The time in Manhattan struck high noon. A band of three masked criminals scurried out of the jewelry store, carrying whatever necklaces, earrings, and anything else they gathered. Along with them, they had captured, tied up, and gagged the store owner whom they claimed was key to them getting their employer's payment. For the owner herself, she wanted nothing, but to get out of her and go home.
Once they reached their getaway car, the criminals forcefully pushed her into the back seat. As she squirmed and tried to break free, she couldn't help, but scream muffled under the cloth strapped to her face. This was, no doubt, the worst thing to happen to her all day.
"Finally, a big score worth fighting for!" a criminal chuckled as he smirked. Throughout the criminal's exchanges, the woman continued to scream in hopes she might somehow be heard loudly enough to be rescued. Next thing she knew, the criminal next to her clicked his gun and held it up to her. "Quiet, miss! Don't make me put a bullet in your head!"
The woman stared down the barrel of the gun, her eyes glazed over as she worried for her safety. Clearly the situation was life or death, though, given the circumstances, she'd rather not pick the latter. If she could get out of this situation and out of harm's way, she would no doubt report this to the police whom she trusted would get her to safety.
The getaway car tore off into the busy streets, the driver driving recklessly through the Manhattan traffic. As chaotic as it was, the female owner, helpless to do anything, prayed to some force above - whether it be God or the universe - for some miracle to happen to get her out of there. The moment the car swerved into a busy street corner was the moment it happened; she stared out the back window and saw with her own eyes a brightly colored figure dangling from what looked to be a near-invisible rope attached to the building. The figure arched over in a backflip, spinning out what looked to be a web from its hand. The figure continued to swing hard and fast to catch up with the car more than anything else in the city. Could this be the famed Spider-Man the media spoke of?
"Spider-Man - 6 o'clock!" the criminal occupant to her right called out.
"Not on my watch!" the one to her left spouted, picking up a loaded shotgun off the floor.
The criminal rolled down the window, cocked the gun, and leaned out the window to fire it. The ear-splitting shot rang loudly in the woman's ear; she screamed and squinted her eyes shut, not daring to watch the situation unfold before her. As the criminal's reckless driving threw her all around in her seat, she heard the gun go off a second time before what sounded like a pair of feet hit the rear windshield with a massive thud. Some unseen commotion played out where the criminal to her right shouted as if being thrown out the window. Then the same happened to the guy on her left. Before she knew it, the driver had been thrown out as well, the car still spinning forward at full throttle. Through it all, she kept her eyes shut, waiting for death when, as if colliding with a cushioned wall, the car had come safely to a complete stop.
The woman opened her eyes and the same red and blue figure she witnessed out the back window was now reaching its gloved hand out to her through the open car door.
"Need a hand, miss?" Spider-Man asked chivalrously.
Though her hands were tied up, she reached out to take her savior's hand, the Web-head hoisting her up with a single tug and bringing her back into broad daylight.
"Lemme get these off ya," the Web-head said. As if possessing some kind of super strength, he broke apart the ropes on her hands and pulled down the cloth from her mouth. "There! Are ya hurt?"
"No," the woman said, relieved from her sudden rescue. "Thank you so much!"
The woman raised her arms around her hero. "Ah ah ah, this here Web-head doesn't give out free hugs quite yet," Spider-Man said, pushing her away gently. "Here, have a free card instead!"
Spidey reached into his suit (pocket?) and handed her a card with a spider symbol on it. She flipped it over to read the simple, but welcoming text displayed on the back:
Courtesy of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
"Alright then, Spider-Man… I appreciate you saving me!" she stated excitedly. "I'll be sure to tell my friends all about this!"
"I'd appreciate the positive publicity for a change!" Spidey approved before leaning in. "Between you and me, the police and Press are already giving me a bad rep as is."
"Spider-Man!" called out a gruff police officer through a megaphone. Startled, Spidey turned and witnessed the source of the amplified voice: Captain Stacy. "Stand down! You're under arrest for vigilantism, vandalism, and assisted damage of property!"
The woman could not see it, but Spider-Man stepped back as if surprised. This would be the first time she ever saw a vigilante who saved her get held up by the police and, though she did not sense what he was feeling, she knew even he must be surprised. She watched as he looked around for an easy way out of the conversation when, all of the sudden, a cry down the street resembling a scream resounded. "Actually, sir, that sounds like someone else is in trouble and I have to help them!" he stated fakely.
