Kristina ran to the American Science Institute with her presentation board in hand. She told her boss she'd be there at 10:30. 10:30…10:30…she could make…she could make it most definitely. All she needed was fifteen minutes to prepare a little… Opening the glass door to the black building, Kristina's black leather boots slid across the marble floor. Stopping herself half way, she ran to the front desk to check in…10:3…6. Damn…They were sticklers for punctuality. It was her third day late and she was only there as a part time job. Although she wasn't working today, she had to get there for the presentation. She had been preparing for it all week. That stupid test in her Latin college class went a little over the time she thought it would take. Those stupid listening exercises…she thought ruefully. Sliding in, hoping to be not noticed, a voice echoed to her. "Now, now Ms. Devun, just because you are one of great skill does not give you special privileges."

Inwardly groaning, she turned around slowly giving a weak smile. Apologetically, she answered, "Sorry Mr. Morris. I'm not even going to bother to give you an excuse because I know you don't like to hear them."

"Well… since I know how notorious you are for making an entrance, I took it upon myself to ask the board to come in at 11 this morning instead of 10:45."

Kristina blinked at him for a moment and then threw her arms around him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"You have so much potential. I would hate for it to be ignored because of a mere technicality-"

"Of time? Right, I promise you my watch isn't slow; everyone else's is fast."

"Of course. You still have twenty minutes to prepare…use the time wisely." Noting her fingers fiddling with her jacket, he added, "And be calm. You'll do just fine."

Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hair back and licked her lips nervously. Exhaling slowly, she said nervously, "Right."

….

Peter walked to the café with everything not in order in his life. The only plus he had was when Harry moved out and back into his deceased father's house. At least that way he didn't have to see them together. His mind was reeling, and his heart was torn in two. He wanted this for her…to find someone to love her. Harry could give her anything she wanted, but still he thought of Harry as lustful, not loving. He could be wrong of course, simply because he was bias, but that was the vibe he got.

It was then, at that moment, he saw them together. Her red hair seemed to glow more off of the lighting of the room. She looked beautiful, as always. Peter didn't go by them…he had no need to. It would only bring back bad memories of a cold December morning. Instead, he hunched his shoulders in silence as he made his trek to the counter.

He stepped up to the creamy counter and ordered a medium hot chocolate. Changing subjects, his mind shifted to the day before him. The day was going by very slowly, which was an advantage to him. Because of all the Spider-Man/Peter switching he had to do, it didn't leave him much time to study for his classes. He was a natural brain, but even the brightest students need to study sometime. His study sessions with Kristina were paying off, but he hated the fact that he was so fickle about them because of the Spider-Man business. He and Kristina shared the same AP Calculus, AP English, and Latin classes and had all the same teachers in other classes, so this helped. His lips curved into a small smile. Kristina was probably one of the few people who challenged his mind to think a different way and for that, he was grateful.

Paying for his drink, he wanted to make a dash for the front door; only, he didn't see who was standing by him when he turned around. With a quick twist of the hips, he was standing next to M.J. His body shrunk inwardly when she gave him that famous million watt smile."Hey Pete."

"Hey M.J.." Shifting his eyes, Peter nodded toward Harry. "Hey Harry." M.J. saw him come in, but didn't want to be rude enough to Harry to leave him in mid sentence to tell the same man who rejected her, hello. Were there sour grapes about this? Hell yes, but she had to admit it gave her no pleasure to see Peter's shifty glance and disposition. He didn't look too happy to be there and neither was she. She figured this was uncomfortable for him. Harry did always respect her, but he was no Peter Parker. Her whole plan was for Peter to maybe get an inkling of jealousy, enough jealousy to come out with how he feels. She was almost positive he has immense feelings for her, but she couldn't understand why he wouldn't let them out.

Harry grinned at his friend. With a quick slap on the shoulder, he said, "Peter! Hey man, what's up?"

Peter shrugged his meek shoulders. "Nothing really, I'm just about to go to the campus to see what I made on one of my tests today."

Everything that came from his mouth intrigued MJ...well...maybe not everything but it was close enough. "Oh really?" M.J. asked. "What test did you have today?"

"Latin…the basis of all romance languages."

