The Girl and the Superhero{Peter Parker}

Part 14(Kenzie's POV)

          I read for hours after getting home from Peter's that night.

          There were a million thoughts racing around my head. I wondered why Peter had disappeared so suddenly, and why he hadn't come back. I couldn't put my finger on what I had done wrong.

          I was angry at him for leaving, but more worried about why he had run off. Was he okay? May had told me that sometimes he leaves for Ned's when something comes up, but I couldn't help but wonder. Was he trying to get away from me? He probably never wanted to see me again. I realized with a pang of guilt that I hadn't even thought about Ned not showing up. I had been so caught up in the magic of my perfect night.

          Despite the sudden change and the hurt of the ending, I couldn't help but revel in my night. Every time I remembered how Peter had rubbed my back and had cuddled with me when I was distressing over Fred's death, I felt like the happiest person in the world. I thought he was having fun, too. He said he was. But then he got up and left, and I had absolutely no idea what to make of that. Had I lost him?

          So I read. I read until my eyes hurt, until the world of fantasy finally overcame reality. But eventually I'd slip back again, right into Peter's strong, perfect arms. Remembering how unrealistically happy I felt, my head pressed against his shoulder and his arms around me, it was easy to forget that it was real. That it wasn't something I read out of a book or saw in a movie. Peter Parker made reality better than fantasy, even with the pain and confusion.

          I didn't think about the men at the gas station. I didn't think about my father. There was no way. I didn't have enough room in my brain to think about anything else besides the beautiful mystery that was Peter Parker.

           Sleep came and left in bursts, but awake or asleep, I felt like I was living in a dream. Whether it was a nightmare or a daydream, I wasn't sure yet.

**********

            I sat with my overnight bag on the school bench, checking the time periodically. I was almost an hour early- it's was 7:10. I had woken up well before 6:00 this morning with too much on my mind. After a while, the field trip bus pulled up, signifying a half hour until our departure time, 8:00.

          Since the bus drive was going to be about two and a half hours, I had the book I was finishing plus another book for the drive back in my Spider-Man backpack. I looked at it, the thought of the superhero lifting my spirits a little bit.

           More people from the biology class arrived, Lucy being one of the last. The only people missing now were Peter and Ned. When Lucy saw me, she ran and sat down next to me, excited to hear every detail about Friday night. I told her that I would tell her on the bus, and ignored her questioning look at my reluctance to spill every micro detail about it.

          I heard the old engine of the bus start, and I felt a pang of sadness at the realization that Peter wasn't there yet. I was absolutely terrified of seeing him again. Terrified that I had somehow done something to lose him.

          Just as I was stepping onto the bus, I saw Peter and Ned sprinting in mine and Lucy's direction, Peter occasionally slowing down to stay with a panting Ned. I simultaneously felt relief and panic flood into my system.

          Peter ran and stood behind me in line, his breathing faster than normal but not like he was exhausted. I was pretty sure he had missed the bus and ran a few miles to get here, yet he barely seemed winded. Ned looked like he was about to die.

          I walked up the stairs to the bus, and Lucy and I found a seat. The last open seat was on the other side of the bus, so Peter and Ned were well out of earshot.