Truly Blind | p. parker

xix • it's official

"Gross!"

Flash laughed as Cindy mimed puking over the side of the table. "You are disgusting."

A group of you and your friends were at lunch in the cafeteria. Mostly everyone from the decathlon team was here, minus Jason and Betty.

As others laughed at Flash's attempts to impress MJ, you felt Peter find your hand under the table. His fingers closed around yours and butterflies rose in your stomach.

The night of the decathlon advancement, after the team had gone to dinner, you and Peter had returned to his hotel room to talk.

He'd confessed that he was all but smitten for you, and couldn't believe you'd had the courage to kiss him.

You admitted you really couldn't understand how you'd done it either, but both of you were glad it had happened.

"I just need to say," Peter wasn't meeting your eyes. "I'm sorry for trying to put distance between us."

You nudged him to go on.

"After I nearly kissed you on my bed that one time, I freaked out. I think... I think I have trust issues. So I pushed you away."

"But, you're allowed to be close to people now..." You echoed the words you had overheard Ned say.

Peter stiffened. "You— heard that, did you?"

"Bits of it,"

Peter hesitated, as if trying to gage how much to tell you. "I... ever since... you know, this," He pointed to his eyes. "I've been... insecure about people actually liking me. Keeping me around, I guess. It's just hard to believe you'd actually care about me."

You rolled your eyes. "I've literally spent most of this school year with you. I like being around you." You laughed. "Peter," you leaned into him. "Please don't worry about that."

"Well— okay. If you say so." Peter relented.

After a pause you said: "So... what does this mean?" You held up your intertwined hands and let them fall back on the hotel bed.

"Oh, uh..." Peter seemed a blush but it was hard to tell in the dim light. "Well, I guess it means I want to ask you if you'll... if you'll be my girlfriend?"

Flash's milk spilling all over the cafeteria table brought you out of your memory. Peter lifted your lunch tray while you dabbed at the spill with your napkin.

You had, of course, said yes to Peter's question, and the two of you were happier than ever before.

"Ah, come on Flash," Abraham said.

"Not my fault, MJ shoved me."

"Liar!" MJ laughed, pulling more napkins from Ned's plate.

Peter set your tray back down and took your hand again.

"So ___," Ned spoke up for the first time since the beginning of lunch. He had walked in on Betty and Jason making out the same night you and Peter had gotten together and now he was suffering the repercussions. He had tried to excuse her behavior but ultimately he'd deduced how severe the cheating was and he'd broken his relationship off. He had been a mess ever since.

"I saw your parents outside a moving van this morning on the way to school, what's going on?"

Everyone turned towards you except Peter who already knew the answer.

"They're moving back to Chicago. They apparently don't like it here." Which was true, but you had no evidence to suggest they would be at all happier anywhere else in the world.