Author's Note: After reading a few of J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man stories (volume 2, issues 37 to 42) I grew quite fond of his one of Peter's students, Jennifer Hardesty. You can't help but like her character, who is forced to live with other poor people, helping out her big brother with his homework since he's an addict, and going to school on top of all that. This story, or rather I'd like to call it an issue, takes place after Amazing Spider-Man #42. Hopefully my storytelling will be satisfactory compared to my last Spider-Man story, which quickly ran out of steam way too quickly...
Quick Note: Steve was also called Johnny in the comics, but whether it was a nickname or a mistake, I'm not sure. So I'll just refer to him as Steve.
And now, I proudly present a new Spider-Man story to add to the archives...
- Peter Parker: Responsibility -
- By Brian Marcelo -
- brianmarcelo@hotmail.com -
- PG-13 for language and content -
- Chapter One -
* * *
Jennifer Hardesty still couldn't believe what had just happened last night. First some crazy whacko called Shade sucked her into some kind of crazy dimension, but then she had been rescued by none other then the amazing Spider-Man, who had been helping her out for the past few days.
'Kind of like Mr. Parker has been doing...' she thought to herself, as she tried to focus on what he was teaching the class at the moment.
"Now class, turn your books to chapter five please..." said Peter, his voice sounding as though he hadn't gotten any rest for awhile now, "and let's continue reading on about circadian sleep cycles..."
* * *
"Mr. Parker, are you feeling alright?" Jennifer Hardesty asked him, as she walked alongside him, "You didn't seem quite yourself in class this morning..."
Peter smiled a sad smile as he realized she was right; he hadn't even cracked a smile or made a single joke during the whole period. He was still distraught with just barely missing Mary Jane again.
All because of his responsibilities of being Spider-Man. Yet again.
"Uh...so, how's your brother Steve doing?" he said quickly, changing the topic of discussion.
"He's doing a little better now," she said with a smile that faded somewhat, "they're sending him off to a drug rehab place for a long time though...and he's going to have to do some jail time as well since he broke probation..."
"Oh..." he said quietly, realizing that she'd be living alone with her brother gone, "I hear it's gonna get pretty cold, with winter here and all...you gonna be okay?"
Jennifer hugged her arms and shivered at the mention of winter. "I'll be fine."
Before Peter could reply, the school bell rang loudly, indicating that it was lunchtime.
"I'll see you later Mr. Parker, I've got to go take advantage of the school's free food." she said with a slight smile as she waved and proceeded towards the cafeteria.
Peter frowned sadly as he walked towards the teacher's lounge, wondering what Spider-Man would do in this situation.
* * *
"I'm sorry to say Peter, but there's not much you can do about her." Dominic remarked as he bit into his sandwich, "there's just some things a teacher can't fix, and this sadly is one of them."
"You know, I didn't become a science teacher here just for the paycheck you know," said Peter, moving his spoon in circles around the tomato soup that didn't look particularly tasty to him today, "we're here to make a difference in the lives of our students, right? The way we help and teach them shapes them into who they're gonna be when they grow up..."
"...you mean they actually listen to you?" Dominic said dumbfounded, much to Peter's dismay.
* * *
"Whore...whore...whore..."
"Slut...Slut...Slut..."
"I bet she does pot just like her brother..."
"I heard her brother had to be sent away for a long time, sad huh?"
"Heh heh, she'll probably be on street corners when she grows up..."
"I heard her brother had to be sent away for a long time, sad huh?"
"No wonder her parents left her, huh?"
Jennifer carefully tried not to listen to her antagonizers as she picked up her lunch tray and proceed towards an empty table, thinking maybe it was not such a good idea to get lunch today.
'If you didn't eat, you'd be hungry for the rest of the day...' she thought to herself gloomily, as she dipped a limp French fry into some ketchup, "just six more months and then I graduate..."
"You know, I bet she'll be on the streets forever and ever..."
Jennifer frowned as she continued eating, wishing that they'd stop laughing and leave her alone. 'After all,' she thought, 'why can't they bother to understand what I have to live through day in, day out...?'
* * *
Jennifer ran out as school as the last bell out of the day had rang. She was tired of the name-calling and teasing she had received during classes and lunch, and just wanted to go home. It was funny what "home" meant to her these days. For most people, the word home brought happy images of a warm, loving house with plenty of everything anyone could need. For Jennifer, home meant a shoddy place to sleep.
'At least I won't have to worry about those drug dealers anymore, now that their enforcer is gone...' she thought, as she started walking towards her "home", "but so is Steve..."
* * *
Peter solemnly watched Jennifer walk home from his window, feeling not quite right. He had saved her from Shade, but it felt like she was still in trouble. He didn't need his spider-sense to know that.
"Too bad Spider-Man can't fix everything..." he said with a frown, as he started packing his school bag with papers to grade, "especially broken marriages..."
Because of his little escapade in the astral plane, he had missed Mary Jane's visit by a whole day. All he was able to do was go to her in his astral form, futilely attempting to tell her all the things he was going to do and say. Of course, she couldn't hear him considering the fact he was practically invisible to her.
