Title: May Never Be

Author: November02

Pairing: Peter/OC, Peter/Mary Jane later

Warnings: Some Spider-Man 2 spoilers in later chapters!

Rating: PG-13 to be safe and R later on

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I am just a fan of the Spider-Man movies and a newbie to his comic book world. I only own my character Nicole Stewart.

Chapter 2

"The lunch bells about to ring." Harry commented. He was sitting on my car hood. I didn't mind too much. It was an old Mustang. Nothing fancy.

"I have to go back. Promised a girl from my Anatomy class that I'd meet up with her for lunch. She didn't want me to be alone. Who would have thought that I would find my male counterpart." I laughed from the passenger seat. It was true. Harry and me just clicked. He was my guide to this new place but a friendly one. He was kicked out for grades and the occasional fight while I was kicked out for just plain fighting. He had shown me the ropes, so to speak, in a matter of minutes and I couldn't have been happier. I had a friend.

"Too bad. Nicole, why must you tempt me with a ride and a no school period only to drag me back?"

"What can I say? I'm a tease. Besides, don't you have a little friend to get together with?" I remembered him speaking of his shy friend.

"Peter can handle himself. On second thought, he probably couldn't. But I have never eaten school food and I certainly don't plan on starting now. Just drop me off at the deli across the street and I'll be fine." He got off the car and into his seat, after playfully pushing me out.

"Since you have Bio. sixth period, you may be able to met Peter. I'm in that class too you know."

I started up the engine and pulled out of the bookstore parking lot. "You already told me that. Why do I talk to you?"

"Because you know no one else."

"Ah. I see. Loophole."

I turned to look at him. He reminded me of those bullies back at my old school in New Jersey. He was one of those preps with money and power. He was good-looking. He seemed to be the perfect model of a tormentor but he wasn't. He wasn't. Or so I thought. I wouldn't see the villain in this smart young man until a few years later.

"Watch the road, Crazy."

"Don't tell me what to do, Blue Blood." I retorted. "I can't wait for the snow to come so I can throw some at you."

"See what will happen if you try that crap with me." He threatened mockingly.

I didn't make any comments back. Didn't need to. We remained in silence until we were a light away from the school building.

"You know we're probably supposed to report to study hall or something."

"I doubt it. Senior privilege and all. And even if we are, we can just wing it until we get caught." The passenger replied once I pulled into an available spot.

"And that's why we're fast friends."

We collected our things. Harry headed across the street while I went inside, in search of 613 EE.

"Nicole! Nicole! Over here!" I heard someone shout. I turned around to see Mary Jane.

"Hey," It was lame but the typical teen handbook stated that one mustn't get too excited when meeting up with a new stranger even though one has gotten lost and given up hope of ever finding that person, let alone a recognizable landmark.

"I'm surprise you found me." She said, attitude bubbly.

"I didn't find you. You found me."

She smiled. "True. I thought you would have gotten swept up in the crowd wave."

"I was." I said solemnly. "It was horrible." I had a knack for making jokes. It was a great and easy way to make people feel comfortable around you. That's what Malek always told me.

"I bet it was." We went to her locker where she shoved her books inside. I told her my class schedule.

"I thought I was the only one other than a few other nameless people to take multiple science classes. Biology! From one anatomy to another."

I let MJ carry on with her insight on people, places, and gossip. She pointed out some friends, some people to know, some people to stay away from, and other high school related things.

"Yeah, I know Harry Osbourne. He's in my World Lit. class. He's pretty cool."

"Yeah," She led me to through the lunch line.

What an experience that was! It seemed to me that, with every shout 'Hey MJ!', I was dealing with a popular kid. It was pretty amazing. I was a semi- popular kid back in Jersey but people like her, with the popularity extent as her, was something that I never looked forward to. I decided that, for now, I'd stick with her. Maybe popular kids were bad in certain areas and this wasn't it.

"You'll sit with me and some of my friends."

"Okay," I replied. 'I will ride the wave', I chanted to myself.

