Robin worried the bottom of her lip absentmindedly as her eyes scanned the worlds scrawled over the pages of her notebook.

     To everyone around her, including her History teacher, she seemed to be a diligent student reviewing notes, but the content inked in front of her told a different story.

     She had detailed as much as she could remember from her recent nightmares onto the pages, trying to make some sense of what was happening to her.

     Of course, they were probably just dreams. After all, if she really had been pushed off the top of a building, she wouldn't be alive to remember it.

     So then why had it felt so real?

     She jumped upon hearing the shrill tones of the school bell, hurriedly shoving the notebook into her backpack and trying to make it through the door in an attempt to beat the crowds to her next class.

     "Miss. Reynolds?"

     Mrs. Carlisle, a woman with kind eyes and graying hair, called after her expectantly.

     There went that plan.

     She hid her exasperation and turned to face her teacher with a polite smile.

     "Mrs. Carlisle," she acknowledged, "What's up?"

     "You seemed invested in today's lesson," the woman smiled at her, "It's nice to see young people taking an interest in history, especially in this school. Most of the students seem to be focused on science, but it's important to remain well-rounded."

     Robin felt a pang of guilt run through her. She had barely caught a word her poor teacher said the whole lecture.

     "Well, I've always been fascinated by the past," she answered truthfully.

     She didn't need to know that Robin was currently more focused on her own past than that of the world's.

     "In that case, I have some books on World War II that you may be interested in," Mrs. Carlisle's eyes lit up in excitement, "They go much deeper into the nuances of what was truly going on than the standard curriculum teaches. I'd love to discuss the material with you."

     Robin heart practically melted at the sight of her teacher's delighted expression and she found herself agreeing that yes, she'd love to read all about the most overrated event in U.S. History.

     Why couldn't she just have given an apathetic response and bolted out of the classroom like a normal teenager?

     "I can't wait to hear your thoughts," Mrs. Carlisle beamed as she piled a few heavy books into her arms, before faltering slightly, "I only wish your friend Harry expressed a similar penchant for learning. He seems more interested in flirting with girls than absorbing any kind of knowledge."

     Robin's patient smile grew imperceptibly stiff as her best friend was criticized by yet another teacher.

     "He's smart, and he picks up material quickly," she defended as respectfully as she could, "I know he can seem a little distracted, but his scores speak for themselves."

     "Yes, of course," Mrs. Carlisle seemed to sense a change in the girl's demeanor, "Well, let me know about those books."

     "Will do," Robin promised, shifting her weight a little to accommodate for the four thick texts she was now carrying, "Thank you for the recommendations."

     "Oh, do you need a pass for your next class?" the woman asked, glancing at the clock on her wall, "I hadn't realized I kept you for so long."

     "No, it's alright," she smiled, backing up towards the door, "My next class is nearby."

     No it wasn't. It was on the other side of campus. Her compulsive politeness was a disease.

     With that, she bid her teacher goodbye and waddled out of the classroom as gracefully as she could with the added weight.

     She should really work on her core strength.

     Or any kind of strength, for that matter, she thought as she eyed her noodle arms reproachfully.

     The halls had mostly emptied, and the late bell threatened to ring at any moment.

     Focusing on not dropping anything, she failed to account for the person barreling towards her from the opposite direction.

     "Egads!" she cried out as her body slammed into another, bracing for her inevitable fall to the floor along with her recently acquired books.

     Her theory was disproved as a pair of strong arms inhibited her fall, gently steadying her into an upright position.

     "S-sorry," a mortified Peter Parker apologized, scanning her over as if he could have injured her, "Are you okay?"

     "Peter?" she blinked in slight confusion, "Yeah, I'm alright. Wow, who knew you were so strong?"

     The boy stiffened at her words, busying himself with leaning down to collect her books.

     "I'm sorry," she blushed, kneeling next to him to pick up her things, "That was a rude thing to say, wasn't it?"

