CHAPTER THIRTEEN;
friendship 4 eva

iMESSAGE
AKIRA, AMALA
12:01 p.m.

AMALA
aki :((

aki

aki-noodle

kira

kiraaaa

kira meow meowww

AKIRA
stfu !!!!!! i'm in math

AMALA
you're choosing math over
me ?????? bitch

get out of math and text me

AKIRA
ok wait

k what do you want

AMALA
i miss you :(

AKIRA
bro

AMALA
what ?????

i'm literally miserable
here

the hospital smells like
old people and vinegar

AKIRA
it smells like who ?????

AMALA
old people

and vinegar

AKIRA
ama baby r u off ur
meds again ?

this is the drugs inst it?????

AMALA
😐

AKIRA
fine fine i'm kidding

i miss u too

i'm coming after skl

AMALA
omg ??? you are ??

AKIRA
yes

AMALA
YAYAYAYYA

OH THANK THE HEAVENS!

god i'm so bored here i could
die

AKIRA
😋💕

oh also

ned n peter r coming too

AMALA
omg really :')?

tears streaminf down my
face

AKIRA
lol

he won't stop
talking about u btw

AMALA
who

AKIRA
peter

AMALA
???

AKIRA
i think he likes u

AMALA
hold up shorty i think we
skipped a couple chapters !!

one! what is he saying ab me

two! where did you get this
conclusion

AKIRA
YOU skipped a few chapters

i've been here for it all

AMALA
ok then explain bitch

AKIRA
i am rn u fucking whore

be patient

AMALA
die

AKIRA
no u

anyways.

he says a lot about u

"oh amala? yeah she's
awesome 😚😙🥰😘😍"

"no she's like super smart
i have a project with her and
she's so organized 😜🤪🤩🥳😛"

"i actually hated starbucks until we
went together 🤣😇😅😊😂"

"what? ugly? amala is anything but
ugly i mean have u seen her 😍😘😊"

"wait she likes someone ? 😞😔
😟😕😫😭😢☹️😩"

AMALA
hold up

i like someone ??

damn that's news to me

AKIRA
no u don't but ned said that
to see if he would react

and he did

AMALA
ned ?????

bitch slow down

he knows ?

AKIRA
ofc he does u dumb idiot

god did u lose brain cells
on that hospital bed ??

AMALA
kele khara
( meaning "eat shit in arabic )

AKIRA
ur mom

AMALA
😕

AKIRA
ANYWAYS !!!!!!

he defo likes u

he's liked u since freshman
year

AMALA
he said that?

AKIRA
ya

well ned told me peter told
him that like a week ago but
u've been a running topic since
u first came to skl

AMALA
oh

AKIRA
you're blushing arwnt u

AMALA
no i'm not.

AKIRA
liar

AMALA
am not

AKIRA
swear on nicki minaj and
our roblox baby and the
entire dreamland album
and the neighborhood
and starbucks and minecraft

AMALA
ok fine maybe a little

AKIRA
SO YOU LIKE HIM TOO

AWWWWWWW 🥰🥰🥰

AMALA
i never said that ???

AKIRA
u don't have to my little
kitten whisker !!

mommy knows 🥺😩

AMALA
i can feel myself slipping
back into a coma

never say this ever again
i'm actually sick to my
stoamcka

AKIRA
sorry LOL

anyways he likes u and u like
him so man up ask jim out so
u can kiss and make babies

AMALA
maybe YOU need the hospital

whwre did i say i liked him ??

and MAN UP ?? honey i am a
lady 😌

i will never admit to a man that
i like them

if man wants something man
must ask nicely

i'm not folding first

AKIRA
seems like u've thought of this
a lot

simp behavior if u ask me

AMALA
yk what.

give me a sec

AKIRA
????

what ?

hellooo u whore

i'm skipping mayh for u !!
read

ෆ

AMALA, NED
12:19 p.m.

AMALA
hi ned :)

NED
hey amala

how are you ?

AMALA
i'm ok !! wbu?

NED
i'm alright too

how do you feel?

AMALA
much better thank you :)

anyways can i ask you to
do something ?

NED
yea sure what's up?

AMALA
when's your next class w
akira ??

