WARNING: THE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE FICTIONAL AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH. SUICIDE IS VERY SERIOUS AND SHOULD NOT BE JOKED ABOUT.
I OWN ONLY THE PLOT OF THIS STORY AND THE SI. AND BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE CURIOUS, YES, THE SI IS BASED UPON MYSELF, BUT HIS RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL OPINIONS DO NOT REFLECT MY OWN.
Chapter 1: New lease on life.
They were at it…. again. It seemed like that was all they ever did anymore. One minute we would be sitting in the living room watching TV as a family, and then the next they would be screaming in each other's faces while I hid around a corner or in my room…. funny for a 15 year old to say that.
This time around, my mom was screaming at my dad about how he is a horrible father and how he loves his job more than his family, yada yada yada. I had heard this argument so many times before, and it always ended the same way. Dad would walk out of the room while Mom was still yelling at him, letting her cool down for a few hours before he came back around. Things would be civil for a day or two and then they would be back at it. Rinse and repeat.
If I'm being honest, the only reason they haven't gotten divorced is that they are too stubborn to admit defeat to each other.
"If your head wasn't shoved up your work buddies asses's, your son wouldn't be a god damn porn obsessed pervert!" My mom's shrill voice cut through the air. Even with my door shut, the strength of her voice made my ears hurt. No wonder Dad was hard of hearing.
Oh ya, I saw a porn video when I was nine…. and then kept watching till about…. six months ago. Moral of the story, use parental locks on your kid's electronic devices.
"Well maybe if you didn't have to save every fucking animal you see, I wouldn't have to work so much!" Dad replied. Oh you fucking idiot. Here we go.
"There ya go! Blame it on my animals. You can go fu-" I covered my ears, trying to block out the yelling. I sat on my bed like that for several minutes, my eyes closed as well. I don't know why it still bothered me so much. I should be used to this by now. This constant state of anger, fear, and anxiety…. I'm tired of it.
I care for my parents, both of them, but…. neither have been the best of role models. Mom… her temper burns hot and fast. It barely takes anything to ignite it. I remember one time when I was eight and she lost it because I didn't finish a homework project on time. Being called a lazy ass when your eight by your own mother just….
My father is a little better, being able to hold his temper for a long time….but when he finally reaches his boiling point…. stand back. As for his abilities as a father…. he is lacking. I mean, he's not the worst father, but we haven't spent much father-son time together. Though, being a male with a dislike for hunting, fishing, building shit with wood, and messing around with muscle cars does make things awkward. Don't get me wrong, I like doing stuff with my hands, I just don't like doing shit that results in me getting dirty or an innocent animal being injured unnecessarily. (The former is quite funny considering my affinity for metallurgy and forging.)
I slowly removed my hands from my ears and opened my eyes. The argument had finally stopped… I hope….. why do I do this? Why am I always hoping for something… better? Things have been this way for years, and they aren't going to change. Living a life full of hate is just… not worth living…..
No Garrett, we've had this conversation before. You aren't going to kill yourself.
So? With all of the shit that I've done, I'm already going to hell. Besides, hell can't be any worse than what I'm already living in.
And what about your family, how do you think committing suicide will effect them? Your animals, your frie-
My four friends? Pfft. The only conversations we've had have been over the internet. Do you really think they are my 'friends'? And my family? I could not give a shit less about their opinions….. the animals though…..
I stood up with a sigh and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall across from me. My sleep deprived eyes looked so…. hallow in the reflection. A few strands of my (slightly) long brown hair were hanging over them. All in all, except for my barely worn black hoodie and blue jeans, I could almost pass as a drug addict.
I opened my bedroom door and walked into the short hallway that connected my bed, bath, and school room to the living room. I stopped for a moment outside of the doorway to the school room. I had spent so much time in there learning and working on projects day after day. I guess there is one thing that Mom managed to hammer into me: once you start something, you better finish it to the best of your ability.
Taking a few more steps, I walked into the living room before stopping again. This time, it was for something a little different than school. My entire movie collection was piled in the corner…. in pieces. The DVDs and their cases were all either cracked or completely shattered. It had taken me over three years from start to finish, but I had bought all twenty three MCU films, the entire series of Transformers: Prime, and all of the Bayverse films…. and that dumbass Bumblebee movie. Fuck you Travis Knight.
