Arachnoblast: I'm Fourteen This is Ridiculous

Chapter 6: Changes

Several school days, study sessions, and finals later, summer finally began, and Kelsey was swinging through the city on patrol as Arachnoblast, sorting out her thoughts. Kelsey was officially a few short months away from becoming a sophomore, while Harry and Peter were on their way to driver's licenses and junior year. Kelsey had gotten to know Harry during various lunches and study meetups, and the more she got to know him, the more she noticed the adverse traits he had developed from years of being squashed down and disregarded by his father. Kelsey wished she could make Norman Osborn a better man, a better father to her new friend, but unfortunately her powers didn't include any kind of mind control.

Speaking of her powers, Kelsey had begun to really solidify her whole superhero Arachnoblast thing, even settling on a costume that she found fashionable and functional and that let her long hair flow out in a low ponytail. She had designed a Newsies-based costume, naturally, that was largely bright pink and dark blue with teal spiderweb designs on the pink fingerless gloves, hat, and calf-length boots, plus yellow accents that bore the appearance of suspenders and buttons. It also had a cape skirt-type article that had a teal spiderweb-patterned lining, and large white eyes bordered with teal added a pop of brightness to the dark blue mask. She had figured that the welcoming colors and friendly flat cap would help the people recognize that she was dedicated to public service, and it had largely worked, but the Daily Bugle still refused to write a single kind word about her, adopting the nickname "Arachno-brat" in many of its headlines. Kelsey largely ignored the nosy news, still refusing to allow any clear photos to be taken of her, but the public's distrust when she was working so hard to protect them still hurt.

Since summer had removed the burden of school and homework, Kelsey found significantly more time to swing freely through the streets, mastering her new mode of transportation and fighting triple the crime she had before. With more time to fight, however, Kelsey discovered that there was even more crime and danger in New York than she had previously anticipated, and she wondered if she would ever be able to keep it down while living her regular life with her friends, father, and school. Whenever the thought crossed her mind, she would often shake it away, not wanting to fall into despair as she resolved to cross that bridge when she came to it.

In other news, Harry had been right about Oscorp gaining business after the destruction of Quest Aerospace's testing facility. Oscorp had started booming like never before with no further incidents, although many of its competitors began to experience explosion-related difficulties similar to the one at Quest, still with no leads on the culprit. As these companies fell, Oscorp continued to grow, and Justin seemed to spend more and more time at work.

That was another reason Kelsey enjoyed swinging and fighting crime so much. If she was gone frequently, she didn't need to notice that her father was gone frequently. It wasn't exactly ideal, especially since she had been late to dinner and skipped chores enough for her father to worry, but it was certainly working. Besides, she couldn't tell her dad that she was missing dinnertime and forgetting to do chores because she was busy saving the city, because then he would worry even more, and he'd be in danger. So, Kelsey kept her distance. It hurt to dig a chasm between herself and her dad, but it was necessary for his safety and her comfort. Besides, Kelsey had been able to swing in and help several small businesses as Arachnoblast, including Joe's Pizza, which earned her a free slice of pizza anytime she stopped by in costume. Still, as the weeks went on, she grew more lonely and wanted to spend more time with her friends, which had grown exceedingly difficult outside of school and studying.

One day in early June, Kelsey flopped onto her bed in full costume, exhausted from her hours of swinging. Still, she found the energy to perk up when her phone dinged with a notification from the neglected group chat she had with Harry and Peter. An excited smile spread across her face as she read the message from Harry: Guys it's been too longgggg we gotta hang out