Behind the Mask ➙ Peter Parker

Chapter Two

Alex woke up with a pounding headache and a tight knot in her neck from the uncomfortable position she had just been lying in. The teenager didn't sleep well at all, her brain too stressed out about the first day at a new school that would be arriving in the morning. Night had left faster than it came, and Alex was awake two minutes before her alarm was set to go off.

"Lex, time to get up! I'll drive you if you're ready in half an hour." The voice of Angela pierced through the closed bedroom door that separated the two sisters.

"I still have one minute!" Alex yelled back with a muffled voice, her face buried in her pillow. That one minute seemed to quickly pass as Alex's room was filled with the irritating sound of a default iPhone alarm tone. The girl groaned loudly as she jabbed at her phone screen, trying to hit one of the two buttons that would halt the noise.

"No you don't!" Angela replied, knocking on the door. Alex threw her toasty warm blankets off of herself with a heavy sigh, a shiver attacking every nerve in her body as her feet came in contact with the laminate flooring beside her twin sized bed. Alex made her way to the only bathroom in the apartment to take a rapid shower, the hot water helping to relieve all of her pain from the shoulders up. Alex had no idea what she should wear to the first day at a new school or even what the dress code was. She decided to go with one of her usual outfits, a pair of blue jeans with a grey long sleeved shirt under a black band t-shirt. Today's band was The Rolling Stones. Alex walked out of her room with her tattered red Converse on and a black backpack perched on her shoulders, ready to go.

"Can we stop for breakfast?" Alex asked Angela as the elder Hale sister pulled her shoes on.

"Sure, we'll see what's on the way." Angela replied before opening the paint chipped door of the apartment. The sisters made their way down to the parking garage and got into Angela's car, not many words shared between the two until they stopped for breakfast. Alex ordered a bagel with cream cheese and a fruit smoothie. She wasn't much of a coffee person.

"I don't know what time I'm done but I can just walk home." Alex stated as Angela pulled into the parking lot of Midtown School of Science and Technology. They were a bit early and the parking lot was nearly vacant of cars.

"Call Dad to see if he can get you. I dunno when he finishes work though, and I won't be home until six tonight." Angela explained as Alex got out of the car, pulling her backpack on and grabbing her wrapped up bagel in one hand and her smoothie in the other.

"I'll just walk, it's fine. Thanks for the ride!" Alex replied before pushing the car door closed with her hip and walking around the front of the vehicle towards the main entrance of her new school. Alex knew she'd have to go through some sort of initiation since today was her first day, which probably just consisted of lots of paperwork. However, she ignored the main office and walked over to an empty two-person table that resided beside a window in the front lobby of the school. Alex sat down with her breakfast, enjoying her bagel as she watched the world outside. Students started pouring in, all chatting happily with their friends. The sky was becoming a miserable grey colour with clouds concealing the sun and Alex thought about how she might have to take Angela up on her suggestion to call their father for a ride home.

Once Alex was finished with her bagel she made her way to the main office to see what sort of welcoming she would receive. That welcoming happened to be exactly what she expected; a class schedule and a thick stack of forms that she needed to take home and fill out. With her schedule in one hand and all of the forms tucked away safely in her backpack, Alex started making her way to her first class; English. The secretary at the office had been kind enough to give her directions so that she wouldn't be late.

A loud bell rang throughout the now busy hallways as students stood at their lockers and rushed to their classes. Alex managed to push her way through the crowd without bumping into anyone and hastily pulled open the door of her English classroom to escape the chaos that thrived in high school hallways. There were a couple students already sitting at their desks and a teacher stood at the front of the room, writing on the whiteboard.