     "I'm not strong," Peter blurted, as though he had been thinking it over, "Just- adrenaline ya know? I couldn't even fight a salmon."

     "Oh, neither could I," Robin agreed grimly, flapping her arms around uselessly, "I have the upper-body strength of a toddler."

     Peter laughed at that, their eyes meeting as they both stood up.

     Once again, she was side-tracked by the warm honey brown of his irises.

     "You're not wearing your glasses," she noticed, frowning slightly.

     "What?" he paled, as though it were an accusation, "Oh, I- contacts."

     He released a breath as they began walking towards Robin's class, the books she had dropped still in Peter's arms.

     "I guess contacts are more convenient, right?" she began to babble, "I used to want glasses when I was younger, you know, like Daria? I never needed them though, my moms always say I have vision like a hawk. Which is kind of a funny saying, because eagles actually have the best eyesight when it comes to birds and- hey, weren't you headed in the other direction?"

     She paused as she remembered the happenstances of their meeting, turning to look at him in alarm.

     Peter, who had been far too busy smiling dazedly at her ramblings, frowned as he recalled that he was also late for class.

     "Oh, yeah," he admitted, "But I could help you carry your stuff if you want! These books are kinda heavy."

     "No, I can handle it. I wouldn't want to keep you," she insisted, gently taking the books from his hands and smiling up at him, "Besides, how much help could you really be? You can't even fight a salmon."

     Peter laughed at her teasing, nodding jerkily at the girl.

     "Okay, well I'll see you around?" he implored hopefully.

     "Fifth period Chemistry," Robin confirmed with a nod of her own.

     "Great! I'll, uh, see you then."

     With that, Peter awkwardly patted the girl on the head before spinning on his heel and jogging back down the hall.

     Robin smiled fondly at his retreating form, before realizing that she was going to be late herself.

     "Great Scott!" she exclaimed, waddle-running along.

➶

     Robin settled into the seat beside her best friend at lunch, who was practically buzzing with excitement.

     She carefully laid out her packed lunch in front of her. After a few days of attempting to eat the cafeteria food at Midtown High, she had deemed it a lost cause and started bringing her own.

     The dark-haired girl nibbled on a carrot stick as she listened to Harry tell Gwen and Mary Jane all about his annual Halloween party.

     Halloween was undoubtedly the Osborn heir's favorite holiday. Secretly, Robin theorized that this was because it was one of the few major holidays that didn't revolve around family.

     Gwen and Robin had already been to many of his infamous holiday parties, but Mary Jane's eyes were sparkling in excitement.

     "Is it a costume party?" she asked eagerly, "Please say it is. I'll probably come in costume regardless, but it'd be cool if everyone else was dressed up too."

     "Of course it is," Harry scoffed playfully, "What do I look like, an amateur?"

     "You should be a goblin this year," Robin interjected thoughtfully.

     "A gob- Robin, please," Harry sighed exasperatedly, "The whole point of Halloween costumes is to look as hot as possible and pass it off as holiday spirit."

     "You could be a sexy goblin," Robin defended.

     "The hell does a sexy goblin look like?" the boy scoffed, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

     "Green is a very provocative color," Robin insisted.

     "You guys are dorks," Gwen laughed, eating a fry.

     "Says the girl who wants to be Kaylee Frye for Halloween," Mary Jane leaned towards her friend teasingly.

     "Firefly is a cult classic!" Gwen insisted, but blushed lightly at their close proximity.

     "Whatever you say, dork," Mary Jane tugged her blonde ponytail lightly before stealing a french fry from her tray.

     Robin and Harry exchanged knowing glances.

     "Well, you should be a bird," Harry informed his counterpart.

     "You know, the jokes about my name never get old, truly," Robin rolled her eyes playfully.

     "Not because of your name," Robin sensed a bit of disapproval in his tone, "Because you eat like one."

     "Actually, birds eat up to half of their body weight on a daily basis," the girl informed him, not taking his comment too seriously.

