🔹Peter's POV🔹
I shake my head as I close the apartment door behind me. "Why do you need my help with algebra, Hailey? From what I hear and see from the class averages, you're a math whiz."
Hailey shrugs awkwardly and dumps her books on the couch. "I told you, Parker. I'm behind almost two dozen lessons and it's a pain to take care of by myself. It'd help a lot to have someone check my work so I don't have to. Plus," she glances at me as her eyes narrow. "I already gave you some of my churro. I held up my end of the bargain, now it's your turn."
"I never agreed to this," I mutter under my breath, dropping my books on the coffee table. "But fine. I'll check your lessons once you finish them, okay?"
Hailey's eyes lit up in excitement. "Thanks, Parker. You know, you may be socially awkward and grumpy sometimes-"
"I'm what now?"
"-but you're actually a nice person." Hailey grins and I feel my face heat up. Of all the things I expected of Hailey Brown, I did not expect her to compliment me.
Ned clears his throat awkwardly behind us. I feel his eyes on me as he walks around the sofa and sits in the chair next to Hailey.
"Oh my God. I made Parker blush," Hailey cackles. "I swear, you react like a thirteen year old boy that just hit puberty to every compliment you receive."
"And you act like a happy-go-lucky six year old whenever you get a churro." I fire back, frowning as I grab my algebra book. "Now, if you want my help, I suggest you get to work on your math."
Hailey tuts in annoyance but gets out her algebra book and flips to the thirty-fifth chapter. "Oh, yuck. Trinomials suck. Who comes up with this stuff anyways? And the Pythagorean theorem. Math is for numbers. Letters are for language. Don't mix the two! Parker, show me how to find 'x' here, por favor." I chuckle at her tirade but stop when she shoots me a glare. I cough awkwardly and take her homework from her.
"You have to do this..." I spew out a bunch of math formulas and multiplication things and she nods gratefully. I take her finished math lesson from her book. "I'll check this lesson while you work on the next one."
She grunts in acknowledgement and starts on her next lesson. Ned watches her as he pulls out his own homework — probably trying to come up with math pickup lines — but settled for the old "I need help with my geometry" tactic instead. "Hey, Hailey, what's the formula for finding the area of 28% of a cylinder?"
Hailey doesn't look up from her homework, her pencil flying over the paper as she writes down problems. She jabs her thumb in my general direction and goes back to solving a trinomial equation. I turn to Ned and give him the formula, to which he responds by dejectedly hanging his head as he listens to my instructions.
The door of the apartment opens and Aunt May walks in, paper bags filled with groceries in her arms. She smiles when she sees us in the living room and makes her way over to the kitchen table. "Hey, Hailey and Ned. You guys working on homework?"
"Algebra." I hold up my math book. "Hey, Aunt May, did you get more of those chips? The Wruffles*?"
"Those things are bad for you, Peter," Aunt May says in a chastising tone. "You kids want something to drink?"
"I'll take some water, please, Mrs. Parker." Hailey asks, briefly turning to wave to Aunt May.
"Of course. And please, call me 'Aunt May' or 'May'. Mrs. Parker makes me feel old." Aunt May smiles warmly and opens the cabinets. "What about you boys?"
"I'm good."
"Me, too."
"Alright." Aunt May pours water into a glass and hands it to Hailey. "Are you feeling any better since this morning, Hailey?"
YOU ARE READING
The Recluse •{Spider-Man}•
Fanfiction"Who are you?" Spider-Man crouched in front of me, his shoulders stiff. "To some, I am a destructive fire from hell that sets their lives ablaze and turns them into ash." "And to others?" "A comforting flame that flickers softly and brings light to...
