Forest Hills, New York
Friday - April 11th, 7:28am
The annoying buzz of a persistent alarm blares to mark the start of a new day for the heavy sleeper who slept through the ringing with the covers over their head.
"Gwen." A woman from beyond the closed door of the dark room called out. "Gwen, are you up?" The voice was muffled indicating she was calling from downstairs.
There was no response, but the alarm was still going off.
"I know that girl isn't still sleep." A masculine voice followed not long after.
"Is she in the bathroom?"
"I haven't heard any water running." The male sighed heavily. "I'll get her."
The sound of boots climbing the wooden stairs were heard before a knock at the bedroom door.
"Gwen! You better not still sleep in there."
Again, no response, so the answer was obvious. There was only a second in delay before the bedroom door opens, the hallway light illuminating the dark room to show that it was somewhat junky.
A well-built man in his early-40s dressed in a NYPD uniform stood at the bedroom entrance overlooking the messy room with exasperated displeasure.
The man walks over the clothes littered on the floor and gets to the bedside. "Gwen!" He grabbed the blanket and threw them from over the sleeper, revealing a blonde teenager sleeping in pajamas with a pair of headphones blasting music to the point where it could heard beyond the earmuffs — drowning out the alarm.
Reacting to the sudden chill of having the covers pulled off of her the girl navigates her hand along the bed to track her blanket, but the officer threw it out of reach.
"Let's go. Up, up, up." He shakes the girl, removing the headphones as well.
Now that the headphones were off, her music substituted for that annoying ringing, she finally comes to. Opening her eyes to the man towering over her.
"...Oh. Dad." She sits up, one leg arched up to rest her elbow against her knee so that she could lay her cheek in the palm of her hand. "What's up? Where's the fire?" She asked with a smile, trying to play off the fact that she was still sleepy, apparently the alarm wasn't an indication that she slept behind schedule.
"You've been up past curfew. Again. You overslept."
"Whaaat? Naaah. I been up for hours." Despite her assurance, her eyes were closed and the smile she had slowly degrades into a near drooling gape.
"Gwen!"
Her eyes shot open. "Wha-! I'm up! I'm up! I been up. It's only…" She looks to the nightstand on her left to check the clock: 7:33am. "…Oh crap."
The bathroom door flies open and the young girl, Gwen, clumsily stumbles to the sink as she tried using her foot to close the door behind herself.
She grabs her toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto the bristles.
"Crap, crap, crap, crap!"
"Gwen, you're about to lose those music privileges if you don't know how to go to bed on time." Her dad followed her to the bathroom, speaking from beyond the door.
"What?! No, no. I got to bed early. I waaaas just…up studying later than usual."
"I'd be inclined to believe that if your grades showed for it."
"I'm a new Gwen, dad! I'm focused this year!" She threw the toothbrush into her mouth and hastily brushed her teeth. "Vatch, ou'll zee."
"Mmmhm." The sound of a dad who nearly succumbed to doubt, but the love for his daughter kept a candle of faith burning. "If you hurry up you can still eat breakfast. Did you iron your uniform last night like I told you?"
Gwen's frantic brushing came to a halt. She turns her head to the back of the bathroom door and sees her unpressed uniform still hung up on the towel rack. "…Yeeeeea-"
Several Minutes Later
Gwen rushed to the kitchen with a wrinkled button-up shirt and plaid skirt. "Good morning, family!" She greets them like nothing was wrong.
Her mom and dad were already having breakfast at the table when they noticed her.
"...Jesus Christ, Gwen." Her dad pinched the bridge of his nose after seeing his disheveled daughter.
"There was a juice stain on the shirt I had ironed, had to throw this on." Gwen looked down to the table only to find there was no plate for her. "…Uuuh. Where's my-?"
"In the microwave." Her dad answered flatly. "You missed the 1st train because you overslept. The next train arrives in 10 minutes and you'll miss it if you sit. Your mom made a fantastic spread-"
"Thank you, dear." Her mom interjects, delighted to hear the compliment.
"-And you won't be able to plow through all of it. You need to be at school by 8:15." He continued to which Gwen pouts. "Now, hurry along. I don't want to hear that you've been tardy again."
"I don't have to be late. You could always give me a ride before morning traffic hits." Gwen flutters her eyes at her dad, trying to play 'sweet innocent princess' on him.
Unfortunately for her he was numb to her adorable trick, he's been seeing since the school year started. She didn't get a single reaction out of him aside from a flat stare and an inclined brow.
"So I can be late for work afterward? Not a chance."
There was her answer, Gwen drops her head in defeat. She slides the chair back and stands, grabbing her bookbag on the way up.
She walks to the backdoor, ready as she'll ever be for school, but a solid "Ah, ah! Hold on," from her father stops her.
"Yeah, dad?"
Her dad gets up from the table and walks over to Gwen, taking the headphones from around her neck. "I'll be holding onto these."
"But- But-!"
"Nope. You never cleaned your room like we told you to; you were up pass curfew; you overslept; you didn't iron your clothes last night. School comes first, and you're too easily distracted with these."
Gwen held up her hand, index pointed, ready to argue, but the deadpan look on her parents faces was all she needed to see to know that there was no point trying.
She pouts like a sad puppy and departs, leaving her parents to enjoy their breakfast so they could properly start their day.
