The Recluse •{Spider-Man}•

Chapter 2: Walnut Date Loaves Are Surprisingly Good

🔸Hailey POV🔸

To say dinner was awkward would be an understatement.

My mom and May Parker bonded instantly over the fact that Peter and I are the same age. Had it not been for the fact that we were both present, the two women probably would have been fighting over baby names.

"So, Peter, you don't play any sports?" Mom questions, her eyes sparkling.

"Nope. Not really my thing," Peter answers politely. "I'm not really built for that." The fact that he carried most of our furniture up four flights of stairs — by himself — said otherwise. He avoids my gaze and shoves a forkful of green beans into his mouth.

"Oh, so you must have lots of free time." Mom smiles a little too widely. I catch her implied meaning: that leaves a lot of time for you and Hailey to spend together.

"He studies and tinkers with old computers after school. He's the next Tony Stark," May jokes. "What about you, Hailey? Do you play any sports?"

I shake my head and put my fork down. "I'm not really into sports. They're kind of boring. I'd rather climb a tree and take pictures."

"Oh, so you're a photographer?" May takes a sip of her tea.

I shrug. "I call myself that, but I'm horrible, really."

"Oh, don't say that, Hailey. You and I both know you're very good." Mom frowns and pats my arm. "Why don't you go get a few of your pictures to show them?"

"I don't know wh-" Mom's eyes narrow and I stop myself. "Um, sure? I'll be right back." I stand and quickly go to my room.

I had to dig through several boxes before I found my Manila envelope filled with photographs. Bringing the whole thing back with me, I hand it to May. "There's a lot of photos in there. Most of them aren't very good..."

May wipes her hands on her napkin and opens the envelope. She pulls out some pictures and her eyes widen in awe. "Hailey, these are amazing! Look, Peter."

Peter takes one from her hands, his usually stoic face lighting up when he realizes it's a picture of a spider web glistening with dew. "You're really good, Hailey."

I can feel the heat rising up my face. "I-I'm not that good."

"The way you got the lighting on this is beautiful." May turns the picture so I can see what's in her hand. It is a picture I had taken of my friends when they were dating. The sun hid most of their faces, but their smiles shown brightly. They broke up two days later, so I never got to give them the picture

Mom smiles. "I told you she was good. She loves photography and never goes anywhere without a camera."

May frowns slightly and holds up a picture. A boy sat smiling at the camera, a guitar resting across his legs. "Who's this?"

My breath catches in my throat. I thought I had burned that picture.

"Hailey, that's St-" Mom starts.

"A friend from Chicago," I finish. "He had cancer." Steven had been more than a friend, and it wasn't cancer that killed him.

"Oh." May doesn't press any further, knowing she had hit a soft spot. "It's a very nice picture."

The conversation drops and an awkward silence fills the air.

"Why don't we slice up that walnut date loaf? It's sounds interesting," Mom suggests and starts to clear the table.

I collect my photographs and return them to my room. Of all the envelopes, I picked the one that had his picture. I shove it back into the box with a sigh. No matter what, he would always be there to haunt me.

Steeling myself, I go back to the dining room where Mom is serving the bread. It looks like banana nut bread, but has chunks of what I assume to be dates in it. It tastes interesting, a good kind of interesting. I cut another slice, savoring the flavor.

"This is really good, May. You have to give me the recipe sometime!" Mom exclaims, cutting another slice for herself.

"It's a family recipe. We add a little something to it that no one else adds. Come over for supper on Tuesday and I'll get you the recipe. I don't give it to people outside the family, but this will be fine." May shoots me a grin, her words implying that we would be family soon enough.

Peter rolls his eyes in embarrassment and shoots a glance at me, his eyes catching mine. I quickly look away. I have no intention of giving Mom anything to gush over.

"Well, we should probably leave now. I'm sure you two are tired. Maybe we can give you a quick tour of the city tomorrow, since it's Sunday." May wipes her mouth with her napkin and stands, a smile on her face.

Mom smiles and stands with her. "That would be wonderful. Maybe you can get some good pictures, Hailey."

I smile. "Sounds fun!" I shoot another glance at Peter, who's eyes are still watching me.

"Come on, Peter. Let's leave so they can get some rest." May puts her hand on Peter's shoulder, prompting him to stand.

He stands, his height finally registering with me. He is four inches taller than me, like that spider guy. He forces a smile in response to mine.

We walk them to the door and say good night. It isn't that late, but I am tired. I fight back a yawn as we wash the dishes and get ready for bed. I had been hoping to go out exploring, but I am exhausted.

I stumble through my boxes of clothes and decor to my bed, promptly crawling under the blankets and snuggling into them. I inhale deeply. It still smells like our home in Chicago.

My mind drifts to Steven. I grimace and bury my face deeper into the pillow, chasing him from my mind. He is gone. Wishing he was here won't bring him back, no matter how hard I try or how much I cry.

My eyelids grow heavier and heavier until I found myself in a deep, dreamless sleep.