29 - STRANGER DANGER
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"UNBELIEVABLE."
Alissa stood in the driveway of her house, her eyes looking over the driveway and opened garage doors, not seeing either of her parents cars. Carter's car was parked in the garage, warmth still radiating off of the hood as Alissa held her hand over it, finding that he hadn't arrived home that long ago. Brian's bike was lazily leaned against the wall, the wheels tainted with mud which was odd seeing as he normally didn't ride his bike anywhere that mud would've been.
Alissa heaved her book bag over her shoulder, puffing out her cheeks as she headed inside, going through the kitchen and dropping her back on the counter.
"Mom and Dad make you come home, too?" Alissa turned, finding both of her brothers seated at the kitchen table. She sighed, kicking off her shoes, shaking her head. Carter scoffed, folding his arms and leaning back in the wooden chair. "Figures. They want us home, but they're not even here to tell us why."
Alissa bit the inside of her cheek and sat down in her seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Maybe it's a good thing?" She tried, though, she didn't sound so assured herself, wincing after the fact. Brian sadly smiled, looking down at his homework.
"How'd the tutoring session go today?" Carter asked.
Alissa bit her bottom lip, sinking in her seat just slightly. She didn't think it would prove or silently say anything to either of her curious and suspicious brothers, but when she looked to both of her brothers, she saw them grinning so widely that it sent chills down her arms.
She repositioned herself, doing a double take at their similar expressions, leaning away from them noticeably. "What are those goofy smiles for?" She demanded to know.
"Oh please," Brian laughed, his attention slipping from his homework and to his brother and sister. "Like you don't already know." Carter chuckled along with Brian, both of them expecting their sister to join them, however, she didn't. She only blankly stared, having a feeling that they thought something that didn't happen actually happened.
When they realized she wasn't going to join their laughter, it died down, their faces falling. "Wait, did you not tell him how you feel?" Carter asked, sounding shocked, and a little disappointed.
Alissa rolled her eyes, eyes swiveling to the bare table. "No, I didn't," she sharply said. "That wasn't even my plan. I went there to study and get help, and if I told him how I felt, then that could've messed it up and then I'd fail this entire semester, and I can't have that. Not after busting my ass so much just to get the grades I have."
"Shit, sorry," Carter huffed, "But really, it wouldn't ruin anything. It make everything better. Trust me."
Alissa rested her head on her knees, looking at him with uncertainty. "How could it possibly make everything better?"
"Seriously?" Brian nearly shouted, startling both of his siblings despite them already looking at him. "Peter freaking likes you—like, like-likes you!" Alissa only scoffed, shaking her head in denial.
Carter nudged her shoulder, making her look over at him. "No, he's right. Peter does like you," he agreed, making Brian happily grin.
"Oh, c'mon," Alissa sighed. "He couldn't."
"Why? Because he's actually good at hiding when he likes someone?" Carter snickered, giving his sister a look. "No, he's not. He sucks at it. I know he does because he looks at you the exact same way you look at him. I've seen it on numerous occasions."
Alissa pursed her lips together, silencing herself. 'But not enough times with you,' Peter's words echoed in her head. The way his hand had brushed against her own flashed in her mind, her brows coming together as she remembered the way his fingers began to move to her hand. She sat up, more and more memories coming together of how Peter did something that was a little out of the ordinary for him to do to someone who was, sadly, still a friend.
Carter and Brian noticed the exprsssion change on their sisters face, sharing an unsure glance with one another. Alissa turned to them, a surprising thought sparking in her mind. "I guess, maybe, there's a chance—"
The garage door opening cut Alissa off, the three Caverly children turning to see their parents walking into the home, the two of them carrying Chinese takeout bags. They noticed their children, sharing a smile with each other as they placed the bags on the table, expecting their children to dig in. Instead, they were met with blank stares, Brian doing so while he stuffed his homework back into his folder.
"What? What's the matter?" Scott worriedly wondered, plopping down at one end of the table, his wife sitting beside Brian.
