Lovebug ── PETER PARKER¹

35. Moving Backwards

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Growing up without a father figure wasn't necessarily hard, but it wasn't the easiest either. Victoria had three children to take care of on her own, and with Andres Giraldo being off the radar, child support wasn't necessarily an option. So she took on a night job, seeing as they paid slightly more, and tried her hardest to give her three kids the best life she could. However, this meant not being home until the early hours of the morning, and not being available for a majority of the afternoon as that was designated sleeping time, that's if she didn't take an extra shift.

Luna didn't blame her mother for the being absent a lot of the time, she knew she was doing it for her sake, and for that she grateful. But at times like this, she couldn't help but wish she was there to lead her in the right direction. Andrew and Diana provided good advice, and always made up for their Mom's inability to be there, but nothing will ever beat a good heart to heart with her Mom.

So when Luna got home from yet another day of avoiding Peter Parker, and was greeted with the scent of pizza, she grew confused. Dropping her bag on a nearby chair, she slowly made her way to the kitchen, lips parting in surprise at the sight of Victoria sitting on the counter, pizza slice in her hand.

"I was informed you were having boy troubles," She grinned at her daughter, gesturing down to the box. "Chicken, your favorite."

Hesitantly, Luna stepped into the kitchen, taking a slice from the box. She leant against the counter, looking up at her Mom in confusion. It was Friday, when was she ever off on Fridays?

"I took a day off," She explained, seeing the girl's confusion. "Andrew told me this morning you were having some trouble, and I figured what better excuse to stay home then fixing my daughter's boy problems?" Luna chuckled at this, Victoria dropping the crust back in the box before continuing. "So tell me, what happened?"

Luna sighed, lowering her pizza slice. "I like this guy Peter, and everything was going great. Like he found out about my feelings, and told me he liked me back, and we kissed," She paused to see Victoria raising her hand, rolling her eyes as she slapped it with her own, "but he lied to me."

Victoria frowned, "About what?"

"I can't exactly say," She mumbled, taking another bite from the pizza. "It was something big, and... I guess it made me trust him a little less. But I still really like him, and after months of pining after him, I can't help but be disappointed that it turned out like this."

Victoria hummed, nodding along as she looked deep in thought. She hopped off the counter, standing in front of Luna. "Do you think he had a good reason for lying to you?" Luna fell silent, because well, she didn't really listen to his reason. Victoria sighed, the silence speaking enough. "Luna, you have to let people explain. Maybe he did it to preserve your feelings, or because you wouldn't like the truth. It could be anything."