RED - Peter Parker x F!OC

Chapter 14: Clear Things Up

Two Days Later...

"Whenever you're ready," Dianne called out from behind the lab counter. Gwen hunched down next to her, jotting down on our datasheet.

I stood on the opposite side of them, holding a test tube in one hand and a plastic cup in the other. I let my upper body rest on the countertop to put less weight on my broken ankle. Slowly, I set the test tube down in front of me, stirring the hydrogen peroxide in it. Dianne walked around the counter to grab the warm beaker of potato juice.

"Do you think it's hot enough?" Gwen asked, resting her chin on her elbow. Dianne tied her hair up into a loose ponytail before turning off the heating mechanism.

"I checked the temperature, it should be fine." She assured us, slowly pouring the liquid into the small tube. As she was pouring the last bit of juice, the door of the classroom swung open, catching Dianne by surprise. All three of us gasped synchronously as the contents spilled over the counter with the tube.

I swerved around to find Peter hopping into the room, raising one leg awkwardly to put his shoe on. He seemed in a rush, quickly checking himself out in the reflection of the metal faucet by the door. Without a care, he threw his backpack onto the back counter, joining us.

"Peter!" Gwen scolded, dabbing a handful of paper towels on the counter. I let out a sigh, pulling on a pair of latex gloves to help the girls out. Peter just stood there confused, constantly glancing at the time.

"What? Did I do this?" He gestured toward the puddle on the ground. I couldn't help but laugh as I cleaned around him. Once I got up, I tossed him the wet towel, which he didn't flinch at.

"Sort of," Dianne mumbled, throwing her gloves away. She returned to the heater, switching it back on to warm up a new round of potato juice.

I took my crutches from Gwen, who was explaining to Peter what he missed.

"So, I didn't miss much?"

"Where were you, anyway?" I questioned him, fidgeting with the zipper on my jacket. Since the events at the apartment the other day, Peter and I haven't had a chance to talk one-on-one in person. We've had some interesting conversations over text, but school and other activities have been keeping us busy. Plus, I had other things I needed to discuss with him. I figured after school today would be perfect.

"I was- Dr. Connors needed me." He scribbled his name down on our shared paper.

"He'd never call you in during school hours." Gwen narrowed her eyebrows, filling the test tube with carbon dioxide.

I tossed Peter safety glasses and gloves, nearly dropping my crutches in the process.

"Well, technically, he called me in early in the morning and the situation just took longer than expected," Peter answered smoothly, though the way his eyes turned in every direction but Gwen's said otherwise. I still couldn't help the fact that he was afraid of her.

"Yeah, okay." She lost patience, now only focusing on Dianne as she poured the juice into the tube, without interruptions this time.

While they were invested in the lab experiment, I pulled Peter away from the counter. He sat on a nearby table, facing me.

"What's up?" He chirped up, seeming unbothered that Gwen was giving him the cold shoulder for ruining our lab.

"Can we talk after school?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Am I in trouble? Because if this is about the lab-"

"No, Pete. I'm not mad. There's just a lot of questions that need answering." At that, Peter's chest stopped rising, as if he forgot how to breathe for a second.