The Girl and the Superhero{Peter Parker}

Part Four(Kenzie's POV)

          "Peter," I interrupted, trying to make eye contact so he knew I was serious, "the first time I ran into you and fell over, it ended up taking me to New York City. The second time, just barely, caused me to get closer to a backpack I'm going to buy, in a place I love, with an amazing new friend. I think I'm okay falling over you a few more times," I finished my sentence with a little eyebrow raise and half smile, trying to display confidence that I felt none of on the inside.

           I think he finally gave up on apologizing to me, which I was grateful for. I didn't want him to feel indebted to me at all. "By the way, why did you stop so quickly?" I questioned.

           "Oh, because I found the backpack section, so I stopped so I wouldn't lose it. That sounds really lame now that I say it out loud. Oh well, here it is!" Peter blurted uncomfortably.

          I looked down the isles on my right, and saw hundreds of backpacks and purses lined up impeccably. There were backpacks of every kind. Think of a random backpack, it could even be one you don't think exists- that backpack was there somewhere along the ten long isles to my right.

          I walked down the isle directly to my right, briefly looking at all the backpacks. Countless backpacks looked amazing, but there wasn't one that was perfect. I continued walking through the isles, Peter trailing along beside me, making little witty comments under his breath as he went. As I was looking in the sixth, one particular backpack caught my eye, and I picked it up off of the rack to look at it closer. It was red and blue with a tiny spider in the middle. You wouldn't have been able to see the spider from far away, and the red and blue blended beautifully. It was a perfect and fashionable depiction of my favorite superhero, Spider-Man. I loved Spider-Man because he was so different than all of the other heroes you see- he genuinely seemed to love what he did as a hero, and his genuine love and concern for everyone he came in contact with was easily visible in all of his work. Peter kind of reminded me of him.

          I showed Peter the backpack with a grin. "Look how cool this one is." I doted. Peter had a look somewhere between shock and confusion plastered on his face, and I couldn't tell why. "You know who Spider-Man is, right?" I asked.

          "Oh- um, yeah I've seen a few of his videos on YouTube. He seems like a cool dude." Peter remarked with a little smile.

          "He's my favorite superhero. He seems so genuine and kind. I would love to meet him, but there's no way he'd ever even look at me. He must be so busy all the time." I simpered. "I have more of a chance of meeting him then most other people because I live in the same city, I know, but I'm pretty sure it's never going to happen. A girl can dream though," I sighed longingly.

          Peter looked at me, a twinkle in his eye like he had an idea.

          "What's going on in that brain of yours?" I asked him.

          He looked at me, his smile growing. "Oh, nothing. I can just tell how much you love the guy."

          "I really do. I wish I knew what he was like in person," I continued. "Anyways. I am definitely getting this one. It's perfect." I concluded.

          "Agreed. Alright then, let's go check it out!" Peter resounded. "But first, we have to find our way up to the front."

          We made our way out through the maze of merchandise, and I stepped up to the counter to check out my backpack. I felt proud of myself for only picking up the backpack and nothing else. The less than enthusiastic cashier checked it out with a bored look on his face, nothing changing in his facial expression when I handed him the money.

          Peter and I stepped out of Target. He placed his hands in the pocket of his jeans and shrugged his shoulders briefly, pursing his lips slightly. His hair bounced a little when he relaxed his shoulders, making my heart bounce into my throat.

          "Are you sure you don't want me to pay you back? I really could, and I probably should!" Peter protested.

          "Absolutely not," I interjected. "You didn't have to come, but you did. That's all the payment I want."

           He sighed in protest, and then he got the look in his eye again, as if he had an idea. "I'll be right back," he started. "I just, uh, forgot my phone." Then he ran back into Target.

          So I stood there, completely bewildered, but he was true to his word. He came back a few minutes later, looking very happy with himself.

          "Sorry about that, we're good now. Should we get going?" he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and looked at the time. "Holy cow, it's 7:00, we've been here for 4 hours. Aunt May is going to freak. Your parents will probably be worried too. Let's get you home." He looked at me warily, as if I would be angry at him.

          "Peter, I can't thank you enough for coming with me. That was the most fun I've had in a long time. We should go again sometime, and do more of the touristy stuff New York has to offer. I've never been around the city before, this has been a blast! Thanks so much again!" I beamed.

           "Any time. This has been s-so much fun for me as well." He beamed, the hugest, most perfect smile I'd ever seen on a human being. I wanted to melt into a puddle then and there.

          He bought us a cab, despite my protesting. He got out first, outside of a modest apartment complex. "This is me. I'll see you at school next Monday?"

          "Y-yeah! I'll see you Monday." I stammered. When I got out at my house, mom and dad weren't home, as per usual. I thanked the driver, and ran inside and up the stairs, collapsing onto my bed with my new backpack. I was absolutely on cloud nine. My face was stuck in a smile, and it took hours for me to sleep with how fast my heart was pounding. I reran the day through a thousand times in my head, constantly thinking in the back of my mind, 'Best. Friday. Ever.'

A/N: 7-11-18
Word count: 1818

y'all this chapter is soooo cheesy but honestly idc because I had so much fun writing it and that's what this is all about, right?

Yes, Kenzie's favorite superhero is Spider-Man. Because A) this is a fan fiction, and B) duhhhhh. Plus, it gives Peter that much more confidence, eh? And we all know he needs it. Poor bb is shy.

This chapter is the precursor to a muchhhh later chapter. I introduced something in this chapter that eventually is going to be important, so you can be expecting a little flashback to this chapter later on:)

~n.s.