I don't like him...right?

   Gwen Stacy remembers the day she met Miles as if it were just a few days ago, not 10 years ago. She was 7 years old and was playing in the playground in front of her house when she saw him for the first time, he was sitting next to the first one outside the sandbox making collages with leaves and other trash that was on the ground.

   She thought that was incredible.

   It wasn't so amazing anymore when he went to compliment her hair, which was "as yellow as the sun" according to him, and put his glue-covered hand in it. She had to shave that corner of her hair after that. She cried and swore never to forgive him.

   Two days later he appeared at the door of her and her father's apartment with a woman, Rio Morales, a sunflower, a plate of "tostones" and an apology. She accepted the tostones right away, they were delicious even without knowing exactly what they were, it took her a few minutes to accept the sunflower, and even longer to accept the apology. Specifically, three days and 7 dishes of tostones, she discovered they were like a delicious Puerto Rican dessert.

   After that she discovered that the name of the boy who destroyed her hair was Miles Morales, the woman who came with him to apologize was his mother and they lived in the apartment upstairs, Miles loved cartoons, comics and video games, he was super good in arts and mathematics, as well as being half Puerto Rican and knowing several delicious desserts that his mother knew how to make.

   Within a week, Gwen Stacy discovered that she liked Miles Morales.

   9 years later she discovered that she liked him so much.

   They were 16 when she realized she liked Miles for the first time. She would like to say that I saw it because of an incredible reason, because he did something incredible or said something incredible, but in reality, it was in the stupidest way possible, from her point of view.

   They were walking away together after a long day at school when Miles insisted on stopping the vending machine to buy some of the canned coffee he had recently added.

   "Come on, it'll be quick I promise!"

   "Miles, it's late, let's just leave soon, you don't even like coffee" She insisted, she was sleepy and just wanted to go to bed and sleep, she didn't understand why, suddenly, her best friend was so determined to drink coffee when he had never shown interest in the drink his entire life.

   "It's only 5 seconds 'wen I promise, pinky!" Miles said as he ran towards the machine with a 5 dollar bill in his hand. Without many options, as abandoning her friend alone was not an option for Gwen, she dangles him

   "It's been 35 years and you haven't even managed to put the money in the machine, I could already report you for perjury"

   "Well, Einstein said time is relative" The boy said with an awkward smile, as he bent down to pick up his long-awaited drink.

   "Puff..." The blonde stifled a laugh, "Of course I do. Can we go now, spider-boy?" She zombie, Gwen called Miles that since she discovered his strange fascination with Spider-Man.

   "Ha ha ha, it's not funny, at least say Spider-Man" Morales replied, as he walked towards Gwen, who was a little behind the vending machine, with her coffee in hand. "See, I'm not in the process of puberty, have you seen how my voice has already raised about two eighths since yesterday? And besides, now I'm here about to drink a coffee after a long day of hard work, like a real man would. " Before the blonde could respond, the Puerto Rican opened the can of coffee and took a large gulp in his mouth.

   His "real man" pose lasted about 10 seconds before his face started to close in and he spat all the coffee onto the floor and leaned over, with his tongue hanging out and tears in his eyes shouting about how horrible this was and how awful it was. it should be considered a real drink.

   Stacy laughed as if that scene was the funniest scene in some super famous Hollywood comedy movie. And it was at that moment, looking at her best friend, almost crying, leaning on the floor as he rubbed his tongue to remove the taste of coffee, that she realized how much she wanted this to last forever. How she wanted her and Miles there, together, forever, going home together, maybe a home together, and stopping to do the kind of stupid things that only Miles would do, for no reason at all.

   Her brain seized up for a moment as she realized what she had just thought.

   He got stuck again moments later when Miles admitted that he wanted to try to start liking coffee because he wanted to impress an older girl by showing how mature he was.

   This time, the brain lock came with an uncomfortable feeling in my throat and stomach.

   And maybe, if she had paid more attention, she would have noticed the shy and expectant expression Miles had looking at her. Or at least she would remember that while she was 16, Miles had turned 15 a little while ago, and was, in fact, younger than her.

   She was 17 years old when the first petal left her throat.

   They were at the beginning of their second year of high school. As a kind of “super genius”, Miles managed to stay a year ahead of the rest of the children his age, therefore, he managed to stay in the same grade as Gwen without any difficulties. A stark contrast to Hobie, who was two years behind in high school, as he was, according to himself, against the government's dictatorial laws that tried to force teenagers to fit into a pattern to become future pig slaves of society. capitalist.

   It was a Tuesday when Professor Johnathon arrived in the science room with a new girl, Margo Kess, that's how she was invited. Gwen had no problem with her at first glance. That was until Professor Johnathon separated Miles and Gwen, so he could pair up with the new girl and help her fit in, Gwen wasn't happy about this, unlike Miles, who didn't seem bothered at all and was smiling a lot. to your taste.

   The situation got worse after two days, when Miles met Gwen just before the bell to leave rang to tell her that he was leaving with Margo that day so she would have to go alone. The blonde's throat closed and she felt like screaming at Miles, how could he just leave her like that to go out with the girl he'd known for two days?! Luckily Hobie arrived on time, he, with his classic Hobie personality, leaned on Gwen's shoulder and offered to walk her home.

   Miles frowned as soon as this happened. Gwen didn't notice this. Hobie yes.

   "What do you think Gwendy? Shall we go for a walk around the neighborhood and throw rocks at some pigs?"

   "I don't think it's cool that you want to throw rocks at the Hobart police, nor call them pigs" Miles muttered with a frown. Hobie revealed as if he won the lottery

   "What did Peter Pan say? Sorry, my bro, you're a little short, you can't hear properly, right Gwendy?" joked Brown, having fun teasing the Puerto Rican, while the blonde girl still seemed to be traveling on a sea of hate in her own brain.

   "Hmm? uhum, uhum, it's true B" The blonde in agreed, without really listening to what he was saying, just focusing on trying to understand what was so special about Margo that made Morales leave with her instead of Gwen?

   Miles closed his face even more, if that were possible, he muttered something followed by a goodbye and left.

   Gwen went all the way with Hobie to the moon world, without listening to anything the taller one said.

   "Ah, you two are awesome, Gwendy and Peter Pan..." Hobie muttered along the way, not that Gwen heard.

   Two weeks, two weeks later and Gwen was one step away from freaking out when a cough started.

   It had been two weeks since Miles had left with her and only with Margo, every time she asked if they would leave together he would just frown and repeat "No. Why don't you go with 'B'? I'll go with a Margô". Gwen honestly didn't understand, he seemed angry at her for some reason and she hadn't even done anything. She's the one who should be angry, how did he just leave her, someone he knew for 10 years, for some random brat he met two weeks ago? (okay, maybe not brat since they were the same age, but still!).

   It was on that day that Gwen started to have a strange cough, no matter what it was the cough wouldn't stop at all and it felt like something was stuck in her throat. She was starting to think about getting the flu, until the bell to leave rang and she saw, standing next to the exit gate, Miles Morales and Margo Kess, embracing like lovers, or rather, boyfriends. Gwen felt like she was going to vomit, her eyes watered and she ran inside the educational building towards the bathroom and the nearest sink. She expected something disgusting when she looked at the sink, some food she had eaten before in some shade of green, something like that, but the only thing she saw was a petal, as yellow as the sun, along with a few drops of blood.

   She should think about what this was, she was going to do it, just not now.

   Gwen's next move was to kneel on the dirty, disgusting floor of the school bathroom and cry like a 5 year old would.