     Robin never ate much during lunch. The large crowds of people made her anxious and diminished her appetite, so she mostly stuck to light snacks until she could shovel pasta into her mouth from the comfort of her own home.

     "That makes eight," Mary Jane spoke up, Gwen giggling beside her.

     "What?" Robin blinked in confusion.

     "That's the eighth bird fact you've recited today," Gwen explained, "We've been keeping track."

     "Your personal best is twenty-two," Mary Jane elaborated, "From that day we cut through Central Park on our way home."

     Robin stiffened, scanning their faces. She had never known the two girls to be malicious, but their analysis of her odd mannerisms was reminiscent of the girls that used to tease her when she was younger.

     Surreptitiously, Harry leaned against her side and gently tapped his fingers against her wrist, a signal that everything was okay.

     She relaxed upon realizing that if the two had ill intent, her best friend wouldn't hesitate to call them out for her.

     "Nine," she offered with a soft smile.

     They looked at her confusion, Gwen mentally counting in her head.

     "I told one to Peter earlier," she elaborated.

     "You talked to Peter?" Harry asked, his displeasure evident on his features.

     "Yes, I bumped into him in the hall," she frowned right back at the brown-haired boy.

     Peter Parker had recently become a point of slight contention between the two. It was blatantly obvious to Robin that the two had crossed paths in some way, but Harry steadfastly denied anything of the sort.

     He had never made any attempt to stop her from talking to the boy, but he would scoff bitterly every time Robin mentioned him in passing.

     "Well," Mary Jane cleared her throat awkwardly, "Nine bird facts then."

     "We should invite him to the party," Robin pressed on, looking at Harry challengingly, "Ned and Michelle, too."

     "What is your obsession with that nerd?" Harry finally snapped, causing their other two friends to look at each other nervously.

     Robin knew he had to be referring to Peter, because he didn't mind Michelle, and even seemed fond of Ned. The two would often even bond over their mutual love of One Direction.

     In fact, Harry Osborn could find a way to get along with almost everyone. He had very few people that he actually considered friends, but the general population was fond of him due to his charming personality and amicable disposition.

     It was only the people who had gotten on his bad side that he was callous towards, his petty side ensuring that the boy could border on cruel at times.

     This made his attitude towards Peter, a boy who seemed to be built of sunshine and rainbows, all the more confusing.

     "I think you're the one with the obsession," Robin countered, "I don't get it, Haz. Is he secretly a super villain or something?"

     "No, not at all," Harry grumbled bitterly, "because Peter Parker's never done a thing wrong in his entire goddamn life, has he?"

     "What are you-,"

     Robin's confused inquiry was cut off by the bell that signaled the beginning of fifth period, sighing in frustration as Harry used it to mumble out a goodbye and shoot off into the crowd of students.

     "Men," Mary Jane rolled her eyes in exasperation, "What a trip."

     "Y-yeah," Gwen nodded eagerly, "Men suck. Who needs them?"

➶

     "Hey Robin," Betty Brant chirped amicably.

     "Hey, Betty," Robin smiled back, slipping into the seat beside her.

     The two were lab partners, and while the blonde was intelligent, Robin preferred working alone when it came to scientific pursuits.

     To be fair, Robin preferred being alone in most instances, but matters of science were especially important to her.

     She turned back to look at Peter, who sat one row behind her and one table diagonal. He was rather fixated on some colorful equations he was dictating on the paper beneath him, but she wasn't close enough to make out the nature of the formulas.

     Peter seemed to sense her gaze, and looked up to meet it with wide eyes.

     She smiled shyly the boy, waving at him. He grinned back, his wave much more enthusiastic. It almost caused her to laugh as she was reminded of an excited golden retriever, but she managed to hold it in and turn back to Betty.

     "So I heard Harry's throwing one of his Halloween parties," Betty spoke, her tone betraying her eagerness, "I've heard they're great."

     "Yeah, they're pretty fun," Robin confirmed, "I don't usually like parties, but there's usually something for everyone there. There's always tons of candy, at the very least."