Once outside, and she was certain the coast was clear, Gwen digs into her bag and fishes out another pair of wireless headphones with a cunning smile. She puts the headphones on, zips up her bag and runs to make the train while listening to her music.
Lieber S. Lee Public High School
8:06am
Gwen walks through the crowded halls trying her best to avoid collision of those who weren't paying her any mind.
Although she wasn't the one brushing into anyone, the complete opposite actually, she apologized for the unintended contact, but even that went unnoticed.
A quick walk to the 3rd floor and Gwen reaches her locker. She slides her student ID key card across the security reader and the locker pops open.
She removes her headphones and hangs them up on the hook intended for coats. Her locker was full of books, but none meant for class, she had an abundant of graphic novels neatly stacked on top of each other.
"Oookay. Where are you?" She drags her finger down the stack of books until she found what she was looking for. She took the book and opened the section her bookmark stuck out of. "Should be able to get done with this during lunch period."
With a smile she closed the locker and readies herself for class.
As she goes to take her first step she bumps into another student who had a neighboring locker, dropping her book in the process.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to-" When Gwen went to apologize she stopped short when she realized who she walked into.
The student was a fellow blonde and had long flowing hair, she was accompanied by two friends who walked her to the locker rather than getting to class themselves.
When Gwen got their attention she was met with a look of surprise before false intrigue, fake smiles all around.
"Oh. Morning, Stacy." The blonde girl spoke, addressing Gwen by her surname. "Aren't you looking…" She takes notice of Gwen's wrinkled uniform and chuckles, "The part."
Gwen smiles back to plays it off as a joke, though her expression was more in line with discomfort. "I was in a rush this morning. You know how it is." She explained.
"I don't, actually. I take time out of my day to make sure I look good." The reply was dangerously close to a taunt.
"R-Right." Gwen continued to hold her forced smile. At this point she just wanted to get to class.
Gwen crouches to collect her fallen book, but as the other girls watch the leading blonde noticed one of her shoes had a scuff mark on the toe, a result from Gwen accidentally bumping into her.
"My shoe!" She exclaimed, getting Gwen's attention. "You got my new shoe dirty!"
Gwen noticed the dirty imprint and grits her teeth.
"Sorry. It was an accident."
"Ouch. Those are expensive." One of the friends comment.
"On the one day you decided to wear them too." The other added.
The crocodile smile the blonde once held turned to a snarl. "That's okay, because little Gwennie is gonna clean it." She stomped the shoe onto Gwen's book, using it as an elevation for cleaning.
With no other alternative Gwen reluctantly licked her forefinger and moves to apply it to the mark.
Realizing what Gwen was intending the blonde moves her foot away and swats Gwen with her foot, pushing her into the locker.
"Ew! You disgusting dog! I don't want you to spit shine my brand new shoes!"
"B-But I don't have anything to clean it wi-"
The blonde stomped her foot into the locker beside Gwen's face, deliberately avoiding her head by a few inches. "Then you're going to pay for the damage."
It was 3 against 1, but even if it was 1 against 1 Gwen was reduced to a scared victim of bullying.
She didn't eat this morning and all the money she had was to pay for lunch, so if she was going to be forced to pay for the minor inconvenience she had to go hungry until dinner, but she'd rather go without food in school than get a beating, so she reached for her skirt pocket.
Suddenly, the blonde girl who had her foot against Gwen was grabbed by the forearm and pulled away by another female student, a redhead who was not looking pleased with the way Gwen was being treated.
"Hey, Liz. Pick on somebody who isn't afraid to throw a punch." The redhead spoke sternly, ready to fight if need be, standing between Gwen and the bully, also revealing the girl's name.
"That careless idiot got my new shoe dirty!" Liz backfires.
"First off, she's not an idiot, and second, you're acting like she did it on purpose. You got two friends over there who can do that for you, or are they only good at kissing ass? It's the only thing I see them do when you're around."
"Who are you talking to?!" One of Liz's friends inquires aggressively.
"Standing up for your little girlfriend again. Doesn't that get tiring?" Liz remarks.
"Gwen, go to class before you get marked late." The redhead said with the intent to stay behind and fight.
Gwen looks up to her defender and then down to her book. She had a choice; fight or flight, but what could she do? She wasn't a fighter, too scrawny to be a threat. As much as she hated the idea of leaving her, Gwen grabs her book and stands up, walking off.
The rivaling bully closest to Gwen grabs the hook on her bookbag and yanks her back to the confrontation. "And where do you think you're going?"
The redhead grabs the bully who got physical by her wrist and bends it just enough to forcibly release Gwen.
Once Gwen was free she shoves the girl away causing Liz and the other friend to take a step back.
Daring them to step forward the redhead stands her ground, a 3 vs 1 was perfectly fine for her.
"I'll do more than make sure your shoe gets dirty. Back off."
The three troublemakers collectively stare down the one girl but she doesn't relent and remained fearless.
Despite the odds being in their favor the group of pretty girls disengage once Liz held up her hand as a signal to back down from the scene they started.
Without a word the girls storm off, going to the bathroom so Liz could clean off her shoe.
Now that things calmed down Gwen exhales calmly. "…Thanks, MJ."
