Behind the Mask ➙ Peter Parker

Chapter Eleven

After having a door slammed in her face by the boys, Alex decided that she was going to take a nap. She was woken up to a knock on her hotel door and rolled over in a sleepy daze to make sure she heard the noise correctly. There was another knock, followed by a voice.

"Alex, you in here?" Liz's voice rang through the wood of the door before Alex sat up in bed. The sun had gone down since she fell asleep and MJ still hadn't returned from her protesting.

"Coming!" Alex called, tossing the white duvet off of herself before getting out of bed. The girl made her way to the door before swinging it open to come face to face with Liz.

"Wow, you look like you just rolled out of bed." Liz pointed out with a chuckle as she looked the blonde girl up and down.

"Yeah, 'cause I did." Alex replied, trying to flatten the stray blonde hairs on top of her head. "What's up?"

"A few of us are headed down to the pool, care to join?" Liz asked.

"Sure." Alex shrugged. "I just have to get ready."

"I'll wait out here. Is MJ around? She can come too."

Alex turned to face the room, checking to see if MJ was around and she had just missed her in her dazed walk to the door. "Uhhh, she left a while ago and isn't back yet." The girl replied as she turned back around to face Liz.

"Well if we see her, I'll ask."

Alex nodded in response. "I'll be right out." She stated before shutting the hotel door. Alex hadn't planned to go swimming on the trip so she didn't pack a bathing suit but figured shorts and a t-shirt would be suitable. She quickly got changed and pulled a hoodie on before tying her short blonde hair up into a ponytail. She replaced her socks for sandals and made her way back to the door. Liz was leaning up against the wall outside and perked up at the sound of the door closing.

"Ready?" The girl asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I didn't bring a bathing suit." Alex pointed out as the girls turned to start walking down the hallway. As soon as they started walking, the door to Peter and Ned's room came flying open and Peter hurried outside. He had a hood pulled up over his head and stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Alex and Liz headed towards him.

"Hey guys." Peter spoke nervously, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"Perfect timing. We're gonna go swimming, come!" Liz exclaimed as she walked over to the boy.

"What?" He replied quietly, a nervous chuckle escaping him as he glanced between Liz and Alex. "I was...um...gonna go study...study in the...uh...business centre." Peter stammered as he fiddled with the straps on his backpack.

"Peter, you don't need to study. You're like the smartest guy I know." Liz replied before looking over at Alex. The girl quickly nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Really?" Peter answered in a high-pitched tone. Alex had a feeling that just based on how nervous he was, he wasn't going to study.

"Besides, we're gonna raid the minibar. The chocolate bars are like, eleven dollars each." Liz rolled her eyes as she spoke, mocking the overpriced candy.

"You can meet us there, Peter. Come on, Liz." Alex spoke as she walked past Peter and Liz, assuming the boy really didn't want to join them.

"Okay, meet us there. Seriously. A rebellious activity the day before a competition is good for morale." Liz started following Alex as Peter let out a chuckle in response. Alex looked over her shoulder as the boy headed down the hallway, gripping onto his backpack for dear life.