Author's Note: Sorry it took me a couple of days to update. I was just having a hard time figuring out how exactly I wanted Peter and Emma to meet. I had a couple of different scenarios and I was just trying to decide what would be the best one. It's kind of interesting that they get to meet twice. The first time as the Viper Assassin and Spider-Man and then the second time as Emma and Peter. So Peter is officially back and I can pretty much guarantee that he'll be in mostly every chapter from now on. I was so excited to write this chapter because Emma in a high school environment with other teenagers is hilarious to me. I also just want to say that Emma and Peter will have absolutely no idea who each other are. They might notice how familiar they each seem to each other but it'll be a while before Emma connects the dots. I mean... why would Emma think that this dorky kid at this high school that she's going to is also Spider-Man? I feel like even if she had that theory she would dismiss it because it seems kind of outrageous without any evidence.
Also Liz isn't going to make a return to the story just yet. She's mentioned but she won't show up again until the next chapter. It's not like she would have many classes with Emma anyways so she's a senior. I know that she shares a PE class with Peter but for this chapter let's just pretend that she was absent from that class the first day of school because of seniorly duties. lol.
Thanks to the swarm of reviews last chapter. I'm glad you guys are looking forward to Emma and Peter meeting and I'm also glad you're enjoying the story so much. Just keep reviewing. I'm not sure when I'll update next. I'll try to update tonight but if the chapter's long like this one then I'll have to update tomorrow.
Midtown School of Science and Technology
Queens, New York
2016
"Aren't you excited, Em?" Darcy said to her as they waited inside the car. "Your first day of school?" Emma slowly turned to look at Darcy with a disgusted look on her face. The blonde looked as though she may have even been sick. It had been about two months since Tony informed her that he had enrolled her in high school but she still didn't feel prepared for the catastrophe that was about to happen. She had been somewhat happy to learn that she would be living with Darcy while she attended school but that still didn't mean that she had warmed up to the idea of going to school. It had been a near nightmare for her when Darcy had taken her "Back to School" shopping.
Emma was completely prepared for school in every way it mattered. She had all the clothes, school supplies, and Darcy and her even had a marathon of a bunch of high school movies last week. Mean Girls, Easy A, Clueless, and The Breakfast Club were all interesting kinds of films but they didn't really make Emma eager to go to high school. If anything it made her want to go even less than she had before. As Emma sat in the passenger seat of the car she found herself looking up at the school with dread. She watched the crowds of students walking towards the front of the school. Some of them laughing or goofing off with their friends, others were most likely gossiping or doing something similar. She saw one girl jumping up and down with glee at something her friend told her. Okay, Emma was definitely going to be sick. She looked back at Darcy but this time with a desperate look on her face. Darcy didn't think she had ever seen such a look on the blonde's face.
"Please don't make me go in there." She begged quietly. Darcy was taken back by Emma's tone because she was absolutely sure that she had never heard Emma beg before either.
"I know how much you hate this, Em, but this isn't up to me." Darcy told her in an apologetic tone. "It's up to Tony. I know he's a dick most of the time but unfortunately for us, he calls all of the shots." Emma sighed tiredly but she glanced back at Darcy just in time to see the older woman pull out her phone and hold it up to Emma. Emma gave Darcy a confused look.
"What are you doing?" She asked her and Darcy just grinned.
"I'm making a video." Darcy replied as if it was obvious. "I thought Steve might like to see your first day of school." Emma just shook her head at Darcy.
"Why? It's not like you can actually send this to him." Emma told her pointedly.
"I know but it's for when he gets back." Darcy explained. "I want to document all your experiences while he's gone so he won't miss anything. Now be a good little assassin and say hi to your grandpa." Emma just rolled her eyes before deciding to play along. She feigned an excited smile as she looked at the phone.
"Hi, Steve." Emma said as she greeted the camera. "Remember how you told me to respect Tony's decisions? Yeah, well, look at where that's gotten me." The smile then dropped off her face as she pointed at the school building. "Now I'm going to some kind of insane asylum they call a school to hang around a bunch of idiots all day because apparently I need better social skills. So thank you for giving me the brilliant advice to listen to Tony."
"Hey, there's no need for sarcasm." Darcy told her and Emma raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're Darcy Lewis." Emma deadpanned. "Don't you live off of sarcasm?"
"Well, that's me. Not you." Darcy replied before she turned the phone around so that she was looking at the camera. "Don't mind her, Steve. I bet after today she'll completely love high school. She'll have a couple of best friends, be a member of the Spanish club, and maybe she'll even have a boyfriend. Anyways… I hoped you liked today's episode of Emma's life as a teenager. Next time it will be Emma's first homecoming dance." Emma just stared at Darcy blankly for a moment as the brunette wrapped up the video.
"If you think that I'll ever attend a dance than you must be on something." Emma told her and Darcy just laughed.
"Nope, I'm as sober as ever." Darcy then looked over Emma's shoulder at the school building and knew that it was time to kick the blonde out of the car. "Looks like it's time for you to go, Em." Emma groaned. She had been trying to stall Darcy but it looked like that Darcy was much smarter than that. Emma had been given the task of carrying out a couple of political assassinations and she had even been tasked with assassinating another assassin but she had never faced a misson that was this difficult.
"Fine, but I'm not happy about this." Emma responded.
"No one ever said that you had to be." Darcy told her. "Text me to tell me how your day's going, okay? And don't forget to grab a map of the school. You wouldn't want to get lost on your first day." Emma scoffed.