We entered into the sitting portion of the large cafeteria. It was standard. Horribly tiled floors, white tiled half walls and a whitewash cinder block top portion wall finished the look. Typical folded lunch tables were lined up neatly in rows of nine in two columns.

I followed Mary Jane over to a table that was filled with many talkative people.

"Hey MJ." That voice was too familiar. It grated at my nerves. Oh no.

"Scoot over, Flash. I have someone I want you all to met." She sat her tray down.

"Look, Flash. It's that girl."

Oh look, Nicole. It was the pretty cute blonde who I will never go out with. Jerk, I thought to myself. I knew I should have went with Harry or to the library.

"You two have met?" I sat down next to Mary Jane who had begun opening her bag of chips.

"Yes. It was very enchanting."

I looked across from me to see Flash eyeing my either greedily or angrily or a sick mix of both.

He ripped into his pizza slice. "I told her to stay away from that Parker freak. Didn't listen to me. But I guess she learned better seeing as how she's sitting with us now."

"You have great deductive reasoning there, Flash." I commented as I popped open my drink. I had lost my appetite with the males at the table. My fellow females weren't any better. Except for Mary Jane, only Marissa and Amanda seemed to be worth talking to but I couldn't understand their rapid conversation about boys? Clothes? Mr. Randolf, the new substitute? I had no idea. But I knew now that I'd be spending most of my lunchtime across the street, with Harry.

I decided to just drift off and think about my theme for my poem that would be due two days from now. I could probably write about the usual angst that teens go through. Simple enough. I soon began to scan the cafeteria. I saw the token cliques all at their respective corners or tables. All I could think of was how much I didn't belong at the popular table. I wanted to hang out with the Drama geeks, the stoners, the nerds, the regulars...the anyone else but here. I loved Mary Jane to death but her friends were not of my liking. I despised Flash and his gang.

At the table in front of me, I saw an empty table. Or as empty as a public school lunch table could get. Either ends were filled with friends while the middle had a single soul sitting by himself, head down. He had floppy brown hair and black glasses. He was my Parker nerd. I couldn't help but think about him for the rest of the lunch bell.

Once again, that blasted bell rang aloud and a flurry of students rushed off to their designated classes.

Mary Jane decided to walk me to my class, seeing as how the advanced language classes were nowhere near the language hall Harry pointed out to me.

"I see you were bored and checking out someone."

"I was. No offense to your friends or anything but I couldn't get into what they were saying. I did, however, like Marissa and Amanda, if that's any consolation." I said.

"Well, since I have a free period and you can say you were confused about which language hall was which, why don't we go find your locker and put some of those books away. Trust me, though the Spanish 5 books are paperbacks, the Biology book is a killer." She smiled.

"Fine with me. Why I decided to take Advanced Spanish, I'll never know."

We both laughed. "So, how has your day been?" Mary Jane asked me as we headed towards the stairwell.

"It's been great. You started off my day rather well. We didn't cut anything open so that's always a plus. Then I met Harry who is pretty cute and nice. Hung out with him off campus during my free period. Then came writing class with Schuler, which was relaxing enough. Then lunch with you and the rest is up to fate." I ranted a bit more in detail and MJ listened tentatively. I noticed that she was the wholesome type of girl who you just wanted to describe as being 'swell'. How cheesy was that?

"You had a good day for a new kid."

"Yeah. Is this it?"

"Uh-huh. I noticed that you were scanning the room and you seemed to find a target." She leaned against the locker next to mine. I took off my satchel and loaded my full-length locker with some notebooks and textbooks.

I shut the door and stuffed my schedule into my back cargo jeans pocket. "I was just wondering about a kid I talked to earlier today. Right before Anatomy actually."

"Is that what Flash was talking about?"

"Yeah. I saw those losers bump into some guy and I helped him collect his things. I've seen bullies before and my friend was on the receiving end of it. It was a horrible mess but it was resolved and I couldn't help but help him." The halls had thinned out and we were strolling down the third level hall.