NED
um

ap chem right after rhis
period

AMALA
awesome !!

when you see her can you
tell her that i tell her to die
and that i took her keys to our
house in brookhaven

NED
the keys to what ??

AMALA
our house in roblox

NED
um

okay 😃👍🏼

AMALA
athank you !!

NED
no problem

uh see you after school :)?

AMALA
cant wait :)
read

ෆ

AMALA, AKIRA
12:33 p.m.

AMALA
i'm back!

AKIRA
whwre were did u go

AMALA
doctor came

all good

AKIRA
oh he came ?? 🤤

anways peter likes u
so what r u gonna do ab
it

AMALA
i hope you choke

also nothing bc idk if i like
him

AKIRA
ydk ??

AMALA
yeah

like i've always thought he
was really cute and stuff

and i did look forward to
seeing him when we had
class together

but i don't know jim super
well

and yk me i don't fall for
anyone until i've known them
for a while and ik that were
solid friends

but doing the project w him
has been super fun and he's
really nice and respectful so
idk

AKIRA
ik

but can u see it happening ??

like u guys being together if
y'all kept talking and stuff

AMALA
if we got closer and stuff and
he's a gen good person (like
if it doesn't change bc ik he is)

then yeah i could see it ig

AKIRA
hm

okay that's fair

but yk i'm gonna tease the
fuck out of u and peter right ?

AMALA
dawg.

AKIRA
😘😘😘

u should text him

AMALA
??? bitch are you on your
period ?????

your mood swings 👎🏼

AKIRA
hush my kitten

mommy knows best

AMALA
I SAIS AROPSOS

STOP RHIS MADNESS

AKIRA
no.

go text him or else

AMALA
what do i even say

AKIRA
whatever

if he replies in a min
he def likes u

AMALA
what if he has class

AKIRA
he doesn't

ned told me

AMALA
ok

AKIRA
lmk what he says

i'm going back to mahs

AMALA
good luck!

hope you fail 😘😘
read

ෆ

AMALA, PETER
12:49 p.m.

AMALA
hey :)
12:49 p.m.

PETER
hi amala :)
12:49 p.m.

AMALA
what's up?

PETER
nothing much

wbu? how are you
feeling? any new
updates?

AMALA
i'm feeling ok !!

the doc said i'm all good
to go so i should be out of
this fuck hole by tomorrow
thank the heavens

they did last min tests and my
mom and i are fine. i got the
worst of it, my mom j passed
out from the shock

but i popped a couple stitches from
surgery a few months back but other
than that there was no issues

so i'm all good :)

PETER
surgery?

what happened

if you don't mind me asking
of course

AMALA
no it's all good !!

so i had pretty bad scoliosis
and it got pretty bad so they
needed to straighten it

basically my spine is fully fused
together w metal and parts of my
vertebrae

remember when i wasn't in school
for like a whole month and a half?
that's why

PETER
oh

yeah i wondered what happened to
you :/

i missed seeing you in bio and psych :(

AMALA
peter :(

i missed seeing your awkward ass in
bio and psych too !!!

PETER
🥲🥲🥲

AMALA
kiddinf kidding !!!

PETER
but you're okay right?

like okay okay

AMALA
yes peter

i am okay okay

i will be okay okay okay when
you, ned and aki are here and
when i get the fuck out of this
place

oh and when i can finally eat
normal food and not flavored
cardboard

PETER
jesus sounds like you're having
a great time in there

AMALA
i am! what an astute observation
peter 😍

PETER
hehe :)

anyways i'll bring you starbucks
on my way

AMALA
oh no it's ok !!

you don't have to lol

PETER
i know :)

AMALA
peter.

PETER
amala.

AMALA
no.

PETER
yes.

AMALA
no !!

PETER
🙂🙂

see ya after school :)

AMALA
😞

fine.

see you .. i guess

PETER
:)
read

ෆ

AKIRA, AMALA
1:03 p.m.

AMALA
he replied within the
minute

AKIRA
wbk

kicking ur ass after
school for rhis one

AMALA
😒😒😒
read

ෆ

REAL LIFE
NY HOSPITAL
4:03 p.m.

"A CANDLE," AKIRA SAYS.

"What?" Says Ned, confused.

"A candle." Akira repeats.

