Title: Memento
by: Satine16
Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story belong to Marvel! I don't own anything and simply
do this for fun. Please don't sue me. :(
Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning
"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!"
"Goddamn you, Allan! I know what your trying to do!"
They were both drunk, again. It was the fourth time this week that they were arguing.
Mrs. Watson thought that he was having an affair, and Mr. Watson thought that she was trying to
take his money. The arguments were petty and stupid and they usually ended when her mom got
a black eye or her dad passed out.
Mary Jane was six and had grown accustomed to the yelling. She sat out looking at the
moon. It was a just tiny sliver of light, barely noticeable. With her little jean shorts, Rainbow
Brite t-shirt and red pigtails she waited for the commotion to pass. But she heard someone come
outside. She turned around to see Peter Parker outside his house.
He was her age and wore glasses so large they seemed to take up half of his face. His
clothes were a little too big for him and the cowlick in his hair always made the back stand up
straight.
"Hi, Mary Jane."
"Hi, Pete."
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Lookin'."
"At what?"
"The moon."
"Oh."
He shuffled over and sat next to her on the stairs, and for a few moments they sat in
silence.
"Did you know that the moon is 250,000 miles away?"
"No, Pete. No one wants to know that. I just thought it was pretty. I wanna live there
someday."
"Why?"
"'Cause there's no parents there to yell at you, or tell you to eat broccoli...or yell at each
other."
She looked back at the moon and things grew silent again...for awhile.
"Peter, why are you looking at me?"
"Just 'cause."
"'Cause why?"
"You have freckles on your nose. Did you know that?"
"Yep."
'I like them."
"I hate them."
The yelling and crashing in the house behind them had finally come to a halt, and Mary
Jane got up to go inside.
"Goodnight, Pete," she said as she headed up the stairs.
"Mary Jane?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that your freckles are really pretty," he said pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"You are so weird, Peter."
"Goodnight, Mary Jane."
Just one week. It seemed as if the time would never go by, but there was really only one
week until graduation. Mary Jane looked around her Chemistry class at the familiar faces. Some
of them she would miss, others she would forget, and some she would continue to see. That was
just the way things worked after high school.
She didn't tell anyone that she hadn't made it into the acting school she had hoped for.
Maybe she'd be able to get a job after graduation, and she'd be able to make a living while she
hunted for auditions. God, life was a bitch. She couldn't and wouldn't stay at home, she wasn't
going to school like she had planned. In fact, she had convinced herself to simply stop planning.
Life never worked out according to plan, so why did she bother? For months she had tried to
convince herself that she should simply wing it. Just see what happens. But the part of her brain
that acted like her mother, the one that wanted to orchestrate her dreams, just kept on ticking and
designing her future.
But then again, maybe life can have its ups, too.
He may have been a little odd, but Mary Jane couldn't help noticing that he was watching
her. More importantly she couldn't help but enjoy it. Harry Osbourn was the most beautiful guy
she had ever met, and knowing that he was interested in her made her giddy. He was about 6'5"
with dark eyes, dark hair and a brilliant white smile. His smile made her knees turn to jelly. Plus
he had those perfect lips, so kissable and full. If only she could just...
"Hi, MJ."
Well, that burst her bubble. Mary Jane turned around to see Peter Parker had just gotten
to class. Six minutes late, as usual. His bean stalk frame was adorned in his usual threadbare,
two sizes too large jeans, button down shirt and worn out Converse sneakers. His brown hair had
turned into its usual disarray: an abundance of fringe hanging into his eyes. Not that you could
even see them underneath his coke bottle bottom glasses. They were so thick it was hard to
understand how they actually helped his vision.
"Hi, Pete."
"How are you?"
"Fine. You?"
"Eh. Same old, same old."
How had such a sweet guy turned into such a wreck? Maybe it had happened with the
death of his parents. Peter's Aunt and Uncle were old, and the last thing they probably had time
to worry about was their nephew's appearance. In fact, they probably saw no problem with it.
Harry winked at her from where he was sitting and she waved back, a little bit shyly. He
was just so cute.