Judging by the following silence, the captain seemed to contemplate Spidey's actions. "Very well, but I'll remain here until you get back," Captain Stacy ultimately stated.
"Not coming back, chief," Spidey said, simultaneously spinning a web. The web took him off into the air between the buildings. Before the police and woman knew it, Spidey had zoomed off in a streak of red and blue like nobody's business. Soon as he disappeared behind the nearest building, Captain Stacy took out his notepad and jotted down some extra notes.
"Add 'resisting arrest' to Spider-Man charges," the captain muttered under his breath.
"Sir, Spider-Man saved me and he's really wonderful!" the woman stated, resting a hand on Stacy's arm. "You should really reconsider his actions."
"I'm very certain he seemed like a nice person, but his actions are outside the law. By no means are we to let that slide around Manhattan," said Stacy firmly.
"But surely there must be some way for you to reconsider. Changing the laws perhaps?"
"We do not make the laws, we simply follow them. The judicial system has all the say in what's written."
"Tell you what, if I was in charge, I'd recommend they change the law somehow."
"I appreciate the optimism, but for the time being I suggest you let us cops do our job and do nothing to argue with the law. Understood?" the captain finished.
The woman, removing her hand from Stacy's space bubble, simply nodded shyly. If there was anything she could say to convince the commissioner otherwise, it simply hadn't come to her. One thing was for sure, though, what Spider-Man did to save her, was the most amazing thing that she would certainly never forget.
The wind gusted at Peter's sides as he tore off into the open Manhattan air. After a close call like that, his heart raced over the thought that the police were still in pursuit of him. Upon looking behind him, though, no flashing red and blue lights had followed him along his escape route - moreover, no one else was actually in trouble from what he could detect. As close of a call as it was, though, Peter remained hopeful to stay in the clear until he got back to school. Open lunch patrols around the city certainly had their benefits.
"That was the closest call I've ever had with the police. And with John Stacy no less!" Peter told himself. "Just hope he bought my fake excuse of pretending the city crowd was actually someone in danger, though. Otherwise, he's sure to give me hell next time he catches me in costume!"
Peter's inner monologue carried all the way to his return to Midtown, himself chuckling at the thought of him getting into a catfight with Captain Stacy and his unit. Once he touched base at the usual dumpster alleyway just outside the school, Peter tore his backpack off the wall, still webbed up from earlier as his webs had not dried out yet - lucky for him, though, they were weak enough to be ripped off with his super strength. From his backpack, he retrieved his usual school attire of a long sleeve shirt, a hooded Columbia zip up jacket, some popular brand of blue jeans, and his Niki Converse and put it on over his costume. Additionally, he made sure to remove his mask and gloves or else, should someone see him like that, his secret identity was blown. Once he made sure his entire costume was covered, he smoothed his hair and strolled casually toward the end of the alleyway. Before he reached the corner, however, his enhanced hearing picked up some voices just around the bend.
"I don't care how you do it, Harry, all you need to do is ask her to homecoming with pride above all else," said the voice addressing Harry of all people. The faint frequency, tone, and deepness seemed to match that of Harry's dad, Norman Osborn, whom Peter hadn't had the chance to see/hear in person for quite some time.
"Yeah, dad, but what if I mess up?" said Harry, concerned for his image. "Is there any, you know, emotional support you can offer if it ends up going south?"
"Son, life is all about managing your own emotions more than anyone else's," the voice of Norman continued. "You want to prove yourself emotionally intelligent? Fine, then be emotionally intelligent. Don't come crawling to me if you mess up. Just get back up on the horse and try again until you get it right."
A pause happened, leading Peter to wonder how Harry took that sort of advice. "Fine, dad," Harry said, apparently downcast. "Thanks for taking me to lunch. I hope you have a great day!"
Without another word, Norman left, Peter peering around the corner to notice the end of his long, black limousine pulling away from the front of the school. As it rolled away, Harry stood behind it on the sidewalk as he slumped and turned back towards the school. To Peter, this sounded like a typical meeting of father and son at the Osborn residence; Harry always did his utmost to show his dad he needed his support, while Norman simply wasn't returning the favor by either his words or actions. Years of this, and Harry still wasn't taking it well. It simply hadn't been the same since his mom died.
At least he still has a parent, Peter thought jealously. Still, I feel bad for him. I should go talk to him.
Once Harry made his way into the front courtyard, Peter emerged from the alleyway, crossing the empty street to catch up silently with his best friend. Pairs and groups of students had gathered around the school, returning from open lunch as Peter did his best to look casual. In the midst of the crowd, Peter approached Harry from behind, making sure he approached from the right angle. Soon as he entered within earshot, he raised a hand to wave to him.