"Hey, God?" Peter suddenly spoke aloud, "Why do I always seem to lose the people I care about...?"
Despite the fact that the teacher's lounge was empty and that he (unsurprisingly) was getting no reply, he kept on talking.
"There was my mom and dad, Uncle Ben, Captain Stacey, Gwen Stacey, Harry Osborn, Aunt May at one time, Ben Reilly, my stillborn baby, and now Mary-Jane...?"
Still nothing but empty silence.
"My mom and dad were killed because they were spies for the US, Uncle Ben died because of a burglar I didn't stop, Captain Stacey was killed saving a boy, Gwen was killed because of the fight between myself and the Green Goblin, Harry died because of his insanity being the second Green Goblin, Ben Reilly died saving my life from Norman Osborn, my baby became stillborn because of complications, and Mary-Jane left me after being held hostage by some twisted freak for over 6 months..."
Again, silence.
"I've gone through more angst and drama then any other superhero I know...heck, I bet even moody ol' Wolvie is happier then me!" he said, his voice rising slightly, "Why can't I have happiness? Why couldn't I be a husband and father? Why do I have to endure all this? Why?!"
Half expecting a reply but hearing nothing, he closed his eyes for a second, waiting for the anger to subside. It wasn't everyday he had an outburst like that, especially since he usually had a cheery deposition thanks how he was raised by his uncle and aunt.
Opening his eyes, he glanced out the window and was reminded of Jennifer. Still feeling like she was in some sort of trouble, he tried to think of what he could do to help.
"I should take the long way home, just to make sure no one tries to bother her." he said to himself, as he grabbed his school bag and walked out of the room.
* * *
"I hate cold weather, I hate cold weather, I hate cold weather..." Jennifer complained quietly, shivering as she continued walking home.
"Hey there, lil' girl..." came from behind her, "I hear that you called yer buddy Spider-Man to take out Shade..."
Jennifer turned her head slowly behind her to see that she was face to face with two huge, burly men that stood at roughly 6 feet. They both looked like they were affiliated with the gang that had harassed her the other night, but this time, they were carrying weapons instead of relying on Shade. The one that was talking to her was carrying a metal crowbar, while the quiet one was holding a long metal chain. The worst part was they both didn't look quite happy in the slightest.
"We don't appreciate a lil' girl messing with our gang, 'specially since she took out our enforcer..." the man said menacingly at her, his grip tightening on his crowbar, looking like he was prepared to hit something with it.
Jennifer swallowed hard as her mind, which had been going miles a second, suddenly came to a grim realization.
She was going to be killed for what she had done, and there was no Spider-Man around to save her. She did the only thing she could do; scream for her life.
- End of Chapter One -
What do you think? I have big plans for this story, and hopefully you'll love them. ^_^;
Please rate and review! I crave feedback!
Quick Note: Steve was also called Johnny in the comics, but whether it was a nickname or a mistake, I'm not sure. So I'll just refer to him as Steve.
And now, I proudly present a new Spider-Man story to add to the archives...
- Peter Parker: Responsibility -
- By Brian Marcelo -
- brianmarcelo@hotmail.com -
- PG-13 for language and content -
- Chapter One -
* * *
Jennifer Hardesty still couldn't believe what had just happened last night. First some crazy whacko called Shade sucked her into some kind of crazy dimension, but then she had been rescued by none other then the amazing Spider-Man, who had been helping her out for the past few days.
'Kind of like Mr. Parker has been doing...' she thought to herself, as she tried to focus on what he was teaching the class at the moment.
"Now class, turn your books to chapter five please..." said Peter, his voice sounding as though he hadn't gotten any rest for awhile now, "and let's continue reading on about circadian sleep cycles..."
* * *
"Mr. Parker, are you feeling alright?" Jennifer Hardesty asked him, as she walked alongside him, "You didn't seem quite yourself in class this morning..."
Peter smiled a sad smile as he realized she was right; he hadn't even cracked a smile or made a single joke during the whole period. He was still distraught with just barely missing Mary Jane again.
All because of his responsibilities of being Spider-Man. Yet again.
"Uh...so, how's your brother Steve doing?" he said quickly, changing the topic of discussion.
"He's doing a little better now," she said with a smile that faded somewhat, "they're sending him off to a drug rehab place for a long time though...and he's going to have to do some jail time as well since he broke probation..."
"Oh..." he said quietly, realizing that she'd be living alone with her brother gone, "I hear it's gonna get pretty cold, with winter here and all...you gonna be okay?"
Jennifer hugged her arms and shivered at the mention of winter. "I'll be fine."
Before Peter could reply, the school bell rang loudly, indicating that it was lunchtime.
"I'll see you later Mr. Parker, I've got to go take advantage of the school's free food." she said with a slight smile as she waved and proceeded towards the cafeteria.
Peter frowned sadly as he walked towards the teacher's lounge, wondering what Spider-Man would do in this situation.
* * *
"I'm sorry to say Peter, but there's not much you can do about her." Dominic remarked as he bit into his sandwich, "there's just some things a teacher can't fix, and this sadly is one of them."
