𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐞- 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫

12.

His distance would last about 2 weeks. He would call me in the middle of the night sometimes to ask how I was doing. Sometimes when I walked around the city I could feel him watching me from the top of buildings. I didn't know why he wouldn't just come up to me. After all, he never truly broke things off and I didn't want to because it wasn't my moms choice to say what Peter had to do.

So to me, this was just us giving each other some space. If he came up to me and told me things wouldn't work out then I'd be devastated, but I'd respect his decision. It wasn't his fault. He was trying to be respectful of my moms wishes, but it made me upset that he didn't consider mine.

I was sitting at my kitchen table scrolling through college emails and websites. I chose a college near here because of their great studies, classes, and campus. Plus I wasn't ready to leave New York, not just because Peter would be staying. It was about a two hour drive, easily accessible by train.

"I'm so excited for you." My mom squealed, shaking my shoulders. "You get to leave Queens and grow up by yourself. Experience new opportunities and people."

I knew when she said people she meant people other than Peter. People who were "good for me", people who weren't swinging around neighborhoods to do damage. Her reasoning for this was using Captain Stacy's death against him.

"I am too." The corner of my lips twisted into a smile.

"Oh, honey." She sat down at the table, taking my hand in hers. "You're still holding on."

"I'm not holding on, mom. He's my boyfriend."

"It's torment to you. Watching you suffer each day. Just let it go." She would use her best abilities to convince me daily.

"Would you have listened to me when I told you about the torment you cause me when you introduced me to your new fiancé?" I fired.

It was true. Steve proposed to my mom about a week ago. Too soon for my liking, but she accepted the ring and the vows she would be copying. I wasn't sure if Steve truly loved her or if this was just a mockery to my disapproval. Either way, I ignored them both for so long.

"That's different and you know it." She rebuked, letting my hand fall to the table.

My phone began buzzing in my pocket. When I took it out, I grinned at Peter's name flashing on the screen. I raced to my room in order to answer it, beyond glad to hear his voice on the other end recommending we'd meet up.

I told my mom I was leaving, threw on my hat and coat, then practically ran down the stairs and to the spot he told us to meet. Of course I was the first one here. I was a bit nervous this phone call was the start to the end of our relationship. My heart was beating in my chest so loudly I wasn't sure if his spidey senses were able to pick it up or not.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"So much I need to talk to you about." I said, honestly. Not just about the relationship.

"Why don't we go get some ice cream?" He suggested.

It was cold out, but we did just that. Then we babbled back and forth about everything that happened in the past 2 weeks we never talked about on the phone, including Steve's proposal. I probably shouldn't of mentioned that yet because his smile dropped from his face registering that this man he made a promise with will soon become my step-dad.

"Okay, no. I don't want to see that face tonight. Okay?" I pouted.

He faked a smile again, turning this whole night almost upside down. It was going great until I had to mess it up. Then again it was something I couldn't hide from him and something big in my life I didn't want to hide from him. This relationship isn't about lies and secrets to make each other feel completely better.

"Serena and I tried a new restaurant down the street. It's an Italian place. They have great gelato too and amazing pasta. We should go sometime. The place is adorable." I switched the conversation.

"Yeah. That would be great." He said.

This all wrapped up in my conspiracy that he was in fact following me. So when I mentioned it, he didn't try to hide it. He knew where I'd been and where I was heading. Knew that I spent as much time with Serena as I could to not only distract myself, but also because she was moving out of state for college.

"Yeah." He admitted, resting his forehead against a tree to hide from me due to embarrassment.

"I knew it." I whispered. "Maybe I have my own spidey senses after all."

He held out his arms for me to curl myself into. I missed the smell of him, as creepy as it sounds, and the way his body fit with mine. He seemed open again to our relationship by the way he spoke and acted around me. The same way he acted before the promises.

He leaned down slowly checking if I would pull away. I didn't, however, the commotion happening down the street interfered with our moment. He didn't hesitate to observe the people around him or whatever he was sensing that I couldn't.

"What is it?" I stood beside him.

He didn't answer because he was already in his suit and in the city. His jacket and shoes were hanging on the tree. I sighed, threw out my finished ice cream, and sprinted through the crowds of people down to the barricades.

"Excuse me." I pushed my way through, hearing the way Peter was calmly speaking to this electric man. "Oh my gosh."

The screens provided a clear shot of this man. His skin blue, eyes blue, electricity sparkling around him. And in a flash, shots were fired and Peter was flung across the road into a cop car. Billboards fell to the ground and Spiderman took the place of this electricity man on every screen.

This was a triggering moment for the man. He bent down, grabbing the electric gates causing electricity to shoot everywhere. Peter blocked it, ultimately pissing this man off more and ending him a place shot through glass boards.

Everyone screamed and sprinted away from the mess of electricity this person fed off of. I stayed in shock, waiting for any other shot of Peter. I didn't even see him until water blasted the electric man from the right. Sure enough, Spiderman was standing there high-fiving the fire men viewing the electric man falling to the floor.