It was such a huge accomplishment for me…. and my god damn mother broke them all. The fucking blonde did it about a week ago because she thought I cheated on a test. Fucking hell I could strangle that bitch.
I continued walking through the living room and into the kitchen. Mom was standing at the far end near the sink while Dad was nowhere to be seen. She looked over at me and gave a weak smile.
"Sorry about all of that." She said softly.
"It's fine… I'm used to it." I mumbled the last part as I grabbed my gloves from a nearby shelf. "I'm gonna walk the dog."
"I thought you walked Chewy earlier?" I ignored her question and walked out the door. I needed to be outside for some fresh air.
I slid my boots on and walked out to the 'Cat House'. The reason behind the name is that we keep our seven cats and one dog in there at night or when the weather is bad; and seeing as how it is a little past ten at night, they are all inside.
I opened the door and stepped in, making sure to not let any of the cats out, or well, more specifically, Bebus. The green eyed, black feline could give Houdini a run for his money on occasion. I shut the door behind me and turned the light on. I did a quick head count and found that everyone was still inside safe and sound.
Chewy, our beagle schnauzer mix breed, barked at me and began wagging his tail when he saw me. I grabbed his leash and let him out of his pen before hooking it to his collar. He was always so excited whenever I came out to walk him. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same thing. Mom had gotten him for me a few years back, thinking that I wanted a dog. Sadly, I was (am) still mourning my first dog, Snoopy. He was a black and white rat terrier who looked just like the Peanuts character. My parents had gotten him as a puppy when I was six months old, so we grew up together.
When I was nine, he was run over by a speeding white Ford truck. It happened at the end of my house's drive way one night. One of our elderly horses was laying down in the pasture near the road, which of course meant that Mom was in a panic wondering if he was dead. When we went out to check, Mom brought Snoopy and myself along with her. Once we had gone down to the end of the driveway, he ran out into the road and…. The rest of the night was a blur of grief and anger. I hated the horse that had been laying down for years… but I eventually turned that anger on my mother. It's her fault Snoopy is dead...
I shook my head of the memory and opened the door, letting Chewy through before stepping through myself. Why have I started doing these internal monologues? It's really annoying I must say… fuck I almost started another one.
I walked Chewy around the back yard for a few minutes, breathing in the cool night air. The air felt a little dry, which is why it was odd when a few raindrops hit me in the face. Should have known I wouldn't be able to have a few peaceful minutes to myself.
Flipping my hoodie over my head, I turned back towards the cat house and jogged back over. The wind was starting to pick up, making it slightly difficult to open and close the door. Once I was inside again, I unhooked Chewy's leash and pushed him back into his pen. I filled his water up and latched the door shut. He took a few bites from his food bowl before laying down on his blanket…. I never finished the monologue from earlier.
Back to what I was saying before I went outside, I was still mourning Snoopy when Mom got Chewy. While she was trying to help me move on and give me a new friend, I took it as though she was replacing Snoopy…. which I did not appreciate. Of course, I didn't say anything to her at the time and just held in my emotions. At first… I took my anger out on Chewy. I didn't hit or kick him or anything, no no no, but I did neglect him to some extent. I barely spent any more time than I had to around him; never brushing or even playing with him.
I eventually started feeling guilty and began acknowledging his existence. It was… difficult at first, but I realized that Chewy was an innocent animal who deserved a better life than the one I was giving him. He is a very sweet pup, and quite smar-CRACK!
I jumped a little, being pulled from my thoughts by an extremely loud thunder crack. The cats were all scared by it as well, judging by the way their hair was standing up. I walked over and patted one of them on the head before running a hand down his back. I received a couple of static shocks to my hand, all of them unusually strong.
Ok… something was off here. The wind was blowing very strong based upon the way it was howling in here. I stepped over to the building's singular window and looked out. It was still sprinkling, but the wind looked like it was ready to blow the trees over. I should probably get back in the house before this gets any worse.
I quickly told everyone that I love them and wished them all a good night. (What? They aren't inanimate objects. They have feelings.) Turning the light off, I opened the door and started to step out, only for the door to be ripped out of my hands by the wind. Reacting quickly, I grabbed the door handle and was able to push it shut before any cats got out.