     "Wow, I'd love to go to one, but I've never been invited," Betty hinted.

     "Well you're welcome to come this year," Robin smiled kindly, not betraying any annoyance she may have felt.

     She knew it wouldn't be a problem with Harry, he always encouraged her to invite as many friends as she wanted.

     "Really? Oh my gosh, thanks Robin, you're so nice!" Betty's demeanor lit up in excitement immediately as she began rambling about what costume she was going to wear.

     Betty was nice enough, but it was apparent she fell under the category of people who probably wouldn't have been so interested in talking to her if her best friend wasn't Harry Osborn.

     It wasn't even always intentional, but the intrigue of getting closer to a boy with so much wealth and influence surpassed her mediocre company for most people. It didn't bother her, she was honestly a little thankful for the reprieve from attention.

     Also, she thought as she glanced back towards Peter once again, it made her cherish those that seemed to be interested in her for who she was more.

     "Good afternoon, kids," Mr. Cobbwell announced cheerfully as he walked into the room, "How are we doing today? Hey, what element did Thor bring to Earth? Thorium."

     The only people who laughed were himself, Peter, and Robin.

     "Oh my God," Betty groaned from beside her.

     "Just kidding," Mr. Cobbwell laughed heartily, "Thorium is found most commonly in monzanite."

     His class stared blankly back at him.

     "Right," he cleared his throat, "Just a fun joke to soften the blow when I tell you we're switching up the partners today."

     This got a reaction out of the students, eliciting an almost consolidated groan from the collective class.

     "Come on, guys!" the teacher brandished excitedly, "Change is good, it's the foundation of innovation in the scientific community. Now, when I call your names, please sit in the next available table."

     The students gathered their things and huddled together on the far wall as the man began calling off pairs. Robin went to stand next to Peter, clutching her backpack to her chest.

     "Hey, maybe we'll be partners," she nudged him gently, "That'd be fun."

     "Sure, if you think you can keep up with me," Peter grinned at her teasingly, even as his cheeks turned pink from their close proximity.

     "Oh, he's got jokes now," Robin laughed delightedly, "I think I could handle it. Although you might have some issues if any salmon get in the way."

     "You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Peter groaned, shutting his eyes in embarrassment.

      She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by her teacher.

     "Robin Reynolds and," she crossed her fingers, hoping for the boy next to her, "Flash Thompson."

     Robin wanted to flop to the ground and groan in protest, but that wasn't socially acceptable.

      Peter frowned next to her, looking both disappointed and troubled.

     "Look, if- if he gives you any trouble let me know, okay?" he insisted, looking at her earnestly.

     They both glanced over at Flash, who was grinning lecherously at Robin and patting the seat beside him.

     "I might take you up on that," she muttered, before smiling at him, "I'll talk to you after class?"

     He blinked at her, before smiling.

     "Uh, y-yeah, definitely," he assured, "I'll talk to you then."

     With a grimace, she made her way over to Flash and put her bag in the cupboard below the table before sitting beside him.

     "Hey gorgeous," Flash smirked at her, "Guess even Mr. Cobbwell agrees that we have chemistry."

     "Can you please not do that?" she snapped.

      She wasn't fond of random guys hitting on her, even less so when they were bullies.

     "Do what?" he seemed undeterred, "I'm just expressing my feelings."

     "Hit on me when you probably aren't even actually interested in an effort to seem cool," she sighed, turning to look at him sincerely, "Look, none of us are cool, okay? I mean, seriously, we go to a school for science and technology. Our most popular competitive extracurricular is Academic Decathlon. We're all a bunch of massive nerds. So can we just be people? Two people who are trying to pass chemistry and coexist peacefully. Is that alright with you?"

     Flash looked at her with wide-eyes before nodding.

     "Yeah, okay," he muttered dejectedly, turning to look down at the worksheet that had been passed around.

