I smiled at him, then moved to his Aunt. "Hello Mrs. Parker. I'm Emily Taylor.
She laughed, "Please. Call me May! And trust me: I kow who you are. Peter talks about you quite a bit lately." She moved past the door, opening it wider for me. "Come on in, hun."
My heart was warmed by that comment. Did Peter talk about me? From the blush that rose to his cheeks and the glare that was shot at his aunt, I assumed so.
"Thank you," I said, brushing past her. I slipped off my jacket, placing it on one of the hooks. There house was very comforting. It wasn't too big, but maybe a little spacious for the two people living there. I looked at the photos on the walls of Peter as a child, as well as May and who I assumed was her husband. Peter's untied shoes lingered in the doorway, and the quotes on the walls expressed a more soothing feeling.
"Dinner isn't ready yet. Are you okay with lasagna?"
Just saying the word made my stomach growl. "I love lasagna!" I said a little over exuberantly.
I heard Peter chuckle from behind me.
"Why don't you show her around Peter?"
"Uh… Okay." He retorted.
His Aunt descended into the kitchen and we were left awkwardly standing in the hallway.
"So… Uh…. This clearly is the living room." He gestured to the room beside us and I nodded. "Kitchen's in there, basements that door," He took a step on the creaky stairs, and started to walk up them. He looked back, making sure I was following, and when I started to, he continued his journey.
I was met with another hallway, with two doorways and a closet. One of them was May's room, and the other Peter's.
He rubbed the nape of his neck as he turned the door knob, revealing everything that was inside of his room. He walked in and sat on a chair beside the door, one in front of a desk with a computer placed on top of it.
I followed behind him, trailing his footsteps, and paused in the center of his room, taking it all in.
His bed was in the left corner of his room, beside a small blue armchair. Beside that was a tiny bookshelf, the books overflowing like a waterfall on the floor. There was another door that led to a washroom. He had a poster of Einstein on it. His whole room was plastered with posters, some comics, some bands, and some pictures. There were a few framed pictures in the room. Two of them had Gwen in it, one of them was with his Aunt and Uncle and the other was him as a boy, with two people I did not recognize.
"Did you take these?" I questioned, referring to the display of pictures on the wall.
He nodded innocently.
I observed them, taking a closer look. "These are really good. Like really good."
"Thanks."
I turned to him, grinning.
He reclined back in his chair, then moved a mouse and pressed a button on his computer.
I was startled when I saw the door close and a little mechanical lock secure the door.
"What the—"
"It's just a lock I designed that you can control from the computer." He folded his arms behind his head.
"Peter! That's like insanely awesome."
He grinned instantly.
"You're rooms alright. I'm kind of impressed, I guess."
He just smiled again.
I sat down on his bed, which had dirty clothes all over it. We were silent for a while.
"Hey, uuhh… thanks for the other day."
I knew what he was referring to, at the cemetery. "No problem, Peter."
"Seriously, thank you. That talk opened my eyes up to a lot of things and helped me shut some doors that needed to be closed."
I cocked my head slightly at him. "What do you mean?" Was he talking about Gwen?
"DINNER!"
Peter just looked at me, grinning, and then unlocked the door, walking out of it, departing our conversation.
I followed him down the creaky steps and into the kitchen, where a dining table was placed nicely in the middle of it.
"I'm so hungry" Peter announced, taking a seat.
I took a close seat behind him and picked up my fork, ready to dig in.
By the time I took my fourth bite, Peter had finished his first serving. He stood up, grabbing an even bigger slab of lasagna. This boy could eat…
May asked me all sorts of questions like what I did occupational wise, where I lived, if I was going to school, where I was going to school, and etcetera. I asked her a few questions as well. She mostly talked about Peter or her late husband Ben. He sounded like such a great father figure for Peter. Not once did the subject of Peter's real parents come up and I didn't feel in the right position to ask just yet. Maybe one day I would.
When the sounds of sirens flooded by us, Peter instantly perked up, like before.
"Well thanks for dinner Aunt May it was delicious, Emily and I are going to my room." He rushed.
He took my plate in front of me, dumped it into the sink, (Food still in it) And grabbed my wrist, leading me upstairs. I glanced back at May and just shrugged, not knowing what was up with him.
He lead me upstairs and sat me on his bed.
"Peter, what's—"
"I have to go. I'm really sorry." He looked over at me, kneeling down in front of me. "Please, though, whatever you do don't go walk home by yourself. Please. I'll be right back, I promise."
"Where are you going?"
He stood up, walking over to the window. "I'll be right back! Promise me you won't leave until I get back?"
"Uhh…" I was so confused…
"Promise?"
"Promise." I said finally.
And with that, he jumped out of the window, taking the fire escape to climb down.
I threw my hands up in the air, groaning at his departure.
This was just like the day of the ice cream.
For the first few minutes I played brick breaker on my phone, hoping he would only be a little while. But when the half hour mark came I got even more bored.