"You okay?" MJ, 'Mary Jane,' asked looking back to Gwen.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"You weren't really going to clean that girl's shoe, were you? You don't owe her anything."
"I mean…it was my fault. Besides, they were going to beat on me."
MJ rolled her eyes and sighs.
"You need to stand up for yourself. I'm going to start taking you with me to my Wing Chun Kuen classes so when stuff like that happens you can just kick their asses with me. Maybe one day I'll get Peter to come too, then when you're both ready we'll make it a true 3-on-3. We'd steamroll those stuck up bitches."
"I think I'd be more of a Jeet Kune Do fighter. I wanna be just like Bruce Lee in those movies and do all that cool action stuff. Throwing hands with a group of bad guys and being all- Wwaaawww… taaaaw…! Wchaaaa…!"
Gwen poorly mimics various martial art attacks she seen in the movies, throwing her fists through the air without direction, prompting MJ to move her head out of range.
"You are such a nerd." MJ chuckles. After getting Gwen to smile she pats her on the back, smiling in return. "C'mon. Let's get to class."
Gwen happily nods and the two start making their way to class.
"Hey, MJ. Since it's Friday are you coming over to Peter's house after school? I got tutoring today, but after that we were going to hang out."
"I would, but I'm going to be busy this week. I'm getting an early dismissal today because I have a doctor's appointment, and then my folks are taking me to visit my sister and nephews."
"Oh. That sounds fun."
"Fun? Being around a crying baby and guilt tripped into babysitting sounds fun? It's gonna be dreadful." While walking MJ took notice of Gwen's uniform. "...Yo, Gwen. Did you, like, sleep in your uniform?"
The moment of the question Gwen drops her head like a dead weight, but she picks up almost immediately and nudges MJ with her elbow.
"Can we not bring that up? I had enough people noticing me as is, and not in a good way. It's like the only time I have eyes on me is when I don't look my best."
"Having eyes on you in a good way isn't all it's cracked up to be either, Gwen." MJ laments.
"Pfft. Yeah, must be rough being attractive. I feel so sorry for you." Gwen applied some playful sarcasm.
MJ smacks her teeth at Gwen's response, gently shoving her. "What are you saying? You have the cutest freckles in the world. You're adorable as hell."
"Which is why I never had a boyfriend."
"Maybe you need a girlfriend."
The conversation went silent.
Gwen slowly turns her head in MJ's direction and sees her giving a seductive glance complimented with a double eyebrow flash.
The two just look at each other, Gwen awkwardly looking at MJ and MJ giving flirty signals.
Suddenly, Gwen begins to lean into MJ suggesting she was going in for a kiss, humoring MJ's behavior with acceptance, but once MJ caught on that Gwen was getting close she dropped the façade and quickly retracts her expression, preventing the fake out kiss.
Both Gwen and MJ laugh knowing they were both messing with each other and just having fun.
School proceeded like any other day, but the joy of it being Friday motivated the students to get through the long lectures so they could make it home and look forward to the weekend.
First Period: Algebra
8:30am-9:20am
Probably the worst way to start the day is beginning with your weakest subject. Gwen never looked forward to the first class, unless the teacher was sick and they had a substitute which basically meant a free period.
Throughout algebra Gwen sat in the back of the class looking on as the teacher taught in what was basically another language outside the various instances of English they spoke when not factoring quadratics, solving equations, etc.
The biggest dread was getting assignments that required her to show the work.
Second Period: Physics
9:25am-10:15am
The bell to dismiss 1st period rang but it didn't bring pleasantry with it because, for Gwen, it just meant jumping from one subject of weakness to the next.
There was only one way to make it better: a test! On Friday! The physics teacher really knew how to keep her students on their toes. Newton's Laws of Motion, how fun.
When the test was actually in front of her Gwen was surprised to find that it wasn't too alien for her, it was still confusing nonsense, but most of it was familiar enough to pass with a solid 75%. Lucky for Gwen her tutor and secondary best friend, Peter Parker, really hammered those lessons into her head throughout the week leading up to the test.
And then she had tutoring after school…not the best Friday so far, but at least the next time a test was upon her she'd pass with an even higher grade. Maybe.
Third Period: Art
10:20am-11:10am
Art was a period of mental relief where no real expectations were put on Gwen. Class was often quiet and allowed for creative expression.
Gwen had talent as an artist and designer, often drawing her favorite characters or creating her own with concept art and little descriptions of their powers and background to help develop her vision for what she created.
Fourth Period: Environmental Science
11:15am-12:10pm
If 1st and 2nd period were the most dreadful parts of the day, and 3rd period was the calmest , then 4th period was definitely the most boring, and the poster child for "When will I ever use any of this in my music career?!"
Gwen had to sit through painfully long explanations on plant reproduction, biochemistry, and genetic analysis. Her lack of interest made the class feel like it was dragging on longer than normal, but at least there wasn't a test, that was scheduled for Monday.
Fifth Period: Lunch
1:15pm-2:05pm
Lunch period, when the school day finally begins turning around for Gwen, particularly when MJ was there, but since she left early that meant Gwen had to eat alone, but nothing her comics couldn't remedy.
She spent lunch eating and catching up on whatever books she hadn't finished, and since Liz or any of her friends didn't share her lunch period there wasn't a disturbance.