"Why are we here?" Carter blankly asked, not seeing a reason not trying sugarcoat the fact that he didn't want to be home at the moment.
"We're having a family dinner," Kelli cheerfully answered, sweetly smiling at her children. She and Scott began emptying the bags, passing around plates.
"Seriously? That's why you made us come home?"
Scott sighed, looking at his oldest child tiredly. "Why? Did you have something better to do?"
"As a matter of fact, I did," he snapped, eyes sharpened at Scott. "I—"
"But you said it was an emergency," Alissa interjected, trying to spare them all from a father and son fight. They were all on better terms, but there was still doubt plaguing Carter's mind, his instincts being going to fight rather than just enjoy the moment.
Scott and Kelli shared a subtly look, pausing their movements. Kelli sighed, handing a contained of fried rice to Brian, "Let's just tell them," Kelli said, ignoring the looks she received from her children. "They have a right to know."
As much as Scott wanted to deny what his wife said, she was right. Their children had a right to know why they were called home earlier than planned.
"Fine, okay, okay," Scott said, passing one of the bags of crab rangoon to Alissa who took it happily. "There. . .there was an accident at work—two, actually—and it's been handle, okay? Don't worry, but there's been some. . .reappearances of those that were affected, and we don't want any of you out and about while they're still out there."
"While who's out there?" Alissa asked, but she was met with silence while they began to eat. "You guys can't just tell us something like that and then not explain it. Like mom said, we have a right to know."
"And you do," Kelli nodded, quickly swallowing her food. "And. . .I'm sure you've all heard of Spider-Man, right?"
° ° °
Late, again.
Peter was late again.
He'd skipped out on the last five tutoring sessions they had planned in a matter of three days, and it was now crunch time with their exams of the last semester being just days away. Peter continued to claim he had other engagements that took precedence, but she knew they were lies. She knew him better than that, and he seemed to forget that. Even their best friends had noticed the way Peter came in even later to classes, or how he left early, having something else he as to do. Excuse after excuse came from him, and it was the same way when Alissa noticed more bruises covering his skin.
"I-It's nothing," he would say, "I fell down the stairs," he would say, "I'm fine, don't worry about it," he'd continued. He would never actually explain how he got them, using the excuse that he fell or got in a fight. It just wasn't adding up and Alissa was getting sick of it, the excuses, the lying, and the ditching; all of it, and she was going to let him know the next time she saw him.
With a heavy sigh, Alissa shuffled her surprisingly finished homework into her bag, at least content that she had all of her late assignments completed and turned in. She still had a few that she had to finish, but overall, she was doing better, and that was slightly thanks to Peter. While she understand geometry better than before, she still had unanswered questions, but with Peter being a continuous no show, she had to find a replacement.
"You know, as much as I like having you pick me over Parker, you're gonna have to tell him there's no point in trying anymore," Flash said, picking up his own supplies.
Flash was a first witness to seeing her struggle with her homework, and when he realized that Peter was ditching her, he offered to help, not wanting to see her fail all because some dumb boy didn't have a good handle on the much needed aspect of life called time management. He didn't necessarily have a great grasp on it either, but he often made it from place to place on time, and Alissa was very grateful that he stepped in to help her.
Alissa sighed, zipping up her book bag. "I know, I know," she nodded, tucking her phone in her pocket. "He just—"
Flash shook his head, picking up his Physics book. "No, don't make excuses for him. He does that himself, you don't need to do it too," he firmly said. Alissa deeply frowned, but didn't say anything. Flash sighed, walking towards the exit of the public library, both of them waving to the librarian as they walked out, being met with the chill of the night. The snow had ceased to a stop day's ago, giving people the opportunity to go out again without worrying about getting stuck in a blizzard. "I don't know what you see in him, either. There are cuter boys for you to have a crush on than him, you know."
That had Alissa's head snapping to face him, a surprised expression on her face. She made a solid promise to Carter that she wouldn't let Flash know they kissed, and that the boy was also into boys as well as girls, and she wasn't going to break it. So, Alissa acted shock, even letting out a little gasp as they headed towards the parking lot where his car was parked.
