(A few hours later, Kaine's apartment...)
Alone in his bedroom, Kaine sat at his desk with a pen in his hand, writing down several verses on a piece of paper. At the same time, a romantic song played in his earphones, which were plugged into his smartphone. On the left and right sides of the desk were three crumpled papers.
As he began to put down a few words on a new line, he frowned and stopped writing. Kaine read what he'd written so far and shook his head in disappointment. Something about it didn't match with what he wanted to confess to Anna.
"Great. Just great." A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he took the paper and crumpled it, leaving it on the desk along with the others. He stopped playing the song and unplugged the earphones, putting them away. "I'll probably continue later... But dammit, what should I write? What words do I put in...?"
A few knocks on Kaine's bedroom door interrupted his thought process, prompting him to turn to the door. "Come in, Mom. It's open."
The door handle got pushed down as Kaine's mother pushed it open gently, stepping inside. "Hey, Candy Cane. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" May, a woman in her forties, asked her son.
That nickname made Kaine roll his eyes and chuckle. "Oh, that never gets old. And no, I'm free at the moment. What's up, Mom?"
"Ah nothing, just wanna make some talk," she smiled as she closed the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. May noticed a few crumpled papers on the desk along with blank papers and pen, and looked at them with curiosity. "What were you writing?"
"Oh- It's just..." Kaine chuckled sheepishly, "Just a confession for Anna..."
"Ooh, your close friend? Someone's in love," May teased.
The young Parker covered his face in embarrassment. He groaned, "Really, Mom?? Why do you and Peter keep teasing me?"
She shook her head and tapped Kaine's shoulder lightly. "Hey, come on. I'm just joking," said May before clearing her throat and looked at her son with a serious, no-nonsense expression. "Kaine? Can I talk with you about this?"
"Sure, Mom. I'm all ears," he replied, all of his attention on his mother.
"Alright. So, you've known her for 4 months now, right? You understand each other on a deep level. And of course sooner or later, feelings get involved," she said. "I want you to listen very carefully and remember this. Always treat a girl right and never ever break her heart."
"Of course, Mom," Kaine nodded.
"And since you wanna confess to her, I want you to know this," May continued, "when you want the friendship to go to the next level, you must consider whether you're ready for it or not. Think through, okay?"
"I will. I'll take my time with it," Kaine replied. "She...matters to me. I don't wanna lose someone important like her. And I don't wanna hurt her." Soon however, his expression turned into a painful one as he remembered his late father that he despised. He averted his eyes. "I just... I don't wanna be like dad..."
"Oh, Kaine..." May put her hand on Kaine's shoulder. "You are a sweet, considerate boy. You are not like him. And I couldn't be more proud of you."
He turned to her, with a soft smile forming on his face. "Thanks, Mom... You're the best."
Both rose from their seats and pulled into each other's embrace for a bit, before letting go.
"Anyways, wanna help me cook something for dinner?" May asked.
"Of course, Mom," Kaine smiled, "I'd love to learn about cooking from you too."
"Well, that's new." Both giggled as mother and son headed out of the room and closed the door, about to prepare the ingredients and the tools they needed in the kitchen.
--
(Meanwhile, Peter's apartment...)
In the dining room, everyone gathered at the dining table. Plates and silverware all set, along with food and drinks. Richard and Mary, both in their forties, conversed happily about everyday topics as they ate their dinner. Yet the same couldn't be said for their son Peter who didn't start eating. No smile was apparent on his face, only uncertainty and hesitation reflected in his eyes, still lingering after meeting Gwen.
Soon, his parents realized something felt wrong and turned their attention to Peter. Both Richard and Mary shared a concerned look and decided to find out why.
"Hey, kiddo? What's wrong?" Richard's question made Peter look at him.
"Did something bother your mind when you hung out with your friends?" Mary asked.
Peter nodded to the two. "Something really did... Anna brought me and Kaine to meet with her friend Gwen," he said. "And Gwen...wanted to be friends with me. She wanted to help me."
