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The clock on the wall was ticking ever so slowly. The class was never going to end, or so did Flash think. All he wanted to do was to storm out of the classroom and go running after Peter but sadly, he couldn't. Another mark of misbehaving for him meant detention and that would only make him get out of the frying pan into the fire.
For the whole morning and this stupid math class Flash had heard every single person talking about Peter. Normally it would be a good thing for a geek like him, to get some attention, but this was different. Peter's uncle had been shot to death and since bad news travel fast, everyone was talking about it like they knew everything. They had no intentions of letting Peter cry against their shoulders though. It did give Flash a chance to swallow his pride and help Peter. It had been on his mind for quite long, actually. He wasn't completely sure if Peter would listen, but better late than never.
Class was almost over, but the teacher decided to ramble on about homework for five minutes until the bell rang. Flash grabbed his things and was the first to leave. He was nervous and thought about leaving Parker alone but he wasn't a coward. He decided to take the bull by the horns and risk everything. All he wanted was that Peter would feel better. As Flash made his was down the stairs, he saw that familiar boy at his locker. The other students were whispering and staring at him and it ticked him off even more. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves before he pushed through the crowd. He was actually quite nervous and his heartbeat was loud enough that it drummed in his ears.
''Yo, Parker, I want to talk.'' Flash began when he was close enough, thinking that honesty is the best policy and there was no need for him to be afraid. Peter probably needed someone to talk to and sadly, right now the only closest ''friend'' he had was his bully. Peter's head was ducked down as he searched for something in his locker. ''Not today, Flash...'', he muttered. It was obvious how miserable Peter was and it made Flash feel even more guilty than he did before. ''I want to help you.'' Flash said and as Peter stood up, he reached out his hand to his shoulder. Before Flash could act or say anything, the boy had grabbed his hoodie and slammed him against the locker. As they looked into each other's eyes, Flash could see the pain and sadness in his eyes. It was quite overwhelming since Flash was familiar with the same feelings. Quickly Peter let go with a confused look on his face before he swung his backpack to his shoulder and left the scene. For a while, Flash thought that Peter would get his revenge on him, but barking dogs seldom bite and Peter wasn't like that. Flash took a deep breath before he went to the same direction Peter had gone to. If Flash made a mountain out of a molehill, it would be childish and besides, Peter deserved to humiliate Flash a little bit.
After going around the school, Flash felt like giving up. It was like the brunette had disappeared and since Flash wanted to strike the iron while it was hot he needed to find Peter now. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about what to do. Peter had probably gone home so now Flash only needed to find out where Peter lived. It wasn't the simplest task since Peter had no friends and Flash wasn't a stalker. He decided to try to fish out the information from the principal's office. Flash was quick-witted so therefore he would probably come up with a plan.
Flash made his way into the office he knew too well and, luckily, the principal was there. Flash said he wanted to talk about his worries, but they were pretty non-existent since he had made them all up. They talked for about thirty minutes before the principal left to get some coffee. Meanwhile that, Flash found Peter's information and he memorized the address just in time before the principal got back. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, so Flash simply told 'east or west, home is best' and he was dismissed.
Flash was pretty sure he knew in which direction Peter's street was so the house wasn't that difficult to find. All he needed to do now was to make sure that Peter didn't suspect any monkey business. Flash felt how his hands trembled as he made his way to the door that said 'Parker'. He rang the doorbell and after a short time, the door opened slowly, revealing Peter's miserable face. He looked surprised and scared at the same time and before he could open his mouth, Flash started. "Before you kick me out I want you to hear me. I'm not trying to make a fool out of you or anything, I'm actually concerned. And I thought that you'd need someone to talk to so, here I am.'' Peter looked at Flash, thinking about what he had just heard and making sure this wasn't a dream. He sighed and wiped his teary eyes. ''I don't think you can teach an old dog new tricks, Flash. And why do you, out of all people, suddenly care about my well-being? You've hurt me several times both mentally and physically.'' Peter said, sounding bitter. ''You might be right about that but I never meant to hurt you as much as I did. It began as a joke, I think and it went overboard. I'm truly sorry for that. I'd just like to say that all's well that ends well and even though you have a hard time now, it will get better. Trust me, I know.'' Flash said and for some reason he didn't feel so heavy. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't spoken about his father's death to anyone and it was something he regretted. Now Flash knew how important it was to talk about your feelings. ''So this isn't a joke?'' ''No, definitely not.'' Flash tried to sound and look convincing since he saw how Peter was still hesitating. ''I'm not sure, Flash... All that glitters is not gold, you know, and I don't trust you completely.'' ''I know you don't, but I promise I won't bully you anymore. I want to help you, Peter.'' Flash tried to sound sincere, since he was. ''And uh, while there is life there is hope and your uncle's death didn't end yours.'' Peter's gaze was on the ground and he drummed his fingers against the door before he nodded. ''Fine, but I'm tired of crying so we'll play with my Playstation first.'' Peter said and Flash had to grin. ''Alright, do in Rome as Romans do.'' When he went inside Peter's house, he felt like this would be a good start for their friendship. It wasn't picture perfect, but it didn't need to be.