❛ I have been preparing for days ❜

Today everything would change. Andy wouldn't be a hidden person anymore. After today, she would be real. The Avengers had all woken up to bid her goodbye for the day and it was all but normal. Andy had been alone for years and still wasn't used to living with other people. Since the scene with Steve yesterday she needed to make herself seem stronger, and in order to do that, she was going to act as if it never happened. She made herself weak, and she didn't like that.

Since Andy's school was in Queens and she was living upstate, more specifically two hours away in Albany, she would have to wake up at five-thirty just to catch the train at six-thirty and be at school on time. Of course, she had to make a special detour to give Pappy his daily morning apple. But it made all well because Pappy believed in her. He had said, "Andy, you're finally doing something productive your life. Don't be a waste like those other dropouts," he had warned. Andy had laughed when he said that, up until he added, "That was me, don't be rude."

Those words from Pappy were the only things getting her through taking on this mission. She knew she needed to help her friends, and knew she shouldn't let her talents go to waste.

That was me.

Andy pulled a gray sweater over her head as she walked down the stairs, then cracking her neck to the side. She had decided to up her wardrobe game for school, as her usual outfits consisted of everything black with a touch of 'spy'. Her job wasn't to look pretty, it was to get things done. That was her moral code of ethics as a hacker.

"Do you have everything you need?" Steve asked, handing her a styrofoam cup filled to the brim with hot coffee as she neared the kitchen. She leaned over and searched through her black book bag to double-check. "Yes," she reported sternly. "You know, I've imagined this day in the past years many upon many of times, and none of them started out living with a group of people that I worked for- or prior worked for," she added, sipping the fresh liquid. Steve chuckled and sat down on a bar stool, lifting his head only to watch a grumpy red-head stumble into the room. Still in her black pajama pants and tank top, she was clearly agitated that she was awake.

"Are you ready to take your spy training to the next level?" Natasha wondered with a yawn interrupting her inquiry. Andy leaned on the counter with her elbows and nodded, "Yes, I am. I have been preparing for days," she replied honestly. Nat shrugged and poured a cup of caffeine, her back facing the two at the counter. "Take it from someone who has killed dozens, possibly hundred, of people, you will go into this mission thinking you are ready, and you will leave wondering why you went. I'm a world class spy and ranking assassin, Melisande. Out there, this world, it isn't pretty pink unicorns and rainbows," Nat explained, finally turning to see Andy interested in the conversation and Steve confused as to why he was part of it.

"I get that, Nat. I do, and before you tell me I don't, I have worked for everything that I have, and I know how to use what I've got," Andy fired back, clearly challenging the Black Widow. Both were good friends on terms, but they were also stubborn as hell. "You're missing the point, Melly. You are missing the feelings. Okay, I never went to high school, and Steve went to probably a shitty version of high school, but this is what it's like now. You've planned for the students and the social classes inside each hallway, but you haven't prepared for your own feelings," she continued, raising her hand to silence Steve when he tried to object.

"There will be 'crushes', there will be drama, there will be friends and traitors. Then there will be the people you will never expect," Nat drained on, her point becoming clear as day to Andy. Andy scoffed and shook her head, "I don't have feelings, Nat. I am going to go through with this mission -not for me, but for my parents. I am going to find out the truth and I am going to do whatever it takes to do so. This is my life now, and I don't have time for anything to stand in my way," she responded with a clip in the back of her voice. Her honesty made a small smirk appear on Nat's face, and Steve leaned back on his stool, feeling the energy of the girl before him.

"Tell me your plan," Nat directed, lifting her hand to allow the girl to elaborate. "I' going to meet as many people as I can, and everyone said, I will write into this journal. When I get back tonight, I'll look up every person on this list, and I'll come up with an algorithm of the most possible suspects. You told me everyone is a suspect, in which this will prove that statement is true. I'm going to find who is tarnishing this country, and I'm going to do it my way."

•••

Andy has arrived at school ten minutes before the first bell was scheduled to ring. Ten minutes. Andy had ten minutes before her 'normal' transitioned into someone else her age's normal. While sitting in the guidance counsler's office to gather her schedule and necessary paperwork, Andy kept glancing down at her watch to keep track of them time. The few people that knew Andy were aware that she was always timely, and had never been late to anything in her life. It was a great marker for her safety. 

