Alex walked into AP Chemistry class and immediately noticed Felicia Hardy already seated near the back of the room.
She was in her usual spot by the windows. The morning light caught her silver-blonde hair and made it almost glow.
She watched him enter with an amused expression on her face. Her green eyes tracked his movement across the classroom.
There was something calculating in that gaze. Something that made Alex started running probability assessments automatically.
When he sat down two rows ahead of her, Alex pulled out his textbook and notebook. He tried to focus on reviewing yesterday's notes. But he could feel her attention on him. It was like a physical weight.
Then she moved.
Felicia stood up smoothly and gathered her things. She walked down the aisle between desks and slid into the empty seat directly beside him. The chair scraped slightly against the floor.
"Alex Carter," she said. It wasn't a question. Her voice was confident and clear.
Alex turned to look at her fully for the first time. Felicia Hardy sat close enough that he could smell her perfume.
It was expensive. Something floral but not overpowering. Her makeup was perfect. Her outfit probably cost more than his entire wardrobe.
This was Felicia Hardy. Future Black Cat. Daughter of a master thief. Someone who might eventually become one of Spider-Man's most complicated relationships.
Right now she was just a high school student.
But there was already something dangerous in the way she carried herself.
"You're the guy who wrote that TechCrunch article everyone's talking about," she continued. Still not asking. Stating facts.
"You read tech blogs?" Alex asked. His tone was neutral. Careful.
Felicia leaned back in her chair and smiled slightly. "I read everything interesting." She paused. Then she leaned closer. Her perfume got stronger.
"You went from invisible to impressive very quickly. That's unusual. How does someone go from nearly failing out to predicting the future of technology in just a few weeks?"
Alex's enhanced mind processed her body language. The slight tilt of her head. The way she maintained eye contact without blinking. The casual invasion of his personal space. She was testing him. Probing for weakness or interest.
"I started paying attention," Alex said carefully. He kept his voice level and calm.
"Hmm." Felicia studied him like he was a puzzle she wanted to solve. Her eyes moved across his face, taking in details.
"I like that answer. Confident but not arrogant. Smart but not showing off about it." She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. It was the latest model of a popular product.
She slid it across the desk toward him. "Put your number in."
Alex looked down at the phone. Then back up at her face. His mind was already calculating probabilities and running scenarios.
Felicia Hardy was dangerous. That much was certain. She came from money. Old money.
But her father Walter Hardy was currently in prison for being one of the most successful cat burglars in New York history. The family wealth came from his "legitimate business investments" that were anything but legitimate.
She was testing him right now. Seeing if he would bite. Seeing if he was the kind of person who would enter her world without hesitation.
But she was also potentially useful. Having a connection to someone like Felicia Hardy meant access to information. To networks. To people and places that normal high school students never encountered.
And she was attractive. Very attractive. That was undeniable even if Alex was trying to be objective about the situation.
He picked up the phone and typed his number into her contacts. Then he handed it back to her without saying anything.
Felicia's smile widened. It was the kind of smile that meant she had won something. That she had gotten exactly the response she wanted.
"Good," she said. She stood up as Professor Williams entered the classroom carrying a stack of papers.
"I'm having a small gathering this weekend. Very exclusive. Interesting people. You should come."
"What kind of gathering?" Alex asked.
Felicia looked down at him. Her expression was amused. "The interesting kind." She started walking back toward her original seat.
Over her shoulder she added, "I'll text you the address. Wear something nice."
She returned to her spot by the windows and sat down gracefully. She pulled out her own notebook and pen like nothing had happened.
Professor Williams started the lecture. Alex tried to pay attention.
But his mind kept returning to the conversation he'd just had.
After class ended, Alex went straight to the library. He found an empty computer terminal in the back corner and started researching.
He typed "Walter Hardy" into the search engine. Results filled the screen.
Master thief. Arrested three years ago. Currently serving fifteen years in a maximum security facility upstate. His criminal career had spanned two decades. Specialized in high-value art theft and corporate espionage.
Felicia's mother Lydia Hardy owned a penthouse in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The property records showed it was paid for through a trust fund.
The trust was funded by Walter Hardy's "consulting business" which was obviously a front for laundering stolen goods.
Felicia attended Midtown High despite living in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city.
Alex wondered why she didn't go to some private school. Maybe she liked slumming it with regular kids. Maybe she was looking for people who wouldn't recognize her family name.
His phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Alex opened the message.
"Saturday, 8 PM. Don't be boring. - F"
Below the text was an address. Alex copied it and looked it up. Upper East Side.
Expensive high-rise building. The kind of place with doormen and security cameras and residents who owned multiple properties.
Alex stared at the message for a long time.
This was a test. Felicia was testing him. She wanted to see if he would enter her world or if he would stay safely in his own lane.
'Maybe she's recruiting,' Alex thought. 'Seeing if I'm criminal material or just another smart kid who wrote one good article.'
The smart play was to say no. To politely decline and keep his distance from future supervillains.
Felicia Hardy would become Black Cat. She would work with criminals. She would break laws and steal things and put herself in danger constantly.
Getting involved with her now was asking for trouble.
But information was power. Understanding Felicia Hardy and her world might be useful later.
When she eventually became Black Cat. When Spider-Man started dealing with her. When the criminal underworld of New York became relevant to Alex's survival.
He could go to one party. Observe. Learn. Then extract himself if things got too dangerous.
Alex typed back: "I'll be there."
The response came in seconds. Three dots appeared and disappeared.
Then:
"I thought you might be. See you Saturday, interesting boy."
Alex set his phone down and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Professor Williams was still lecturing about chemical bonds and molecular structures. Alex tried to refocus his attention on the actual class.
But his mind kept spinning. Kept calculating. Kept trying to figure out if he had just made a smart decision or a catastrophically stupid one.
He'd just accepted an invitation into a world he wasn't sure he could handle.
But it was too late to back out now.
'I have thoughts of my own too, Ms Hardy.'
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