FIVE
Oh these little rejections how they fail to serve me
One forgotten phone call and I'm deflated
Oh these little defenses how they fail to comfort me
Your hand pulling away and I'm devastated
*So Unsexy-Alanis Morisette*
The night started off promising enough for Emily. She and Harry were on their way to meet Peter for dinner. As they made their way through the crowd, Harry reached back and slipped his hand into hers. Emily's heart warmed at that little gesture. Finally, things were working out between the two of them. She vowed that she would make him happier than Mary Jane ever could.
Just then, Harry froze in midstep. Slowly but ominously (as it seemed to Emily), he pulled away from her. Emily glanced in the direction of his transfixed gaze. Speak of the Devil…
There she was. Mary Jane Watson, balancing two grocery bags and headed in their direction. Emily felt a knot tightened in her stomach.
"MJ! What a coincidence!" Harry exclaimed.
"Mary Jane's head shot up, a puzzled look writ on her face. Then, recognition dawned upon her.
"Ha-Harry! Hi!" Mary Jane smiled.
After a brief chat, Mary Jane nodded at Emily, "And this is?"
"Emily Wakelin." Emily replied, putting an arm protectively around Harry's. Harry shifted his weight uneasily and said, "Uh, yeah! MJ, meet Emily."
"Please to meet you." Mary Jane gave her a sincere smile, "Well, I'd best get going! See you!"
Harry watched her back till she melted into the crowd.
"Harry. Harry!" Emily said, shaking his arm a bit.
"Wh-What?" Harry asked, coming out of his thoughts.
"She's gone." Emily replied, flatly.
"Yeah, yeah…she's gone." Harry muttered, "Come on, let's go."
Emily allowed herself to be led away but something bitter stirred in her heart. For once, she wished Mary Jane did not exist.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As Mary Jane rounded the corner, she felt a hand tugged at the hem of her jacket. She looked down and saw a grubby girl of about nine staring up at her and pointing frantically at the alleyway.
"Ma'am, can you help please? My old pa's been sick and he can't get up. He's fallen down and I can't haul him up. Can you help please?"
Mary Jane hesitated. The alley was only dimly-lit but the little girl seemed genuine enough…
"Please,ma'am! Nobody'll stop for me. Nobody cares about an old wino but he's my pa. Please, ma'am. He's going to die in the cold."
Against her instinct, she followed the little girl.
"Where's he?" Mary Jane asked, looking around.
"Right here." A man's voice spoke from behind. "And if you make a move, this alley will be the last place you see alive."
Mary Jane felt a hard muzzle pressed against her temple. Cool metal against hot skin. *Oh good God, help me. Help me now* She prayed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Peter massaged his temples. His spider sense was going off like fireworks on the Fourth. It hit him with a strong urgency. The last time his spider sense were berserk like this was when…
"Mary Jane's in trouble!"
Peter disappeared into a nearby alley. As he ran, he pulled off his sweater and T-shirt to reveal the red-n-blue spandex suit beneath them. He was morphing into his alter-ego. Spiderman.
He shot up his web. The sticky strings stuck onto an antennae. In a flash, he hoisted himself up. As he ascended, he could hear a basketball game on the TV going off. The picture on the screen replaced by snow. Two angry heads poked out of the window.
" Watch where you stick that web of yours!" One of the man shouted.
"I'd pound you, if you do that again! With or without superpowers!" The other added, shaking his fists at him.
"Chill, guys!I bleed Dodger blue like both of you." Spiderman replied and vanished onto the roof.
He crouched at the edge of the drainpipe. His eyes scanned the alleys with hawk-like intent. No signs of Mary Jane. He leapt across to another rooftop. Still no signs of Mary Jane. Panic crept stealthily into his heart. He had begun to wonder how long his luck might last. He was afraid one fine day he would swing down into an alleyway and find Mary Jane lying cold and lifeless on the ground.
*Come on, hero! No time to be Mr. Morbid now. Just concentrate on finding MJ* He scolded himself.
He swung past a couple of buildings before perching on the highest step of a fire exit stairway. His spider sense was settling down into a steady hum. He knew this means he was close to finding the right place. Then, he spotted her. Lying face down and motionless on the ground. Her handbag and its content lay strewn all over the place. He felt a scream welling up in his throat, choking him and his breath came out in ragged gasp. Then, he spotted two silhouettes running off down the alley. His fear turned to blind fury.
