𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑, PETER PARKER ¹

xiii.

THEY SAY TIME IS THE GREATEST HEALER, but I don't agree with that. It has been months since Lucía  passed and it hasn't gotten any easier and the guilt hasn't gone away. And on top of all of that, the recurring nightmares from the battle on Titan still haunt me every time I close my eyes.

    I was with Peter or Gwen almost everyday, but I couldn't just be with them all of the time. So, when I went home I felt miserable. Living in a house without Lucía  was suffocating. I would try to distract myself by immersing myself in my homework, but that only led to me getting burnt out. I started texting Zach more. We talked a little after Lucia died but I was too overwhelmed to make a real connection with him. Despite all of this, I couldn't stand to be alone without a distraction. The unbearable guilt of knowing I could have prevented her death was eating me alive.

So when Zach invited me to his party this weekend, I couldn't decline. It was exactly the kind of distraction that I needed.

.•¤۞¤•.

THE PARTY WAS LOUD, just like the last one. I recognized some of the same people there from the last one I was at. Except this time was different because Lucia wasn't here.

No, you can't think about her right now.

I shoved down that thought as I downed a cup of booze that Zach had handed me. He and his friends laughed and cheered me on. I smiled proudly at them even though the drink didn't taste good, and I was fighting the urge to break into a coughing fit.

It didn't take long for the alcohol to settle in my system. Every minute that passed, the more buzzed I began to feel. A calm and confident attitude began to wash over me. I started talking loudly to anyone who wanted to listen, dance with some of my friends, and let Zach wrap his arm around me, which made me feel even more giddy.

So confident that when I saw two familiar faces in the crowd, I just had to make my way over to them. I stumbled my way over to a very surprised looking Peter Parker and Ned Leeds. The room was so crowded that someone in between us stuck an arm out and I began to trip. Luckily, I tripped right into Peter Parker who held his arms out to steady me.

"Heyyy Peter!" I greeted cheerfully, giggling at my fall. No doubt he could smell the alcohol on my breath, but I was so intoxicated that I didn't think he'd notice. "Ned! Oh my god! I love your hat!"

Ned smiled and told me thank you, but Peter didn't look as happy as his friend.

"I washn't expecting you guys to be here. But uh-" I start, grabbing each of them by their shoulders.

"Emmie, are you drunk?" Peter interrupts me.

"No you're just really blurry!" I assure him, a smile still sitting on my face.

"Uh huh," He looks around at the party crowd, the slightest tinge of worry adorning his face. "Who are you here with?"

"Oh! Uh-" I turned around to find my friends, and after searching for a few seconds I spot Zach's taller frame in the crowd. "Zach uh." I blink repeatedly hoping that will retrieve his elusive last name. "Chandler. Zach Chandler. Oh my god, You need to meet him!"

"Oh, that's okay-"

"Zach!" I ignored Peter and began shouting and waving for Zach to come over here. "Come meet my friends!"

Zach strode over to us, his taller frame towering over Peter and Ned a little, and a gorgeous smile plastered on his face.

"Zach, this is Peter and Ned!" I introduce him to my friends, specifically pointing at Peter. "Peter and I are like best friends. I'm always at his house."

Everyone's smiles drop a little.

"Oh?" Zach asks in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, he bought me flowers when my sister died." I went on, still smiling. I hadn't picked up on the forming tension between Zach and Peter.

"Well isn't that so nice of him?" Zach said kindly to a nervous looking Peter. "Come on, Emmie. I want to show you something."

.•¤۞¤•.

    THE NIGHT DRAGGED ON, and for most of the time, I was attached at Zach's hip. The alcohol put me in a confident mood, so when Zach started flirting with me, I happily went along with it. At one point in the night, he leaned down and whispered into my ear.

    "You look so pretty tonight." I smiled at his compliment. "Can I kiss you?"

    I happily agreed to it and he leaned down to put his lips on mine. One kiss turned into many and the funny thing was, it wasn't anything like I thought my first kiss would be. I always envisioned it being super romantic with fireworks exploding inside of me. But I didn't feel anything. It almost felt kind of awkward.

    We both pulled away with a smile, and I stayed with him and his friends until I had to go home. What I didn't know was that Peter Parker had been near and watched Zach kiss me with wide, sad eyes.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

i've been suuuuuper busy lately with school and its been hard to find time to write, but heres a new chapter for you guys!
i couldn't put gifs on this chapter for some reason which is so frustrating but oh well
hope you all liked it <3

CJ