The lack of friends outside MJ left seats empty, meaning she had an entire table to herself, or at the very least was the only one who occupied the farthest section away from the other students who sat at the other end if there was no other place to sit. Either way, it wasn't a bad thing. She preferred her own company anyway.
Sixth Period: Music
2:10pm-3:00pm
Easily Gwen's favorite class and the one her parents never had to worry about when picking up report cards.
Gwen often outshines her fellow classmates when it came to the various instrumental practices, but she shined brightest on the drums, she was the only one in her class who could be heard from the lower level up to the 1st floor when beating away at the drum set.
Teachers from above had to call down to the music room just to request that Gwen take it easy when playing.
Seventh Period: English
3:05pm-3:55pm
The last class of the day, the final stretch before the weekend.
English itself wasn't bad, it was simple enough, and one of Gwen's hobbies involved creative writing so when assignments involving extensive writing came around she never had a problem doing the work, the issue came from the teacher who was a notorious tight ass that made things more difficult than they needed to be, and was overdramatic about the smallest disruption from students.
It was a pain dealing with the teacher as much as it was dealing with the students, but while the kids were more inclined to take it easy since it was Friday that didn't stop the English teacher from being, well, the English teacher.
One minute to the bell and the students were already in the middle of packing for dismal, however, upon noticing them getting ready, the teacher makes it clear that "the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do," so when the final bell of the day rings the students were forced to remain seated.
Two minutes pass and the teacher gives them the okay to leave. The sweet feeling of freedom was slightly numbed by that petty display of authority.
3:58PM
After a quick stop by her locker to get her headphones Gwen takes the back stairwell to leave out the rear of the school since it was closer to the bus stop she needed to take.
She was on her phone exchanging messages:
[Hey, Peter. School just let out. I'm on my way to your house.]
(Peter)
[No problem. I'm already home. Uncle Ben and Aunt May are downstairs so they'll let you in. Just gives us a call before you get to the door.]
Before she could send her next message Gwen was grabbed by the arm and pushed into the wall just as she got outside. When she regained her bearings Gwen finds that she was cornered by Liz and her friends from earlier.
"Don't have your girlfriend around to save your ass this time, do you, Stacy?" Liz inquired with a look of annoyance.
"Liz. Please, I don't want to fight."
"You thought we weren't going to come see you after you made us look stupid?"
"B-But I didn't-!"
Liz grips Gwen by the collar of her shirt, pulls her forth and then shoves her back against the wall with enough force that made her drop to the ground, almost recreating the scene in the hallway from that morning.
"I had to clean my own shoes for something you did. That's not fair now, is it?" Liz crossed her arms while looking down to the helpless Gwen. "As an apology I want you to kiss it."
Gwen looks up to Liz and her friends as they stand over her. Did she really have to do something that degrading to have them leave her alone?
The longer they waited the more annoyed the girls look.
Gwen just wanted it to be over. She sucks up whatever resistance she had and complies, head hung in shame for what she was about to do.
Liz smiles in satisfaction as Gwen got into position on her hands and knees. Once Gwen goes in for the kiss, just before her lips could make contact, Liz retracts her foot and kicks Gwen in the side, having her roll over.
"Didn't I say I didn't want your filthy drool on my shoes?!"
The two friends collectively laugh at the attack, humored by Gwen's willingness to actually kiss Liz's shoe.
As Gwen laid on her side she could feel her heart racing with fear and anxiety. She was alone against her bully and friends, and while MJ wasn't there to help Gwen remembered her words: "You need to stand up for yourself," followed by her willingness to defend her despite the odds.
While the three girls laugh together, Gwen, for the first time in her life, makes a fist with the intent to retaliate. She hastily picks herself and clumsily steps toward Liz, making it obvious how she was going to coordinate her move.
Gwen reluctantly throws her fist forward making it slow and weak, however Liz catches onto Gwen's attempt and steps aside at the last second, dodging the attack which made Gwen fall back on the ground from how rushed her first defensive punch was.
"Did she just try to hit me?!"
One of Liz's friends grabs Gwen and stands her up, presenting her to Liz. "When did little Gwennie grow a backbone?"
Liz swings against Gwen, punching her in the face which knocks her down.
The secondary friend, the one whose wrist MJ hurt, follows up by kicking Gwen in the stomach. "And don't think I forgot about your friend hurting my wrist!"
Gwen curls up into a ball as the two girls subject her to a back-to-back assault, taking a minute to enforce their dominance against the powerless girl, berating her with taunts about her appearance, cowardice and overall weakness.
Thankfully it didn't take long for Liz and her friends to run out of steam. Once they were done they overlook Gwen maintaining her defensive curl even after they were done hitting her.
"Better put that stupid dog of yours on a leash, or else next time we'll kick your ass and hers." Liz commands. "I have somebody who'll put her in her place."
Gwen doesn't respond, but she didn't need to, the point was made.
"Pathetic. Come on, let's go." Liz directs her comment to her friends as she walks ahead. Her two friends follow her and the group leave Gwen to herself.
It took a second for Gwen to come out of that position, and she only does it when the coast was clear. Her uniform was a little dirty, but no blood was drawn.
Gwen sits upright against the wall and takes out her phone only to find that the screen was cracked during the ambush.
She exhales through her nostrils and tucks her phone into her pocket, knowing she was going to have to lie to her parents and say she dropped her phone.