My hood was blown off my head, leaving my head bare to the wind and rain. I looked up at the sky and…. what the fuck? Lighting was dancing across the sky, but there was no thunder. Hell, the lightning looked… it looked almost black.
"Garrett! Get in the house now!" I heard Mom yell from the porch. Both her and Dad were standing in front of the door, looking between me and the sky. I pulled my hood back over my head and started running towards the porch…. and then I heard another thunder crack… and then another…. and another… and they were becoming louder with each crack.
I was almost to the porch when the sky lit up in a final awe-inspiring show of lightning and sound. My hair began to stand on end, like I was underneath a giant balloon. A strange tingle ran across my skin like a liquid, and in an instant, my body felt as though it was on fire and being frozen at the same time. Every nerve in my body screamed in pain as my muscles spasmed uncontrollably. My ears were filled with a deafening roar as my eyes were filled with the brightest light I had ever seen. Then, as soon as it came, it faded, and I was left in what could only be described as a black void with white, blue, red, and purple lines running across its… 'surface'.
I blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what was happening. This… this wasn't space. It was too… dark to be space. As I was looking around, I felt something pull on me… like it was pulling on my soul. The darkness began to envelope me as the force became stronger… and then the darkness was replaced by a blinding white light.
My eyes shot wide open in pain as I returned to my senses from whatever that… void was. I lay on my stomach, the left side of my face bruised and throbbing while a blinding pain slowly traveled from between my eyes, down through my nose. I slowly rolled onto my back, only to close my eyes again from the intense light. I reached up with my right hand and clutched my nose, checking to see how badly it was broken. I opened my eyes as the ringing in my ears lessened.
The first thing I saw was… a face, a feminine face filled with worry. She was wearing a pair of oversized glasses and had long brown hair. Her clothing was… odd to say the least. She was wearing a long flowery skirt with a baggy blue jean jacket. All in all she was… beautiful… Wait, why am I saying this? Hmmm… I've seen her somewhere now that I think about it….
"Garrett! Oh my god your bleeding!" She said in a panicked voice. She was crouched down next to me, trying to figure out what to do. I was about to respond with a sarcastic comment when I heard a loud laugh from a couple feet away.
"Hahaha! You better start picking your feet up so you don't trip like that again." The guy told me. My eyes had finally adjusted all the way, allowing me to look around. A small crowd had gathered around my prone form. Some were taking pictures while others were just enjoying the show, either way, my anger was growing quickly.
Standing at the edge of the crowd near my feet was the guy who had laughed at me. He stood around six feet, just an inch shorter than me, but he had nearly double my muscle mass… which was actually saying something. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and was wearing a jock jacket. I knew him from somewhere as well, but the memory was... different.
When I tried to remember who the girl was, it was like I was chasing something through fog. It was right there, but I couldn't see it clearly. This memory was foggy too, but it was like I was watching it on a static filled television. I was getting glimpses of the memory, but nothing more.
From what I could tell, I had seen this guy before in a… movie? What the hell.
"You broke his nose!" The girl yelled at the jock. He chuckled and was about to reply when another girl, a blonde of course, stepped in front of him.
"It's not Flash's fault Farrett 'tripped'." She told… May…. I think… ya, that's her name. May. The other girl giggled a little before leaning against Flash's side.
"Come on Liz, we need to get to class. I would hate to miss it on the first day." He told Liz as he turned around and walked down the hallway with her and a couple other teens in tow. Once they had left, a majority of the crowd dispersed as well, leaving me alone with May, a red head, a Hispanic, and a guy that kind of looked like me…. there's a dirty joke in there somewhere.
I sat up, using my arms to support myself for a moment. My nose had gone from a blinding pain to a dull throb and I think it has stopped bleeding too. I was about to stand up when the guy that looked like me stuck his hand out, signaling for me to grab it.
"Looks like you need a little help." He said with a slight grin. For some reason, I smiled too and took his hand. He pulled me back to my feet with a grunt.
"G, you need to see the nurse. Your nose is…." May trailed off.
"Crooked." The Hispanic guy finished for her. He was short, probably only 5'6. He wore a pair of glasses like May, but the lenses were a lot thicker.
"No shit." I smarted off. "It's broken, of course it's crooked."
