A/N: Hey, so this is kind of a reissuing of the story, I took the chapters that existed, meshed them together, and added a new section. I was getting a lot of reviews saying that I should make the chapters longer. So, I took it to heart. Also I was thinking that the places where I put line breaks were a bit inconvenient. So, please read and enjoy my first fanfic, and thanks to all who reviewed! Also, a note about the plot, I really wanted to spend a lot of time getting to know Peter Parker, so there are a lot of chapters that may or may not be fillers and necessary for the plot. Ok, this is getting rather long, so I'll just end it now.
~Sophie

How was it the first day of school? Again? It just felt like the last day of school. What a wonderful day that was. No need to pay attention in class, for even if you did, you wouldn't learn anything. The blanket of relief draped over your shoulders after stepping out of your least favorite class for the final time. The relaxed yet excited feeling in all students, and made quite obvious by some, of screw this school, screw this place! I'm out! The fantastic feeling that you are no longer to be at the bottom of the food chain, at the bottom of the school, a freshman. And, of course, not having to put up with Flash Thompson for a whole two-and-a-half months. Two-and-a-half months that just passed like the gas of the boy on the side of the hallway who was unlocking his locker. The students parted, laughed, and moved on.

Peter Parker awkwardly made his way down the halls, making sure to not bump into anyone or bring attention to himself. He had the feeling that Flash was already searching the halls for his presence, to hunt him down like a hound to a rabbit. Peter found himself at his locker and started to undo the lock. Turn to the right, turn left to twenty three-

"Puny Parker!" Speak of the devil. Peter turned around to face Flash, who had an evil, but stupid grin on his face, and was massaging his knuckles.

"Hey Flash, missed ya-" Peter replied sarcastically only to be socked in the stomach. He bent over in pain, clutching his front side and breathing in through his teeth while Flash and his meat-head jock friends howled with laughter.

"Good start to the year. Expect more if you don't give me your lunch money, Parker." Flash threatened.

"Seriously Flash? You're downgrading to a lunch money stealing bully? Do you know how low and stereotypical that i-" Peter was again interrupted to another punch in the stomach. "I'm still not giving you any-oof!" Flash pushed Peter against the locker and held up a fist. This caused his camera to fall to the ground, (which Peter had been holding) and Peter hoped that it was ok. He didn't want to have to ask his aunt and uncle for another hundred dollars to replace his camera lens. Again. Suddenly, the bell rang and students scurried, tearing their eyes away from the fight and running off to their first class.

"Well what do ya know Parker, saved by the bell." Flash gave him a death glare before socking him in the stomach one last time (causing Peter to cringe) and stalking away with the other jocks, who were stupidly snickering behind him. Picking up his camera, Peter turned around and quickly turned the dial on his locker, put away his camera and books that he didn't need for the morning, and sprinted to his next class. That's when Peter realized that he didn't know where his first period class was. He dug around in his backpack until he found his schedule and the map of the school he received, that gave the class room numbers. Even though Peter had already attended this school for a year, midtown high was huge and he hadn't memorized all of the classrooms. Looking for class E-27 he located Mr. Garret's class, unfortunately on the other side of the school. Peter started sprinting, noticing other late students slipping into classrooms and running through the halls. Peter glanced down at his map for a second and during that second he felt a solid, fleshy object bump into him. Peter lost his footing and fell to the tiled ground, dropping his papers in the process. Apparently the object had also fallen, for they made a disgruntled noise from the left side of Peter.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I was rushing trying to find my class and I lost my map and I wasn't looking where I was going…" She continued and Peter looked up from gathering his things and his heart stopped for a second. Her wavy, blonde shoulder-length hair perfectly framed her face as her large, bright green eyes glowed on her smooth skin. Peter blushed as he helped her up.
"Um yeah, yeah it's fine, I, um… I'm sorry, I was, um looking at my map and uh, didn't, wasn't looking and, um, I should probably head to class, uh, nice meeting you." Peter awkwardly turned away, mentally cursing at himself for being such a stuttering idiot around cute girls. He then felt a hand grasp around his wrist.

"Wait, um, could you help me? I have to get to Mr. Garret's class and I-"

"Oh, I'm heading there too, it's this direction, and um you can look at my map if you want to see any of your other classes too." Peter shoved the map in her direction (wishing he had done so a bit more gently) and started walking with her to class as she overlooked the map.

"Thank you, um…?"

"Peter. Peter Parker."

