[GROWING PAINS] ARC

Chapter 2:

Peter Discovers His True Power: Being Really, Really Annoying

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-

You slam your hand down on the alarm, blearily awakening. Cracking your eyes open, you wait for them to adjust to their normal level of blurriness without your glasses, but that doesn't happen. In fact, you seem to be able to see perfectly.

You sit up, trying to recall yesterday through the fog of sleepiness. There was the exhibit, arachnids, Gwen…

A spider.

Your mind shifts to alertness as everything comes rushing back. You stopped the spider, but it bit you, then Gwen. You both felt incredibly ill, but then… Doctor Smythe and his assistant, their words come back.

-"What if someone got bit?"

-"We cannot afford to have that happen. Not now. If someone was bitten… don't let anyone know. Take them to the back and tell me."

-"…what'll happen to them?"

-"An accident."

Something suspicious and nasty is happening at Oscorp, with Doctor Smythe right at the head of it. And both you and Gwen are in danger. If anyone found out you were bit by that spider, both of you could be in immense danger.

You look over at your alarm for the time, only for your eyes to widen at the sight of it. It's cracked with what look like a handprint on it. You slowly lower your hand over it. A perfect fit.

You swallow nervously. What did that spider bite do to you?

"Peter, breakfast!"

"In a minute, Aunt May!"

You call in response down at her before sighing. You need a few minutes to think things over, decide on what you do. Pausing, you look at your glasses and slip them on. Your vision blurs as you put them on, but you can blurrily make out things, barely.

Taking them off, you blink rapidly as your eyes adjust. If you leave them here it would raise to many questions especially from your uncle and aunt. Ugh, those are going to be a hassle, but you could possibly endure, if you need to.

Getting up, you walk over to the mirror you have in your room and a let out a low whistle. You've never been what could be called fit, but the body you're staring at is muscular and toned. Not bulky like a bodybuilder but more like a gymnast.

You quickly drop down and do a few push-ups. One of your toughest challenges is now as easy as pie to do!

You quickly get back up and look at yourself again in the mirror, looking closely. No extra eyes, no weird mutations, nothing out of the ordinary, barring your better physique.

You sit down at your desk and start compiling a list, quickly as to not get Aunt May worried, of things of note.

You pull out a piece of loose leaf and begin to make plans.

-Gwen. You have to talk with her, see what's happened with her. Getting her number might not be a bad idea.

-Smythe. What is this guy up to? Other than the obvious of no good.

-Oscorp. How involved and knowing are they of what Smythe is up to?

-The Spider: What was it made for? Was it supposed to be able to do this?

Was there anything else? You glance at your backpack and freeze. Oh god, you were supposed to give Flash the answers to the remedial courses he's taking today.

"Peter? Are you alright?"

Aunt May is calling again, from the base of the stairs.

You hear your Aunt May calling from downstairs, your stomach grumbling as your nose finally acknowledges the smell of Aunt May's breakfast. You stare over at your alarm before glancing at your door.

You quickly get ready and make sure to slip on a long-sleeved shirt before you put on your glasses and head over to the door. Carefully opening it, you make your way quickly but carefully down the stairs. At the bottom is Aunt May, who looks concerned at you.

"Peter, are you alright?"

Letting your glasses slip down you give her a sheepish grin. "Uh, yeah, Aunt May. Sorry, but I was just double-checking some notes for school. Y'know, considering I didn't feel great yesterday."

She lifts a hand to your forehead for a moment before pulling it away. "Well, no fever, so I suppose you're clear to go to school, though I suppose I'd have to tie you down to keep you away even if you weren't. Hurry up and eat breakfast or else you'll be late!"

You walk into the dining room before pausing and looking back at her. "Where's Uncle Ben?"

She gives you a weak smile. "He's got an early shift for a while, Peter. He'll be a bit busy for a little while."

Sitting down, you carefully grab your fork and begin digging in, savoring the taste. Aunt May's scrambled eggs and bacon, can there ever be an equal? No, no there can't. Nearby, the news in talking about something.

#"Today is the day of Professor Reed Richard's privately funded space mission. He and three other individuals will be going into space to study cosmic rays in the vacuum of space. You might recall his name from the diplomatic incident with the Heir apparent of the small country of-"#

You tune the news out as you glance over the top of your glasses at aunt May, who seems to be frowning over something. "What's up? Something the matter?"

She shakes her head before putting the paper away in a drawer. You get a glimpse of other similar papers as she does so. She turns around before looking at the clock. "You'd better finish up and hurry getting ready, Peter."

You notice that she's trying to distract you, but she's right. You'll never make it in time if you don't get ready now. Finishing the rest of your food, you run upstairs and hurriedly start getting ready. A quick shower, brush your teeth, grab your backpack, hide the paper you wrote on, give Aunt May a quick kiss on the cheek goodbye and hurry towards the bus stop.

