Alice. (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

Chapter Seven.

A/N: Hi, this is just the second update of the day. I update two chapters in one day if the chapters are short. I'm testing the waters a bit, but vote in the comments, please.

:: update 2 chapters at the same time
OR
:: update 2 chapters on the same day, but different times.

Please tell me, guys, I need help with this!

Read, feel, enjoy.

ch

*

The next day, Peter and Ned were standing over their workbench in class. Peter was attempting to wrench open the metal device that he took last night. Using a multitude of tools, he attempted to get at the purple glowy thing inside. Peter, failing to pry it open with a screwdriver, started whacking it with a hammer. After a couple of strikes, the device popped open. Peter leaned in closer, inspecting the strange piece of tech.

"Hey, thanks for bailing on me last night," Ned said, evidently annoyed. "And Alice." He added in a whisper, narrowing his eyes at Peter.

"Yeah, but something came up!" Peter protested, playing around with the wires and squinting at the tiny parts. He felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, looking down slightly. He'd ditched her.

"What is that?" Ned asked, distracted again, looking down at the glowing thing.

"I don't know," Peter struggled, grunting as he tried in vain yet again to pry open the metal casing. "Some guy tried to vaporize me with it."

"Seriously?" Ned asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Peter replied, bending closer to the device.

"Awesome!" Peter gave him a look. "I mean- not awesome. Totally uncool, that guy. So scary." Peter gave him another look.

"I think it's a power source," Peter said, grunting still as he struggled with it.

"Yeah, but that's an inductive charging plate. That's what I use to charge my toothbrush." Ned added, pointing.

"Whoever's making these weapons is obviously combining alien tech with ours," Peter stated, glancing up at Ned. His eyes widened as he ducked under the table, while also managing to hit his forehead against it; Alice walked past. He groaned silently, pressing the palm of his hand against his newly aching head.

"That is literally the coolest thing anyone has ever said," Ned said, amazed, and totally oblivious to Peter's silent pain as he looked up from under the table to hide from the girl he had ditched at the party. "I am so grateful for being able to join you on this journey."

Peter straightened up, looking behind him to see if anyone was giving him any weird looks. A light, dull thud started to set in. He picked up a hammer and hit the glowing part directly. It gave a loud 'thwang!' and the hammer fell out of his hand. Ned and Peter glanced around to see if the teacher was looking at them.

"Keep your hands clear of the blades!" He raised his voice, monotonous, and not paying attention, as always. Perfect. Not so perfect was that Alice was looking at him too. He looked away, back down at the thing.

"She looks pretty hurt, man," Ned muttered to Peter, glancing sidelong at Alice. "Have you apologised?"

"What am I supposed to say? I ditched her and left the party because I got mad that Flash was making fun of me? How stupid would I sound?" Peter said, irritated at himself and generally everyone around him, his irritation worsened by the growing soreness in the front of his head.

Ned glanced back at Alice. "Yeah, she looks really dejected," He stated. "You really should say that you're sorry."

Peter shrugged, clenching his teeth. I'm a huge idiot.

---

Alice glanced up at Peter when she heard a loud metallic 'thwang!' coming from the vicinity of his and Ned's workbench. The teacher said something and they had turned back to work on whatever they had sitting on the table in front of them. Alice stared wistfully at the back of Peter's head. She saw Ned glance at her and she huffed and returned to her project. You look like a love-sick puppy. Pull it together!

She fiddled with the gears without really doing anything productive, just turning them over her fingers. It wasn't like they were dating or anything, but... Alice really thought that he had liked her. She was probably being stupid, and she felt stupid, but it was probably nothing.

The bell rang, and students, eager to get out of one of the least productive classes, grabbed their things and ran out of the room. Alice left her tiny half-built machine, with all the parts that she had yet to attach, and all her tools inside a cardboard box, which she left on a shelf at the back of the class.

Alice said goodbye to the teacher, who didn't look up from his book, but grunted in reply. She grabbed her book bag before heading out the door. She turned the corner, the empty hallway echoing with her footsteps. Most of the students from her class had run off to the cafeteria, some of them to classrooms for their various clubs.

Alice walked by herself to the cafeteria, plopping down next to Michelle. She sat with her face on the table, her arms crossed over her head. Michelle looked over from her book, eating an apple.

"Did you see Peter?" Alice asked, her words muffled by the table.

"No." Michelle chewed her apple, flipping to the next page in her book. "Did he talk to you?"

Alice shook her head, strands of her hair falling over her face.

"I think he's avoiding me," Alice said softly. She was really embarrassed to admit that the fact that Peter wasn't talking to her was troubling her this much.

"He's avoiding you," Michelle agreed, placing her book upside down on the table, the pages splayed open to keep her place in the book. Alice always hated it when she did that to her books.

Alice lifted her head up, resting her chin on her crossed arms. Michelle nodded to the direction of Ned and Peter, rolling her eyes. Peter looked guilty, but he shot off in the opposite direction. Ned looked apologetic, but he walked off with him. Alice groaned.

"Well, at least he'll have to talk to you when we go for Nationals," Michelle said, placing her apple core on a napkin and picking up her book.

"He's not on the team anymore!" Alice exclaimed, looking over at Michelle.

"I have a feeling that he's gonna try and re-join." Michelle shrugged, raising her brows and pressing her lips together.

Alice groaned. Setting her face back down on her arms. Nationals.

*

A/N: Just 8 more chapters to go guys! That means about a week more! I'm really excited and really nervous. Also, do you think I should make a sequel? Might be a bit early to ask this but I already have an idea, and it's super exciting and action based. What do you think? Remember to add this to your library, vote, and call me out/give me feedback in the comments!

ch