"I once led myself out of the Amazon with nothing but a compass and a pocket knife. I think I'll survive." She said in a sarcastic tone and Darcy rolled her eyes at her.
"Don't be so dramatic." Darcy then paused before smirking. "Oh and don't kill anyone." Emma managed to smile at that comment. She then opened the car door.
"I'll try not to." Emma told her before stepping out of the car.
"Have a nice day!" Darcy called out after her before Emma slammed the car door shut. She didn't think she could take anymore of Darcy's huge grin and teasing nature. Not today and not when she wanted to be anywhere else in the world.
Emma slowly walked towards the school building, trying to ignore the swarms of teenagers nearby. She didn't feel out of place amongst them. A lot of them were dress similarily to how she was dressed. Emma was currently dressed in a red chiffon A-Line skirt with little black flower patterns decorating it, a David Bowie pullover, and a pair of army green block heel ankle boots. She also had a quilted black flap-top backback that currently carried all the books she had been assigned for the semester as well as all other school supplies. Her eyes were just highlighted with the slightest bit of mascara and eyeliner but nothing more. Normally Emma never dressed like this but since this was a mission she needed to look the part of a teenage girl. Emma had done an enormous amount of research on current trends for teenage girls and not to mention some shopping at Forever 21. Emma didn't really mind dressing up that much. It was kind of nice actually since normally Emma just worried about evil robots or psycho assassins. It was nice to do something that was so normal. The only thing that Emma wore that felt normal to her was the dog tags that Steve had sent her. She wore them under her pullover.
When Emma entered the building of the school she wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Maybe something from Clueless but she was surprised to see how clean and well kept the school was. Emma supposed that was the reason why it was one of the best schools in the country. There was a huge mural in the foyer of the school which depicted important people in the history of Science and Technology. She saw Howard Stark, Hank Pym, Norman Osborne, Abraham Erskine, and even Tony depicted in the mural. Emma just rolled her eyes at the picture of Tony before moving in the direction of her first class. Emma had already received her schedule online since it was the first day of school for everyone, not just her, at Midtown. Maybe Emma could get expelled from the school by vandalizing Tony's portrait, she suddenly thought. She'd love to see the look on Stark's face if she did that. Emma brushed away the thought soon after because she knew Steve wouldn't approve of such a thing. It could just be a fantasy of hers at least.
Emma knew that she had AP English first period and that was in room 212 with Mrs. Bailee. Emma was at least looking forward to the English class if nothing else. She always loved her online English classes that she had been taking while studying at the tower and the compound. It would probably be more interesting than anything else. It was her Chemistry class that she wasn't looking forward to. Math and science had always bored her and she was sure that a couple of high school classes on the subject wouldn't change anything. On her way to the classrom she passed a lot of kids who were either chatting with their friends or gathering their books from their lockers in the hallway. A couple of curious eyes looked at her as she walked by but Emma kept her eyes focused straight ahead of her as she ignored them all.
When Emma finally reached the classroom she wasn't sure what to think. She heard to a lot of talking and laughing coming from inside and suddenly felt sick. Could she really do this? Pretend to be normal or like any one of the kids inside that classroom? Emma wasn't entirely sure but she also knew that she really didn't have a choice. She took a deep breath before she entered the classroom and assessed the situation laid out before her. Kids were crowded around each other's desks as they laughed and chatted about what they did over the summer. What would she say if someone asked her that? Oh, yes, I had a great summer, thank you for asking. I didn't do much aside from struggle not to murder Tony Stark while he slept.
Emma glanced at the whiteboard and noticed that it instructed students to sit where ever they wanted. What? Did students normally have to be assigned seats like they were five? Although judging by a lot of the students inside the classroom, Emma could already tell that they acted like they were actually five year olds. She glanced around to try and figure out where she could sit. She spotted a couple of seats open next to a group of girls who were giggling while showing each other pictures from their vacations. Emma thought she might stab herself if she had to sit next to those girls. There was also a seat open next to a couple of guys who were exchanging some sort of trading cards. Although that looked slightly better to Emma than the group of girls, she still thought it would be too unbearable. There was also the chance that those girls or guys might talk to her if she sat down next to them. They'd ask her about herself and then express confusion as to why they hadn't seen her at the school the previous year. Emma would explain herself to them with her practiced cover story which would make them be all welcoming and cheerful. Emma would rather be stuck back at the Raft Prison than sit through that. No, she had to sit absolutely anywhere else.
Emma casted her gaze elsewhere and immediately noticed a seat open near the front of the classroom. She had originally planned on staying in the back so that she could remain somewhat hidden but it looked more crowded towards the back then it was towards the front. Emma noticed that the seat was next to a girl whose face was buried in a book. She raised an eyebrow at the girl as she read off the title of the book. 'It' by Stephen King. This girl didn't look like she would bother Emma too much so without anymore thought on the matter Emma briskly sat next to the girl. As Emma took the seat next to her, the girl curiously glanced up from her book at Emma. She mentally prepared herself for the welcoming smile or cheerfulness but was delightfully surprised when she received nothing of the kind from the girl.
