Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All rights go to Marvel.
That night, Peter lay wide awake. Sleep eluded him. He groaned and sat up to check his phone. His lock screen was lit up with missed calls and texts. Looks like MJ's awake too. Peter was not in the mood to talk to her. He set his phone down and rolled over, only for it to buzz again. Sighing in annoyance, he silenced it and setting it back down. Soon enough, his alarm went off. He got up, his eyes bloodshot and his body quaking from his depression. He reluctantly pulled on a hoodie and black jeans. He didn't bother checking his appearance. Suddenly, he had lost his interest in going to OsCorp. Walking into the kitchen, he found a note waited for him. He picked it up.
"Ben's out for work. I have to get the car serviced. Get yourself some breakfast and have a great field trip," Peter read aloud.
He glanced at the cupboards and turned around, walking out the front door and locking it behind him. I'm not in the mood to eat. He walked to the bus stop, where the bus was already waiting. He got on and sat in the back, curling into a ball, his knees pushed to his chest.
"Pete," whispered a gentle, angelic voice.
He felt the weight added next to him and glanced over. Beautiful blue eyes stared back at him. He drank in her rosy cheeks and soft skin.
"G-Gwen," greeted Peter, stumbling with his words.
Somebody got up from the front of the moving bus and plopped down next to Gwen.
"Hey bud," said a smirking Harry, winking at his friend.
"Hey Harry."
"Rough times with Miss Watson?" questioned his friend, chewing thoughtfully on his gum.
"How'd you know?"
"She called."
"I'm just frustrated," muttered Peter.
"We'll be at school in a few minutes. Once we get there, we'll wait for the next bus and load up on a different one than her," decided Gwen.
"Agreed," stated Harry, reaching over Gwen's shoulder and patting Peter on the back. "Don't worry about it, Pete. She'll come 'round."
Peter nodded as the bus pulled to a stop. He shouldered his backpack and walked off the bus, Harry and Gwen behind him. Taking in everything around him, Peter spotted Flash advancing toward him in the dense crowd of Midtown High students.
"Hey! Parker!" shouted Flash, shoving through any student who got in his way.
Flash marched up to Peter and socked him directly in the stomach. He stumbled backward, his head spinning as it crashed violently against the pavement.
"What the hell, Flash," hissed Peter, clutching his stomach.
"Don't disrespect Mary-Jane," seethed Flash.
He grabbed Peter's shirt, lifting him slightly above the ground.
"When she tries to talk to you, you answer her."
Peter moaned in agony as Flash's knee dug into his groin. Students gathered around to watch in interest. Peter tried to focus his vision, looking at everyone surrounding them. Most of them were popular kids. The football players, the track kids, the cheerleaders. Liza Allan, Sally, and the rest of the team stood with their arms crossed, watching the beating.
"Do you hear me Parker?"
"Oh I hear you Eugene. I'm just choosing to ignore you," retorted a battered Peter.
Flash delivered another uppercut to his chin. Where the hell are the faculty? Teachers? Principal? Anybody? I thought they were supposed to stop stuff like this!
"Parker!"
Peter's ears were ringing with explosive thuds. His vision was swimming. His head felt like it was going to explode. Everything hurt. His grip on reality loosened and his eyes began to close.
"You're a loser, Parker," said someone in the crowd.
Half of the crowd burst out laughing.
"Thompson," shouted Harry.
Peter's eyes widened slightly. Through his blurry vision he could see his best friend sprinting through the crowds.
Flash dropped Peter unceremoniously onto the asphalt. "Harry."
Peter's eyes began to shut again.
"Leave him alone. What has he done to you? What has he done to any of you?" screamed Harry, whirling on the crowd that surrounded them. "Answer me!"
His limp body was pulled behind Gwen. Suddenly, the entire student body went silent. Midtown High School's principal descended the front steps and stood in front of his students, not bothering to hide his pissed off expression. His eyes wandered the crowd until he spotted the form of a barely conscious Peter Parker.
"Thompson!" bellowed the principal.
"Yes, sir?" replied a wary Flash.
"The second these buses gets back from the field trip, I want you in my office. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" snorted Flash, giving a mock salute.
"Good. Now get on those buses. All of you!"
"Pete," said Gwen gently. "Look at me."
He glanced up at her, his vision still slightly blurry.
"I'm going to guide you toward one of the buses, alright?"
Peter grunted in response. He glanced around at the students watching them. Most of them glared or sneered at him. Everyone here hates me. Roughly half an hour later, the buses unloaded in front of the reflective OsCorp building. As Peter stepped outside, Gwen grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm fine, Gwen. I don't need to be babied," grumbled Peter, rolling his eyes.
"Just let me make sure you're okay," commanded Gwen.
Harry stepped out behind them and gave a light chuckle. "Come on guys. Let's go see my dad's multibillion dollar company."
They stepped inside and instantly Peter stood in shock. People in business attire ascended and descended the stairs and escalators at alarming rates, most with briefcases by their sides. He glanced up. The building continued on and on for what seemed like forever.
"How many floors?" gawked Peter.
"A lot," smirked Harry.
"Pay attention," scolded Gwen.
"Yes mommy," was Harry's smug reply.
