[Green Residence – Riley's Bedroom]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 7:02 a.m.
The sun crept through the blinds, casting golden lines across the blueprints and tools still scattered across Riley's floor.
She groaned softly, face smushed into a pillow, hair a complete mess.
Her fingers twitched.
Bzzz...
The glove—still on her hand—gave a small, idle pulse of purple light.
She blinked awake. Then shot up.
"AH—!"
Blanket tangled around her legs, Riley sat up in a panic—then remembered.
Right.
Last night.
She stared at her hand. The glove was still there. Still whole. Still working.
A grin spread across her face. "Still got it."
She hopped off the bed, one sock on, stretching as she looked at her tiny scorched closet mark with pride. Then whispered to herself, smug:
"Stark who?"
She gave the glove a gentle tap. "We did it, baby."
Suddenly—
Knock-knock-knock.
"Riley! Up!" Max's voice called from down the hall. "School. Don't make me open the door with a plasma torch."
Riley quickly tossed a hoodie over the glove and scrambled for her jeans. "Coming!"
She peeked at the mirror. A mess.
Still grinning.
Still glowing.
---
[Green Residence – Kitchen]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 7:23 a.m.
The kitchen buzzed with the usual morning sounds—coffee brewing, toast popping, and Max muttering to himself over the morning paper.
Emily stood by the stove, flipping eggs with calm precision.
Riley strolled in—hoodie sleeves tugged halfway down, trying way too hard to look casual. Her backpack was already slung over one shoulder… and it was definitely heavier than usual.
Emily didn't even look up. "Sleep well?"
Riley hesitated. "...Yup."
Emily turned. Narrowed her eyes.
Riley smiled sweetly.
Max glanced up from the paper. "You're chipper this morning."
Riley sat down at the table and started buttering toast like nothing was up. "No reason. Just a good day. Feels... powerful."
Emily narrowed her eyes even more.
She slowly walked over and leaned across the table—right into Riley's face.
"You brought it. Didn't you?"
Riley's smile twitched. "What?"
Emily just raised an eyebrow. The eyebrow.
Max blinked. "Brought what?"
"Nothing!" Riley blurted, grabbing her toast and standing. "Bye, love you both!"
She rushed to kiss Emily's cheek. Emily didn't flinch, just whispered near her ear:
"If you blow up a classroom, Riley Maxine Green, I swear to God—"
"I won't!" Riley squeaked.
She bolted for the door.
Max called after her. "Whoa, wait—what did she blow up?"
"Don't." Emily said, grabbing her coffee with one hand and her migraine pills with the other.
---
[Midtown High – Hallway Lockers]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 8:07 a.m.
The hall was its usual morning chaos—backpacks slamming into each other, laughter echoing between rows of lockers, and the occasional paper ball flying overhead.
Riley stood at her locker, spinning the dial absently—but her eyes weren't on the lock.
They were on Peter.
He was a few feet away, talking to Ned by his own locker. Riley didn't even realize she was smiling.
Then—
"Hey!"
Riley blinked as someone hugged her from the side.
It was Betty—backpack swinging and eyes bright. "I'm back! Ugh, I missed like two days and I already feel like a fossil."
Riley grinned, snapping out of her trance. "Betts! You okay now?"
"Yeah, just a fever. But tell me everything I missed. Especially the Peter Parker bits."
Riley flushed instantly. "W-what?"
Betty smirked. "Uh-huh. Girl, you're literally burning up right now."
Riley quickly turned to her locker, shoving her bag inside—careful not to let Betty see the bulky pouch tucked deep inside. The repulsor glove.
Meanwhile, just down the row—
Peter was leaning against his locker, whispering to Ned, voice almost aggressively overwhelmed.
"Bro… she dragged me to the library."
Ned gasped. "Again?"
Peter nodded. "Same table, dude. From May 23rd. Like—where we met."
Ned clutched his chest dramatically. "Rom-com levels. What happened?!"
Peter lowered his voice. "She asked me to help with the genetics project and I swear, Ned… she was so smooth. Like teasing but also so smart and confident and—"
He ran a hand through his hair, flustered.
"I can't bear this. She makes my brain short-circuit. She makes my insides go cukkooo, bro."
Ned grinned. "Dude. You're so gone."
Peter groaned. "Like fully gone."
From across the hallway, Riley peeked over her shoulder again, biting her lip to hide the smile forming—
—while a faint purplish glow barely blinked from the tiny corner of her unzipped backpack.
---
[Midtown High – Chemistry Lab, Period 4]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 11:14 a.m.
The faint scent of alcohol burners and chalk filled the air. Beakers clinked, pages flipped, and a low hum of murmured instructions floated across the lab.
Peter stared at the class partner chart posted on the whiteboard.
"Parker – Green"
His breath hitched.
Riley was already seated at their shared station, swaying her legs under the stool. She had her lab manual flipped open—but she was chewing on the corner of her pencil like it had personally offended her.
"God, chemistry sucks," she muttered under her breath.
Peter hesitantly walked over, setting his bag down beside her. "Um… need a hand?"
She glanced up—brightening a little too fast. "Peter. Yes. Please. Before I accidentally melt something."
He slid into the stool beside her, then awkwardly stood again. "Actually, uh… maybe I can show you like this?"
He moved behind her.
Slow.
Careful.
Barely breathing.
His chest hovered a couple inches behind her back. His hand reached past her shoulder to point at the textbook. Their arms touched. His other hand steadied her beaker. His face leaned close—
His head was just over her shoulder.
"Okay, so… see this formula?" His voice was a little lower, trying to keep it quiet. "It's not as scary as it looks. You just balance it out based on the number of atoms—hydrogen here, and then oxygen…"
Riley didn't answer.
