Lydia DeKay stood in front of her bathroom mirror, carefully applying a layer of mascara whilst fighting to keep her nervous hand steady. She had never been one to use makeup, feeling as though she had no need as none of the boys in her school had ever looked at her, anyway. But this was a special night — this was the night of her first date.
All throughout high-school the freckled redhead had gone unnoticed by her peers, popular and unpopular alike. She had friends, sure, though for the most part the shy, acne-ridden teenager was too awkward to attract any attention. But in the last three months things had changed. With her eighteenth birthday came the puberty she had often felt she was denied. Her acne cleared up, her hips widened, and her breasts grew two full cup sizes, going from being nearly flat chested to having a respectable set of C's.
The few friends she had had taken notice, often pointing out that she had changed for the better, but it was too little too late. She had no desires for the boys she often played Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering with. However, on one of those many nights she spent with them in their local comic book store, hours into a months-long campaign with her four best friends where she was playing an orc who dreamed of being a bard — a not so subtle reflection of her own feelings — she met Toph for the first time.
The owner, Lenny, was in the midst of an argument at the counter, debating who the best non-Peter Parker Spider-Man was. Lenny claimed it was Otto Octavius as The Superior Spider-Man, whilst the tall blond boy argued for Ben Reilly's Scarlet Spider.
"You're both wrong." Lydia called up to the counter.
"Excuse me?" Lenny asked incredulously.
"I said you're both wrong." Lydia reiterated.
"Shut up ginger, or I'll kick you all out." He threatened.
"Don't call me ginger, fatso. You know my name." She snapped back.
"Hmmph." Lenny growled, though he didn't push any further. Their relationship was antagonistic, but playful. Mostly.
"Okay, I'll bite," The blond asked as he began walking towards the table. "Who is it, then?"
"Agent Venom."
"Ha! What a stupid answer." Lenny snorted.
"Why?" The blond probed further.
"Because he's the only one who truly emulates Spider-Man. Otto was so convinced that he was
superior
to Peter that he couldn't see his own flaws, and Ben spent so much time trying not to be Peter that it drove him away from everything that made him Spider-Man in the first place." Lydia explained. "Flash idolised Spider-Man from day one, joining the army so he could be a
hero
before he was ever
super
, and when he finally got the chance to be a superhero he jumped — without legs, I might add — and became an Avenger, a Guardian, and a close ally to Spidey."
"That's... Yeah, okay, I'll accept that." The boy relented, a curious smile on his face. "I'm Toph."
"Lydia," She told him, turning back to her game. "But right now I'm Lusha Lute-Shredder."
"Rad. Can I watch?" Toph asked, curiously eyeing the table.
"I guess, but you're not gonna see much excitement, unless dice rolling is particularly interesting to you."
"Don't know until you try." He replied, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Lydia.
The game lasted another hour and fifteen minutes, and much to everyone's surprise Toph stayed the whole time, carefully watching the events unfold before him, asking questions as the campaign unfolded before them.
"Right losers, it's already 8:05, time to go." Lenny called as he was cashing up his till, having almost forgotten about the group at the table in the corner.
"Ten more minutes?" Marshall, the dungeon master, called over to him.
"Sure, for thirty bucks." Lenny proposed.
"Damn... Right, fine, we're going."
The group gathered their belongings and made their way towards the door, the four boys exiting first, Toph holding the door for all of them. When they got outside two of the boys, Curtis and Ewan, immediately went to their chained up bikes, saying goodbye only as they began to pedal away. Andrew told the group he would see them next game night, then began walking away from them, leaving only Lydia, Marshall, and the new boy Toph.
"Okay Lydia, let's go for the bus." Marshall, who had harboured a crush on his best friend for the last few months almost possessively suggested.
"You guys are getting the bus? Do you want a ride? My car is just over there." Toph offered, pointing to his silver Lexus IS300.
"Um... yeah, that would actually be great." Lydia agreed, though Marshall seemed less enthused. He quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the new boy.