"I don't think you asked me if you could sit there." The girl said with a less than pleasant zone. Emma quickly assessed the girl's appearance. The girl was obviously Emma's age but she was a bit shorter than Emma. Her hair was brunette and also a bit frizzy from what Emma could detect. The girl's skin was a mocha color which made her dark brown eyes pop. Emma also noticed that the girl was make-up free and dressed in baggy clothes. The girl raised an eyebrow in Emma's direction as she waited for Emma to respond. Emma could tell that this girl definitely didn't seem as annoying as the others. Maybe it was because of her appearance or the bitterness in her tone but Emma could definitely deduce that this girl didn't spend her time taking selfies on instagram.
"Why would I need to ask your permission? Do you own the seat?" Emma asked in a sarcastic tone, trying to scare the girl off but the girl just narrowed her eyes at Emma before returning to her book. Emma took off her backpack before placing it down by her feet which she saw the other kids do. She slowly started taking out her notebook and assigned book which she observed that the others were also already doing. It was only after Emma set her materials out in front of her that she noticed that she had the girl's attention again. Emma stared back at the girl, holding her gaze without wavering the slightest bit. She had dealt with much more terrifying opponents than some moody teenager. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Emma questioned sarcastically.
"Do you have OCD or something?" The girl asked suddenly, glancing at the materials laid out in front of Emma. All of the materials were perfectly aligned which was nothing new for Emma. It was part of the side effects of the Super Soldier Serum Emma supposed. Everything she did was neat and ammaculate. There was no room for sloppiness or imperfection. Emma shrugged nonchalantly.
"Not that I know of. I just don't like sloppiness… Is that a crime?" Emma had to admit that she thought her first conversation with a fellow classmate would just be her pretending to be appreciative of their cheerfulness and welcoming nature. It didn't include her just being her normal self as she defended herself against a bitter looking teenage girl. Still… this girl seemed far more interesting and less boring than the others.
"No, but it's still weird." The girl told her and Emma raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well I think it's weird that you're wearing a black hoodie in eighty degree weather but did I call you out on that?" Emma retorted and the girl just stared at her, a questioning look on her face as she looked Emma over. This girl seemed to be strangely observant and bitter for someone who was supposed to be a normal teenage girl.
"I've never seen you before." The girl commented, changing the subject. "Who are you? I don't think I even remember seeing you around here last year."
"I just moved here. I'm Emma Lewis." Emma responded but the curious look on the girl's face didn't leave as she continued to stare at Emma.
"Where did you move from?" The girl asked rapidly.
"Seattle." Emma replied with the same rapidness, the look on her face unwavering as she held the girl's gaze. Emma decided that it was time to change the subject as she began to steer the conversation into a different direction. She plastered a friendly smile on her face. "I've given you my name but I don't believe you've given me yours." The girl just looked at Emma as if she knew exactly what Emma was doing. It took a moment before the girl finally gave in and sighed.
"Michelle Jones." Emma processed that small piece of information before she nodded.
"Well, Michelle, I see that you seem to be a Stephen King fan." Emma told her, trying to keep the subject as far away from her as possible. Michelle gave Emma a confused look as if she were confused how Emma knew that. Emma nodded to the book that Michelle had forgotten that she was still holding. "You're holding the book in your hand in case you've forgotten." Michelle looked back down at the book before glancing back at Emma with a frown on her face.
"What? Are you a Stephanie Meyers fan instead?" Michella sneered and Emma scoffed.
"Yeah right. No, I'm more of a Edgar Allan Poe fan myself. I'm personally not that into Stephen King, I prefer Poe because he's classic." Michelle looked at her in shock as if she hadn't expected that kind of answer from Emma. Emma just stared back at her with a challenging look on her face. The surprised look soon faded from her face as she gave Emma a self-assured look.
"Are you kidding me? Stephen King is the king of the horror genre. Pun intended." Michelle told her but Emma just rolled her eyes.
"Yeah right. King is overrated. He's written like a hundred books but about more than half of them have turned out to be crap. Only a few of them turned out to be any good." Emma just shook her head. "Please… how can you convince me to be scared of some evil car? That incredibly lame." Michella glared at Emma.
"That's the point of King's writing… he turns ordinary everyday people and things into something to fear. Besides… horror isn't the only thing he writes. 'Mr. Mercedes' and 'The Dark Tower' series aren't from the horror genre. That just shows how diverse he is in his writing." Emma smiled because she could tell that Michelle was just as passionate about books as she was. Not even Steve was that passionate about books. Emma didn't think she had ever met anyone who loved books as much as she did. "So tell me what makes Edgar Allan Poe so great? He was probably super old school so he was most likely restricted from writing what King writes." Emma just smirked at Michelle, happy to defend one of her favorite authors of all time.
"You would think so but in a way his writing was much more terrifying. He talked about Victorian obssessed topics like death, funerals, and decomposition. Things that people were morbidly obssessed with at the time but still things people refrained from talking too much about." Emma told her seriously and Michelle listened intently to the blonde. "In the 'Tell-Tale Heart' he wrote about murder from the prospective of the murderer which had never been done before. In 'The Masque of the Red Death' he wrote about the inevitablity of death which was cleverly written and incredibly conveyed. He was discussing topics that most people found repulsive and crude." Emma and Michelle stared at each other for a couple of minutes, both perplexed that they had met someone who was equally as passionate about books as the other. Emma began to think maybe high school wouldn't be so bad if she had already met someone that didn't seem to be ignorant or silly like the other people she had already observed since arriving. Michelle then cleared her throat.
"Well… Maybe I should give that Poe guy a chance. 'The Tell-Tale Heart' sounds cool." Michelle admitted after a moment and Emma smiled.
