Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

6. First Position

"Again?" Ned drops his lunch tray on the table. "You gotta be kidding me, man."
"I'm sorry, I can't help it! Mr. Stark assigned me two classes a week without letting me know beforehand," Peter lies. He sits down next to Ned and fears more questioning, but then MJ throws her tray on the table next to where Peter sits.
"S'up, nerds."
"MJ," Peter laughs nervously. "Hi!" And thank you!  With MJ not knowing about Peter's Spider secret, Ned would have to stop asking questions. She flops down on the bench, making Peter nearly spill his drink.

"So, what's with the ballet flats in your bag, Pete?" She leans in with a grin from ear to ear.
"Wha-" Peter's eyes grow wide and he swears inwardly, taking his thank you back. "I don't have ballet flats? Why would I have ballet flats? I should really stop saying ballet flats. What are ballet flats?" Peter covers his mouth and looks away. His cheeks are on fire.
"Peter Benjamin Parker." A gigantic grin grows slowly on Ned's face. His eyes sparkle mischievously. "You dance?" MJ snorts as she stuffs her face with mashed potato.
"Duh," she says with her mouth full. "He probably has a leotard in his bag too."
"Pete, show!" Ned reaches for Peter's bag but Peter quickly pulls it out of reach and presses it against his body.
"No, no, no, no, I don't... I mean I do, but..." Peter hides his head in his hands. "I started this Tuesday." Ned's eyes grow wide, realizing what that meant. "Please, please! Don't tell anyone," Peter pleads, his hands pressed together.
"There they are," Ned sighs. "The puppy dog eyes."
"Please!"
"Don't worry, nerd." MJ cocks an eyebrow. "Won't give Flash more to joke about."
"Ned?"
"My lips are sealed, bro."

Daphne isn't there yet when Peter arrives at the ballet school. This means he's going to have to wait outside, since she has the keys. He sits down on the stairs, staring at his phone. He kind of zones out, with the streets of New York as white noise in the background.

"Peter!" He looks up and smiles at the girl approaching him with a slight skip in her walk. Her ash blonde hair falls on her shoulders in gentle waves. They bounce with every graceful step she takes. Her bright smile fills Peter's chest with a warm, tingly feeling. "You're early."
"I forgot there weren't other classes today." Peter puts his hand through his hair. "So, I was stuck outside. My last period got cancelled without a substitute, and it felt kinda weird to wait so long at school, to be honest. Figured I'd just go straight here." She walks up the steps and ruffles through her bag, looking for the keys.
"You're lucky I'm early too, then." Daphne makes eye contact and the sparkle in her stare locks him in. She keeps their gazes connected for slightly longer than would be socially acceptable before she flutters and moves back to unlocking the door. "Stay here." She unlocks the door and moves in swiftly. The alarm beeps. Daphne moves to the panel next to the door and presses a couple buttons. The alarm stops. "Alright, you're good to go!" Peter doesn't waste a second and slips through the door, closing it behind him.

Daphne sits in front of one of the many mirrors in the dance hall when Peter walks in. He has changed into his ballet gear and he sits down with his legs crossed at Daphne's side in silence. He watches her intently as she puts her hair in a bun. She may think she's clumsy, but Peter is enthralled by her grace as she twists her ponytail and curls it into itself. He loses count of how many bobby pins she puts in there, but when she's done she turns to Peter and smirks.
"Never seen a girl do her hair before?" Peter thinks of all the girls in school who put so-called messy buns in their hair before gym class, or the guy who put a braid in his best friend's hair to show off. But none of those situations compared to what he just witnessed.
"Not like this," he says truthfully, his breath escaping his lungs. Daphne gets what he means and chuckles.
"Messy buns are for outside of class." She scratches underneath the bun with her pinky. "Don't you have siblings? Or your mom?"
"I, uh, live with my aunt." Peter frowns and looks away. He hates explaining this. "It's just the two of us."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"I know, I know. It's okay." Peter hushes her by bringing his hands forward. He swallows and puts up a stern look, trying to act tough in front of Daphne. "My parents died in a plane crash when I was young and my uncle died a few years ago. So, yeah. It's just me and my aunt."