Saving Grace

Fifty

Grace Stark hasn't talked to Peter Parker in two months.

It's not that she doesn't want to, it's just that she doesn't know what to say. Plus, she's secretly hoping he'll text her first. Though that doesn't seem to be the case.

Maybe that's because he doesn't want to talk to her. Maybe there's some girl at his school that he likes who can actually leave her house and hasn't cried in front of him like twenty times — a girl that makes him forget all about Grace and what happened between them in Berlin. Admittedly, it wasn't much.

She reread The Great Gatsby when she got home, thinking about him as she did so. She continued to watch new videos of Spider-Man that popped up on YouTube and laughed at the ones speculating about him and his identity when they were entirely off the mark.

But she couldn't talk to him. He probably doesn't even like her...

Probably.

She sighs, snapping out of her thoughts to see her cereal getting soggy on the table in front of her. She thinks of the chocolate chip pancakes her father used to make her all the time. He hasn't done that in a while.

He's in India right now, while she's at the tower with Happy as he prepares for them to make the big move to the Avengers Compound. She wanted to stay in the city as long as she could, though she never really went out in it. But she would miss the sounds and the view out of her window and off her balcony.

She stands, taking her bowl and going to dump it in the sink. At that moment, Happy comes in, probably to grab a quick breakfast and then get to work.

"If the kid calls me one more time," he's saying on the phone, "I'm gonna scream." He pauses as someone — probably Tony — replies on the other end. Grace looks at him, interested. He says, "I know, but half the stuff he says isn't even important — over half the stuff. And I have to listen to all his voicemails in case he does say something important." Another pause, then, "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Bye." He hangs up.

But as he goes to leave, a banana in hand, Grace stops him. "Who are you talking about?"

"The Spider-Kid," Happy replies. "Peter. He calls me everyday about his little 'patrols'. Stopping muggings, small-time stuff. But he's only supposed to call if something big happens."

"So... he leaves you voicemails?"

"Yeah."

"And you never answer?"

"No. I don't have time for that." He looks at his watch. "Speaking of, I gotta go..." He runs off, but Grace stays put, thinking.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd want to talk to her. If not as friends — or... more — then maybe just about Spider-Man stuff. And that's better than nothing.

So, she grabs her phone, takes a deep breath, and sends him a text.

'Hey, Parker.'

~~~~

During his English class, Peter's phone buzzes. His teacher, however, is crazy about phones, so he doesn't risk looking at it. It's probably from Ned, anyway. He's in Psychology right now, and he texts him in that class all the time.

So, when the bell rings, Peter pulls his phone out of his bag and checks it on the way to gym.

'Hey, Parker.'

He stops in the middle of the hallway.

It's from Grace.

'Grace?' he texts back. He doesn't know what else to say. Could it really be her?