The Recluse •{Spider-Man}•

Chapter 6: Locker Shakedown

🔸Hailey's POV🔸

My morning couldn't have been slower. As soon as the bell rings for lunch, I'm scooting out the door. People run into me more than once, a smirk on their faces, their message loud and clear. I'm nothing but an outcast to them, practically invisible, and at the same time they notice me everywhere I go. My nickname spreads like wildfire — oh the irony — and boys up and down the hallway are catcalling for the Recluse.

I rush to my locker and shove my books inside, barely having time to grab my lunch before someone slams my locker door shut. It's Flash again, his eyes still watching me hungrily. "Can I carry your lunch, Recluse Hailey? It'll be safe in my hands." He winks at me.

I am about to tell him where I'd rather put my lunch — hint: it would have made him squirm for a month — but Peter shows up next to me again. "Leave her alone, Flash." His hand rests on my shoulder, making me jump at the contact. So much for not being a touchy-feely person.

"And let you nerds have all the fun?" Flash inclines his head towards Peter and Ned. "I don't think so."

He stretches his hand toward mine but Peter knocks it away, steering me away with a firm hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here."

We reach the cafeteria and pick a spot at an empty table. The girl from before — Michelle — is sitting at the next table over, and I have half a mind to invite her to sit with us. I probably would have, too, if hadn't been for the scowl she gave me before sticking her nose back in her book. What a cheerful person.

We eat lunch in silence, ignoring the jeers from Flash's table. He keeps talking about how the new girl — aka me — is a Brown Recluse that's poisonous and all kinds of crap. I don't let it get to me. Far worse things have been said and done to me than his little Brown Recluse joke.

Peter acts nonchalant about it, seeing as he's probably been harassed himself, but keeps fidgeting and clenching his hands. His eyebrow twitches slightly as he listens to Ned talk about his newest LEGO kit — "It's even better than the Death Star!" — but seems distant. "You should come over so we can work on it."

Ned nods his head excitedly. I am sure that if he was a dog, his tail would be wagging back and forth at ninety miles an hour. Instead of barking like I would've expected, he says, "And we can talk about other things."

The way he says "things" makes me arch my brow. "What things? Your porn mags?"

"I don't read or watch that stuff!" Peter exclaims.

I blow air through my nose in a laughing sort of way. "You're one of the few teenage boys I know that doesn't. So if it's not that, then what things are you talking about?"

"Um, my, uh, computer stuff," Peter says, clearly lying through his teeth.

I shrug and drop the subject, going back to listen to what kind of stuff Flash is talking about now. His whole table is laughing at something he had said, their loud guffaws clearly aimed at me. Just because I refused his advances, he made me a laughingstock. What a jerk.

"Say, don't you have Decathlon stuff?" I ask Peter, putting down my sandwich.

He freezes up and nervously takes a sip of his water. "Um, I forgot that it was for tomorrow, not today."

"Uh-huh." I take a swig of water. "That might work on other people, but not me. You weren't studying Decathlon stuff last night, were you?"

"Y-Yes I was." Peter fidgets in his seat, shooting a nervous glance at Ned.

Ned's eyes widen in realization. "I went over to his place yesterday and we were up late studying!"

I couldn't help but laugh at his horrible attempt at a lie. "That's not true. I was with Peter most of the day, and I didn't see you anywhere." I turn my eyes on Peter, who visibly gulps. "What are you hiding, Peter?"