Dancing Around // peter parker

13

What was supposed to be a cheery ride home from winning was instead a bus filled with silence chasing the sun.

Peter appeared again, though I didn't know when and he didn't make any kind of explanation of where he was. The few talks that were done were about Spider-Man and how great of a hero he was and how lucky we were that he was there. I looked at my photos, seeing that I had only captured a blurry photo of the man in the red suit. Why was he in Washington D.C and not in New York? Something seemed fishy about it.

It was dark when the bus finally pulled into the school's parking lot. Parents filled it. They hurried out of their cars when they saw the bus. They all looked worried. I saw it all from the window of my seat. I searched for my mom and her red car, but it wasn't there.

As soon as the bus stopped and the double doors opened, my peers hurried off the bus. I witnessed them running to their parents, hugging each other with so much love. I hated it. It made me feel some kind of way, yet I couldn't look away.

Peter was one of the last people on their way off the bus when he caught me still in my seat. He turned around, walking towards me before sliding next to me. "Aren't you coming?" he asked with the gesture of his head.

I nodded. I forced a smile. "I'll be right there," I lied. I looked back at the scene. Tears dripped down people's faces. How could she not come? Did she not see the news? Did she not see I could have died? Why wasn't her red car among the sea of worried parents?

Peter's head got closer to mine as he looked out the same window. "Everyone is pretty scared, huh?"

"I don't blame them."

"Were you scared?" He asked. I didn't say anything. I kept my eyes on the grateful people. "Is your mom here?" I looked away from the window and at the back of the seat in front of me. Someone had carved their name into it with a black pen. I refuse to say anything, maybe because if I said it out loud, it would be too much for me to control.

Peter slipped his hand into mine, causing me to look at him. "Come on, we'll give you a ride home," he said softly before getting out of the seat. We stared at each other for a moment.

He stayed still as he stood in the middle of the aisle, his hand connected to mine, waiting for me. Did I want to go with him? Would Ms. May be okay with driving me home after her image of me had become tainted? Would she refuse now that she didn't care about me? Was I willing to risk the possibility of being rejected in front of a group of students with their loving parents?

Peter squeezed my hand. He gestured again with his head like before and something was comforting about his brown eyes and the way they were looking at me. I didn't realize until then that he made me feel safe.

I grabbed my bag and slid out of the seat, following him out of the bus. As soon as his feet touched the ground he was pulled into a hug by his aunt, his hand letting go of mine. He wrapped his arms around her. I stepped to the side, looking away from the scene. Without someone's hand, everything seemed so much harder.

Should I leave?

I felt someone pull my shoulders back. I turned thinking it was Peter, but then I found myself in the arms of someone else. Red hair was right in the view of the corner of my eye. Her grip on me was tight, but it felt like it had a purpose. Like she was putting me back together.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Marina," Ms. May said.

I started to cry. I could see Peter looking at us. He looked tired, but I could see through the blurriness of my tears a small smile.

I couldn't believe it. I would never have thought that a hug from my neighbor could mean so much to me. Finally, it felt like someone cared, and having that, knowing that, I allowed myself to give in and hug back.