Kristina had just walked in her apartment from the Institute. She threw her things down casually on her navy blue sofa. She wondered about this. She just might have a chance at this thing. Jameson told Morris he'd think about presenting it to the board, and that was 4 hours ago. Why would he want to help her?

She wasn't even home for fifteen minutes when her phone rang. Reaching for the black portable phone, she spoke, "Hello?"

"May I speak to Kristina Devun?" The voice was cool and droid like.

Kristi stared oddly at the phone. It didn't sound like anyone she knew. "Speaking."

"This is Michael Sylva. I'm calling to inform you that you have received permission to work with a Super Spider. An analysis of your facilities will be conducted within the next hour and should last about three hours at most. You are expected to go to the Institute for 5:30 to receive further instructions. That is all. Good bye." Click.

That was strange. The Institute was calling her? Kristi just stood there with the phone in her hands and a blank expression on her face. Her eyes blinked a few times before she fathomed what just happened. "You have received permission…" Those four words echoed in her mind. When she fully understood them, she then began to scream with delight.

"Oh my god…the board is gonna let me continue!" she said out loud. She spun around twice and jumped up and down. This was amazing! She nearly didn't hear her phone when it rang a second time because of her happiness. It seemed to have swallowed her whole.

Pouncing on it, she said with giggles, "HEELLLOOO!"

Peter looked at the phone strangely. "Um..hi Kris. I take it your happy?" She was beaming, and he could feel it over the phone.

"I have news. Good news! No, not just good news, but GREAT news! The absolute greatest news!" Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "But you can go first."

He could only smile at her excitement. "Oh no, by all means, you go. You sound like you'll pop if I don't let you."

Laughing, she said, "Okay…well the Institute is gonna let me continue the studies at home. I'll get to test out the hypothesis I was presenting at that board meeting!" She jumped up once more…just to get it out of her system.

"Kris, that's great! They must have a lot of trust in you."

"Yeah, its wonderful. So what were you calling for again?"

"Yeah, well I guess it doesn't measure up nearly to what's happened to you."

"C'mon Pete! Don't leave me in suspense, that's just cruel!"

Laughing he said quickly, "Okay, okay! M.J.'s bro is gonna score us some 311 tickets for this Saturday. Do you think you can come?"

She exclaimed in Creole. "Sikre! I love 311! Most definitely. Ah…this is the stuff natural highs are made of!" Could the day get any better?!

He continued to grin at her actions. She certainly was a character. "Great. I was almost afraid that you wouldn't be able to come because its kinda short notice."

"It's only Wednesday."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna leave M.J. empty handed."

"Aight, hey what time is it?"

"5:15."

"Oh crap! I gotta get to the Institute for 5:30! I'm sorry to rush you like this, but I have to get going."

"Oh! Well no problem." Then, it hit him at the speed of light. His sixth sense was going off like mad. Adding quickly, he said, "I've got some stuff to tend to myself."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye," he said hurriedly as he put his mask on.

"Bye!" Peter put the phone down quickly and went to his window. Looking swiftly to see if anyone was watching him, he leapt from the building.

'They sure don't waste time…' she thought as she glimpsed toward her watch. Kristi bolted out of her door and ran toward the subway station.

……………

Once she reached the building, a tall man in a black suit met with her. "Are you Kristina Devun?"

"Yes."

"Come with me." He ushered her down a corridor to a laboratory. It freaked her out to some extent. Everything looked like something straight from a movie. She saw people in black suits all over the place, but what she couldn't figure out was if they were for the board or the Institute or both. "Miss Devun, the spider is in its cage over there," he said with a quick point to the corner. His hazel eyes cut straight through her. She nearly found herself backing away from the man. "A team of specialists will accompany you to your apartment to make sure the site is suitable."

Nodding numbly she said simply, "Um, sure." She looked around herself and found at least fifteen people fluttering around her. This was a new experience. She had never in her life seen people resemble ants as they do now. They were scurrying around, like ants do after a rainstorm ruined their home. She found herself slightly overwhelmed and…well…overwhelmed. She stood there awkwardly. She felt out of place and didn't know exactly what was expected of her. About ten minutes later the same guy in the suit marched up to her. "Come with me."

