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*****
Peter proved to be far more difficult to handle than Laura had initially imagined.
Feeling the immense pressure and strength emanating from Peter's grip, Laura exerted more force, pushing herself to her absolute limit… and yet, he didn't budge.
How is this possible? Just how much raw strength does this guy possess?
She knew there was a very simple way to force Peter to release his hold. All she had to do was unsheathe her claws, and his palm would be instantly skewered. But… he was Gwen's close friend, and looking at Gwen's expression, it was clear she wasn't entirely indifferent to him.
Truly… how annoying!
Laura cursed silently. Glancing at Peter's determined face, a cold smirk played in her heart. She suddenly and violently twisted her wrist.
Crack!
A sharp, sickening sound echoed through the air.
Startled by the noise, Peter's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively recoiled, releasing Laura's hand in a panic. "Are—are you okay?!" He looked at Laura with frantic concern, then glanced nervously toward Gwen.
"Heh."
Laura gave a faint, nonchalant smile and casually shook her wrist. In that brief span of a few seconds, her snapped wrist had already knit itself back together, fully healed.
Seeing this impossible recovery, Peter couldn't help but gasp out loud, "Wolverine!"
Laura let out a soft huff of disdain. Just as she was about to let her claws slide out, Gwen's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Enough! The joke ends here!"
Peter's body stiffened instantly. Laura shrugged her shoulders and walked back toward Gwen, draped a possessive arm around Gwen's shoulder, and said with a sigh of mock resignation, "Fine, fine. Whatever you say."
Watching this intimate display, a vein in Peter's temple began to throb visibly. Get your filthy hands off her! his mind screamed.
"Peter, this is Laura. She's my friend," Gwen explained helplessly. She looked at Peter with a strange, searching gaze; this was the first time she had ever seen him harbor such an undisguised, visceral dislike for someone.
"She?"
Peter froze, his gaze turning blank as he stared at Laura.
Laura's sharp, heroic eyebrows arched slightly. "What? Got a problem with that?"
Peter's head began to bob up and down in a frantic nod. "No! It's fine! It's more than fine!" As he spoke, a wide, somewhat foolish grin spread across his face as he looked at Gwen.
"Is he some kind of moron?" Laura remarked, looking at Peter with pure, unadulterated judgment.
Coming back to his senses, Peter's eyes began to shimmer with suppressed excitement. Gathering every ounce of his courage, he turned to Gwen and said, "Gwen, I… I have something I need to tell you."
"Hmph!" Laura let out a cold snort, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Peter with ill intent.
A faint blush swept across Gwen's face. She cleared her throat softly and turned to Laura. "Why don't you head out first? Let me talk to Peter alone for a minute."
"Alone?" Laura asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.
Gwen's face deepened in color, and she snapped back with a mix of embarrassment and irritation, "Just get out already!"
"Alright, alright! I'm going!" Laura muttered under her breath as she turned and trudged out of the gymnasium.
A moment later, the gymnasium fell into a heavy silence—so quiet that Gwen and Peter could practically hear the rhythmic thumping of their own hearts.
Tucking a stray, playful lock of long hair behind her ear, Gwen asked softly, "So, what was it you wanted to say?"
"I…"
Peter felt as though his tongue had been bound tight by his own spider-silk. He looked at Gwen, noting the slight flush on her cheeks. Fearing that his newfound courage was starting to slip away, he took a deep breath and marched directly in front of her.
"Gwen."
"Yes?"
"I like you."
"Mhm."
Mhm? What was that supposed to mean?
Peter was momentarily stunned, but he pushed forward anyway. "From the very first moment I saw you, I was drawn to you." A shy smile touched his lips, but he kept his gaze locked onto hers with unwavering bravery. "I was young then, and I didn't truly understand what 'liking' someone meant, but from that day on, you were the only person I saw."
Gwen's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. This was a side of Peter she had never encountered before.
Having finally spoken his feelings aloud, Peter adopted a "sink or swim" mentality, pouring out every hidden thought he had stored in his heart.
"The way you smile, the way you get angry, your courage, your kindness… every single image is burned into my heart. The strange thing is, I love every bit of it. There isn't a single thing about you that I dislike. I've never been through this before, and I don't even know if this is what people call 'love,' but whenever I think about you becoming someone else's girlfriend, I feel like I can't breathe."
"During the day, I'm looking at you. At night, I'm thinking about you. I look at you during class, think about you while I'm eating… you're even in my dreams! I never thought I could be this greedy, but I simply can't control myself. I—"
It was as if Peter had pried open a treasure chest of emotions he had kept locked away for years, letting everything spill out at once. The intensity of his feelings was almost tangible, making Gwen feel as though a warm flame was washing over her, leaving her ears burning and her face flushed.
Seeing that Peter was showing no signs of stopping his confession, Gwen suddenly blurted out, "Okay! Stop! Don't say another word!"
Peter's voice cut off instantly, as if someone had physically clamped his throat shut. Silence reclaimed the room. Then came the fear—the crushing dread that Gwen was angry and might never speak to him again.
"Gwen…" Peter whispered, looking at her with cautious, wide eyes.
Gwen took a deep breath to steady her racing heart and spoke slowly. "Did you really think I hadn't noticed at all?"
Peter: "..."
Remembering Gwen's own unique abilities, Peter rubbed his head in embarrassment, but then a new wave of tension hit him. If Gwen had known all along, then her reaction meant… she had understood his feelings for a long time!
She hadn't shown any signs of disgust or rejection during all that time, which meant… Peter's heart began to hammer against his ribs with renewed vigor. He stared at her, stammering, "You—what do you mean by that?"
Gwen gave him a sly, mischievous smile. "Remind me, what was the reason you came looking for me tonight?"
"I… I wanted to invite you to be my dance partner…" Peter looked at her with desperate expectation.
Gwen hummed in contemplation, letting Peter stew in his anxiety for a long moment before she suddenly flashed a brilliant smile. "Then let's start with being dance partners tonight. If you prove to be a suitable partner, I'll consider future developments."
"Really?! Truly?!"
Peter felt as though a bullet made of pure happiness had struck him right in the heart. It was as if his entire world was suddenly filled with pink bubbles, and his very soul felt light enough to float away.
Gwen smiled softly, her hands clasped behind her back. She took a long, graceful stride and spun around playfully, heading toward the exit. When she reached the door, she glanced back at Peter, who was still standing there like a dazed statue. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
"I'm coming! Right now!"
Peter let out a jubilant shout and, in his excitement, performed a perfect somersault on the spot. He bolted toward Gwen like a launched arrow, reaching out to take her hand. When their palms met, both of their faces flushed red simultaneously, but their fingers remained tightly interlaced.
"Hehe," Peter chuckled foolishly, earning him a playful roll of the eyes from Gwen.
As the two of them stepped outside, Laura's gaze immediately dropped to their joined hands.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Laura marched right up to Peter. She thrust her fist directly in front of his face, and two razor-sharp claws slowly slid out, stopping just inches away from Peter's eyes.
Peter sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
"Hmm? Hmph? Understood?" Laura grunted at him, her tone heavy with warning.
"Understood!" Peter nodded his head vigorously.
Gwen looked between them, a look of utter confusion on her face. "What was that? What exactly did you understand?"
(End of Chapter)