The rise of the White Widow

Back at school

Still Parker's pov

On Monday morning, I get ready for school while my thoughts continue to circle around Alex. I wonder if she's going to be at school today or not. Letting out a sigh, I head downstairs and find Happy, my family's trusted friend, waiting for me in the garage. With a warm smile, he hands me a comforting mug of hot chocolate before grabbing his keys and opening the car door for me.

I settle into my seat and buckle my seatbelt, taking occasional sips of the hot chocolate as Happy drives me to school. Upon arrival, I step out of the car with a murmured "Thanks" and make my way to my locker. After grabbing the books I need for the day, Ned suddenly appears from behind and hands me a bag of chips along with a worm on a string, (Fucking love worms on a string) before walking away without explanation. I watch him leave, utterly confused by his actions but ultimately deciding not to dwell on it. I close my locker and head to my first class.

Lunchtime rolls around, and I anxiously scan the cafeteria as I sit down at my usual table. My gaze is fixed on the spot where Alex typically sits. Ten long minutes pass by without any sign of her. Just as I'm about to lose hope, she walks in with her hood up and face hidden from view. She sits down at her table with her leg bouncing up and down nervously, clearly indicating that something is bothering her.

Her sketchbook emerges from her bag as she begins drawing intently. Unable to help myself, I stare at her from across the room while stealing occasional glances at her artwork. Suddenly she looks up and our eyes meet briefly, how she knew I was watching her remains a mystery to me. Embarrassed and anxious under her gaze, my eyes quickly dart away, hoping that she wouldn't think twice about it.

Alex's pov

Today is my first day back at school after a long recovery process from the torturous experience in the Red room. As I enter the cafeteria and sit down, I feel a slight tremor in my leg, making it bounce up and down. To calm my nerves, I decide to take out my sketchbook and immerse myself in drawing.

As time passes, I begin feeling a strange sensation as if someone is watching me. When I look up from my sketchbook, I catch a Peters gaze. His face rings a bell. I recall him mentioning his name in passing on an earlier day. As soon as he realizes that our eyes met, he quickly glances away, pretending to not have been staring at all. Unsure of what to make of it all, I shrug it off and go back to my drawing.

Lunchtime comes and goes, and soon it's time for my last class, science. Seating myself at my assigned table, I pay attention as the teacher explains our next project, conducting an experiment with a partner. Seeing our names paired together on the board, Peter exchanges a smile with me as I move over to sit beside him.

"So, any thoughts on our experiment?" Peter asks cheerfully.

"Well," I say, reflecting for a moment on past experiments I've conducted. "We could extract DNA from a strawberry. It's an interesting project that I did back in Russia and received high praise for."
(I know it's random but I wanted something cool lol)

Peter seems intrigued by the suggestion and eagerly agrees.

"How about we work on it after school? We could head over to my place," he proposes.

I hesitantly consider his offer but ultimately decide to take a step forward and trust this new partnership. "Sure! Why not," I reply.

A grin breaks out across Peter's face as he says, "Sounds good."