"If you clicked on this story thinking your going to read some kick ass story about how Peter Parker became Spider-Men well…sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn't about how Peter Parker became Spider-Man. This is my story. My name is Drake Carter and this is the story of how I became Spider-Man."

Drake Carter stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, he had been awake since four this morning occupying himself by counting the bumps on the ceiling. The sound of a knock on the bedroom door made him turn his head. The door opened and in walked Drake's older brother Vance. When Vance saw his brother was up said,

"Hurry get dressed and I'll take you to get some McDonalds before we head off to school." Vance said with a smile and left the room.

A smile crept upon the fifteen year old's face, Drake silently got out of bed and got dressed. He threw on dark blue jeans which sagged a little, a white muscle shirt, a black hoodie and a New York Giants baseball cap which he always wore backwards. Drake left the room, he didn't bother being quite as he passed his mother's bedroom. He knew full well that she wouldn't hear anything. Every night his mother would either spend the previous it getting drunk from alcohol or high from drugs and wouldn't wake up until late the next day, just to do all again. This is why Vance took on the role of acting parent and decided with this new school year, his last one at the high school, to bring his younger brother with him to football practice early every morning before school so he could buy him breakfast and make sure he got to school safely. It was their quiet time together. Their time to pretend that their world wasn't what it really was. Vance vowed to himself that he would provide everything that Drake would need since their own parents had failed them. It's why the high school senior, star quarter back, needed to secure a football scholarship this school year, so that he would be able to take care of himself and his brother.

As Drake made his way down the steps of the apartment building, he pulled up the sleeves on his hoodie but quickly pulled them back down when he saw the bruises that he had received from his mother's boyfriend were still visible on his skin. Drake and Vance were half African American and half Italian, their mother Italian and their father who left the family before Drake was born is African American. The thinly built boy rushed to the car door and climbed into the passenger seat of his brother's truck. The truck was a used, rusty pick up, but it got them around without breaking down, so far. Drake was silent as his brother drove, which was normal for the younger Carter. However, this quietness made him prey for bullies at school, most notably Lonny Thompson who was the son of Eugene "Flash" Thompson, the football coach at Midtown High School.

"Drake" Vance said.

Drake turned his head to look at his brother who kept his eyes trained on the road,

"Can you try to speak up today? If that punk Lonny picks on you then tell a teacher, I can't always there to protect you." "Next year I won't be there to back you up. I'll be in college, you'll be on your own." Vance said with a concerned look on his face.

Drake didn't reply at first to his brother's plea, his eyebrows furrowed then said,

"If… if I do… then you…. Then you have to call Uncle Charles and tell him about mom."

The truck suddenly veered to the side of the road and came to a screeching halt next to the curb. Vance turned his head to look at his younger brother. Instinctively from years of abuse Drake cowered a little. Vance seeing this, took a deep breath, rubbed his face with his hands, and softened his voice. Trying to hold back his own tears and frustration from knowing full well why his brother looked so small and afraid said,

"All right, it's a deal, you stand up for yourself today and I'll call Uncle Charles about mom."

Drake's eyes widen with glee and a smile appeared on his face. Vance reached over and gave Drake a fist bump before he started driving again. Drake smiling, looked back out the passenger window as his gaze turned into a daydream.

As he drove, Vance occasionally glanced over at his brother and felt pity for the young Carter. It scared Vance to know he won't be in the same school as his little brother next year. With all the abuse he had been through in his young life and never having known their father, Drake was vulnerable. The story their mother told Drake was that when Vance was three and she was pregnant with him, their father had walked out on them and later was shot by a loan shark he owed money to. However, Vance knew the truth. Their father did walk out on them, but he was alive. Vance Carter hadn't seen his father since that day, but he would always remember the large man saying to him before he walked out the door,

"Always take care of your baby brother."

Since then, Vance had always sensed that someone was watching him and his

brother, but whenever he looked around, there was no one. The older Carter made a pledge to locate their father and confront him for leaving them.

(!)

Drake entered Midtown High with the last of his breakfast biscuit in his mouth and his orange juice in his hand. He makes his way down the hall towards his locker, making sure not to look at anyone in the eye. He with his free hand, he opens the locker, and starts putting his books from his backpack into his locker, while keeping the ones for his first four classes in the backpack. Drake slams the locker shut then makes his way down the hall heading towards his first class, Mr. Groves English class. He enters the classroom taking a seat in the back of the room. Making sure to remove his cap when he does, he sits there finishing his juice just as the bell rings and his fellow classmates come spilling into the room followed by their teacher. Mister Groves places his bag on the desk and turns on the Smartboard, the words Romeo & Juliet appear on the board, which earns groans of displeasure from the class including Drake.

"Oh hush. Alright what can you tell me about Romeo & Juliet?" Mr. Groves asks his class with a smirk.

Glancing around the room he was upset to see that not one of his students were going to make an effort to converse about the subject. With an almost defeated sigh he says,

"The main two themes about the play is love and death."

Turning towards the board, the veteran teacher writes the two points on the smartboard underneath the title. He turns to see that none of the kids seem to care.

"Come on guys, some of you have to at least care about learning." Mister Groves says before taking a seat on the edge of his desk, when none of the students including Drake replied he let out a defeated breath. From somewhere in the room came an anonymous voice asking,

"Isn't the play about two kids from two feuding families falling in love with each other?"

Mister Groves' eyes widened, then he looked up and scanned the room. His eyes landed on Drake who shook his head telling the man that it wasn't him, but Groves knew that it was in fact Drake who had spoken up. He also knew that the boy didn't want to draw attention himself. So Mr. Groves started talking about the play going into detail about the relevance of the play in today's society as he handed out copies of the play to his students. When he reached Drake, he winked before moving on. Drake slid down in his chair hoping that no one saw the exchange, he glanced over and saw Lonny giving him a death glare signaling that he knew it was Drake that had spoken up causing the fevered lecture about the play. Drake's heart sank knowing what would be waiting for him after class.