M.J. turned her head to the side in confusion. "I thought you always wanted to learn Italian?"

"I did, but I figured that if I can learn Latin, it'll make Italian easier."

"Oh…"

Harry shared a glance between the two. The tension was so thick between them, he could cut a knife through it. With a quick sigh, he said, "So yeah Pete, we were gonna try to go to the 311 concert on next Saturday night. M.J. is gonna score us some tickets. Her brother is tight with the lead singer."

"You guys, that's great."

Deciding to play cupid, he decided, "Why don't you invite that Kristina chic? She's cool, huh M.J.?" he asked with a quick elbow.

Kristina! "Yeah, she's cool." M.J. and her were cool; this was true, but things between them got so strained. After M.J. told her about her newly discovered feelings for Peter and then how she went after him, things were never the same. Even though they promised each other not to let a guy get between them like this, it was hard to ignore nonetheless.

Nudging his friend in the side he added, "Yeah Pete, ask her is she wants to go."

Taking his eyes off of M.J. for a moment, he looked back at Harry. He might just have something here…"Okay. I think she'd like that." Maybe she'd like it…Kristina was never one for being really social with people. She could have fun by herself and he respected that. He often remembered whenever they would go somewhere; there was always some sort of hidden reluctance there. She was so open to him and shy to so many others, he found it to be a pleasure to know she trusted him.

"Yeah, well dude," he said while glancing at his watch, "we gotta get going. I promised M.J. I'd take her out to eat for lunch, but she just had to stop here to get THE muffin."M.J. had a fettish when it came to blueberry muffins. She would only eat the ones from that coffee shop...no where else.

M.J. blurted out quickly, "Would you like to come with us Peter?"

His entire body stiffened. "Uh, no…that's okay. I have to go to class, check on my grades, and a bunch of other stuff."

"Aight…well, later Pete." M.J. watched as scurried toward the door. She had had to much experience with guys to know when she caused an effect and on Peter Parker, it was obvious...she knew it and she liked it. She liked it very, very much.

...

Smoothing her loose hairs back toward her bun, she took a deep breath. Looking up from her papers, she stared at the room full of 10 men sitting in black chairs at a black table. Pushing herself passed their stern looks, Kristina started. "Good morning. I hope you all are having a good morning. Well, with grumbles shared around the room I take it you're having the typical Monday morning." She heard a few chuckles from the people in front of her. That calmed her down some. Taking another deep breath, she began her presentation. "I've come to you with my research findings on the institute's study on the 'Super Spider'. Here are the studies that I've conducted so far." She handed out navy blue folders around the table. "As you can see, the studies prove to be inconclusive. But with my research, I've proposed an idea. The ionic compounds in the venom of the spiders are not reactive to the cancer cells. Although compatible, the true problem lies with the spiders' overall DNA. There is a gap in the DNA link. This makes using the venom literally impossible to use."

"So this study was for nothing?"

"Oh on the contrary Mr…"she glanced at his name tag, "Klefton. If you would turn to page twelve, you'll find that a few of the results from this will be mutually beneficial to this company and to the world of medicine. Even if this fails, scientists can replicate a substance that will work based from this analysis."

Matthew Jameson eyed her carefully. "Quite frankly I find the entire study preposterous and ridiculous. From what I've heard, you are an extraordinary girl." Rubbing his stubbly chin slyly, he asked, "Why do you bother to waste your talents on such thing that is utterly, shall we say…impossible?"

"Sir, I've read your works and know of the kind of scientific mind you have. Being a scientist, I would think that you of all people would know that nothing is impossible. According to the research, it's quite plausible. On page six, I explain the problem of the gap more thoroughly. To make a long story short and to save on paper cuts, basically, the scientists were having trouble with a gap in the DNA chain. Then, an idea occurred to me that had me thinking-"

Flipping through the papers, Mr. Jameson said with ennui, "Conjuring would be more precise…correct?"

"Sir…" turning her head to everyone in the room, "gentlemen, I think I've found a way to make a new species of spider a full reality."

A few people stirred in their seats. Mr. Jameson shook his head at her. "It already is. There has already been some made and-"

"Yes I'm aware sir…but it's not a true species until the gap no longer exists and the venom will not be usable until the gap doesn't exist."