"Hey, no need to get mad at us. You're the genius who thought it was a good idea to piss Flash off on the first day of school." The guy who helped me up said. I turned to say something, but I stopped. I was getting another foggy memory….. his name is Harry and we are… friends? Wait, I don't know any Har-
Holy fuck it's James Franco!
Ok hold on. The girl who I am also apparently friends with is named May and the James Franco look alike's name is Harry… Sam. That's the Mex- Hispanic guy's name (who, if I'm being honest, looks like Nicolas Bechtel). And the red head… looks like Kirsten Dunst… no Laura Prepon?. Then there's a blonde bully named Flash…. and his bit- girlfriend's name is Liz….
Oh my god I'm in a Spider-Man movie… maybe… the cast is weird though.
"-hello? Earth to Garrett?" Harry said, waving a hand in front of my face to get my attention.
"...I'll see you guys later." I told the group. May said something, but I ignored her as I started walking down the hallway. Most of the students were already sitting down in their classes, but a few were at their lockers grabbing some last minute items. I ignored the few glances I got as I passed by them.
I needed some… I needed some space. When I finally found a restroom, I didn't wait a second to go inside. As soon as the door closed behind me, I screamed. I don't know why, I just did… I do feel better now though.
I walked over to the nearest sink and grabbed the sides of it, ignoring any germaphobic instincts that told me to let go as soon as possible and go bleach my hands. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.
Ok. So, I got struck by lightning, then I had my nose broke, then I wake up in a high school I have never seen, and then I realize I'm friends with Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson…. and where the fuck is Peter Parker? Unless… no… May… May Day Parker! Fuck! Now I remember everyone's names… I think…. I've been friends with May for two years now? What the hell? I live in New York… Queens, New York. Why the fuck do I live around a bunch of fucking Yankees?... Mom is dead.
No… that's not right. I just talked to her about fifteen minutes ago… but she's been dead for three years… something isn't right. My memories…. they are… scrambled. I… don't even know how to describe them. It's like…. a jar of blue balls and a jar of black balls have been dumped out onto the floor… That analogy works… like the memory balls from the movie Inside Out…. ya that works...
The balls were starting to bring themselves back together. I mean, a few were still scattered or… missing, but the majority were forming clusters of their own colors. The fog was starting to lift as well, which gave me a clearer view of what the fuck was going on.
The black balls… the black balls seemed to be more vivid than the blue ones. In those memories, I lived in Tennessee, my Mom was alive, and I was…. lonely.
The blue ones seemed to be less like pictures and more like… paintings. I could tell what they were, but they weren't perfect. In them, I lived in New York City with Dad because my mom had died a few years back. Up until that point oddly enough, everything seemed to have stayed the same.
After her death, Dad had all the animals put down and sold our home in Tennessee… which made me hate him. We moved to New York about six months after her death due to Dad's job. Once we had settled in, I started going to… Mid-Town High. Of course. While there, I started to develop a friendship with May Parker, Harry Osborn and Samuel Rider because of our experience with losing parents. May with both of hers, Harry with his mother, and Sam with his father…. why does that name sound… familiar?
Anyways, I eventually grew to like Harry due to his relationship with MJ and May. MJ, who was May's bff (surprise surprise), was Harry's girlfriend…. and May was… his adopted sister? What the hell? No that's not right…. fucking foggy memory.
Oddly enough, Harry, despite being an Osborn, wasn't a complete dickhead…. oh yeah, I had met Norman. That's great. That's fucking great…. though from what I can tell he isn't as… intense as I thought he would be….
Today was the first day of 10th grade…. and the date was August 9th, 2010… I was only 4 in my… original universe at this time. I had been born in 1995 instead of 2005….
Dad had driven me to school today and dropped me off about 20 minutes early, so I had plenty of time to meet up with… the Gang. Seriously, that's what they- we called ourselves. We were standing in the main hallway talking about what we had done on our last days of summer vacation when Flash and his band of morons walked up. Being the bully that he is, he started some shit and I stood up to him because that's what he- nevermind.
He supposedly backed down and was acting all friendly…. until we started to walk off. He shoved me and I tripped, falling head first to the floor.
That pretty much sums up what the hell is going on. Now, you may be wondering how I am taking this so well. I'm not.
Back in reality, I pulled my bloody hand away from the now shattered restroom mirror. I had a few pieces of glass stuck in my knuckles, and they hurt like an ass fuck. I watched as my blood slowly dripped down my skin and into the sink. There was something…. odd about it…. but considering everything that has happened in the last thirty minutes… I don't think 'odd' is an appropriate word anymore.