"Wait—"
Flash managed to let out a laugh, unlocking his father's car (Harrison still didn't notice the scratch) and tossing his belongings in the back. "Don't act so shocked, Al. I know Carter told you."
Alissa breathed out a laugh, watching her breath dissolve in the cold air. "He told you, didn't he?"
Flash timidly nodded. "Yeah, and it's fine, I don't care. You're like a sister to me." Alissa softly smiled. She felt like he was a brother to her, too. "You need a ride home? I might have time to drop you off before my dad gets home."
Alissa sighed, frowning, "No, it's okay, I have to stop by Delmar's, anyways. I promised Brian if he got a 100 on his history test I'd buy him an entire box full of his favorite candy, and he did," she explained, Flash nodding as she spoke. "But thanks for the offer. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Same time?" Flash requested. Alissa firmly nodded, taking a few steps back as he climbed inside the silver colored car. She waved and turned the opposite way, jogging towards the sidewalk, heading the opposite direction than Flash, stealing a glance over her shoulders to see the car zoom off towards his house.
She puffed out her cheeks and zipped up her jacket, making her way towards Delmar's. It was only a few blocks away, and then it wasn't a short walk from her house after that. If she was quick, she could make it home in 30 minutes.
Alissa decided to put some headphones in, hoping that listening to the voice of Halsey or Ed Sheeran would make the walk go by quicker, her hands tucked in her pockets while the wind blew her hair around her shoulders. She shrugged her book bag up her shoulders, tightening the straps so they would stop trying to fall down her arms.
'All we do is drive,' Alissa sang along in her head, her head bopping to the beat slightly, eyes dropping to her feet. 'All we do is think about the feelings that we—'
"Ahh!" Alissa's headphones fell out of her ears, her body falling towards the sidewalk, along with rolled up pieces of paper that tumbled from the persons hands. She winced as her back smacked against the cement, hissing out in pain and clenching her aching elbow.
She pushed herself up, noticing a man with a hood up, quickly grabbing at the papers. Alissa bit her lip, letting out a small sigh as she sat up, picking up a rolled up paper. The man paused, Alissa handing it to him. "Thanks," he said, voice gruff and shaky.
"Uh, you're welcome," she said, pushing herself up. "Sorry about that, by the way."
"I-It's fine," He dismissed, standing up with the piece huddled to his chest. "S-sorry."
He took a step away, Alissa's eyes flickering to the ground. She noticed something glimmering in the light and she picked it up, realizing it was a name tag. "Hey, wait!" She called out, jogging a little after him. "Max!" The man stopped, turning to face her. She held out the name tag, not thinking to look at his face as she had seen it on the name face. "Uh, here's this. I think you dropped it."
"Thanks," he briskly thanked her, nodding before turning to rush off once again. Alissa titled her head, watching him head off into the dark, his eerie voice lingering in her mind, giving her an odd feeling in her stomach. She chose to brush it off, hoping to forget all about him as she continued walking towards Delmar's.
She decided against putting her headphones back in, not wanting another accident to happen and end up worse than the last one.
She tucked her phone in her pocket again, letting out a content sigh. A few cars passed by every so often, Alissa picking up her pace at the crosswalks so she wouldn't have to try and beat the timer. Other people passed by her, seeming to be doing the same as the lonely teenage girl. Delmar's was within her sights, making a smile appear on her lips as she crossed the street, her breath lingering around her before it disappeared like magic. Her eyes traveled to the sky, her feet pausing as her eyes locked on the Stark Tower that loomed over the city in the distance.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Alissa jumped, spinning around to see a man in a leather jacket behind her. He laughed at her reaction, smirking at her when his eyes drifted from the bright Tower and to the girl. "But you look nicer."
Alissa nervously laughed, taking a step back with a timid smile. "Uh, thanks," she said, nodding and turning back towards Delmar's. The chance to take another step was taken from her when a hand clasped around her wrist, yanking her back. She whipped around, coming face to face with the man in the leather jacket.
