Small World | Peter Parker

chapter five

I sipped my cup of coffee, inhaling the smell of freshly ground coffee beans. I was in heaven even for a split second.

After spending nearly an hour sitting on the bench, Peter and I parted ways. He walked me to my apartment before heading home. I forgot to ask him how long it took him to get home before he left. I wondered how long it would take him to reach his place because it was a good twenty minutes from school to my place. I don't even know where he lives.

I placed the hot cup of coffee on the floor next to my bed before letting my body fall forward. I grabbed and hugged my pillow to my chest. I was ready to sleep; my eyes felt heavy and sore. My body begged never to move again.

"Morgan?" A voice came from my phone, the speaker still on. I groaned, nearly forgetting I was still on the phone with Peter.

"Peter, I'm gonna hang up," I muttered against the fabric. "I'm going to hang up," I repeated loudly in case the words came out muffled.

"Wait - no," he sounded panicked on the other line.

"It's only the first day, and we talked for an hour earlier," I yawned, and I couldn't help smacking my lips. "I'm so tired,"

"You have a lot of stuff to do, remember?" Peter reminded me. I groaned again, louder this time to make sure he knew I was annoyed. "Morgan,"

"Can we not talk for thirty minutes?" I asked. "I promise I won't hang up, just don't talk for thirty minutes,"

"Okay," he sighed. I closed my eyes and listened. I could hear him breathing.

"Peter, stop breathing so loudly,"

"That's how I breathe normally," he protested, and I heard shuffling and him muttering one or two curse words. "Okay, wait," I heard him say, but he sounded distant. He must have the speaker away from him. "I'll just put on my headphones then," he muttered.

I didn't say anything, but I continued to listen. Five minutes passed by, and I tried to make out what I was hearing. There were a lot of noises in the background, and I heard a car horn and a few people walking past. But it didn't bother me. I almost felt relaxed by the noise.

"Excuse me, can I get a number 2?" Peter asked. He was talking to someone else. "Yes, thanks, and peach bubble tea,"

I sighed deeply, pressing my face into my pillow. It doesn't seem like he's going to stop talking. I looked up, scanning my room. It was nearly empty except for the bed on the floor and laptop on the ground. Fortunately, I was provided with a fridge and a stove, but the refrigerator was nearly empty.

Hopefully, my allowance comes in this week.

A few more minutes passed, and I continued to listen to the noises coming from my phone. Peter had stopped talking, but I could still hear the traffic in the background. Finally, Peter seemed to enter somewhere from the sound of a door and beeping. It could be his place.

"Aunt May, I'm home," he said, his voice quiet as if he was trying to talk as quietly as possible. "Supper smells good,"

There was more noise, more shuffling and then some static noises. I grabbed my phone, thinking the line went dead. "Peter?" I asked.

"I'm here," he responded quickly. "Just made it home,"

"I could tell," I replied, holding the phone next to my face. I could feel my eyes getting heavy again. "Are you going to hang up now?"

"No," he said quickly. "I like talking to you,"

I couldn't help but laugh. I pushed my face into the pillow, my cheeks feeling hot. "I like talking to you too,"

"What's that?" He asked. I lifted my head, my hair falling in front of my face.

"I like talking to you too," I repeated.

"I know I heard you," he said. I could almost hear him smile. "I just wanted you to say it again,"

"I have to go soon," I said as I pushed myself to sit upon my bed. I grabbed my laptop and opened it. "I have to do some stuff,"

Peter sighed on the other line. "Can't we just leave the line open?" He asked. I chewed my lip, and I stayed quiet. "Actually, we can end the call now,"

"Okay," I answered. Peter's behaviour seemed to change quickly. I couldn't tell what he was doing as I listened to him move around.

"Sorry," he said. "Sometimes I don't realize I'm too.. uh, I'll see you later,"

"Peter," I started.

"See you tomorrow," he said quickly, and the line went dead.

I grabbed the phone and stared at it until the screen went dark. I almost pressed the button to call back when I heard ringing from my bag. I threw my cell phone down and grabbed my bag, taking the second phone out. I answered it after the third ring. "Morgan Blair," I glanced at the clock. "Checking in at 6:30 pm,"

"Miss Blair," said the automated voice. "We have a lead of a male, approximately 6"2 with brown hair and blue eyes, who was seen with one of the victims. According to the source, the male's name is Dion Morris, and he has a record of assault and a restraining order from his former girlfriend. The girlfriend's name is Lela Summers,"

My heart dropped. "Okay, and you want me to meet with Dion?"

"Yes, become friends with him," continued the voice.

"By friends, you want me to become more than friends, right?" I asked.

"At your own discretion," the voice continued. "You do what you must do,"

"Understood," I said. "If Dion was last seen with Summers, wouldn't the police question him about the victim?"

"The suspect was questioned but immediately released after his father arrived at the police station," the voice explained. "Money controls everything, and the New York police, especially if your father is running for senator,"

"Crap," I muttered. "Okay, I'll do what I can by Sunday,"

"Miss Blair," the voice interrupted. "It is crucial you find out as much information so we can save these girls,"

"I know," I sighed. I leaned against my hand, rubbing my eyes. "I know, and I'll do whatever I can to find them,"

The line ended, and I heard the dial tone. I grabbed my phone and searched for the suspect's name. I pressed the search bar, and a list of Dion Morris' appeared in the search history. I recognized Lela's face in his profile picture. They were smiling at the camera, both of them looked happy. "Hello, Dion,"