Hi! First off for people who don't read summaries: This was written by myself and diggerthedirtyhorse in a roleplaying game. Go read her stories too! ;)
(For those of you who don't know what that is, as I didn't until a couple of weeks ago, it's a 'game' where you take on the role of a particular character and take it in turn to post their parts).
Second off: The title is a private joke, so don't even try to understand it because you won't.
Third off: Just read, enjoy, and please review!
That Really Takes The Biscuit!
Sandra Talos watched her fellow students pile into cars and drive off with their boyfriends laughing with an annoyed frown. Pacing up and down the area before the entrance to her collage, she restlessly plonked herself down on the long grey stone steps. Her boyfriend was an hour late to pick her up. An hour! A whole 60 minutes! She crossed her arms irritably, and looked at her surroundings. The sun was beginning to set in a pearly sky, casting lines of purple light across the darkening grounds- and one brown haired boy with his nose buried in a book. Sandra stared at him for a moment, wondering why the back of his head seemed so familiar, when he sensed her gaze and glanced up. their eyes met and locked, and in an instant she knew he was her hero, her saviour from that train nearly a month ago.
Peter sighed, not getting any where in his studies, he would have to go over it with Dr. Connors later on. Packing his books in his bag, and made sure to shove his Spider-man gloves, boots and mask to the bottom of his bag, rolling his eyes at the fact that although he was the smartest in his class, he never seemed to get anywhere, besides a lecture on why you should show up early to class...He sat on the steps, and sighed, feeling that awful feeling of pessimism and regret, but what he regretted, he wasn't quite sure...
Sandra watched him pack his things away then stood up hesitantly, not sure if she should go through with what she was thinking, but eventually worked up the courage to go over and sit next to him. No way was she missing out on meeting Spider-man again because of nerves. "Hi" She said simply.
Peter spun around and said "Hi, I don't mean to sound rude, and I'm not, I was just wondering if you wanted something? Because you tapped me and all and look I'm stuttering again..." He smiled and settled down his backpack on his lap. "I've seen you around this class, right?"
"Yeah... I've seen you before as well, but only once." She said, remembering that day on the train and trying hard not to give anything away. She tilted her head inquisitively and looked pointedly at the bag he'd just stuffed all his books in. "So, what're you studying?"
Peter looked at his books, and back at her. "Well, nothing interesting, just Advanced Physics, calculus and geometry, nothing special...." He smiled and said "My name's Peter, Peter Parker, I'm a photographer for the Bugle as well as a live my life college student, interesting huh?" As he said that, there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
She smiled, surprised that she had gotten him to offer his name so easily. "Advanced Physics is nothing to sniff at" She said. "I only do plain old Physics but I still have trouble keeping up!" She laughed lightly. "And believe me, your life is much more interesting than mine. I just get up, go to school, go wait tables, go home, go to sleep then wake up and do it all over again. At least you have a bit of variety in your life." She commented, then blushed slightly as she realised the slip, but he hadn't seemed to notice.
Sandra nodded and looked back into the sky, where the sun had begun to set and cast pearly iridescent lines of light across the grey stone steps. For a minute they sat and watched the sun go down, then: "So, you got a place to be?" She asked him wondering why he was just sitting on the front steps of his school, apparently doing not much more than looking at a few of his school books. "I mean, are you just here for your idea of fun or are you waiting for someone?"
Peter gave a shy laugh, flipping through some pages and quickly taking a short glance at Sandra. "Well...of course I have stuff to do, in fact too much...But I come here just to get my peace of mind...if that's even possible for me..." He gave a sigh, and then a silent groan, seeing the negatives of his life...
"Yeah, it is pretty nice out here," Sandra replied, then laughed. "I can't believe I just said school is nice!" They laughed for a bit then grew sober. "Oh! I haven't told you my name yet!" She held out her hand for him to shake. "Sandra Talos."
Peter smiled and held out his hand in a pleasant matter. "Nice to meet you Sandra, as I think I said before, I'm Peter Parker..." His grip was firm on her hand yet soft, and he made his muscles as relaxed as possible. "So....You like Spider-man? Must have been hard for him to stop that speeding train...."
"Oh... um... yeah... I mean right, course." She stuttered and felt herself blush a bright red. "Um, yeah, I heard about that train... uh, incident." She finished lamely and her face deepened to a lovely shade of maroon. Peter tried very hard not to notice. "Um, I guess you like Spider-man too?" She asked, trying to draw the attention away from herself.