"If you give Poe a chance then I'll give King another chance." Emma told her. Michelle just nodded in response as something occurred to Emma. "Wait… what do you think is one of King's best books? Which one is the book that no one can hate?" Michelle gave her small smile as she held out her book to her. 'It'. Emma looked back up at her with a confused look on her face.
"You're just going to let me borrow it?" Emma questioned and Michelle shrugged.
"I've already read it like ten times." Michelle told her before giving her a more serious look. "If you ruin it or lose it, I'll kill you." Emma took the book from Michelle's hand and glanced over the cover, noticing that the binding was worn from being opened and reopened many times. Emma didn't doubt that the book was a favorite of hers. Emma also knew that Michelle probably meant her threat and would have no trouble trying to kill Emma if she damaged the book. The key word being try. She smiled at Michelle.
"Thank you. I have the 'Tell-Tale Heart' at home… I could bring it tomorrow if you want." Emma told her quietly and Michelle nodded.
"Sounds fine." They both fell silent the moment the teacher walked into the classroom and Emma was still reeling from how easy it was to talk to Michelle. Was talking to people really that easy? Emma hoped not. She didn't need to be socializing with that many people. Emma sat in silence for the rest of the class as she listened to what the English teacher had to say. Apparently they would be focused on American Literature this entire school year which Emma didn't mind. It just meant more Edgar Allan Poe and Ernest Hemingway.
Emma found out that she shared three more classes with Michelle. Spanish and art which was second and third period and then they shared a PE class which was fifth period. It made Emma feel a bit better that she wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by the swarm of teenagers if there was someone she knew there. Once the bell rang, signaling the end of third period, Michelle led Emma to the cafeteria. They continued their discussion of favorite authors and books along the way. Most of their discussions were more like arguments that ended with no real solution. The Bronte sisters vs. Jane Austen, Bram Stroker vs. Mary Shelley, and Fitzgerald vs. Hemingway. Those were just a few of the authors the two girls discussed as they walked to the cafeteria.
Emma wasn't sure how she felt about the classes so far. She knew that she liked the English class since it circulated around one of her favorite subjects but she found Spanish immensely boring. Emma was already fluent in the language as well as thirty other languages, no thanks to her super soldier serum, so it made sense that she found the class dull. Art wasn't as bad. Emma was already familiar with most of the techniques and history but she was glad for the freestyle periods that were designated for them on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. She was also looking forward to the projects that they would be assigned to do in the future. Emma was starting to think that high school might not have been hell on Earth like she originally thought. Well, not as much of hell on Earth anyways.
"I can't believe you got that much food." Michelle questioned as she eyed Emma's lunch. They had just sat down at the lunch table. Emma's tray was filled to the brim with food and she blamed it on her fast metabolism. She had always had a bigger apetite than most just like Steve although she never ate as much as Thor. No one ate as much as Thor.
"I have a fast metabolism." Emma told her, secretly hoping that Michelle would drop it. Thankfully, Michelle didn't find her huge apetite to be that intriguing.
"You know… most girls just eat kale and Starbucks ice coffee." Michelle told her and Emma raised an eyebrow at her curiously.
"Why do you say it like that? Like you're not a girl too?" Emma asked and Michelle shrugged.
"I am a girl… I'm just a weird girl or people think I'm weird." Emma just stared at her with a calculating expression on her face. She wondered what was going through Michelle's head in that moment because the girl looked a bit lost.
"Who wants to be a kale and Starbucks kind of girl anyways?" Emma told her abruptly, bringing Michelle out of her thoughts. It didn't look like Michelle's thoughts were a happy place for the teenager to be. "Those kinds of girls are so boring." Michelle laughed.
"Yeah, I guess they are. I mean some of them are nice like Liz." Emma gave her a confused look.
"Liz?" Emma inquired.
"Oh, yeah, sorry… I forgot that you're new here." Michelle quickly apologized before continuing. "Liz Allan is only the most popular girl in school. She's the Captain of the Decathelon team too. Don't get me wrong, she's nice and all but she's just too nice. Does that not make any sense at all? I know it probably sounds crazy." Michelle said, slightly rambling but Emma shook her head.
"No, I know what you mean. Sometimes people are so nice that it also feels slightly suffocating at the same time." Emma told her quietly. Michelle looked at her in surprise before she quickly recovered.
"Exactly." Emma then decided to switch the subject to a more lighter topic.
"So no one else is going to sit here?" Emma asked curiously and Michelle just gave her a look after taking a sip of her milk. Boxed milk? Emma didn't understand how boxed milk was appetizing in anyway. It looked like something a bunch of five year olds would drink. Emma didn't grab the boxed milk because she liked to think that she was above drinking milk out of a box.
"I don't have any friends so if you thought you'd meet more people through me then you're wrong." Michelle deadpanned. Emma just smirked at her. "There's just a couple of losers that sit here for lunch usually but they're not my friends or anything."
"Good. I don't really have friends either. People are insufferable." Michelle just stared at Emma in awe.
