Aurum ✧ Peter Parker

✧ ˚ 19 · nineteen .

Ava chuckled, appreciating Liz's humour. "Hey, it's not like I had a choice in the school or the sports they offered," she retorted, trying to sound indignant but failing to suppress her amusement.

Liz grinned mischievously. "Oh, I'm sure you suffered through it all," she said, feigning sympathy.

"Absolutely torturous," Ava replied, mock seriousness in her tone.

As they entered the gymnasium, Ava glanced around, taking in the scene. Some people were on the mats, stretching and preparing for the class, while others sat comfortably on the bleachers. Liz led Ava to her group of friends, who sat on the second row of the bleachers. Ava's smile widened when she spotted Michelle among them.

"Thought you didn't have friends?" Ava teased playfully, giving Michelle a warm smile.

Michelle grinned back at Ava, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, I have a few. Liz just likes to tease me about being a loner," she said, nudging Liz playfully.

Liz shrugged, feigning innocence. "Hey, it's all in good fun."

As Coach Simmons called the class to attention, Ava quickly found a mat and sat down beside Michelle. Liz took a spot on a mat next to them, and as Ava looked around, her heart skipped a beat. There, just a few mats in front of them, sat Peter and Ned, two of her closest friends at the school.

"Hey guys, I didn't see you there!" Ava exclaimed, trying to hide the nervous excitement in her voice. She was genuinely happy to see her friends, but being around Peter always made her feel a bit jittery.

Peter turned around, his face lighting up when he saw Ava, but he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Ava! Uh, didn't expect to find you here," he replied, trying to sound casual but failing to hide his nerves.

Ned nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's a pleasant surprise! We didn't know you had gym class with us."

Coach Simmons led the class through warm-up exercises, and Ava actively participated, displaying her athleticism effortlessly. Peter couldn't help but steal glances at her, marvelling at her strength and agility. Meanwhile, Michelle remained composed, engrossed in her book, seemingly undistracted by the physical activity around her.

He tried to focus on perfecting his own sit-ups, trying to impress her in his own way. However, every now and then, his eyes would inevitably drift back to Ava, and he couldn't help but be in awe of her.

"Dude, when did you get so good at these? Before the summer, you could barely do three!" Ned exclaimed, looking genuinely impressed by Peter's sudden improvement.

Peter's heart pounded in his chest as he stammered, trying to come up with an excuse to hide his newfound abilities. "Uh, yeah, I've been, uh, practicing," he finally managed to say, hoping it sounded convincing enough.

Ned raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Practicing? Come on, man, you can't just go from three to, like, a hundred sit-ups overnight. Spill the beans, Pete!"

Peter's mind raced, searching for a way to divert the attention. "Well, you know, I've been trying out some new exercises, watching workout videos online," he said, attempting to sound nonchalant.

Ned looked sceptical but let it go, not pressing the matter further. "Alright, if you say so. Just don't overdo it, man. We don't want you becoming some kind of sit-up superhero," he joked, giving Peter a playful nudge.

Peter forced a laugh, relieved that Ned didn't dig deeper into the truth. 

As they continued with the warm-up, Peter continued to steal glances at Ava from time to time. His eyes widened when he noticed her moving onto stretches, and he couldn't help but be amazed by her flexibility. She held her right leg up straight in the air, pulling it parallel to her body effortlessly.