Robin hood (peter parker)

13: mystery meat

"Thumbs" Sabrina Carpenter

tossing and turning, Joey struggled to sleep. after a long day of doing nothing but play board games and watching movies, Joey was in peasant spirits. when it was time to go to bed however, the darkness of her room engulfed her in her own terrifying thoughts. the shadows from outside her window would move across her room, creating figures that resembled a large man in her tired state. the noises from the outside world sending shivers down her spine when a horn honked or people shouted. 

closing her eyes only caused her more problems, the man's face post reveal staring back at her. he was less intimidating when he had his mask on, but when the cops showed and removed his disguise, she could she the creature behind the black fabric. he was nothing more than a man trying to get by in life; that was the scary part. 

this man had a family, was loved at some point in his life, had a job before maybe, but now he was holding innocent girls at gun point. he was human, capable of love and compassion, as well as the darkest of deeds. whatever happened to him, whatever pushed him to his breaking point, it was common to many. 

what kept the girl up at night wasn't the idea of him coming to get his revenge for locking him up, or wanting the rest of the money. what she worried about was herself and all the people in her life. what would happen to them if she were pushed to her breaking point? or worst, what if they became the reason for her to crumble?

after hours of trying and failing to sleep, she finally gave up. the night before was just a bad, but at least she could look forward to spending time with her family. today she would have to go back to work and face the music. checking her watch, she had time to go on a morning jog, something she tried often to do to clear her mind and fill her body with adrenaline. 

her run lasted longer than she intended, and by the time she arrived home again, her sister was already up and eating a piece of toast. Joey apologized for not having anything ready for her when she woke, but Dakota quickly dismissed her and offered to make her some eggs while she took a shower. Joey accepted, grateful to have a sister that knew her way around a kitchen well enough to make eggs that were edible. 

when she finished freshening up, and getting ready for the day, she joined her sister in the kitchen, devouring her breakfast. "I didn't realize how long I was out for, I would have made you something." Joey apologized again as she placed her dirty plate in the sink.

Dakota rolled her eyes, knowing how caught up in her head Joey would get on her runs. more times than not Joey would go for a half hour jog, only to come home an hour later soaked in her own sweat. "Jo, it's fine. what you should be worried about is getting to work on time." she took a sip of her juice, glancing at the clock on the end table by the couch. "I mean, you could run there, but I honestly don't know how you're even walking after all that exercise you just did. I'm tired and all I've done is look at you covered in sweat."

"haha, very funny." Joey grabbed her bag from the back of one of their chairs, making sure she had everything she needed for the day in it. "there's some mac and cheese in the cabinet for lunch, or you can just dig through the fridge." she instructed before pulling her sister into a side hug. "do me a favor and try to get gramps out of the apartment, even if it's only down the hall and back."

"do me a favor and stay safe today." Dakota pleaded. of course, in a city like Queens there was no guarantee of safety, but the least her sister could do was not go looking for trouble. "please."

"I'll try, I promise." Joey offered a reassuring smile, but even she wasn't sure if her words would ring true in the end. the best she could do was get to work and back without any detours. "Love you."