Disclaimer: I do not nor ever will own Spiderman. I don't even think I want to…
A/N: This is Movieverse, before the third movie because ahem I… never… saw… it… innocent smile
Jake sat in class, not listening to his teacher. This past weekend he and Brad saw something they're never going to get to tell anyone. It was kind of neat, actually, having this big secret. Though, he would probably go crazy if it was just him and not Brad too. He needed someone to talk about it with once in a while.
The bell rang and he picked up his backpack, wondering if there was homework he had missed. He wandered off toward the general direction of his home, catching up with Brad for a little while.
"Hey," he said, "I couldn't concentrate in class today. Do you think it'll get easier?"
Brad looked over and smiled. He was a little taller than Jake, and he was a little older. "I know what you mean," he replied, looking over toward his house down the street. "But I'm sure it'll get easier for both of us."
Jake smiled back. They had been traveling alone on that train, with no friends or parents accompanying them. What they had seen… needed to stay between them and the others who had been there, only one of which he had actually seen since it happened.
Brad left him and he continued to his own house, putting the key back in the flowerpot and plopping his backpack onto the couch. He got a snack and started on his homework.
He couldn't concentrate. What he was doing was so normal, so mundane. He could only think about what Spiderman was doing, saving a bank or an old lady or a dog. Putting robbers in silken cocoons. How did he get those spidey powers anyway?
Jake sighed and closed his math book. He needed to take a walk, to get tired so he would just stop thinking about it and do his homework. In his experience, when he's tired, he can only think about one thing at a time.
He put a note out for his sister when she comes home, took a water bottle, and headed out. He thought of a path that actually left the neighborhood, but it wasn't long, and it didn't go into the bad part of town. He started walking.
His head was filled with thoughts about what he had seen (still), who else had seen it, and if Spiderman was okay. He probably was, but the mind does wander.
Soon he found himself by the colledge, most of the way through his walk. He looked up at it, wondering if he was ever going to go there, when someone caught his eye.
He was tall, lean, and kind of clumsy. He had some books in one arm and a bookbag on the other, and he was getting shoved around by the surrounding student embodiment. He was too passive, letting people bang into him like that, and soon he was on the ground, picking up his books.
Jake was over there in an instant, helping in the pickup process. He recognized this man. He was the one who was… on the train. He picked up a blue folder that the man was reaching for, then he was finally noticed. The man looked up, and it was obvious that he recognized Jake, too. He smiled casually, said "Thanks," and took the books from Jake's hands. He shot Jake a … 'knowing' look, one of understanding, and continued on his way.
Jake was dumbfounded. Why did Spiderman spend his free time getting pushed around by bullies at school? He could be getting a kiss from a damsel in distress or rescuing a cat from a tree. Finally, he started to make his way back home.
By the time he got there, he had reached a decision. Everyone needs to go to college, even superheroes. Plus, every good superhero needs an alter-ego. Someone very… not… super. Like Clark Kent. Whenever someone came kinda close to guessing he was Superman, he did something strange or clumsy to throw them off track. He even had glasses.
He told Brad the next day and he laughed. He wished that he had been there. Occasionally Jake would take a walk over to the college, get to know the campus a little, and some days Spiderman would notice him and give him a wink or a smile. Some of the teachers had even gotten to know Jake a little.
He was going to go to college. He had decided; if it's good enough for Spiderman, it's good enough for me.