Peter nodded and said "Well, me and him get along, and he's a really nice guy...I've always wondered who was on that speeding train....I mean Spider-man always wondered...He said that they saw him without his mask...Now that would be scary for him..." He looked at the ground, not being able to keep eye contact and he sighed.
"Um... where did you hear that the people on the train saw him without the mask? It wasn't reported in the newspapers as far as I know." She said, deciding to put him on the spot a little more and then reveal herself. How would he react when he found out? She pondered. He wouldn't be angry with her, would he? No, no he wouldn't, she was sure of that. He might be a little irritated, but she knew he'd be over it soon enough being the genuine nice guy that he was.
Peter stuttered with his words and said "Well.....He...uhhh....Spider-man told me, I am his photographer after all..." He sighed and thought to himself "Phew close call..." He then looked at her, finding it harder and harder to keep eye contact with her.
"Oh... Right." She said. She shifted uncomfortably on the hard cold steps. "Listen, I have something to tell you..." She began nervously, and paused to swallow. "You know how there was about 30 passengers on that train? Have you ever wondered... what might happen if... if you came face to face with one of them again?" She said, going with the subtle route, and waited for his reply with bated breath.
Peter shot his head up when he heard the words "What if you came face to face?" His eye's widened and said "What...What do you mean?" He stuttered with his words, and fumbled with his bag, afraid of where this conversation was going, could she be one of those passenger? Impossible, the odds were for him, not against him...
"I mean..." Sandra said slowly and carefully. "I mean, I was on that train," she finished, and a ringing silence fell over the two as she watched Peter struggle for words. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone, and I don't intend to. All of us were sincere that day when we vowed not to say a word. I haven't even told my boyfriend, who's late," she added irritably. "I never thought actually thought I'd see you again, at least, not like this," she continued, as Peter stared dumbly at her. "So you can imagine I had a bit of a shock myself when I found out Spider-man goes to the same collage as me." She smiled gently.
Peter smiled, and he was still struck with shock. "You...You saw me on the train? Oh my god...." He gasped and then got up, ready to walk away, he wasn't sure what to do, run away or stay and talk, all he knew was, his identity could be put in jeopardy with the decisions of 30 people, who's each decisions influenced their actions and lives...
She stood up also, and walked up behind him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she said quietly, but he didn't answer or turn around. "I know this is a bit of a surprise, but I swear to you on my life I will not tell anyone. You saved my life that day, something for which I'm eternally grateful for, and you have to know I would never betray your trust. Besides, we got to the same school, team spirit and all that, huh?" She joked, trying to get him to smile.
Peter gave a slight laugh, and said "You caught me on my bad side that day, fighting Doc Ock, and all....Nobody but I know how he really died...He sacrificed his life to save ours....He didn't want to die a monster...." He put his head low in shame for a moment, but perked up his head, and said, "Did anyone else you know recognize me, or say anything, or do you know them?"
"Um, yeah, actually I was visiting my family in Manhattan, my friends Kara and Melissa were on the train with me, and then afterwards, when we were held for police questioning, some of us kind of chatted to each other and I have telephone numbers from 5 or 6 people. But as far as I know, nobody except me has seen you since. Oh, apart from Cassy, but she saw you as Spider-man, you stopped her from being mugged a couple of weeks ago. That's about it." Sandra informed him.
Peter nodded, smiling in relief..."Phew, I was kind of insulted when one of them said "He's just a kid", but it doesn't bother me that much....I'm just glad that everyone survived...I'd rather keep the whole city alive then myself...I don't matter....The city matters..."
Sandra was touched by his concern. "Don't ever think that you don't matter, that you aren't worth anything. If it weren't for you, the whole city would be a smoking ruin by now. You're worth ten times what some of these people are worth, and don't you forget it." She told him, and he turned back and smiled slightly.
Peter smiled and said "Thanks....That really means a lot...Well I have to go, Thanks
for such a great time, and thanks for keeping my secret, it really means a lot to me, as I said before..." Peter got up, and glanced at her one more time and smiled as her boyfriend pulled up and picked her up. He walked off, and with those steps, he was Spider-man again...
Fin
Well? What do ya think? Why not leave a review and let us know! :D
