Power and Guilt
A darker version of the Spider-Man story
Chapter One: Friends and Family
Peter Parker was sat with his head down on his desk in his bedroom, fast asleep. He had spent too much time studying and not looked at the clock, and when he finally realised he was tired he didn't have the energy to go to his bed. This usually happened to him most nights, and he was beginning to do the same in class as well. He'd been trying harder than usual lately at school, he'd had a rude awakening with his projected grades. They were all Ds, not a true fail but no college would look twice at his application. He was extremely gifted, but he just coasted along only doing what was asked of him and sometimes less. But he'd promised himself when his parents died that he'd make them proud, and his Aunt and Uncle offered only encouragement, he was scraping his way to Bs.
He sat up straight and stretched his aching back with a yawn and stood up, he made his way over to the mirror and looked at his scrawny reflection. His hair was brown and messy, in need of a trim, and his face was dotted with acne. He messed his hair with his hands until he was satisfied and then straightened his glasses, with a quick rub of his chin he decided he didn't need a shave and started to dress. He pulled on a midnight blue long- sleeved t-shirt and swapped his pyjamas for a pair of blue jeans, slipping on his socks he reached for his can of deodorant and sprayed his underarms. He picked up his book bag and left his room, the clock said it was eight o'clock and he didn't want to miss the bus.
Rushing downstairs he ran over to the door and slipped on his trainers, his uncle Ben was sat at the table reading a newspaper and his aunt May was coming from the kitchen with his breakfast in her hand. She stopped and looked from Peter to Ben and then put down the plate.
"Peter, you shouldn't leave without breakfast," she called.
"I'm not hungry thanks aunt May," he replied fumbling with his keys and dropping them before unlocking the front door, "I don't want to miss the bus," he said before running out and closing the door behind him.
"Bye Peter," his uncle Ben called, directly contradicting May. She gave him a dirty look.
"It's just not good for him, he's thin enough as it is," Ben lowered the newspaper with a grin, "you and I both know he's studying instead of sleeping."
"I'm not worried, he's a good kid," Ben replied, "he'll eventually sort himself out, it's called maturing."
"Well he can't very well mature with no sleep and no food," she replied, "he's a growing boy and it'd do him some good to have a rest."
"I'll talk to him okay?" Ben said going back to his paper, "If that will make you happy."
Peter's feet left the last step of his house as the bus swept gracefully away from the curve, he ran after it for a second but couldn't even get ten feet before the bus accelerated out of sight. In frustration he kicked a stone in the garden and stubbed his toe, apparently the stone was a rock and was buried except for the tip into the ground. He swore under his breath and hopped about for a moment and then heard a girl's voice coughing behind him.
"Missed the bus too huh?" she said as he regained his composure and turned around. Peter didn't recognise her, but he wished he did, she was a little shorter than him with shoulder length flowing blonde hair. She was wearing a very short and airy white dress over a pair of light blue jeans and a blue jacket on top, Peter noticed a black band keeping her hair away from her face and two books in her right hand, one was a brown textbook titled 'The Fun of Calculus' and the other was an old novel so heavily read the covers were unreadable.
"Yeah," Peter replied after a few seconds but felt complied to give a reason, "I didn't get much sleep."
"Me either," she said with a small frown, "I spent all night studying, moving schools means a lot of work to catch up on."
"You're going to Midtown?"
"Yeah, I used to go to Standard High back in San Francisco," she started walking in the direction of the bus and Peter walked along in step with her, "My dad's a cop and he got a better job offer here in New York, so we moved."
"You came all the way across the country?" Peter asked astonished.
"Yep, but since my mom died I didn't like it there as much," she saddened slightly, "I don't think my dad did either because he jumped at a chance to move away."
"Sorry about your mom," Peter said quietly, "I kind of know how you feel, my parents died in a plane crash about ten years ago."
"It's okay really, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose both parents though," they walked in silence for a few seconds when Peter decided to break the awkward silence.
"I live with my aunt and uncle, they do the best they can you know," he smiled at her and she returned it, "but they're really afraid of being bad parents, they don't push me as hard as they could."
"I hardly see my dad," she explained, "because he's captain he's on call pretty much twenty-four-seven."
There was another lengthy pause and they carried on walking together in silence, then they began to talk about school and classes and started laughing and joking about their various shortcomings. They carried on until they arrived at the school, the bell for first period ringing as they stepped inside.
"Bye," she said as they split at a fork in the corridor.
"Bye," Peter said then got a sudden surge of bravery, "wait, I don't even know your name."
"It's Gwen Stacy, and you?"
"Peter Parker."
"Hmm," Gwen said in contemplation before reaching into her book bag and pulling out a piece of paper, "this is my number, in case you need to call me."
"O-okay," Peter stuttered, this girl was coming on to him and he didn't have too much experience in this area, she walked away with a smile and he called after her "how about tonight?"
"Sounds great Pete, see you then."
Peter just smiled and sank back to lean on a wall, his smile was so wide he swore it hurt and his legs felt like jelly. He couldn't believe that such a beautiful girl was interested in him.
