Chapter 7
The boys stared at each other for several seconds, then Harley pointed over to Skyler and said, “We are working on a group project.”
“I work here.” Peter said in response.
“In that case can I get a cup of coffee?” The dark haired girl said as she slid into a booth.
“And some french fries?” The other boy added.
“No, we should probably go somewhere else.” Harley told them.
“Why? Afraid I’m gonna slip rat poison in your milkshake?” Peter rose an eyebrow, trying to recover from the surprise of seeing Harley outside of the Tower.
“Sorta.” Harley muttered.
“Boys, you’re being ridiculous. You’re roommates, I think you can manage being in the same restaurant.” Skyler warned, and both Harley and Peter were just grateful she didn’t call them brothers.
“I’m not serving him. Just cause he’s blowing daddy’s doesn’t make him better than me.”
Sky tilted her head and furrowed her brow, “That- that doesn’t make any sense. You’re a waiter Peter, and I’m sure that with “daddy’s money”, he can afford to be a big tipper.”
“Can we please stop saying “daddy” and get on with the project, my mom needs me to be home by 5.” The other boy with Harley groaned.
Harley looked over at his friends, then back to Peter, “Call it a truce for the afternoon?”
Peter sighed, “Coffee, that’s all I’m giving you. And the check because there’s no way I’m you’re eating for free.
“Would never expect to.”
Harley sat down with his friends. Skyler squeezed Peter’s hand, “Thank you. I really didn’t want to leave. Not when this is all the time we get together.” She whispered to him.
Peter just nodded, “I’m gonna grab those coffees.”
“Don’t spit in Harley’s.”
He smirked, “No promises.”
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The afternoon passed surprisingly well. Despite what he had said, Peter had wordlessly dropped a plate of fries off at their table before retreating to the back of the diner. After an hour, he came back around with the coffee pot, refilling their mugs. As he turned to walk away, Skyler grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
“Stay.”
“I’m working.”
Skyler made a big show of looking around the diner, “We are your only customers. You can sit.” She tugged again on his wrist and he rolled his eyes but obeyed.
Another 30 minutes later and he was just as involved in the project as the rest of them. Harley was floored by Peter’s understanding of physics. His mind was fast and not only was he able to understand information, but he was able to explain it clearly and patiently. Skyler didn’t look fazed at all by Peter’s knowledge, she’d simply listen to his answers and ask follow up questions, the same way she’s listen to a teacher.
“Ok, you’re obviously a genius or something, so why aren’t you in school?” MJ said suddenly.
“I’m not a-“
“Don’t play modest. You clearly are.”
Signing Peter shrugged, “School was a waste of my time. I went to a underfunded public school and by the end of freshman year they had run out of things to teach me. So I figured if I could get a job I’d at least be doing something productive.”
“But don’t you want to go to collage?” Ned pressed.
“With what money?” He countered, unable to deny that yes, he desperately wanted to go. He used to daydream about going to MIT or CalTech. But then he grew up, and knew that no matter how hard he worked, he’d always be living paycheck to paycheck.
“Tony would pay for it.” Harley said quietly.
“Even if he would, I’m not taking a single cent from him.” Peter’s voice grew bitter and Ned was kicking himself for bring it up. They had actually all been getting along and he had to go and ruin it.
MJ apparently didn’t feel the same way. “That’s stupid. If you hate him so much you should take as much of his money as possible. Buy a fancy car, get your doctorate, live off campus. Take advantage of his habit of throwing money at problems.” Harley had given Ned and MJ the run down of “The Peter Situation” at school.
“Taking his money puts me in his debt.” It makes me rely on him. It gives him power over me. And I’m not giving him anything he can take away from me, Peter thought, but he refused to say it. Refused to show weakness to these strangers.
“I’m just saying-“
“Let it go MJ. He can make his own choices without having to defend them to us.” Harley cut her off. She glared at him but slouched back into her seat.
Harley made eye contact with Peter and gave him the slightest hint of a nod. The diner door opened and a group of high school girls came in and sat at a booth in the next booth over. Peter got up, grateful for the excuse to leave the table before it got even more personal. He grabbed a couple menus then went over to the group.
“Hi, my name’s Peter, can I get some drinks for you ladies?” He said as he passed the menus around the table.
A red haired girl looked Peter up and down, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“I don’t think so?”
“No, I definitely do. Where do you go to school?”
“I don’t. I’ll grab some waters while you take a look at the menu.”
Peter moved to leave but then the girl snapped her fingers, “Wait, you’re that homeless guy that hangs out at the park!”
The table laughed and another girl said, “Oh my god Heather it totally is him!”
“I’m not homeless.” Peter said, but they either weren’t paying enough attention to hear or they didn’t care. Probably the later.
“You know, you’re kinda hot, in like, a dirty way. You can crash at my place if you make it worth my while.” The first girl winked at him.
A blush crept across Peter’s cheeks. He was, unfortunately, used to being propositioned. And he had heard and seen far worse. But he was acutely aware of Skyler, Harley, Ned, and MJ’s eyes burning a hole into his back.
“That’s disgusting Heather! He probably has herpes or something.” One of the girls scrunched her nose and looked at Peter like he was crap on the bottom of overpriced shoes.
“Honesty it’s gross that they would let him near our food.” Another girl says and they all burst out laughing.
Peter takes a deep breath to steady himself, you need this job you need this job you need this job, he repeated over and over to himself. But just before he could move to get some waters, there was voice from behind him.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Like, actually, what is it? Did your daddy not give you enough attention? Or are you really so insecure about yourselves that you feel the need to talk down to other people? I mean, I get it, if I was stuck being like I you, I’d want everyone else to feel as pathetic as I did too, but come on, Mean girls is so 2004. Get it together.”
Peter couldn’t believe that Harley of all people was standing up for him. He looked over to Skyler, who looked just as confused as he felt. He knew why. For as long as she had known him, she had been the only person to ever stand up for Peter. To have someone else beat her to it, was completely out of left field.
“Excuse me,” Heather stood up. “This is a private conversation. Who do you think you are?”
“Yeah, what are you? His pimp?” A girl spits out.
“No, I’m his-“ But Harley didn’t know how to finish his sentence. Friend? No. Brother? Definitely not. Biological son of his adoptive father that they only just found? Probably not.
“Roommate.” Peter filled in, stealing Skyler’s words from earlier.
“So you two share the same park bench?” A brunette laughed.
At this Skyler and MJ both walked over, “Ok, that’s it. You’ve got 5 seconds to get out of here before we make you.” MJ says.
“Is that a threat?”
“Yes it is. You see, these gentlemen won’t hit a girl. Us on the other hand,” Skyler waves a hand between her and MJ, “have absolutely zero reservations about throwing these hands.”
“This is ridiculous. Girls, let’s go. We’d probably get an STD from eating here anyways.” Heather said, tossing her hair back as she left, the other girls falling in line behind her.
When the door slammed shut, Peter let out a long breath and his shoulders fell as the tension he had been holding worked itself out of his body.
“I don’t need anybody to fight my battles for me.” He said to Harley, but there wasn’t any heat behind his words. Sky shoved his shoulder and he add, “but thanks anyway.”
“Don’t mention it. What else are roommates for?“