( 𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝗒𝗈𝗎 )

ATHENA SANTOS WAS outside on a bench, typing away on her laptop, cursing the shitty school wifi for being so slow, because she needed to type out her article about the school's Scholastic Decathlon team. The girl had procrastinated the night before and it was due today during lunch. God, did she love the adrenaline rush of having to rush an article because of deadlines. She thrived on it, hated it, but loved it.

So as she typed away, her fingers moving faster than her brain and having to go back and re type it, she didn't notice how Peter Parker was raising up his camera to his eye to snap a shot of Athena's concentrated face. It was something Peter found adorable about her. How her eyebrow went up when she made connections she didn't see before, how she would smile to herself when she typed out something witty, and how she would bite her lip when she needed to think fast on her feet. He liked watching her type, liked watching her look so focused that the rest of the world is tuned out in her mind. It was something he liked about her.

As for Athena, the rest of the world was tuned out, at least until she heard chanting not to far away from where she was. She stoped her typing and turned around to see a crowd forming. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head to make out what was going on. "What?" She asked to herself.

Athena shut her laptop, put it in her backpack and began walking towards the crowd when she saw Peter Parker being punched at by Flash. The students were gasping and encouraging the fight.

"Get up! Come on!" Flash yelled as he delivered a kick to Peter's stomach, more students gasping. Peter whispred something she couldn't make out while Flash spoke once again. "Stay down, Parker!"

"Thea, whats going on?" Gwen asked as she finally made it to the fight.

Athena shrugged her shoulders. "Flash started punching Peter" Athena stated as Peter was still on the ground and Flash was yelling to the crowd.

Gwen groaned as she marched her way to Flash, calling out his name. The second Flash turned around and saw Gwen, he was quick to stop his voice and look a little intimidated by her. "Flash, are we still on for after school today? My house, three-thirty?" Gwen asked. "I hope you've been doing your homework, last time I was very disappointed in you" Gwen told him as Flash tried to say something, but she stoped him. "No, Flash, how about we go to class?"

Just in time, the bell rang, signifying that class was about to start. As Gwen was walking away with Flash, she looked at Athena and then at Peter. Athena nodded as she knew what Gwen was asking her. As the crowd was slowly separating and Peter was still in the ground, Athena went over to his camera that was broken.

She picked up the camera as she would glance at Peter as he struggled to stand up. Athena held the broken camera in her hand while she used her free hand to held Peter stand up. He looked up at the hand she offered him and grabbed a hold of it. Athena pulled him up as Peter was now standing on his two feet.

"You okay?" Athen asked the boy who looked in pain. What kind of a question was that? Was he okay? She thought. Of course not, he just got punched and kicked.

Peter nodded as he gave her an awkward smile. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine" He assured her. Athena gave him a smile and Peter couldn't even focus on the pain of Flash's punches because here was Athena Santos, smiling at him.

Athena heard the last bell ring and cursed to herself as she looked down at her hand to see she still had his camera. She looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry—"

"No yeah, get to class" Peter assured her. How did he know? It's like he could read her mind, her expressions. "I'll be fine"

Athena handed him his camera back as she walked, quickly, to her class. As the buzzed through the somewhat empty halls, she managed to make it to class on time. She tried to catch her breath as she was winded from her walk.

God, I need to get in shape. Athena noted to herself as she pulled out her pens and notebook. As she managed to catch her breath and relax a little, she heard the chair being pulled out from behind her.

Athena made a small glance at the boy behind her who had his head hung down low as his arms were cross on the desk. "Hey" She called out softly as Peter lifted his head up from his arms to find Athena looking at him with a kind smile. "I forgot to say this outside, but I thought it was great what you did out there" She complimented him. "It was stupid, but great"

Was this a dream? A day dream? A complete and utter different universe? Peter's thoughts were going miles an hour and stoping all at the same time. His mind couldn't process the fact that she was talking to him. Even after a few lab reports they had to together or other projects and the few words they would exchange. But, even now, after he made a fool of himself, she thought what he did was great. Stupid, but great.

"You should go to the nurse, you might have a concussion" Athena told him as he never responded back to her. Athena furrowed her brows slightly as she observed his frozen state. "What's your name?" She asked softly.

Peter snapped out of his trance at her question. "You don't know my name?" He asked. Slightly sad and disappointed that after having quite a few classes together and white literally being in the number two spot at Midtown, she didn't know his name?

Athen chuckled as she shook her head. "No, I know your name" She assured and Peter gave her an awkward smile as he relaxed. "I just wanna know if you know your name" Athena clarified as Peter stayed silent. "It's uh, it's a question doctors asked patients who might have a concussion"

"Peter" He said. Athena nodded as she gestured with her hand for him to go one. "Parker" He chuckled out as Athena joined in on his laughter. "Peter Parker"

"Okay, okay good" Athena smiled as she looked back at the front of the classroom before turning back around. "I'd still go to the nurse, just to make sure" Athena told him as Peter smiled at her.

"Always looking out for students huh?" Peter teased her and Athena shook her head at him.

"Only the ones I find interesting" And with that, Athena turned back around as she blushed from the interaction wit him.

Who would have thought that with one small little conversation, Peter Parker would make Athena Santos blush. Certainly not Athena.

As the day went on, Athena was walking down the halls with Gwen by her side as they walked out of the school. Her mind was on Peter for the rest of the day. She didn't know why or how, but she was itching to see him again and talk to him again. Not because she liked him like that, no of course not.

Athena wasn't one to fall for someone just because they had a small conversation with one another, no, she liked to get to know someone before she had the opportunity to grow feelings for them. But something about Peter, something about him interested her. He was interesting and Athena was drawn to it.

"Thena" Gwen said her name as she put a hand on Athena's shoulder. Athena stoped her tracks with Gwen as she looked at her.

"What?" She asked as she gave Gwen a blank look. Gwen chuckled as she took her hand off her shoulder.

"I was asking you if you were ready for tomorrow" Gwen asked again with an awkward smile, wondering what Athena could have been possibly thinking.

Athen furrowed her brows. "What's tomorrow?"

"The tour at Oscrop" Gwen reminded her, Athen still looked confused as Gwen added on. "We're leading groups, remeber?"

Athena's eyes went wide as she now remembered that's what was going on. It was on her calendar she looked at this morning. How could she forget?

"Oh yeah" Athena mumbled as she looked down at her shoes and continued walking with Gwen.

"You forgot about it" Gwen stated and Athena nodded as she looked at Gwen and then infront of her.

"Completely" She said, no excuse, nothing.

Gwen chuckled. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Gwen asked and Athena looked at her with a confused look.

"What? We're not going home together?" She asked and Gwen shook her head as she pointed to the cafeteria where they were holding the decathlon meeting.

"Can't, got decathlon" Gwen reminded her.

Athen scrunched her nose as she wasn't very found of the decathlon team. "Ew"

"Bye Thena!" Gwen yelled to her as she began walking to the cafeteria.

"Bye Gwen!"