"Just because you can beat him up doesn't mean you have a right to." His genial uncle Ben had told him on that fateful day and he had tried to live with that.
But now. Now, if he could pound the guy into hamburger patties, so God help him. For Mary Jane. For his Mary Jane, he would.
Spiderman landed with a soft thud behind the man.
"Stop!" Spiderman said, his arms at his hips.
The thug whipped around and fired. Spiderman had already anticipated this move. He ducked down to a crouching position just in time. Before the thug could react, Spiderman did a quick floor twist and a delivered a hard back kick to the man's abdomen. The man doubled over and dropped his revolver. He fell to the ground, crouching in a fetal position. Spiderman kicked the gun away and yanked the man up by the collar.
"All you wanted was money! Why did you have to kill her, huh?! Why?!" Spiderman shouted at him, shaking him vigorously.
"I didn't kill her, man! Please don't hurt me! I swear, I didn't kill her!" the thug replied, trembling in fear.
Spiderman became doubtful. Maybe she was just unconscious. Maybe his hyperactive mind had blown everything out of proportion. He lowered the man. In a flash, the man tried to punch him but Spiderman was quicker. He caught his fist and twisted it behind him. The man screamed in fresh agony. He bound up the thug tightly with his web. After making sure he could not escape, Spiderman approached the little girl hiding behind some dirty boxes.
"I'm sorry, mister. Please don't hurt me! Here's everything. I didn't keep a single thing. Just don't hurt me. He forced me to do it. He'd kill me if I didn't lure her into the alley."She whimpered.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Spiderman said, as he bend down to retrieve Mary Jane's possessions. In the distant, he could hear sirens. At one end of the alley, he could see the red flashes of the patrol car. He didn't want to be here when the cops arrived.
"Everything will be fine. Just tell them the truth." Spiderman told the little girl. Let the police handle them. He has other urgent matters to attend to. He ran in the direction where he first saw Mary Jane.
Oh these little rejections how they fail to serve me
One forgotten phone call and I'm deflated
Oh these little defenses how they fail to comfort me
Your hand pulling away and I'm devastated
*So Unsexy-Alanis Morisette*
The night started off promising enough for Emily. She and Harry were on their way to meet Peter for dinner. As they made their way through the crowd, Harry reached back and slipped his hand into hers. Emily's heart warmed at that little gesture. Finally, things were working out between the two of them. She vowed that she would make him happier than Mary Jane ever could.
Just then, Harry froze in midstep. Slowly but ominously (as it seemed to Emily), he pulled away from her. Emily glanced in the direction of his transfixed gaze. Speak of the Devil…
There she was. Mary Jane Watson, balancing two grocery bags and headed in their direction. Emily felt a knot tightened in her stomach.
"MJ! What a coincidence!" Harry exclaimed.
"Mary Jane's head shot up, a puzzled look writ on her face. Then, recognition dawned upon her.
"Ha-Harry! Hi!" Mary Jane smiled.
After a brief chat, Mary Jane nodded at Emily, "And this is?"
"Emily Wakelin." Emily replied, putting an arm protectively around Harry's. Harry shifted his weight uneasily and said, "Uh, yeah! MJ, meet Emily."
"Please to meet you." Mary Jane gave her a sincere smile, "Well, I'd best get going! See you!"
Harry watched her back till she melted into the crowd.
"Harry. Harry!" Emily said, shaking his arm a bit.
"Wh-What?" Harry asked, coming out of his thoughts.
"She's gone." Emily replied, flatly.
"Yeah, yeah…she's gone." Harry muttered, "Come on, let's go."
Emily allowed herself to be led away but something bitter stirred in her heart. For once, she wished Mary Jane did not exist.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As Mary Jane rounded the corner, she felt a hand tugged at the hem of her jacket. She looked down and saw a grubby girl of about nine staring up at her and pointing frantically at the alleyway.
"Ma'am, can you help please? My old pa's been sick and he can't get up. He's fallen down and I can't haul him up. Can you help please?"
