The rise of the White Widow

"So this is the girl who's stolen Peter's heart,"

As the final bell rings, I follow Peter out of the school gates and towards a sleek black SUV parked nearby. A short, man stands outside the vehicle, his arms crossed over his chest. Peter approaches him with a grin.

"Alex, this is Happy," he says, gesturing towards the man. "Happy, meet Alex"

Happy nods at me with a small smile and opens the car door for us. I climb into the back seat, feeling a little nervous but also excited about what's to come. Peter slides in next to me, and Happy shuts the door with a soft thud. The engine hums to life, and we pull away from the curb.

We arrive at the tower, and Happy escorts us up to the third floor. As we step out of the elevator, I'm greeted by a group of people lounging in a spacious living room. They look up as we enter, and Peter strides over to them with a grin.

"Guys, this is Alex," he announces. "She's the one I've been telling you about."

I feel a flush of heat rise to my cheeks as the group turns their attention to me. They look like a diverse bunch, there's a man in a red and gold suit, a woman with flaming red hair, a ruggedly handsome man with a metal arm, and a few others I can't quite place.

"So this is the girl who's stolen Peter's heart," a man teases, but he earns an elbowing from a red haired woman next to him.

I can't help but smile at the friendly banter. "I'm flattered," I reply, turning to Peter. "You talk about me, huh?"

A man with long blonde hair, chuckles loudly, making me flinch a little.

"I like this one," he declares, pointing at me.

I grin nervously, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention. Peter comes to my rescue, announcing that we're going to work on a science project in the kitchen. I follow him through a sleek, modern space filled with gleaming appliances and high-tech gadgets.

"What's the project?" the man who was in the red and gold suit asks, looking intrigued.

"We're extracting DNA from a strawberry," Peter explains, pulling out a bag of fruit from the fridge.

"Ah, I remember doing that in Russia once," the red-haired woman chimes in, nodding her head in approval as she listens to our conversation.

"Alex was actually the one who came up with the idea," Peter interjects, placing a friendly hand on my shoulder, and I feel a sense of pride swelling in my chest. "She's also from Russia, by the way."

The redhead's smile fades for a moment, and she glares at me with a hint of curiosity. I squirm under her gaze but am relieved when she appears to shrug it off and returns to her cheerful demeanor.

We continue working diligently for the next hour or so, losing track of time as we tackle the task at hand. Suddenly, Stark enters the room with an announcement. "Hey Alex, how about staying for dinner tonight?"

I feel the color drain from my face when I glance at my watch. Time has flown by so quickly, and it's already later than I realized. Right now, I should be at home preparing dinner for my parents.

Stark notices my expression and waves his hand in front of my face, teasingly asking, "You alright there? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

I shake my head in embarrassment and apologize.
"I'm sorry; it's just that time got away from me."Hesitantly, I explain my predicament, "I really need to get home. My parents are expecting me for dinner."

Stark nods sympathetically and suggestively offers, "I can ask Happy to drive you home if you'd like."

"Thank you for the offer," I reply with genuine gratitude but decline his kind gesture. "I think I'll walk instead."