"Um ok-" and with that, she was dragged down yet another corridor. The man in the suit took such swift strides that Kristi had to nearly jog to keep up with him. "Allow me to prompt you. You should be receiving routine visits to check on your studies and your progress. The necessary supplies needed for the experiment will be delivered to your home as they are needed. If you need something early, you will call the given producer in this folder," He stopped quickly in front of two metal doors, leaving Kristi to slam him into the back of his tall form. He looked down at her with interest.

Smiling nervously, she said, "I was, um, trying to keep up with you." Dusting his suit off quickly she let out a quick cough. "Sorry."

He looked at her with only short interest and handed her a yellow folder, "As I was saying, if you need something early, you will call the given producer in this folder and that one alone. If you should happen to require some assistance, the numbers are in the folder. There should be nothing for you to sign except for equipment orders placed in."

"So no contracts or anything?"

"No ma'am. This is still the Institute's research and no other firms will be presented as having any hand in this."

Glimpsing over the folder, she nodded her head. "Okay, well, thank you, but where are we going to now?" At that same moment, he opened the back doors. She squinted her eyes to protect them from the cold air that engulfed her in the form of a strong wind. Through her limited vision, she saw people bustling around in outside, loading and unloading equipment.

He escorted her to a black van. From the looks of it, it looked like something used for torturing people. "We will be going to your home now."

"Okay wait, was there really a reason for me coming down here?"

"Well certainly. How else were we to get to your abode?"

Kristi opened her mouth, but soon shut it. There was no point in saying something. Soon after the man in the suit put her in the van, three other people got in the car with her. Dr. Morris soon followed them. Kristi shared a worried glance toward him, but he assured her with his small eyes.

A woman in a black suit turned around in her seat and stared Kristi down. Her face was sharply cut, and her eyes seemed like glass. Her nose was her most noticeable feature. It was sharp like the rest of her face, but curved under, like a witch Kristi had seen in a movie. 'I didn't know the wicked witch of the west had a twin sister,' she thought nervously.

After raising an eyebrow skeptically, the woman started with a quick shrilly voice. "Now, if this does convene in your abode, you will NOT give out any information and under no circumstances do you let ANYONE else near the spider except for yourself, our specialists and our scientists. Is that clear?"

"It's the same rules as in the lab…right?"

"Precisely. Do you have any questions?"

"How often are you going to be coming to my home?"

"As often as we feel necessary."

"Approximation please."

She eyed Kristi sharply. "About once or twice a week."

"And if I'm not home?"

"We will come in anyway."

"No." The woman turned toward Mr. Morris.

"What do you mean…no? That spider is property of this Institute and the board paid for its creation."

Mr. Morris shook his head firmly. "No, her mother paid for the creation of this particular spider with the use of part of a trust fund left in her name. She created it with the help of Dr. Weiss and myself, and according to the board's contract with the Institute they are entitled to full proprietorship to anyone who performs studies on their property. She made a deal with the Institute, not the board. The Institute, not the board, uses this spider for research. This spider is her property and therefore the board will have no legal stand point on going through her home without her presence." The woman narrowed her eyes into slits. Taking out a folded piece of paper from his jacket, he gave it to the woman. "And I also have elicit orders from the Senior Chairman himself for you to NOT give her any problems and assist her when she ASKS for it."

Turning her head to the side, she eyed him mysteriously. "Fine then…so be it." Taking out a clipboard, she said irately, "Sign here." She thrusted it into Kristi's lap.

Kristi picked it up and dropped it on her lap. "I was told that I wasn't needed to sign anything because the studies are still being done under the Institute and that a change in environment would not be a cause for anymore paper work"

Mr. Morris chimed, "That is also on the sheet."

The woman eyed him icily. Skimming her hawk like eyes over the printed-paper, it did indeed say those same things. Taking a deep breath, she said frankly, "Fine then."

Saying a silent prayer of gratitude, she nodded her eyes toward Mr. Morris in silent thanks. The ride to her apartment was silent from then on.

Once they got to her apartment, things immediately went smoother. She led them to her room where she did experiments of her own. There were steps placed there to lead downward and to the balcony. The downstairs portion had a door that led from living area. The bottom part was 35 by 30 and the upper part was 20 by 20 feet. This was originally supposed to be a dining room and a bedroom of some sort, but she didn't like because it had no window view. She had part of the floor removed, with permission of the landlord, promising to replace it if in the event she decided to move out. It was amazing what you could do with money…The remaining part of the floor, supported by steel columns, formed a 'balcony' with stairs leading down to the main part of the lab. It had white washed walls with silver tables and stools scattered in primary spots.

