Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 56: Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Gwen Stacy yawned as she slowly awoke, revelling in the sunshine that caressed her as she sat up in bed. Last night's sleep had been the best she'd had in months, in no small part because she'd finally defeated her arch-enemy, the murderous psychopath Jack O' Lantern. Jack had been psychologically tormenting her for weeks, culminating in his effort to destroy her very identity, but as the spectacular Spider-Woman she'd managed to overcome him and finally, at long last, bring him to justice. The long nightmare was over, and to Gwen the bright sunrise reflected the beautiful new start she now experienced.

Getting out of bed, Gwen walked to her window and gazed out at the sunrise, thinking about how beautiful it was. She then walked across her bedroom to her dresser and gazed into the mirror. The beautiful young woman looking back at Gwen had bright blue eyes that sparkled with a vibrant inner light, long blonde hair, a mouth that revealed a joyous smile and the demeanor of someone who looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders.

All of the anger and bitterness Gwen had once felt was gone, replaced with a sense of peace and serenity.

It was a pleasant thought, and the woman in the mirror laughed along with Gwen.

SPIDER-WOMAN #56

"GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN"

"I'm sexy, I'm cute, I'm popular to boot. I'm bitchin', great hair, the boys all love to stare. I'm wanted, I'm hot, I'm everything you're not," Gwen sang quietly to herself as she finished buttering her toast and scooped her eggs onto her plate. Although her boyfriend Randy Robertson had given her grief for liking the Bring It On movies, Gwen thought they were hilarious. Besides, she thought that the song the Toros sang at the start of the film was incredibly catchy, not to mention true when Gwen sang it about herself.

Sitting down at the table, Gwen began eating her breakfast as she went over her plans for Spring Break. She and Randy would be joining the rest of their friends on a trip to Daytona Beach, where they could relax and party with all of the other college and university students who visited the place. Harry Osborn had paid for their hotel reservations and their plane tickets, using some of the money he'd made from selling Osborn Industries, the conglomerate that used to be owned by his father Norman, who had secretly been the supervillain crime lord known as the Green Goblin.

It was going to be a week of fun in the sun where they could unwind. Gwen in particular badly needed a break after everything Jack O' Lantern had put her through, to say nothing of the general stress of trying to balance her personal life with her superhero career as the spectacular Spider-Woman. She could only hope that it wouldn't be like last year, when she and some of her friends had gone to Fire Island for Spring Break and had their vacation rudely interrupted by her old enemy Polestar. Gwen had been forced to intervene as Spider-Woman, and while she was packing her costume this year in case she needed it, she prayed she wouldn't.

Once Gwen and the rest of the gang returned to New York, they would have the last few weeks of studies before final exams began. After that, Gwen would be putting her studies on hold to go work full time to help her mother Helen Stacy pay down the $40,000 she owed in back taxes to the IRS. Gwen's father George Stacy had been cheating on his taxes for years, and Helen had inherited his debts after he'd died. While Nancy wasn't too pleased at Gwen doing it, Gwen had insisted, particularly after everything her mother had already been through at George's hands.

That would come later, though.

For now, Gwen couldn't wait to relax.

"How long are you going to be gone?" Gwen's mother Helen Stacy asked her as she sat at the window, waiting for Randy to pick her up.

"Six days," Gwen replied as she kept looking out the window. "We're coming back on Sunday."

"Who all is going?" Helen asked.