the spider whisperer

Flirting [chapter 7]

She sat in the corner, knees tucked up to her chest. Refusing to acknowledge anybody else's existence, she sobbed silently. Peter knew it was best to leave her alone and let her grieve. He'd even warned May to do so as well. But the aunt, being the caring person she was, checked up on her and asked if she needed anything out of worry. She got wails in response.

Some might've said her reaction was a tad bit dramatic, but her actions were completely appropriate when taking in the full situation. See, the girl had never been away from her home— her brother for so long.

For the college her brother attended, it was a requirement the freshman stayed on campus. But, after explaining their not-so-complicated complicated situation, the directors gave special permission that allowed him to go to school while still not living on campus. And they were so very grateful for that.

Who knows what she would've done by herself as a fourteen year old. She probably wouldn't even know what groceries were deemed appropriate to buy. Or how to save money. She probably would've been living off of fast food.

Regardless of wether or not she'd love a healthy lifestyle without her brother there, she had never been away from him. Call it pathetic. The fact she'd never been to a sleep over, or how she was so dependent on another human when she should be starting to learn how to live on her own, or that she was crying over it.

She was full of anxiety, and crying was the only way she could manage to cope with.

"Sweetie, would you like to have dinner with us?" May asked cautiously. She was hoping she wouldn't get louder cries in response. And her prayers were answered.

The girl peeked her head out of her arms. The redness in her eyes were obvious as well as her sniffling while she tried to stable herself enough to talk. May was patient with her though. She didn't care how long it took; May was just happy to be getting an answer from the girl that she could actually understand.

She rubbed her nose, "Yes, please."

"Woah!" Peter gasped from atop the couch's armrest in which he sat. He caught the attention of Aunt May as well as his partner. She was waiting for something snappy about her crying. But that was the last thing on Peter's mind. "She has manners?"

The girl barred her teeth and scowled on return. Peter stuck out his tongue and flashed a peace sign before walking off into the kitchen.

Aunt May wasn't going to let her nephew go without a scolding though, "Hey! Peter, don't pick on her. I'm sure she's stressed." She was fully on y/n's side. The girl had the right to cry if she felt like it. Especially when taking into account she was stranded at another persons house all of a sudden. May offered a kind smile and held her hands out to the girl, "Now, would you like to help me start preparing dinner?"

Accepting the woman's kind gesture, y/n nodded. She placed her hands in May's and was pulled up. The older of the two led them into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator.

Peter sat on the counter, legs swinging back and forwards as he watched his partner with tentative eyes. He was munching away on an apple; a little pre-dinner snack. His irises moved from the nervous twitches in her hand to the way her brows were slightly furrowed and her jaw somewhat clenched. Peter couldn't seem to look away from her. Never in his life had he seen the firecracker so nervous over something.

And she spoke in front of the class... SEVERAL TIMES.

"You're a mystery to me," Peter whispered to the girl as she subconsciously moved so she was closest to the person she trusted most. That happened to be Peter at the moment. He lighted squinted his eyes at the girl who played with the hem of her shirt, "I should know everything about you; I've known you for years. And I have this whole Spidey Sense thing. So why can't I read you?"