One man chimed in, "How can these spiders survive with a gap in their DNA?"

"Because they are mutated spiders and are made of other genes with other spiders, this combination of spiders has made the genetic material more durable and allows the spider to exist. Now, this existing spider also means rapid growth and faster aging processes. So, yes it lives…but only for short periods because of the gap. My proposal is this: what would happen if we were to breed the spider with another spider…a household spider perhaps…that would fix the DNA gap."

Mr. Jameson said with resolution, "If that's the case, they would just form a spider with part of the common spider's DNA."

"No, mathematically and scientifically, according to the linking of the amino acids," she pointed to her presentation board to a colorful chart, "there would still be a gap, which would lead to the faster deterioration of the spider because of its small size. The genes are put together as a puzzle piece, but if bred with another spider, it would be like a normal process. My calculations are in the folder if you can't see them up here. By mating, the offspring would have half and half of each spiders' genes, and because of the genetic spider's dominating genes, they would provide the offspring with that same abilities. Since the offspring would share only half of the 'Super Spider's' genes, there's a probable chance that it won't get the half that has the missing link, just as if it were being a recessive trait of a genetic disorder. The gap would be found on the x chromosome. In order for the gap to be offset, it would need the transfer of a y chromosome from the Super Spider. It needs another natural gene, not a genetically engineered one. The gene pool, I guess you could say, isn't quite stirred around enough yet. All this needs is another generation of the spider, a serum that would turn the venom sac, well, 'on', and a possible cancer killing agent will be a reality."

"Does this serum already exist?"

"Yes."

After flipping through a few pages, Mr. Klefton said, "Well, I must say, it seems as though you've done some extensive research on the matter." He was very impressed.

"I try."

Mr. Jameson stacked his handouts together. "Right… very well then. I do believe our time is up. Miss Devun, have any last requests?"

She felt like she was about to be executed. "In conclusion, I think that you'll find this to be plausible and I can only hope that you'll accept my proposal and idea."

Raising a brow skeptically, Mr. Jameson added, "And if it fails?"

"Then, we'll just have to find another way. After all, this is simply a hypothesis."

"You might just do well to remember that..." The older man narrowed his gray eyes at her. "You do understand that failure at this could lead to this company removing its services from this field of study?"

Turning her head to Mr. Morris briefly, she said surprised, "N-no, I wasn't aware of that."

"Well…be sure to keep that mind."

"I will, sir, but I certainly hope that that wasn't some sort of threat."

An eyebrow rose. "A threat? My dear child, why would I threaten you? I'm merely stating a fact and that fact is that if we don't see some improvements, then this company will withdraw the bulk of its funding from behind this."

"But I would also like for you to take into account that-"

He held his wrinkly hand up indicating he wanted to hear no more of it. "My child, my distaste for this project is, I'm sure, quite evident. I suggest you give up now and save your breath on this." And with that, he began his trek down the corridor. Kristina, who was left in the doorway, was awestruck. When did this all fall on her shoulders? She was only a college student! Shaking her head solemnly, she could only hope that her margin of error was zero.

Stepping back into the room, she shook her head at herself. She wasn't disappointed in her presentation. She grabbed their attention, held it, and actually put a doubt in their heads that this thing could work. Sighing, she began to pack up her things to leave. Mumbling to herself, she said out loud, "Somebody didn't have their prune juice this morning."

"Don't worry about Jameson, he's always an asshole."

Kristina turned around quickly. "Oh wow, I-I wasn't aware that anyone was still in the room."

John Klefton eyed her carefully. He licked his lips slightly as he settled back into his chair. He liked her style…maybe a little too much. "You know, you really shouldn't listen to him that much."

"But he's one of the senior board members."

"So? He also wears diapers, does that mean he's an expert on Depends? Well actually…he just might be." Kristi tried to retain her composure couldn't help the smile that came across her face. "Go ahead and laugh. I promise…I won't tell."

Keeping her head down, she continued to collect her things into stacks. "Well yes, I should laugh and I'm probably going to on my way home, but still, I can see where he's coming from."

"You're a college student, correct?"

So they do know I'm a college student, she thought. "Yes, I am."

He leaned back casually in the black chair. Drumming his fingers, he asked, "How did you get involved in something like this?"