He no longer smiled. Instead, his eyes burned with anger, almost looking black with a snarl on his stubbled face. His black brows were downturned, his face hard and hateful as he glowered at the teenager. Alissa's eyes widened in horror, trying to break free of his tight grip. "Scream and I'll kill you," he threatened, reaching into his pocket.
Not thinking first, Alissa clenched her teeth together and rammed her head into his face, making the man stagger back in shock. He let go of her, giving her enough time to pull away. "I think you broke my nose!" The man cried out in agony, cradling the nose as blood began to pour down to his chin.
"Good!" Alissa harshly snapped, "Maybe you'll think twice before assaulting teenage girls!"
"Why you little—" the man began, taking a big stride toward her. The girl stomped her foot, digging her heel into his foot, elbowing him in his already broken nose once more. The man let out a meek yelp, falling onto his back. "You're gonna pay for that!"
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit women?" An all too familiar voice called out into the crispy night air, dropping down right in front of Alissa. She wasn't even fazed, the hero having grown on her more as she found him accompanying on her late night walks home.
The man only groaned.
Alissa stepped to the side, capturing Spider-Man's attention. "Oh, hey, Alissa," he said so casually that Alissa almost figured out how she knew him, but before she could think on it, the man stood up, noticing Spider-Man.
"Not you again," the man sighed, earning a scoff from Alissa.
"Again? You mean you've assaulted more than one woman?"
Spider-Man shook his head and shot out a web, trapping the man's feet to the ground. Police sirens rang in the distance, a few bystanders watching the encounter in horror and impressment—more so with Alissa after seeing her handle herself; one individual in particular doing more so than anyone as he watched from the shadows, wondering how Spider-Man knew her name, and why the girl looked like a girl in photograph on one of his co-workers desk.
"C'mon, just let me go," the man tried, wiping at his gushing nose with the sleeve of his jacket, "I-I won't do it again, I swear!"
"Apologize to the lady," Spider-Man ordered, pointing towards Alissa.
"What?"
Spider-Man tilted his head and shot out a web, trapping the man's hand to his bleeding nose. "I said," Spider-Man said, making his voice a little louder—and deeper—"Apologize to the lady."
The man sighed, annoyedly turning to Alissa. "I'm sorry. Now can you let me go?"
Spider-Man laughed, wrapping an arm around Alissa's waist. "No can do, you're a criminal." He shot a web up, emitting a squeal from Alissa as he swung her away, calling out a faint. "Bye Mr. Criminal."
° ° °
Spider-Man dropped Alissa off at her house not long after, Alissa giving him a dirty look when he sat her down on the deck in the backyard. "Did you see that?" She asked, proudly smirking. "I had that handled."
Spider-Man nodded in agreement. "I know, you didn't even need me."
"Then why'd you come?" Alissa folded her arms over her chest, pursing her lips while giving him an accusing look.
"W-Can't I just come in and give you a lift home? Is that a crime now?"
Alissa giggled, plopping down on a chair. "No, I guess not, but I know a few things that should be," she muttered, not thinking he would hear her.
"Like what?" Spider-Man casually wondered, jumping into a chair off to the side easily.
Alissa waved her hand, setting her book bag at her feet. "It's nothing. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my problems."
"No, no, you can tell me," Spider-Man said. "It's a slow night, anyways. And, we're friends, right?"
Alissa pursed her lips, sighing. "Right."
Spider-Man smiled, his eyes lifting slightly.
Friends.
They were friends.
"What's wrong? A fella do you wrong or somethin'?"
"Kind of," she admitted. Spider-Man jumped again, sitting in the chair a little off to the side of her, a small smile coming to her lips. "It's just. . .there's this boy I like."
"Oh," Spider-Man said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Oh?'" Alissa repeated with a snort, "Did you think you had a chance or something?"
"No, I-I just, I don't—"
"It's okay," Alissa chuckled, shaking her head, "It's just, he's stood me up, like, five or six times now."
Spider-Man pondered, slightly sinking in the chair. Surely he hasn't missed five or six tutoring sessions, and she wasn't talking about him. She didn't like actually like him as much as their friends told him him, did she?
