you glanced from around you locker, discreetly, to the other side of the hall where her hands were all over him, laughing wholesomely together. you visibly cringed when her hand stroked his arm."what's with the look?" your head snapped away from the scene when m.j.'s voice echoed in your ear, startled, you hit your nose against the door to your locker.
"ow, christ, m.j.—" you clutched your throbbing nose, and turned to see her stood behind you, holding her books in her arms and wearing a half-amused smile. "couldn't you have announced yourself or something?" she ignored your pain, instead, following where you'd been staring. she laughed a little when she saw peter and liz talking.
"are you still pining over peter?" your eyebrows furrowed when she said this. she knew full well that you had been crushing on peter since seventh grade. "just talk to him, dummy."
"it's not that easy," you huffed in annoyance. you hit your locker door closed and shrugged your books for your next lesson in your bag. "i don't think he even likes me like that."
"yes he does," she said point blank.
you ignored her, your eyes focused back on peter who was smiling sweetly whilst liz talked his ear off. "look at how he looks at her!" you groaned, shifting your backpack up your shoulder where it was slipping. "it's not fair, you know? she's blown him off so many times and here i am ready and willing and he doesn't even give me a second look," you sighed, watching liz's hand fall from his arm. he was hanging on her every word. "sucks."
m.j. rolled her eyes. "talk to him and i think you'll find you're wrong."
you panicked when peter caught your stare and smiled a little wider than he had been. he gave you a little wave, which caught liz's attention who turned to see you, mimicking peters wave. you forced a smile before turning and walking back down the hall to your next class. why'd she have to be so friendly, it made it impossible to hate her.
-
"hey," peter jogged up next to you. you were making your way to your locker at the end of the school day. it's been a long day of avoiding peter. you just felt like you couldn't keep your feelings quiet much longer, you knew if you saw him again you'd have to fight the urge to blurt out everything.
you lifted your mouth into half a smile. "hey, pete," you glanced at him for only a second before reaching your locker and sticking your head in there. you shoved in your geography textbook, and pulled out your notes for your history quiz next week. you tried desperately to look at anything but him, your eyes glued to the notes in your hand, pretending to be looking them over. you couldn't stand to talk to him about liz right now, you'd say something you'd regret. "i gotta run, mr. sykes kept me behind and now i'm late for dinner."
you slammed your locker shut and tried to swiftly exit the hallway but peter caught your wrist and tugged you back. you squeezed your eyes shut for a second out of frustration, you couldn't do this when you were feeling like this.
"hey— hey— wait, i haven't seen you all day!" he chuckled, blissfully unaware of the situation you were in. your eyes dropped to where he was now holding your hand to keep you from leaving. "how was your geography quiz?"
"uh— good— good i think. i'm not sure."
he rolled his eyes. "you always say that and you always do great."
you chuckled halfheartedly. "yeah i guess—"
"hey, i'll see you tonight, pete?" your breath caught in your throat when liz appeared behind peter, her hand touching his shoulder as she passed by the two of you in the hallway. her lingering eyes dragged towards you, she smiled softly. how was she that pretty. "come too, if you want, y/n," the offer was purely to be polite, so you didn't feel left out. a pity invite, you imagined, to another party being thrown this weekend. you didn't often attend, certainly not when you had exams to be studying for.
