chapter one: sick of seventeen.
act one: gold rush.
Jamie should have known better trying to skateboard on her own in the dark.
She could have blamed her overflowing emotions, her absent father, and her workaholic mother. She could have blamed Midtown High School for overloading her with assignments and expecting too much from small-minded teenagers. She could have blamed her best friend for flaking on birthday plans, leaving Jamie at home with a box of pop tarts and the greedy family dog.
But Jamie had no one else but herself to blame, she took the unused ebony board (dubbed Satan's Hearse) out of her room and slammed the front door shut. She was the one who was crying while attempting to balance as she flew down her street. And she was the one who tumbled onto the pavement, ripping her jeans and gashing her legs.
She had only been seventeen for less than a day and she had already been struck with violence.
The moonlight was minimal, a meek glow cast upon Forest Hills through layers of New York pollution and smog. The thin March clouds didn't help, though the air was warmer than it had been in months. Winter was finally beginning its leave and allowing spring to sneak through the wind, tendrils bringing green grass and warm sunshine weaving through New York. However, warmer still meant moderately cold, and Jamie hugged her sweatshirt closer to herself as she cursed and winced while inspecting her damage.
It was almost midnight, Jamie's mother was bound to be home soon. At least that was the hope. There was only half an hour till Jamie's birthday was over. Surely that meant something to her mother, right? At least her father called. He didn't have his time with Jamie for another week, but he left a brief message and Jamie knew he was trying. And for that, she hated him a little less than she normally did.
While Jamie wanted to rain hellfire on Matthew Murdock for being the father he was, she couldn't bring herself to be exceptionally cruel to him. When he was around, they had a good time together eating Thai food from the place down the corner and exchanging stories about Hell's Kitchen and Queens. That only allowed the guilt to creep into Jamie as she resented her father for blasting off for a good few years. God knows Matt would simply play the blind card, bat some puppy dog eyes at his daughter and win her good graces once more.
"Shit," Jamie cursed, flinching as she tried to examine her scraped knees. The cuts were deep enough, adorning her kneecaps and palms. Little scratches grazed her fingers and her arms. Her head hurt like hell, but Jamie wanted to rule out a concussion purely for the sake of her mother never finding out. The last thing she needed was to worry an anxious person. Her mother worried enough just fine on her own.
With a wobbly stance, Jamie grabbed Satan's Hearse and pulled herself up. With a groan, she realized she flew past her house by a good distance, meaning an exceptional amount of walking had to be done to get inside. It would be Jamie's twenty-first birthday by the time she got through the front door, and with her luck, Sammy would bark until his throat dried up.
Although this was Forest Hills, Jamie was wary about hobbling alone in the dark. Did she think about this risk when she bolted out of her house? Absolutely not. But at the time, the only thing on Jamie's mind was freedom. And freedom came at the price of possible hospitalization for a concussion.
Jamie's head was beginning to pound violently. It pulsed against the edges of her skull, pain laced with mild concern creeping through her brain and behind her eyes. She ignored it and kept on trudging.
As she tried to block out the aches her body was radiating and the sound of church bells in her ears, Jamie heard a distant voice. It sounded far away, almost underwater. But it was still a voice calling out to Jamie from the shadows, which was enough to make her heart pound furiously in her chest.
At least if she was mugged, she'd have a solid reason to explain her state to her mother. The downside would be the perpetrator stealing her house keys and possibly murdering her in the street.
"Jamie! Are you okay?"
The stranger received a hearty whack in the torso from Satan's Hearse. It was Peter Parker's wild and wide eyes that had Jamie calming down and holding back her attack on the supposed stranger. The last person she expected to see tonight was Peter Parker, and now it seemed like he was trying to help Jamie or get her attention. And so she repaid him by beating him with Satan's Hearse
Great.
"Oh, God. I thought you were an attacker or something," Jamie began to babble, trying not to wince as she clutched Satan's Hearse to her chest. "I didn't hear or see you coming–I was just heading back to my house–"
"What happened to you?" Peter asked, cutting Jamie off and referring to her injuries. His eyes traced her arms and knees gingerly as if his gaze would do more harm than good. Jamie felt her face heat up and she shrugged as if she hadn't spilled all over the road and almost cracked her skull open. She wasn't sure if her face was still red from crying or if her eyes were still shiny.
"Nothing."
"You look bad."
"Gee, thanks."
Widening his eyes, a horrified expression flooded Peter's nervous face as he shook his head and hands in a fast and flurried movement. "No, no, no. I didn't–I didn't mean it like that. Just–did you fall?"
"Maybe."
