𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮, peter parker

xxxi. in the life of nina hart

chapter thirty-one
in the life of nina hart

     HER TEACHERS HAD begun to say she was going to go somewhere. While college might put down some, stress others and make the rest grit their teeth, Nina Hart thrived. She got good marks, the top in some classes, excelled at her presentations and still managed to visit Mary Jane's show multiple times until she knew most of her best friend's lines. She had gathered more friends with ambitions just as big as hers, showed those who turned her down at NYU in the first place without stopping to even acknowledge them afterwards━the life of Nina Hart was going extraordinarily well.

    At least, unless one was Nina Hart.

    If they were Nina Hart, they'd see the relationships she's pushed away, the nights she can't sleep, the memories of a Goblin's laugh echo in her ears whenever she was alone in her apartment. They'd see her fall for a young man too late, and now couldn't pull herself up. They'd see her check the window to see a familiar flash of red fly past. They'd see her checking over her shoulder every four seconds, swearing she heard something, or even worse, heard nothing.

    In many ways, the life of Nina Hart had started to finally run its course to where she always planned it to and yet, at the same time, was falling apart.

      She was winning the race, and still losing. Like a part of her had become close to the finish line but left the other half behind━the part of her that couldn't get what had happened last year out of her mind. Spider-Man, Peter, the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn's death━all of it, it made her sort of dazed in a constant expectancy of something to happen. It was exhausting.

    Especially with her upcoming presentation for the end of the semester in front of teachers, students and visitors, Nina was hiding much more stress than she even believed herself capable to.

    (Maybe she should've followed Mary Jane into the acting career instead ...)

     Peter's birthday party was a welcomed break from everything. Not that he knew about it, the man wouldn't accept a birthday celebration even if they dangled it right in front of his nose. But Nina had gone out of her way to make sure he would receive one. He might be someone who she couldn't get off her mind, but he had also become a really close friend, and of course, Nina was determined for him to have a night off, for herself to have a night off━and essentially everyone to have a night off back at Aunt May's place.

    (They all seriously needed it).

    Nina helped Aunt May with the cake while Harry greeted MJ as she arrived with her boyfriend. She was sort of nervous to introduce him to the rest of them. For Mary Jane to invite Jameson's son, Nina knew it was serious. MJ rarely let people so close into her life━at least, to this part that wasn't always glamorous (or as glamorous as it can be for a Broadway actress). To invite someone to the home beside her own that she grew up in, next to a backyard that she spent a lot of nights crying on the back door step, it was a step to something real for Mary Jane with John Jameson that Nina was extremely proud of. She wanted to meet the son of the infamous head of the Daily Bugle, an astronaut (or Dork, as MJ often called him with a smile on her face), and wonder how great he was to be let into this part of Nina's best friend's life.

    He came in with Mary Jane, a little awkward with long limbs and a shy, apologetic smile to say to Aunt May that the potato bake was a little cold. Quiet, handsome, glamorous and yet so down-to-Earth that Nina knew immediately that he was nice, and he was kind, and he treated MJ well with a flustered smile and a quiet offer to hold her coat.