Make Way for the Spiders

-_-_-PETER'S POV-_-_-

I lied. I didn't really have plans for study hall, I just had an idea. Once I found out that Red was Rayne, I just... couldn't help it. I left Rayne behind, and ducked into a class room, quickly closing the door, and taking my outer layer of clothes off, leaving me in my suit. I put my mask on, and jumped out the window, waiting for the tardy bell to ring. When it did, I peeked out the window of the door to see if Rayne was still there.

Like I expected, she stood awkwardly in the hall after the bells had rang, and everyone had left. I watched her walk down the hall, feeling a bit stalkerish, not really caring. Right as she was passing in front of the door I was hiding behind, I knocked on it. She stopped in her tracks, and starting turning towards the door, and I stuck myself to the ceiling, waiting for her to come in.

The door opened slowly, but she stepped in, looking around. I waited for her to take a few more steps, before I dropped down behind her, and closed the door. She gasped, and turned to face me, shock clear on her face. I stood almost a head taller than her, and her eyes shone with confusion and fear.

I chuckled at her expression. "So, Rayne," I said. "How you likin' school so far?"

"How... how did you know...?" she trailed off, still in shock.

I smirked. "I'm like a fly on the wall. Only bigger. And more spider-like," I said.

She giggled, and I couldn't help but smile. "So you're stalking me now?" she asked, and I blushed.

"I wouldn't call it stalking..." I mumbled, and she laughed again.

"You can call it whatever you want, I'm going to call it stalking," she teased. "Now what are you doing here?"

"I found out who you were, and I thought I'd say hello," I told her. "And next time someone asks for a name to call you, don't make it something as obvious as your hair color."

"I told you it was my favorite color, and it is," she said, grinning. "I didn't think that I would ever see you other than at night."

I chuckled. "Speaking of which," I started, "are we still up for ten?"

She nodded. "Unless you've changed your mind."

I shook my head. "Ten it is, then."

She smiled and sat down on the floor. "I hate school."

"I think we all do," I laughed.

She raised an eyebrow. "You sound familiar. Like I should know you."

I pressed my lips together. "Probably just a coincidence," I muttered, trying to make my voice sound deeper.

Rayne shook her head, grinning. "Okay, now I know I've seen you around somewhere. You trying to change your voice gave it away."

"Psh, no!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, come on!" she begged. "You know who I am, now let me see who's behind the mask!"

She stood up, and reached her hand up to lift my mask, but I grabbed her wrist. "How about, no?"

She glared playfully, taking her hand away. "Please?" she asked again.

I shook my head. "It's probably not a good idea."

She pouted, making her look like a kid who didn't get her way. I realized that she always reminded me of a little kid. Whether she was happy, or upset, she just had a childish attitude. "And why not?" she asked.

I shrugged. "The police don't exactly like me. If they found out you were associated with me, they'd probably pull you in for questioning," I told her.

She looked at me for a while, a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't believe you," she said.

"How come?" I asked.

"You just don't sound sincere," she observed. "I bet you told someone once, didn't you? And it didn't end well, I'm guessing?"

I was silent for too long, and Rayne nodded.

"I thought so," she said quietly.

I didn't answer. I was too caught up in my thoughts of Gwen. I did tell someone. And it didn't end well.

Rayne gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have even asked," she apologized, sounding like she truly meant it.

I smiled, then realized she couldn't see it. "It's fine," I told her, but she didn't look convinced. "Really. I'll see you tonight, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. And you're picking me up at my window, right?"

I laughed. "As long as it isn't too stalkerish for you."

"I can manage," she joked, as the bell rang. "I have to go, I made plans with a guy in a few of my classes for lunch."

I forgot about lunch. Crap. I nodded, walking over to a window, to make it look like I was leaving. "Have fun at school," I told her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she said, walking out the door. "See you tonight!"

When she was gone, I quickly put my hoodie and sweats back over my suit, and stuffed my mask in my bag before walking out the door, well behind Rayne, so she wouldn't suspect anything.

-_-_-RAYNE'S POV-_-_-

I wandered down the hall, realizing that I didn't know where I was meeting Peter for lunch. Probably in the cafeteria, but I had two problems: one, I didn't know where it was, and two, it was a big school, which meant that the cafeteria was probably huge. With no other option, I decided to follow a group of people that were carrying brown bags. They lead me down the hall, and then entered a set of double doors. I was about to follow them, when an arm reached out in front of me, blocking my path.

I looked up to see Peter, smiling kindly at me. His brown, windswept hair was matted down a bit, almost like he had worn a hat. His eyes were sparkling, like he knew something I didn't. He stood several inches taller than me, so I stood up straighter, trying to look taller.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I was going to get lunch," I chuckled, "but someone stopped me."