There was a moment of pause as Gwen just sat in thought.
It was the fact that she was on the ground, with a cracked phone in her pocket, that made her just sit there in her own silence, reflecting on the way she gets treated in school.
Despite her silence there was a building resentment for what was happening to her, particularly to those who inflict it upon her.
Frustration, anger and sadness came together to form a whirlwind of conflicting emotions that fight for supremacy over the other to dictate Gwen's primary feelings.
All she wanted to do was be like MJ and have the strength to fight Liz and her friends, but she wasn't a fighter and always relied on MJ to be her knight, no need to fight if one of her best friends was there, but that was the problem, she was over reliant on others.
The more she thought about it the more she began hating that she couldn't do anything for herself.
Gwen brings her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them close to herself. Her face softens to a look vulnerability, her eyes welling up with water as she reflects on her inability to see anything in herself other than a nobody.
She dunks her head into her arms and just sits behind the school by herself.
Parker Family Residence
4:34pm
Not too far from Gwen's school was the last of her best friends and fellow high schooler, Peter Parker.
The Parker's lived in a small cozy house on a quiet street in Queens. Peter lived with his uncle, Benjamin Parker, and aunt, Maybelle Parker.
Peter was having a quick bite to eat while waiting for Gwen, and reading a booklet he acquired from the New York Hall of Science to pass the time.
Like Gwen, Peter was lanky and slim, but he was the tallest of their small group, and wore a large pair of glasses.
His room was full of books and various dismantled laptops, but he managed to keep the room tidy enough to maneuver around comfortably, keeping it busy but clean.
The doorbell rings, but Peter paid it no mind since he was in the middle of reading.
"Peter!" The gentle voice of an elderly aunt May called from downstairs.
"Yeeeah?" Peter replied while keeping his eyes in the book.
"You've got company!"
"Okay! Be right down!"
Peter took a second to read over the last paragraph he was on before closing the booklet. He rolls back from his desk and heads downstairs where he finds that company was, of course, Gwen.
"There she is." Peter greeted his friend with a wave. "Took your time, did you?"
"I got caught up." Gwen spoke while trying to feign positive vibes in front of Ben and May.
"How was school, sweetie?" May asked Gwen with a smile.
"It was okay, Mrs. Parker. Can't complain."
Ben and May were in the middle of having lunch themselves while watching TV. Ben looks over his shoulder to Peter. "May and I will be upstairs in a minute, so you kids can have room for your studies. Gwen, I told your father I'd drop you off once you were all wrapped up. So when you're ready to go let me know."
"I will, Mr. Parker. Thank you."
"Peter, is your room clean?"
"Yessir." Peter nods.
"Good. Take Gwen's bag upstairs while we set up down here."
"O-Oh. I can carry it. It's no trouble." Gwen assures with a chuckle.
Peter gestures Gwen to follow him to his room and she does, leaving Ben and May to finish downstairs.
Once the teens were upstairs they left the bedroom door open to listen out for the adults.
"What's up, Gwen? Why didn't you call ahead like you usually do?" Peter asked as he sat down at the small desk by his window, picking up the Instant Ramen cup he was eating before Gwen's arrival. "You know we would've had the door open for you."
After sitting her bookbag on the side of the doorway entrance she takes out her phone and shows the flickering cracked screen.
"Oh dang. You dropped it on the way?"
"Nope." She flatly responds.
"What happened?"
"Liz. Liz happened."
Peter paused in the middle of eating once she answered. He chews slowly and then swallows. "She's still messing with you?"
"Yep. Her and her friends."
"You've got to be kidding me. They jumped you? Where was MJ?"
"She got out early today. I don't want to tell her what happened either. I don't need her going after them, she doesn't need to get in trouble for fighting."
"She's going to find out now that you can't answer her calls. What's their problem?"
"I accidentally stepped on Liz's new shoes and she wanted me to clean them. MJ came by to help, but after school they cornered me and…well, yeah."
Peter looks on in disgust as Gwen explained what happened, and while he had his own problems at Midtown High, that didn't stop him from showing concern for Gwen since he knew this was a reoccurring issue she was vocal about to him.
"That's not cool. If they're still hassling you then you should go with MJ to one of her classes."
"Pete." The look of exhaustion on Gwen's face from discussing the topic any farther was made apparent by the way she swayed her head in disapproval, her tone dry with lack of interest. "It's Friday. I just want to forget about the drama. Let's not drag it out any farther. I'll figure it out."
Seeing Gwen like this was painful, he knew it was a touchy subject, but all he could do now, as a good friend, was respect Gwen's wishes. He simply nods in response after a brief moment of silence between them.
"Okay. Okay, I won't pry."
"You're not prying. I just…I just don't want to think about it, that's all. I appreciate it though, thank you."
"Of course. You're welcome, Gwen. I'm always here if you want to talk about it."
"I know." Gwen gives Peter a staged smile, one he saw through immediately, but for her sake he just smiles back. "So, how was the field trip?" Gwen inquired to change the subject.
"It was fascinating. We got to see a few examples of radioactivity and some technological advancements. There was actually a demonstration from Dr. Octavius. He's brilliant. He's working to create an advance prostheses, they're these four arms designed similarly to tentacles, and are retractable - highly versatile, they work in conjunction with a neural interface."
