A Beautiful Thing (Spideychelle) UNDER EDITING

Out of the friendzone

Peter POV
Another sleepless night was in store for me. I tossed and turned but I could just hear his voice ringing in my head. The darkness imprisons me in my own mind and I am unable to escape these thoughts. For hours I lay there, I had called Ned more times than you could imagine. He eventually picked up but he took hours of persuading and said he would send it to me in a few days on the condition that I would tell him what this all was about when this all was over. If it was ever over.

"I'll be back" I hear him whisper in my ear.

Of course, he isn't really there but it feels that way. But I know no one else would understand so I vowed to hide it until I had hard information. Despite this, I felt like I needed to do something. I wanted to be 10 steps ahead of him. Was I going insane? Either way, I was now getting up in search of a computer like I was being mind controlled into it.

I creep down silently and find Mr Stark's computer already open, the blue light solely lighting up the dark room. His suits were rested, dead and lifeless as they were locked up in glass containers and everything was shut down which gave me both a sense of security and a niggling nervousness in the pit of my stomach.

I search my phone for any links to the guy who called me, being careful to cover my tracks with everything I did. This carried on for days, I watch, idle, as I see random things start to align such as the mask that I cannot stand by and ignore.

By the time I get Ned's hard drives in the mail, I am nearing insomnia. With all the information I had gathered from before, I was able to piece together different parts of his identity, one of which happened to be his address. I wasn't sure whether I should go looking for him at first but skip forward a few days and I was still receiving cryptic messages. In one of these haunting phone calls, he listed names. He must have listed about 30 names, none who I recognised, except the last - Michelle Jones.

That was when I decided on his next call or signal I would go into the storm head first. I was back at home now and had been for the last week and a bit. Today was different though, Liz was holding another house party and because MJ was going back to school tomorrow, she wanted to go. My intentions were to really tell her how I felt, really.

I was pretty sure that my lack of sleep had vastly contributed to this need as I don't think I would be doing this on a level head. However, I had mentally prepared myself and there was no going back now. This had been very long awaited so as we walked side beside I prepared myself and tried not to look too nervous

"I know that look," she says "whats up?"

"Nothing" I lie awkwardly as she goes on in "actually MJ, I really like you" I spit bluntly, just wanting to get the phrase out there

"Well I like you too, your my best friend" she replies.

"No, not like that" I exclaim "I mean it feels like its always like that yanno?"

"You're not making any sense," she tells me

"Its just I saved your life, and I would treat you better than any one of those guys in there. I mean it feels like I'm always just a friend to you when I've always just wanted more I guess. Like I'm caring, funny and talented. Just your the most beautiful girl I've ever met and it may have taken me years to realise that but I-I just I-I love you MJ. I mean its stupid really"

"Wait" she interrupts me and shoots into the house, leaving me with a feeling of regret, like what had I just done. Had I just ruined years of friendship?

I look in through the glass panels and see a crowd of people already drunk and partying like madmen. At the front of this was the infamous Flash Tomphson shouting my name above the chattering congregation. I can feel that they have already pushed me to the ground before I was even there but when he catches a glimpse of me peeking throughout the glass, it goes up in flames.

"Ayyy! Look who it is. Penis Parker, why don't you come in loser" he taunts maliciously over a speaker. "Penis Parker! Say it with me! Penis Parker!"

And through that crowd of partying teens, I spot MJ pushing her way through with a singular crutch, this is the first time I have ever seen Michelle Jones be in amongst people voluntarily when she could keep to a corner drinking punch and losing herself in a book. But nonetheless, she pushes her way through until she reaches flash who is still hollering my name along with insults so the whole neighbourhood could hear.

"Over here idiot" she screams. What was she doing? What the hell was she doing?"

"Ooh, Michelle, you look pretty tonight where have you been all this time?" he mocks patronisingly.

"This is for every single time you've hurt innocent people with your words" she exclaims daringly, her fists clench.

And with that she throws a punch, aiming for his nose which is now bleeding. She hit him hard and the crowd had now diverged into 2 groups of people either praising or shunning her. Not caring, she runs down the middle of both of them as the room falls to silence. I had never seen this side to her and could barely move for the shock. Closing the door beside her she grabs me by the shirt and pulls me around the corner and stares deeply into my eyes.

"Just seeing If deserved you" she laughs

I want to kiss her at this moment, I really do but it suddenly hits me that I haven't the faintest idea how