     She sighed at the hurt look on his face, a pang of guilt running through her.

     She disliked bullies a lot, but she wasn't interested in becoming one herself.

     "What do you call a benzene ring with iron atoms instead of carbon atoms?" she asked, "A ferrous wheel."

     Flash's lips twitched upwards, and he couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him.

     "Jesus, that's worse than Cobbwell's," he smiled at her.

     "Not my fault you have bad taste in jokes," she half-smiled back at him.

     Flash shook his head, going back to his worksheet, but his demeanor was noticeably lighter.

➶

     "How'd it go with Flash?" Peter asked as the two made their way out of the classroom, "Did he bother you?"

     "I almost wish I could say he was a horrible person with absolutely no redeeming qualities," Robin shrugged, "But they never are, are they?"

     "No," Peter agreed, "It's not an excuse for him to be so mean but my Uncle Ben always says hating him would just put me on his level. I don't have to be his best friend, though."

     "Definitely not," Robin shook her head.

     Robin spotted Harry leaning against the threshold of her classroom, his arms crossed petulantly as he pouted slightly.

     Her eyes darted between the two boys, unsure of how this was going to play out.

     "Hey, Parker," Harry called out when they made their way into the hallway, causing the shorter boy to freeze.

     "Y-yeah?" he asked nervously, glancing at Robin.

     If Harry was going to humiliate him like the rest of the bullies at their school, he definitely didn't want it to happen in front of Robin again.

     Harry clenched his jaw for a moment, breathing through his nose.

     "I'm having a Halloween party," he gritted out, "You should stop by, if you're not busy. It's fine if you are. Don't feel pressured."

     Robin blinked in surprise before an appreciative smile crossed her lips.

     She knew she wasn't going to get a verbal apology from her friend, and this was his way of saying sorry for snapping at her at lunch.

     "I don't know," Peter hesitated, "I'm not really one for parties."

     "No, you should come!" Robin rocked on her feet excitedly, "It'll be tons of fun, I promise. If you hate it, you can leave no questions asked."

     "Hate it?" Harry scoffed grumpily, "No one ever hates my parties. Look, if you come you'll have fun. I guarantee it."

     "I mean, I'd have to ask my aunt and uncle," his eyes softened as he took in Robin's excitement, "but that sounds great, thanks. Uh, when is it?"

     "When- the thirty-first," Harry's eye twitched slightly, before he turned to Robin, "Is this guy for real?"

     Robin stepped on his foot.

     "Right, obviously," Peter blushed, running a hand through his hair, "I'll, uh, I'll let you know."

     "Ned and Michelle are invited too, of course," Robin beamed, not objecting as Harry threw an arm around her shoulders, "I'll get your number from Michelle to send you the details, if that's okay?"

     "You want my- yes! Yeah, that's fine!" Peter stammered, "I'll text you then. Or, you'll text me I guess, but I'll definitely text you back!"

     She smiled at him, waving goodbye as Harry looked up at the ceiling the way Peter assumed he wishes he could be looking at him before dragging Robin away.

     "Peter, you'll never guess what Harry Styles just tweeted- why are you smiling like that?"

     Ned eyed his best friend oddly after running up beside him.

     "She's gonna text me," Peter grinned goofily.

➶

     "Kafka's Metamorphosis? Soon you'll become a pseudointellectual and start telling me I'm shallow for enjoying modern music," Robin acknowledged Michelle's choice of novel with a teasing smile.

     "I'm branching out," Michelle smiled slightly at her, "Besides, I already do that."

     The two were sitting next to each other in the blue plastic chairs facing the school's stage - the kind that always trapped Robin's hair in the metal screws on the back of it.

     They were at practice for Academic Decathlon, which had quickly become the site of bonding for the two girls.

     Peter and Ned were in the club too, but Peter had been coming to practice less and less. Being new, Robin wasn't sure at first if this was a common behavior for him. However, Ned had been quick to assure her, loudly and woefully, that it was not.