"Hey, Harry!" Peter called out, feigning optimism. "How was… How was your lunch?"
Once more, Harry slumped. "Good enough, I suppose," he admitted.
"I guess that's good," Peter said. "Is something the matter?"
Harry's eyes widened. The thought of being vulnerable was never a strongsuit for him as far as Peter knew. "Uh, nothing," he said, rubbing his arm. "Nothing's the matter."
Peter looked down. He wasn't sure how to discuss it any further than what Harry was willing to share. Clearly, he didn't want to so he wasn't sure he should persist. "That's fine. As long as you think you're okay, I'm cool with that. Whatcha doing after school?" he said supportively while cleverly changing topics.
"Me? Oh, yeah, MJ and I were gonna head to the Silver Spoon with Flash and the football team if you don't mind that. I know you and Flash don't get along, but we're on good enough terms and that's okay."
"That's alright, Harr. Gwen and I will be doing committee stuff today so we'll be out of your hair for the time being." Noticing what he just said, Peter let out a single laugh. "Out of your 'hair'! Get it?"
Harry chuckled. "I suppose that was pretty funny sounding," he said. "Considering how much you call me 'Harr' and everything."
"No need to explain the joke, bro! That ruins the fun."
"Right," said Harry, his chuckle turning nervous. If there was one thing he and Peter could count on it was playful banter between the two of them. Moreover, Peter rejoiced that, even despite what he overheard, Harry was willing to have fun with him.
Once the final bell resounded and school let out for the day, Peter gathered his school supplies and returned most of them to his locker - the only thing he found essential to bring to the committee was his bookbag. As per usual, he sat next to Gwen on the bleachers, the two of them exchanging remarks as they awaited Liz's announcement. The students continued to chat each other up before Liz eventually hopped up front on her crutches holding what looked to be a series of flyers. Was it time to advertise the homecoming dance?
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?!" Liz projected over the chattering students to which they, for a change, all shut up immediately. "Thank you. Anyway, I just wanted to note how well you all did on the posters the other day. Great job! Second, now that those are completed, I want everyone to disperse around the school to put up both the banners and these posters I've made to show people our theme and where to buy tickets. And that's pretty much it for now. Things'll be rather simple today, but I'll have more to say later to discuss strategies on how we're to sell tickets. Any questions?"
The students did not stir or utter a word as if a single cricket had been chirping throughout the room.
"No? Okay, in that case, you all had better get to work!"
The students all dispersed on her command, each of them piling down the bleachers towards Liz's table. From there, each grabbed a poster and/or flyer and some tape to make off with, Peter and Gwen following suit. Once they grabbed a random poster with a bug car on the front, Peter decided to be playful and nudge Gwen on the shoulder.
"Punch buggy, no punch back!" said Peter playfully.
"Peter!" she said with a teasing sense of disdain. "That game is so junior high!"
"But I still needed to get ya from all those years ago! A promise is a promise, right?"
Gwen looked off, contemplating his words. "When you put it that way, yes!"
Peter smiled. "Good to know. Now what do you say we put one up by our little study corner?"
"I say that's okay… Just so long as no one discovers our little secret."
"I'll keep it safe no matter what!" he said before turning inside his head. Oh, Gwen. If only you knew.
The two of them grabbed one more poster and two more flyers before heading off to their corner of the school. As they walked the halls, chatting each other up like they always did, Peter harkened back to his mention of a bug earlier and thought to ask her a question he never thought to ask her before.
"Hey, so, speaking of bugs, you know your dad's trying to catch that… Spider-ling…? Spider-Guy, or whoever he is?" he asked promptly, faking his lack of knowledge.
"He said his name's 'Spider-Man', but yes," she said.
"Yeah, well, last time I was talking to him he said something about trying to catch him for vigilantism and such. Do you think that's necessarily the right thing or not?"
"I try not to argue with my dad regarding his stance on the law. It's Police Captain's Kid 101 to never dispute the law."
"Right, but still, would you have anything against the idea of Spider-Man personally?"
This was it. The question was out and there was no going back. Peter's heart thumped, anxiously anticipating her answer. After learning of the captain's stance on his alter-ego, Peter feared that Gwen would somehow share her father's views on Spider-Man with him. If she hated him, he wouldn't know what to think. This was a moment of truth for him whether or not she suspected it was him in the first place.
