MAGIC TRICKS [PETER PARKER]

THIRTEEN

"IT WAS JUST CRAZY. H-HE WAS LIKE- AND YOU WERE LIKE- AND THEN I JUST HIT HIM WITH THE-"

I laughed quietly, shaking my head as Ned retold the night of Homecoming for what seemed like the hundredth time. Peter chuckled as well, and I glanced back at him from where he guided the wheel chair I sat in down the hallway at school. It was the first day back since the Homecoming dance, and I hadn't yet learned to ignore the stares sent my way.

"I mean... You saved us," Peter commented to Ned, shrugging his shoulders, "It was awesome." Ned beamed like a ray of sunshine, but his smile quickly dropped when he spotted the girl at the end of the hall.

Liz Allan was hugging Betty Brant tightly, her eyes cloudy with tears. Sadness tugged at my heart like an anchor and I sighed. "Pete, can you-?"

Peter nodded and let go of the handles, allowing me to roll myself over to where Liz carried a large brown box. "Liz!" I called, gaining the attention of the girl I called my best friend.

Liz turned to me, tears in her eyes. "Nadia, I-I..." Her sentence died in her throat. The girl placed down her box and I opened my arms, entrapping the girl in my arms. "I love you, Nadia. I'm going to miss you so much." Tears stung my eyes sharply as I hugged the life out of Liz for the last time. Liz returned the embrace. "Thank you for everything," I muttered in her ear, "If there's anything I can do-"

Liz pulled away, tears rolling down her cheeks. My heart lurched. "We're moving to Oregon, I guess, b-but it's okay," she told me, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "My mom says it's nice there, s-so... That's cool." I nodded and swallows down the lump in my throat. "You'll come back to visit, right?" I asked, half-joking. Oregon was a long way away.

"Of course," she laughed. "Liz, time to go," her mother called, and Liz glanced over her shoulder. She gave me a small, apologetic smile. "Bye, Nadia."

I smiled tearfully in response, gripping the arm rests of my chair. "Bye, Liz." I watched her pick up her box of belongings and follow her mother down the hallway, and I sighed. There was nothing compared to this feeling, the feeling of losing a friend. I licked my chapped lips, plastering on my fake smile as Peter and Ned walked up again.

The bell dismissing us from school had already rung, so we were a teensy bit late for the after school Academic Decathlon meeting, but, luckily, Mr. Harrington had just arrived.

"Congratulations, national Decathlon champions!" he beamed as he placed the trophy at the head of the table and sat down. "Yeah!" Flash exclaimed, and we cheered along. "I'll have to put this back in the case soon, but just for motivation right now," Mr. Harrington sent us a playful smile.

"Now, I'm ahead of the game, but we will need a new team captain next year," he continued, and Flash and Abraham began to drum their fingers on the desk dramatically. "... and I'm appointing Michelle."