Chemistry

10

Peter, followed by an angry Alessa, approached an empty yard, wearing his mask again.

Peter muttered, "Stay close to the ground? What is he talking about?"

He stopped walking, spotting something. Alessa rolled her eyes and followed her friend. Peter and Alessa entered the yard and found a piece of Brice's damaged weapon that had fallen out of the vehicle. He crouched down to tentatively flip it over with his fingertips.

"Whoa," Peter commented.

Alessa frowned. "Don't touch it. You have no idea what it does."

Peter an Alessa found the glowing energy core. His phone rang and he answered a call from Ned.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Peter said. "Lessa and I are on our way back."

"Actually, I was calling to say maybe you shouldn't come. Listen to this." Ned pulled his phone off his ear and raised it into the air.

"When I say "penis," you say "Parker,"" Flash said. "Penis!"

"Parker!" the crowd cried.

"Penis!"

"Parker!"

Peter and Alessa could still hear Flash and his friends chanting in the background.

"Sorry, Peter. I guess we're still losers. I'll see you and Alessa tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow in school." Peter hung up and carefully lifted the weapon. Metal and wires encased the glowing core. Peter looked up, determination clear on his masked face.

Alessa crossed her arms. "Take me home. I won't ask again."

The two made their way the their apartment building and Peter walked Alessa to her apartment.

Without another word, Alessa entered and shut the door behind her.

Peter hung his head in frustration. He could only hope Alessa would forgive him. When she got angry, she could hold it over someone for days if she wanted to.

The next morning, Peter knocked on Alessa's door, hoping she wasn't still angry with him regarding the previous night.

The door opened to reveal a stony-faced Alessa. "I haven't forgiven you for last night, but I am willing to talk to you again."

Peter nodded. "I'll take what I can get. You ready?"

Alessa put her backpack on and bit into a piece of toast. "Yeah."

"Did your grandmother say anything last night when you got home?"

"No, she was asleep. I'll have to talk to her about the dance eventually. I'll come up with some lie though."

"I have to figure out what I'll say to May."

"Maybe we can come up with something together."

"If we do, our stories have to be different enough that they don't think we ran off together."

"But we did run off together."

"I ran off and you followed me."

"Okay, fair, but we have to be careful about phrasing. Don't want them to assume things."

"Uh, yeah. Right."

---

In shop class, Peter hit the weapon core casing with a hammer. The core emitted purple light as it was partially freed from the metal casing.

"Oh," Peter said and started to pull it apart. Ned and Alessa joined him.

"Hey, thanks for bailing on me," Ned told them.