Spider in Training || Peter Parker

Chapter Three

Her first class was interesting. Rowen could actually see the board, but she could also hear everything in the room. And oh my god that sound was bad.

Rowen listened to the whiteboard marker squeak on the board, and the teacher's heels clicking on the floor. She could hear the kids behind her whispering, chewing gum, clicking their pens, tapping their shoes, and shuffling papers. The lights pierced ehr eyes, even when she just glance at them. Everything just got louder and louder, until she had to clamp her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, and just ignore everything around her. She stayed like that until class ended, and the bell pierced her ears. Awesome.

She and Izzy had gym class next, which would just be great. Squeaky shoes, shouting coaches, shouting teenagers...

Rowen sighed. She pushed open the locker room door and stepped in. Chatter echoed through the concrete walls, a locker slamming shut every few seconds, and she could practically hear everyone. With fewer people, and a smaller room, her senses were going haywire. Specifically hearing, but she didn't look at the lights in case she got another headache.

"Hey, you made it." Izzy waved, holding her gym clothes.

"Where else would I be?" Rowen replied. She spun her locker, listening to the pins click with ease. She opened her door and pulled out her gym clothes, just a shirt, shorts, and sports bra.

Izzy shrugged in response, stepping behind a row of lockers to change. Rowen followed her, turning to face the wall as she swapped her top. She turned around in her sports bra, holding her discarded sweater in one hand.

"Holy shit-" Izzy immediately turned around when she saw Rowen.

"What?" She looked down at herself. Oh, right. Abs. "Oh, yeah, see I told you I wasn't lying."

"Ro-" Izzy shook her head, then looked back at Rowen. She made sure to look directly into her eyes, nowhere else. "Jesus-"

"I told you I wasn't lying in the elevator!" Rowen whispered. "You thought I was delusional."

"No, no I didn't think you were delusional I just..." Her voice trailed off, and she broke eye contact. "I didn't-Well I mean I just saw you Tuesday so I didn't think it was possible."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure this is impossible," Rowen muttered, changing into her shorts. "I have no clue what's going on. 'S probably just a glitch in the matrix or something."

"We're not in the matrix."

"You know what I mean."

"No, no I really don't."

"Okay, we'll go over it later," Rowen suggested. "Today's been super weird, and not just, you know, waking up like this."

"Later." Izzy nodded. "Got it. After studying."

"Yeah, after studying." Rowen paused. She had that feeling again. This time it felt like just electric spots running up her arms, pricking her skin like pins and needles.

She looked up, only to see just one girl left in the locker room. Michelle Jones. She quickly looked away from Rowen, letting the door slam behind her.

"What was that about?" Izzy asked.

"No clue." Rowen shook her head. She stuffed her normal clothes back into her locker and shut it. "That's another thing, now we're alone, I can tell you. I can hear everything. And I don't just mean footsteps."

"What do you mean then?"

"Well, I can hear your heart beating." Rowen stepped closer. "And your breath getting shorter. And while other people might just watch your cheeks flush, I can hear it."