"And...what's bothering you about that?" Richard wondered.
"I don't think I want to accept someone new in my life. Last time, it broke my heart."
Upon hearing that, the father and mother looked at their son with sympathy.
"Oh, my little scientist..." Mary patted Peter in his shoulder. "But this is different. Before, it was a stranger. But now, this is a friend of your friend. She seems to be kind and trustworthy."
"I know she has a good heart, Mom." Peter sighed, "It's just that... The pain is still fresh. And I'm afraid that I might get hurt again. I'm not ready..."
Richard nodded in understanding after listening to his son's words. "Kid... I've been there once. And it takes time to recover. Maybe a long time. Some things take time to heal."
"Indeed. And some people just aren't right for you. Or maybe they're hurting..." Mary said.
"...Hurt people hurt people, right?" Peter said.
"Yes. What they do can't be justified but they need healing too deep down," she replied. "Back to what I said earlier though, I wanted say that there is nothing wrong with accepting and receiving help from someone."
"Try not to dwell on the past too. It won't do you any good. Trust me," Richard added.
"But in the end, it's up to me... And when I'm ready, I gotta make a choice," Peter said in realization.
Richard and Mary nodded in unison.
"Thanks for listening to me, Mom, Dad. I appreciate it," he smiled slightly, which earned a warm smile from them.
Soon, Peter started eating his food and joined the casual conversation with his parents. Although he still felt the same, he could take comfort in the fact they were there for him. And their words would remain in his mind.
The question was what would he do when the time came to him.
--
While the Parkers could spend time with their respective families, Felicia could not. In the Hardy manor, she was all by herself in her bedroom. Sitting on her bed with a textbook in her hand, Felicia read one paragraph at a time, trying to digest the information. For a moment however, she frowned, like she couldn't grasp it. As if her mind wandered off to somewhere.
Felicia stopped reading and went back to the beginning of the paragraph. She started reading it again carefully, hoping to be able to understand it. Yet, she couldn't. Gripping the book hard, Felicia closed it shut and put it away from her.
"Dammit, I just wanna concentrate!" she screamed in frustration as she lied down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. A sigh escaped her lips, the words of the Spider-Men from earlier echoed in her mind repeatedly.
"I should've just left them alone... All I did was make them angry. Why did I even bother to...?" Felicia thought out loud. "I can't tell mom... Don't wanna bother her since she's busy right now. Damn. What should I do...?"
Silence would fill the room for a few minutes. Felicia pondered long and hard but nothing popped up in her mind. She let out an annoyed groan in response.
But then, a meow from outside her bedroom interrupted her thought process, prompting Felicia to rise up and get out of the bed. She opened the door and noticed her pet, a black and white cat, sitting before her. It looked at Felicia and meowed again.
The mere sight of her cat made Felicia feel easier and relaxed. She smiled and picked up the cat, carrying it in her arms. "Hey, my big kitty," she chuckled as she stroked its fur. The cat closed its eyes and purred loud.
In that very moment, she thought of an idea. "I guess I'll just take a break from studying tomorrow. Maybe put on the outfit and swing through a few city blocks and enjoy the view from the rooftops," she said in an ecstatic manner. Then a realization occurred to her, souring her joy. "Shit... I might come across them again. But I guess if I see the Spider-Men, I'll just...let them be." The girl sighed deeply. Even if she decided to honor what her former friends had wanted, a part of her felt burdened.
Felicia decided to not think too much about it. She could only hope it wouldn't lead to another raging conversation from them.
"Just a calm, normal day for tomorrow..." she thought.
A/N: I had a little difficulty when I started writing this chapter. But thank goodness I had some help and I could finish it. So to those who helped me, much thanks from me! I appreciate it. Anyways, hoping y'all love this chapter! The next one will focus on the villains cuz I don't want them to be underdeveloped. As usual, lemme know your thoughts thru the comments. Feel free to follow and favorite me and this fic too to stay updated!