"You know, I didn't become a science teacher here just for the paycheck you know," said Peter, moving his spoon in circles around the tomato soup that didn't look particularly tasty to him today, "we're here to make a difference in the lives of our students, right? The way we help and teach them shapes them into who they're gonna be when they grow up..."
"...you mean they actually listen to you?" Dominic said dumbfounded, much to Peter's dismay.
* * *
"Whore...whore...whore..."
"Slut...Slut...Slut..."
"I bet she does pot just like her brother..."
"I heard her brother had to be sent away for a long time, sad huh?"
"Heh heh, she'll probably be on street corners when she grows up..."
"I heard her brother had to be sent away for a long time, sad huh?"
"No wonder her parents left her, huh?"
Jennifer carefully tried not to listen to her antagonizers as she picked up her lunch tray and proceed towards an empty table, thinking maybe it was not such a good idea to get lunch today.
'If you didn't eat, you'd be hungry for the rest of the day...' she thought to herself gloomily, as she dipped a limp French fry into some ketchup, "just six more months and then I graduate..."
"You know, I bet she'll be on the streets forever and ever..."
Jennifer frowned as she continued eating, wishing that they'd stop laughing and leave her alone. 'After all,' she thought, 'why can't they bother to understand what I have to live through day in, day out...?'
* * *
Jennifer ran out as school as the last bell out of the day had rang. She was tired of the name-calling and teasing she had received during classes and lunch, and just wanted to go home. It was funny what "home" meant to her these days. For most people, the word home brought happy images of a warm, loving house with plenty of everything anyone could need. For Jennifer, home meant a shoddy place to sleep.
'At least I won't have to worry about those drug dealers anymore, now that their enforcer is gone...' she thought, as she started walking towards her "home", "but so is Steve..."
* * *
Peter solemnly watched Jennifer walk home from his window, feeling not quite right. He had saved her from Shade, but it felt like she was still in trouble. He didn't need his spider-sense to know that.
"Too bad Spider-Man can't fix everything..." he said with a frown, as he started packing his school bag with papers to grade, "especially broken marriages..."
Because of his little escapade in the astral plane, he had missed Mary Jane's visit by a whole day. All he was able to do was go to her in his astral form, futilely attempting to tell her all the things he was going to do and say. Of course, she couldn't hear him considering the fact he was practically invisible to her.
"Hey, God?" Peter suddenly spoke aloud, "Why do I always seem to lose the people I care about...?"
Despite the fact that the teacher's lounge was empty and that he (unsurprisingly) was getting no reply, he kept on talking.
"There was my mom and dad, Uncle Ben, Captain Stacey, Gwen Stacey, Harry Osborn, Aunt May at one time, Ben Reilly, my stillborn baby, and now Mary-Jane...?"
Still nothing but empty silence.
"My mom and dad were killed because they were spies for the US, Uncle Ben died because of a burglar I didn't stop, Captain Stacey was killed saving a boy, Gwen was killed because of the fight between myself and the Green Goblin, Harry died because of his insanity being the second Green Goblin, Ben Reilly died saving my life from Norman Osborn, my baby became stillborn because of complications, and Mary-Jane left me after being held hostage by some twisted freak for over 6 months..."
Again, silence.
"I've gone through more angst and drama then any other superhero I know...heck, I bet even moody ol' Wolvie is happier then me!" he said, his voice rising slightly, "Why can't I have happiness? Why couldn't I be a husband and father? Why do I have to endure all this? Why?!"
Half expecting a reply but hearing nothing, he closed his eyes for a second, waiting for the anger to subside. It wasn't everyday he had an outburst like that, especially since he usually had a cheery deposition thanks how he was raised by his uncle and aunt.
Opening his eyes, he glanced out the window and was reminded of Jennifer. Still feeling like she was in some sort of trouble, he tried to think of what he could do to help.
"I should take the long way home, just to make sure no one tries to bother her." he said to himself, as he grabbed his school bag and walked out of the room.
* * *
"I hate cold weather, I hate cold weather, I hate cold weather..." Jennifer complained quietly, shivering as she continued walking home.
"Hey there, lil' girl..." came from behind her, "I hear that you called yer buddy Spider-Man to take out Shade..."
Jennifer turned her head slowly behind her to see that she was face to face with two huge, burly men that stood at roughly 6 feet. They both looked like they were affiliated with the gang that had harassed her the other night, but this time, they were carrying weapons instead of relying on Shade. The one that was talking to her was carrying a metal crowbar, while the quiet one was holding a long metal chain. The worst part was they both didn't look quite happy in the slightest.
"We don't appreciate a lil' girl messing with our gang, 'specially since she took out our enforcer..." the man said menacingly at her, his grip tightening on his crowbar, looking like he was prepared to hit something with it.
Jennifer swallowed hard as her mind, which had been going miles a second, suddenly came to a grim realization.
She was going to be killed for what she had done, and there was no Spider-Man around to save her. She did the only thing she could do; scream for her life.
- End of Chapter One -
What do you think? I have big plans for this story, and hopefully you'll love them. ^_^;
Please rate and review! I crave feedback!