Euphoric | Peter Parker

32 - Who Am I

"The spider-? You know what? Never mind," I sighed, "How long has he been missing?"

"About twenty minutes. You've been gone for longer," He said, "What were you doing anyway? Did you get into a fight? Is that why your hands are wrapped up? Did you kill somebody?"

I glanced at my bandaged hands and shook my head out of agitation. Peter was missing and Ned could only think about what I had been up to.

"We need to find him!" I yelled.

"Well, he isn't here!" He went quiet for a moment as he studied my face. He probably noticed that I was upset about Peter's disappearance. "Hey," He said softly, "Maybe he went home? I doubt anything bad has happened to him."

"Nothing bad better have happened to Peter or I swear I'll-"

At that moment, feedback from speakers rang throughout the house as Flash started to speak.

"Hey! Wasn't Peter's best friend supposed to come to this party? Where is he? Yo, you around here Spider-Man?" He held his hand to his ear as he laughed. "No? That's what I thought."

"Oh no," Ned shook his head, "This isn't going to end well."

"That's a real shame," Flash continued, tauntingly, "I was hoping to get a selfie with the guy. Where you at, Peter? You too embarrassed to show your face, Penis Parker?"

"Idiot," I seethed.

Ned grabbed my shoulder as I started to head toward Flash.

"Wait! Peter wouldn't want you to hurt him, Alger."

I lifted his hand off me as Flash and the crowd started to chant Flash's nickname for Peter.

"This disgusts me," I told him, "Something needs to be done."

"I'll try calling Peter again."

He lifted up his phone to his ear and let out a small gasp when he received an answer.

"Actually," Ned said painfully to Peter, "I was calling to say maybe you shouldn't come. Listen to this." Ned pulled his phone off his ear and raised it into the air so Peter could hear the chanting.
He put it back against his ear after a few seconds and sighed. "Sorry, Peter. I guess we're still losers. I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up and looked at me.  "He's okay and on his way home. I can walk you back to his apartment?" He offered, "It's a long walk, but I figure that you'll be able to protect me."

"Yeah, I can definitely keep you safe now."

He cocked up an eyebrow. "Could you not before?"

"Let's just get out of here before I rip Flash's head off."

"Good idea!"

____________________________

The walk with Ned was surprisingly a pleasant one. As expected, he asked me hundreds of questions about my past and my experience as an assassin, but there was one question that threw me off.

"This will seem weird, but I have to ask you this," He said as we both waited for the light to change at the crosswalk.

I nodded my head for him to ask as I watched New York boom around us after dark; cars driving, people having loud conversations and not caring what time of the night it is, the smell of fried food and motor gas filling the air. It definitely was a distracting scenery.

"Has something serious happened between you and Peter?" He continued.

It was as if the city around us went silent as I heard the question. I was almost left behind as the light had changed and Ned was already halfway across the road. I quickly jogged up to him as I still pondered on the question.