Maya Stark

Chapter 123: Public Enemy Number One

'What the fu—'

Cars beep and people lay on their horns, drowning our Peter's voice as Jameson keeps going.

'That's right folks,' he was saying. 'Peter Parker, a seventeen-year-old high school delinquent, harboring a homicidal—'

People start crowding around us and I grip Peter's hand, unprepared for this. They all started talking at me at once.

'You're Spider-man's girlfriend?' people were asking.

'How do you feel being a murderer?'

'You're ruining the Stark name!'

They start reaching out, as if they were going to grab me. Peter steps in front, making sure he's in front of me. I can feel the weight of their words start to take their toll and the crowd starts making me panicked.

'Please don't touch her,' Peter said, as he glanced back at me.

'You're just a kid?' someone said.

'You murdered Mysterio?'

'You helped him murder Mysterio?'

'No, I... I didn't,' Peter said.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and took off swinging above the crowd, someone reaching to catch us and almost grabbing my foot. My arms wrap around his neck as I swallow down a scream. It always amazes me how different swinging feels to flying. It's a lot rockier and makes me feel like I'm going to throw up. It was way too much movement, but it would distract Peter too much if I just let go, and I was not in the right headspace to fly. Besides, I could hear the helicopters coming.

'I really hate this!' I scream over the wind. 'How do you do this?'

'I know, I'm sorry!' he shouts back.

'People looked up to this boy and called him a hero,' Jameson was saying, as we pass a billboard with Peter's face on it and the words "public enemy number one" written on his face. 'I'll tell you what I call him: Public Enemy Number One!'

'Where are we gonna go!' I ask, as the helicopters come into view, following us.

'I don't know,' Peter said. 'Your house?'

'Oh, no,' I say. 'We can't risk people finding out where I live. Pepper would be furious.'

'Fine, okay,' he says, landing us on some random, very high up, tower on a short beam. I didn't really know what it was, but I struggled getting my footing.

Simultaneously both our phones started ringing. I look to see MJ calling me and I try not to lose my balance as I hear Ned's voice from where Peter was standing.

'Oh my god!' MJ said. 'Did you see? Of course, you saw.'

'We can talk later MJ, but I'm on a very high beam-thing right now and need to get Parker to stop freaking out,' I say, trying to speak over the wind.

'Right, yeah, do that, of course,' MJ said.

I hang up and turn to Peter who was freaking out with Ned. Helicopters were starting to surround us, and we were on every camera ever. I try not to look down and remind myself I can fly.

'Peter!' I yell. He turns to me. 'Let's go!'

'Right yeah,' Peter said, hanging up with Ned and moving towards me.

'We should go,' I say, panic edging into my voice. 'Holy shit, what's happening?'

I couldn't seem to catch my breathe. The flashing lights of camera and the sound of the helicopters consume my senses as I can't seem to believe that any of this is really happening. It wasn't even my face plastered all over New York, but I was there. I had played a major role in this. I helped Beck, I helped him reveal Peter's identity. I was spiraling.