The Recluse •{Spider-Man}•

Chapter 5: Screw the Social Food Chain

🔸Hailey's POV🔸

My alarm clock blares in my ear and it's all I can do to not throw it across my room. I shut it off and groan into my pillow. It's the first day of school, and I am not looking forward to classes.

"Hailey, get up dear! We don't want you to make Peter wait, now do we?" My mother barges into my room and whips open the curtains.

I hiss and pull the blankets over my head as the sunlight burns my eyes.

Mom puts her hands on her hips and frowns. "Since when were you a vampire? Come on, I made you breakfast already. Scrambled eggs and turkey sausage, your favorite!"

I grunt in response and slowly peek out from under the covers. I sniff the air, faintly smelling eggs and sausage. My mouth begins to water and I practically leap out of bed. My stomach growls loudly as I plop down at the table in front of a steaming plate of eggs and sausage. "Thanks, Mom!"

My mother sighs as she watches me dig into my breakfast. She pours me a cup of coffee and sets in front of me. "You weren't out too late last night, were you?"

I chug half the cup before answering. "I came back around midnight."

"You were out late enough for this." Mom holds up her tablet with the Daily Bugle open. Mom reads the headline, "Web Slinger Plays With Fire. New York's Web Slinging vigilante Spider-Man saved the day once again when he fought off five armed robbers at the Apple Bank last night. Security cameras show he wasn't the only hero, another hero is shown burning the robbers and melting metal with her hands. Police are searching for this pyro who seems to have teamed up with Spider-Man to stop the thieves. Her identity is unknown, but sources suggest that she is the Wildfire, a young heroine originating from Chicago."

I snatch the tablet from Mom's hands and stare at the picture. It shows me melting the robber's gun with my bare hands, my face illuminated by my glowing hands. "At least they got my good side."

"This isn't good, Hailey! You were supposed to lay low! Now your father will know where we moved, and who knows what he might do."

"He doesn't know, Mom. We wiped his memory, remember? He thinks I take martial art classes instead of taking out drug dealers and bank robbers." I hand her back the tablet.

Mom takes at and sighs, shaking her head. "I know, but what if he remembers? The last thing I want is to see him show up on our doorstep causing more problems than he already does." She brushes my hair gently. "You deserve to live a life free from that man."

I say nothing and finish my breakfast. I glance at the clock. It's a little after seven, which means I have about half an hour until Peter picks me up. I go back to my room and dig through my closet, looking for something to wear. I pull out a gray knitted sweatshirt and a pair of dark skinny jeans. I slip on my black high tops and tie my hair up in a messy bun. A little mascara and I'm ready to go. I brush my teeth and grab my bag.

"Bye, Mom!" I call, heading for the door. I tug on my coat as I open the door.

Her head pops out of her room. "Bye, Hailey. Have a good day at school! Don't give Peter a hard time! And don't kiss him even if-"

I quickly shut the door before she say any other embarrassing things. Next to me, Peter is walking out of his apartment, shouting a goodbye to May. His eyes land on me as he shuts the door. He looks tired; with his shoulders sagging and his eyes red and watery. He stifles a yawn and mutters a greeting, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Morning, Hailey."

"Morning. Late night?"

Reality seems to hit him in the face and he immediately drops his hands, doing his best to look alert. He fumbles with the pocket on the front of his blue hoodie. "Uh, yeah, kinda. I got Decathlon stuff at lunch and I had to study."