Rollercoaster - Peter Parker

13. Saturday

Waking up from the euphoria of his second date with Caden was short lived as Peter woke up on Saturday. November 11th. The anniversary of Ben Parker's death hit the Parker household hard, and even though Peter had been mentally preparing himself for days at that point, he still wasn't ready in the slightest.

He slowly got out of bed, sighing at the ever lasting silence in the apartment. In all honesty, Ben was always out early in the mornings, either getting food to make breakfast or stopping by the neighbors' houses to make sure everything electrical concerned was working properly. Despite that, Peter walked over to his bureau, picking up the photo of him, May, and Ben at his coming out party, his heart aching. He blinked away tears, letting out a shaky breath.

He turned to his phone after it buzzed a few times. Watching his phone light up with messages from Ned and MJ made him smile slightly, the texts emphasizing over and over that he could go to them for anything especially on that day. Although he already knew this, it was nice to be reminded.

Not long after he put down the photo in its correct spot, Peter's phone buzzed once more. A text from Caden appeared alongside the messages from his best friends. His lips quirked upwards, reading the sweet message:

Good morning Lion, I know that today will be hard for you and May so feel free to reach out at any time if you or her need anything, I've heard you both talk about Ben enough to know that he was an amazing and caring person which makes sense of how he helped raise someone like you... I wish I could say more to help but I just want you to know that if I could, I would bring him back to you two in an instant so you guys can be happy

Setting his phone down, Peter sighed and pressed his lips together tightly as tears spilled out of his eyes and onto his phone screen. He ran his fingers through his hair, letting tears flow freely to relieve him of the looming sadness of the day. He quickly stopped his tears, forcing himself to stand back up after he had collapsed onto the bottom bunk of his bed.

Violently wiping away the tear streaks on his cheeks, Peter sniffled. He shook his head as his eyes wandered over to his closet. The door was cracked open, allowing messily put away clothes to fall out. Many of the shirts he had were his own, but a few collared ones and put together pieces were Ben's.

"I wish Caden could bring you back, too," he spoke softly to his clothes. Even in his soft whisper, he couldn't bear to hear his own voice. It was tear filled, his throat closing as tears soon stung his eyes again, it sounded helpless and strangled.

And, the worst part was that he felt as if no one could help him. The strangled noises he made reminded him of the countless times he had cried over the years as he helplessly pled to wake up as a normal boy, wanting to be rid of the taunts and teases once and for all.

Peter stood still, waiting a few beats before he felt ready to face his aunt. If he had a choice, he would obviously want to stay strong for May. He realized that was easier said then done because while she had lost a husband, he had lost a father figure so they both carried equal baggage.

Joining May for breakfast, Peter placed a comforting hand over his aunt's. She stood up from the table, rapidly pulling him into a hug. Neither of them stood strong as they had promised themselves, both of them sniffling with identical teary eyed expressions.

"He would've been so proud of you getting to this point," May whispered into his hair, rubbing his back as she felt his tears soak through her shirt. "It's okay to miss him. I miss him everyday."