Thrills ⋆ Harry Osborn

⊳ 𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. Good Enough

          He wanted her.

          When the bell rang for lunch to end, they all stood up and Toni's hand found his. "I'll see you after school?" she asked him, teeth tugging at her lips just a little in a bit of nervousness he found.

          "Of course," he didn't hesitate to answer, nodding his head to confirm it even further. Her smile grew larger and it felt like the sun was staring at him, and he couldn't help but dip down a little to kiss her lips.

          It was just a small peck, yet his heart still beat up, especially with the small grin she gave him after, a look of mischief in her eyes. He wasn't sure how he ended up here, but he thanked his lucky stars for it.

          "I'll see you then," she agreed, her hand slipping away from his as she turned around, leaving the lunchroom. He watched her go for a second, almost wishing that he could call her back, but then Mary Jane cleared her throat, and his attention turned from Toni's retreating figure to his friend.

          He sighed at her. "I know what you're gonna say –"

          "Good, but that's not gonna stop me," Mary Jane cut him off, giving him a look as he tried to open his mouth again. "I just want you to be careful."

          "And I am," he assured her.

          "Really?" she raised an eyebrow.

          He nodded. "Yes," he confirmed, relenting and explaining himself even further after her unsure look, "I know how it looks, Toni hasn't always been the...warmest with me, but I like her."

          "I'm not refuting that," Mary Jane shook her head.

          "But you're insinuating that she's just using me. She's not. I know she's not," Harry said with a strong conviction.

          "How can you be sure? Look, Harry, maybe your judgement is clouded because of how much you like her. I just want you to be careful," Mary Jane said gently, and while he appreciated her efforts, he didn't want them.

          He was used to people using him, wrapping him around their fingers until they had control over his pockets and image. He knew what that looked like, and that wasn't Toni. He knew he wasn't. He just didn't know how to explain that to Mary Jane to where she could understand, though he desperately wanted her to.

          "Like I said, I am. Toni – she's different. I don't even know how to explain it properly, but it's like she looks at me and sees me, the same way you do. She looks me in the eyes, not at my wallet," Harry explained as much he could.

          Mary Jane raised her eyebrow, not fully believing him but looked like she was a little more assured now. "I just don't want you to get hurt," she told him, "You're my friend, and I don't want you to get hurt because you like someone."

          Something about the way she said it made him want to cry. It was so sincere, so genuine and so meek as well, like she was scared to admit it. "Thanks," he managed to get out, and she nodded, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear, awkward and unsure of what to do now much like him.

          "Come on, we'll be late to class," she changed the conversation, which he was glad for because he didn't know if he could take anymore genuine comments like this.

          He wasn't used to that either, even Mary Jane said them often enough that he should. It still made him blink, made him pause, because he wasn't used to mattering so much to someone. But Mary Jane was his friend, his best friend, and she cared about him.