"What do you see in him, MJ?"
"Not this again! Peter, how many times do we have to go over this? You're his friend,
by the way, so why do you try to bash him?"
"I just think you could do better."
"Well, please stop thinking about and for me then, Peter."
ARGH! Oh, there wasn't enough time to worry about Parker anymore. The class was
filing out towards the buses. They were taking their senior field trip to Harry's father's lab:
Osbourn Industries. Mary Jane couldn't even begin to try to understand just how much money
that family had. It boggled her mind. Cute and rich, though. Not a bad combination for old
Harry. As opposed to skinny and poor, like herself. Oh well, nothing was going to change that
now. She might as well just smile and pretend to understand whatever these scientists were
going to spew at her about the genome or DNA or chemical bonding or whatever.
The week passed by with much more speed than anyone could have originally assumed.
In fact, it flew by. Now all four hundred students stood in their dark green robes, waiting to be
set free. Mary Jane was one of the last people to be called and she watched all of her classmates
as they passed by.
Harry flashed his million dollar smile and shook hands with everyone. He was probably
just relieved he graduated at all. Peter helped him pass Chemistry and with that he was able to
get out, otherwise...well there would have been a lot of unhappy people.
Speaking of Peter, he had changed a lot since they got back last week. He had gotten
contacts or something, and he wasn't as clumsy as he used to be. In fact he seemed very
confident. But Peter hadn't spoke to her since the field trip. There was a robbery at a small store
by Peter's house that same day. Peter's Uncle Ben was there buying laundry detergent and milk.
He was checking out when the man came into the store, and when he refused to fork over his
wallet and car keys, he was shot three times. The funeral had been two days ago. Mary Jane
wept when she heard what had happened. Peter had lost his parents when he was six, and now
his uncle. No one deserved that, especially not Peter. He was nice to everyone, smart, and had
an amazing sense of humor. He just never really got a break.
Mary Jane's name was called and she crossed the stage. No one was there to watch her
graduate. Her dad was probably drunk, her mother just too busy. With their divorce she got lost
in the cracks. The memento of a relationship that couldn't work. But she still got her diploma,
and threw her hat up into the air. She had learned early on that affection and indifference would
not halt life and could not hinder her existence. Love was just the trim and decoration on a series
of events. At least that's what she told herself.
As everyone greeted their families after the ceremony, Mary Jane stood and watched their
interaction. Hugging and laughing, some even crying. It was nice.
"Mary Jane?"
She turned around and there was Peter Parker. It was probably the last time she would be
lost in thought only to find him behind her. The last time he would be standing there waiting for
her. He had always been waiting for her.
"Hello Peter."
"My Aunt is waiting for me, but I wanted to give this to you. Just a token for having
made it through the labyrinth."
He handed her a small red box with a gold seal on the top. The image was that of a sun
with large branches and wide rays. She opened it and found a small, glass crescent moon, cut so
that it would catch the light and shine a thousand different colors. It was on delicate silver chain,
the links so small she was almost afraid she would break it by simply holding it. She looked up
at Peter to see that he looked a little nervous.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, Peter," with that she saw his face light up. His wide smile spread across
his face, but this time it didn't make him look absurd. It was a really nice smile.
"Peter?" his Aunt May's voice rang out across the field and he turned to see her in the
shade under a tree attempting to find him.
"Congrats, MJ. Can't wait to see your name in lights!"
With that he turned and ran to meet his aunt.
"Goodbye, Peter. Thank you," she called after him.
In the sunlight the necklace sparkled miraculously. Better than any diamond. She
watched as Peter helped his aunt into the car. He waved back to her and then got in himself.
Mary Jane smiled and waved right back. The yellow Cadillac drove away all to quickly and she
was sad to see him go. But when she looked down, she noticed the small piece of paper folded
into the box. She opened it up and saw three words scratched out in Peter's sloppy handwriting.
"We Made It"
Sometimes it was nice to have somebody in your life who really cared.