Kristi looked in the room only to hear the black Stacy Adam shoes clicking all over the white tile. She saw people with plastic gloves come in with what looked like vacuums. Another crew of people came in and started to clean and inspect from what Kris could see.

After an hour of this, the witch looking person turned around and looked toward the same man that was talking with Kristi the first time. She gave him a thumbs up. The woman walked by Kristi in haste, throwing in the wind, "Nice place."

She couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or her weird way of giving a compliment. Deciding to not take offense to it, she said back quickly, "Thanks."

The woman screamed loudly, "Okay boys! Let's move it in!" Turning toward Kris's confused face, the woman said almost nicely, "You can go in and watch us if you'd like to make sure everything goes according to how you'd like." How she liked….boy that was a nice combination of words! Nodding a yes, she strolled into the room and pulled up a chair in a corner. She watched the people come in and out, carrying in some equipment, cages, and an assortment of other things.

When they were done, someone soon yelled, "Spider on Deck!" Everyone moved out of the way as the man carrying the cage of the Super Spider, came in. His head was held high, and his hands placed securely on the cage. He looked like he was about to present the Queen of England.

He took every step carefully. Once he reached the designated table, he placed the spider slowly and carefully on the silver counter. Kristi swore she heard a collective sigh of relief around the room. The same witch looking woman yelled, "Everyone! Move out!" And like that, all the people scurried out of the room, leaving only her and Mr. Morris. The woman approached Kristi and handed her a clipboard. "I need a signature to signify that we came in and inspected the facilities and that you received the present equipment." Skimming her dark eyes over it, she then placed her signature on the line. The woman began to speak quickly. "Thank you. The rest of the equipment will be coming in over the next couple of days. Good bye." The woman turned on her black heels and marched out. Kristi just watched her in wonderment. This was definitely an experience to remember.

Mr. Morris turned to Kristi after looking at the present standings. "Well," he said proudly, "you did it. You got what you wanted. Good luck with it."

Kristi was beaming. "This is great…you have no idea how wonderful this is."

"I think I can imagine. I have to give it to you…when I first saw your lab…it blew me away. A lot more stylish than what we're working in."

Kristi was always close with Mr. Morris. He seemed more than a supervisor, but a friend, a very dear, and trusted friend. She gave him a quick hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything."

Giving her a quick squeeze back, he said, "I hope everything works out for you."

She could only sigh. "I can only hope."

"Well…good luck." His old eyes looked in her lab once more, before turning toward the door. "I must be going now. I have some research to tend to myself."

"Okay, well…take care of yourself Doc." Kristi said as she began to escort Mr. Morris to the door.

"It's not going to be quite as exuberant around the labs now."

"I'm sure you'll find something to fill in the void."

"I'm sure we will. Good bye Kristina."

"Later Mr. M." She shut her door and leaned against it. She got it. She finally got studies she wanted. These studies she needed would propel her into the science world. Maybe her luck was changing after all.

…………..

The next two days in Kristi's life went by so quickly for her. By day three, she had entered in all the data concerning the spider's behavior, but she was having trouble finding a mate. It was still cold even though it was nearing March. If things took too long, she could always just get a spider's egg from the institute. She was on such a natural high that she didn't care. Today was the day of the concert, and she was pumped. She was absolutely in love with 311's music. This put her in a good mood the entire day.

She was walking around her den looking for her notebook when something caught her eye outside the window. She saw an all too familiar truck bringing her more equipment. The guy that brought it was called Rico. He swore constantly that the name Rico Suave came from him and that he got gypped out of the money from it. His brown eyes and Italian accent made him sound like he was straight from the Godfather. He was rather cute and had the funniest expressions. He was a character and constantly brought humor to Kris every time she talked with him. He was one of the few people that she felt comfortable around. He was just an all round great person to be around.

She went down the elevator to meet him outside. When she got to the door, she yelled, "Hey Rico!"

The tall man turned around. "Hey doll face! Got anotha' present for ya."

"Oh really? I'm flattered."

Nodding toward the back of the truck, he said, "Yeah…its in the back." His slender hands took out a clipboard. He fished out a pen from his worn brown jacket and handed the two things to her. "Here ya go, sign please."

Signing her name on the various papers, she asked without looking up, "So Rico what have you been up to?"

He rubbed his left hand over his long neck. "Oh the regular stuff. Making women happy to see my face, satisfying them…the usual."

