Chapter 9

Thanks to SupheroFan3245 for favoriting and following this story, and favoriting me. Thanks to NotsoSmartGuy for favoriting Spider-Man: New World and me. As for JustifiedFire223, if TASM 2 wasn't garbage, then why is it getting rebooted again? NOOB!

Kendrick Durham was tired.

Maybe that was from the blood lost. Maybe it was from the actual lack of sleep he had gotten. Whatever the reason was, he just wanted to close his eyes and...

"Snap out of it Ken!" Kendrick heard his best friend Marshall yell at him.

Kendrick's eyes snapped back open to the scene of Marshall trying to stitch up his side. He had insisted on taking Ken to the hospital, but Ken had dismissed it. He did have a secret identity to maintain after all.

"Just..just stay with me, Ken," Ken heard Marshall say although it sounded like it was at a distance.

Did Marshall think he was trying to give up? He was just a little tired. He just needed to close his eyes for a sec...

"Holy Shit!" Kendrick yelled as a pen was rammed into his hand. "What the fuck?!"

"I need you to stay awake, Ken." Marshall said tearing up. "I need you to survive."

Right there. Right there was when Kendrick realized something. He realized that if he died, it wouldn't just hurt his family, it would hurt his friends, but they were sorta like his family now anyway. He had to stay alive.

"Okay," he said. "Okay Marsh, I'm awake."

"Good," Marshall said. "Well, what's the plan? Because I don't think I have enough string to stitch you up, and I'm not even sure that would help."

"Is it that bad?"

"Have you seen it?"

"Not really. Felt it though."

"How does it feel?"

"It feels like shit," Kendrick said. "Like, literal shit."

"That's nice."

"Wait," Kendrick said. "Tyler Farroway."

"What about him?"

"He's like, a genius," Kendrick said trying to get up. "He can fix me. He's a doctor."

"I don't think it's the same thing," Marshall said.

"Marshall," Kendrick said. "Trust me."

Marshall was silent for a minute, pondering their options. Finally he agreed.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go to Tyler Farroway."

"I can...I can swing us there."

"Hell no," Marsh said. "Not like that. We're gonna go the old fashioned way."

"Neither of us own a car."

"I meant walking."

"Oh fun," Kendrick said sarcastically. "Well, pass me some clothes."

This was not Marshall's idea of a fun night.

Ken was back. That was a bright side. However, he came back with a huge (I mean huge) gash in his side, that was bleeding pretty badly. Marshall didn't know where the wound came from, but it was bad. Marshall knew that if it wasn't for Kendrick's spider-powers, he probably would've kneeled over and died a long time ago. He grit his teeth.

Marshall was gonna make sure that didn't happen now.

They were walking outside the school now, with Ken in a loose shirt and jeans. Marshall was helping him walk. Hopefully they got there fast.

They snuck around a corner (by the way, did he mention students have a curfew, and if they're caught sneaking, they're expelled.) and looked out. The coast was clear. They sped walked across the yard. Marshall was excited. They were almost there.

"Wait."

Marshall stopped.

Shit.

He then saw that it was Ken who told them to stop. He was looking at something intently. And, following his gaze, Marshall saw what it was.

Two people were making out alongside a tree. A boy and a girl. They were really going at it too. The girl was rubbing all over his body, while the guy had one hand running through her hair, and the other squeezing her butt. Marshall was wondering why they had stopped and started being pervs when he realized that the girl looked familiar.

"Jen?" Kendrick asked.

Jen Farrell pulled her face away from the guy she was making out with, and turned towards them. First, she had a look of surprise on her face, then a look of excitement.

"Ken?!" she asked ecstatically. "Oh my God, Ken!"

She ran to Kendrick, wrapping him a bear hug that Marshall could tell was causing him some serious pain.

Hang in there, Ken.

Marshall looked at the aforementioned guy still standing against the tree, and saw that it was Earl Wilson. He, Kendrick, and Earl had hung out a couple of times before. Earl was a good guy. Funny, charming, the perfect guy for a girl for Jen. Marshall couldn't help but feel happy that they had gotten together.

One glance at the look Kendrick was giving Earl, and he could see he didn't feel the same way.

"Oh man Ken," Jen said. "Where were you?"

"Uh, I'll tell you about it later," Ken said. "Are, uh, you and Earl a thing?"

"Oh. Oh!" Jen said. "Yeah, he was kinda helping me through my, y'know, gunshot wound."

Kendrick winced.

"Oh my God I'm sorry if I reminded you..."

"No," Kendrick said. "You didn't remind me. (I think about it all the time.)"

"So, where are you guys going?" Jen asked. "We should go hang out or something."

"We can't," Marshall and Kendrick said in unison.

"Why not?"

"We have a prior engagement," Marshall said. "It's kinda important."

"Oh," Jen said, a little hurt.

"Not saying that you aren't important," Marshall corrected himself. "It's just..."

"We should get going," Kendrick said.

Kendrick and Marshall continued walking, leaving Jen and Earl standing there.

"So, uh, wanna make out again?" Earl asked hopefully.

"We should probably get inside."

"Fuck."

"You wish."

Tyler Farroway poured himself another drink. Still another day without hearing from Kendrick. He blamed himself, of course. If it wasn't for his spider, none of these events would have transpired.

He poured even more in the cup.

He needed it.

He heard his doorbell ring.

Probably one of those damn kids, he thought miserably.

He got up and opened the door. Standing in front of him was Kendrick Durham and some white kid with bleached hair.

He dropped his drink.

"Oh shit," he said.

"Hey Tyler," Kendrick said weakly. "I need some help."

Next thing he knew, Kendrick was on the ground. Tyler and the kid rushed to help him up.

"Huh," Kendrick said with a weak smile. "Legs don't work."

