"Come on, Red, we've been through this song and dance before," Gravelight said as he blocked my punches, despite me being in Big Mode, "You might as well just retire, take a load off- ...or several, in your case!"
Ok, um, rude! I've actually been eating healthier, thank you very much! Also, I'd respond with one of my signature witty rejoinders, but being in Big Mode requires that I hold my breath, so no talking for the moment.
Also also, punching him friggin smarts!
"What, no retort?"
Oh, I've got a retort, buddy! Just gimme a sec to-
OOF! He got a cheap shot on me when I stopped to glare at him (I don't care if he couldn't tell through my mask, it's the thought that counts!), so now I'm kneeling on the ground, struggling to catch my breath.
"...note to self," I grunted, "stop rising to obvious villain barbs."
Oh...now I made myself sad.
While I was taking a moment to recompose myself, Gravelight decided to perform some impromptu vandalism on a streetlight, yanking it out of the ground.
I've read enough comics to know where this is going…
"Anyway, Red, this has been fun. By which I mean this wasn't fun at all, and I've got things to do, so I'm just going to end this." He then raised it above his head, clearly intent in bashing my skull in.
Fortunately, and a little weirdly, he never ended up bashing my skull in; something flew into him (I couldn't tell what, but it sounded explody) which managed to distract him from committing Child Unalive.
Hey, my 18th birthday isn't for another few weeks, so I can still legally call myself a child.
"Evildoer!" came an obviously put on gravely voice from somewhere above us, followed by a pair of trainers thudding on the ground between me and Gravelight.
...not the most conventional of superhero attire, but OK.
Also, now that I don't have to worry about meeting my maker, I could get a better look at my unexpected savior: he looked a bit taller than me and relatively young, despite the domino mask that hid part of his face. (Thank you, convenient car window reflection!) He also had a cape, but that was where the traditional "Superhero" look ended; everything else basically looked like it was taken from a department store mannequin, including his spiked blonde hair.
He also had an oversized mallet with a long handle.
At this point, I'm struggling not to say out loud how I think he should get back to the ComicCon down the street and let me handle this.
"People such as you, polluting the streets of this fair city, are a disgrace to everything that's good and right in the world; how I've tolerated your evilness for so long, I can hardly fathom!"
...I think I audibly cringed at that point.
For real though, Kara is officially not allowed to ride my butt about my quips ever again after this.
"Dude...I've read fan fiction with better dialogue," I wheezed.
"Silence, Criminal!" He spun around to address me when he said this.
OK, WUT?
I didn't have very long to process what this guy just said when my Spider-Sense went off and I rolled out of the way of a blow from his hammer.
"Hammer of Silence!" he announced as he swung at my head.
Great, I just traded one psycho trying to Unalive me for another!
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Ok, maybe I should start at the beginning.
Everything actually started earlier that day at school, during P.E. Now, as you might expect, I'm in pretty good shape thanks to my spider enhanced genetics, but I don't actually flaunt it around all over the place. Partially because I enjoy coasting through school with my two "Super Besties who are better than the resties", and also cuz if I did flaunt my abilities, it'd give away that I was their friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl, and as a lifelong superhero aficionado, that's a whole can of worms I'd rather not deal with ever if possible.
...oh right; P.E.! Yeah, apparently Coach decided today was Rope Day, so we were all basically waiting around while everyone climbed up the rope, and then climbed back down again. Tedious, but at least we aren't running track.
Now, normally, I just wait until some of the other kids do the rope before I take my go at it, and I try to get a time somewhere in between the fastest and slowest times so I don't stand out too much.
But for some reason, Miles Arc finished his go at the rope and decided to come and sit next to me.
Of course, my traitorous "best friends" made up some excuses for why they couldn't stick around and keep me from making an absolute fool of myself in front of my crush, thank you very much!
"So," he said, "I take it you're not a fan of climbing?"
Boy, if you only freaking knew…
"It's fine," I eloquently informed him, "there are worse things…"
"Right? I'm not really a fan, but this is much better than being a mannequin for my sisters, let me tell you."
He started to go on about his family some more, but I tuned most of it out because OF COURSE I'M NO GOOD IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS, LET ALONE ONES THAT INVOLVE MY FREAKING CRUSH! Not to mention I have no clue where Kara and Arryn are hiding so I can glare at them, and how did I suddenly get up the rope?
No really, how'd that happen? The last thing I remember was counting each new bead of sweat that trickled down my face from nervousness, then I'm suddenly at the top of the climbing rope. Maybe it was just muscle memory when I heard my name being called? (In which case I need to have a serious talk with my body about it doing things without my permission!)
"...ose? Miss Rose, are you ok up there?"