"I bet I know who it was." She sighed. "Peter Parker. He lives next door to me. He's really sweet, very considerate, a real gentlemen. I get away with talking to him every so often but that's only because I'm 'popular'." She said, voice bordering on sarcasm.

"So, I think you don't like the popularity."

"I do. It's just that sometimes you end up with superficial friends and brutes for boyfriend propositions. And I really like Peter. You would to, I think."

"If this Peter Parker is the same Parker, which I know it is, I feel it, then I will like him since I have a thing for shy guys or the quote-unquote nerd types." I smiled.

"He's in our next class so you'll met him then. You might as well just sit with me. I'm a loner, yet again."

"That's fine with me. Is the teacher okay with that?"

"She could care less where you sit, as long as you don't slack off in grade points." She reassured me. "I sit in the row next to the fossil cabinet display and fourth lab table back."

"Great. Have fun wherever you go."

We spilt off, me to Spanish and she to the library.

Class wasn't that bad. Nothing more really needs to be said about Spanish.

It was good to know that my last two classes were on the same floor. No running up anymore stairs. Since biology was another hall over, I arrived to Biology first. The teacher wasn't anywhere to be found, so I sat my books down and wandered to the back.

A few seconds later, I heard someone else enter. I turned around and there was my Parker nerd. My Peter Parker nerd.

"Hey. It seems to me that you're quite popular." I called up front. I saw the young man flinch. "Sorry to startle you."

He turned around and it was him. "Oh. It's you."

"It's you too."

He smiled softly. "I'm not too popular. If you weren't paying attention, those guys hate me."

"I wasn't paying attention to those guys."

"You seemed to be quite friendly to them at lunch." He flushed slightly. Was he embarrassed at something?

"I was okay to them because they showed that a gal like me could be thought of as a potential. Jungle fever? You remember? But I didn't know you we watching me."

"I wanted to thank you again. So, thank you."

"I wanted to find you too. And you're welcome." I went over to his table. The teacher was already in but I decided to do the other students a favor by waiting until class started to take up his time.

"You are popular though. Mary Jane and Harry know you and I only know them. So, by my calculations, I think you're popular." I grinned at his downward gaze. He couldn't look up at me because he was blushing a bit more. It was so adorable.

He cleared his throat. "So, um, you're new here. I'm Peter. Peter Parker." He held out his hand. I shook it firmly. Not many kids shake hands anymore. How proper.

"Nicole Stewart. Do you know of any clubs I could get myself situated in?"

"Drama Club is always looking for people. The newspaper is looking for computer technician since our previous layout guy moved. Um, Science Club, Chess Club...I doubt you would choose any of those. We have a new literary magazine."

"I think Drama, Lit. Mag., and newspaper would be fine. Chess...can't play to save a Harry Potter first year life. Science...I may do. I'm in here and Anatomy."

"We focus more on Physics and Chemistry."

"Well then, three clubs are fine with me."

He laughed a bit. "So you know MJ and Harry?"

"Sure do. May I?"

"Sure. Harry's usually late for this class." I slid into the seat next to him. People slowly filtered in.

"Mary Jane's in my first period and Harry and I share a second period, free period, and lunch. He was going to introduce us but I beat him to it."

"And now you know me."

"Yes I do. I'm very happy to know you Mr. Parker."

"Likewise."

Mary Jane walked in and I watched Peter. I noticed how his demeanor shifted at bit and his flush return slightly. He had a sparkle in his eye. He liked her. I smiled to myself. Didn't expect anything to happen with the cutie but him liking MJ! What a day I was having.

"Maybe tomorrow, we should go over and pay Harry a visit at lunch."

"I would but I stay to finish up labs for Advanced Chem."

I look at him with a blank stare. "You really are a genius. Well, I refuse to sit with Flash and them so I'm going. Now I must leave before Harry comes."

"Okay. Hope to see you at the meeting."

"Which one and when?"

"Newspaper, in the American history room, on Thursday afternoon." He informed me.

"I'll be there." I walked over to the teacher's desk, received my book and began with class.

To sum up the rest of my day: I was daydreaming for those blue eyes.