"Where have you been all my life?" Emma just laughed before she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, alerting her to a notification. She glanced at the screen and felt the smile fade from her face as she read the notification. It was a news article. 'Spider-Man Spotted Again in Queens Last Night'. Emma had been constantly trying to search for Spider-Man since arriving in Queens. She had even been desperate enough to ask Tony about the identity of the webslinger but Stark refused to give anything up. Emma had been almost obsessively researching the hero but couldn't find anything on him other than a couple of videos and grainy pictures. The only thing Emma knew about him for sure was that he seemed to help out old ladies and rescue cats quite a bit. She read through the news article carefully as she tried to pick out any new information on Spider-Twerp but there wasn't anything. There was just was one thing that she determined was useful about him since she began her research... It seemed like Spider-Twerp awfully liked spending time in Queens.
Peter Parker was anxious. There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't anxious. He was still waiting to get the phone call from Happy telling him that Tony needed him for Avengers business. It was about three months since the fight at the airport in Germany and he still hadn't received the call. He spent most of his time helping elderly women walk across the street or rescuing some little kid's cat from a tree. It was three months since Germany and Peter was beyond bored.
"Did you see that girl?" He heard someone ask as he walked to his Spanish class. Peter's mind was on Ned who was he was going to see at lunch. Peter was supposed to meet Ned at their usual table which Peter wasn't really looking forward to. Ned was thinking about having a Star Wars marathon this weekend and Peter needed to come up with an excuse as to why he couldn't go to Ned's this weekend. It wasn't like Peter could just tell him that he would be busy with Spider-Man business.
"Is she new? I don't remember seeing her last year." Someone else replied. Peter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he listened to the people around him chat.
"She's really hot." Another person commented. Okay, now Peter was really confused. Who were they talking about? They couldn't have been talking about Liz. Liz was beautiful but she wasn't new.
"I heard that she's the daughter of the ambassador of Finland."
"I heard that she's an Australian model. It makes sense since she's so tall and slender. People are calling her the next Miranda Kerr."
"Well, I heard that she's the secret daughter of Alexander Skarsgard." Peter was curious to know what the rumor mill was spewing out today. There was always some kind of crazy, outrageous rumor people were talking about. It was high school after all.
Peter remained confused as to who everyone was talking about until he sat himself down in an seat towards the back of the classroom. Sitting in the row ahead of him was none other than Michelle but it wasn't Michelle who gave him some surprise. No, it was the fact that Michelle was chatting very animatedly with a girl who was sitting next to her. He didn't know Michelle that well but he did know that she didn't really talk to many people or at least not like she was doing right in that moment. He looked at the back of the mysterious girl, noticing long golden blonde hair that the girl wore straightened and down. He couldn't really see much of her face since her back was facing him but he knew that this was the girl everyone was talking about just by the way the others were looking at her curiously. He wondered who she was.
Peter's attention was taken away from the blonde as the teacher walked into the room. He opened his notebook and started taking notes when the teacher started listing off classroom rules. Peter knew that it was a lame thing to do but he couldn't help himself. It didn't take long before his mind reverted back to the fight at the airport… particularly his fight with the Viper Assassin. His mind was still hung up on the blonde assassin. Peter knew that the assassin was manipulative, dangerous, and powerful but he couldn't help but feel guilty about what had happened to her. The image of her looking back at him as she was led with the others into the aircraft still stuck with him even all these months later. Peter knew that there was much more to the Viper Assassin than anyone knew. He doodled a little cartoon of Spider-Man and the Viper Assassin fighting but only this time Spider-Man didn't get his ass handed to him.
After his third period class, which he noticed that the blonde wasn't in, Peter began walking towards the Cafeteria to meet Ned. A lot of thoughts raced through his mind. He wondered desperately who the Viper Assassin was. Peter had practically begged Tony to tell him on the way back to his and his Aunt May's apartment but the billionaire just told him that the Viper Assassin was only a very troubled young woman. That explaination didn't really suffice for Peter. It didn't tell him who the Viper Assassin really was or what she was doing now. Was she in prison? Did she escape prison like the others? Was there a world wide search for her too? Peter, however, wasn't allowed to drift anymore on these thoughts as he stood in line to get his food. He was quickly approached by his best friend.
"Did you hear?" Peter looked up in surprise at Ned who had an excited look on his face. He gave his best friend a confused look.
"Hear what?" Peter questioned.
"Did you hear about the new girl?" Ned inquired excitedly. "They say that she's an Australian model." Peter only rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe Ned was in on the rumor mill this time too.
"Yeah, I doubt an Australian model would be going to our school." Peter told him but Ned shook his head.
"She could be a model though. I caught a glimpse of her in my first period English class." Ned said and Peter nodded. He decided not to mention that he had also gotten a glimpse of her in his Spanish class. Ned soon moved on from the topic of the new girl before discussing the Star Wars marathon again. Peter listened to him, trying to think of an excuse, as they walked to their usual lunch table. As they approached the table Peter was surprised by what he saw… or rather who he saw sitting there.
Michelle sat at the end of the table like always but this time she wasn't alone. She was talking in a more than pleasant tone with a blonde girl. The blonde girl was exceptionally pretty, beautiful even, so he could see why she had everyone talking. The girl's creamy pale skin contrasted against her golden blonde hair, making her blue eyes pop. Her face lit up as she smiled at something Michelle said. Peter noticed that the girl was tall for her age, just like everyone else had said. Her long legs were exposed in the skirt she was wearing. Peter also saw that the large tray sitting in front of her was filled to the brim with food. He never thought he had seen a girl eat that much food although he didn't have much experience with girls. It was when the girl looked away from Michelle and stared at him that Peter felt his breath hitch and his heart skip a beat. With those oceanic blue eyes set on him, he felt as if he had met this girl before. But that was impossible… How could he have met her?