Thankfully, my brain finally registered Coach Port's voice calling up to me, and I nodded in response. "Yeah...I'm fine! ...I'll be down in a second!"
I let go of the rope without thinking, much to everyone's shocked gasps below me, and- making sure to add a front flip for style- managed a rather graceful landing, if I do say so myself.
Applause erupted through the gymnasium.
"Well done, Miss Rose!" Coach Port congratulated me, "Not really something I'd advise doing again for safety reasons, but excellent form nonetheless! Also, I dare say that's a new record for you for ascending the rope."
...I think I may have done goofed.
"Nice job," Miles said as I sat back down (still no sign of Kara and Arryn, ftr), "I never knew you could do gymnastics so well."
"Yeah, me too…," I responded automatically.
Most of my classmates told me throughout the day how cool I looked on my dismount, which I politely accepted and moved on, hoping people would forget about that if I just played it off like no big deal.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
By the time the end of day bell rang the news of my accidental display of awesomeness had spread throughout the rest of the school, and there were rumors that the Senior gymnast team was thinking of scouting me.
This was basically the exact opposite of my plan to make it through high school unnoticed!
"Stop banging your head on the flagpole," Kara said offhandedly while she ate, "you'll damage school property."
"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!" I (temporarily) stopped trying to concuss myself into waking up from this nightmare to address Kara directly, "Your life didn't just take a 1-80 degree turn in a direction you were deliberately trying to avoid!"
"...I think your metaphor needs work."
I sighed exasperatedly before Arryn spoke up. "You know, you could always stay at my place for a bit if you need to lie low."
...I can't tell if she was just flirting, or if that was a genuine offer.
Either way, I shook my head "no". "That's not going to make the entire school forget what I did."
"...maybe it can be Plan B?"
OK, the hopeful look in her eyes confirms it.
"What we should probably do is figure out an excuse you can give if people press you about it," Kara suggested, "like 'you use to take gymnastics when you were younger' or 'you really like to do flips at home on your bed'."
Alright, now we're getting somewhere! As long as the hypothetical time when I "stopped" doing gymnastics and now isn't too-
"Of course, the latter is more believable."
...et tu, Schnee?
We walked and talked about my predicament for another hour, stopping briefly to get me some Pizza in a Cup (I think better when my brain has calories, ok?) before grabbing a bus that would travel past Kara's apartment so we could discuss this more comfortably.
When wouldn't you know it, the radio of some guy we randomly passed by told us that my old pal Gravelight was up to his old tricks again, robbing an armored car that was carrying something important or other. Whatever the McGuffin was didn't matter; if Gravelight wanted it, then I wanted him not to have it even more.
I ducked down an alley to swap out my casual duds for my Spidey Suit (and keeping an eye out for rats while doing so), and quickly started slinging my way towards the mayhem; I made sure to say hi to Jimmy as I swung past his perch.
I arrived just in time to find Gravelight pounding against the back of an armored truck with his fists, not having actually broken in yet.
"You know most people just do their banking on their phones nowadays, right?" I said, perched on a nearby lamppost. "It's a good way to get that done without having to deal with waiting in line for 30 minutes."
Quips were exchanged, I changed size a couple of times, which brings us back to where we left off before. ...with Gravelight escaping and a wacko in a domino mask swinging a surprisingly deadly Halloween prop at me, if my Spider-Sense constantly going off was any indication.
Pray for me.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Swing!
Duck.
Swing!
Duck.
SWING!
DODGE TO THE SIDE.
"Would you quit it already?" I demanded, shooting webs at him in retaliation, "You're letting the bad guy get away-!"
"Gauntlets of Shut Up!" The guy, all of a sudden, dropped his hammer and started punching at me, which caused blasts of fire to shoot out of the massive gauntlets he wore. "The only 'bad guy' I see around here is you, villain!" he said, sounding even more gravely than before, "You should be ashamed of yourself, beating up on a defenseless citizen trying to get into their own car!"
"...were you watching the same fight I was?" I yanked myself onto the side of the nearest building to get a better vantage point on this guy. (Hopefully he had enough sense not to cause any collateral damage, though it was increasingly unlikely the longer this fight dragged on.)
"I'm always watching!" With that (slightly creepy) statement he fired his gauntlets at the ground, which propelled him towards my newest perch.
Welp, that lasted all of five seconds. I jumped back down to the ground, grabbing onto a lamppost on my way down and used my momentum to swing around it and nail the dude in the gut as he followed after me.
My attack managed to connect, sending him flying behind the armored truck, which had thankfully remained intact throughout this whole debacle. I had no idea how long he'd decided to stay knocked down after this, so I did probably the smartest thing I could think of: exhale, shrink down, and stay out of sight until this wackadoo wanders off.
