Before I Go- A Peter Parker Love Story

Chapter 2

I never thought it was true that one person could change your life forever. But that was before I met him.

It was a Saturday, and I decided to go out. I had just finished fixing up my motorcycle, and I felt like celebrating. So, I walked downtown to my favorite ice cream place.

"Eyyy, Oliver!" Mr. Ingles said as I walked into the building.

"Hey, Mr. Ingles!" I called as I sat down, pulling the menu closer to me. I don't know why, I got the same flavor every time. But that night, I felt like trying something different. Roo's Ice Cream was one of the only places I felt comfortable. Mr. Ingles had been like a father figure to me since I was 12 years old. Here, I didn't have to keep the rough exterior I had around everybody else. I often did my homework here. It was like a second home.

"I'll try the chunky monkey," I said to the waiter, who was standing in front of me, waiting to take my order. He nodded before walking away to the ice cream window.

"Switching up your order on us?" Mr. Ingles asked, walking over to my table and taking a seat across from me.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Thought I would keep you all on your toes."

Mr. Ingles laughed with me, before his expression softened. "How are you doing Ollie?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I answered, a small smile present on my face.

"That's good to hear," he said. "I worry about you Ollie. You're a good kid, who's had a bad run."

"I'll be alright Mr. Ingles," I replied. "I always am."

"I know. But still, I worry." He smiled. I smiled back, the warm feeling of home entering me.

"Well, I won't bother you anymore," he said as the waiter came back with my ice cream. "Enjoy the ice cream."

"Thank you!" I answered, before digging into the cup before me. Honestly, the chunky monkey was actually pretty good. It may have even been better than my usual rocky road.

Before long, it was time for the shop to close, and I started gathering my stuff. "Ollie!" I heard a voice call. I turned around to see Mr. Ingles waving a cup of ice cream in the air. "For the road," he said kindly.

"Oh, Mr. Ingles, no I can't!" I protested.

"Please. I insist," He said, shoving the cup into my hands.

"At least let me pay for it," I pulled my wallet out.

"No. Absolutely not," he shook his head.

"Mr. Ingles!" I exclaimed, already knowing I was fighting a losing battle.

"You're a growing boy! Just take the ice cream already!"

I sighed. "Fine. But this is the last time," I said seriously. "Thank you."

"You're welcome my boy!" He said, giddy with the fact that he had won.

I left the shop, enjoying the ice cream in my hands, even though it was not helping my shivering body from the cold.

As I turned the corner, I almost bumped into someone, leaning against a tall brick building. "Shoot," he muttered, ruffling through his backpack.

"Hey, man! What the hell!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," He looked up, his brown eyes widened in an apology.

"Yeah, well maybe if you watched where you were going!" I snapped, knowing full well that I was the one walking and not paying attention.

"Right. Sorry again," He nodded, going back to his backpack.

I glared at him, raising my eyebrow in shock. "You're... not going to fight back?" I asked.

"Fight back?" He looked back up. "Why would I fight back?"

"I just yelled at you about something you didn't even do, and all you do is apologize?" I questioned.

"Well, in your defense, I wasn't paying attention," he answered.

"Man, what the fuck?" I said.

He laughed, ruffling his brown hair. "Did you want me to fight you? I can try," he said, weakly raising his fists in a fighting position.

"Okay, okay," I laughed. "Don't hurt yourself, kid."

"I- I'm not a kid," his voice squeaked as he slowly put his fists down. "I'm 16."

"Okay, first of all, you just tell your age to random strangers on the street? Second of all, no way, me too." I said, taking a bite of my ice cream.

His face lit up as he watched me. "Is that chunky monkey ice cream? From Roo's?" He asked.

"Uh yeah," I said hesitantly.

"That's literally my favorite flavor!" He said excitedly.

"Huh. No shit," I answered.

"I'm Peter," he said holding his hand out.

I stared at his hand for a beat before I looked back up at his red face. "Got a last name Peter?"

"Oh, uh, Parker," he said, putting his hand down.

"Nice to meet you Parker," I said. "I'm Oliver." I walked past him, desperate to get home before I froze to death.

"I didn't catch your last name Oliver!" He called after me.

I turned around. "I didn't throw it!" I said, a smirk on my face, before turning back around and heading back home.

I heard him let out a small chuckle as he also walked away, hopefully back to his own house. It was freezing outside and he already looked like he had been out for too long. It took me a minute to really think about my thoughts. Why did I care? He was just some random kid I met on the street. But there was just something about him. Even much later, when I tossed and turned in my bed, I couldn't seem to get the boy with brown hair and wide, brown eyes out of my mind. I talked to the kid for five minutes, and yet I was infatuated with him.

What had I gotten myself into?