Winning the Game

Chapter 5

Peter was shocked.

Last night had been the best night in awhile. He could still feel Y/N's lips on his and her waist in his arms. He couldn't believe that it happened, but the bruises on Peter's elbows from falling back onto the fire escape patio proved it wasn't a dream.

But the part that stood out to him wasn't the fact that he was kissing the most popular girl in school or feeling the curve of her body grind into his. It was the fact that for that brief period of time where Peter was entangled with Y/N, he didn't think anything bad. He barely thought anything at all. He was in a glorious state of mind where all he could focus on was the moment.

No flashes of Mr. Stark's dead body. No flashes of Uncle Ben coughing up blood on the sidewalk. No flashes of Aunt May's teary face and trembling lip as she told Peter he wasn't going to see his parents again. He only saw black behind his closed eyes, focusing instead on the soft material of Y/N's shirt and the taste of her lip gloss mixing with her tongue and the smell of coconut emanating from her body.

For just a short second, Peter forgot the urge to hurt himself and hate his life. All he wanted was to be with Y/N.

"Earth to Peter?" Ned waved his hand in front of Peter's face, breaking him out of his trance. "Were you listening to anything I just told you?"

Peter smoothed down his hair and grabbed his books out of his locker. "Um, no, sorry."

Ned sighed. "I said MJ told me that Flash apologized for all the shitty things he said to her over the years, and now he's being super nice to her. That's weird, right?"

Peter shrugged and shut his locker. "I don't know."

"I just find it odd that he suddenly wants to make amends. And if he really wanted to change for the better, shouldn't he apologize to you first?"

"I don't care what Flash says about me," Peter said, even though he knew that was a lie. Every time he heard that stupid nickname, it still made him feel small and awful inside.

"Hey, losers," MJ deadpanned, as she strolled up to them in the hallway.

"Hey, MJ! I was just telling Peter about Flash being weird lately."

Peter nodded at MJ.

"Oh, yeah," MJ said. "He, uh, asked me to tutor him in English."

Ned whipped toward MJ. "What?!"

MJ shrugged. "I guess that's why he's being nice to me all of a sudden."

"What a douchebag," Ned said. "Using you for your brain."

MJ laughed. "I would agree, but he showed me the scores on his last two poetry exams, and they were...shameful."

As they all made their way down the hallway toward their classes, Peter saw Y/N at her locker with Carli Rodriguez. He tuned in to their conversation, curious if she mentioned him.

"And I was waiting in the alley for him, but he never showed," Carli said.

"Could you maybe not do that?" Y/N answered. "I really would rather not read about your dead body turning up on the news."

"Oh, shush. I know he'll come save me."

Y/N just shook her head and fluffed her hair in the mirror.

Peter sighed and tore himself out of their conversation. Why would Y/N bring up making out with Penis Parker to her equally popular best friend? He was a total nerd. She probably only kissed him because it was dark out and she didn't have to actually see him.