"That sounds so cool. I wish I knew what that meant." Gwen smiled blankly at Peter as he explained, completely clueless on what most of that meant.
"It basically means the user will be able to control the arms with their brain thanks to a neural link. It's revolutionary, and will benefit mankind in ways we couldn't imagine. I can't wait to see how it develops in the years to come."
"Sounds big." Gwen smiled, an actual smile this time, knowing that whatever was to come it had to have been something spectacular if it managed to amaze Peter.
"It's colossal." Peter enthusiastically specifies prompting Gwen to roll her eyes with a smirk, of course he'd say that.
The sound of the rickety old stairs under the weight of Ben's build just outside the bedroom door caught Peter and Gwen's attention.
"It's all setup for you kids." Ben spoke out to Peter and Gwen while on his way to the master bedroom.
"I left some water, juice, cookies and chips out in case you two want something to snack on." May added as she followed after Ben.
"Thanks, aunt May." Peter called out from the room. "Welp, time to get educated."
Gwen unzips her bag and fishes out the books, folders and pencils she was going to need for the lessons. "Yep."
Peter grabs the ramen cup from his desk and brings it along, still eating. "Mmm. How do you think you did on that test?" He asked with a partially full mouth.
"Eh. I think I did okay, we get them back on Monday. I understood most of it."
"Great. I guess we'll touch up on those algebra equations."
The two friends leave the room and their conversation faded into distant mumbling the farther they got away from the bedroom.
Shortly after their departure, a black spider with a unique blue marking on its abdomen crawls out of Peter's bookbag onto the back of his rolling chair.
The arachnid crawls from the back of the chair to the floor and scurries along the floor toward Gwen's bag. The strange species appeared similar to a black widow and peacock spider.
Once Peter and Gwen relocate downstairs they got comfortable in the living room.
Gwen spreads out her homework, their previous lessons for review, and the work she got from today's classes.
Under Peter's tutelage they managed their time by dedicated an hour to each subject, one hour for algebra and one for physics with a little break in between.
Although it was a slow process Peter made sure to thoroughly explain the step-by-step process of the problems in the book for Gwen, and slowing down when necessary to make sure she was moving at a comfortable pace.
Eventually they wrap up tutoring after a few hours of work and review.
Afterward Peter and Gwen spent the evening talking about their day-to-day lives, catching up on events since they went to different schools and didn't have the same free time when they were younger.
While the ongoing situation with Liz had Gwen feeling down for a good portion of the evening her time with Peter managed to cheer her up, even homework was a helpful distraction from the trials she faced with bullies in school.
She knew it was all going to boomerang back on Monday, but, for now, she was just happy to be away from it all and among those who cared about her.
Peter and Gwen enjoyed each other's company until night fell.
It was getting late and dinner time was drawing near. Gwen packed her things and Ben was ready to take her home. After bidding farewell to Peter and May, Gwen takes her leave.
Stacy Family Residence
8:09pm
Ben's Oldsmobile Delta pulls up to the open parking spot just across the street from the Stacy household. Gwen thanks Ben for the ride and grabs her bag before leaving the car after they exchange their goodbyes.
Gwen takes the house keys out of her pocket but her dad opens the door before she got to the steps, having heard the car pulling up.
Her father welcomes her home and waves to his old friend who honks the horn twice in response.
"Thanks, dad."
"No problem, sweetie. How was school?" Her dad asked after Ben pulled off, closing the door and locking it securely.
"Good, I guess." Gwen answered. "It's a Friday so I think that played a pretty big role in it."
"Heh. Of course."
"We had a physics test today, I was feeling pretty good about that."
"See? Those lessons you're getting from Peter are starting to pay off."
"It's certainly starting to feel like it."
Gwen's dad placed his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair with a proud smile knowing she was making strides to improve her studies and was actually making progress.
Gwen giggles at her dad's playful gesture and moves her head away to keep her hair from getting any messier.
"Go unload all your stuff, mom will have dinner ready soon."
"Sweet, I'm starving." Gwen begins making her way upstairs but halfway she leans over the banister and looks toward the kitchen where she hears her mom getting the pots and pans ready. "Hey, mom! Don't start without me. I'll help."
"Of course, dear. Make sure you wash your hands first." Her mom called out in response.
"Kay."
Gwen continues upstairs and enters her room. She drops her bookbag on the side of her bed and sits on the edge of the mattress.
"I better call Peter and let him know I'm home." She reaches into her pocket and takes out her phone, turning it on only to be reminded that the screen was cracked. "...Right. I need to get a new phone." She throws her head back and sighs. "Goddamn it."
She sits the phone on the bed and grabs the cordless house phone from the charge on her windowsill. She enters Peter's cellphone number and waits for the pickup.
"…Hey, Peter. Yeah. I'm home. Uncle Ben is on his way back now. Me? I'm about to make dinner with mom."
While talking she unpacks some of the books out of her bag and the headphones she managed to sneak out of the house earlier.
"I'm not sure. We didn' t start cooking yet. Heh. If there's any leftovers I might save you a plate. Greedy. Nah. MJ's not going to be around for the weekend. Yeah. I know. Hmm. We don't always need her around to link up, Pete. Right. Right. Yeah, well, I'll let her know. All right. I gotta go. I'm hungry. Bye."
