The Tangled Web | Peter Parker

Chapter 23

It should come as no surprise that Eddie's plan was a total and complete utter disaster. We didn't even get past two of the officers last night before they stopped us and questioned our business in the area. Eddie tried to bullshit his way around it, saying that he was on rotation on the floor, covering for a nurse who called in sick. He claimed someone had reported a mess that needed attending to in one of the rooms.

The cops dismissed us almost immediately. Thankfully, they somehow believed we both worked in the hospital. The officers were apologetic but stated they couldn't have any unauthorized visitors in the patient's room. They explained there was a small list of people who were cleared to enter the room, including a few hospital employees. They said we could ask our respective supervisors to be added to the list, but until then, we would need to go elsewhere.

Eddie was quick to apologize before we made our way out of the hospital. He drove me home, explaining that he didn't want to keep me out late on a school night. He promised he would call his lawyer informant in the morning and see if there were any strings he could pull. I was holding out hope that he could work his charm to get us added to the list of people cleared to enter the taxi driver's room so we could speak with him.

The plan was for Eddie to go back to the hospital sometime today and interview the driver while I was at school; we would meet up later and continue brainstorming ideas to prove Dr. Connors was the lizard from the bridge the other night. The task was seemingly near impossible without any solid proof.

I wanted to believe Peter yesterday when he explained his reasoning behind why he thought Connors was the creature destroying the city. But his word was not enough to publish a story with nothing to back up his accusations. I continued to think of any possible loopholes to printing a story about the connection between Connors and the lizard sighting on the bridge.

I stopped by Peter's house this morning. I went over there hoping to convince him to write and submit a story to be published in the opinion section, but May explained he had already left for school. I didn't see him after my lonely walk and had zero luck catching him in between classes. It wasn't until later in the school day that I was walking through the hallway and saw a familiar mess of brown hair standing near his locker.

A smile grew on my face as I approached Peter. I was so relieved to see him standing in the hallway. Just seeing the back of his head was enough to reassure me that nothing had happened to him. I was beginning to worry that he had been injured in his attempt to get a photograph of the lizard and that was why he hadn't returned any of my calls or texts from yesterday.

I opened my mouth to say hi but froze when I realized Peter wasn't alone. My smile quickly faded as I watched Peter's lips glide over Gwen's. Oh. The two were locked in an intimate embrace, their mouths parting and colliding as they exchanged a passionate kiss against his locker. Oh.

My entire body felt like it had been run over by a train. The books I had been holding for my last class of the day seemed to slip from my hands, crashing on the ground near my feet. My ears were ringing as I took a step away from Peter and Gwen.

Peter's lips detached from Gwen's as he turned around to investigate the noise. His eyes grew wide as they made contact with mine. He opened his mouth and took a step toward me. He was clearly speaking to me, but I couldn't hear anything he was saying.

My legs continued to walk away as Peter followed after me. I panicked and looked around for an immediate escape. There was a bathroom to my left. I lowered my head and rushed into the stalled sanctuary, knowing Peter wouldn't follow me inside.

I ran over to the sink, trying to catch my breath and stop the tears that were threatening to fall. I closed my eyes, attempting to blink away the pain. You're okay. You're okay.