Spider-Man: Finding a New Home [Andrew Garfield]

26

26.

Competition

Adalia

It's down to the last two art programs—the dancers and the singers. The air between us and them is thick and palpable. I swear I could feel the wires that tether us with a competitive energy, one that feels toxic and a tad dramatic. Although I'm not one to despise confrontation (because I will defend myself), I'd rather not deal with it. It feels stupid, trivial, but I'm sure this must mean the world to my variant. And I must play the part for her benefit. If my variant wants to compete, then so be it. I'll be what this universe wants me to be. I accept that this is what I have to do to blend in.

I give myself a little pep-talk, preparing my mind and body to hold on just a little bit longer before giving out on me. Because I can start to feel a prickle of fatigue. It's the very same fatigue that made me lose consciousness in the last universe. The last thing I need right now is to be on that gym floor and pass out mid-routine. So I cling on to the very last bit of energy I have, which isn't much.

Our principal, whom I don't recognize, announces the singing program next. And the crowd roars. It shakes me out of the moves I'm trying to remember for the routine. I watch in awe as the singers throw smirks our way, proud of their audience's reaction, then enter the gym, smiles bright and enthusiastic, microphones tightly wound in their hands. They're next to perform, and I want to see what has my team of dancers looking nervous and why the crowd adores them so. While I move forward, closer to the gym doors, I keep my eyes trained on the performers, especially Gwen Stacy, whose smirk and mischievous eyes never leave mine, up until she brings the mic to her lips.

I don't know what our history is, but I know this deep-seeded competition between us runs as deep as the ocean. I guess it's time to see what she's made of. And I'll admit I want to see what I'm up against so that I can measure up to the standard this universe expects of me.

Beetlejuice comes up behind me, hand on my shoulder, lips hovering over my ear, to say, "Let's see what they got."

The gym fills with the sound of Britney Spears's Hit Me Baby One More Time, and the crowd screams as if this was a Britney Spears concert. I can feel the bass of the music in my chest, the cheers rattling my bones, and my mouth goes cotton dry. I clench my fists, then. And, as the voice of Gwen Stacy booms out of the speakers, my eyes go wide in surprise. The girls waiting in turn for their time to shine dance behind Gwen as her background dancers. And now I see why we've got some competition. The background vocalists and dancers don't have the talent that my dancers do, but they certainly try, which makes their routine better. They sing and dance simultaneously, without missing a beat. Gwen moves to the beat of the music, singing notes low and high that makes the crowd cry out in excitement. For a moment, when she knows she has the audience in her hands like putty, Gwen looks my way, winks, then musters the snarkiest of smirks that—honestly—makes my blood boil and sparks the angry competitor within me. Oh hell no. I may not be of this universe; neither do I know people here, nor do they know me, but I'll be damned if I don't show a little bit of who I am in my universe. In another world, my world, I've been recognized as the greatest, toughest dance competitors out there, giving dancers a run for their money and a drive to try and beat me in competitions—this was pre-superhero me. And no one has ever been close to beating me, except for a small few—that I will admit. Here, though, I won't be topped. I'll make sure of it.

I'll make sure I come out on top for this dance team, who look nervous and shaken that the performers out there have got the students riled up.

Although I am just as nervous as they are, even mildly unsure of how I'm going to do this, I know I must be strong. I know I need to take the role of the leader both for myself and this team. There's no one here to coddle me to alleviate my stress of being catapulted into another universe with a grave responsibility. I am on my own to figure this out, and now is the time to take advantage of restoring my own courage that I've lost since the multiverse accident.