The Girl with Blonde Hair
Two Years Earlier…
Peter walked into the lecture hall to his Advanced Chemistry class. This was the first time he'd actually made it to class in weeks. Being Spider-man had kept him busy. Despite his absences, he'd kept up to date with his class work. He'd read all the assigned reading and then some. After seeing so much pain and taking so many dangerous chances, schoolwork had become an escape for Peter. Nothing soothed his nerves like a good chapter on the intermolecular forces of bio-molecules. Peter chose a seat in the back row near the door. The old Peter Parker would have wanted to sit up front to hear better, but now he needed to be close to the exit in case he was needed.
A short, frumpy-looking girl with glasses took the seat next to Peter. "Peter, I haven't seen you here in a while. So you decided to actually show up to class for a change."
"Hi Debra," Peter replied. Debra and Peter were the only two freshmen in the class. Both had passed out of the remedial classes and skipped two years ahead.
"How do you do it?" Debra asked.
"Do what?"
"Ace all the tests without coming to class. You must think you're so smart. Peter Parker, class is just too easy for you, huh? You don't even have to come." Debra ranted on in her high-pitched annoying voice.
"It's not that. I've been busy with my job at the Daily Bugle…"
At that moment Peter was interrupted by the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "Is this seat taken?" She asked Peter.
Peter was too dumbstruck to reply. Debra rolled her eyes. The woman wore a tight, low-cut white shirt and short jean skirt with a black belt and matching black boots. She sat down on the other side of Peter and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulders. "What was that you were saying about acing all the tests?"
Peter was silent but Debra jumped in, "Yeah, he doesn't come to class but gets all A's. Even on the last test. I mean I got a B+ but I saw that Peter got an A. I heard everyone else failed. I bet that Doc Connors will…"
"That's nice," The beautiful girl interrupted, obviously unamused by Debra. She hadn't taken her eyes off Peter the whole time Debra had been talking. "You know, I've been struggling so much with this class. Maybe you could help me study for the next test. If you're not too busy. The name was Peter, right?"
Peter was in shock. He couldn't believe this gorgeous woman was actually talking to him. "Yeah," He finally managed to spit out after a moment of silence. "I'm Peter Parker. I'd love to help you."
"Big surprise," Debra mumbled under her breath. She didn't even try to hide her contempt for the girls across from her. But the gorgeous blonde completely ignored her.
"I'm Felicia Hardy. Meet me at the library Thursday afternoon. Maybe I'll let you take me out to dinner afterwards." She batted her long eyelashes.
"Sure." Peter managed to reply.
"Hmph." Debra grumbled. She thought to herself, I guess all it takes skin-tight clothes and make-up for Peter to pay attention. But Felicia Hardy is just using him to get good grades. Pretty girls like her get whatever they want. But soon Peter will realize this and he'll realize that he and Felicia have nothing in common. He belongs with someone smart and quiet, someone who understands him. Someone like me. So maybe he'll have his taste of excitement but he'll grow weary of her. Peter can't handle excitement.
At that moment, Doctor Connors walked in and took his place in front of the blackboard. Debra snapped out of her reverie and she pulled out her notebook and pencil. As Doc Connors spoke, she furiously wrote down everything he said, meticulously organizing each point by common theme.
On Peter's other side, Felicia was also taking notes, if you could call them notes. She wrote down an occasional word from Doc Connors lecture but then returned to doodling flowers and hearts with her pink sparkly pen.
Peter didn't bother with notes. He would listen to Doc Connors every word and try to visualize what he was describing. He was familiar with today's particular topic, he'd read the article Doc Connors wrote on the subject. Peter respected Doc Connors profoundly. He was a brilliant man and a pioneer in the field of Neogenics. Normally he would devote his full concentration on the lecture, but his thoughts slipped elsewhere.
Peter thought of the gorgeous girl next to him. Girls like that didn't talk to him everyday. He watched her attempt to follow Doc Connors lecture, while she chewed lightly on her pen. Perhaps, she was just taking advantage of him to get a better grade. But he really didn't care. The last year had presented him with so many interesting opportunities maybe this would be another.
To be continued…
Note to reader: Hey, is neogenics the right word? Did I spell it right? Feel free to correct me. Oh, and in response to some of the reviews, the first chapter was a bit of a teaser. You're not supposed to know exactly what's going on yet. Keep giving me feedback. It's what keeps me going.