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Watching Peter and Gwen from her locker, Zoee stuffs her books into her locker forcefully. She sees Gwen write something down on a piece of paper before handing it off to Peter. Zoee rolls her eyes that fill with tears as she knows that she's inviting him over to her house. That and she's speaking so loud that the whole hallway full of students probably hears her as well.
The Atkins girl slams her locker door shut loudly, pressing her forehead against the cool metal and looking down at her phone. She clicks it on and unlocks it with a swipe of her finger, punching in her passcode. The phone immediately shows the texts between her and Peter from weeks ago, which is the last time they texted.
Pete are u sure?? u can get home quickly w the subway
Zoee i'm sure, you can go on without me, i'll see you later :)
That was the final thing Peter had texted her when they left the Oscorp tower. Ever since Uncle Ben died, Peter had been distant. In the beginning, it wasn't as bad. As the weeks passed by, it got progressively worse until he finally stopped talking to her, going over to her house, and inviting her over. So Zoee did what she does best, pretending like they were strangers which is what she did when they first met. She stopped trying to have him talk to her and stopped going by his house to see how he's doing. She still goes every once in a while to check up on Aunt May, but she does it on the days she knows Peter won't be home straight away after school.
At the thought of Peter pretending that he doesn't know her, Zoee's chest feels heavy with guilt. She blames herself for Ben's death and now she knows that Peter does too. That's the only reason Peter would stop talking to her. If Zoee didn't try to act the hero and stop the burglar, she wouldn't have been saved by Uncle Ben and he would still be alive.
Zoee locks her phone and pockets it, turning around to head to her next class. To her surprise, Peter is standing next to her, leaning against the locker next to hers. She jumps, her eyes widening and her hands flying to her chest. She resists the urge to hit him when he fails to hide his smile.
"Hey," Peter murmurs, smiling softly at her. Zoee forces a fake smile, her lips closed tight, before turning the other way to leave. A soft but calloused hand grabs hers and turns her back around. "Do you want to come to Gwen's house with me tonight?"
Zoee thinks silently while Peter looks at her with pleading eyes. She gives in, sagging her shoulders and giving him a real closed-lipped smile. She gives him a short nod and Peter immediately scoops her up into a quick, but tight hug.
"I'll text to you the address and the time. Meet me there." Peter lets her know before kissing her forehead and walking away. Zoee is left in shock, standing stiff at her locker. She is left wondering what made him change his mind so quickly.