"Well it started in high school...well actually it started back when I was five. I loved collecting bugs and then in high school, we took a trip to a laboratory that introduced the whole 'Super spider' thing to me. Then I started to read about it, and it interested me more, and," she stopped for a moment and laughed at herself. "And now, I'm probably talking your ear off."

"Oh no, I don't mind at all. After all, I did ask the question. I find it quite…intriguing."

His green eyes were staring her down intently. Kristina shifted uncomfortably under the stare. It was…nerve-racking. "Well…if you'll excuse me, I have a class I need to go to. I'm sorry that I have to leave so abruptly."

He stood up quietly. "That's fine. I should get going anyway." She reached for his hand and shook it gently. Making sure to have eye contact, he said almost quietly, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Same here." She felt a shiver up her spine when she grasped his hand. There was something…wrong about this…about him. She shook the feeling off and began to pack up her belongings.

John nodded his head slowly, walked past her. He gave her one more look, eyeing the back of her form for a moment before turning to exit. Yes…she'll do nicely. The professor will be…quite pleased…

Mr. Morris accompanied Mr. Jameson to the elevator. "Sir you must realize, she's only a college student. I find appalling that you would place all of this on her shoulders."

"She wanted to be a scientist; she got it."

"Let me be the first one to tell you that this girl has extraordinary talents, but she is not a scientist. If anything, this is more or less a test of her skills. I think that it is unfair judging on your part to give her an ultimatum as such."

"I don't particularly like the idea of such young people in this field of work."

"Just because you're judging her, don't take it out on the Institute."

He sighed dramatically. "It's my money, and I'll take my feelings and opinions out on whoever I'd like. Goodbye Mr. Morris."

...

Kristina walked around the college campus with her head in a whirl. The meeting went better than expected. Of course, there was no shortage of opposition thrown her way, but she felt she dealt with it very nicely. If only her life could be solved and looked at so easily as this. Life was…not a life, but just a label. She wasn't living; she just existed. Never meshing well with people, her personality and mind developed a barrier that was itching to be demolished, yet the right person hadn't lit the dynamite.

Though there was always one person she suspecting could be the fire she needed.

"Peter!" Kristina looked at him with a smile. His presence was always enough to make her smile…no matter what.

The brown hair on his head flew up in surprise. His turquoise eyes that normally have a spark were dull. It was evident that he made an effort to appear all right, but he didn't quite pull it off. His blue eyes furrowed inward. His voice sounded harsh and almost annoyed like. "Oh…hey Kristi." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

She could tell that he wasn't particularly in a good mood, so she thought she'd get his mind on other things since it was evident he was concentrating intently on whatever it was that was bothering him. She sat down on the green metal bench and put her bag down. "The presentation I was telling you about went pretty well. There's this old guy that kept shooting me down at every chance he got. I swear he has a hang up with people three times younger than him. I call it all jealousy." She looked at him. He never even moved. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Martin bumped the test up a week. She said something about us getting too far behind or something."

"I know."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. Studying is gonna be a killer. Would it be all right if we met more during the week for the study sessions? I have a bad feeling I'm gonna need it." She was babbling…and she knew it.

He response was curt. "Fine." Kristi's eyes fell a little at the sound in his voice. Immediately she felt disheartened.

She sighed again. This was harder than she thought. He was never this hard to crack. "I'm glad I got the presentation for the Institute out of the way though. I'm hoping that the board will let me continue the studies at home. Lord knows I have enough equipment to rival even the most prestigious scientists. I really gotta get rid of some of that stuff. I've already forgotten what the counter tops look like." His blue eyes kept forward. Obviously changing subjects isn't doing any good.

Kristina took in a deep breath. She knew she wasn't that horrible of a conversationalist, but at this point, even she had to wonder. "What's wrong?" He stayed silent, while his eyes fell. Shaking off his abruptness, she took another try at conversing. Raising an eyebrow, Kristina said with sarcasm, "I wasn't aware of how nice your smile was…oh wait…you can't DO that task."

Peter took a deep breath. The cold February air burned his nostrils. Rubbing his hands together, he responded coolly, "I really don't have much to smile about." He reached for the small white cup of hot chocolate and took a sip.

