1 | ISSUES ( Peter Parker )

25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE | ALL CONSUMING

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it's the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world.

-ignite me // tahereh mafi

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With a tired yawn, Bella waved 'goodbye' to her friends as they filed out of the apartment. Abby lingered for a bit, her bright red lipstick faded from a day's worth of wear. There was a certain softness sketched across her porcelain features as she looked at Bella.

"Happy sixteenth, Bella," Abby said quietly. "I know it sucks that Liz couldn't be here today."

"You guys more than made up for it," Bella assured Abby.

There was a passing silence before Abby began speaking again, her voice hesitant.

"I don't think I ever thanked you."

"For what?" Bella asked, amusement creeping up her spine.

"For bringing me into the friendship. I know I'm a lot," Abby admitted. "I know it can be really hard to be my friend but-- well, thank you, Bella. I know Liz is your best friend and that nobody's ever gonna, like, compare, or whatever. But, you know, you're my best friend. And, like, if you ever need anything, you can talk to me."

Tearing up, Bella launched forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Abby's neck. The two girls stood in the threshold of Bella's doorway for several moments, just hugging each other. Eventually, Abby pulled away and made her face just as icy as it always was.

"Bye, Bella," she said, a hint of a smile on her lips. "See you."

"Yeah," Bella nodded, biting down on her bottom lip.

When Abby left, Bella was feeling all warm and fuzzy. A large smile was on her lips as she walked up to her room. Humming quietly, she dug through the makeup drawer in her bathroom to find her makeup wipes. Just as her hand grabbed the little plastic package, she heard something knocking on her window.

Crouching on the small, barely-there ledge was Peter, decked out in full Spidey uniform. He glanced around quickly and placed his left hand on the glass pane of the window while he waved at her with his right hand. Bella couldn't hide the grin from her face. Beaming, she ran towards the window and pulled it open.

Peter jumped inside, his feet hitting the floor with barely a sound. He pulled the mask off, revealing a huge smile and a mop of fluffy curls. He had let it grow out since school ended and summer began. Bella almost wished that we would keep it at its current length forever.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Peter said brightly.

"Thanks," she said, suddenly no longer tired as he bent down and rifled through his backpack. "While you're doing whatever it is you're doing, I'm gonna go take my makeup off."

As quickly as humanly possible, she rubbed the makeup wipe over her face. Once she got most of the makeup off, she splashed her face with water. In her bedroom, Peter was still digging through his backpack.

What was he looking for and how much stuff was in the backpack?

Peter stood back up and Bella instantly averted her eyes, clearing her throat and making pretend like she hadn't just been shamelessly staring at him. He held out a small wrapped box.

"Do you want me to open it?" Bella asked, taking the box from his hands.

"Well, I mean, what else would you do with it?"