She hangs up the phone and exhales through her nostrils. From the look of it, based on the conversation she had, there was something on her mind
Not a second into thought she puts the phone back on the charger and perks up, it was dinner time, and that was always worthy of a smile.
She leaves her bookbag open and goes to the bathroom to wash her hands as instructed.
After helping her mom cook and having a nice dinner with her family Gwen went upstairs, exhausted since she stayed up late the previous night and didn't get a full night's rest.
She took a relaxing shower to completely wash away the woes she faced today and retired to her room to get a head start on a good night's sleep.
9:40pm
Later that night Gwen was well into a deep sleep.
Unbeknownst to Gwen she brought home a guest; that peculiar spider from Peter's house emerged out of her opened bookbag having unintentionally hitched a ride.
After surveying its surroundings the spider leaves the pack and navigates the new environment on instinct.
The spider climbs up the adjustable draft desk on the other side of the room and moves over the various art utensils and pieces Gwen had spread throughout.
From the desk the spider crawls up the wall until it reached the ceiling, crawling over to the corner and spinning a web in hopes of catching food for the night.
11:03pm
The lack of prey has the spider come out from the security of its web in favor of relocating to find a lively location for food. The spider crawls along the ceiling until it was just over Gwen's bed. It rappels from the ceiling using a web and lands on top of Gwen's blanket cocoon.
The spider traversed across the heaving covers from Gwen's breathing, moving along the blanket carefully. Once it got to the top of blanket it leaps onto the pillow and then down onto the mattress.
Gwen subconsciously readjusts her position causing the bed to quake underneath the spider, prompting it to freeze as a precaution and defensive measure. Her new sleep position had her arm sticking out from the blanket and hanging over the bedside.
Once all the shaking stopped the spider felt safe enough to move again and crawls up Gwen's forearm, from there it makes its way down to her hand.
Feeling an itchy disturbance on the surface of her arm Gwen instinctively reaches the other hand out to scratch along the path the spider crawled.
The scratching made the spider feel threatened, it rears back on its hind legs and picks up its front pedipalps to expose it's fangs as a warning.
Gwen stopped scratching once the itch was sedated, retracting her hand under the blanket while the hand the spider was on remained hanging off the bedside.
However, because of the spider's new posture, Gwen flexed and moved her hand underneath it, startling the already agitated critter enough to warrant a bite on the top of her hand.
The fangs were strong enough to pierce into her skin and inject a small dose of venom, resulting in a sharp sting.
The bite was a little more prominent than the itching and it was enough to have Gwen wake up with a wrist flick to shake off whatever it was she felt, thus flinging the spider off her hand.
The spider hits the floor and quickly scurries away, relocating under the bed.
Gwen awakens to a little pinch on her hand and rubs the opposite hand over the spot she was bitten to help soothe the disturbed area.
Ultimately she lays back down like it was nothing, being too drowsy to bother investigating what she felt.
Surely it was nothing important.
The Next Day
Saturday - April 12th, 3:38pm
Despite getting to bed early on a Friday night Gwen was still sleeping late into the afternoon.
She slept without covers, sweating even with her fan blowing air directly on her from the bedside. The sweating was odd considering she even slept in light clothes, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
She twitches and groans, her face contorting like she was having some kind of nightmare.
The twitching became disgruntled tosses, and then multiple turns.
Knock, knock
The moment the first knock came to the door Gwen's eyes shot open and by the second she immediately sat up with a gasp.
"Gwen?" Her mother called from beyond the door.
"…H-Huh?"
"Finally up? I know it's Saturday, but you were sleeping more than usual. I was just checking on you. Are you okay?"
Gwen looks over to her nightstand and sees that it was nearing 4pm. She squinted her eyes at the clock to make sure she wasn't seeing wrong, and the first thing she does is sigh.
"Yeah. I'm good, mom. I must've been more tired than I thought." She swipes her forearm across her forehead and realized how much she had been sweating. "Weird." She mutters.
"All right. Well, don't forget your father and I have a date tonight. So make sure you study a little before bed."
"…Right. Right. Peter said he'd come over to help me, so you don't have to worry about me slacking off." Gwen adjusts herself so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed and stretches her arms out.
"That's nice of him. I'm sure we'll see him before we head out then. Anyway, I won't disturb you. Just making sure you're okay."
"Thanks, mom."
Gwen stands up from the bed and sees a noticeably damp imprint on the mattress, much to her disgust, but it was laundry day so she was going to throw the sheets in the washer.
She grabs clean underwear, clothes and a towel from her room before making her way to the bathroom for a shower.
Gwen shut the bathroom door behind herself and sat her stuff on the sink. She turns on the shower and sticks her hand under the running water to check the temperature.
"Okay, so shower because I woke up all sweaty, then breakfa- brunch because I overslept, and then laundry. I really hope I can get laundry done before Peter gets here. I don't want to be up all late getting it done."
Once the water got to the temperature she was comfortable with Gwen took her hand out the shower and goes to remove her night clothes, but in the middle of removing her shirt she notices herself in the mirror and freezes, staring at her reflection with a look of awe and shock; her physique completely changed from yesterday, her lanky body underwent a complete metamorphosis, the first sign being increased mass that helped size her up.