Leaning her head lower so she would be looking at him, she widened her eyes as a signal for him to go on. When he didn't, she sighed to herself and pushed a strand of her brown semi curly hair behind her ear. Licking her bottom lip, she turned toward him. "Everyone's unhappy with something in their life. If they weren't, they'd have nothing to strive for." She asked softly, "Would you like to talk about it?"

"No." It was quick and to the point. He just sat there with his eyes blinking out the cold. He felt about as cold as the weather. His insides burned because of a promise he made to himself and to someone else. All it was… was torture. He swallowed hard as he lifted his cup of covered hot chocolate to his lips. He knew his curtness was somewhat mean and aggressive, but what could he do? He was obviously failing at the acting part so why attempt to hide it anymore? Peter's blue eyes shut tightly in aggravation at himself. Had it been anyone else, he could care less, but since it was Kristi, it just made him feel a pang of guilt. As sweet as she was and always had been to him, he had no right to shoot her down like this.

Still, his current feelings could not be helped, no matter how badly it made him appear.

She just looked at him. God it hurts to see him like this, she thought sadly. Her heart just…went to him. He looked to miserable. Her head was working overtime to feel even an inkling of what he was feeling, just to lighten the burden ever so slightly. She leaned back against the bench with a long, exaggerated sigh. Folding her arms behind her head, she secured the loose bobby pins that were holding her dark brown hair into a bun.

Kristina turned her head toward him once more. His eyes were staring straight forward. He didn't even look at her. His tone and his disposition was enough to set her straight. As hard headed as she was, she finally took the hint. "Okay then," she said as she shrugged her bag over her shoulder. "Since I guess it would be pretty stupid for me to freeze my butt off for someone who won't even bother to look at me…" Standing up, she finished, "I'm just gonna go ahead and go. There's no point in me wasting both of our time so I'll talk to you whenever. I guess in Calculus or something." She began to walk off. He was a puzzle to her. It amazed her at her past actions. She would extend herself so much to him just to get a cold shoulder.

Blinking slightly, Peter looked up at the back of Kristi's form before she got to far. "It's torture, ya know."

Kristi stopped and turned around. Shrugging her shoulders, she said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't know since we don't do the whole 'talking' thing much anymore."

"Things…" he said vaguely. Swallowing hard , he added, "Situations have got me thinking."

"Pete, you've been like this for about three months. That's a little too much thinking for even the brightest of humans." A smile crept on his lips. She always could make him smile…not like her though…

Kristi's eyes widened, "My goodness…was that a smile you were trying to make?" He threw his eyes up at her playfully. "I do believe it was!" Throwing her arms in the air dramatically, she said with flare, "Oh my goodness, I think I feel faint. Is the cold playing tricks on my eyes or did I see some pearly whites?" He laughed out loud at her goofy facial expressions. "I did! I did! I feel so very honored!" Skipping back to the bench she put her bag down and slid next to him playfully. She batted her dark eyes at him. He shoved at her playfully. Throwing an arm around his shoulder, she grinned, "Now…tell Oprah what's troubling you dear."

His smile faded slowly and was soon replaced with lines of misery on his face. Sighing, he said, "I think I've made a mistake with something…someone."

Thinking for a moment, she responded, "M.J.?"

Turning to her, he asked nervously, "That obvious?"

"Just a lil, Pete."

He shook his head. "I gave it up. I-I have admired this girl since I was six, and I gave it up. I mean I have my reasons, but…I can't decipher my feelings and I'm having trouble finding the logic in my reasoning." Groaning out loud, he grabbed his head. "There's so much going on."

Looking around, Kristi set her eyes on a snowy path that led around the campus. "C'mon, let's go for a walk." She grabbed his palm and dragged him off of the bench. Kicking the snow, she said with a start, "Well…like you said…you have your reasons. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. As smart of a person as you are, I'm sure you had a good reason or else, it wouldn't have crossed your mind."

"She's just so beautiful to me…all she wanted was her love returned."

"Could you return it? Honestly and completely with no strings attached?"

"I don't know. I've been doubting a lot of things lately, of how things could have been different." He almost wished that stupid spider hadn't bitten him. "All she wanted was for someone to love her."

