I Know Your Secret, Peter Parker

ELEVEN. please don't go, peter parker

September 25th, 2017
Observation 11
Peter Parker goes wherever Spider-Man is needed.

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Monday—a day usually known for rain or bad moods, or even the day everything under the sun seemed to go wrong on, had rolled around yet again. However, for the first time in her life, Nellie had never been happier to wake up on a Monday morning.

She laid in bed just a little extra that morning, a smile on her face. Peter Parker was going to be her Homecoming date. Peter Parker kissed her a few days ago. Peter Parker introduced her to Tony Stark, who then granted her a once in a lifetime scholarship opportunity. And by Wednesday morning, she would wake up in this apartment for the very last time. No more Brenda—no more in and out of foster homes all over the city. Tony Stark had promised her to find a caring couple that would be more than glad to take on a teenage foster—something many people weren't brave enough to do.

Her smile grew. She'd see Peter today; hopefully with no new bruises or injuries. Now, she was more motivated than ever to get to school.

As she ran up the stairs of Midtown, she pulled the huge door open feeling optimistic and excited for the week that lay ahead. Her eyes found MJ in the crowd of average Monday-haters, MJ herself included.

"MJ, I have to tell you something!" Nellie called out to her, pushing past students to reach her.

MJ met her halfway down the hallway, her eyebrows raised, finally showing some curiosity for once.

"What's up?"

Nellie grinned, "Peter and I kissed."

MJ looked as if she was going to faint—ironically just as Nellie had right before said-kiss.

"You did what? Nellie Jenkins doesn't kiss boys!"

"Does she kiss girls?" Ned appeared, draping either arm over the girls' shoulders.

His lips formed a devious smirk as he eyeballed the two of them, as if he was waiting for a demonstration.

"No, dipshit, she's talking about her and Peter," MJ corrected him, an annoyed look in her eye.

Nellie removed his arm from around her neck and twisted a piece of her brunette locks around her pointer finger, "Don't say anything to anyone, though, Ned. I don't know if it even meant anything—"

Ned scoffed, "Of course, it meant something. Peter doesn't play around when it comes to things like this! He's a good guy."

Nellie was touched to hear that Ned talked so highly of his best friend. She had begun to lose all faith in the male species prior to her friendship with Ned and Peter. The two of them combined were more down-to-Earth than all the other boys attending their school.

Speaking of Peter, Nellie scanned the halls, yet saw so sign of him having entered the front doors yet.

"Have either of you seen him this morning?" She asked, already feeling nervous.

Now that she knew his secret, she found herself worrying about him on a daily basis. His safety, and whereabouts, had become of greater importance to her. After all, if anything bad happened to Spider-Man, it would result in Peter missing school. That was the first sign Nellie would know something was up.

MJ and Ned shrugged, just as the morning bell rang through the crowded halls. She watched as her two friends headed to their first period Computer Science, Ned's arm still draped over MJ's shoulder, despite her efforts to push it away. Soon, Nellie was the last one left in the hallway, and Peter still hadn't come through those glass doors.

After another five minutes of waiting for him, she reluctantly headed towards Psych class, her feet seeming to drag beneath her. She'd woken up so happy to see Peter, and now she was stuck in school for the next eight hours with nothing to do except worry about whether or not he was okay. Maybe almost-dating Spider-Man was going to be more difficult than she'd even thought.

Her hand reached for the door knob to Psychology, but never quite made it. She felt herself spinning in circles, her shoes squeaking against the tiled floor. A squeak managed to escape her pink lips as she was pulled by the waist around the corner where the water fountains were.

She came to a stop, now face to face with Peter Parker. Her lips parted in surprise and she looked down to see that it was some sort of webbing he'd use to rope her in.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Peter Parker!" Nellie whispered, smacking him on the forearm.

He smirked, a twinkle in his chocolate colored eyes, "I'm sorry, Jenkins. I couldn't help myself."

God, stop being so cute.

Nellie rolled her eyes playfully, "Mrs. Turner's going to get to the J's on the roll call soon. We've gotta get to class," she countered, though hiding out in the water fountain corner with him was far more fascinating than hearing Mrs. Turner spit every time she pronounced something with an s.

Peter's smile turned upside down, "I'm not going to make it to Psychology today, Nell. In fact, I probably won't be back til after lunch. I only stopped by to see you."

Now, Nellie's smile faded, as well. She glanced at the backpack on his back, confusion falling over her face.

"No textbooks in there today; I just needed someplace to hide my suit. . ." It was like he'd read her thoughts.

You better not be Spider-Man and a mind-reader, Parker, Nellie thought. That's too much for me to handle right now.

"Is it bad?" She questioned him, almost too afraid to ask.

This was all so new to her; she was still only beginning to understand what Peter's second identity brought to the table. All she was certain of was that he was always at risk—risk of getting injured, his secret getting out, or even worse—he could be killed.

Her heart sank when he remained silent instead of answering her.

"Peter?" Her head tilted and she stared up at him, her body tense.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against the soft skin below her hairline. Her eyes fluttered shut and her chest ached.

"Please don't go," she whispered, the hallway feeling colder and emptier than before.

By the time she opened her eyes, Peter Parker had seemed to disappear into thin air.