She could only chuckle to herself. "Of course. A big pimp like yourself who…" she glimpsed at his sagging blue jeans. "Who has a fetish with heart shaped boxers."

He turned around quickly, covering up his butt. "Hey, hey! Where'd you get that from?"

She walked toward him shaking her head. "Maybe if your pants were at WAIST level," she said as she tugged his pants upward with the side belt loop, "you wouldn't have to worry about everyone knowing your secret."

Running a hand through his short brown hair, he said casually, "Hey, I gotta let those unfortunate ladies who don't have a chance with me have a peek at what they missin'."

"Of course."

"Which reminds me," he came by her and put an arm around her, "when are you gonna let me take you out?"

She handed him back the clipboard. "Me? Whatever. I'm not datable material…not for Rico Suave." He took off her receipt and gave it to her.

"You're a lot better then some of these chicken heads running around. Besides, my momma would love you. You sure ain't a chicken head, you got brains, and you're a Catholic. She'd just love you." Reaching for the hook at the bottom of the truck he said, "Hey, they had an explosion of some sort at the old Forbes plant."

"The chemical plant?"

"Yeah." He lifted the back of the white truck up and hoisted himself onto the back of it. "I was sent to deliver some stuff there and what do you know? The place ain't there no more. So I get out and talk to my friend Joe bout it. Said the place got blown sky high."

Kristi looked up at him while he was searching for her package. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Na, the people got out aight from what I heard. Oh wait…he did say that there was some one who got hurt, but nothing to make a big stink outta, a broken arm I think." Reaching for her box, he saw something jump out at him. "Dio Mio! Spider!" He backed up against the truck to get away from it. The whole vehicle shook from his movement.

Kristi's eyes opened widely and then fell quickly to the truck floor. "What! Where?"

He pointed his finger toward it. "Right there." Grabbing his Reebok shoe he said, "Hold on and I'll fix it good. C'mere youse. I'll squash you like a-"

Kristi held her arms out in the air to cover it somewhat. "Rico wait! Don't touch it!" She stared at it carefully…it was a female. Perfect!

"Why? Is it poisonous?"

"Well all spiders are poisonous but only a few are deadly." She bit her bottom lip at her luck. "Can I have it?" She kept her eyes on it. For some strange reason, it stopped moving. Kristi figured it to be because of the shock of cold air.

He cocked his head to the side with his shoe still in hands. "What a pretty thing like you want a spider for? Are you that lonely?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "No, I need it for something. It's for science."

"Well go ahead." He grabbed a glass out of the front part of the van and dumped the water out on the side. He handed it to her carefully and got her some paper. "I dunno how the nasty thing got in here. My policy is to always have a clean vehicle so folks have nothing to complain about their stuff being dirty and everything."

She placed her receipt down. Concentrating on capturing the spider, she said calmly, "These things happen."

"Not in my van! As much as I hate them, that just gives me another reason to make sure its clean." Scratching his head, he came up with an idea and snapped his fingers. The truck rocked a little bit and Kristi looked up at him. "Sorry bout that, but I bet I know what happen. The dirty thing got on when I stopped at the plant. I still had the bloody truck open for a while. Little thing musta hitched a ride. I don't blame it now that I think about it. There was fire everywhere. Probably didn't want to be a crispy critter."

Getting the glass on over it successfully, she began to scoot it toward the edge with her paper ready. "That's understandable."

Eyeing her package, he asked, "Well…you think you could carry this up there?"

She slid the paper under the cup quickly and flipped it. "Uh…" Once she made sure the spider was securely captured, she looked back at his brown eyes. "Sure, it's only a…" glimpsing at the receipt, she said finally, "microscope."

"Okay then." He hopped out of the truck quickly. "You should be set."

Giving him a quick hug, she said, "Thank you Rico."

He left his arms where they were. "Babe, I didn't know you cared." Kristi held the cup up to his face. He jumped about 5 feet back. "That's not cool yo."

She smiled at his scared expression. "You're great Rico."

Tugging on his jacket he said nonchalantly, "I know."

She shook her head at him. "Later Rico."

"Later doll."

Kristi went back up to her apartment with her heart pounding. From the looks of it, it was of the Class Therididae, a house spider. Why was a spider like this out by the plant? She shrugged her shoulders at the thought. 'Oh well,' she thought. She had her spider. That's all that mattered. She brought it to the lab and put it in a cage of its own. This was wonderful. She was going to a concert tonight and she found her spider. Things were going well for a change.

