There are three simple rules Nellie Jenkins must follow as she orchestrates an article for the school newspaper on fellow classmate, Peter Parker.
Rule #1. Do not observe the person you are writing about outside of school grounds.
Rule #2. Do not mi...
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September 27th, 2017 Observation 12 Peter Parker tucked me in, but he didn't kiss me goodnight.
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It was around one in the morning on Wednesday when Nellie found herself stumbling through the already-open window of Peter Parker's bedroom.
The lamp was on, and Peter had literally just put on his suit and was heading to escape through the very window Nellie was now not too gracefully throwing herself through.
He pulled off his red mask, his expression softening as he watched the girl pick herself up from the floor. She hiccuped, her entire body flinching as she did.
Peter took a step towards her, the alcohol on her breath hitting him in the face. He grabbed either side of Nellie's face, his stomach churning.
"Are you drunk?" He asked her, his voice hushed as to not wake up Aunt May, who was probably already asleep in the next room.
Nellie's eyes finally found his, and he noticed her cheeks were red and tear-stained. Her eyes were a bit puffy, too. She'd been crying, but why?
Though Peter had only grown close to her over the last few weeks, he thought he knew her well enough to be certain she was not a party-girl, and neither was MJ. So, truly, he couldn't think of one good reason why she'd be drunk out of her mind on a school night. He didn't understand. She seemed alright at school that day—what could have happened since then?
"What's wrong?" Peter urged, his gloved hands still holding her face.
Slurring her words, she made an attempt to speak, "M-my foster mom, Peter-rr." Another hiccup escaped her lips.
His brows pulled down, his concern growing, "What did she do, Nells?"
"She, she somehow fo-ouuu-nd out I was being removed from her care," she went on, slowly and not-so-steadily.
Peter nodded, his eyes flickering to the small television he had atop his dresser. He couldn't leave Nellie this way, but she was unintentionally delaying him from his mission. His hands released Nellie's face as he looked between her and the screen, trying to focus on both her drunken words and the faint voice of the news anchor.
"Citizens are now fleeing the Chinatown district in fear of the mad-man's efforts to gun-down the leader of the Maggia, a violent crime organization that has been slowly expanding across the Tristate area over the last decade. Police have informed us that a local restaurant has been cleared of all bystanders, but the mad-man calling himself 'Mister Negative' is still inside with a Luchino Nefaria, leader of the Maggia. It is believed that Nefaria's young daughter may also be in the building. Police are unsure if Mister Negative's threats are extended to the child or not. Motive is unclear, but we will update you as soon as we know more."
"You—you're not even listening to me, P-Peter," Nellie frowned, her lips forming a serious pout.
Peter returned his full attention to her, though he knew in his heart where he needed to be—Chinatown.
"Nellie," Peter gripped her shoulders, guiding her over to his bed. "You're not in good shape right now. Why don't you just lay down right here, and by morning, we can talk about all of this?"
Nellie laid back in his bed, her hair falling like silk across his pillow. She looked beautiful, her cheeks flushed and still shimmering from tears. He wanted to stay with her, but somewhere out there, there was a little girl stuck in the crossfire between two grown criminals.
"Wh-where are you going, Peter?" She questioned him as he covered her petite body with a blanket.
He sighed, feeling guilty to leave her this way.
"I've gotta go be Spider-Man for a little while. Believe me, I don't like leaving you like this, but it's important. Somebody might die tonight if I don't go."
Nellie shook her head and latched her slender fingers around his wrist as he stood up, "You could be the one to die, Peter. Pl-please, don't go."
Another hiccup escaped her full, rosy lips. Her pleas made Peter think back to just two days earlier, when she'd said those same exact words.
'Please don't go,' she'd whispered, so gently—so innocently.
His chest ached, just as he figured hers probably had that day in the hallway, when she'd opened her eyes to see that he'd vanished. He regretted not apologizing for it, but now that she knew his secret, she must know the price she'd have to pay for opening her heart to a boy who lived a double-life.
It wasn't always going to be painless. Peter had learned that the hard way, himself. It broke him a little more each day that he had to look into Aunt May's eyes and continue lying to her, but it was for her own good. She couldn't know his secret, it was too much of a burden to carry. And now, as he peered down at Nellie, her small hand still holding tightly onto his wrist, he seemed to break even more.
"Everything will be okay, I promise you that, Nellie Jenkins. I'll see you in the morning, try to get some rest."
And just like that, Peter Parker climbed out of the window and disappeared into the night as Nellie dozed off in the warmth of his bed.