"Off your board, I'm assuming?" Peter gestured to Satan's Hearse, the thing still clutched in Jamie's slightly vibrating arms.
"Don't laugh," Jamie defended, narrowing her eyes and thinning her gaze. She caught Peter's lip quirk up but he shook his head, staring at the road instead of Jamie's scratches and Satan's Hearse. "I was just–"
Upset.
Angry.
Living through the most teenage angst I could muster.
"—Trying it out. I'm new, okay? What are you doing out here anyway?"
Peter shrugged, his mannerisms not far from the way Jamie shrugged when he questioned her. The two had fallen into step together, heading up the street and toward's Jamie's place of residence. "Out for a walk, I didn't intend on having a big adventure like you did. Are you okay?"
"Fine," Jamie lied. The church bells in her head were so fucking loud. "You should go home soon. Your uncle and aunt might worry."
"I could say the same about your parents."
"They're working," Jamie said cooly. "And my dad doesn't live here."
Peter paled, his skin growing lighter in the moonlight. "Wait–but the guy who sometimes drives you to school–"
"Are you stalking me, Parker?" Jamie asked with an even more scrutinizing gaze. It was the first time she had smiled all night.
In all honesty, Jamie didn't know Peter that well. He lived on the same street as her and they were both on the Photography Club (they were the only members), but she rarely held a conversation with him outside of school. She knew the basics. Smart, slightly geeky. Good with technology. Occasionally wore glasses. They suited him. Good hair. Nice smile.
The only reason why Jamie knew Peter didn't live with his parents was that she was on kind terms with his Aunt May. When Jamie and her mother moved into Forest Hills, May stopped by to give a neighbourly welcome, as well as a dish full of homemade meatloaf. The meatloaf was inedible but the company was nice, especially for Jamie's mother. She was a young and single mom, trying to work her way through school.
May occasionally stopped by with more food (thankfully the meatloaf never made a reappearance) and for a chat. The woman tended to tease Jamie about Peter, and the girl never had the heart to tell May she barely spoke to Peter outside of a classroom.
This was possibly the longest conversation Jamie had ever held with Peter Parker since she joined the Photography Club.
"What?" Peter cried out, his poor voice heightening and raising two octaves. "No, I'm not stalking you! I live here, Murdock."
Satisfied with Peter's outburst, Jamie smiled again. "The guy who drives me is my mom's boyfriend. His name is Charlie. My dad lives in Hell's Kitchen."
"I'm sorry," Peter started apologetically. "I shouldn't have assumed–"
"It's okay," Jamie interjected, shaking her head. "It happens."
A beat of silence passed before Peter began to talk again, his voice thin and fast as if Jamie would be offended by his words.
"Are you sure you're okay? You're swaying a bit."
Peter pointedly stared at Jamie, her eyes were becoming glazed as she lazily trooped on. The church bells had quieted by a fraction, but the pounding and pulsing still oozed through Jamie's skull. She was sure someone had whacked her over the head with a hammer and left her insides to flow out onto the street instead of falling off a skateboard.
"I'm fine," Jamie replied unconvincingly. "I'm probably just tired."
"You look concussed. Uh—tell me two things about your dad."
Jeez, pick a softer subject next time.
"He's a lawyer. And blind. And the occasional sarcastic asshole," Jamie listed, frowning as she spoke.
Peter cracked a smile. "That was three things."
"Well, I wanted to give a convincing performance."
The two reached Jamie's house, and Jamie stuffed Satan's Hearse under her arm and fished a key out of her pocket. Peter awkwardly followed her up the walk and waited until she unlocked the door. Sammy dutifully barked until he saw Jamie through the door and sat patiently, awaiting her arrival.
"So," Jamie said, clasping her hands together, the task more difficult than she had anticipated with the board under her arm. "Thanks for walking me back. And making sure I wasn't dead or anything. That was pretty nice."
"Well it would suck to have that cause of death all over the papers," Peter quipped, leaving Jamie to smile.
"I'll see you at school?" Jamie asked, turning to open her door and step inside. The aspirin was so close. Just a few more steps to the medicine cabinet and she'd be home free.
"For sure. Oh, and Jamie?"
The girl stopped halfway through the doorframe, swivelling back to look up at Peter under the dim porchlight. "Yeah?"
"Happy birthday," Peter celebrated gently. He flashed a grin in Jamie's direction before skipping down her walk and onto the dark street once more, leaving Jamie dumbfounded in the doorway.
cam speaks!!
when they're not friends to lovers but may as well be👩❤️💋👩
i'm just jumping straight into it haha i can't write slow burns sorry not sorry i must have content!!!