……………………….

Everyone was supposed to meet up at M.J.'s around seven so they could leave at 7:15 and find a parking spot. The show started for nine, so that left them plenty of time to get situated. Peter felt great about it. It pleased him to see Kristi so ecstatic and happy about going. She was slowly coming out of her shell, and he liked it.

When he got to M.J.'s, Harry was already there. What he didn't like was the looks on their faces. They didn't look too pleased at all. "Ya'll…what's up?"

M.J. sighed heavily while smoothing her red tresses back. She looked back at Pete with nervousness. "I didn't get Kris a ticket."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "What! Why?"

M.J. turned away from him and began to pace. This was gonna be hell of an audience to win over… Harry, thinking M.J. was too ashamed to answer, jumped in. "Plainly put, she forgot about it…"

Kristi reached M.J.'s floor and began to look for the familiar door. "421…421…ah there it is." Once she saw it, she took a look at herself in the sliver elevator doors before going over there. She quickly smoothed the some strands of hair back toward the ponytail she had. She had straightened her hair out so it would be more manageable. She folded the hanging hair under the hair holder, and tugged at her black cotton shirt. Smoothing out some creases on her carpenter jeans, she stuffed her hands in her jacket and headed toward the door.

Peter paced around the floor with his nails in his mouth. This was unbelievable. "How can I tell Kris that you…you just FORGOT to get her a ticket?"

M.J. looked up from her pacing and tired to 'defend' herself. "I 'forgot' since no one gave me a definite yes or no on whether she was going."

Peter shook his head at that answer. He pointed toward her answering machine. "I left two messages on your answering machine, and I told Harry to tell you." He was exasperated. This was just purely incredible to him.

M.J. gripped her forehead. "Peter…I've been running in and out of here like mad." She began to pace some more. "I haven't checked the machine in days."

Harry looked at her confused like. "M.J. I thought I told you she was going on Thursday."

With her hand on her forehead, she said quickly, "Harry, I don't remember you telling me. I don't remember a lot of things okay? I'm sorry."

Peter rubbed his face. "Tell THAT to Kris."

"Peter, its not all her fault. Everyone forgets some times."

"You don't understand, she-" There was a knock at the door. Peter shot a look toward the door. "God, that's probably her now…"

Kristi took a deep breath. This really was embarrassing for her. Did they really have to talk so loudly? She could only bet that God was doing this on purpose to save her the embarrassment. She shook her head at herself and plastered a smile on her face. Oh well…looked like another night of black and whites, black ink on white paper, or whatever else there is. Maybe she could look up some more research on the spiders…

The door soon swung open and she saw a nervously smiling M.J. Kristi looked at M.J with the best attempt at a happy disposition. "Hey M.J.," she glimpsed in the room and waved at the guys. "Hey guys."

M.J. made room for her to come in. "Kris…uh, hey."

Kris turned to M.J., rubbing her hands ruefully. Staring at the three, she nearly laughed out loud. Their expressions were priceless. To hide her smirk, she covered her mouth quickly to make it appear as though she were thinking. Appearing to be in a hurry, she shifted her feet and glimpsed at her watch. 'Let's get this over with,' she thought. Quickly she said, "Hey. I can't stay long. I wanted to come by and say," her eyes flew up toward M.J.'s, "I can't go tonight." Everyone's eyes flew up toward Kristi. If this wasn't a stroke of luck…

Peter blinked several times. "Why?"

Rubbing her neck solemnly, she continued. "Well…some things have come up that I need to tend to." Making up something to cover herself, she said quickly, "I tried to call earlier, but the line was busy."

M.J. played along on this. Shaking her head knowingly, she said with a nervous laugh, "It was probably Sharon…"

This was incredible. Maybe M.J. really should get a job in acting. Kristi nodded her head in agreement. "Uh huh, it probably was. But um yeah…" she added almost cynically, "I feel bad about you getting stuck with that extra ticket… after your bro pulled the strings and all." Her dark brown eyes looked intently at M.J. carefully, as though she were waiting for something.

M.J. continued to look at her nervously through her somewhat lowered eyes. "It wasn't a problem…really."

'I'm sure it wasn't…' Kristi thought ruefully. She was laughing on the inside at their facial expressions. They looked horrified. "Well, still I feel bad about it. Maybe you can sell it and make some cash." She looked between the three. She saw them smile nervously and she just smiled to herself in bitterness. "Well anyway, I know ya'll are probably gonna be leaving soon so I won't hold you." She began to walk toward the white door.

