Sucker Punch ➳ Peter Parker

i. punching strangers

AUDREY COULDN'T HELP but sigh as she made her way towards the nearest coffee shop. She was already late for school, but yet she didn't seem to care that particular morning. As she entered the coffee shop, she inhaled the smell of baked goods and strong coffee. A smile made its way onto her lips as she waited in line, taking in the interior of the shop. It was a vintaged coffee shop, with a jukebox which was currently playing Elvis Presley.

"Next in line." spoke the barista who was at the cashier. "I'd like a small iced coffee, please." Audrey said as she pulled out her wallet. "That'll be $4.50." the barista told her and Audrey handed her a five dollar bill. After she was given her change, Audrey stood to the side and she hummed along to 'love me tender' as she waited.

The barista handed Audrey her iced coffee and she sent a smile in return. Audrey made her way out of the coffee shop and into the streets of Queens. She sipped her coffee as she walked, deciding to skip school for that day. It's not like I'll miss anything she thought. Audrey wasn't considered the most popular girl in school, but she was up in the ranks.

Being the head journalist of their school newspaper and a dancer, she basically had the power in her hands. She had the power to destroy reputations and everything following and it's all thanks to what she wrote or said. If she wanted to, she could've already written about many of her peers, and completely destroyed their high school lives, but she decided against it. She wasn't that type of person.

Once Audrey finished her coffee, she threw it in the trash bin and continued her walk. When she spotted the library, Audrey made her way towards it, pulling the doors open. As she entered, a huge smile set itself on her lips and she walked over to the front desk. "Margaret." she greeted the librarian who was scanning books. Margaret looked up and grinned once she saw the girl. "Audrey, dear! It's been a while."

"You saw me three days ago." Audrey laughed as she made her way behind the desk and began to help Margaret with the pile of books. "Shouldn't you be in school?" Margaret asked her as she watched Audrey sort books. "Yeah, but I wasn't feeling it today." Audrey told her, not looking up.

Margaret shook her head. "Your mother really needs to give you a talk, missy. You can't just decide to ditch school whenever you want to." Audrey looked up. "You know my mom doesn't give a damn about me, Margaret. She's always gone and doesn't bother to acknowledge me when she's home." she told Margaret as she picked up another book. "Besides, its not like I'm ditching everyday. It's only once a month or so."

Audrey's family had lived together up until the girl was seven, and then her parents had decided to part ways. More like her father wanted nothing to do with her mother any longer, and it ended in a messy divorce. They divided up the custody of their two children easily, her father taking her older brother, Alec and her mother being left with her. Each child was allowed to visit their other parent only during the holidays and they could switch places whenever it was necessary. After the arrangements were settled, Audrey and her mother packed their bags and left their home in Manhattan to live in Queens.

Since then, Audrey has lived in Queens with only her mother. After her tenth birthday, her ties with her father and older brother were officially cut, neither of them making an effort to see the girl any longer. As the years went by, Audrey witnessed how her father was making it big, working with Stark Industries and other big companies, leaving her to fend for herself, seeing as her mother turned into a workaholic and dedicated her entire life to SHIELD and never tried to interact with her daughter. Yet, the only relative who seemed to interact with her, happened to be her aunt Pepper, who was her mother's best friend.

"Language." Margaret scolded her and Audrey laughed. "It's not like you have not cursed before, Marg." Margaret shook her head and a smiled made it way onto her lips. "I'll be lying to you if I said I haven't cursed the shit out of someone, dear." Audrey grinned. "Now, now Marg, language. You should know better."

Margaret chuckled. "You're done for today, now get out of here and enjoy the rest of your day before I kick you out of here, Audrey." the woman told her, as she began to shoo her away from the stack of books. "But I'm not done." Audrey complained, trying to convince Margaret to let her to stay. "Someone else will take care of it. Now go and explore the city again." she told her as she handed Audrey her bag.

Audrey sighed but gave in. She waved goodbye as she made her way out of the library and back outside. She pulled her camera out of her bag and placed it around her neck. She turned the camera on, and she began to walk, looking for something to photograph.

As she walked, she found the garden of flowers that were located in the middle of Queens and she made her way towards it. Audrey looked around, trying to figure out which type of flowers to photograph first. She spotted the forget-me-nots flower and made her way towards them. Audrey crouched down to capture the flowers perfectly, making sure she got the best angle.

She was too busy concentrating on the flowers that she did not notice when a boy her age approached her from behind. He watched her in curiosity, wondering why she was photographing flowers in the first place. He slowly placed his hand on her shoulder, which caused her to jump.

Audrey jumped at the sudden contact of a stranger placing their hand on her shoulder. She knew she had to do something before this stranger did anything to her. She was going to punch the stranger, and she was hoping she wouldn't feel sorry once she did.

Peter opened his mouth, but before he could put together a sentence, the girl grabbed his hand and turned around, punching him right in the face.