Hanging by a Thread 🕷 Peter Parker

twenty seven

Alexandra

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." Kai groaned over the phone. Alexandra had called her after Peter went back to his apartment. She'd told him everything that'd happened, and how she thought Peter was getting ready to ask her out and then backed out at the last second.

"Nope, that actually happened." Alexandra shook her head.

"He really needs to get over it and just ask you!"

Alexandra shrugged, glancing over at one of the pictures on her desk in her bedroom. It was a picture of her, Peter, and Ned hanging out after their Star Wars marathon which they'd had to celebrate the end of semester exams their freshman year. "I dunno, I think it's sweet."

"Seriously? You want him to ask you out, right?" Kai asked.

"Well, sure I do, but it's sweet that he seems to be trying to find the perfect time to ask me," Alexandra replied. "Don't you think?"

"Well, yeah—Peter's one of the sweetest guys ever—but I really want him to ask you out already!" Kai exclaimed. "Ned and I both need for this ship to sail soon!"

Alexandra sighed, shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous," She said.

"Anyway, I meant to ask—you were unusually quiet today," Kai said. "You're sure you're okay, right? After everything that happened with the guy with the metal arms..."

"Octavius," Alexandra offered.

"Hm?"

"That was his name, Doctor Otto Octavius," Alexandra explained. "He used to be a physicist. He wasn't a bad guy, those arms just made him one. Or something. It's complicated." 

"If you say so, I guess," Kai replied. Alexandra could practically hear her friend's shrug. "Hey, I'm gonna go work on some homework, 'kay? I'll text you later."

"Okay, see ya."

Alexandra tossed her phone onto her bed and sighed, staring at it. Peter didn't really want her to remind him about the biology homework, did he? She spun around in her desk chair, leaning back. This was ridiculous, why didn't she just ask him out? There was nothing wrong with that, a girl should be allowed to make the first move, right?

Yeah, she should be allowed to tell him how she felt if he wouldn't. Alexandra stared at her phone again, seriously considering telling him then and there. She grabbed her phone off the bed and pulled up Peter's contact information.

Hey, so, I've been meaning to tell you something for a while—

No, that sounded terrible. Delete.

Peter, I know that you like me and I like you, too so—

God, no. Delete.

Do you wanna go out sometime?

DELETE.

Alexandra groaned and tossed the phone back on the bed. She suddenly realized why Peter hadn't said anything to her yet—it was absolutely nerve racking. How did people do this? Alexandra suddenly had a newfound respect for anyone who was brave enough to ask out the person they liked, even at the risk of rejection and embarrassment.

She fell backwards onto her bed and covered her face with a pillow. "Stupid feelings," She muttered to herself. She was starting to wish she'd just kissed Peter after he'd saved her from drowning. How fantastic would that have been?

🕷

Around nine o'clock that night after her parents had gotten home, Alexandra had turned in for the night.