She was frozen, watching his fingers trace the formula. She could feel his breath near her neck. And beneath it—
his heartbeat.
Thudding.
Racing.
Matching hers.
For a second, they just stayed like that. Not moving. Not talking. Like time dipped into a syrupy slow-mo moment.
Then Peter cleared his throat, panicked. "S-sorry! That was probably weird. I didn't mean to crowd you—"
He shuffled quickly to the stool beside her, face fully flushed.
Riley looked down, hiding a smile, brushing her hair behind her ear. "It wasn't weird."
Both of them blushed furiously, focusing very hard on the textbook now.
At the table across the room, Ned nudged Betty, whispering, "Tell me you saw that."
Betty nodded, smirking.
Ned sneakily lifted his phone—snap.
Low angle. Peter's face over Riley's shoulder, both red as strawberries.
"I'm keeping that forever," Ned whispered.
"Good thing Flash is out today," Betty said, twirling her pen. "Or the whole school would know by lunch."
---
[Midtown High – Cafeteria, Lunch Period]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 12:25 p.m.
The cafeteria was loud as usual—tray clatter, chatter, and occasional rogue juice box explosions. But for Peter Parker, it all blurred into background noise the moment Ned nudged him at their lunch table.
"Hey," Ned said with a grin. "Let's have lunch with Riley and Betty today."
Peter almost choked on his water. "W-What? Bro, no—no, I mean—after chemistry? I looked like an idiot!"
"You looked like a guy who's down bad," Ned smirked. "You're sitting with us either way."
Across the room, Betty leaned in toward Riley, who was poking at her apple slices.
"Come on," Betty said. "Let's go sit with Peter and Ned."
Riley's cheeks instantly bloomed pink. "Wha—Betty! No! You saw what happened in chem—"
"Exactly," Betty winked. "You looked cute. Come on, don't make me third-wheel."
With a reluctant groan, Riley grabbed her tray. Betty pulled her along.
By the time Peter and Ned looked up again, the girls were walking over.
Peter straightened his back so fast he almost dislocated something.
They sat.
Peter and Riley—side by side.
Ned and Betty—across.
The silence was deafening for two seconds. Then Ned started talking about the weird smell in the hallway and Betty chimed in with a rant about gym lockers.
Peter? He was in a crisis.
Riley was sitting right next to him.
Her shoulder almost brushed his. Her laugh made his chest tight. And when she leaned down to grab something from her bag—
He accidentally peeked.
And froze.
From the slightly open zipper of her backpack, a faint purplish glow pulsed softly.
It was not ordinary tech.
It was the repulsor glove.
Peter's eyes widened, lips parting slightly in shock. He didn't say anything—but now he was hyper aware.
She brought it to school?!
His heart started pounding.
Fast.
Loud.
He turned his head slightly. She was already looking at him.
Eyes wide.
Blushing.
Biting the inside of her cheek.
They both immediately looked away.
Ned sipped his juice box like a smug little goblin.
Betty whispered across the table, "This is better than TV."
Peter barely managed to eat half his sandwich, too busy thinking: She's right next to me. Riley Green is right next to me. Don't pass out. Don't pass out.
And Riley?
She was swinging her legs under the table, fingers curled tightly in her lap, cheeks still hot.
She didn't know if it was the glove, the moment, or just Peter Parker being adorable—but her brain was melting.
Neither of them said a word.
But their friends?
Knew.
---
[Midtown High – Hallway Outside Room 204]
Brooklyn, New York City
June 3, (2015)
Wednesday, 2:58 p.m.
Class had just ended and the hallway buzzed with voices and footsteps, but for Peter, everything felt a little slow-motion.
He was packing up his stuff when Riley suddenly grabbed his wrist, her fingers curling tight.
"Hey. Come with me for a sec," she said, eyes glinting with something secret.
Peter followed without question, the electricity between them still lingering from their intense biology project. They ducked into a quieter corner by the trophy cases, away from the crowd.
Riley turned to him, grinning. "Thanks, by the way... for sticking with me through the bio project."
She nudged him gently. "We totally nailed it. I think we actually shocked Dr. Connors today."
Peter chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, you were great."
Riley leaned in just a little closer, her voice softening. "You helped me. Like… really helped me. That meant a lot."
Then, glancing left and right, she unzipped her backpack partway and tilted it toward him.
A soft purple glow pulsed from inside.
Peter's eyes widened. "Wait—is that…?"
She gave a small, proud nod. "I finished it. The repulsor glove. It's fully working. Embedded a Chitauri core and everything." Her voice was bubbling with excitement now. "I've been building it for a month. In secret. And I really want you to see it."
Peter blinked, speechless.
Riley reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a folded scrap of paper—her address, scribbled with a tiny heart in the corner.
She pressed it into his palm, her fingers brushing his.
"Come over today. Please. Just you," she whispered.
Her eyes flicked up to meet his. Her voice softened again, trembling just a little.
"I really… I want you there."
Peter stood frozen, holding the note like it was a live wire.
His cheeks were flushed, and so were hers.
She stared at him for a second longer—just long enough for Peter to swear she was about to say something else.
She opened her mouth slightly.
"I… I…"
But the words choked.
She wanted to say it. I love you.
She wanted to lean in and kiss him so bad. But she didn't.
Instead, she smiled—nervous, soft, clinging to that brave spark—and turned around, her hoodie swaying as she walked off.
Peter just stood there, heart thudding in his chest, knuckles curled around the paper.
She wants me there.
Just me.
And I think… she almost said it.
He let out a tiny breath, barely realizing he'd been holding it the whole time.
---
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Hey, it's the writer here, if you like this chapter then comment and review, it will help alot, thank you, have a great day 😄