Opening the door for her, M.J. said regretfully, "I'm really sorry Kris."

Kris looked at her. Yeah…she ALMOST sounded regretful. "No, I'm the one that's sorry…" 'Yea…real sorry…' she thought. Turning around with a smile on her face, she added good-naturedly, "I hope ya'll have fun." She felt herself about to cry. She turned around quickly and headed toward the elevator. Before the doors closed, she waved back at them.

When the door shut, her shoulders slumped and she leaned against the wall. She let her head hit the back of the cool wall and just shook her head at herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she muttered to herself while hitting the back of her head against the wall. She couldn't believe that things were the way they were. They have a little circle thing going on, and she tried to get in on it. Forget Marie, stupidity was her middle name. She sighed heavily as she wiped a loose tear away sullenly. She got off the elevator with her head high, her tears wiped away, and strolled out the building, alone, with her hands deep in her pockets. 'Oh well, back to square one…' she thought.

Back in the apartment, M.J. turned around and closed the door. "Can you believe that luck?"

Peter looked at the door and then back to M.J. "Yeah…some luck."

Harry shook his head. "That bites for her." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began to rock back and forth on his black shoes. "I wonder what came up."

Peter shrugged his shoulders in speculation. "I can only wonder…" 'Thin walls maybe?' he thought. If he was right, then he felt like dirt. He was almost sure Harry wouldn't forget to tell M.J., especially since he knew Harry didn't want him to feel like a third wheel. Then he turned his skeptical blue eyes to M.J. He eyed her carefully. He could normally figure out when someone was lying, but he couldn't quite tell with her. What was wrong with her? She was not normally nearly this forgetful…there was something wrong with this. As Kris would say, she was acting 'shady'. He just shook his head. It's M.J….c'mon, she said herself that they were cool. She wouldn't do this on purpose would she?

M.J. saw the look in Peter's eyes. She shot her eyes downward toward her watch to cover her mistake. She felt like crap doing that to Kris, but she had to keep them separated. They already had three classes together. She wanted Peter too badly to let possible competition get in her way. What was she saying?! This was dorky, old Kris. The only thing they had in common was probably the same brand of test tubes in their apartments. And as for competition, geez…it wasn't supposed to be a contest.

"Well…I guess we should get going soon. It's gonna be murder to try to find a parking spot," Harry said while glancing at his gold watch.

"Okay, let me go get my purse and the tickets."

"Okay." M.J. walked out of the room toward her bedroom. Peter watched her form carefully. He turned his head to Harry only to see Harry eyeing him. Peter raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Are you sure you-"

Harry held up a hand. "Peter…I'm pretty sure. I mean there's always the chance that I thought I told her in a dream or something, but I'm pretty sure I told her. We were at the park on Thursday and she told me her bro needed to know how many tickets. And I said Kris is game. Now…I could have conjured this up, but I'm pretty sure I didn't." Peter just nodded his head. Harry knew what he was thinking. Trying to stick up for her some, he added, "You know M.J…she's on the skits. She's all worried about that play of hers. She forgot about our lunch date yesterday."

"Hmmm." Peter still didn't feel right about this. About five minutes later, M.J. emerged from her room. "Stupid me, my purse was over here-" she said while she strode toward her kitchen counter, "along with the tickets. I was worried for a sec." Gathering the three tickets, she handed one to Harry and one to Peter. Harry promptly took out his wallet and placed it in there.

Peter still felt funny about the whole 'something came up' bit. Making up something, he began to reach around his jacket. Acting upset, he had a worried look on his face. M.J. looked at him with interest. "You forget something?"

Forcing a laugh from himself, he said disappointed like, "I forgot my wallet at home. Of all things…my wallet."

"Well, you don't really need it."

"Still…I don't feel comfortable without it. I can take the sub and met up with ya'll in like, 20 minutes?"

Harry shook his head at him. "You don't have to take the sub. I could swing you over there real quick."

"Naw, that's okay, you gotta find a parking spot, remember?"

M.J. nodded her head. "Okay, well make sure to meet us at the south entrance, gate 12, okay?"

Okay..she could remember that, but no remember to get a fourth ticket? Now he KENW something was up. "Alright…I'll remember." He stressed the last word subtly. Peter headed toward the elevator.