He smirked, grabbing my shoulders and turning me around. "You can just share mine. My aunt always packs too much anyway," he said.

He started to lead me away from the cafeteria, and towards the doors leading out of the building.

"Where are we going?" I asked. I really didn't want to skip school on the first day of school. Maybe after a few weeks, but definitely not the first day.

"Relax, we're just going outside to the football field," Peter assured me. "A lot of people go out there."

"Oh... okay," I chirped, letting Peter drag me outside.

We went up to the bleachers, climbing to the very top. There were some people on the field, probably in gym class, playing soccer. There were a couple of girls on the sidelines, sitting on the grass, and doing nothing. Other clumps of teens wandered around the field, eating sandwiches, or other things, either complaining about classes or teachers.

"So," Peter said, offering me half of his sandwich, "how do you like New York?"

I declined the sandwich and stole his apple before answering. "I like it so far. It's definitely more exciting than Arizona," I said, and took a bite from the red fruit.

"Arizona, huh?" Peter asked.

I nodded.

"Why'd you move here?"

I shrugged. "Mom got a job transfer, so we left."

"You left? Just like that?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's not as bad as you think," I told him. "It's not exactly like I'll miss anything. I wasn't the most popular back home."

"Yeah, me neither," Peter said. "But wouldn't you be the talk of the school with your hair?"

I laughed. "Believe me, I was. They were always trying to come up with nicknames for me, trying to make fun of me, you know? But to be honest, I thought the names rocked," I said. "Especially 'Cherry'. That was the best."

Peter laughed out loud at me. "They tried to make fun of you, and you ended up liking the names?" he said, still grining. "That's great."

I laughed too. "Yeah, I guess it is."

We spent the rest of lunch just laughing, and joking around. When the bell rang for English. Peter had a different class, on the opposite side of the building, but he risked being late to show me where my class was. He promised to meet me for Calculus, then walked away.

I stepped into my English class, with Ms. Rogers, who had me stand in front of the class and introduce myself.

It was a long hour.

-_-_-_-_-

Finally, it was Calculus, and Peter met me right outside the door. How he got from one side of the school to the other, I had no idea. We walked down the hall, stopping at our lockers to put away our books.

"The day is almost over," Peter sighed. "Finally."

I laughed. "I know what you mean. I want to go home," I said.

Peter shut his locker door, and turned to face me. "What are you doing after school today?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Probably more unpacking," I said. "Why?"

He had a thoughtful look on his face. "How about we hang out this weekend?"

I hesitated, but nodded. A new start. That's why I'm here.

"Sounds like fun," I said, smiling. "What do you have in mind?"

Peter smirked. "Have you ever been skateboarding?" he asked.

I laughed. "Do you want to see me dead?" I asked. "Of course not!"

"Oh, come on! It's easy, I promise," Peter said.

I rolled my eyes but sighed. "Fine. But the first time I fall, I'm blaming you."

Peter laughed as he held open the door for me. "I'll take full blame."

-_-_-_-_-_-

Once Calculus was over, it was PE. Most girls didn't like PE, but I did. I loved to run, so gym was my thing. Peter was in my gym also, so it was another thing to look forward to. He and I were easily friends. We got along perfectly, and we joked around so easily.

We were playing co-ed soccer, and Peter and I were placed on a team. We smiled at each other, and Gwen, who was also in our gym, came up to me.

"So, you and Peter, huh?" she asked.

"What?" I asked, confused. I glanced towards him to make sure he couldn't hear, and thankfully, he wasn't in range.

"Well, you guys are really buddy-buddy, aren't you?" she pressed.

"Well... I guess, I mean-"

"I just want to warn you about him." Gwen was suddenly not so nice looking, and even had a mean glint in her eye.

"Gwen, we're just friends, I mean, we just met," I told her.

"Oh, I know," she said. "But still, a little warning won't hurt, right?"

"I guess..." I trailed off, glancing at Peter, who was giving us a weird look.

"Look, Peter is great and all, but he just can't stay with someone," Gwen started. "We were together for a while, and out of the blue, he just ditched me. And he's really secretive. You don't want a boy that's secretive, do you?"

"Well, no, but we're friends. And I just moved here," I said. "I'm not looking for a relationship, or even dating."

"Just saying, you can never be too sure," she said.

I forced a smile. "Well, thanks, really. But I think the teacher wants us to start the game now." I slipped away, and went to my team's side of the field, where Peter gave me an odd look, which I ignored. The teacher blew the whistle, and the game started.

We kicked butt.