Reeeeeeeeeally hoping he has a short attention span…
"...curses!" I heard him say from my hiding place under a mailbox, "Using such underhanded tricks to catch me off guard before running away! Well, don't think The Huntsman will give up so easily; I'll track you to the ends of the Earth, just you wait!"
For real, could this guy get any edgier? He has, like, all the edge. (Not as much as Edgy McEdgepants, but he'd give her a run for her money for sure.)
I'd almost call him a terrible hero...if he actually did anything heroic!
Anyway, I waited until another few seconds after I heard the squeak of a car's suspension (it sounded like it really needed to be replaced) before carefully peeking out of my cover.
Look left.
Look right.
...ok, it looks all clear: no edgy boi is in sight. I finally took in a breath, returning to my normal size. Nothing continued to happen to me.
Geez, this day seriously couldn't get any worse; I need to just chillax for a bit, and I know just the person to help me accomplish that!
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"...are they ready yet?"
"No, sweetie; they still have ten minutes left to cook."
"Mrrgh...I hate waiting."
"I know-" *smooch* "-but that's what makes them taste so good.~"
"I know…! I just could really use some comfort food right now."
"I don't blame you; I saw what happened earlier on the news."
"It's not that- I mean not just that. I sorta did a goof at school today…"
"...should I be expecting a call?"
"No, I wasn't that kind of goof...unless Coach Port wants to brag more about my stellar performance in Gym today…"
"...ok, now I'm a little confused; why is you doing well in school a bad thing?"
"...because I kinda maybe set a record on the climbing rope, and then accidentally no-sold a dismount from the very top of it? You know, the girl with spider-powers who wants to keep her identity a secret?"
"Ah, now I see…"
"Not to mention everyone and their brother at school wants to rub it in my face that it happened, and likely won't let me forget it any time soon."
"Well...I'm afraid that's just High School. It was like that for me as well, though maybe in the more traditional sense; I once made a huge bungle when we were playing soccer, and for what seemed like forever it was the talk of the whole school."
"...so how'd you make it stop?"
"I didn't, though not from a lack of trying. It simply just became old news after a while, then some new gossip took over and I was free to nearly blow up the science lab in peace."
"So...I just have to wait it out?"
"Pretty much, sweetie; trust me, something else will come along and catch everyone's attention, it's just a matter of time."
"Yeah…"
"Hug time?"
"Hug time."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...have I mentioned how much I hate waiting?"
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
After the cookies were done Mom and I watched some TV together for a couple of hours before I decided to go out on patrol for a bit- gotta work off those calories, yo. I made sure to swing by and check on Jimmy, but he was entertaining some sky rats at the moment, so I settled for a wave as I swung by.
And other than a group call with Arryn and Kara nothing else of note really happened before I finally hit the hay, so at least my day ended better than it started.
However...the next day when I got to school…
"Is it true?" Ashley Adel asked before I'd even fully made it through the front doors, "Are you and Jennifer Nikos really going to Duke it out this weekend?"
"...um, no offense," I said after a couple of seconds of her just staring at me, "but...why are you talking to me? I thought some dorky Sophomore was beneath your station or something.
Ashley's a Junior, fyi.
She just shrugged, but I could almost tell that she was rolling her eyes behind the Ray Bans she always wore at the concept of the High School Social Caste system. "Eh, I'm a rule breaker. But for real, it's been all over the Socials that Jenny-girl was calling you out and not-so-subtly calling you a chicken if you and she don't fight or whatever she has in mind."
"...who?" No, really, who was that again? I fight crime in my off-hours, so I tend to not really care about people's names if I don't interact with them on a regular basis.
Ashley rolled her eyes again, but this time it was more in that way Kara usually does when she thinks some esoteric detail should be obvious to me.
"You know...long red hair, perfect grades...is in basically all the same classes that you are?"
...nope, still nuthin'. (I'm not sure what it actually looked like, but it felt like there were a bunch of little question marks floating over my head right now.)
The fashionable upperclassman ("upperclasswoman"? ...words are weird.) gave an exasperated sigh. "...the bitch who's always glaring daggers into the back of your skull whenever you sit too close to a certain scraggly, blonde doofus?"
"Wait, THAT'S what that feeling is?" I just thought it was just my Spider-Sense reacting to a wasp I couldn't see!
"...you honestly didn't know?"
"Ashley…" I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her right in the lenses of her designer shades. "...this is me we're talking about here."
"...yeah, fair point." She then removed my hands before brushing the shoulders of her trendy top off. "Anyways, I take it you're going to accept the challenge?"