"Bitch, what do you mean 'a candle'?" Amala replies, feet crossed on the hospital bed as she sips a chocolate chip mocha (thank you, Peter).

On the couch, Peter lifts his eyes away from his book, tuning into the conversation. He's just as confused as everyone else.

"I've seen people use a candle as a dildo before." Akira says like it's the most simple thing in the world as she lounges back into the other end of the couch.

Peter glares at Akira with pure, unfiltered bewilderment. "What the fuck?"

Amala stares her best friend, too. She mirrors Peter's exact expression except it's also mixed with disgust.

Ned makes a "umm" noise before opening his mouth and closing it.

So yeah, what the fuck?

"Shut up — all of you — you asked!" Akira points to Amala.

Amala gasps in shock. "I asked you to name a random fact! Not someone's intense wax play sex fantasy!"

"This is a random fact!" Akira shouts playfully. "I literally learnt it today."

"Well can you unlearn it? We've all been scarred." Amala laughs, pointing towards a very perplexed Ned and Peter.

Akira shoots her a middle finger. "What about you Ned? Peter? What's your random fact?" She throws bunny ears at the last two words.

"I was just going to say that slugs have four noses." Ned pipes up as he plays with the strings on his hoodie.

"Finally, someone normal." Amala breaths out, eyes on Akira.

"And I was going to say that the position of the North Star will change over time." People says, eyes going to Amala.

"What? Really?" She replies excitedly. "How did I not know that?"

Peter's cheeks warm at the comment. "I don't know," he mumbles. "I've been watching lots of videos."

Akira sends a playful glance towards her and Amala feels her face warm, too.

After one of their old text messages, Amala and Peter had spent the remainder of the night getting to know each other. Through this, Amala came to discover Peter's deep interest for comics (more than she already assumed) and Peter learned about Amala's adoration for space.

Needless to say, the gesture doesn't go unnoticed and she feels herself slip out of the box of friendship she built for the both of them.

It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't mean anything, she chants internally.

Amala clears her throat. "See, Akira? Some of us are normal."

"Fuck you, Amala." Akira says, faux anger in her tone. "Don't make me dish out some of the things you know."

Amala scoffs, laughing loudly. "Please, like anything I know will beat what you just said."

"Oh, you wanna try me? Fine..." Akira cracks her knuckles. "What were telling me last night, hm? Something about a hero in spandex?" She lifts her finger and settles it over her mouth as she makes an exaggerated thinking face. "Oh, yeah! 'His voice! His chest! Akira, his hands... I want them in my mou-'"

Grabbing the nearest object, Amala tosses a pillow at Akira's face.

"You fucker!" She gasps, face on fire. "Fuck you! Fuck you!"

Besides Amala, two boys stare at the pair of girls then back at each, extreme terror painted on their faces.

"I'm sorry - wait a minute -" Ned starts saying, stuttering between every couple of words.

Akira just laughs, loud and proud. Once she sees how red Amala is, she laughs more.

"I told you this in confidence!" Amala says in horror, gaze snapping between Ned, Peter and Akira. "I can't believe you!" She tosses another pillow at her.

Sticking her tongue out, Akira wiggles her eyebrows. "I love you, Mala." She sing-songs.

"I hate you!" Amala shouts back, her face still a violent shade of red.

Still embarrassed, Amala shoves her face between her hands, trying her best to disappear from the world. Oh, how she wishes the universe could swallow her whole and eject her into another dimension.

Truth be told, she's beyond mortified. Out of all the things Akira could have said, she said that. Her foreign dream about Spider-man had been so odd, she just had to share it with her best friend. It had been vague and foggy, like an odd sort of acid trip. She doesn't remember much except for her kissing the hero and touching the hero and feeling the hero and ... okay. She remembers a lot of it.

Looking back, maybe Amala shouldn't have said anything. Why couldn't the universe have warned her about the absolute violation she was going to endure? What did she do in a past life to deserve this?

"You can come out now, Mala." Teases Akira. "We're over it."

Lifting her head slowly, Amala settles an unpleasant gaze at her best friend.

"Well, no - we're not over it but - ow! Uh, I mean. Yeah, yeah we're good." Ned says, rubbing his left hand (which is closest to Akira).