Peter turned to the front of the crowd. A man approached them in a white lab coat, a smile on his face. He wore thin-framed oval glasses, which covered his light blue eyes. His sandy blond hair was swept to the side. Peter lowered his gaze and his eyes widened in shock. All that was left of the man's right arm was stump that ended slightly above where his elbow should have been. Peter swore he knew this man.
"Hello students of Midtown High. My name is Curtis Connors. For the duration of this tour, please call me Doctor Connors. Yes, I know, I'm missing a large chunk of my right arm. I seem to have misplaced it during my time serving this country," he joked.
He chuckled slightly and the crowd joined in. I know this guy. Come on Parker, think. His eyes widened in realization. Connors. Curt Connors. My dad's best friend.
"If you would all follow me, I'll show you some of the stuff that goes on around here."
They traveled far into the depths of the building. Gwen gasped next to him. A pair of state of the art mechanical arms gleamed in front of them. They were attached to a harness that seemed to wrap around the chest.
"This magnificent contraption was invented by the genius Doctor Otto Octavius. He uses it during experiments, allowing him to complete multiple tasks at once. He kindly lent it to us for the duration of the trip."
Gwen whispered something to him, but Peter was no longer paying attention. He glared incredulously at the back of his hand, where two fang-shaped indents were located. Peter's eyes went wide and he saw the culprit, a red and blue spider trying to scurry its way to safety. His foot shot out and trapped the arachnid. He applied pressure, pressing down with his foot. The spider was dead.
"Peter," grumbled Gwen, shaking him viciously.
"Huh? What's going on?" questioned Peter.
"I was trying to talk to you about the amazing DNA alteration theories that Connors said were going on around here. They said if everything works out, they might be able to cure some diseases. Isn't it exciting?"
"Yeah, yeah it is," replied Peter, only half listening.
His hand throbbed sporadically and painfully. His vision blurred once more. His knees grew wobbly. His brain felt like it was deflating. He was gasping for air at this point.
"Peter?" questioned Gwen and Harry, grabbing onto their friend to try and hold him steady, the rest of the crowd still listening intently to Doctor Connors.
He coughed again and again, his lungs refusing to stop. "…Bathroom."
Gwen and Harry glanced in front of them, making sure Doctor Connors was still occupied before supporting the teen and leading him toward the area designated for bathrooms. Gwen relinquished her portion of his weight and allowed Harry to carry him inside. Peter collapsed on the stone cold ground, his head spinning violently. His heart thundered against his chest. For a scary second, he felt his heart beat less and less. Then, it returned with a vengeance, smashing against his chest.
"Pete, breathe buddy," said Harry, his hands trembling as he grabbed a rag and dampened it, spreading it across his best friend's forehead."
Peter's consciousness slowly began to fade. He grew very worried. He didn't want to worry his friends further. Then, his vision cleared, his body returned to normal temperature, his heart's pulse returned to its normal rhythm, and the throbbing in his hand died down. He bolted upright.
"Whoa, Peter, take it easy," commanded Harry, trying to force him to lay back down.
"What? I'm fine," responded Peter, standing up. "See, it was nothing."
"Nothing?" screeched Harry, tugging on his hair. "You just had a heart something or another or you were dying or you were having a seizure or…I don't even know what the hell just happened."
"It's fine. Something happened. I'm not sure what, but I'm okay. We should go see Gwen."
Harry wiped his face, letting out a shaky laugh. "Yeah, let's."
They walked out of the bathroom and into the arms of Gwen Stacy, who looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.
"Don't you ever do that again, you hear?" pestered Gwen, laughing nervously.
"Yes mommy," retorted Peter, winking at Harry.
"Come on, let's catch up to the class."
And with that, Gwen walked down a corridor and turned left, disappearing. Harry jogged to catch up to her, but Peter remained at walking pace. He glared at the red, irritated skin where the spider's indentations were prominent. Sighing, he looked up and realized he was left behind. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he started in the direction his friends had gone.
Several hours later, the door to Peter's house clicked open and he stepped inside. With a smile on his face, his uncle sat on the living room couch.
"How was your day, Pete?"
"It was pretty eventful," replied Peter honestly. Biggest understatement of my life. His stomach growled and on instinct his nose scrunched up, sniffing the air around him. "Macaroni and cheese?"
His uncle nodded. "May's homemade, your favorite. Should be ready in less than fifteen"
"Awesome. I'm just going to run upstairs and change."
He ascended the stairs and dropped his backpack off by his doorway. Pressing a button on his desk, the door closed automatically behind him and locked. Undressing, Peter was in for a shock when he looked in the mirror. His shoulders were broader, his traps more developed. No longer were his arms and legs twigs. He had long, prominent, lean biceps and triceps. His pectoral muscles were much bigger than before. His legs were like a runner's, very defined. Hell, his entire body was completely toned. He tugged on a white short-sleeved shirt that his arms nearly ripped through. He pulled on a pair of shorts. Considering his choices, he decided he could wait a little longer before purchasing new clothes. Only one question lingered in his mind as he made his way downstairs. What the absolute hell did that spider do to me?
Author's Note: One more chapter to go and then things start heating up. I think I'm going to try and update this story twice a week. We'll see how long I'm able to do that before my updates turn spontaneous. Please remember, tell me what you like and what can be improved in the reviews.