"H-He got a name? Or something? How'd he stand you up?" Spider-Man questioned, hoping he didn't sound as concerned or interested as he actually was.
"I'm not telling you his name," Alissa said, earning a groan from the hero. "But I will say he is rather cute, and adorable."
"Oh, really?"
Alissa lightly blushed, a picture of Peter already coming to her mind as she stared up at the stars. "Yeah, he's the cutest boy I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them. I mean, have you seen Harry Osborn?"
"Yeah, I've seen him," Spider-Man grumbled.
"But this boy, he's cuter, definitely," Alissa assured, her words and thoughts of Peter coming out faster than her brain could process them. "But he's a complete and total idiot."
"How come?" A distant siren rang in the distance, making his body stiffen. Crime was ringing out for him, but he didn't want to leave. He wanted to spend his time with Alissa; he always did.
"Well, he's, uh, he's been tutoring me."
'No,' he thought, pulling his head back a little as he stared ahead at the girl. 'Surely I didn't actually read the signs right. Right?'
"But he's missed all of our sessions. I mean, I get there are things that come up, but, not that many times. But then he lies to me about them with these lame excuses," Alissa ranted, anger seeping into her words, making the hero frown. "And he thinks I don't realize it, but I do. I've always realized. I mean, I spent most of my life admiring him and having this stupid crush on him so much that everyone but him knows about it, and they all tease me about it, too, and I just. . .I thought that just maybe—"
"Yeah?" Spider-Man pressed further.
More sirens blared in the city of Queens.
"I thought that maybe during one of the sessions, I could tell him how I felt."
Spider-Man nearly toppled out of the chair, quickly catching himself before he could. Alissa blinked, unsure as to why he was acting weird.
"Wait, really?" He breathed out, now standing a few feet in front of her, his entire body tingling.
"Yeah, but he's just—he keeps blowing me off, and he did help me understand the topic more, but since he hasn't been around much anymore, this other kid's been helping me so I don't fail, and I don't think I will now, but, he just. . .I really like him, and I want him to know, but I'm just so mad at him. I know he's got other priorities, but he doesn't need to constantly lie to me about it. If he was just honest with me, I wouldn't be so mad, or hurt."
"What-what if he's hiding something?"
Alissa shrugged, standing as well. "I just want him to be honest with me. Does he think he can't trust me or something?"
"No, no, not at all," Spider-Man denied, clearing his throat. The sirens were just now streets away from them. "I mean, I don't think someone would blow you off intentionally. You're great, and this boy, he's a total idiot for doing it, but who knows, he might be honest with you, and soon."
Alissa nodded, rubbing her hands together. "I don't know, I hope so," she whispered, finally hearing the sirens. She slowly turned to him, offering a timid grin. "Thanks for listening to me, Spidey. You're actually not a bad friend, after all. I don't care what my parents say about you."
"Your parents? What have they—"
"I think they're calling for you," Alissa said, watching the red and blue lights flicker past her house. "Go, it's okay."
"Anytime, uh, I guess, good night, Al."
With that, Spider-Man whizzed off into sky, Alissa watching his red covered figure chase after the police colors, a grin spreading across his face as he got farther away, her words ringing in his mind. "She likes me!"
"Shut up, Spider-Man!"
"She really likes me!"
° ° °
All right, all right, this wasn't too bad, actually. I kind of thought more would happen, and actually, it did because I thought of keeping the entire scene with Spider-Man out and adding it to the next chapter, but it wouldn't fit so here it is!
Anyways, the next chapters gonna be quite angsty and shocking too, omg. While I was writing this, I realized what the next chapter was and I'm really excited, and a little afraid, but it's okay. I'm sure you realized some things that are gonna happen with a few things *cough* characters *cough* that were mentioned. So, yeah, there's 10 chapters left after the next one so yeah, we're getting close to the ending. I hope y'all will enjoy!
Lastly, don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments! I love reading your comments and seeing what you're thinking/feeling! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
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