"Nice to meet you Peter. I'm Gwen Stacy." She held out a hand and Peter firmly shook it, smiling. Peter glanced at her schedule.

"Hey, we um, have practically the same schedule. Only our electives and PE are switched around." Peter pointed to Gwen's schedule, and then to his.

"Hey, yeah, that's convenient. We had better hurry up then." She stated and they set off to their class in silence.

It was five minutes after the late bell when Gwen and Peter arrived, and they walked into their English teacher's class, seeing everyone who was sitting at their seats turn and stare at them. Mr. Garret, a bald, middle aged man with spectacles, glanced up from writing the schedule on the board to look at the two tardy students.

"Well, nice of you to finally join us, Mr. and Ms. …" He glanced at the list of new students and then back at them, "Parker and Stacy. Please take a seat, and hopefully you do not give any other teachers of yours a like first impression." He turned back to the board.

"We got lost," Peter mumbled, taking a seat, and hearing Mr. Garret mumble something that sounded like excuses, excuses. Gwen sat in the only seat left, which was right in front of Peter. They began scribbling in their agendas the schedule, and everyone nearly fell asleep as Mr. Garret started lecturing about his plans for this year and what they were going to learn and yadda yadda yadda. The class ended as the bell interrupted Peter's doodling, and the class jumped out of their seats, grabbed their backpacks, and scurried out of the door. Peter and Gwen followed suit, and decided to not waste any time trying to find their way to social studies.

That day at lunch, Peter sat at his usual spot, by himself, in the back of the cafeteria. He wasn't always alone. His best friend Harry had to go off to boarding school two years back, and Peter hadn't seen him since. He's talked to Harry about twice on the phone since then, but that's about it. Peter started on the school's excuse for food, which practically dripped grease, when a familiar face sat in front of Peter.

"Hi Peter." She said as she plopped down her tray. Peter only blankly stared at her for about ten seconds before speaking up.

"Uh, Hello." Peter continued to look back and forth between his eating his food and staring at Gwen, before she finally said:

"You know I can move if you want me t-"

"No! I mean, no one ever usually sits by me." Peter awkwardly looked down at his plate.

"Well, I think that needs to change." Peter looked up, and saw Gwen smiling at him. Peter smiled back.

"Thanks, but don't you have friends that you would rather hang out with?" Peter looked up at Gwen.

"Peter, you shouldn't think so lowly of yourself. And, to answer your question, I kinda just moved here this summer, and I don't have any friends." Gwen smiled up at Peter with a half guilty look, and Peter smiled back. Suddenly, mashed potato.

"Haha Parker's got a girlfriend!" Flash yelled from the other side of the lunchroom, and Peter blushed and turned to glare at him while mashed potato slipped down the side of his face. Flash's meat-heads were high fiving him for the direct shot to Peter's cheek.

"I just choose to ignore it." Peter said while wiping the potato off his face with a napkin. Gwen was still glaring at Flash. She then turned back to Peter.

"You mean they do this to you often?" She asked with a half skeptical half surprised look. Peter nodded and said,

"Every day since I met Flash. But don't worry It's not a big deal. I've kinda adapted to it." Peter finished cleaning his face and went back to his lunch. Gwen, however, grabbed a large handful of mashed potatoes off of her tray.

"Well, I haven't." She then chucked the glob of mashed potatoes across the room, and right smack dab in the middle of Flash's face with a loud splat. Gwen, who looked satisfied at the now awe-struck Flash Thompson, glanced back down at Peter, who was looking at her with wide eyes. "I used to play softball." She simply said, and then walked off, trashing the rest of her lunch as she went.

After school, Peter Parker was walking home, the sun shining and the autumn leaves falling all around him. Queens was so beautiful around this time of year, he thought with his photographer sense, and snapped a few pictures. Peter continued to walk up the sidewalk, past the Watson's house, and opened the door to the Parker residence. He walked in the door and dropped his backpack and jacket on the floor, immediately regretting doing so.

"Peter Parker! You are fifteen years old! I should not have to tell you to pick up your stuff off of the floor!" His aunt came up to him, hands on her hips, her black but grey tinted hair put up into a bun.

"Nice to see you too, aunt May." Peter said as he picked up his backpack and coat, hanging them up.

"Now that's better." She smiled and hugged Peter, the top of her head only coming up to Peter's nose.

"How was your day, Aunt May?" Peter asked when they broke from the hug.