They rushed him to the dining table and laid him down. Tyler pulled up his shirt and saw that there was a large wound in his side.

"What happened?" Tyler asked worried.

"Scor...Scorpion," Kendrick said weakly. "Help...needed...need...help..."

Tyler ran to his cabinet and took out a small needle he had kept for such an emergency. He ran back with it.

"What is that?" the kid asked, obviously worried.

"A formula I cooked up," Tyler said preparing to inject it. "It'll increase his natural abilities, including his healing abilities. It'll make him fall asleep, but it'll save him."

"So, they're steroids?" Marshall asked.

"Basically," Tyler said before Kendrick grabbed his arm.

"Tyler," Kendrick said with a look that could kill the Grim Reaper. "If I get 'shrinky dinkie' I swear to God..."

"That won't happen," he said. "Probably."

"Probab...?!" Kendrick started before Tyler injected him, making him fall asleep.

"What do we do now?" the teen asked.

"We wait," Tyler said. "You legal to drink?"

Jen sat on her bed, confused.

Why does my life suck? she pondered.

Sure, she was happy that Ken was back. Incredibly happy actually. But now her feelings were all scrambled.

There she was, making out with Earl, feeling better than she had been for a while. Then, Ken shows up and she wonders if she's kissing the wrong person. She had been incredibly attracted to Ken when she saw him. And it wasn't the same attraction she felt when every girl was ready to hop on his dick, she felt genuine feelings for him. She seriously didn't know what to do.

She looked at the necklace she was wearing. Earl had bought it for her. They were moving fast, maybe too fast. She didn't feel worthy of his feelings for her. He was an awesome guy. But was he right for her? She buried her head in her pillow and screamed.

Damn it, she thought. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Kendrick opened his eyes slowly.

Ow. My head is killing me.

But his side wasn't.

He pulled up his shirt and saw that his side was perfectly fine, except for a small scar.

Oh shit, he thought. I'm alive.

He really thought he wouldn't be for a second.

I seriously, oh God, I seriously thought I was gonna die.

He turned his head and saw Marshall and Tyler sitting by Tyler's bar. He realized he'd never been at Tyler's house. The only reason he knew where it was, was because Tyler had told it to him in case of an emergency.

The place was huge. The walls and floor were made from hard wood, the furniture was a chocolate brown color to match the walls, there was a large flat screen tv on the wall in front of a sofa, and a fire place crackling in the corner. All in all, it was a nice place. Of course, Tyler Farroway was filthy rich, so that was to be expected.

Marshall and Tyler sat at a bar which was connected to the large kitchen where Kendrick saw a cabinet full of booze.

Is Mr. Farroway an alcoholic? he wondered.

"And then, get this," Ken heard Marshall's voice say. "He walks up to Hannah and says, 'I want to ask you a question, and please don't say no...'"

"Oh man, that's rich!" he heard Tyler say.

"And then...," Marshall started before a glob of web hit him square in the mouth, startling him.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone you ass," Kendrick said as he sat up.

"Ken," Tyler exclaimed. "You're okay!"

"Thanks to you," Kendrick said as he cut the web off Marshall's mouth. "Marsh, are you drinking?"

"It's Dr. Pepper, dude."

"It looks like scotch."

"That's how Dr. Pepper looks."

"So," Tyler started. "I'm kinda curious as to how you got such a substantial wound, especially with your powers."

"Oh," Kendrick said, realizing he owed them an explanation. "Well, I guess I gotta start at the beginning..."

Half An Hour Later.

"So, what you're telling me," Marshall said. "You fought a huge war with other spider-men to fight vampires called the Inheritors?"

"Well, I don't think they were vampires exactly..." Kendrick said remembering the war. "But, yeah, that's basically what happened."

"That...is so fucking awesome."

"Yeah," Kendrick said smiling. "I remember I saw this hispanic looking girl in a black costume with a white spider design. She had this long brown hair...she was really cute. I mean, really. Said her name was Anya or something like that."

"You should've got her number," Marshall said.

"Nah," Kendrick said. "We live in different universes. I don't think I could handle a long distance relationship like that."

"I have to say, all this talk about alternate universes is really fascinating. Imagine the possibilities..." Tyler started, being the scientist he is.

"Keep it in your pants Tyler," Ken said. "I have no idea how that technology works, and I don't have any of it."

"Aw."

"So," Marshall asked. "Did you meet any other versions of you?"

"Oh. Uh...," Kendrick said as his face dropped. "No. I didn't. Most of the other spider-people, they were this white guy with brown hair. Peter Parlor or something like that."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Ken said. "So I started wondering, am I really Spider-Man? Like, really? Or am I just some variation? A fake. Am I a real person, or just some pervert's fanfiction? I guess...I guess that's why I've been pushing myself these few weeks. I had to prove, I had to prove to myself that I was really Spider-Man. That I was...me."

"Bullshit." Tyler said.

"What?"

"Seriously Ken," Marshall said. "Drop the bullshit. Who knows how this weird reality thing is actually set up. How do you know that this Peter guy isn't a variation of you? How do you know you're not the real Spider-Man?"

"Yeah."

"And besides," Marshall said putting his hand on Kendrick's shoulder. "Even if you're not the Spider-Man, you're our Spider-Man. And that's forever."

Kendrick felt a tear come to his eye. He had only been Spider-Man for a few weeks, but regardless, he was Spider-Man. Mind. Body. Soul. He was done doubting himself. He had to believe in himself, because he had people who believed in him. For better or for worse...

He Was Spider-Man.

NEXT: Kendrick is BACK. His reunion with Jen, Kim, and HIS PARENTS. Well it be tense? Hell yeah. Great jumping on point! Tell your friends! Please? PLEASE?!