"What are you—"
"Toph, short for Christopher? What's your last name?" He asked as he sent the picture to Curtis, Ewan, and Andrew. "I'm not getting in a stranger's car without enough evidence to get you locked up if you try anything."
"Marsh, calm down, he's a nice guy. He wants to be our friend."
"He wants in your panties!" Marshall retorted, causing Lydia to glare at him.
She marched over and pressed him against the wall. "Marshall! Do not embarrass me!" She angrily whispered, a tight grip on the shoulder of his shirt.
"I'd rather you were embarrassed than locked in some creepy sex dungeon! He could—" Lydia pushed him, eyes staring daggers into her friend who, despite always being a little abrasive with strangers, had never acted so unabashedly rude. She spun on her heels and took a deep breath, attempting to subside her rage.
"I... I'm sorry about Marshall. Seems he's forgotten his manners." She tried to say calmly, though her teeth were still slightly clenched.
"Yeah, I can see that. Ride's still on offer, though. For him too, I guess."
"Thank you, Toph. I'll take you up on that"
"Your uh,
friend
, can sit in the back." Toph suggested.
The ride back to Marshall's house was awkward, with him being reluctant to be the first one dropped off, but after a fiery warning from Lydia he gave up, leaving the two now alone in the car. Lydia felt her anger finally wash away as he followed her directions the last two blocks to her parents home.
"So," Toph said as he pulled up outside her driveway. "I'm sure you can tell, but I think you're kinda cute. Do you wanna... go see a movie sometime?"
"Um, yes!" Lydia excitedly replied, her heart rate quickening, palms beginning to sweat with nervous excitement.
"Great. Pick anything you like and send me the details. Here." He held out his phone, displaying his Instagram account. "Follow me and send me a message."
"I will. I... I'm really looking forward to it, Toph."
"Me too, Lydia. I'll see you soon." He placed his hand on her knee, smiling up at her.
Her body jolted with anticipation and her heart fluttered.
A boy likes me!
The feeling was entirely new to her, and she practically floated inside her house as he drove off into the distance. The smile on her face was beyond evident. As she walked into the kitchen she was greeted by her mother and father, both of whom were sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of marinated chicken and vegetable fried rice.
"Hey sweetie, we've just started eating, do you want a bowl?" Julia, her mother, asked, standing up to prepare it for her before getting an answer.
The woman was also a redhead, with a slightly less sparse sprinkling of freckles than her daughter, but the family resemblance was unmistakable. Their bodies were almost identical, with Julia carrying an extra fifteen pounds or so of weight, and a few laugh lines on her face, but Lydia could have been a clone of her mother, far more akin to sisters than mother and daughter. They often joked that the only thing Lydia had inherited from her father was his last name.
"No thanks, Mom, I've got a burrito in the fridge."
"No you don't," Her father guiltily called out. "Sorry honey."
"Herb!" Julia sighed. "I swear that man would eat dog food if it was left unattended."
"Okay, Mom, I'll take a bowl." Lydia said, the grin still on her face.
"You're cheery tonight," Julia said as she scooped the rice up. "Did Lusha finally find the enchanted drum?"
"No, still a while away from that. It's... Well, a boy asked me out!" Lydia blurted out.
"Oh sweetie, that's lovely. Did you meet him at the store?" Julia enquired.
"What's that now?" Herbert called out from the table.
"Mm-hmm," Lydia enthusiastically nodded her head. "He was talking about Spider-Man comics with Lenny and I told him my opinion which he agreed with and then he watched us play for over an hour and he's really cute and he drove me home and then asked me to go see a movie with him..." Lydia finally stopped to take a breath. "And... I think Marshall's mad at me." She said, her smile turning awkward and sideways.
"Oh darling,"
"You got in a strange boy's car?" Herbert worriedly asked.
"I'm sure Marshall is just jealous. You've grown up a lot in these last six months, I'll bet he's got a bit of a crush on you. His feelings are probably all over the place." Julia surmised.
"I kinda pushed him."
"Hard?"
"Kinda."
"Did he deserve it?
"...Kinda?" She tilted her head slightly.