"To be honest, I think he's kinda cool," she stated honestly.
Peter gasped silently. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, if it was me with those spider powers, I'd wanna inspire not just the general masses, but the young girls as well to let them know that they have someone to look up to. Even though the current Spider-Man doesn't have the approval of the police or the Press, it seems to me he's got quite the following."
"You're telling me," Peter said, not realizing he was on the verge of revealing himself. "I-I mean, yeah, I've noticed that. I'd even go as far as to consider myself a fan too!"
"Oh, really?" Gwen said, laying a poster down with tape in her hands.
"Yeah! I mean, I don't have the money to buy it, but I'd even give my current allowance to buy the snazziest Spider-Man t-shirt in town!"
"Well, maybe, if I ever get a job by Christmas, I just might have to buy you one!"
"Aw, Gwen, that's sweet!" he said, tearing some tape.
Gwen giggled. The two continued to chat as they applied tape to all corners of their poster. Once that was done, they moved onto the next one, arriving at their proposed destination of their little study corner. From there, they stuck more strands of tape to the flyers to hang by the library, running into other students as they made their way to the cafeteria to hang their final flyer. As soon as they were done, they didn't even break a sweat. However, Peter's stomach started rumbling.
"Hungry already? It's a little soon for dinner, don't ya think?" Peter joked.
Gwen listened to her stomach let out a light gurgle as well. "You know, if we're both hungry, what if we asked Liz to let us go get dinner? You know, for, like, the whole group and everything?"
For a moment there, Peter could have sworn Gwen was asking him on a date. Still, her proposition sounded kind and inclusive for everyone. "You know, I think you're onto something. I'd say let's ask and see what she says!"
They made their way back to the gym where Liz was letting her leg rest on an adjacent chair as usual. Though she appeared rather busy texting on her phone, the two called out to her excitedly to which she answered.
"Would you mind if Pete and I went on a food run for the group?" asked Gwen.
"Oh, I see. And why would you do that?" Liz shot back.
"You know, since it's Friday and we've already done a fantastic amount of work, I'd say we should all be rewarded for such!"
"You know, that's exactly what I heard in a TED talk the other night about building support between one another. In that case, be my guest!"
"Yes!"
Peter and Gwen high fived each other, informing Liz that their destination would be the Silver Spoon. Despite that being Peter's favorite hangout place and all, he already dreaded going there after what Harry said about him and MJ meeting Flash's gang there.
Later, Gwen's car pulled up to the Silver Spoon, carrying Peter with her and all their valuables. For all Peter knew, she might never know of his secret identity being the reason he never got his driver's license like he thought he would at sixteen. Unless absolutely necessary, he remained firm in his decision never to reveal it to her or anyone else.
The two strolled up to the Silver Spoon, taking in its reflective chrome surface and retro cafe structure that never ceased to amaze them - it was like stepping back in time to when all cafes looked like this. From the windows out front, Peter could not see or sense whether Flash and his gang had left already - maybe they had? Upon entering the building, rows of diner booths lined the windows, Peter looking nervously to his left to find that customers besides Flash were present. Remembering his priorities, he took a 1seat up on the traditional diner seats with Gwen and started scanning the menu with her. Soon after, the cool, African American cashier walked up to greet them.
"Hello there, what can I get you two?" he asked coolly.
"We're here to get several orders to go," Gwen told him. "What's your special today on the menu?"
"Let's see, we got…"
"Hey, Puny Ass Parker!" shouted someone from the other side of the café. Zoning out, he turned to his right to witness Flash making kissy sounds while making kissing gestures with his hands. Humiliatingly, Flash's gang - sans Harry and MJ who were still present - watched teasingly. Seeing this, Peter gave a sly look and brushed him off. "Hey, man! No one ignores 'the Flash'!"
"What's that?" said Peter ignorantly before leaning in towards Gwen. "Hey, Gwen, why don't we show Flash the definition of 'kiss my ass'?"
Hearing this, Gwen twitched. "And humiliate yourself in front of him? What are you insane?"
"Just kidding!" he spouted, followed by a playful nudge from Gwen. "I'm just looking for a way to ignore him while we wait."
"It'll be a while before our drinks and sandwiches are ready. Just try not to do anything stupid before then," she said, looking out for him.
"Consider it done!"