A darker version of the Spider-Man story
Chapter One: Friends and Family
Peter Parker was sat with his head down on his desk in his bedroom, fast asleep. He had spent too much time studying and not looked at the clock, and when he finally realised he was tired he didn't have the energy to go to his bed. This usually happened to him most nights, and he was beginning to do the same in class as well. He'd been trying harder than usual lately at school, he'd had a rude awakening with his projected grades. They were all Ds, not a true fail but no college would look twice at his application. He was extremely gifted, but he just coasted along only doing what was asked of him and sometimes less. But he'd promised himself when his parents died that he'd make them proud, and his Aunt and Uncle offered only encouragement, he was scraping his way to Bs.
He sat up straight and stretched his aching back with a yawn and stood up, he made his way over to the mirror and looked at his scrawny reflection. His hair was brown and messy, in need of a trim, and his face was dotted with acne. He messed his hair with his hands until he was satisfied and then straightened his glasses, with a quick rub of his chin he decided he didn't need a shave and started to dress. He pulled on a midnight blue long- sleeved t-shirt and swapped his pyjamas for a pair of blue jeans, slipping on his socks he reached for his can of deodorant and sprayed his underarms. He picked up his book bag and left his room, the clock said it was eight o'clock and he didn't want to miss the bus.
Rushing downstairs he ran over to the door and slipped on his trainers, his uncle Ben was sat at the table reading a newspaper and his aunt May was coming from the kitchen with his breakfast in her hand. She stopped and looked from Peter to Ben and then put down the plate.
"Peter, you shouldn't leave without breakfast," she called.
"I'm not hungry thanks aunt May," he replied fumbling with his keys and dropping them before unlocking the front door, "I don't want to miss the bus," he said before running out and closing the door behind him.
"Bye Peter," his uncle Ben called, directly contradicting May. She gave him a dirty look.
"It's just not good for him, he's thin enough as it is," Ben lowered the newspaper with a grin, "you and I both know he's studying instead of sleeping."
"I'm not worried, he's a good kid," Ben replied, "he'll eventually sort himself out, it's called maturing."
"Well he can't very well mature with no sleep and no food," she replied, "he's a growing boy and it'd do him some good to have a rest."
"I'll talk to him okay?" Ben said going back to his paper, "If that will make you happy."
Peter's feet left the last step of his house as the bus swept gracefully away from the curve, he ran after it for a second but couldn't even get ten feet before the bus accelerated out of sight. In frustration he kicked a stone in the garden and stubbed his toe, apparently the stone was a rock and was buried except for the tip into the ground. He swore under his breath and hopped about for a moment and then heard a girl's voice coughing behind him.
"Missed the bus too huh?" she said as he regained his composure and turned around. Peter didn't recognise her, but he wished he did, she was a little shorter than him with shoulder length flowing blonde hair. She was wearing a very short and airy white dress over a pair of light blue jeans and a blue jacket on top, Peter noticed a black band keeping her hair away from her face and two books in her right hand, one was a brown textbook titled 'The Fun of Calculus' and the other was an old novel so heavily read the covers were unreadable.
"Yeah," Peter replied after a few seconds but felt complied to give a reason, "I didn't get much sleep."
"Me either," she said with a small frown, "I spent all night studying, moving schools means a lot of work to catch up on."
"You're going to Midtown?"
"Yeah, I used to go to Standard High back in San Francisco," she started walking in the direction of the bus and Peter walked along in step with her, "My dad's a cop and he got a better job offer here in New York, so we moved."
"You came all the way across the country?" Peter asked astonished.
"Yep, but since my mom died I didn't like it there as much," she saddened slightly, "I don't think my dad did either because he jumped at a chance to move away."
"Sorry about your mom," Peter said quietly, "I kind of know how you feel, my parents died in a plane crash about ten years ago."
"It's okay really, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose both parents though," they walked in silence for a few seconds when Peter decided to break the awkward silence.
"I live with my aunt and uncle, they do the best they can you know," he smiled at her and she returned it, "but they're really afraid of being bad parents, they don't push me as hard as they could."
"I hardly see my dad," she explained, "because he's captain he's on call pretty much twenty-four-seven."
There was another lengthy pause and they carried on walking together in silence, then they began to talk about school and classes and started laughing and joking about their various shortcomings. They carried on until they arrived at the school, the bell for first period ringing as they stepped inside.
"Bye," she said as they split at a fork in the corridor.
"Bye," Peter said then got a sudden surge of bravery, "wait, I don't even know your name."
"It's Gwen Stacy, and you?"
"Peter Parker."
"Hmm," Gwen said in contemplation before reaching into her book bag and pulling out a piece of paper, "this is my number, in case you need to call me."
"O-okay," Peter stuttered, this girl was coming on to him and he didn't have too much experience in this area, she walked away with a smile and he called after her "how about tonight?"
"Sounds great Pete, see you then."
Peter just smiled and sank back to lean on a wall, his smile was so wide he swore it hurt and his legs felt like jelly. He couldn't believe that such a beautiful girl was interested in him.