After hearing her name being said, Andy looked up and smiled fakely at the guidance counsler sitting happily behind her mahogoney desk. Her silver name plate read 'Ms. Blevins' and her dark brown hair complimented her caramel skin as she sat with a broad smile on her face. "Do you have any questions?" the overly happy person wondered. Andy pursed her lips and shrugged a simple 'no'. "Well, I'm sure you'll do great here! Especially with your background in biotechnology and computer science!" she cheered. Andy chuckled and pulled her bag onto her lap, "It's amazing what you can do with the internet," she said, hiding her secret identity and job behind the literal meaning of her sentence. The counsler beamed in return before scribbling words onto a white slab of printer paper. She extended her hand to pass it to Andy who accepted it and stood to her feet. 

"The campus isn't nearly as big as what you're used to from Mississppi, but it is just as easy to get lost in. One of our students can show you around, if you like," she offered as Andy followed her out to the front of the office. Andy personally would deny a tour guide but the person involved in this mission wouldn't. She had a job this time, and since everyone was a suspect, it would be a better choice to find know as many people as she possibly could. "That would be great, actually," she replied, seeing a difference in the woman's happiness when she answered. It was like her joy multiplier by ten so Andy knew she wasn't accepted of her offer often.

"This is Edward," Ms. Blevins said, gesturing to a large Hawaiian boy her age that was standing at the desk. She pursed her lips and nodded as he held out his hand, accepting it and giving him a firm shake. "Actually, Ned is just fine. Ned Leeds," he corrected, sticking his hands into his pocket. "This is Andy Dubois, and seeing that you're already late, there's no harm in you escorting her to her class, is there?"

"No, ma'am. Uh, we'll get going now, since we're already late," he said nervously, his feet shuffling on the tile. The two walked out of the office with Ned examining Andy's schedule to see what class to bring her to. "Oh, great! You're in study hall first, almost everyone taking AP Biology is. There's some pretty cool people there," he said, looking over at the girl who was pretending to be interested. "I'm all for meeting new people, I guess. You know, for acquaintances and such," she shrugged. Ned snorted, "You keeping a list or something?" he wondered.

"Yeah, something like that," Andy muttered.

After turning around several corners and opening multiple doors, the two had entered a room stowed away in the very back of the school. The room was dull, no artwork or colors hanging on the wall. 'Depressing', Andy thought to herself.

Once the two walked inside, all the seventeen heads lifted up, seeing the new comer and a regular. Andy recognized Peter Parker immeadietly as he was seated in the back of the room, an open sketchbook sitting in front of him. Andy didn't recognize anyone else, but she was going to have to be familiar with every single person she encountered. "Cute new girl," some chirped, a low whistle leaving his mouth. Andy rolled her eyes and stifled a laugh when another person said, "She'll never go for you, Flash."

An argument starred between a girl with curly hair thrown into a ponytail and the boy with a football jersey on. "Got a pass?" the administrator behind the desk in the front called out. Andy lifted her pass and waved it, "Uh, yeah," she hesitantly responded. "Good, sit anywhere and do anything, oh, welcome to study hall," he fakely cheered, his eyes not leaving his phone. Andy sighed and walked down the third aisle, taking a seat next to the boy who cat called her earlier. Peter Parker and Ned Leeds were sitting behind her.

Having nothing to do, Andy pulled out a leather bound notebook from her bag and wrote in the two names she knew: Ned and Peter. But she needed to know as many people as possible.

Next to Peter's name, she scribbled 'not a suspect' and then turned to the boy staring at her. "I'm Flash Thompson, star football player, and interested. What's your name?" he flirted. "Unavailable, but you can call me nothing," she remarked, writing in his name below Ned's. "Ooh," Ned laughed, clearly fond of this new girl.

Flash turned to glare at the kid behind her before scowling under his breath, "You think you can just be the new face of the school and still be the badass of the halls?" Andy smirked and folded her arms over her book, leaning to the side to get closer to Flash, "You know, my friend really doesn't like that kind of language," she whispered, then slumping back into her seat. "Don't be intolerant, Flash. Some of us are here to actually have an impact on this world," the girl from earlier spoke, still embedded deep into the book in her hands. "Right, like you're making an impact by protesting the equal rights of schoolwork," he scoffed, returning to the phone on his desk.

Ned leaned over and got Andy's attention, "That's Michelle Jones, civil rights acitivist for literally anything," he informed her. "You know everyone, don't you?" Andy joked, watching a smile appear on his face. "I'm a team player."

"He means that he does his research on people, maybe the reason I'm his only friend," Peter jumped in, clapping his friend on the back. Andy snickered and faced forwards, "Maybe I should spend some more time with you then," she said under her breath while writing Michelle's name in. 