The two best friends spent their time waiting eagerly for their huge order, listening to Flash hurl insults while the others just sat there not doing anything. Peter did his utmost to shut them out until finally, fifteen minutes passed and the server emerged from the kitchen with bags of sandwiches and a couple drink carriers as Gwen had ordered. Using her debit card to pay, she thanked the server and finally she and Peter skedaddled, leaving Flash's group's line of sight. Little did they know that MJ and Harry got up to follow them out.
On the way to their car, Gwen and Peter carried their large order, balancing it as best as they could. As they sat their bags and drink carriers on top of the car, Gwen turned to face Peter.
"Nice going there ignoring Flash for a change," she complimented.
"You know, what can I say? When you put up with years of torment from one guy you really learn his ways," Peter stated.
"Yeah, yeah, but then again, you ought to consider it was my suggestion that-" she was cut off by the sudden emergence of her friends. "Oh, hey, Harry! MJ!"
Peter turned to notice his best friend and next door neighbor gal pal strolling up behind them on the sidewalk.
"Hey there, guys!" Harry began. "Sorry we didn't stand up for you with Flash being the way he was. We were just…"
"Trying to put on a show for Flash by trying to act like you didn't care?" said Peter.
Harry slumped. "Yeah, something like that."
"Don't worry. No hard feelings," MJ confessed. The least she could do was be honest about it.
Honesty. If only Peter learned how to be more like that in his daily life.
Just then, Harry perked up at something behind Peter. "Hey, is that…?"
Peter turned to notice a familiar, stylish, black limousine pulling up directly towards where they were standing. The extended vehicle passed the rows of cars parked along the parking spaces until the back of the car stopped exactly in front of Gwen's car. The tinted window rolled down, revealing the stern faced, rough-edged businessman Norman Osborn smirking slyly at the four of them.
"Oh, hey again, dad," said Harry. "Long time, no see, right?"
"Mr. Osborn!" exclaimed Peter. "What brings you here at this hour?"
"I'm just out for a ride running some errands as usual," said Norman. "Don't suppose you four were simply meeting for a bite after school?"
Peter looked over his shoulder, remembering that Harry and MJ were in his presence. He opened his mouth to speak before - "We came separately, Mr. Osborn," Gwen butted in. "Peter and I came to grab food for the homecoming committee while MJ and your son were just… Here."
"A fine coincidence as it is," Norman replied. "Tell me, what was your name again Ms.…?"
"Stacy. Uh, Gwen Stacy, sir," she stated somewhat nervously.
"Superb," said Norman. "Harry's told me all about you. How you and Peter are always helping him excel in his science classes and building him into something of worth. You could run an entire science corporation like mine with an intellect like yours."
Harry stood there, stung by the usual rejection he felt from his father not even acknowledging him. "Um, I'm right here, you know."
MJ put a hand on Harry's arm to comfort him. "It's okay, Harry. I'm here for you."
"We're glad to be of Harry's assistance, Mr. O. Is there anything you need from us possibly?" said Peter.
"Nothing as of the moment, though I just wanted to say if you are looking for a small-time gig or a full-time career, Oscorp is your friend," Norman stated. An offer of sorts sure did sound appealing for someone like Peter who was majorly into science. Still, he wasn't sure if he would prefer that or something like photography.
"I doubt my efficiency in science is good enough to match your standards, though I do enjoy the idea of working for a big name like Oscorp," Peter stated plainly.
"Whether or not he joins, I would love to one day step into the main Oscorp Tower as an intern or an employee," Gwen enthused
"You can either race toward the opportunity or live your life regretting what you never did when, next thing you know, your time is up," Norman stated rather ominously. "Either way, my company would benefit strong minds such as you two."
Peter and Gwen glanced at each other before turning to nod toward Norman. "We'll consider it, Mr. O.," Peter promised. "In the meantime, have fun on your next project whatever it is your doing!"
"Thank you, Peter. Now run along; don't wanna let your intelligence go to waste," Norman stated slyly, staring at his fingers. With that, he rolled up the window and the limo drove off into the busy streets.
The car ride back to school was full of Peter and Gwen talking about their potential opportunities with a big name like Oscorp - Harry, meanwhile, drove MJ home in his convertible. Once Peter and Gwen made it back to school with the food and drink, everyone dug in and feasted heavily. A few of them munched on food and slurped their drinks passionately, grateful that Liz agreed to this. If a science corporation like Oscorp was anything remotely like the environment they were currently in, Peter may yet consider a career with a name like Harry's dad. Just so long as he didn't let any other career pursuits overrule his passion for science, he may have even considered it for someday.
A little bit of tension set for future developments in this one. I hope this one leaves you guys begging for more!