Emma was chatting with Michelle when she sensed someone approaching the table. She curiously looked away from Michelle and glanced at the approaching figures. They must have been the losers Michelle had mentioned earlier. Emma saw a chubby looking boy with dark hair and a certain tint to his skin. She deduced that he was more than likely Filipino as she carelessly glanced over his facial features. It wasn't him that caught Emma's attention but rather the other boy standing next to him. The boy was somewhat scrawny looking to Emma, very skinny and probably around the same height as herself. His hair was short and brown, looking to be kept very neat. That small fact surprised Emma seeing as how most teenage boys seemed more messier in their appearances. His eyes were a warm brown that gazed at her curiously. The boy looked… Cute? Was cute the word for him? Emma didn't really know but she supposed he was kind of cute looking in a dorky way. Maybe a cute kind of dorky like what Natasha saw in Bruce. Emma never really had time to ponder how cute or attractive someone was. She was too busy brooding or plotting to assassinate Tony Stark.
"These were the two losers I was telling you about." Michelle told Emma.
"Are you really an Australian model?" The chubbier one asked and Emma raised her eyebrow, giving the boy a look of amusement.
"Do I sound Australian to you?" Emma questioned in a very American sounding accent.
"Uh… no." The boy stammered nervously. "Hi, I'm Ned." He then proceeded to introduce himself. Emma plastered a friendly smile on her face.
"I'm Emma." Emma then turned to look back at the other boy who was still staring at her. Emma wondered what his problem was. She didn't call him out on it but just raised her eyebrows at the boy. The boy blushed a vibrant red which Emma thought was amusing.
"Peter." He introduced and Emma fought the urge to narrow her eyes at the boy. For some reason his voice sounded incredibly familiar to her. She immediately felt herself grow suspicious of the boy named Peter. Why did his voice sound familiar to her and why would it? She didn't think she had ever met the boy before. Emma was usually good with faces so she knew she'd remember him if she had. Peter awkwardly cleared his throat after both him and Ned were seated at the lunch table. "So you're new around here, huh?"
"Pretty much. I just moved from Seattle a couple of months ago." Emma told him effortlessly. She was completely lying but they didn't know that and they probably would never know that either. Lying came easy to her and it was one of her many talents.
"Oh, really? What school did you attend?" Emma felt her suspicion rise but she didn't make any move to show it as she shrugged casually at the curious teenager. She was there to attend school, not be suspicious of random teenage boys. No, Emma had a part to play.
"I didn't attend a school. I was homeschooled." Emma told them and Michelle raised her eyebrow at Emma.
"You didn't tell me you were homeschooled?" Emma just smirked at her.
"You never asked." Michelle just shrugged as she went back to eating her lunch. However, Peter and Ned were both very curious about the new girl.
"It must be strange finally going to a real school then? Probably overwhelming?" Peter inquired but Emma just shook her head.
"Not really. When you've watched as many John Hughes movies as I've been forced to watch, you're kind of prepared for anything." Peter laughed. He didn't know why but he hadn't expected the girl to be funny.
"Do you like New York so far?" Peter asked politely and Emma smiled. He asked her that question like she hadn't been living in New York for the past two years. Well, it's not like he knew that or anything.
"It's nice I guess. My sister and I have spent the summer here, getting settled into our townhouse but I think I like it so far." Emma told him, giving him as many made up details as she could so that her cover would remain in tact. Emma was posing as Emma Lewis, the younger sister of Darcy Lewis who was living with her older sister in New York so that she could attend Midtown. Her purpose was to further her own education and later be accepted into the top art schools in the world. Hopefully one in Paris. It was a nice cover story and Emma actually felt like she didn't need to lie that much to live her life as Emma Lewis instead of Emma Rogers. Of course, deep down Emma was still the former assassin who's grandfather was currently an escaped war criminal. "It's a lot warmer than Seattle but also more crowded."
"I'd like to visit Seattle someday." Peter remarked. "What's it like there?" Emma was starting to get a little annoyed by this kid's insistant questioning but she pretended to be nice and accomadate him anyways. She could already tell that this guy was incredibly nosy. In her line of work, being nosy got you into a lot of trouble.
"Well, it's colder as you might've guessed. It rains a lot too but there's this spectacular view of Mount Rainier and the Puget Sound that I think makes it all worth it." Emma was basically bullshitting this kid. She had never actually been to Seattle in her life let alone the Northwest but she was good at coming up with stories. Emma remembered some minor facts she had researched about the city online so she just threw those into her little story.
"The Space Needle looks cool." Peter said, giving his input.
"I guess it is but I'm more of a fan of the Mopop." Emma replied and Peter raised an eyebrow at her.
"The Mopop?" He asked curiously, wondering what she could've meant.
"It's the museum of modern pop culture. They have exhibits about movies, music, and stuff like that." Emma explained and both Peter and Ned listened intently to the blonde talk.
"Do they have a Star Wars exhibit?" Ned asked. Emma gave him a curious look before shrugging.
"Probably. Although I wouldn't know. I was always more taken with the Nirvana exhibit." Emma had actually never been to the Mopop since she had never been to Seattle but she did want to go there one day. Especially since they had a David Bowie exhibit there and everyone who knew Emma also knew that she was a big David Bowie fan. Unfortunately she had never gotten the opportunity to go to the Mopop or Seattle. It seemed like Emma was exceptionally good at lying seeing as Peter and Ned believed every word she said. She sometimes wondered if she was a pathological liar. Probably.
