Adventures in Babysitting ↠ Peter Parker [1] ✓

12 | You Manifest It, You Buy It!

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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
xii. YOU MANIFEST IT, YOU BUY IT!

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   RILEY WASN'T A CONFORMER. She wasn't someone who settled, who relaxed once life became easier. Riley's life was composed of hills, not meadows. Something was always happening in her world, and Riley was always waiting for it—the thing that would change her world yet again. She was always waiting for the match to strike with a fire. Once that fire was lit, it was only a matter of time before it engulfed everything in its path.

   Riley knew deep down that she would never be able to truly relax, and honestly, she didn't have plans to in the future. But now that she'd taken some time off these past few months and get as close to relaxing as she could, Riley was beginning to grow suspicious, antsy. In other words, Riley Stark was waiting for the flame to ignite.

   Riley. Riley sat in the dining hall with a tray of food. MJ, Ned, and Peter were gathered around her, munching and sharing all kinds of peculiar chats that warm afternoon. Riley. The unfortunate aroma of food blended with sweaty bodies filled their noses, but they had gotten used to that by now. Riley!

   Riley snapped her head upward, now realizing that her friends had been calling her name. She looked around them, puzzled. "...What?"

   Michelle Jones eyed her best friend. "Are you alright?" Her face was filled with skepticism as it always was, but beneath that and her rather sharp tone, Riley could sense concern in the depths of her brown eyes.

   Riley pinched her eyebrows together. "Uh, sure?" Her response seemed more like a question, almost like she was unsure of her own answer. She hesitated and hurriedly grew more troubled. "Why, is there something wrong?"

   The trio each exchanged glances. It was strange to watch from a third-perspective. Riley could describe it as though they were communicating in pure silence, but not in morse code or sign language. They, instead, used facial expressions. Riley took a moment to evaluate herself as she chose to ignore her strange friends and their antics. Why would they think there was something wrong?

   Was it in the way that she had been fidgeting with her hands rather than eating her lunch? Was it how her leg had been bobbing up and down so quickly that Peter originally thought she was having a sugar high? Was it because Riley had been chewing on the same french fry and fixedly staring into space for the last three minutes? Actually, that seemed like enough reason for concern now that Riley was thinking about it.

   Riley offered her friends a trained smile. "I'm fine."

   Peter glanced back at Riley, doubtful. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently underneath the table. "What's wrong?"