……………

Kristi got into her purple jammies and went downstairs with her book, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. She had already read it seven times, but it is a classic after all.

Kristi let her hair down and massaged her head. Sighing, she went to her kitchen and pulled out a bag of butter lover's popcorn. Throwing it in the microwave, she said quickly, "This is better than going to a concert anyway." It was more or less reassurance. In some aspects, it was true. She liked being at home curled up on a sofa, reading a book, and eating popcorn. How bad was that really? Cheering herself up, she went in search of her CD player remote. Hitting shuffle, she soon heard Aaliyah singing Loose Rap. Feeling bold, she started to sing herself:

I'm sick and tired of the loose rap.

Now, Now…yeah. For the 01...

I know you can come better,

Can come better than that,

So you can kill all your loose rap,

hahaha. . . babygirl.

How many times I tell you don't come to me?

You bringin' me all of that jealousy,

Cause you got envy (Don't hate me baby).

Talk smack behind my back,

Then when you see me,

You try to come up and talk to me (Don't talk to me).

I'm not saying nothing (nothing).

I know you can come better,

Can come better than that (that),

Don't come here with all that loose rap (loose rap),

You can keep that (keep that) .

I know you can come better,

Can come better than that,

I'm sick and tired of the loose rap (loose rap),

You can save that (save that).

She soon heard her microwave go off, and she got up with her book still in her hands. Placing it down on the marble countertop, she treaded toward the microwave in her bare feet. She got a quick chill up her spine from the cool white tile surface. "Gotta remember to go get some socks." Kristi continued to sing the lyrics:

Too many times you guys would come step to me.

I guess you call yourself booking me,

But do I look easy? (Well, It Ain't Easy).

Well, it never hurts to try,

I just might let you call me.

I hope you don't plan on buggin' me,

That would be…ugly.

I know you can come better,

Can come better than that (than that),

Don't come here with all that loose rap,

You can keep that.

I know you can come better,

Can come better than that (that),

I'm sick and tired of the loose rap,

You can save that (save that).

She reached for her cabinet and pulled out a large, ceramic, green bowl. She dumped the popcorn into the bowl and then headed for her black refrigerator. She pulled out a cold can of Dr. Pepper and went back to her previous spot. She placed it in her drink holder on her S-shaped three-piece coffee table. After wiping her hands on her purple, cotton shirt, she went back to the kitchen and grabbed the popcorn and book.

I know you can come better

Can come better than that

So you can kill all the loose rap

You can quit that (quit that)

I know you can come better

Can come better than that

So you can stop all your loose rap, Your loose rap

She was almost to the sofa when she heard the door buzz. She turned around swiftly. Who in the world could that be? She treaded toward the door with the popcorn and book still in her hands. She turned the knob slowly, only to see somebody she really didn't expect. "Peter?" Her eyes blinked for a moment...how was she gonna get herself out of this one...wait! Why should she have to defend herself anyway? Blinking her thoughts away, she asked quickly, "Aren't you suppose to be at the um...concert or at least on your way?"

Peter sighed heavily as he eyed her. With a stern gaze, he said in quietly, "I was about to leave, but I decided to check on something." He turned his gaze to the bowl of popcorn and the book in her hands.

Catching what his eyes were falling on, she said sarcastically, "I take it I would be that something."

"Why didn't you want to go?"

She grinned for a moment. "Oh no, that's not the case. I'm a big 311 fan, but you see, it's kinda hard to go when you don't have a ticket."

"How'd you-"

She just chuckled, almost angrily, "Either your voices carry or the doors are very thin."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"What would be the point?" she countered.

He clasped his hands together. He wasn't oblivious to the bitterness...just made him feel worse. "Look Kris…I'm so sorry about that."

She just shook her head at his attempts. "Don't worry about it."

He knew she was disappointed, but he had to give it to her; She could put up a front. "M.J.'s bro could probably get you in with us."

She held her free hand up to stop him. "Look, I don't want ya'll to bother with me, okay? It is NOT that big of a deal."

"What are you doing tonight then?"

"Taking care of some matters, like I said I would be. I've found that I've neglected the whole classical book scene,. so," she could feel herself beginning to break. Hurrying up she said quickly, "I'm gonna sit on my bum and get fat off of a tub of butter lover's popcorn, as you can see, and read this," she said as she held the book up. "I've already read it seven times, but I just can't ever get enough off of our hero the Count." Her voice was beginning to crack. To cover herself, she began to look at the back of the book.