Mary Jane hesitated. The alley was only dimly-lit but the little girl seemed genuine enough…
"Please,ma'am! Nobody'll stop for me. Nobody cares about an old wino but he's my pa. Please, ma'am. He's going to die in the cold."
Against her instinct, she followed the little girl.
"Where's he?" Mary Jane asked, looking around.
"Right here." A man's voice spoke from behind. "And if you make a move, this alley will be the last place you see alive."
Mary Jane felt a hard muzzle pressed against her temple. Cool metal against hot skin. *Oh good God, help me. Help me now* She prayed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Peter massaged his temples. His spider sense was going off like fireworks on the Fourth. It hit him with a strong urgency. The last time his spider sense were berserk like this was when…
"Mary Jane's in trouble!"
Peter disappeared into a nearby alley. As he ran, he pulled off his sweater and T-shirt to reveal the red-n-blue spandex suit beneath them. He was morphing into his alter-ego. Spiderman.
He shot up his web. The sticky strings stuck onto an antennae. In a flash, he hoisted himself up. As he ascended, he could hear a basketball game on the TV going off. The picture on the screen replaced by snow. Two angry heads poked out of the window.
" Watch where you stick that web of yours!" One of the man shouted.
"I'd pound you, if you do that again! With or without superpowers!" The other added, shaking his fists at him.
"Chill, guys!I bleed Dodger blue like both of you." Spiderman replied and vanished onto the roof.
He crouched at the edge of the drainpipe. His eyes scanned the alleys with hawk-like intent. No signs of Mary Jane. He leapt across to another rooftop. Still no signs of Mary Jane. Panic crept stealthily into his heart. He had begun to wonder how long his luck might last. He was afraid one fine day he would swing down into an alleyway and find Mary Jane lying cold and lifeless on the ground.
*Come on, hero! No time to be Mr. Morbid now. Just concentrate on finding MJ* He scolded himself.
He swung past a couple of buildings before perching on the highest step of a fire exit stairway. His spider sense was settling down into a steady hum. He knew this means he was close to finding the right place. Then, he spotted her. Lying face down and motionless on the ground. Her handbag and its content lay strewn all over the place. He felt a scream welling up in his throat, choking him and his breath came out in ragged gasp. Then, he spotted two silhouettes running off down the alley. His fear turned to blind fury.
"Just because you can beat him up doesn't mean you have a right to." His genial uncle Ben had told him on that fateful day and he had tried to live with that.
But now. Now, if he could pound the guy into hamburger patties, so God help him. For Mary Jane. For his Mary Jane, he would.
Spiderman landed with a soft thud behind the man.
"Stop!" Spiderman said, his arms at his hips.
The thug whipped around and fired. Spiderman had already anticipated this move. He ducked down to a crouching position just in time. Before the thug could react, Spiderman did a quick floor twist and a delivered a hard back kick to the man's abdomen. The man doubled over and dropped his revolver. He fell to the ground, crouching in a fetal position. Spiderman kicked the gun away and yanked the man up by the collar.
"All you wanted was money! Why did you have to kill her, huh?! Why?!" Spiderman shouted at him, shaking him vigorously.
"I didn't kill her, man! Please don't hurt me! I swear, I didn't kill her!" the thug replied, trembling in fear.
Spiderman became doubtful. Maybe she was just unconscious. Maybe his hyperactive mind had blown everything out of proportion. He lowered the man. In a flash, the man tried to punch him but Spiderman was quicker. He caught his fist and twisted it behind him. The man screamed in fresh agony. He bound up the thug tightly with his web. After making sure he could not escape, Spiderman approached the little girl hiding behind some dirty boxes.
"I'm sorry, mister. Please don't hurt me! Here's everything. I didn't keep a single thing. Just don't hurt me. He forced me to do it. He'd kill me if I didn't lure her into the alley."She whimpered.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Spiderman said, as he bend down to retrieve Mary Jane's possessions. In the distant, he could hear sirens. At one end of the alley, he could see the red flashes of the patrol car. He didn't want to be here when the cops arrived.
"Everything will be fine. Just tell them the truth." Spiderman told the little girl. Let the police handle them. He has other urgent matters to attend to. He ran in the direction where he first saw Mary Jane.