I turned the cold water on and ran my right hand underneath it, washing away the blood and glass. I splashed some water on my face, only to wince because I had forgotten about my nose. How the hell did I forget about a broken nose?
I looked up at one of the larger pieces of the shattered mirror to see the reflection of my face. The small amount of water I splashed up must have washed all the blood away, because there wasn't any to be seen. As I examined my nose, I noticed a small tingle in it. Not a painful one, just a weird pressure…. almost identical to the one I felt when I was struck by the lightning. The sensation began to grow, and as it did, my crooked nose began to… move. It was uncomfortable, but like the tingle, not painful. After a few seconds, it was back in the proper position, though there is some pressure-SNAP!
"Goddamn son of a bitch!" I yelled as my nose popped. I grabbed it out of reflex again, but this time it wasn't loose. In fact, it doesn't even hurt now. At all. Is this some kind of side effect from the lightning? Or….
Glancing down at my right hand, a smile grew on my face. The previously deep cuts in my skin were sealing themselves shut. It was like the damage was being reversed.
"Huh, I have a healing factor." I stated out loud. Like I said, nothing can surprise me now.
As I was admiring my hand, I glanced at my watch. Fuck, I was a couple minutes late to my first class. I looked up at the shattered mirror and sighed. Hopefully no one could link it back to me.
*#& *&&$$#* &*$& *&$*& &*$& &*$& *&$*& #$#*$*& $#*
I smiled at May as I sat down at the desk next to hers. After I had left the restroom, I ran to my locker and picked up the books I would need for my first class. Once that had been done, I spent another minute or two trying to find the classroom that just so happened to be on the other side of the school. Such bullshit.
Luckily for me, the teacher hadn't arrived yet, so I was technically on time.
May had a quizzical expression on her face when she saw that my nose was healed already. I shrugged at her before glancing behind me. While May was in the desk directly to my left; Harry, MJ, and Sam were sitting further back in various rows. Which I mean, I was in the second closest desk to the door, so that wasn't saying much.
The door opened and a middle aged man walked in. He had a simple pair of metal framed glasses and was a little chubby. His receding black hair was neatly combed to the side, completing the textbook teacher look. He carefully placed the stack of books he had in his arms onto his desk before clearing his throat.
"Hello. My name is Mr. Duncan Howe and I will be your Algebra two teacher this year. I hope that you will all pay attention and learn." He said that last part with a glare that I swore was directed at Flash.
"Now, unlike other teachers, I think that classrooms should be an open forum. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to get my attention and ask." One of the guys in Flash's gang raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr…" Duncan looked down at his seating chart to find the guy's name.
"Kerns, Jimmy Kerns. And my question is… where do babies come from?" The dirty blonde asked in a mid-western accent. The classroom erupted in laughter, which only caused Mr. Howe's frown to deepen even more.
"Very funny Jimmy… Well, your mother did say she got you from a blue light special at Walmart, like Calvin and Hobbes." The teacher replied with a smile. Jimmy turned about 3 shades of red before shrinking back into his seat. I smiled at that. I hate it when people make cliché or overused jokes.
"Now then class. I think it's time for everyone to introduce themselves. We will go down each row from front to back. Please state your full name before any nicknames." Mr. Howe told us all. I sighed. This is gonna take forever.
The first guy on the row to the far left stood up and said his name, and then the next guy did the same, then the next girl, then the next guy, then another girl, then- why the fuck am I wasting my time on this.
Once the first row had announced all of their names, the second row got started. Sam was sitting about half way down it, so it was a minute before he could announce his name.
"Samuel A. Rider, but I just go by Sam." He said shyly before quickly sitting back down. He was extremely embarrassed about his height, so he always tried to stay away from any attention. The rest of his row announced their name before it was row three's turn. When it was time for May to say hers, she stood up and smiled shyly as well. Dear god I'm friends with a bunch of fucking nerds. Though… I am a nerd in this universe so… fuck.
"May Parker, and I like to be called Mayday." She said before quickly sitting back down. The rest of her row announced their names, including MJ, surprisingly fast. When it was finally my turn, I stood up and flashed everyone a smile.
