✓ | TWO YOUNG HEARTS ◦ 𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓

15 - HARD TIMES AT MIDTOWN HIGH

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THE SMALL EARTHQUAKE THAT FRIDAY NIGHT WAS JUST A SMALL PART OF THE GOSSIP THAT OVERTOOK QUEENS. The very next day, and from then on, Alissa heard murmurs of a man swinging from building to building using what looked like ropes, or spider webs, as some people had been so brave to claim. Of course, she didn't believe it, trying to stay focused on her schoolwork, and forget about the way she felt so safe and comfortable in the arms of Peter after he had saved her life.

The second term was vastly approaching the students and she still had three books she had to read and write essays for. Peter was seemingly stressed as well, having to ditch some plans that Sunday night as he already had other arrangements he'd forgotten about. Alissa and her friends didn't really think much on it, knowing that they were all unsteady with their exams drawing closer, Alissa especially.

Carter was even on edge, wondering if he should ask Liz to be his girlfriend, or if he should talk to Flash about it first, having seen the boy frowning that night. He wasn't sure if it was because he still had feelings for him, or if there was something going on that he wasn't telling him.

Well, at least Scott and Kelli were making it home for dinner at least three times a week, and with that, came new limits for their three children that they definitely weren't expecting.

"A curfew?" Alissa grimaced, repeating her mother word. "No offense, but you won't even be here to know when we're home."

Kelli pursed her lips, her wet hair dripping over her bare shoulders. She wore a black and white tank top and fuzzy pajama pants, having taken a shower before joining her kids in the living room with Scott after they all ate dinner together, as a family. They believed that it would have been the best time to tell their children they now had a curfew after feeding them their favorite food, Chinese.

"We're working on that, you know that, too. We just. . .it's not forever. It's just—"

"So you can control our lives even though you're not gonna be here," Carter sharply replied, head lifting from his algebra homework to face his parents. "Should've seen this coming." Alissa and Brian glanced to each other; they were thinking the same thing, they just didn't want to say. "Yeah, makes sense. You're not even going to be here to know if we're out past curfew, so, why not give us a curfew? Not like we'll follow it."

Scott shifted, his eyes swiveling from the TV that was showing blurred images of a man in a red and blue pajamas, claiming to be the man that was swinging from the rooftops. "You're right, there will be nights when we won't be home to know if you were out later, but we're trusting you to be home on time. Besides, we're still gonna let you go out and be with your friends. Asking you to be home really isn't asking much, mainly when your curfew is midnight. So, it shouldn't be that hard to follow, Carter."

"Midnight?" Brian repeated, that really being the only thing he picked out of what Scott has said. A wide smile broke out on his pale and chubby face, his toes wiggling in his three day old socks that he was still wearing. "I can s—"