Wanna see something cool? (Vic, tags any)

[Vic Webber]

To say Victor was excitable this morning was an understatement. Cuddles had molted his skin the day before leaving a nice exo-skeleton behind. He carefully took out the old skin and put it in a jar and took it to school like a grade schooler would for show and tell.

He grinned from ear to ear and didn't mind when the rent a cops wanted to check him. He never heard a man scream like a girl until that day. Who knew a man that was six foot three and about 250lbs could be such a wuss?

He was dressed in a tshirt that said 'Beware the Tingler!' with a centipede type thing over the words, a creature from his favorite Vincent Price movie and ripped jeans. He headed to his locker.

He started getting his books for the first couple of classes, and carefully placing the glass jar on the shelf. He wasn't sure who would want to see it but it was fascinating for him. He stopped the first person he saw.

"Hey, you want to see something cool? You have to take a look at this!" He eagerly grabbed the jar from its holding shelf.

[felipe]

Felipe had been making his way towards his shared locker. He'd yet to meet the boy who owned it. Victor Webster, he seemed to recall his name was. Each time Felipe had used the locker he'd missed the other boy by a matter of minutes but maybe today his luck was in as a person was standing by its open door. It couldonly be Victor.

He walked over to say hello, surprised when the other boy spun to face him, excitement etched across his face.

"Hey, you wanna see something cool?"

Felipe nodded. Introductions could wait until after he'd seen whatever was inside the jar.

He peered closely, eyes opening slightly in astonishment. Whatever Felipe had been expecting to see it sure as hell wasn't this!

"Uma aranha! Isso é surpreendente!" he exclaimed. "A tarantula? Is it real?" He looked more closely. "No... it is dead. Or... " He looked up at Vic. "Skin? It has left behind its skin?" He wasn't sure of the correct term for it but hopefully his meaning was clear. "It truly is amazing," he added with a nod. "I am Felipe," he said as he glanced up an at the boy. "We share this locker for the time being..."

[Vic Webber]

Vic wasn't sure what the teen had said until the word tarantula. "The actual one is at home, he'd molted during the day yesterday!" The hadn't freaked out from seeing the left over skin, probably because it didn't jump at him or try and crawl up his arm. "Its almost like what a cat or dog does to lose their summer coat."

"Oh nice to meet you Felipe, I wondered who else was here." He laughed. "I'm glad got to meet you before class, who knows how you would have reacted seeing the exoskeleton staring back at you from in here!"

"I'm Victor but I guess you already knew that." He chuckled putting the jar back. "I hope I haven't been a bad locker mate or anything. I try to keep things semi organized in here." Who was he kidding? "Actually if I were organized, I'd be very dangerous!" He laughed again. "Looks like the Spider Boy name is sticking to me longer!"

He started to take his books out for his first class. "How long have you been in Los Angeles? From your accent I can tell you aren't native here."

[felipe]

"No, I am from Brazil," replied Felipe. "Sao Paolo. My first day at school was the one of the shootings." He half smiled in a wry way. "Not the best of first days really but I am glad to meet ou too, Victor," he added. "And also glad you showed me that jar. I can only imagine my reaction if I'd seen it for the first time when I came back here to get my lunch! We have large spiders in Brazil too. There is one that I am not too keen on. It's called aranhas armadeiras. Wandering spider. They are very aggressive and deadly. The most poisonous spider in all of Brazil. Some grow up to about 6 inches across. That is one spider I would not want to see in your locker!" he said on a laugh.

Felipe stacked his un-needed books on the lower shelf, keeping back the ones he needed for his morning lessons.

"Spider Boy?" he queried. "I think the nickname suits you well. So you have the owner of that skin at home? What do you call your spider? Do you have a picture of it here? Its hard to imagine what it looks like from the contents of your jar."

[Vic Webber]

Victor winced at the teens first day. "Wow, what a warm welcome that had to be. Welcome to L.A., we'll shoot you now." Normally it wouldn't have bothered him but because he had been in the action, the shooting had a whole new meaning now. "I would feel bad if this were a surprise but if you were one of the popular girls, then I'd be laughing hysterically." He had a devlish smile on his face.

That smile soon turned to the Homer Simpson drool face when Felipe talked about the spiders in Brazil. "Ohhhh man, wow, I'd love to see one of those, behind the safety of glass or something." He laughed. "I wouldn't let something like that loose, although it would be a good way to be like a hero to a girl." The wheels started to turn.

"I usually cringe at Spiderboy, I was given that name back in grade school and it stuck ever since, you'd think by now I'd be Spiderman but noooo." There was just a tad touch of bitterness in his voice. "Yeah, I never bring Cuddles to school with me. I know its an odd name for a spider but I like seeing the reaction when people hear the name but then see the creature!" He reached in his pocket for his phone. "Here is a picture of me with Cuddles when I first got him home." The picture was him in a whit t with Cuddles on the back of his hand.

[felipe]

"As welcomes go," Felipe agreed with a wry grin, "it could have gone better but other than that the people here have been friendly and warm. That day aside I have been very lucky as I have met a lot of students who I hope will eventually become friends." Felipe's eyes widened at Victor's next comment. "So you don't like the popular girls? Or do you just like to hear them scream?" he asked with a laugh. "I have to be thankful, I think, that my reproductive organs are on the outside of my body!"

"But yes, the aranhas armadeiras is extremely dangerous. It moves so fast and will attack for no reason other than it wants to. Even without that desire it would probably still attack. It is its nature."

He listened as Vic told him the origins of his nickname and nodded slightly. "Soon I am sure it will be man instead," he replied with a grin. "Although I wondered if you had the name as you sort of look like the actor who played Spiderman in the film. I can't remember his name but you remind me of him. Cuddles, though, is a good name for a spider. It like calling a tiger Mouse or something. I like it."

Felipe peered at the phone's screen. "A lot larger than I first thought," he stated. "The skin has shrivelled a little perhaps. An unusual pet indeed but I where is the fun in having a hamster... right?"

Felipe looked at the image once more. "I would love to see your spider some time... If that is at all possible."

[Vic Webber]

"This has been the first time, that I can recall, where theres been violence like that here at school. Its not uncommon though to hear of a shooting in some of the lower class neighborhoods." The five minute warning bell went off. "Just stay with the people you met and everything should be fine." He was bemused at Filipe's question. "I like them, they don't like me though. I don't fit their criteria. I'm far from being a jock and have a a taste for good gory movies, it just doesn't seem to appeal to them, go fig."

"Hmm sounds like the bullies around here. Its like some of them have a death wish or something. No one has been killed by one though unless it was hushed up or something."

"It won't be soon enough." He grinned. "I hear that a lot, maybe I should change my name to Tobey and cash in on the name!" He laughed at the idea. "I thought of Cuddles' name when I got him, thinking people would hear it and get comfortable until the see him. I'm a sadist in the respect."

"Oh yeah any time you want to see him, let me know. I do need to give him a few days to recover from the molting, this weakens them for a few days so the defense goes way up."

The crowd started to move. "Gotta get to class. We'll see you around."

*wraps for Victor*

[felipe]

(and wrapped for Felipe I think as I can't think of a 200 word post LOL!)