"I am Garrett Ward, and I would prefer for everyone to call me Rhett, though our Lord and Master does have a nice ring to it." I joked. A few people laughed at my joke, but May once again had a look of confusion on her face. Hmm. I'm acting way too out of character for this version of me. Maybe I need to tone it back a little?…nah.
I sat back down and continued to listen to everyone list off their names. Harry and Liz Allan were the only names that I recognized from the rest of my row. The last row announced their names quickly, or well, would have had it not been for a certain person.
"Flash Thompson." The blonde said while hurrying to sit back down. Mr. Howe, who had been sitting at his desk for several minutes now, glanced at his seating chart before looking back up at Flash.
"Excuse me Mr. Thompson, but I told everyone to announce their full name. So please, stand back up." He commanded more than asked the jock. Flash grumbled something under his breath before complying. Oh this is gonna be good.
"Eu…. Thompson…" He mumbled softly.
"Speak up so we can hear you." Duncan asked politely. Flash sighed and finally complied.
"Eugene Thompson… but everyone will callme Flash." He said the last part as intimidating as possible… for a Eugene.
"Ok Eugene." I said to myself, but he managed to hear it.
"You got something to say Farrett?" The jock asked me. He was looking pissed… and I don't blame him if I'm honest. I would be mad too if Stan Lee named me Eugene.
"No Eugene." I jabbed back. He grew about 2 shades of red brighter and was about to say something when the teacher interrupted us.
"Settle down you two. You can finish this after school…. not that I'm encouraging violence among my students... but it's inevitable…. I expect this is gonna be a long year." He rattled off out loud. An awkward silence filled the room, only being broken by the sound of Flash sitting back down in his chair. The silence returned for another moment before the final student at the back of the row stood up.
"Uh.. I'm Jessica, Jessica Jones and… that's about it." The raven haired girl shrugged. She sat back down and the silence filled the room…. again… wait Jessica fucking Jones. You serious? God damn whoever put me here.
Mr. Howe cleared his throat and stood up.
"Alright class. Let's get started."
The hour was going by quickly. As always, the first lesson was a review over some of the concepts from last year. While most of the students actually found this useful, it was a waste of time for me. Both versions of… me… damn that'll take some getting used to… are good at math. More so the… blue? version of me.
Alright let's get this straightened out. From now on, anything that refers to the Garrett Ward whose mother is dead will be called the blue version. Anything that refers to… this version of me will be called the black version, or… me I guess. Dammit I'm confused again. Those marble memories are fucking retarded.
The blue version of me is an A student. He's not a genius or anything, but he has a pretty good memory and a higher than average IQ. The black-... real? version of me is not dumb, he… I just… don't care about being a "perfect student".
It's not that I couldn't be an A student, I just never saw the need to be. I didn't plan on going to college or anything like that. Maybe a trade school, but not college. I wanted to be a black smith, which in my opinion, didn't require a college education. While a mechanical engineering or material science degree would help me be a better black smith, it wasn't necessary. And as you can probably tell, I only do what is necessary.
Overachieving is for losers and people that need to compensate for something.
The blue version of me falls into both of those categories.
He was not always this "perfect student", but when Mom died, he started devoting himself to school…. he was trying to fill the void that her death left in his life. How pathetically sad…. hmm wait a minute. This version of her wasn't a bitch? What the fuck? She was very similar to my mother, but she was… softer? Ya that describes it. She was more how a mother should be.
When blue me moved to New York, he started devoting himself even more to school. Which, considering he had no animals to take care of or friends to spend time with, I don't blame him. He stayed lonely for a long time, until May reached out to him.
They had shared several classes together, so she was familiar with his name, but she never saw him after school or even before school. It was like he purposely tried to wait till the last minute to show up and bolted as soon as the bell rang. Until of course, they quite literally ran into each other in the locker hallway one day…. oh of course it had to be that cliché. Fucking bullshit.
They fell on top of each other in the most overused romance plot in history. She, surprisingly, ended up on top, which led to several embarrassing seconds and some inappropriate thoughts. They parted ways for a few days before May found him again, though this time he somewhat opened up to her. From there on out, their friendship grew.
