It's a Little Strange

11. CONFESSIONS

The next week went by incredibly fast. Peter was always on edge, trying his best to dodge and avoid Michelle at all costs. She had tried to sit with Peter and Ned during lunch, but Peter had to do some studying by himself and bolted before Michelle could even question it. Peter would text Ned the entire time he was away.

The most difficult part was during Decathlon meetings where Peter could not physically escape. At first, Michelle didn't question him, but as the dodging and avoiding pursued, she got annoyed. She would lean across the table and whisper harshly at him and Peter would tap his earbuds to signal that he couldn't hear her during independent studies.

Eventually, Michelle just gave up.

She stopped trying to sit with Peter and Ned during lunch and stopped bothering to talk to Peter about his strange and rude behavior.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it, Peter?" Ned asked cautiously. "Like, you're really starting to piss off MJ."

"Trust me," Peter said while putting his books in his locker, "it's better this way."

"Better how? It's a little mean."

Peter shut his locker with a heavy sigh. He pressed his shoulder against the metal door and slouched. "I don't have a choice, man. She knows that I have a secret. Michelle can't know about it, Ned. Mr. Stark will kill me."

Ned exasperated, "Can't you just make up a secret and not avoid her?"

"That would be lying."

"You've been lying to her!"

"Oh, right," Peter bit on the bottom of his lip trying to think. Nothing came to mind. "I can't. I don't like doing this to her but she can't know."

"She can't know what?" Michelle's voice made both Peter and Ned squeal. Peter spun around to face her with his hand over his thumping heart.

Michelle stared down at Peter and Ned, her height making her look intimidating. Her lips were drawn in a fine line and she flicked her messy curls out of her face in annoyance. "Well?" she pressed. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh..." Ned's eyes slowly hovered to land on Peter as Peter backed up to stand behind his best friend. Ned continued, "Nothing!"

She looked unimpressed. "Really? Sounds awfully suspicious for nothing."

When the pair didn't speak up, she sighed. "You were talking about me, weren't you?"

"No-" Peter began.

"Yes!" Ned cut him off. Peter sent a menacing glare at Ned, who shrunk and blushed. He wasn't very good at keeping secrets. "Yeah... I think I am gonna..." Ned placed his foot behind him and retreated back a couple of steps before he hurriedly disappeared down the corridor.

Peter was left alone with Michelle. She clenched her jaw and folded her arms across her chest, waiting for an answer.

His mind began to race. Peter wasn't good when he was put on the spot like this. He felt himself sweating and his hands began to shake.

Her eyes were dark and calculating. She studied every bit of him and it made his skin crawl. Peter felt his mouth opening, not quite sure what was coming out of it until he blurted, "I like you!"

The atmosphere changed as if someone had died. All the students' conversations around them in the hallway seemed to be muffled and nonexistent.

Peter's heart raced and his mouth felt dry. Why on Earth did I...?

He had never seen Michelle visibly shocked. Never. Not even when Peter had snapped at her during lunch. She was surprised yes, but she managed to suppress her feelings until she was out of the public eye. But this... she was completely dumbfounded.