Andy took a moment to think to herself before scribbling 'not a suspect' next to Ned's name, too. It wasn't that she was growing fond of the two boys, it was their personalities. Ned was too innocent in the world of life or death to be dealing illegal guns. SHe could tell her was easily frightened, so the people she was hunting down would not be one he would be hanging around. Then there was Peter. Peter's uncle had been murdered nearly three and a half weeks ago by a gun, so she could tell by looking at him that selling guns and weapons would go against everything he mourned when his uncle was pronounced dead. That left Michelle and Flash on her list. The only goal that Andy had was to write down everyone's name on her list and research every one of them to see if they could potentially be the person she was looking for. It would take weeks to even get somewhere close to moving, but Andy was confident she could do this.

•••

Andy stood at her locker, shoving several books and pens into the small metal space. Feeling someone step next to her, she turned her head to the left and saw Michelle Jones from her study hall class. "You're new," the girl noticed, leaning on the lockers with a book tucked under her arm. "Am I?" Andy remarked, squinting her eyebrows and tilting her head. 

The girl grinned, "Spoken," she said. "Appreciated. I find it shocking I don't immediately dislike you," Michelle continued, shuffling her feet so the book was tighter in her arms. "Same on my part. I don't particularly find favor in teenagers," Andy conversed, then shutting her locker door with a loud bang. "Huh, I've never met someone so much like me," Michelle snickered.

"You'd be surprised," Andy smiled. "I'm Michelle," the girl said, holding out her hand for Andy to shake. She gripped it and shook it with a certain politeness, "Andy."

"Is that your real name?" Michelle wondered. Andy shrugged, "No, but it's my name."

"Well, Andy, we're bonding over our shared hatred to our generation of the human race. I'm interested to hear your opinions on corrupt politics and freedom of protesting," Michelle told her. Andy chuckled, "Oh, I'm real involved in the course of stopping anything corrupt," Andy scoffed lightly. Michelle smirked and watched as Andy looked at her watch and picked her backpack up from the ground, slinging it onto her shoulder. "Uh, I should get to lunch."

"You can sit at my table if you want. The other two who sit there are losers," Michelle rambled, a nice offer reaching Andy. The hacker smiled and let Michelle walk off, following by her side. "Don't expect me to talk to you. I believe that too much socialism can lead to conflict," Michelle warned.

•••

"Hi! You must be the new freshman!" someone squealed, their footsteps stamping the ground close to the chair that Andy was sitting in at the extended lunch table. She looked up and raised an eyebrow, seeing a new girl with dark brown hair pulling out the chair next to her and plopping in it. "I'm Maya Clemmons, the sophomore president! But I'm also the head of our welcoming commitee, so on behalf of Midtown, welcome!" she cheered. 

Andy slightly turned her head to see Michelle holding up a casual middle finger behind her book and snickered before returning her focus to the new face: Maya. She made a mental note to remember the name and fakely smiled. "Okay, so, there is one other perso you really need to know to get somewhere at this school," the girl explained. "That girl over there, that's Liz Toomes, she's the honorary School Body President since our Senior President left two weeks ago. She's a junior, super sweet, and one of my good friends."

"I'm--"

"Andy, I know. Super cute name! Anyways, it looks like you know Peter, Ned, and Michelle, great little group of people. And you probably want to know as many people as possible, so I'll let you make your way around. But I just wanted to say welcome and this year is going to be great!"

The girl raced off, leaving Andy in utter awe of extreme happiness this one girl with a small frame could manage to maintain. "You got Maya interested in you, good luck escaping that one," Ned snorted. She muttered a 'yeah' and turned back in her seat, already pulling out the journal to write Maya and Liz's name down. She couldn't trust anyone.

•••

Andy had always hated civics. The idea of studying citizenship just seemed beyond her and even more since she erased herself from existing. After she went 'bye-bye', so did her citizenship. But thankfully, it was her last period so she could get the hell out of school and straight to tell Pappy how her first day was. 

"Looking into the Constitution, then Preamble states that 'We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union.' In no way, shape, or form does the basis of our country allow for a segregated union!" the teacher explained, tapping his finger on the whiteboard where the simple words were written. He went onto elaborate more on the topic but Andy drifted off into the details of her mission. She kept repeating the phrase, 'everyone is a suspect' in her head, hoping that maybe it would slip from her mouth and she would be able to find the one person she needed to.

Andy bit her bottom lip and looked over the several dozen names in her journal, then glancing at Peter and Michelle. She ran her finger over the words 'not a suspect' before slamming the book shut and looking over her shoulder. Immediately, she caught the eyes of Peter who gave her a small smile before returning to whatever he was sketching in his notebook. 'Great,' Andy thought to herself. 'The only boy who has ever seen me outside of school is in four of my classes.'

She knew Peter recognized her from Delmar's when she was sweeping the tile but he never mentioned it to her. And she was hoping he never did. If even one person grew suspicious as to why she was really there, there was no telling how far off track this mission would falter.