You arrive at the bus stop, checking your watch. You still have a few minutes before the bus should show. Nearby is a newspaper stand.

You walk over to the stand and buy the newest issue they have. It's from the Daily Bugle. Looking at the time, you fold up the paper and go back up to the bus stop. Sitting down on the bench there, you quickly pull out the notes and consider writing them but decide against it. Why should you have to do his work for him?

Closing your bag, you start looking through the newspaper. The top story seems to be about some sort of showy thief about to pull another heist. You'd heard about it before. There's a thief whose reputation has been growing in popularity lately.

He leaves a calling card announcing what he'll steal from the victim and when, giving the potential victim plenty of opportunity to guard against it, before somehow sneaking in and stealing it despite it. The Thief always leaves a calling card, too. A card with a cat printed on it in black, giving the Thief the nickname 'The Black Cat.'

Seems like the newest planned victim is J. Jonah Jameson, owner of the news company The Daily Bugle, who is offering a reward to anyone who can catch the criminal before he strikes.

The next few pages seem to be about low level gangs on the rise and what to do to avoid them. There's a few pages after that, but nothing really too interesting.

You close the paper and get on the bus, sitting next to Harry.

"Hey, Pete. Feeling better?"

You give him a grin. "Like a thousand bucks."

He leans in, giving you a knowing grin. "So how was your day with Gwen Stacy?"

Behind your glasses, your eyes widen in shock. In a quiet voice you nervously stutter out something. "W-what are you implying, Harry?!"

His grin widens as he wraps his arm around your shoulder and leans in. "C'mon, Pete, you can tell me. We're friends, right?"

He grins widely as he continues, his voice low and full of humor and suggestion. "Honestly, its nothing to feel ashamed of. You and Miss Stacy are like the two smartest in school. You two would be cute together and I can totally embarrass you all the time. You can't say you're against the idea, can you?"

Flustered, you try to think of something to say. "W-well, I do wish I'd been able to get her number."

You freeze as Harry's grin widens at the unintended implications of your sentence as his arm around your shoulder turns into a one-armed hug. He uses his other hand to wipe away an imaginary tear, faking a sob.

"T-they grow up so fast! My best friend is interested in girls instead of pursuing his destiny of Wizardry! There's hope I can corrupt you, yet, Pete!"

You gently shrug off his arm, face red with embarrassment, as you get up, the bus having arrived as Midtown High. Harry's ribbing continue until he splits off to go to his locker. When you go to your and open it, getting ready for the day, you feel the hair on the back of your neck rise as you feel /something/ start to go off as a shadow looms over you.

Flash is there, giving you a smug grin. "So, puny Parker, where's my answers you owe me?"

"I don't have them, Flash."

The grin slides of off his face. "What did you say, Parker?"

"I don't have them."

He looks at you, upset and confused. "What, did you forget them or something? Well, if that's the case, go get them."

You close you locker and shake your head. "No. I'm not going to help you anymore Flash. I'm not giving you any more answers."

He freezes as he grows angry, cracking his knuckles. You feel the buzzing at the back of your head increase. "Wrong answer, Parker. What'll it take for you to give me the right one?"

He moves to grab you but you dodge backwards out of his grasp. "I'm taking a stand, Flash. I won't take your bullying anymore."

Flash's hands clench into fists, and angry look on his face with a vicious grin attached. The buzzing is still present. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, Parker. Don't worry, I know better than to hit your face, that only raises questions from the teachers."

You quickly calculate an idea. You don't' dare raise a hand against him, why not make him do it himself? Smirking, you step back closer to your locker as he advance.

"I'm surprised, Eugene, I wasn't aware you were smart enough to teach!"

He growls at you and swings, the buzzing at the back of your head intensifying. Stepping to the left, quickly, you hear him give a grunt of pain as you hear the clang as his fist slams into the metal of the locker.

"I thought you were our school's football star, kinda sad you can't even hit puny old me."

He growls as you retreat some more, putting your back to another wall. As he moves in to attack again, the buzzing once again alerts you. Getting the handle of your 'first alert' system you've seemed to gained, you use it to lead him around, dodging his blows as he slams his fists with increasing rage into school property, but not you.

"Stand still and take it like a man, Parker!"

As you dodge another blow, you give him a cheeky grin. "Sorry, my Uncle warned me from taking anything from big, dumb brutes."

Frenzied, he charges at you only for you to dodge again, only to see Gwen standing in his path. Trying to warn her, you see her glance up and freeze but before he slams into her, you see her tense up and react. She steps to the side and trips him, before taking his arm and twisting it behind his back, staring coldly down at him.

"Try anything like that against me, or Peter, and I'll see to it that I tell my father exactly what you just tried right now. He's not a kind man to people who try to assault his daughter."

Flash scowls before rubbing at his arm and walks off, muttering. Gwen looks at you, giving you a nod of acknowledgement.

"Good morning, Peter."

End

To be continued...

Please Review