Emma and Michelle then went back to their conversation of famous authors as Peter and Ned were left talking about Star Wars. Peter occasionally would glance at Emma, strangely transfixed with the new girl, while Emma would glance back at Peter, curious about the suspiciously familiar sounding teenage boy. Emma was slightly more secretive about her glances than Peter was and the fifteen year old boy had no clue that he had captured the blonde's attention.
Emma was annoyed that there was a seating arrangement in her fourth period history class. She didn't like being told what to do so it was little surprise that Emma also hated being told where to sit. Emma had half a mind to walk out of the school right then but she decided to stick around because she like her English and Art classes. Michelle seemed okay too. Emma knew that she was supposed to sit next to a girl named Betty Brant as well as Peter Parker. She wondered if it was the same Peter she had met in the cafeteria. Her question was later answered as the brown eyed teenage boy took a seat next to her. Ned was on his other side. The boy flashed Emma a huge grin although there was a blush on his face.
"Hi, stranger." He greeted as he sat down. Emma wanted to narrow her eyes at him because the more and more time she spent around him she could definitely tell that there was something off about him. Granted Emma had only just met him in the cafeteria but even then she could that there was something different about him. With her enhanced sense of smell she could also tell that his scent was slightly familiar. She could smell the Irish Spring soap he probably used to bathe himself with as well as the faint smell of his shampoo which was just a standard scented shampoo. There was nothing that smelled fruity or flowery about it. Emma smelled the hint of his minty toothpaste and she could even smell the deodrant he used. Still… all mixed together his scent smelled slightly familiar to her and she had no idea why. Why would this guy seem so familiar to her? There was also the fact that Emma knew that she had heard his voice before. She knew him but from where? It was on the tip of her tongue but for some reason she couldn't think of where she knew him from.
"Hi, Peter." Emma replied before glancing at Ned and giving him a polite smile. "Ned."
"You excited for history?" Peter asked although his tone was slightly teasing. Emma could tell that no one really cared for history, probably thinking that it was boring. Emma, however, knew that history could be very useful. Hydra had made sure that Emma was well versed in history so that she knew everything she could about her surroundings. History was knowledge and knowledge for Emma was also survival. Emma shrugged.
"I guess. History's interesting I suppose." Peter nodded. He felt like he already knew the blonde even though he wasn't sure where he knew her from. The way her eyes glanced over at him with mild interest caused his heart to skip a beat. It wasn't exactly because she was a very attractive girl showing interest in him… Well, maybe that was part of the reason but he also felt like someone else had looked at him in the same exact way. He watched Emma as she focused her attention on Mr. Harrington with a bored look on her face. That look… Peter could've sworn he'd seen the same exact bored expression on someone else's face. He thought about it for a couple of minutes before he realized that he was being silly. Every teenager was bored during history class. Why would Emma be any different? Peter also focused his attention on Mr. Harrington but he casually glanced back at Emma every so often. There was something about this new girl.
"Okay, class, I've decided to pair you off into groups of two this semester." Mr. Harrington announced as looked around at his students. "The person sitting at your table will be your partner for the entire semester so I suggest you get acquainted." Emma glanced at Peter who happened to be sitting at her table. The tables were small and only sat two students per table although there was about three tables per row. It seemed like Emma was going to have to get to know this Peter Parker kid a bit more. Peter smiled at her although he blushed when Emma stared at him.
"You're not lazy, are you?" She asked him randomly. In her observations and research she had observed that most teenage boys seemed quite lazy and hormonal. They'd rather spend their time playing video games and trying to get laid than actually doing any work. Peter shook his head quickly.
"No, I'm an excellent student. I swear." He replied. Emma analyzed the look on his face for a minute, Peter was sure that he was beet red by now from her scrutiny, before she glanced away.
"Good because I'm not doing all the work." She told him before she returned her attention to Mr. Harrington. Peter nodded before doing the same. He still found himself sneaking a glance or two in Emma's direction. Who was she?
The hour seemed to pass by fast before the bell rang. Emma had spent the entire period listening to Mr. Harrington go over guidelines for the semester as she also felt Peter's gaze on her. She could tell that he was trying be stealthy about it which only gave her more amusement. This kid was the opposite of stealthy. Emma also felt slightly suspicious that he kept sneaking glances in her direction. What was up with him? She knew that he seemed very familiar to her and she knew that it was strange that he kept looking at her. Emma may just have to look into who this boy was. She knew it was silly to be so suspicious of a fifteen year old boy but she couldn't help it. Emma was suspicious of anyone who acted weird. She followed Peter to her fifth period gym class, staying back in the crowd of teenagers as she did so. It was obvious how bad Peter was at trying to watch someone but covertly watching people was one of Emma's skills.
Emma found out later that she shared another two classes with Peter Parker. Gym class and her sixth period Chemistry class. PE was a little nervewracking to Emma because she knew that she would have to significantly hold back in that class. If she aced every single activity in that class it would raise suspicion and draw attention to herself. Emma knew that she would be exposed if she just proceeded to run laps around all the others. No, she would have to feign weakness and pretend to be out of breath during all the activities to throw people off her trail. It would severely wound her ego to do so but it was necessary. It was in this class that Emma met someone she knew that would challenge her self control. Flash Thompson.