"If that's the case, then you should definitely have doubts. If she just wanted SOMEONE-"

"I could have been that someone…"

"Then that's wrong."

"How can it be wrong to want someone?"

"You make it sound as though she'll settle for anyone that says they love her. First she claims her love for you, but then gets back together with Harry? Not to dog M.J. or anything, but that sounds shady to me."

"That's a problem I've been thinking about lately too. This thing with Harry isn't helping very much either. Since they got back together…" he rolled his head around. "I think I pushed her toward him. I mean don't get me wrong about Harry. He really can be and is a great guy…she appears to be happy with him."

"Then be happy for her."

"But what if she's not happy? It's my fault."

"She's made her decision, you've made yours. What more is there?"

"He's able to give her the thing I can't. Maybe I'm jealous of what he can give and what I can't, but…geez it's so frustrating."

"Pete…do you love her?"

He thought long and hard for a moment. "I'm not one to throw that word out because it's too special. I've always held something special for her. I believe it to be love. It's like she'll always have a piece of my heart."

"Why are you scared to love her then? Are you scared you're going to hurt her or get hurt or both?"

"Maybe…"

"This is where all your reasoning came in…right?"

He sighed once more. "Yeah."

She dug her hands into her leather jacket pocket and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Well…I can't really tell you anything except to trust in your own judgment."

"Ya'll are friends…what do you think she feels?"

She chuckled at his question. "I'm not even about to speculate on her feelings because that's not the way to go about things. If you want to find out how she's really feeling, ask her. Ask her to be completely upfront that is… if you really want to know. I mean, you may just think you want to know, but deep down you may not want to. I dunno what to tell you Pete. It's your feelings, do what you feel you need to do. As for me and M.J., we don't talk that much anymore." Especially since she spilled her guts to the only guy she's ever held feelings for.

Their friendship was complicated. It started from tutoring and they ended up buddies. Then a guy enters the whole equation and throws everything out of whack. M.J. knew Kristi's feelings, she knew everything, but she went after him even though she said she wouldn't especially since she had a boyfriend. But Kristi had to hand it to her; she did keep her word about not telling Peter anything.

"Kristina repositioned her legs while she French braided M.J.'s silky red hair into two ponytails. Biting her lip, M.J. broke the silence. 'Look, I didn't mean for things to get out of hand like this.'

Pulling more strands together, Kristina said smoothly, 'I don't think anyone did.'

Taking a deep breath, she continued. 'I know how you feel about Pete. I don't want to jeopardize anything.'

Fastening one braid with a rubber band, she began to start on the other braid. 'If you're worried about what I'm thinking or feeling, forget it. Don't worry about a thing. I'm still gonna be your friend, no matter what.' Brushing the hair back, she said matter-of-factly, 'Besides, it would be pretty ballsy of me to hold how you feel against you. That's not cool.'

'Ditto. So…are we still cool?'

'You know it red- head." She felt M.J. relaxing under her fingertips. Smacking loudly she added, "That is if you'd quit squirming around so damn much. You're gonna make me pull out all your hair and then you're gonna ATTEMPT to kick my ass for it.'

'Attempt? Don't make me call your bluff.'

'Um yeah…I'm waitin' for the phone bill.'

'Alright.' She reached for a blue pillow. "That's it!' Thus began the pillow fight…"

Shaking her head from the memory, she added, "I'm not gonna be the mediator between this and even though I'm itchin' to get involved because well…I'm nosy, I'm not going to. So, do what you need to do." Stressing each word with a poke in the shoulder, she said finally, "Handle… your… business."

He smiled at her phrase. "Handle my business huh?"

"Yeah."

He nudged her in the sides. Looking down at the ground, he began to kick the snow. "Thanks."

"For what?"

He began to stammer a little bit. "Ya know…for just being here and for…"

With tons of sarcasm she cut in, "For taking your PMSing and for allowing you to talk my ear off, right?" She saw his face fall. She nudged him the side and made a goofy expression to make him laugh. Sounding as gaudy as she could with a deep voice she said while holding her hand on her chest, "Oh sure…what are friends for…DARLING?" He looked at her and she looked back at him. They both busted into laughter. Walking side by side, they went to their English class.