It didn't help that he also had a big crush on her for some reason.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of Algebra class. As Mr. Howe was giving everyone their homework assignments, I stood up and began gathering all of my belongings. Several other students, including May and the Gang, stood up as well, though they were still writing down the assignments. Homework on the first day of school. Such bullshit…. I'm saying that a lot ain't I?
Everyone quickly scurried out of the classroom as soon as the teacher finished listing off everything he wanted done tonight. I was one of the first ones out the door due to the fact my locker was on the other side of this ridiculously large complex. Plus I didn't want to have to talk to my 'friends' just yet. I still had some things to sort out in my head.
…
…
…
"Garrett wait up!" Fuck me. I stopped jogging and turned around to the source of the voice. It was May, and I didn't have to guess what she wanted to talk about.
"You've been ignoring me since you got your nose broke." She asked as she came running up. How the hell did she catch up to me?
"Uh, ya, sorry about that. I'm just pissed at Flash still and kind of want to be alone for a little bit. Don't wanna lash out at anyone by accident." I lied to her. Well, not exactly, since I am mad at Flash. It's just that's not the reason I want to be alone.
She gave me another one of those cute questioning glances of hers, but decided against asking whatever she was thinking… I think. Wait did I say cute? FUCK!
"Ok… I'll give you a little space. Though I do expect you to sit at lunch with us!" She said as she started backing away with a grin. I smiled and nodded, watching as she walked off to her next class. Huh, good idea. I just remembered she keeps her pre-lunch class books with her in her backpack so she doesn't have to go back and forth to her locker. Why am I not doing th-... this version is also a health nut. Fucking great.
& & & &$#& $&$& $$&
I calmly walked into the school's cafeteria with an unusual hunger. A hunger for blood. I mean, I had been hungry before, hell I've gone nearly 26 hours without food or water, but none of that compared to what I was feeling now. I wonder if this is a side effect of my healing factor? It makes sense. I mean, Cap had to eat more (4x's more if I remember correctly… which I always do), and he only had regeneration. I healed from a broken nose in minutes, so while that isn't Wolverine level, that's still pretty damn good.
I shook my head and walked over to the food line. I grabbed a food tray and began making my way down the line, picking out various foods that looked appetizing, which was almost everything if I'm being honest. By the end, I was getting several looks and side-glances at the heap of pizza, cheeseburgers, and French fries I had. I ignored most of them, but sent some glares at the morons who decided to stare at me.
Taking a quick look over the crowd of eating students, I found my group huddled up in a corner together. They were laughing and cutting jokes to each other when I walked up. They all turned towards me and smiled before the two on the right side, May and Sam, scooted further down the bench, leaving me a spot to sit and eat. Placing my tray on the table, which once again received some wide eyes, I sat down with a sigh.
"So… hey guys. Sorry for shrugging y'all off earlier. I was really pissed at Flash like I told May. I needed some time to myself so I wouldn't be an ass." Plus I needed to fall more into the character of blue me.
After May had walked off, I ran back to my locker and grabbed my next class's books, and according to my schedule, it was also on the other side of the school. What the fuck. I thought you were supposed to have your locker placed near all of your classes. Anyways, I made it to my next class, which turned out to be Biology, my favorite subject…. where I get to cut up animals for a grade…. yeah…
That class flew by as well, along with the next two. (English and History) While some of the gang were in those classes as well, I managed to brush them off or straight up ignore them like the ass that I am. By that time, I was starting to feel this new hunger, but thankfully it was lunch, so after I ran back to my locker, which was much closer to the last two classes, I made my way to the cafeteria.
"I thought being an asshole was your natural state?" Harry asked with a grin. I smiled at his joke. Finally someone with a little sense of humor.
"Hey, give me some credit. I'm not an asshole, I'm the whole ass." I replied, trying my best to hold in the chuckle that was threatening to escape. Harry started laughing loudly along with MJ. Sam and May both stifled their own laughs as well.
"Anyways, how has everyone's day been so far?" I asked after a few moments, taking a bite of my piece of pizza afterwards.
"It's been pretty good. Though Harry did get a spitball to the back of the neck courtesy of Flash." MJ said with a slight snarl. She dated him last year apparently, up until he cheated on her with Liz.
Harry, meanwhile, rubbed the back of his neck roughly.
"I'm still getting it out of my hair." He grumbled before wiping his hand off on his jeans so he could continue eating.
