Spider-Man and the Red Dahlia

Chapter 5

After a single knock, the door swings open and a smiling Peter stands before me. I have to ask him out today. How I'm going to do that with Ned around is something I'll figure out later. Maybe I'll ask him to meet me later or I purposefully forget something...

     It really shouldn't be this hard, right?

     'Hey.' He says, stepping aside to let me in. 'Come on in.'

     'Hey.' I greet him in return, walking past him into the apartment. Ned is sitting at the table and I set my bag down next to him. 'Sorry for being a bit late.' I apologize. 'My brother was being a bit of a bitch.' He kept trying to talk to me and wouldn't let me go until he said what he wanted to say. I know he cares about me and I know that they all worry about me, but I'm not a child anymore.

     'You know, this is perfect.' Ned says as Peter sits down opposite him. 'You two are great at Spanish. I barely have to do anything.'

     I chuckle. 'Don't think you can get away with that.'

     'Peter would kick my ass.'

     'Do you want anything to drink, Mal?' Peter asks, moving to stand back up.

     'Oh, no thanks.' I answer. 'So, tell me what you came up with until now.' Ned starts explaining and Peter now and then adds something to it or corrects him. They actually have quite a great idea set up already and we work out some details for about an hour until deciding on a plan.

     'I think we deserve a break.' Ned says. 'I am gonna go get myself a drink. Anyone else?'

     I grab his laptop and continue on reading. I was right in the middle of it when Ned interrupted. 'Ya dumayu, chto my dolzhny izmenit'-' There I go again. 'Sorry.'

     'Wow, your Russian is amazing.' Ned turns around to us. 'Where did you learn that?' Peter gives him a look I can't quite make out and his eyes widen. 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry.'

     I chuckle. 'No, that's okay. It's actually kind of nice to know that that's not the main thing people know about me.'

     'Well, that's just because-' He stops abruptly. 'Nothing.'

     I frown and look back at the laptop. 'Anyways, what I wanted to say is that I think we should change this-' I highlight a bit of text and type something else next to it. '...to this.' I turn the laptop around to Peter and he looks at it for a bit.

     'That's genius.' He says.

     A smile appears on my face. 'Thank you.'

     Ned grabs three glasses of water and walks back to the table. He moves to set the glasses down, but his phone rings and he jump up, the glasses falling out of his hands and dropping down onto the table. I grab the laptop and lift it up, almost swinging it over my head in a hurry. Peter tries to grab the glasses, but ends up getting a piece of glass in his arm. He winces and pulls it out. I put down the laptop on the chair beside me and rush to the kitchen to grab some paper towels and take Peter's arm, pressing on his wound.

     'I'm so sorry.' Ned apologizes. 'Are you okay, Peter?'

     'I'm fine.' Peter says. 'Thanks, Mal.'

     'Of course. Where are your bandages?'

     He points at the cabinet next to the door. 'Top drawer.' I open the drawer and chuckle as there are only Spongebob bandages. I grab one and open it up as I walk back to the table.

     Peter takes the paper towel off his wound and I quickly place the bandage on his arm. He chuckles as he sees Spongebob's happy face. 'It's all I could find.'