"Listen," Amala begins to explain, trying to save herself. "He's hot, okay?"

Peter eyes meet hers and they're blown wide. It's as though he's seen a ghost.

Amala wants to die.

Nothing is embarrassing unless you make it embarrassing, she tells herself.

"I mean, come on. Have you seen him?" She continues. "He's like super cool and he swings around. I bet he's strong as fuck — I've seen him lift a car before in a YouTube video. And - and..." Amala closes her eyes. "He saved me the night of the accident."

Three people look at her in shock.

"What? He did?" Ned asks, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," she replies, swallowing. "He - um - he stopped the car before it hit the wall or something."

She feels awkward sharing this with both boys. While Akira already knew this, she still feels weird repeating it. Yes, she's grown very close to Peter and Ned over the course of the past month. Yes, she feels like she can trust them but... this still feels like an intimate part of herself she's afraid to share.

Nobody knows about her external connection with Spider-man. No one except for Akira. She swore to herself — the second time he came — that she would protect this secret with her entire being. She's afraid that if she shares this now, the rest of her promise will break.

Taking a deep breath, she thinks her next words over. "I honestly don't remember much but... I know he was there and -" she pauses. "When I got out of the car, he - he saw me struggling and he sat me down. I don't know... he told me that I was safe and that he had me and -"

Bits of the night return to her in a dash of emotions. The light, the dread, the spinning and the stopping. It's been two weeks since the accident and while she'd felt mostly okay, she still felt a bit rocky at times. Sometimes, when she closes her eyes, she can still see her mother unconscious in the driver's seat. That, alone, sends shivers across her body.

Akira gets up and sits on Amala's bed, extending her hand to rest on her shoulder. Akira rubs her arm soothingly, head now leaning into Akira.

Amala smiles gently, feeling better. "I just remember feeling really confused - like I had no control over what happened. But Spider-man was there and he was so nice to me. He made me feel - I don't know - grounded? I needed to hear that - that I was going to be okay - and he made sure I did." She says. "I don't know what happened after that. I mean, I'm pretty sure I passed out but I remember feeling a little better thanks to him."

Peter coughs, bright red. "That's - um - that's really nice. Wow."

Both girls exchange a glance; a silent 'what's up with him?'

"Yeah," Ned says. "That really is sweet. He's such a great guy. Right, Peter?"

Peter coughs even more and mumbles something Amala can't make out. "Uh, yeah. Of course. He's - he's awesome."

"You guys are acting weird..." Akira says. "Anyways," she continues. "I'm glad you're okay. I was so scared when I called home and your dad answered." She says, squeezing Amala's shoulder. "I just kept on hoping you were okay. I mean, you had to be. You're too sexy to die!"

Amala throws her head back and laughs. "The universe kept me alive because it couldn't just let me die. Not before I got a boyfriend."

At that, Akira playfully punches her best friend. "Oh, the misery! Imagine dying and you'd never even been kissed before."

"Hold up-" Ned says, squeezing back into conversation. "You've never had a boyfriend before?" He points to Amala.

Amala just shakes her head.

"Or a boyfriend?"

She shakes her head again.

"How?" He asks, surprised.

"I don't -"

"Her standards are way too high." Akira interrupts.

Amala scoffs and pushes Akira. "No, they're not! I just don't settle for the bare minimum."

Akira looks at Peter teasingly. "Take notes, Parker."

Peter flushes at the mention of his name and Amala shoots an icy stare at her best friend in warning.

"I'm -" Peter begins to talk before he's interrupted by the door opening.

The group looks towards the doorway, eyes meeting with the doctors.

"I'm sorry, you guys. Visiting hours are done." He says kindly.

Amala groans.

"Sorry, guys." She pouts.

"It's okay, Mala. You're coming home tomorrow. One more night." Akira sympathizes.

"One more night." She repeats.

The trio begin packing their things, making sure they haven't missed anything. Akira and Ned bid Amala goodbye — a simple hug and some words of encouragement. Amala tells them to get home safely and to text her when they can. They say they will.

Next, Peter hugs her shyly, taking care to not hurt her. Amala feels stronger each day but Peter still embraces like she's made of glass — his hands wrapped delicately around her waist.