"Heckin' no!" I exclaimed, "The last thing I want right now is even more attention directed at me; I'm trying to lay low until the whole gymnastics thing blows over!"
"Well, that might take a while," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder, "cuz she's not gonna let this go."
...wait, wut?
I peered around Ashley's form (she hadn't actually moved yet) and saw that, yes, Jennifer Nikos was heading right for us. ...or more accurately me.
…meep!
"Hello!~" Jen trilled (yes, trilled!) as she walked up to us. "Ashley," she said, before turning to look right at me, "Lindsay."
Oh hey, my Spider-Sense is going off again, telling me to make like a tree and get the hell outta here!
I should probably listen to it.
...aaaaaaaaaaany minute now…
"I'm actually glad I ran into you before classes start," she continued, her perky demeanor so sweet I think I got contact diabetes, "Sadly, you and I aren't friends on any social media, so I haven't been able to contact you with the details of what I have in mind." Probably because you barely gave me the time of day before now. "I'm genuinely hoping you'll oblige me this little request."
"Yeah, I heard about that." By now Ashley has gracefully left me to my own devices and was heading down the hall, flashing me a thumbs up. Gee, thanks. "...what exactly did you have in mind.?"
"Well-" She steepled her fingers. "-considering the rather astounding feat you managed to do in Gym the other day-"
Thanks for reminding me…
"-I was wondering if you wouldn't mind indulging me in a little competition between the two of us? It's no secret that I'm quite athletically gifted, so I'm curious just how talented you are given that yesterday was the first time I've seen you excel like you did."
"It was a complete accident, I promise," I said, "I'd honestly rather just move forward as if nothing happened."
I started to head down the hall to my first class of the day, but she followed after me. "Please? It won't take very long, just twenty minutes after school lets out for the day."
"I think I'll pass." Please take the hint…!
"It'll give you a chance to show off a bit; ...I doubt you get many chances like this normally."
Sigh...if she only knew…
"I'm sure there's someone you wouldn't mind impressing…?~"
At this I stopped and turned around to face her. "Look, Jennifer...I don't really have a way with words like my friends do, so I'm just going to be blunt; all I want is to be left alone and for people to forget that thing in Gym ever happened. I don't know what your endgame is in trying to get me to agree to this contest, and I'd like to get to class before the tardy bell, so can you please just let this go?"
I didn't wait around for her answer, continuing on my way.
Fingers crossed that this is the last of my 15 minutes of fame.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"...you're going to ruin your posture if you keep slouching like that," Kara pointed out as we (plus Arryn) walked home.
"Everyone's talking about how I stood up to Jennifer…," I mumbled in response, "I hate it."
"I mean, what did you expect?" I turned to glare at Arryn, but she held up a hand before I could do anything more. "All I'm saying is that someone as high up on the food chain as Jennifer Nikos...people are gonna know if something happens to her."
"She does have a point…," Kara agreed, "I've been to enough formal functions for my family, and the only difference in that gossip and the scuttlebutt at school is the amount of homework one needs to do after the party is over."
"...so how do I make it stop?" I asked, adding some puppy dog eyes for good measure; if Kara actually knew how this "social" stuff worked…
"Oh, you don't. You just hope something else catches everyone's attention."
Yeah, not the answer I was hoping for here…
"That sounds like what my mom said last night."
"Then she's a wise woman."
"You know…," Arryn interjected, "I know a few people who wouldn't mind...dissuading Jen from bothering you again...if you want…?"
Was...was she seriously offering what I think she was offering?
"...NO! Arryn, I don't want you to rough her up; that's just gonna cause more rumors about me to start up, and I already have five more than I'm comfortable with."
Kara actually did a double-take. "...I thought the only rumor was that you were a secret gymnastics prodigy?"
"Which is five more rumors about me than I'm comfortable having," I reiterated. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one of our group, Kar?"
Once her eyebrow stopped twitching we walked together for a bit more before each going our separate ways. I decided to wander around downtown for a bit to collect my thoughts before heading home to check in with Mom.
This was quickly spiraling out of control for me fast: I was becoming the talk of the school because of the whole sitch with Jen Nikos (Strike 1), and there was some new vigilante going around who apparently missed the memo that I'm one of the good guys! (Strike 2.) At this point, the only thing that could possibly make this whole situation worse would be if that symbiote thing Taylor Polendina ended up vaporizing suddenly came back, because an enemy my Spider-Sense doesn't register is exactly what I need right now…
I think this problem requires drastic measures to solve.
I think...I'm gonna need to go talk to Him…
tbc…
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
There's more to come in the next chapter, so stay tuned for the Epic Continuation!