"For everything," she whispered as she clasped the necklace on and wandered off the
football field.
by: Satine16
Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story belong to Marvel! I don't own anything and simply
do this for fun. Please don't sue me. :(
Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning
"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!"
"Goddamn you, Allan! I know what your trying to do!"
They were both drunk, again. It was the fourth time this week that they were arguing.
Mrs. Watson thought that he was having an affair, and Mr. Watson thought that she was trying to
take his money. The arguments were petty and stupid and they usually ended when her mom got
a black eye or her dad passed out.
Mary Jane was six and had grown accustomed to the yelling. She sat out looking at the
moon. It was a just tiny sliver of light, barely noticeable. With her little jean shorts, Rainbow
Brite t-shirt and red pigtails she waited for the commotion to pass. But she heard someone come
outside. She turned around to see Peter Parker outside his house.
He was her age and wore glasses so large they seemed to take up half of his face. His
clothes were a little too big for him and the cowlick in his hair always made the back stand up
straight.
"Hi, Mary Jane."
"Hi, Pete."
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Lookin'."
"At what?"
"The moon."
"Oh."
He shuffled over and sat next to her on the stairs, and for a few moments they sat in
silence.
"Did you know that the moon is 250,000 miles away?"
"No, Pete. No one wants to know that. I just thought it was pretty. I wanna live there
someday."
"Why?"
"'Cause there's no parents there to yell at you, or tell you to eat broccoli...or yell at each
other."
She looked back at the moon and things grew silent again...for awhile.
"Peter, why are you looking at me?"
"Just 'cause."
"'Cause why?"
"You have freckles on your nose. Did you know that?"
"Yep."
'I like them."
"I hate them."
The yelling and crashing in the house behind them had finally come to a halt, and Mary
Jane got up to go inside.
"Goodnight, Pete," she said as she headed up the stairs.
"Mary Jane?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that your freckles are really pretty," he said pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"You are so weird, Peter."
"Goodnight, Mary Jane."
Just one week. It seemed as if the time would never go by, but there was really only one
week until graduation. Mary Jane looked around her Chemistry class at the familiar faces. Some
of them she would miss, others she would forget, and some she would continue to see. That was
just the way things worked after high school.
She didn't tell anyone that she hadn't made it into the acting school she had hoped for.
Maybe she'd be able to get a job after graduation, and she'd be able to make a living while she
hunted for auditions. God, life was a bitch. She couldn't and wouldn't stay at home, she wasn't
going to school like she had planned. In fact, she had convinced herself to simply stop planning.
Life never worked out according to plan, so why did she bother? For months she had tried to
convince herself that she should simply wing it. Just see what happens. But the part of her brain
that acted like her mother, the one that wanted to orchestrate her dreams, just kept on ticking and
designing her future.
But then again, maybe life can have its ups, too.
He may have been a little odd, but Mary Jane couldn't help noticing that he was watching
her. More importantly she couldn't help but enjoy it. Harry Osbourn was the most beautiful guy
she had ever met, and knowing that he was interested in her made her giddy. He was about 6'5"
with dark eyes, dark hair and a brilliant white smile. His smile made her knees turn to jelly. Plus
he had those perfect lips, so kissable and full. If only she could just...
"Hi, MJ."
Well, that burst her bubble. Mary Jane turned around to see Peter Parker had just gotten
to class. Six minutes late, as usual. His bean stalk frame was adorned in his usual threadbare,
two sizes too large jeans, button down shirt and worn out Converse sneakers. His brown hair had
turned into its usual disarray: an abundance of fringe hanging into his eyes. Not that you could
even see them underneath his coke bottle bottom glasses. They were so thick it was hard to
understand how they actually helped his vision.
"Hi, Pete."
"How are you?"
"Fine. You?"
"Eh. Same old, same old."
How had such a sweet guy turned into such a wreck? Maybe it had happened with the
death of his parents. Peter's Aunt and Uncle were old, and the last thing they probably had time
to worry about was their nephew's appearance. In fact, they probably saw no problem with it.
Harry winked at her from where he was sitting and she waved back, a little bit shyly. He
was just so cute.
