eleanor ◇ peter parker

chapter fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. RECOLLECTIONS, PART I.

midtown high had to be shut down the next day due to all of the damage done to the auditorium. ellie, sitting in the school's student lounge of xavier's school, watched the news all night. there were no witnesses as to how the auditorium got that way — only people who saw the aftermath. so peter and ellie stayed at xavier's mansion. wade and quentin both stayed as well, with quentin sleeping with his girlfriend and wade by himself in a spare room. ellie didn't really want to stay. she wanted to go back to her cozy apartment and sleep on her bed with peter, but for now she was stuck in manchester.

it was now the morning. ellie hadn't woken up from her slumber yet. peter, who sat in the bed as she slept, kept his hands on hers. she had barely slept at all the night before. he could tell that her mind kept racing, especially since she wouldn't turn off the news. whenever peter would wake up for a second he'd find her sitting at the window, watching the rain fall, or just sitting up in bed with her face in her hands. peter would simply get up, take her hand and softly pull her back to bed without any exchange of words.

but ellie still couldn't sleep.

so, eventually, peter went to quentin's room and asked him for advice. quentin, upset that he had to get up, stood with a huff and made his way to ellie's room. idie only shifted slightly before turning in the bed and falling back asleep. quentin, now in the two's room, sat down on the bed with her and placed a hand on her forehead. after about 30 seconds, ellie's eyes slowly started to close. quentin caught her as she fell back in the bed, and gently set her head on the pillow. he stood back up and walked out, whispering a small, "she's out." with that, he walked back out and gently shut the wooden door.

ellie still hasn't woken up.

and by 11 in the morning, ellie's soft snores filled the medium-sized room. peter smiled, wondering what she was dreaming of.

as peter watched ellie's chest rise and fall with her deep breaths, he couldn't help but think about how she looked. it was eerily similar to when they first met. when peter first saw ellie, her face was relaxed. she seemed calm and laid-back. even though she's still laid-back, there's an underlying feeling of stress and anxiety that travels with her.

but, god, when peter saw her for the first time... he knew he could never forget her.

peter remembered that day like it was yesterday, even though it was his second semester as a sophomore at midtown high. he remembered what she wore, how she spoke, everything. she's changed a lot since then. back then she wore black-framed glasses that constantly slid down her nose and she always had a binder in her hands.

peter remembered walking up the hallway to the school. he saw her standing there, but didn't expect to see someone like her. when peter was told that he had to show around another new kid, peter huffed out a breath. sure, he loved meeting new people, but it was almost like peter was the only kid in the school who was capable of this. peter left the principal's office and went straight to the attendance office to meet the new girl...eleanor? eleanor camacho. right.

peter walked up the hallway, face to the ground as always. he didn't look up until he had made it there.

and there she stood.

she turned around, her black hair falling down her back. she smiled out and stuck out a hand.

"hi. i'm eleanor camacho, but i go by ellie."