Shadow // Peter Parker (Book 1)

Part 15

Song: 'Unsteady' by X Ambassadors
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Peter POV

When Ellie runs away, all the eyes turn to me. I just stare at the ground. "Guess you aren't good enough for her Parker" Flash says.

I'm so tempted to beat the shit out of him right now, but it would seem abnormal for me and people will start asking questions, so I say nothing.

I didn't realize I did that to Ellie's face. It looks very damaged, like she should have gotten stitches, and I guess that's why I sort of froze.

"Peter?". I lose my train of thought, Ned looking at me anxiously.

"Just leave it Ned. Let's go to class" I shrug.

I feel terrible for Ellie. Flash used to pick on me the most, but it looks like he's found a new target. Even after the lies she's told, she doesn't deserve to be bullied like that.

But I don't know what I want to think right now. My head is just all messed up since Germany. It's like everything that could have gone wrong, has gone wrong.

"Peter, you guys didn't hook up did you?" Ned whispers.

"What?! No of course not!" I reply harshly.

"Well, why didn't you help Ellie? You met her dad, and you said he was a nice guy. Why didn't you stick up for her? You know Flash is lying just to make her feel bad, and you just leave her to get embarrassed in front of the whole school?" Ned says.

"Ned I don't know what to think right now. My head is all over the place, so just drop it" I mutter.

"Well, if you weren't with Ellie, where were you then? Why are you being so secretive?" Ned says with slight anger in his voice. Crap. I need to think of something.

"Uh.....I....had an.....internship?" I say slowly.

"What? With who?" Ned says, looking intrigued.

"Uh.......Tony Stark" I say quietly.

"What?! Are you serious?!" Ned says excitedly.

"Uh, yeah" I say.

"Wow that's so cool! What are you doing?" Ned asks. Oh god. What am I supposed to say?!

"Uh......he didn't exactly say.....uh.....he was just...showing me around and stuff. He said he'd explain more soon" I say quickly, hiding my face. When I lie, I go pale and stutter a lot.

"Oh. But still! That's amazing!" Ned says cheerfully. I nod lightly. I'm really not in the mood right now. I just feel nothing. Like completely blank.

I really don't know what's gonna happen between me and Ellie. If she didn't hate me before, she really hates me now.

There's a part of me that wants to talk to her about it and be there for her, another part of me wants to hurt her back and make her feel how I feel, and then there's the part of me that just wants to bury my head in the sand and completely ignore her and everything else.
Which one I choose is a completely different story.

I can picture Ellie crying by herself, somewhere dark and lonely, and it makes me feel terrible. I do wish things were different, but they aren't. She pretended to be this kind and loving person, when in fact she is completely different.

I still care about her, but I can't bring myself to help her, not after what I did to her. I guess we're both too dangerous when we're together, both suit and no suit.

I don't know. I really don't. This is just a big mess, and I don't know how to sort it.

Ellie POV

After being crouched in the corner of an alleyway, crying to myself for what feels like years, I finally get up and walk home.

I've never been so humiliated in my whole life. I can still here everyone laughing and mocking me. I can still hear all the things Flash said, blaring in my mind like a foghorn.

I can also still see Peter, just standing there, looking down on me, letting them mock me and laugh at me.

I've always helped him when he was in trouble, because I cared about him, and he just threw it back all in my face, just because I retaliated when he friend-zoned me.

I still can't believe he just flung me on the ground and left me there, as if I was some shit stuck underneath his shoe or something.

Now the whole school thinks my dad is a violent abuser, and that me and Peter got together. And he just let it happen, not giving two shits about me.

I'm now officially the school outcast, the weird kid no one likes and everyone avoids.

I climb up what seems the never-ending stairs up to my apartment. Once I reach my floor, I'm about to open the door and collapse onto the couch, but I pause when I reach my door.

"Lab rat". "Whore". "Lying bitch". "Bastard's daughter".

All this, accompanied with a messy drawing of what looks to be a rat, is spray painted all over the door in jet black spray paint.

I start to tremble, tears rolling down my cheeks. I rush into the apartment and slam the door so no one sees me.

I lean against the wall, and once again sink onto the floor.

Who did this? It has to be someone from school, or else why would they put lab rat down? Was it Flash? But then how would he know where I live?

All these questions race through my mind, my heart and lungs struggling to keep up with them.

I thought things couldn't get any worse, and it just did. Peter hates me, Flash hates me, the whole school hates me, and now someone else, who must know me, hates me.

There's only one person left who doesn't hate me.

I dial the number on my phone and let it ring. "Dad?" I cry into the phone.

"Hey, it's John Florez. Can't take your call now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you".

I bang my head back into the wall in frustration. I hang up and throw my phone across the room. I let my head sink into my knees.

I just want to disappear, the ground to devour me, or to just blow away into the wind like dust.

I still don't know who did this. They obviously know me, cos how would they know where I live? But the weird thing is, no one does know where I live.

Actually.......there is.....wait no. He wouldn't. Would he? He wouldn't go that far to hurt me. He's already damaged me enough, and I'm pretty sure he could see it today.

Peter would never do something like that, would he?