"Hey Sam, you haven't said much. What's up with you?" I asked Sam curiously. He was always shy, but he usually opened up around us.
"Jimmy." He said simply, but we all understood what that meant. While MJ and Harry had to deal with Flash most of the time, May and Sam had Jimmy. While he wasn't as bad about certain things like physical attacks, he was a fucking mastermind at embarrassing people.
I had to deal with both. Again. Bullshit.
"What did he do now?" I asked. Several memories of what he had done to the blue me were starting to surface, and each one kept getting worse…. he photoshopped a picture of me and Harry together one time. What the fuck. For some reason, the name Jimmy Kerns sounds familiar to the black version of me as well, though I can't figure out if he was someone I knew or if he was a fictional character.
"I don't want to talk about it…" He replied back. Oh come on. I have a healing factor now. I can go kick his ass for you.
"It's ok. You don't have to tell us about it." May said, placing her right hand on his shoulder. I smiled at that. She was always so kind to everyone and oh my god its happening again fuck me.
I turned back to my plate and realized something. I had already eaten four pieces of pizza and two hamburgers, and I was still a little hungry.
"Damn dude. Where did that appetite come from?" Harry asked, having caught my surprised look.
"I don't know? I was just hungry. Didn't realize I was that hungry though." I replied back.
"Huh ok… how is your nose? It looks like it wasn't even broke." He asked with a raised eyebrow. Fuck uh…. let me think of something….
I was about to reply when the volume on all of the TV's was turned up. Everyone's eyes and ears instantly became glued to the screens. Thank you Stan Lee.
"Tony Stark Speaks About the Incident at Stark Industries" The headline read. Rhodey, the IM2 and forward version who's name I can't remember, was currently speaking to the assembled (heh) army of reporters. He was feeding them the lie about the 'bodyguard'.
"Oh right! Did anyone else hear about that?" May asked excitedly. MJ rolled her eyes at May's antics.
"May, just admit it. You're in love with him. And besides, everyone has heard about it. The reason I haven't brought it up is because I've already listened to the story fifteen times." She glanced at Harry who turned red.
"I do not!" May yelled back… and the argument began.
Meanwhile, I had kept my attention focused on the TV, listening to everything they were saying. If I remember correctly, Tony should be walking up in 3…. 2…. 1…
"Shh! He's about to speak." I told my group. They all stopped their bickering again and turned towards the TV.
"And now, Mr. Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions. Thank you." Rhodes said before walking off stage. Tony walked up calmly behind him and rested his arms on the podium.
"Umm… it's been awhile since I was in front of you… I figure I'll stick to the cards this time." He began. Some of the reporters chuckled at that. He cleared his throat and continued.
"There's been a speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and rooftop-"
"I'm sorry Mr. Stark," Christine Everhart interrupted "but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared despite the fact that you-" Tony quickly cut her off.
"I know that it is confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero." He told her.
"I never said you were a superhero." The blonde reporter shot back.
"Didn't? Because that would be uh… outlandish and fantastic." He said before glancing down at the cards.
"I-I'm just not the hero type, clearly. With this laundry list of character defects… all the mistakes I've made, largely public." Rhodey leaned over and whispered something into his ear.
"Yeah okay... yeah." He looked down at the cards one more time.
"The truth is…" He looked up at the audience and paused for a moment.
"I am Ironman" I said alongside Tony. Everyone at the table had a look of shock on their face as they looked between me and the TV.
"What? You didn't see that coming?"
First things first, shoutout to I'mjusttryingtofindmyway and a very special thanks to Byakugan789 (FF) / Solusandra (Spacebattles). I'mjusttryingtofindmyway is the author of the story "The Spider", which this Fic is influenced by. Solusandra is a close friend of mine who has basically taught me how to write Fanfics (go check out her own OC "The Dragon Advances").
As previously stated, this story is somewhat based upon "The Spider", but is definitely not a copy of it. I have had the idea of this SI for about a year now, but couldn't really put it on paper until now. A few weeks ago, I started binge reading "The Spider" due to boredom (I had seen it a year or two prior, but had heard it had a harem…. I don't do harems). Thanks to it, I have a foundation for this story.
Now…. Due to some plot fuck ups, I had to rewrite chapter 1 and 2. I eventually decided to combine the two chapters and add some extra goodies in here. Thank you for your favs/reviews.