Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 15: Cold Comfort

"These are cute!"

"Ugh, are you kidding? They're so last season."

"What about this one?"

"I don't know…it really doesn't match your eyes."

Such was the conversation of Gwen Stacy, her cousin Jill, Liz Allan, and Kitty Pryde as they made the rounds of Bloomingdale's that weekend. It had been a tough week for the girls, in between attempting to juggle their midterm exams and their jobs. After all the stress they had been through, they had all needed to unwind, and found that a day at one of New York's most upscale shopping malls was just what they needed. As an added bonus, Jill's seventeenth birthday had occurred earlier that week, which gave them the excuse they needed to spend more than they normally would have, despite their rather limited means.

Not that four giggling teenage girls had ever needed a reason to do such things.

Gwen smiled to herself as she took a few steps in the Ugg boots she had insisted on trying on. They fit like a dream, and they matched her jeans perfectly. She winced as she looked at the price tag-the boots would eat up most of what she had made from her first paycheck at the coffee shop, minus what she'd set aside to pay back Kitty and buy Jill a birthday present-but she realized that sometimes, you just had to spoil yourself!

Taking the boots off, Gwen walked over to examine some of the new spring collection that was just about to be unveiled, as Kitty came up behind her.

"Wow, check out the new Chanels!" Kitty smiled as she took one of the emerald green dresses off the rack and posed with it, holding it in front of herself. "Too bad about the price, though…"

"I'm more a Ralph Lauren person myself," Gwen replied as she looked over a beautiful sky-blue combination that was just begging her to buy it…except that Gwen doubted she could have afforded it even if she took out a bank loan. "Chanel's pretty nice, though."

"How about these Kingsleys?" Liz asked, as she and Jill joined them. "These look…what's wrong?" she asked in surprise as Gwen visibly flinched.

"Liz…" Gwen began slowly.

"…Yeah?" Liz asked.

"I'd really, really, really appreciate it if you never mentioned the name 'Kingsley' again. Ever. Emphasis on the 'never'," Gwen said, looking distinctly ill.

SPIDER-WOMAN #15

"COLD COMFORT"

"What's wrong?" Jill asked in concern.

"Let me put it this way," Gwen said, still looking as if she had bit into something distinctly sour and overripe. "If any of you girls ever decide to go into modeling, do not work with Roderick Kingsley. The way he looked at me was…ugh," she trailed off.

"I'm sorry," Liz apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Gwen assured her. "I just hope Donna Karan will be hiring…"

They chuckled at this.

Gwen's laughter was sincere, as she was feeling better than she had for quite a while. Her mother's banking arrangements had been worked out, she had gotten caught up on her schoolwork, and she had already gotten her first paycheck from her new waitressing job. Best of all, she hadn't had to become Spider-Woman in over a week-with the exception of Jack O' Lantern, all of the villains she had fought up to this point were still in prison.

For now, at least, she could relax and enjoy life.

"I'm glad you could fill in, Gwen," Mr. Spencer told her the next evening as she entered the Empire State Coffee Shop through the employees' back door, dressed in her work uniform. "I know it wasn't your shift, but when Tina got sick-"