Limerence

"Seriously?!" I groaned and pulled my phone out of the back pocket of my blue jeans, dialing my best friend. "You will never guess what happened." I tucked a strand of my chestnut hair behind my ear before walking down the busy sidewalk in Queens.

"You ran into Captain America and you're running away with him to start a family." Lea enthusiastically guessed.

"Gross. He's like... a hundred years old. Plus, I'm pretty sure he's a war criminal now." I sighed and rounded a corner. "It's my first day in this God-forsaken city and someone's already stolen my bike."

"That's unfortunate."

"Thanks for the sympathy." I rolled my eyes and used my free hand to tightened the straps on my backpack. I wasn't about to let someone take that from me, too. "I should have just moved to Hawaii with my mom instead of taking my dad's offer to move in with him.

"What?! How could you not be excited about New York?! Hot guys, riding the subway, Broadway shows, The Avengers!" Lea had a major crush on Thor, and made sure to ask me to find him and bring him back to Tennessee for her before I left.

"Yeah but imagine the damage that happens here. I could get killed!"

"You won't die, Callie. Stop being so dramatic." I could almost see Lea rolling her hazel eyes at me. "Don't you start school tomorrow?"

"Ugh. Don't remind me. Sophomore year without my best friend. I don't know how I'll survive..." I slowed my pace and eyed a bike parked in front of a shop. "Dude I found my bike!" I ran over and snatched the note off the handle.

Is this your bike? If not, don't steal it!
Spider-Man.

"Spider-Man?"

"Oh my god! You had a superhero save your bike! Maybe he knows Thor!"

"Or he's some weirdo in tights leaving notes on stolen bikes." Lea let out a sarcastic laugh as I hopped on my bike. "I gotta go. Can't ride and talk at the same time." I swung my backpack in front of me. "I'll call you when I get back to the apartment."

"'Kay!" We hung up and I dropped my phone in my back before I pooped my arms back through the straps. I pushed off and tried to remember the way to the apartment building my dad, brother, and I lived in.

"Watch out!" I looked over as a voice yelled, pulling me out of my temporary focus. I squeezed the brakes on my handle bars as I almost collided with an old lady at a churro stand. "Are you okay?"

"Uh... yeah. Thanks?" I eyed the guy in the red spandex before looking at the old lady and apologizing. "You must be the guy who caught my bike thief..."

"I'm so glad you found it! I was so worried someone else might have stolen it." His muffled voice had a hint of pride in it, almost like I could hear the smile.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"Oh, uh, Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man? You sound twelve." His head jerked in my direction as he stuttered.

"Y-yeah. Well... you... Y-you're not–that wasn't very nice." He placed his hands on his hips matter-of-factly and I let out a small laugh.

"Oh, is this your friend?" The old lady I nearly ran over asked as she stepped out from behind Spider-Man.

"No. No she's not my friend. I–I don't know–"

"Here, have a churro, dear." She smiles and handed me the sugary treat.

"Thank you so much! And... again. I'm so sorry about almost hitting you. I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to remember how to get back to my apartment building."

"Oh it's okay, dear. I'm just happy to see today's youths getting along." She smiled at me and patted Spider-Man's arm.

"Oh. So everyone gets a churro now. I thought it was a 'thanks for helping me' churro. But I see we're just handing them out now."

"Right." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks for saving my bike though, Spider-Boy." I pushed off down the sidewalk as I bit into the churro, smiling to myself as he yelled after me.

"It's Spider-Man!"