"Well, it started out a little shaken up. The eggs that I had asked a specific someone to pick up," she glared at Peter when she said this, causing him to adopt a guilty expression on his face, "had strangely disappeared. Either that or they had never made it to the refrigerator in the first place." She raised an eyebrow. Peter nervously scratched the back of his neck and mumbled something that sounded like sorry. "Anyway, I had to run to the store to pick up eggs, because I intended to do some baking. I ran home, and realized I had the wrong kind. Then I ran back to the store to return the eggs and get the right kind, only to discover that they were out. At that point, I had wasted the entire morning not doing what I intended to do, which was bake."

Peter continued to look guilty. "Sorry Aunt May. I forgot. I promise I'll pick some up later."

Aunt May smiled, causing lines to show on her face. "Thank you Peter. And, however my morning was a mess, I picked up a little something for you."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "For me? For what occasion?"

"Well, you could call it more or less an early birthday present. Or a back to school present. Wait a second I'll get it." She hurried into the kitchen leaving Peter in wonder in the entry hall. She returned holding something behind her back, that something looking rather large, however Peter couldn't quite see it. Aunt May uncovered it and held a skateboard in front of Peter. His eyes went wide as a smile started to slowly appear on his face. Peter took it in his hands and looked at it more closely.

"Wow, um, thanks Aunt May! This is really nice." Peter (carefully) placed the skateboard on the floor and gave his aunt May a big hug.

"Well," Aunt May started as she pushed herself off of him, "we live too close to the school for you to take the bus, and I noticed that even at the hour I get you up at you still get to school late. So, I figured that this would help. Happy Birthday Peter." She said with a smile. Peter smiled back.

"Thanks Aunt May, even though my birthday is October 8th, I still appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Peter. Now, go try it out!" She finished enthusiastically, practically pushing Peter out of the door. He grabbed the board and walked out, smiling to his Aunt as he closed the door behind him.

A sudden burst of autumn wind hit Peter in the face the second he stepped out the door. He suddenly regretted not wearing a jacket, and considered going back inside to get one when he figured that he was probably going to get overheated anyway trying to ride this thing. Peter walked down to the sidewalk and placed the board down. Setting his left foot on it, he pushed off with his right and placed his right foot on the board, immediately losing his balance and falling on his butt, the board continuing to glide forward a ways.

Unfortunately, Mary Jane Watson, the girl who lived next door, chose just a second earlier to take the garbage out. She glanced at Peter, with all her red-headed glory, and looked slightly confused but slightly humored at the same time.

"Um, wha-"

"I fell off my new, uh, skateboard." Peter interrupted her, motioning to the board that had slid about twenty feet in front of him. She gave an understanding nod and an inaudible Oh, and began to walk to the edge of the block to drop off the garbage.

Peter began to get up, brushing off his butt and feeling a bruise beginning to form in said area. Hethen glanced back up at Mary Jane. He never really had the hots for her, well, except for one time in seventh grade but that was for like two weeks so it doesn't really count. They had been childhood friends, and had known each other since Peter had moved in with his aunt and uncle. However, this ended when they got into high school. MJ got popular, and sort of abandoned Peter for her bratty so-called friends. They were always cheating with each other's boyfriends and talking behind each other's backs. But they still stuck together. For popularity's sake he guessed.

Deciding to drop the subject, Peter retrieved his board and tried again.

About an hour or two later, Peter decided it was time to go inside. He had managed to successfully be able to balance with both feet on the board while going at a very slow speed. He figured that if he practiced a little after school each day than he would eventually get it. Stepping inside, he hurried up the stairs to his right and slipped into his room. Placing the skateboard, which had given him many painful and bruise worthy experiences, on the floor, Peter slid into his spinning chair in front of his desk and spun around. His room was but a blur, the posters of bands, movies, and scientific quotes zoomed past in a flurry of colors. Once the chair stopped Peter turned to his desk and continued to work on a new door lock. He planned for this to be motorized, and remote-operated so that he could control it from anywhere in his room with a flick of a switch. Peter referred to his design and realized that the tool that he needed for that particular part was a screwdriver, which in fact was the one tool that was not scattered about his desk. Moaning, Peter ran out of his bedroom door and down the stairs.

"Aunt May! Do you know where the screwdriver is?" He yelled, stepping through the living room and into the kitchen. She was in the middle of cooking dinner, and by what Peter could tell he smelled meatloaf. No one ever told her this, but Aunt May's meatloaf really wasn't that great. But, He and Uncle Ben both put up with it, causing Aunt May to think that they like it, and make it about once a week. Aunt May turned around to face Peter, apron on.

