GENERATION X SPIDER-MAN (Issue #17)

MISSING THE FUN

MAY 1991

    Peter Parker strode to school with a little more spring in his step than usual. It was the second Friday of May, his favorite month, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. His enthusiastic walk turned into a jog as he couldn't wait to get to school. Vibrant green lawns and bright colored flowers passed by him as he trotted down the sidewalks of Forest Hills on his way towards Midtown High School. The teen felt reinvigorated by the beautiful morning weather as a fresh breeze blew past him. The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky and Peter took a moment to enjoy the warmth on his face. He was happy! And why shouldn't he be? Tomorrow night was the Class of 1992's junior prom. It was going to be his first date with Mary Jane Watson, the girl of his dreams. After all the trials and tribulations of the past year, it seemed like his dreams were finally coming true. Even better, Spider-Man hadn't been needed in the last two weeks. Things were certainly looking up.

"Hello, Peter." Stan Martin, the middle aged owner of Stan's Hardware, said as he drove by in his Ford Taurus. "How are you doing today, young man? Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It sure is," he replied while heading down the sidewalk.

Stan waved goodbye and drove off to work. After a quick look around revealed that no one was watching him, Peter quickly climbed to the top of a nearby tree and screamed for joy at the top of his lungs. Maybe it was just youthful exuberance. Maybe it was the feeling of being in love. Maybe it was the culmination of getting through so many dark days. Regardless, all of those dark days brought him to where he was today. Peter leapt from the top of the tree onto a telephone pole and expertly walked along the phone wires like they were a tightrope. After a running start, he jumped through the air and landed onto another tall, birch tree. This was happiness! Eventually, he reached his destination and skipped straight up the steps of Midtown High School. Inside the building, teens congregated around Mary Jane's locker with the list of songs that were to be played at tomorrow night's big dance. They all had strong opinions about the setlist and weren't shy about voicing them.

"Flash is going to be happy," Glory noted while glancing at the list. "The first song of the night is that Vanilla Ice song that he loves. I just can't believe there are no Whitney Houston songs."

"Tell me about it," Liz agreed. "Nothing by Madonna. She's my favorite singer."

"Look at this, guys." Mary Jane mentioned, pointing at the setlist. "The final song of the night is Faithfully by Steve Perry. Sheesh. Who picks these songs, anyway?"

"You're the junior class president," Glory reminded her friend. "Can't you pull some strings with the prom committee and have them play some decent songs?"

"I don't want to abuse all of my power," she jokingly replied.

"Speaking of your first term as class president," Glory began. "I was thinking of doing an article about you in the school newspaper. How would you like to be on the front page of Excelsior? What do you say? Would you give an interview to your best friend?"

"I'd be glad to," Mary Jane laughed. "Is my picture really going to be on the front page?"

"Of course it is," she replied. "Betty is our new photographer. I'll have her take your picture."

"That's great," Mary Jane exclaimed. "I'll be sure to look my best."

"Maybe I should let you borrow one of my outfits," Liz added. "I'm just saying. You want to look your best, right? Some of your wardrobe choices are a little tacky."

"Thanks for trying to be helpful, Liz." Mary Jane laughed. "Speaking of wardrobe choices, are we still going to pick up our dresses after school today?"