Fighting With Webs

Chapter Three

**********SELF HARM and marijuana TRIGGER WARNING***********

Jasmine sighs, cleaning the table as she walked around the bookstore, she hadn't talked to Peter all weekend, despite her many texts to him. She would hopefully see him tonight though, if he picked her up from work.

Her mind wanders, no one in the store at the moment as she thinks about the almost kiss:

Her eyes met with Peter's chocolaty brown orbs, her breath hitching in her throat as her cheeks warmed up, undoubtedly she was blushing.

Peter stared down into her ocean blue eyes, he could see the blush on her face as their lips began getting closer, centimeters apart.

Then his mind froze as he thought of the danger he could put her in. He leans backwards, "I, uh, I should get back before May worries." He says, coughing awkwardly as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. He carefully stood up after lifting her legs off his lap. "Sorry." he adds before leaving, not looking at her.

Jasmine could feel her face fall as Peter left her apartment. Her blue eyes darkened as tears filled her vision and threatened to escape. Standing up she goes to her room, closing the door before stumbling through the mess of her room and to her bed, letting out a soft sob as she burred herself in her blankets, she didn't leave her room all weekend unless it was to use the restroom or go to work.

Jasmine sighs, shaking her head as she clears her thoughts.

She puts on a fake smile as a middle-aged man walked in, "Good evening sir, may I help you find anything?" She asks.

"Yes actually, I'm looking for a book series for my niece." He smiles at me, "She just finished reading the Hunger Games Trilogy and I was wondering what I could get her next." He explains.

Jasmine smiles, "Well, there's another series called Divergent she could try if she hasn't already, and then there's the Harry Potter series as well. Do you know if she's read either of those?" I ask

"Well I know she's seen the movies, and I know she doesn't own the books." The man says, smiling, "I'll purchase all the Harry Potter books." He smiles.

"Alright, sir they are down the fifth aisle and are on the middle shelf. They are either packaged separately or there is a box set. The box set is cheaper than buying all seven books individually, but is also a lot of money to put towards the books when you could easily buy one or two books at a time." Jasmine explains.

The man disappears down the aisle he was directed to and reappears moments later with the first two books of the series.

He came up to the counter and pulled out his wallet before handing Jasmine his debit card.

"That comes up to $50.98." Jasmine informs as she swipes his card.

She puts the books carefully in the plastic bag before handing the man his receipt and the books. "Have a good night, sir." She smiles as he left the store after popping a five dollar tip in the tip jar.

Leaning against the counter she checks her phone for the time, '9:56,' she sighs, "Four more minutes." She says, stretching as she walks to the door, "Soon enough." She adds, locking it from the inside before doing a sweep of the store to make sure no one was hiding anywhere.

Walking to the register she counts her drawer before marking down what was there. Grabbing the tip jar she takes her tips, adding them to her wallet before pulling on her jacket and gloves, locking the shop door from the outside as she leaves.

Turning around she jumps, seeing Peter leaning against the outside of the store, his head down with his hair hanging slightly in his face, his earbuds in.

Jasmine steps towards him, "I wasn't sure you'd walk me home tonight." She mumbles.

Peter doesn't seem to hear her, his eyes closed.

Jasmine nudges his foot lightly, causing the boy to jump, his head not lifting as he took an earbud out, "Sorry, didn't hear you." He says softly.

Jasmine frowns, "Is it really that bad of a thought to have to kiss me that you can't even bear to look at me?" She asks, tearing up as she stares at him.

"Let's just...let's go home." Peter sighs, shaking his head, starting to walk towards their apartment building as he kept his head down.

Jasmine walks with him, tears slowly and silently slipping down her cheeks as they walked in silence. She quietly reaches up to wipe her face, wincing as her white glove came back black with mascara.

Peter opens the door to the building for Jasmine, her head was kept down now as he glances up quietly, having a black eye from a robbery earlier that night.

He put his head down again as they take the stair silently up. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." He mumbles, opening his apartment door and disappearing.

Jasmine frowns, unlocking her apartment quietly, her aunt and uncle in bed already.

Taking her gloves off she puts them in the bathroom sink to soak out the black make-up before taking her jacket off and hanging it on the hook. She kicks her boots off quietly as she goes to her room to get her pajamas and shower.

Jasmine carefully towel dries her hair after her shower, french braiding it before brushing her teeth.

Entering her room she sits on her bed, sighing she climbs under bed, moving a loose floor board and taking out a shoe box she kept hidden.

Walking to her window she sets it on the windowsill before wrapping up in a heavy blanket and sitting on the fire escape with the box.

Opening it, Jasmine carefully pulls out a small grinder and a mason jar of weed, carefully grinding up enough for one bowl's worth of pot she fills her .

Jasmine fishes her lighter out from the shoe box before taking a hit. Holding her breath she coughs out the inhaled smoke, coughing harshly to let the high come quicker.

Jasmine smokes the entirety of her bowl, relaxing into her blanket before putting her things away, pulling out a from the shoe box next. Rolling up her pant leg she pushes open the blade before pressing it to her thigh, pressing down as she drags it across her leg. She creates four thin lines of broken skin before closing the blade and putting it in the box as well. She took medical supplies from her box to clean up the new cuts and dress them.

"What did you do?" A voice frowns, causing Jasmine to jump and turn quickly.

"Spider-Man?" She asks, surprised.

"Yeah." He kneels in front of the hurting girl, frowning under his mask, "Why?" He asks, helping her to dress the new cuts. Her thigh was littered with old scars, other than these four they seemed to be years old.

"Relapses happen." Jasmine shrugs, looking across the city, "Especially in times of stress." She says, putting the medical supplies in the shoe box again, closing it before he could see the weed.

"What's so stressful?"

"I doubt you'd get it." Jasmine stands, "I need to go to bed, I have school in the morning." She says, climbing back into her room.

Spider-Man watches her sadly, swinging around the building and into his own room, taking the mask off as he wiped his face. He had discovered his best friend's deepest secret, and he couldn't even tell her he knew.

Hey all! Sorry for such a dark, heavy chapter! I hope you enjoyed it though. I promise it doesn't stay this dark forever.

Will Peter tell Jasmine he knows? Will he hide it? Or will he tell her aunt and uncle?