04| the red suit— pulp fiction

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PIPER AND HOPE WERE COMPLETE OPPOSITES. Sometimes even the best friends question how their dynamic works. Piper comes from a broken home yet manages to fool those around her with the little miss perfect persona. A shy girl with perfect grades who had a love for the past couldn't be more different than her friend. Hope comes from a stable home yet her crave for adrenalin brought out her rebellious side. The outgoing girl couldn't stand the smell of a book. The thought of not doing things on her own terms made her sick. Although the two were so different, Piper knew when Hope was in trouble. She couldn't help but have that feeling tonight.

TO HOPE:
6:53 pm
hey, where are you? i want to hear about all the trouble you got into today while i was covering for you in all of you're classes. you know they actually believed that stupid letter you made?

TO HOPE:
8:36 pm
helloooo, you better not be watching our series together without me. is that why you aren't responding?

TO HOPE:
10:17 pm
hope, this isn't funny anymore. please text me back so i know you're okay.

Piper turned off her phone, a heavy feeling in her chest. It wasn't like the blonde to not respond to her text messages especially after she went out for a day of adventure. Piper peeked through the crack of her door to see Janet passed out cold on the couch. Maybe she'd go check up on Hope at her apartment. It was only a couple blocks away she knew she could go if she could sneak past her foster sister.

Piper laced up her red converse and headed towards the door. She quietly tiptoed across the living room, the snores of Janet blasting throughout the apartment. She dashed for the door and just as she thought she was in the clear she heard a voice.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Piper cringed and turned around to see Lucy standing there in a towel, the water from her hair dripping onto the wooden floor. "Um, I'm going to go get some fresh air. Studying is just too much for my brain right now."

"Do you think I'm dumb, Piper? I was your age once too." Lucy laughed. Piper cheeks heated up. She couldn't tell her she was looking for Hope or else she would wake up Jannet.

"You know what I can tell by the look on you're face that you're seeing a boy. I'm not gonna be that buzzkill of a sister and rat on you so as long as you're home by one I'll let it slide." Lucy concluded.

"But I'm not seeing a-" Piper paused, "Actually, that sounds like a fair deal. Thanks!" Piper exclaimed, knowing that it was her only way out. She didn't know why her sister was so persistent about her going out. Maybe it was because she wanted her to be more social.

Piper dashed out of the door down the stairs of the six-story building. As she walked out, she couldn't help but recognize a familiar face.

"Peter?" Piper frowned at the boy walking towards her. He wore a worried look on his face, his cheeks painted pink from the cold New York air.

"Piper! Have you seen Ned? I—I can't find him anywhere. I've been calling and texting him all day but he hasn't been responding. I stopped by his place but he wasn't there. Did Hope by chance say where he was?" Peter asked, his words spilling out of his mouth like quicksand.

"You can't find Ned either? I haven't heard from Hope all day. I was actually just going out to go look for her." Piper confessed the pit in her stomach grew larger. This wasn't good.

"Would you mind if I come with you? I'm getting pretty worried." Peter asked, trying to cover up the trembling in his voice.

Piper could tell he was genuinely worried about his best friend by the look in his hazel eyes. They both were. She nodded her head, hugging her coat close to her chest, "Yeah, of course. It's kinda scary walking the streets at night anyways. It'll be nice with some company."

Peter nodded, his face slightly showing some relief to have someone help him. The two teens began to walk through the streets in silence. As they walked, they scanned every alley, restaurant, liquor store, or any place that their two best friends could fit in. Occasionally, they'd hear a shout that would make them snap their heads in excitement but only to be met with disappointment from a drunken new yorker.

"Hey, let's check down this street. I know sometimes Hope takes this route home if she feels like taking a long walk." Piper told the boy. Peter nodded and followed the girl down Mable Street.

Peter could sense Piper's discomfort as they walked down the dimly lit street. It wasn't the most pleasant place to walk in the dark. There were abandoned shops covered in graffiti and trash cans overfilling with waste.

"Get the hell off me!" A voice suddenly shrieked.

"Hope?!" Piper yelled, her eyes growing wide knowing that was her voice. She looked at Peter before running down the street as fast as she could. "Hope, where are you? I'm coming!"

"Piper, wait!" Peter called after the girl. However, Piper just kept running not waiting up for the boy.

Piper's breathing began heavy as she ran closer and closer to the screams. Her feet jolted to a stop at an alleyway to see Hope kicking and screaming against two muscular men who are 10x her strength. She looked beyond the three to see Ned passed out cold with blood dripping down his forehead. One of the men looked over to see Piper, an eerie grin forming on his lips, "Huh, I guess we get to bring one more with us. Boss is gonna be real happy with us tonight."

"Piper, run!" Hope cried, as one of the men rushed towards her.

Piper looked around frantically for something to use. She wasn't just going to leave her best friend like this. She tried to grab the lid of the trash can to use as a weapon but was pushed down by the man's forceful hands. She fell down to the ground with a loud thud, her head hitting against the brick wall. He grabbed her by the collar of her coat and dragged her towards Hope.

"Get the hell off me!" Piper screamed, kicking like a madwoman. She closed her eyes and took a depth breath, grabbing onto the man's arms with all her might. The touch of her fingers against his skin made the man groan in agony. He let go of her and fell down onto his knees. He tried to shake off Hope's grasp but she wouldn't budge. His cries became louder and louder, as his bones slowly began to break. Hope let out a scream with all her might, starting to lose control over her powers Before she knew it, the man who was holding Hope grabbed Piper and hit her head over with the lid of a trash can.

Piper fell down to the ground, her ears starting to ring. She tried to get back up but the world began to spin around her, making her tumble back down. The next few moments happened too quickly for her to understand. Her blurry vision saw the man get tied up in what looked like a web. Her breathing got heavier by the second, as she saw a man in a red suit punch the man. Her eyes widened when she finally realized it was the neighborhood legend spider-man right in front of her.

Hope rushed over to Piper, lifting her up. Piper saw her lips moving but the ringing from her ears made everything sound muffled. Piper soon felt Ned on her other side. The three teens rushed out of the ally, not daring to look back. Blood trickled down Piper's forehead, her heart beating out of her chest. The three stopped once they heard the police sirens behind them. Two police cars stopped by the teens while three other went towards the scene. One police officer instantly sat Piper down while the other one began to question Hope and Ned. Piper paid no attention to the police officer talking in front of her. All she could focus on was the person in the red suit swinging away in the distance.