As soon as the bell rang Drake ran out of the classroom making sure to grab his backpack and hat before he did. Unfortunately he wasn't fast enough. Lonny caught up to him and slammed him up against the nearest locker.

"You just had to open your big, stupid mouth didn't you Chump Carter?" Lonny growled in Drakes face, before shoving Drake harder against the lockers making

Drake winces in pain.

Drake knew he had to do something before he was hurt even more, without thinking the younger Carter brought his foot up hard and fast kicking Lonny between the legs which made the jock release his hold on Drake and buckle over in pain. Drake tried his best to run away from his tormentor, but he had forgotten about Lonny's lackeys who grabbed Drake and pulled him backwards by the hood of his hoodie making him fall back onto the ground making it easy for the whole group to beat down on him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Yelled a female voice.

The insolent group beating on Drake stopped and looked up at the person yelling at them. Then upon recognition of the girl, got up and without saying a word, walked away, but not before Lonny gave one last kick to the side of Drake's ribs. Drake sat up, wiped the blood from his lip and put his hand where Lonny kicked him in the ribs. Glancing up to see who the voice was that made the abusers leave without a word. A girl with long brunette hair stood in front of him. He didn't know who she was, but was internally grateful that she came when she did. She offered her hand out to him which he accepted. She helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should go see a nurse." the girl said to Drake with genuine concern.

"Naw, its okay… I'm use to Lonny and his thugs beating on me" Drake said with noticeable pain.

The girl looked at him surprised, Drake took a deep breath, winced, then said, "Listen just don't say anything alright? It was an accident and nothing else." He turned to start walking away, then stopped and turned back towards the girl and said, "Thank you."

Then he turned back around and walked down the hall holding his side, leaving the girl standing there alone in bewilderment.

(!)

"When I said stand up to Lonny, I didn't mean kick him in the jewels." Vance said when he found Drake in the cafeteria at lunch time. The younger Carter looked around then said,

"I didn't do it on purpose…. It was just instinct."

Vance didn't say anything at first then placed his hand on his brother's shoulder before saying,

"Don't worry about it bro, just try not to get suspended okay?"

Drake nodded his head they continued to eat their lunch in silence. When they were done, Vance got up and said to Drake,

"I'll see you later." Then walked off to find his friends leaving Drake at the table.

No sooner did Vance leave then the girl from the hallway took a seat across from him. Drake looked around then looked back at the girl who had started eating her lunch, "You don't want to do that." he said to her.

"Do what?" She said taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Sit here, by me. Listen, your probably nice and all but no one, and I mean no one, sits by me at lunch." he said in a quieter voice leaning forward towards her.

The girl rolled her eyes then said,

"First, I do want to sit here. Secondly, I am nice and I'm sitting here because there's no one else I want to sit by." She said looking around at the other students with irritation, noticing that some people were giving her looks of disgust and whispering.

She opted to ignore them and turned her attention back to Drake who still looked uncomfortable at the thought of her sitting with him.

"Listen, since we had an eventful day so far, I feel I should introduce myself, my name is Maria…. Maria Hill." the girl said offering her hand out to Drake, who cautiously took her hand and uncomfortably shook it before saying,

"I'm Drake Carter."

Maria continued to eat her lunch while Drake finished his water. He occasionally glanced up to see that people were still giving him weird looks and whispering to themselves while nodding over at him and Maria. Drake was slouched down in his seat, he didn't understand it. Why would this girl sit next to him? He's a loser, a nothing, a nobody. Just ask Lonny and everyone else in the school. When the lunch period was over Drake quickly stood up and muttered bye to Maria and left the lunch room.

He went straight to his locker to drop off the four books in his backpack and exchange them for the books he'll need for his last two classes. He slammed his locker shut and made his way up to the third floor where his second to last class was located. First day of school and he already hated this class. Mainly because it was history, which was Drake's least favorite subject. Drake entered the room only stop when he sees Maria sitting at the front of the class, she waves to him but he acts like he doesn't notice and makes his way to the back of the room taking a seat in the back row.

Drake slouches back in his chair as the bell rings. He takes his hat off and places it down on the ground near his bag and pulls his hood on over his head slightly so it wasn't covering entirely. Miss Danvers entered the classroom, her full name was Carol Danvers. Drake noticed her looking at him but she said nothing. Hopefully this class won't be so bad.

"Normally in this class, we would start off with how America came to be, but that's not fun, so we're going to skip a few years and go straight to World War II." Miss Danvers said with a smirk.

Drake rolled his eyes, 'great, we get to hear about Hitler again which is something I already learned in middle school." Drake thought as he pulled out his notebook and a pencil and started drawing. As he drew he completely got lost in the drawing and tuned out the lecture that Miss Danvers was giving the class.

(!)

Drake stared out the window of his brother's truck, "So how was the rest of your first day?" Vance asked him.

Drake didn't respond right away. Then he muttered, "Fine."

Vance glanced at him, "Listen I thought about our conversation earlier." Vance said which caught Drake's attention and he turned towards his brother. "And I know I said that I would talk to Uncle Charlie about ma but, then I realized that in a few months I'm turning eighteen and when I do I can become your legal…."

"NO!" Drake shouted, "I can't live like this anymore V, I can't take anymore beatings from those animals and I thought you cared about me." Drake yelled with anger, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I do care Dra…." Vance tried to say.

"No you don't…. you never did." Drake snapped just as Vance came to a stop at a stoplight. Drake jumped out of the car with his backpack and ran off not looking back.