"What was that Peter?"

"Um, I was wondering if you knew where the screwdriver was, I need it for a project I'm working on, and I can't find it." Aunt May turned the dial on the stove and adjusted the pan she was working with.

"You and your projects. No, I'm sorry Peter I don't know where it is, you'll have to ask your uncle when he gets home." Suddenly, the door opened and a familiar face walked in.

"Hi Uncle Ben!" Peter walked up to his uncle and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey Peter, how was your first day of school?" Ben asked as he hung up his coat.

"See Peter I don't have to ask your uncle to hang up his stuff." Aunt May butted in. Peter rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Yeah, it was good. Listen, Uncle Ben, do you know where the screw driver is?" Peter quickly asked.

"Oh, yes, I believe it is in the top drawer next to the fridge. Why?"

"Well, I'm making a lock for my door. Thanks." With that Peter shot off to the kitchen. Opening the drawer, he grabbed the tool and ran to his room. Peter then started back to work on the lock. It's not that he doesn't trust his aunt and uncle, it's just that they are always barging in without knocking or at the most inconvenient of times. Such as when he's half naked and getting dressed for the day. Or when he is in the middle of homework, or a complicated project, and he really needs to focus. Suddenly his door burst open and there was Aunt May.

"Ok Aunt May this is the exact reason why I am making this lock." Peter then motioned to her and the door, then threw his hands up.

"Well I'm sorry Peter." She said half sarcastically. "I've just come to notify you that dinner is ready. We're having meatloaf." She ended with a stern smile and exited the room. Peter made a low groan and stood up, stretching. He then exited his bedroom and made his way downstairs.

/

"So, Peter, anything interesting happen today? Do you like your teachers? Are there any classes you think you will or will not particularly enjoy? Did you meet anyone? Did-"

"Woah! Uncle Ben, one question at a time." Peter said as he shoveled green beans onto his plate and took a (rather reluctant) bite of Meatloaf. "My day was just ordinary. My teachers are ok. And so are my classes." He took another bite of meatloaf, forcing himself to swallow. Uncle Ben looked like he wasn't enjoying it that much either.

"That's good. So did you meet anyone, make any friends?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I bumped into this one girl in the hall-"

"Oh look at our little Petey, growing up so fast and finally getting involved-"

"Uncle Ben!" Peter rolled his eyes as his uncle let out a chuckle. "It's not like that. We just ran into each other and happened to have very similar schedules." Peter finished.

"What's this lady's name?" Uncle Ben asked.

"Gwen." Peter simply said, through a mouthful of corn.

"Is she pretty?" Peter was just about to give his uncle a look when Aunt May interrupted.

"Ok Ben I think that is quite enough of budding into Peter's personal life." She however looked quite amused.

"Yeah I think I am finished talking about my day as well. May I be excused?" Peter asked and got up when his aunt nodded. He went into the kitchen to drop off his plate. Peter then started thinking about Gwen, as he was washing off his plate in the sink. She was so nice to me today, He thought. At least it's nice to know that she doesn't have any friends either. Ok that's too mean. He wondered if Gwen would count as his friend. Of course not, I just met her today. She's barely an acquaintance. Peter was deep in thought when Uncle Ben walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Peter," As Ben said this Peter jumped, startled by the sudden voice. Turning around, he replied.

"Yeah, Uncle Ben?" Peter replied, trying to regain his cool.

"Well, it appears that the basement has flooded again, and instead of just soaking it up, I wanted you to help me find the source of the problem."

"You serious?"

"Yeah, come with me." Peter followed Uncle Ben down to the basement. They both took off their socks and stepped down the few wooden steps leading to the basement. There was about two inches of water on the concrete floor.

"What do you think it is? I was inspecting this before dinner and was guessing that it could be the condenser tray,"

"Nah, too much water for the condenser tray, or the heat exchange tubing. My guess would be the fill line." Peter concluded.

"Well, you're the genius. Can you run up to the hardware store later?"

"Sure. I'm already getting Aunt May's eggs."

"Thanks Pete, glad I can always count on you." Ben turned to leave, patting Peter on the shoulder. He then walked up the stairs and out of the basement. Peter was about to leave when something caught his eye. He didn't know why, but it did. A spider was crawling up the wall opposite Peter. Ugh, I hate spiders. He thought, and walked up the steps.