MAGIC TRICKS [PETER PARKER]

NINE

"MS. PARKER, HI."

The pretty brown haired lady standing in the doorway of the Parker's apartment frowned slightly, turning the smile lines around her mouth downwards. "Uh, hi, can I help you?" she asked quietly. Her eyes seemed sad, so I offered a gentle smile.

"Is this Peter's apartment? My name's Nadia, i-I'm a friend...." I queried. May Parker's frown lightened a little, and she nodded, remembering, "Oh, yes, you're on the academic decathlon team..." May smiled and extended a hand, "Call me May." I shook her hand politely.

May glanced over her shoulder and slid outside into the hallway, closing the door lightly behind her. "Listen, Peter he's... He's not in the best place right now," she told me quietly, her voice a low mumble, "I don't know if he told but... he lost the Stark Internship." My smile melted; I was aware that the Stark Internship was just a cover up for being Spider-Man, so what did that actually mean? "Oh." I blinked.

"Can I see him?" I questioned. May's face looked reluctant, and I sighed quietly. "Please. I need to make sure he's okay, and he won't answer my text messages."

I had woken up in my bed at Liz's house after I had passed out on the ferry. I assumed Peter had taken me there, so I tried texting him several times, but he never answered. The whole night, I was awake, terrified that something had happened to him- that maybe he hadn't made it out all right. I couldn't sit there and pretend like it was okay; I was worried, how could I?

May was staring at me with a thoughtful look. "Sure, yeah, come on in..." May lead me into the small apartment, which smelled like burned cookies. "I would offer you some cookies, but I burned the last batch," she blushed, fanning her hand through the air to get rid of some of the smoke, "Peter likes chocolate chip."

I smiled at her. May seemed like a sweet lady, and it warmed my heart to know Peter was in good hands. May pointed towards the kitchen: "Through the kitchen and down the hall. It's the first door on the right." I nodded and gave her another grateful smile before continuing through the kitchen to the hallway. I came upon a door with some band posters plastered on it and paused at the door to Peter's bedroom.

Is this weird? Was it weird that I looked him up in the phone book to find his address? Are we even friends? I thought. I really liked Peter. He was genuinely a good guy, a real-life hero, and he cared about me, I felt. My heart began beat wildly in my chest every time I was with him, every time we touched. I vividly remembered the last time I had felt like this- and the inevitable outcome. My chest ached- I didn't want that to happen to Peter.

With a quiet inhale, I knocked on his door, before twisting the knob and pushing it open. Normally, my eyes would've wandered around the posters on the walls, or the weird little knickknacks on his shelf. But, right then, I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from him.

He was lying on his bed, the bottom bunk of a bunk bed, staring at the ceiling on his back, wearing bright pink Hello Kitty pajama pants, and an oversized "I Survived My Trip to NYC" shirt. Peter's face was flushed, the tip of his nose bright pink, his eyes watery, and my heart clenched at the sight of his damp cheeks.