"You're new around here." The hispanic looking boy had said to her in gym class as he glanced over her body. Emma had fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. Stupid horny teenage boys. If only they could think with their big head instead of their little one. Maybe then they would realize how stupid and petty they were. "Maybe I could show you around town. I just got my driver's license and my dad's practically given me his Audi. You could join for a ride around town if you want." He flirted with a smirk on his face. Seriously? Emma had thought to herself. Emma couldn't believe this kid was actually bragging about his daddy giving him a car. Big deal, Emma thought to herself. So what if he could drive? Emma had been driving for several years and you didn't see her bragging about it.
"I think I'm good. Thanks." Emma told him before she walked in the opposite direction. The smirk immediately fell off his face as his friends laughed at him. Emma didn't understand how he had the confidence to flirt with her like that. She thought most guys didn't like a girl who towered over them. Emma was only a couple of inches taller than him but she still didn't understand why he was so annoyingly smug about himself. Maybe it was a Napoleon complex… yes, that had to be it. Emma knew in that moment that this would be ultimate test for her… whether or not she would murder Flash Thompson.
The day quickly passed by as PE turned into Chemistry… the last class she had for the day then she could get out of this hellhole everyone called a school. It was also a class that she shared with Peter and unfortunately Flash. Fortunately for Emma, Flash sat a couple rows ahead of her. She was glad because the guy was already getting on her nerves. Emma also sat one row behind Peter which gave her the perfect opportunity to keep a close eye on him. She watched as he anxiously drummed his fingers against the table for the whole period. Emma observed that he had looked up at the clock at least fourteen times throughout the hour. The blonde deduced that he really wanted to get out of there.
It seemed odd to Emma because what she had gathered from watching Peter, for the past couple of periods, wasn't that he was the kind of teenager that hated school. No, he seemed to be an excellent student from what she heard from other students and even members of the faculty. Emma had used her enhanced hearing which Tony had strictly told her not to use. Well, technically he told her not to be flying around or using her enhanced strength. He never said anything about her enhanced senses. Emma listened to Flash quite a bit as he complained about how smart and perfect Peter Parker thought he was. Maybe Flash would be more useful to her than she originally thought. The bell rang at the end of the period and the second the bell rang Peter was already out of his seat and out the door. Emma narrowed her eyes at the door where Peter had ran out of. There was definitely something up with Peter Parker and Emma wanted to know what it is was.
"How was your first day of school? You never really texted me." Darcy questioned when Emma got into the car. Emma just rolled her eyes.
"There was nothing to text you about. It was boring just like I told you it would be." Emma told her and Darcy just shook her head in amusement at the young girl. Sometimes Emma could be so cynical.
"Well, did you make any friends?" Darcy questioned causing Emma to shrug.
"I made an acquaintance if you want to put a label on it." Emma mumbled but Darcy still heard her. The brunette grinned at the blonde, already knowing how to decipher Emma's complicated language and way of saying things.
"So you did make a friend! I'm so proud of you, Emma. Look at how far you've come… Threatening Tony's life, kicking Spider-Man's ass, and blackmailing the Secretary of State but now you're going to high school and making friends." Darcy told her as she began to pull away from the school and drive them back to the townhouse. Emma glared at Darcy.
"I told you never to mention the blackmail. I only told you about that because I trust you." Emma said which caused Darcy to roll her eyes at her.
"Don't be so dramatic, Em, I've totally got you covered. I'm just happy that you've made a friend." Darcy responded. "Maybe you two can hang out at the townhouse or go shopping at the mall. I could drop you guys off if you want." Emma just scoffed.
"I don't see Michelle as the type to go shopping at the mall. Truthfully, I'm not the type either." Emma retorted.
"So your friend has a name?" Darcy could instantly tell that Emma didn't want to divulge anymore information so she quickly dropped the topic. Although Darcy quickly moved onto a different topic as she smirked at the blonde. "So… any cute boys?" Emma gave Darcy a look of disbelief before she crossed her arms and glared out the window.
"If by cute boys you mean this one smug bastard, with a Napoleon complex, that I've already fantasized about killing in at least twelve different ways?" Emma grumbled and Darcy wondered if that was a joke or a serious statement. Darcy really hoped that it wasn't a serious threat although you never knew with Emma. The girl had a severely dark sense of humor. "There is one boy." Emma said after being quiet for a couple of minutes. Darcy looked back at her with a surprised expression on her face.
"A boy? Who?" Darcy questioned curiously. Emma turned to look at her.
"There's something off about him… He's very suspicious." Emma told her in a dead serious tone of voice. "I'm going to figure out who he is and when I do he better hope that he's not a threat to me." Darcy just sighed as she looked back at the road. She should've known Emma wasn't about to start thinking of boys that way. She had been kind of hopeful when Emma first mentioned a boy but it turned out that Emma was just suspicious of whoever the poor kid was. Darcy bet that that kid didn't even do anything. He probably just stared at Emma the wrong way, more than likely because he liked her, which set the blonde off. Stupid move. Now Emma was going to be determined that the kid was a secret spy or something. Emma really could be paranoid at times.
"So a new and potential boyfriend." Darcy quipped causing Emma to glare at her again. The blonde then looked back out the window as she thought about Peter Parker. She knew there was something wrong with him and she was bound and determined to figure out just what that was. When Emma was onto someone, there wasn't a person in the universe that could stop her. Not even Darcy.