Chapter 2
Yesterday seems like a life ago
'Cause the one I love
Today I hardly know
You I held so close in my heart oh dear
Grow further from me with every fallen tear
-Another Lonely Day (Ben Harper)
Music blared as she opened the doors to the dance. She was supposed to meet Peter at the dance. They were going to walk together, but he said he was leaving early. Too easily, she believed him. She found a group of other friends to dancing with. She dancing for a song, Peter leaving her texts on delivered. Very uncharacteristic of him. Then she starts asking around and finally settles into a group of kids she knows, trying in vain to enjoy herself without him. In between a song her body breaks out in chills and her head buzzes… something is going to happen.
Crash!
Gwen's head jerks to the side that the sound came from. A few people let screams out, then with no explanation to her friends she is tearing her way through the crowd and out of the gym. She goes into the long hallway and manages to slip past the teacher chaperoning. She finds herself flying down the stairs, tearing off her dress to reveal the spider-suit underneath. In the basement gym of the school the lights had come crashing down and there were giant green footprints. She perches quietly on the top of the bleachers and waits for something to happen. Her spider senses tell her that the monster is still here. Then she hears something, the monster is in the gym Gwen is on her toes, waiting in anticipation for anything to happen. Then her head is smacked into the side of the wall. Her head throbs and she’s up on her feet again. Throwing a web through the air to try and sense where the creature is. The web falls short and she’s running after the creature. It roars as her legs slam into it’s torso in a well aimed kick. What looks like a lizard is smashed into the rafting of the school, bringing half the ceiling down with him. Gwen can hear people shouting, but she’s trying to focus. Suddenly the lizard has her pinned against the wall by her neck. She panics for a second, thinking of how her dad wouldn’t panic. She clears her mind and tries to focus on the parts of her body that are free. Her legs, she flips around, kicking the lizard in the face. The lizard roars and slashes her with its claws. She hisses in pain and uses her webs to tie the lizard's mouth shut.
Then she has the advantage. Using a piece of the bleachers she hits the monster on the head. Then kicks it in the chest, sending the creature flying through the wreckage. Landing with a thud, the creature starts to shrink, back to a form that looks more human.
Green scales and bits still cover the sides of his face. Then she gasps dread and shock filling her body, from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her feet.
Peter, no…
She runs to him and starts to cradle him.
“No, no, no. Peter, no. Stay with me, you gotta stay with me.”
“Gwen, it’s okay.” His face is unapologetic and broken, blood leaking out of his nose. What would drive him to do this? The bullying?
“It’s okay Peter, you’re going to be okay.” Gwen isn’t sure who she’s trying to convince more.
“I just wanted to be special… like you… Gwen…” Tears cloud her eyes. Special? Gwen? He knows? One million emotions flit behind her eyes.
“You were special. You were so special to me. You didn’t need any of this.” He starts pulling at her mask. She can only hold his hand as she cradles his body.
“It’s gonna be okay. You’ll be okay.” He reassures me. How can she be? What if she’s not?
“Peter?” She asks, though she knows it's in vain. He is dead, she can feel the life drain from his body.
“Hey!” The voice jerks her away from her grief. She sees none other than George Stacy pointing a gun at her. She does the only thing she can think of to do. She runs. She climbs the scaffolding and perches somewhere that he can’t see her. “Oh Peter…” She hears the recognition in his voice and it takes everything in her to not let a sob escape her body as she leaves the building.
Gwen pulled her hood off as she slipped in the window that night. She closed it quietly behind her. Her eyes were red and her mascara trailed down her cheeks. George Stacy, her dad, thought that she killed Peter. It was true though, wasn’t it? She had kicked the monster that was Peter. She had killed him, hadn’t she? She changed quickly and laid down on her bed. Unable to sleep as a thousand thoughts raced through her head, she jumped in the shower, hoping to silence them. After an hour the water ran cold and she got out, getting straight into bed. Later, she heard her dad come through the door, locking it behind him. She felt him open the door to her bedroom.
“Gwen,” He said softly. “Are you awake?” She thought about pretending to be asleep about just letting him close the door and go to bed and maybe crying as much as she was. But she could stop herself from sitting up and getting out of bed. He must have seen the tears in her eyes because he spoke softly as he embraced her.
“So, I’m guessing you know?” She nodded into his police coat.
“I don’t know why he would do that.” She cried softly. “He had me, wasn’t that enough?” George cradled the back of her head as he hugged her.
“Not everyone is like you. He had a rough go and he didn’t know what to do.”
“He was getting bullied and he should have just talked to me.” George was starting to sense that there was so much reasoning with her.
“I know, I know. It’s okay.” He rubbed a hand across her back as she cried, shedding some small tears himself.