"What do you see in him, MJ?"
"Not this again! Peter, how many times do we have to go over this? You're his friend,
by the way, so why do you try to bash him?"
"I just think you could do better."
"Well, please stop thinking about and for me then, Peter."
ARGH! Oh, there wasn't enough time to worry about Parker anymore. The class was
filing out towards the buses. They were taking their senior field trip to Harry's father's lab:
Osbourn Industries. Mary Jane couldn't even begin to try to understand just how much money
that family had. It boggled her mind. Cute and rich, though. Not a bad combination for old
Harry. As opposed to skinny and poor, like herself. Oh well, nothing was going to change that
now. She might as well just smile and pretend to understand whatever these scientists were
going to spew at her about the genome or DNA or chemical bonding or whatever.
The week passed by with much more speed than anyone could have originally assumed.
In fact, it flew by. Now all four hundred students stood in their dark green robes, waiting to be
set free. Mary Jane was one of the last people to be called and she watched all of her classmates
as they passed by.
Harry flashed his million dollar smile and shook hands with everyone. He was probably
just relieved he graduated at all. Peter helped him pass Chemistry and with that he was able to
get out, otherwise...well there would have been a lot of unhappy people.
Speaking of Peter, he had changed a lot since they got back last week. He had gotten
contacts or something, and he wasn't as clumsy as he used to be. In fact he seemed very
confident. But Peter hadn't spoke to her since the field trip. There was a robbery at a small store
by Peter's house that same day. Peter's Uncle Ben was there buying laundry detergent and milk.
He was checking out when the man came into the store, and when he refused to fork over his
wallet and car keys, he was shot three times. The funeral had been two days ago. Mary Jane
wept when she heard what had happened. Peter had lost his parents when he was six, and now
his uncle. No one deserved that, especially not Peter. He was nice to everyone, smart, and had
an amazing sense of humor. He just never really got a break.
Mary Jane's name was called and she crossed the stage. No one was there to watch her
graduate. Her dad was probably drunk, her mother just too busy. With their divorce she got lost
in the cracks. The memento of a relationship that couldn't work. But she still got her diploma,
and threw her hat up into the air. She had learned early on that affection and indifference would
not halt life and could not hinder her existence. Love was just the trim and decoration on a series
of events. At least that's what she told herself.
As everyone greeted their families after the ceremony, Mary Jane stood and watched their
interaction. Hugging and laughing, some even crying. It was nice.
"Mary Jane?"
She turned around and there was Peter Parker. It was probably the last time she would be
lost in thought only to find him behind her. The last time he would be standing there waiting for
her. He had always been waiting for her.
"Hello Peter."
"My Aunt is waiting for me, but I wanted to give this to you. Just a token for having
made it through the labyrinth."
He handed her a small red box with a gold seal on the top. The image was that of a sun
with large branches and wide rays. She opened it and found a small, glass crescent moon, cut so
that it would catch the light and shine a thousand different colors. It was on delicate silver chain,
the links so small she was almost afraid she would break it by simply holding it. She looked up
at Peter to see that he looked a little nervous.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, Peter," with that she saw his face light up. His wide smile spread across
his face, but this time it didn't make him look absurd. It was a really nice smile.
"Peter?" his Aunt May's voice rang out across the field and he turned to see her in the
shade under a tree attempting to find him.
"Congrats, MJ. Can't wait to see your name in lights!"
With that he turned and ran to meet his aunt.
"Goodbye, Peter. Thank you," she called after him.
In the sunlight the necklace sparkled miraculously. Better than any diamond. She
watched as Peter helped his aunt into the car. He waved back to her and then got in himself.
Mary Jane smiled and waved right back. The yellow Cadillac drove away all to quickly and she
was sad to see him go. But when she looked down, she noticed the small piece of paper folded
into the box. She opened it up and saw three words scratched out in Peter's sloppy handwriting.
"We Made It"
Sometimes it was nice to have somebody in your life who really cared.
"For everything," she whispered as she clasped the necklace on and wandered off the
football field.