     "Robin," Liz called out, smiling at her, "You're up against Sally."

     Robin smiled back, nodding and making her way onto the stage. Liz wasn't exactly a close friend, but she thought of the senior fondly. She had been nothing but friendly to her, increasingly so when she had discovered the younger girl's talent for the club she ran.

     The bird-loving girl enjoyed Academic Decathlon because it was basically trivia, only she didn't have to drag Harry along to random restaurants and play against random adults who glared at her when she won.

     Which, to be clear, she always won trivia.

     Not many things were able to bring out the competitive side in the normally easy-going and docile girl, but trivia brought out a certain excitement in her that was hard to quell. Academic Decathlon was no exception to this rule.

     "Okay," Liz consulted her cards, "Who introduced the theory of punctuated equilibrium?"

     Robin immediately rang the bell, an excited smile on her face.

     "Gould and Eldredge," she fired off.

     "Right," Liz nodded, "Which parts of the eye are easily seen without assistance from technology?"

     "The pupil, the iris, the cornea, and the sclera," Robin answered after buzzing in.

     The practice round move along quickly, with Sally picking up a lot of the questions pertaining to art and literature and Robin answering the rest with enthusiasm.

    "In accordance with the article Jurassic Genome, what is junk DNA?"

     Robin hesitated for a moment, and it allowed Sally's hand to fly out and ring her bell.

     "Um," Sally panicked, having been more focused on ringing in, "DNA that has become obsolete over time?"

     "No, sorry," Liz frowned, "Robin?"

     "DNA that does not code for proteins," she answered confidently, having had a moment to gather her thoughts.

     "Great job guys, let's switch it up," Liz smiled, showing off her perfect teeth, "Sally, it's okay to take a moment to think over your answer after buzzing in. Don't panic, I know you know these. Otherwise, you did great. Robin, if you think you know it, don't hesitate okay?"

     Robin smiled shyly as she hopped off the stage, but inside she was beaming with pride. She may not have been the most socially adept, or the most coordinated, or the first girl you pay attention to when you walk into a room, but she sure could kick ass in this aspect of life.

     She was going to take the win.

     "Nerd," Michelle muttered as her new friend came to sit down next to her again.

     "Shut up and read about your giant bugs," she laughed.

➶

     Robin flopped down on her bed, reflecting on what had been an overall good day. In fact, it had been almost good enough to distract her from the odd dreams that flickered menacingly in the corner of her mind.

     With a sigh, she glanced at the stack of books Mrs. Carlisle had given her. The teacher had been so excited to discuss the materials with her. She figured she may as well get started on the text as soon as possible.

     Picking one at random, she turned over onto her stomach and began flipping through it with her legs swinging behind her.

     The glossy pages displayed lines of text along with photos that depicted familiar scenes from the war, and she skimmed over them apathetically.

     She stopped on the section about Captain America, the familiar logo sparking some interest in her.

     Everyone was familiar with the basic story of how Steve Rogers came to be the world's first Avenger, but she was curious to see if this book would go more in-depth into the subject.

     Flipping the page, she stopped cold on a symbol that set off warning bells in her mind.

     Her fingers traced tentatively over a menacing skull with six tentacles protruding from it, her heart speeding up as her head began to throb painfully.

     The caption underneath the photo was as cryptic as the symbol itself.

     "What the hell is HYDRA?" Robin whispered.

➶➶➶

two updates in a week omg what is wrong with me maybe im burning out in a great ball of light like a dying star

flash on god buddy we're gonna get you some character development

the decathlon questions are from google so if they're wrong blame the internet??? you can also blame me if you want to tho i did like five seconds of research lol

definitely a slow chapter but a sweet one!! next chapter get ready to get spooky!!! and dramatic!!! also sad. very sad. but a sad that we all knew was coming bc i included peter's origin story bc i love to suffer

lots of love and stay hydrated (esp. in these winter months!!!),

-belle xx

extrawordtomakeitanevenamountakabellehasissues