Seeing Beyond

2

"Do you guys wanna go see a movie tonight?" Aurora asked her two friends.

Peter looked exhausted.

"There's no way May will let me stay out late enough to see a movie," he shook his head. "And I have the Stark Internship until who-knows."

She narrowed her eyes at the internship. "Not even if I drive? You won't even have to give me gas money."

"No way. May thinks it's too dangerous to be out too late."

"She sounds paranoid," Aurora replied while popping a grape from her lunch into her mouth.

"I mean, did you see that fire the other night?" Ned asked her with a skeptical look. "Are your parents not worried?"

"Something like that." They looked at her silently. "Call it a shitty family life, whatever. I'm home alone most of the time."

"Damn," Ned breathed.

She shrugged. SHe'd gotten a little more comfortable around them and let them see a little more of her true personality along with the persona she portrayed. "Alright, whatever. Can someone tutor me, then? Jamie's busy tonight so she can't go. It doesn't have to be tonight, I guess, but I suck at biology and I'm failing right now."

"That's him," Ned pointed to peter. "Chem is my game."

"Are you free around 7 tomorrow?" She asked Peter.

Aurora knew where Peter lived. She didn't need to meet him at the school and then go to his place from there. But that's the polite thing to do and "I know where you live, don't worry" sounds creepy.

"Do you wanna stop and get slurpees or something?" She asked him.

"I don't have any money," Peter said shyly. "I mean—I left it in my room. I didn't think I'd be going anywhere today.

"My treat them. Consider is compensation for tutoring."

So they did that: slurpees. "The blue ones are the best!" She tried convincing him. He'd gotten a large one (which, if she didn't know his background, she'd wonder why he's so skinny looking) while she opted for a medium.

"Damn, how much cash do you carry?" He asked after they left.

"Enough to live if there was an emergency," She joked. Peter chuckled, appreciating her... he didn't know what to call it. She was bold, sure, and had a great sense of humor but she also had an essence of shyness to her when it came to some things. He just couldn't put a name to it, but whatever it was, he admired it. She seemed close to him in that aspect.

"So, what do you do when you're not drooling over Tony Stark?" She asked him teasingly as they sat on the floor in front of his couch.

"Very funny."

"No, really. What do you like to do?"

"Oh—uh—" he was caught off guard. He'd expected another joke. "Just, nerdy stuff I guess. I like inventing things."

"That's super cool!" She smiled at him.

"Really?"

"Really." She paused, thinking for a moment, "Do you plan on going to college?"

"Uh, I don't know. Probably. But I haven't decided where or for what yet. It'd probably be science research related. What about you?"

"Oh! I plan on going for pre-Med. I don't know where yet—it's not like I can get into Harvard when I'm failing bio."

"Well, we are freshman, but I'll help you get in to Harvard. Let's start."

After a couple hours of studying, they'd made something to eat: a frozen pizza.

"You like pineapple on pizza?" Peter gawked.

"You don't?"

"I'm not a monster!"

"Pineapple is the best! Plus you know what pineapple does," she winked jokingly.

Peter rolled his eyes and went slightly red. It wasn't inappropriate jokes he couldn't handle, he just couldn't deal with a pretty girl making inappropriate jokes.

"Plus, you get a little touch of sweetness on the pizza. You're telling me you don't like it?"

"Listen, it's how I was raised! I wasn't raised in hicktown like you were."

Aurora gave him her middle finger. "It's not my fault you don't have the skills to ride a tractor like I do."

"You're ridiculous." Peter shook his head, "you did not drive a tractor!"

"I swear to god."

"I still don't believe it. You've gotta have pictures or something!"

"Sorry, but I don't. I looked damn cute in my overalls too."

"Are you serious?"

"No! We weren't Amish, we did everything normal. We just farmed too."

"Oh, damn, when do you need to be home? It's, like, 10:30."

"No specific time, honestly."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Your parents really trust you," Peter said with a sigh and leaned on the counter. "May makes me be home by 10 on school nights. Midnight on weekends."

"That sounds awful. None of the real danger in the city comes out until 1," she winked. That made Peter laugh, even though she didn't think is was that funny.

Peter stood up straight again. "She's worries I'll get hurt going to school."

"She just cares."

"I know." After a moment of comfortable silence, Peter began again. "Do you want me to walk you home? Didn't you say you live out in Manhattan?"

"Yeah, I'm fine though."

"That's, like, a forty minute walk if you take the subway. And no offense, but you're, what, five foot?" He then turned red and continued rambling. "I mean—not that you're weak—I wasn't—Jesus—I just—"

"Peter," Aurora touched his arm to stop him, "it's fine. I know what you mean. I'm a five course meal to a rapist."

Peter laughed quietly, trying to hide the fact that his face was so red.

"I promise I'm ok, though."

"If you're sure..." Peter fidgeted uncertainly. "That's not me kicking you out—I was just curious."

"I know," she smiled reassuringly.

At that moment they heard the door click open and say May come in.

"Oh, hi!" She happily greeted. "You must be Rory?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Aurora said and reached out to shake the woman's hand.

"I'm May, Peter's aunt. He probably tells you how annoying I am."

"I've only ever heard good things," She smiled back.

"I like her. Keep her around," May raised her eyebrows and looked at Peter.

"May!" He cried. Aurora was laughing.

"I just have that charm. Anyway, I have to get going. Thank you for tutoring me, Peter," she said before waving to May and leaving.

Sure enough, when Aurora got off the train in Manhattan, she heard a swish and saw a hint of red at the top of a nearby building.

"Come on," she groaned under her breath. "I just wanna sleep."

When she got to the next apartment building she saw, she walking in the doors confidently. Once she knew Peter was gone, she was able to actually go home.