"Stay safe, okay?" He mumbles into her hair.

She hums gently, air hitting his neck. "You too."

They pull away and share a long glance. Their eyes meet and Amala feels her heart pick up its pace. She'd never noticed how pretty his eyes were; they're such a distinct shade of brown.

Peter blushes, brushing a strand of hair away from her face with a shaking hand.

He's nervous, Amala remarks to herself. How cute.

"I will," he says, pulling away slowly. "Bye, Amala."

"Bye, Peter."

Once the door closes and she's alone, she lets go of a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Her heart is beating loudly through her ears and her cheeks burn to the touch.

She sighs.

One more day.

Many hours later, when the rest of the world is asleep, a certain hero swings through New York. Unbeknownst to Amala, he grapples from building to building, backpack slung on his shoulders and a bouquet in his free hand.

Inside, Amala is sat on her hospital bed, beeping monitor creating white noise as she reads. She's bored out of her mind; her phone is dry and all her friends are asleep. Her parents had gone home for the night after Amala had nagged them to get some much needed rest. To summarize, there's nothing to do except for read and sleep.

She sighs and looks out the window. There's no moon tonight and that pulls a frown onto her face. At least the stars are visible — perhaps that's something.

Amala starts counting them before a shadow obstructs her view.

She yelps quietly until she recognizes the red and black mask. Her spiking nerves relax and a smile replaces her frown almost immediately.

She walks up to the window and slides it open with both hands.

"B, hi." She says, breathless. "What are you - what are you doing here?"

"Hey, Amala," he replies as he slings his backpack inside the hospital room and hops in.

"How did you-" she starts saying, wondering how he'd been stuck to the outside wall just moments ago.

"Sticky fingers." He deadpans.

Amala just laughs. "Cool, okay! But - uh - what are you doing here?" She asks again.

Spider-man pauses in his tracks. "Well, i came to check up on you. I was - I was worried. Do you not want me to be here?" His voice trails off.

Amala's eyes widen and she blushes. "What! No, no! I'm just surprised. I'm glad you're here — I could use the company."

"Oh, okay." He sighs nervously. "That's good but I can go if you want. I mean - I really don't -"

Amala hushes him and shakes her head. "Shut up, B. You know that's not what I meant."

He laughs quietly at that.

He walks further into the room, standing behind her. When Amala turns around, she has a sudden urge to laugh. Spider-man in all his glory — costume on and everything — is standing in her hospital room, slumping bouquet in hand.

"Who are the flowers for?" Amala asks him quietly, afraid that she'll wake any doctor roaming the halls.

The whites of his mask widen. "Oh!" He exclaims, before pushing his hand towards her. "They're for you."

Amala blushes under the lamplight and her heart skips a beat. "B, I'm - thank you." She voices, taking the flowers.

She assesses them affectionately; lavenders lay bunched up nicely, wrapped in slightly crinkled white paper. They're gorgeous.

"Oh, it's nothing." Spider-man dismisses, gloved hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Amala shakes her head and she's suddenly overcome by a wave of emotion. "No, it's not nothing." She says before she lays the flowers on a nearby table and rushes to give him a strong hug.

The breath gets knocked out of him in a strangled yelp and he gently wraps his hands around her shoulders.

She has no idea why she's feeling like this, but there is so much rawness in her heart, so much emotion. She struggles to understand it's meaning. In this moment, she feels a raging sense of gratefulness for the hero. His kindness saved her and his gestures don't go unnoticed. He feels like a friend.

"Thank you, B." She mumbles into the spandex on his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

He hugs her tighter. "Oh, stop it, Amala. It's okay. No need to thank me."

She laughs but the sound is deafened into his skin. "I do. I really, really do. You are something else. I'm glad you almost broke into my window." She finishes, pulling away to look at his eyes (or what she hopes is his eyes through his mask).

Spider-man just chuckles and shakes his head. "Me, too, Amala. Me, too."

— END OF CHAPTER 13 —

[ NOTE ]
:)

summer is fast approaching
for the group of 4 !!! chaos
coming reaaalll soon :')

chap 16 > will follow the ffh
plot (ofc with a couple of
different things here and there )

thank you for the support <3
voting / comments make my
day :)

much love,

pearl <3