monster ψ p.parker ¹

xiii. | a modest proposal

"Uh, he doesn't have an uh," Cindy glanced to the kids loading up as Salene shut the compartment on the side of the bus and Salene chuckled.

"No, he doesn't, he's been in a relationship with Ian since I was like, nine, but if you were a boy and in college and he was single, I think you would have a great chance, you're gorgeous, Cindy, don't worry, maybe there will be someone in Washington waiting for you," Salene chuckled and Cindy smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Salene, that's so sweet, by the way, I think you and Peter are great together," she spoke and spun on her heel loading up onto the bus. Salene furrowed her eyebrows and blinked about three times in shock. She slowly made her way up to the steps, her face still pinched in confusion. She almost didn't hear Liz and Adrian tell her to quickly find a seat and she ended up towards the back sitting in the seat across from Peter.

The girl quickly smacked Peter's arm, staring at him as he looked to her in confusion, stopping him from putting in earbuds.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Did you know there was a rumor about us?" Salene hissed quietly and Peter furrowed his eyebrows, now very interested in what she had to say, and leaned over to her, "Like, us being in a relationship?"

"Who told you?" Peter asked and Salene glanced to Cindy who was giggling at Sally in her seat.

"Cindy Moon! Right before I got on the bus!" Salenes hushed tone seemed to get more aggressive with each word, "who do you think started that?"

"Flash? Maybe? You know how he treats us," Peter spoke and Salene thought back to the harsh comments Flash likes to make about her hair and the smell of her diner that sticks with her.

Flash is the reason why she has thirty air fresheners in her room and 40 different perfumes on her dresser. He's the reason she normally has her hair tied back in a ponytail at school and why she never raises her hand when she has the right answer anymore.

"I don't put it behind him, but it's a weird one to start," Salene leaned back in her seat as she processed it, she glanced to see Flash talking (or failing at flirting) to Liz and she couldn't help but feel her anger flare in her bones.

She didn't understand why Peter practically shoved her to the window of her seat and sat next to her until he took her hands in his. She widened her eyes at the way she could see the bones of her fingers through the warm glow of her hands. Salene always became entranced with the way her body looks when it glows.

She often compared the look to an egg being incubated. Salene remembered watching a video of someone checking the progress of their chicken eggs by putting a flashlight behind the egg, the milky white turned to a shade of orange and red. In the egg, you could see the baby chicken.

Salenes bones were the baby chicken. The sudden distraction of Peter shoving her stopped the glow almost instantly and caught the attention of Ned who was visibly confused by the sudden movement. Salene couldn't help but sigh and lean her head forward and rest it on the front of Peter's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled her hands away and sat up straight, adjusting her back against the window and pulling her headphones out.

Peter nodded, looking over to see Liz mumble something to Adrian. He glanced at the bus and back to her and smiled, giving her a nod. Liz smiled and stood up.