I looked around his room, observing it. Whatever is in someone's room says a lot about them. I now knew what band's Peter was into, that he was interested in photography, and that he looked up to Einstein.
I glanced over at Peter's desk, seeing a picture of him and Gwen. It was adorable, really. Her head was on his chest, and he leaned down to kiss her. It made me smile to myself.
Gwen always appeared to have so much joy. We needed more people like that in the world.
When the hour mark passed, I sat on his computer chair. There was a usb stick labeled "Gwen's speech". If Peter caught me watching this, I don't think he would really care. Besides, I was there the day she did it. Peter, from what I heard at the cemetery, was not.
I plugged it in and opened the file. The video started to play.
"Good morning esteemed faculty and families of my fellow graduates. It's an honor do be standing up here today. I know we all think we're immortal. We're supposed to feel that way. We're graduating. But like our three- four years in high school, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever. What makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever. And I say it today of all days, to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living someone else's life. Make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to you. No matter what. Because even if we fall short, what better way is there to live? And I know it's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too, and there'll be days where you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. Keep it alive. No matter how buried it gets, or lost you feel, you must promise me, that you will hold on to hope and keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you, is to become hope. People need that. And again, if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we're saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next, to remind us of who we are, and of who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you, and I'll miss you all very much."
The speech literally brought tears to my eyes. I hadn't realized the depths of her words until now. And they were so inspiring. It reminded me of the cemetery when Peter said to Gwen, "I will become hope."
I smiled through the few stray tears as I unplugged the usb.
Peter still wasn't back yet so I groaned, again, and lay on his bed.
I would give him another half hour. If he still wasn't back I was leaving.
I found a remote somewhere on his bed and flicked on the small, old, television in the corner of his room. It buzzed on and the news popped up.
Spider-man, of course, was in it. An office building was on fire and Spider-man literally save every person from it. You could see from the footage that parts of his suit had burned through. Yet, he still continued to save the lives of others.
After hearing about how the fire started from an electrical problem, and listening to all the survivors that were in the building, I flicked the television off. It was turning 11:00pm and I had school tomorrow.
I know I promised Peter I would wait, but it had been two hours and he still hadn't made an appearance.
I picked up my purse from the floor of his room, and creaked open the door. I slipped out of it and flew down the stairs.
I saw May sitting in the living room.
"Thank you so much for dinner Mrs— uh, May. I really appreciated it."
"Oh you're welcome dear! Stop bye anytime. It's good to see Peter having friends over. IS he not walking you out?"
"Uh…" I didn't know what to say. Would she be annoyed that he left? Probably… But I didn't want to lie to her. "No." Was all I could say.
"Oh." She frowned. "Well thank you for coming Emily."
"No, thank you! Goodbye." I said, slipping on my shoes. I opened the door, walking out of it, and shut it behind me.
The cold air made me shiver. The walk wasn't too long. Probably fifteen minutes. I think I could make it without getting attacked again. I speed walked, not wanting to chance it.
"Hey, Blondie!" I turned around, wondering where the voice came from. It sounded familiar.
I was utterly speechless when I saw Spider-man swing down, detaching one of his webs from the building and land right beside me. He casually walked beside me.
"Uh, hello?" I said, observing him. His suit was burned in some places, assumedly from the fire that had just occurred.
"What are you doing walking out here by yourself?"
I didn't know what to say. I was so… star struck…. That I could hardly come out with any words. "Um, walking"
He chuckled, "Really? I couldn't tell."
"Umm…" I couldn't find any words. "A-Aren't you supposed to be saving people from a fire or something?"
"Already done" He said coolly.
"No offense or anything. But, uh, why are you walking with me?" I asked, looking into my reflection in his glass white eyes.
"A pretty girl like you can't just walk home by yourself. Last time that happened I had to literally throw a guy off of you."
He skipped along beside me, looking so jolly. "Yeah." I gulped, looking at my own feet, "Thanks for that."
He shrugged, "No biggie."
I wanted to ask this guy so many questions, tell him thank you for everything he's done for this city. But I was entirely flabbergasted. I could tell this guy was young, probably around my age. The way his body swayed and the sound of his voice. His voice seemed so familiar, but I couldn't pin point it.
"This is a nice walk," He said, skipping along the sidewalk. This guy was so high-spirited it made me want to laugh. But I was too nervous. Way too nervous.
Instead I just nodded.
When I made it to my house, I turned to look at him, seeing my reflection in his glassy white eyes. "Well, uh, thanks Spidey" I said, awkwardly twirling my hair in my fingers.
"No problem, Blondie." I could sense the smile in his voice, although I couldn't see it threw the charred mask.
He patted my back, before shooting a web up to the building across the street, swinging way.
I grinned to myself as I walked in.
Spider-man had just walked me home.
Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thank you for the reviews they really make my day :') Thanks for the follows and fav's as well! Tell me your thoughts on this chapter and what you want to see progress through out this story!