Walking the Wire | PETER PARKER [1]

| 6 |

"No we're not," Eloise defends. "You don't know anything about us sitting all the way up there on your high horse. Maybe if you got down you'd see the world for what it is, and not just what you think it is."

Flash laughs.

Peter steps around Flash and grabs Eloise's wrist. He places a hand on Ned's arm and leads the two away from the bully.

Flash watches the retreating backs of the three with amusement. "Where are you going, Penis Parker?" He calls out.

"Come on, let's just go," Peter murmurs so only Ned and Eloise can hear.

Flash hollers and hoots after them, calling them chickens and wusses for running away.

Peter doesn't let go of Eloise's wrist until they reach the sidewalk.

"Sorry about that," he breathes, looking at her.

"Are you kidding? You shouldn't be apologizing, Flash should." Eloise shakes her head and looks at Flash walking over to some fancy cars. It's so not fair that they get that and her friends, who are loyal and lovely people, don't.

Ned shrugs. "That was cool though."

"Yeah," Peter continues. "You didn't have to come over like you did."

Eloise looks back at the boys and sighs. "It sucks that you guys have to deal with that at your school." There's occasionally bullying at Park East too, sure, but it doesn't target anyone specifically and the bullying only lasts a short while before the bullies move on. Besides, just about anyone would stick up for someone being picked on in the halls if they saw it. Here, with more than double the amount of students, not a single one even spared the bullying a second glance. It's sickening.

Ned walks off to the buses after bidding Peter and Eloise goodbye, leaving Peter and the girl alone. He messes with his backpack straps and rocks back on his feet.

"So, you want to walk to the apartment building together or ...?"

Eloise finds his nervous awkwardness adorable and smiles. "Yeah, of course."

He grins.

They walk side-by-side all the way down the different streets, chatting lightly as the two headed home. Eloise tells him about her encounters with Spider-Man, which he finds really interesting for some reason. When she asks him why, he says that he just thinks Spider-Man's cool and that he watches him on YouTube. After telling him her stories of meeting the amazing neighborhood spider, he tells Eloise funny stories about his day. They're short, but humorous, little stories that make Eloise (embarrassingly) giggle and smile.

Peter and Eloise make it to the apartment building in no time and take the elevator up to their floor together.

She reach into her pocket to fish out her keys, but her fingers grasp at nothing. Alarmed, she pats her pockets and then her backpack pockets.

Peter glances over at her with his door unlocked and opened halfway, idling in the doorway.

"Everything okay?"

Eloise looks up at him and sees his somewhat concerned gaze.

She sighs in frustration. "I must've left my keys at school. My parents don't even get home until seven."