She had abdominal muscles that were masterfully toned as though she got the results of a few weeks intensive workout overnight.
She released her undershirt and approaches the sink.
"…What the hell?"
She examined her arms and noticed her biceps were well defined, when flexing they bulge respectably. She had the body of a healthy teenage athlete who wanted to go pro. She wasn't bulky, but had a very nice lean figure.
The fact that she could barely recognized herself left Gwen speechless. She turns on the sink faucet and collects water in her palms, dumping her face into the water to wake herself up.
She looks back at herself in the mirror and nothing changes, this wasn't dreaming and she wasn't seeing things - that was her body.
"…How did… What happened to me?"
She leans against the sink and inches closer to the mirror, examining her eyes to see if there was any troubling indication that she was sick.
"I don't have a fever." She says after placing her hand on her forehead. "I feel great, but this new…me. Where did this come from?"
She continued staring at herself but couldn't come to a sensible conclusion for this transformation.
Gwen moves her hand from the sink, but when she did she ended up bringing her towel with her without grabbing it. It suck to her palm like glue.
"…What?"
Gwen elevated her hand just enough to where, any other time, the towel would drop but it remained stuck.
She shook it, nothing.
She shook it again, added force, and still nothing.
She grabbed the towel with her other hand and tried pulling it off, and yet it still remained stuck to her palm.
"What is going on?!"
No point in playing it safe, she had to get it off. She started yanking it with excessive force and eventually the towel came off, success! But now it was stuck on the hand she was using to pull.
"Oh, come on!"
Hands weren't working so now it was time to get creative, she let the towel curtain to the floor and stepped on it with her foot, keeping it pinned while pulling her hand away, but even with all the extra effort it was still stuck.
She ended up pulling so hard that the towel just ripped in half.
Gwen stumbles back until the back of her legs hit the tub's edge which makes her lose balance and fall back, busting her butt in the shower.
"Waaah!"
THUD!
Gwen now sat under the shower water with her legs hanging over the tub's edge.
"…Gwen? You all right?" Her mom asked, calling upstairs having heard the thud from below.
"Fiiiiine. Just fine. Gum drops and ice cream." She clearly wasn't fine, the fall itself made her look displeased with the outcome, annoyed even, however, as she marinated in her failure, the towel pieces unstuck from her hand and feet.
Gwen reaches out to the shower lever and turns it off to stop the water. Once it was off she looks down to her palms and stares blankly. She sees the towel piece beside her in the tub and uses her index finger and thumb to pick it up, using caution since she didn't trust her hands.
She gets up and stood upright, water dropping off her and onto the bathroom floor. She used the other half of the towel to wipe the spot she created by sweeping the floor with her foot.
Once she was done she lifts her foot off of the floor only to have the towel stick to her feet despite it being wet.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Knock, knock
"Gwen? Are you okay? What was that noise?"
The knock on the door scared her a bit, worried her mom was on the verge of opening the door. She scoots to the door and cracks the door open. "Yep. I'm fine. I just fell on a bar of soap."
"…You just fell...on a bar of soap?"
"Yep."
"…And you're sure you're okay?"
"Uh huh. My butt broke my fall."
Her mom just barely resisted laughing at the thought, and Gwen's casual reaction on top of it.
"Well, as long as you're sure."
"Positive. I'm naked and cold, so I'm gonna close the door now."
Gwen closed the door and locks it, resting her head against the back of the door with a calm sigh.
When she released the doorknob she noticed a strange white marking on the underside of her wrist. Curious, she gently rubs her free hand over the spot and discovers it was a tender flesh region. She was surprised to find another white marking on the opposite arm as well.
This was a strange Saturday and it was getting stranger by the second.
She drops one arm to her side and clenches the hand she kept up, when her index and middle fingers applied a certain amount of pressure to the center of her palm a stream of…web shot out of her wrist, flying across the bathroom and latching onto the wall.
The sudden discharge of web startled Gwen, she jumps and even yelps at the phenomenon. She was completely frozen, horrified, as a long line of web was hanging from an inconspicuous spinneret-like organ on the underside of her wrist.
A/N: If you're reading this section right now that means you've probably read all the way through to the end of this little story. Let me just take the time to thank you for going out of your way to read this from start to finish. I don't want to talk your ear off with excessive gratitude, so just know that I really appreciate everyone who read this.
This story serves as an introduction to my take on Gwen's role as Spider-Woman, or as she's known now as Ghost-Spider. This was originally going to be a one-shot, one and done, but I ended up feeling the need to explore a little bit of her origin to have a solid grasp of the character and what she's about, and to do that I had to come up with one that differentiates her from the Gwen we have in the comics.
I have another story I'm doing that is going to feature Gwen/Ghost-Spider in a collaborated event which serves as the catalyst for me writing this. My main inspiration comes from the original Spider-Gwen comic series by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Insomniac's interpretation of Spider-Man(PS4), while not all of the inspiration can be seen with an origin story chapter it'll come into light later down the line.
I know organic webbing is often a controversial take among Spider fans, but I felt justified in having organic webs because Gwen isn't a scientist like Peter, and the web-shooters served as a demonstration of Peter's brilliance as an inventor.
All right, let me wrap this up before this gets too long. I just wanted to fill everybody in on what this was about.