instantaneous ▲ tasm [SLOW UPDATES.]

t h i r t e e n ; lots and lots of ice cream

"Just give me two seconds!" Peter said to May once she had finished taking the picture. His aunt waved at them and walked away. "Don't go too far!"

"Hey, did your traffic jam have anything to do with the Russian mob?" Gwen asked her boyfriend, holding up her cell phone to show them an article that read, 'Oscorp Highjackers Webbed!' "And machine guns, by any chance?" 

Peter pushed her phone away, quickly and looked around like he was afraid someone was listening. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" the blonde girl continued, sounding really annoyed. Romina suddenly felt really awkward. She hated being in the middle of their little arguments. 

"Because," Peter countered, "what was I gonna do? You were about to do your speech-"

His excuse was cut off suddenly by Gwen's mother calling her over for a family photo. Gwen's anger subsided slightly as she replied that she'd be over in a minute before looking back at Peter. 

"You coming to dim sum?"

"You can't keep me away."

"It's at 8 o'clock, don't be late!"

"I won't be!"

Romina nearly gagged at their cutesy-ness as they kissed. "Alright, alright, we get it! You're in love."

The two looked at her and laughed. Gwen bid them a goodbye before she walked back to her mother and brothers. Peter stared at them for a moment, his face full of regret. Romina knew that look well. He was thinking about George Stacy. He did that often and she knew that he still felt like George's death was his fault. No amount of Romina reassuring him that it wasn't would help. 

"Oh no," Romina tugged on his arm, forcing him to look at her. "You're not doing this again, Peter."

He knew what she was talking about; she didn't have to say it. They both knew. The months following Gwen's father's death, Peter went back and forth with Gwen. One minute, he only cared about keeping his promise to George and leaving Gwen alone. The next, he was so in love with her that he couldn't stay away. Romina knew how much it was hurting both Peter and Gwen. She hated seeing them like that. 

"I can't do it, Ro," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and staring down at his shoes. "She could get-"

"I know," Romina retorted through gritted teeth. "I've heard your excuses hundreds of times, Peter. But in your effort to not let her get hurt, you're only hurting her worse." 

Peter opened his mouth to say something but Romina held up her hands and shook her head. She couldn't even put into words how angry with him she was. She knew he wouldn't listen to her because he already had his mind made up. 

"I'm gonna go, but I want you to know I don't approve what you're going to do."

With that, she sent him one last glare before stalking off back to her mother and brother. She only hoped her little speech would change Peter's mind. 

▲

After George Stacy died, Romina and Gwen's families had gotten pretty close. They had dinner at each other's houses a lot and their mothers always seemed to be on the phone with each other. It was nice to see that the two older women had become best friends just like their daughters had. Even Nic had befriended Gwen's little brothers. 

The two families decided that they would have a graduation dinner at the Chinese restaurant a few blocks away in Chinatown. There was so much talking going on that it was hard to tell who was saying what to who. It was a good time, though. Romina always enjoyed their dinners. 

She did feel her heart clench a little when Gwen left an empty seat for Peter. She knew that even if Peter did show up, he wouldn't be staying. Gwen kept glancing up periodically, a hopeful look on her face. Romina desperately wanted say something, to tell her friend that Peter probably wasn't going to have dinner with them but before she could, he showed.

Romina knew by the pained looked on his face that he hadn't listened to her. He was still going through with it. She wanted to tell Gwen not go outside to him but the blonde was already gathering up her coat and excusing herself. Romina felt a sense of dread wash over her as she watched Gwen walk out of the restaurant. She could no longer concentrate on anyone's conversation, only her two friends who were outside. She couldn't see them through the window so she felt anxious as she waited for Gwen to return. 

When Gwen reentered, Romina could tell she was on the verge of breaking down. Her eyes were rimmed red and tears were welled up in the corners of her eyes. Romina sighed as she took a seat. She gave her friend a sympathetic look and a pat on the back. She knew immediately how to hopefully make Gwen feel better. 

"Sleepover at mine with lots and lots of ice cream."

▲

not edited 

author's note;

ok this sucked but it's been a while since i've updated!! sorry about that. sometimes you have to take a little break to focus on your mental health; hopefully you guys aren't too disappointed with me!!

i started this like a month ago but never finished until last night so here it is....it's kind of boring right now besides the breakup stuff i guess....i really just want to get into the main tasm2 plot

i'm gonna try to update as soon as i can bc i really want to finish this. i'm actually really excited for you guys to see how it ends......

i also wanted to take this time to thank all of you for voting and reading and commenting. you all should know that it really motivates me and coming back from my hiatus to see all the votes and stuff made me extremely happy. you have no idea just how much it means to me. i really love reading and replying to all of your comments so don't be afraid to comment!! thank you all so much!! 

xx, caitie