Peter looked at her intently. She looked like she was about to cry. Even though he couldn't tell because her head was down, he just knew it. He stepped inward a little bit. "Kris…Kris c'mon, look at me." He lifted her chin slowly so she would look at him. When she saw him take a step forward, she backed away. She moved her head out of his grasp and looked at the wall to her right. "Kris-"

She swallowed hard. She didn't know holding back tears was such a hard thing to do. Why she felt so badly about this was a mystery to her. She really did have her heart set on going, with people that actually invited her with good intentions. She just shook her head at him to block out his attempts. "Pete, do…not…worry about it." This time she looked him straight in the eye to emphasize that she meant it. This was new to her. People really weren't worried about whether she was okay or not. Sighing, she leaned against the doorpost. "You better hurry up and go before they leave you."

"Would you like to go in my place?"

She rolled her eyes at his attempts. "Oh, boy please! Would you leave already? Why would I give you the pleasure of staying home and getting fat, that's my job!" She tried to smile for him to reassure him, but it turned out being weak.

She was trying to back her way out of this with humor and he wasn't blind to it. He really did want to go with her. As much fun as she is to be around, he was looking forward to this night. He tried to make eye contact with her once more. "I want to make this up to you."

Kristi just exhaled. "Why? It's just a concert."

"As much as you act like you wouldn't have wanted to go…I know you did."

Shrugging her shoulders, she said finally, "Okay…so I did. I did! Saying that won't change things, if anything, it'll make me feel worse, so this is where the whole denial thing comes into play. Believe me, there is always a method to my madness. Look," she glimpsed at her watch for a moment before looking back up at him, "you better go…you're gonna be late."

"Kris-"

He really did care…"Pete, just go, have fun. It's not the first time, I'm sure it won't be the last, and I'm fine about it. It's only another statistic in my life."

He shifted his weight a little bit. He didn't like how that sounded. He knew that she was often alone, but he didn't want to be another 'statistic' in her life. He didn't want to be on that list. "I don't want to leave you like this."

"It's not that bad of a way to leave someone when you think about it. Popcorn, warmth, and books and probably some movies, is not that bad of a deal. Lot better than losing your hearing. Are you going to leave now?" God his eyes were intense. "I'm fine…see." She danced around in a circle for him. "See, I'm cool about it."

Grabbing a hand full of popcorn, he slowly popped a few kernels in his mouth. "Nope, not yet." She just watched him chew slowly. "My, my, you are in a hurry to get rid of me. Do you have some company or something?"

'No company…just a bad thing called estrogen,' she thought. She smirked at him. "Oh ha…ha…ha, did you forget who you were talking to? Don't even joke like that."

Thinking of something for them to do, he said finally, "Hey, there's a modern art exhibit coming up. You're gonna go with me."

"Well…thanks for TELLING me that Fred Flintstone." She began to laugh at him while he just stood against the door eating her popcorn. "You aren't gonna leave are you?"

Popping another kernel in his mouth, he said matter-of-factly, "I could just chill here with you. They won't miss me." That would be HEAVEN to her…

"Now, wait, don't go and deprive yourself of the complimentary earplugs because of lil old me."

His stare was very intimidating to her. Nervously, she slid a strand behind her ear. Peter asked once more, "Are you sure you're-"

"I AM ABSO-POSI-LUTELY SURE! Geez already!" she said while laughing. He's a hard headed somebody. "When you DO go, would you get me a poster or something if you think about it?"

He nodded his head. "Sure."

Kristi walked away from him for a moment to put her stuff down. She dug around in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a ten. She held it out for him, but he didn't take it. "Um, normally, when someone hands money out, the person in front of them is normally supposed to grasp it. It's the American way."

"No, that's not how the whole giving thing goes."

"Pete…take the money."

"Later."

"You aren't leaving until you take this money." He ran out the door and stood in the hallway with a grin on his face. He began to laugh when he received a fistful of popcorn to the face. "Are you gonna chase me down the street in your stylish nightwear?"

Kristi just grinned at him. "I dunno what you are smiling for…I just used reverse psychology on you, and I'm getting something free out of it…bye!"

He stopped and thought about it. Damn…she was right…"Kris wait-" slam went the door. He stared at the door for a moment before blinking his eyes. He chuckled to himself as he went down the hall with his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. Thinking to himself, he said, 'She's good…she's good.'



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