Spider-Man | Doesn't Need Help

CHAPTER 14

  Wasted, I looked at my "saving people" "outfit."

  Jesus, I'm so stupid, what am I even doing, it's such a stupid and ill-considered decision.

  For God's sake, who I don't believe in! I'm thirteen! What the hell can I do? What if I have superpowers!?

  I sighed, shaking my head in resignation.

  The outfit looked more like pajamas. They were the most normal clothes I could find at home and in the trash over the course of a few days.

  I immediately felt embarrassed when I remembered that when I was taking ordinary plastic swimming goggles out of a large container, a rather young woman must have entered the alley. How embarrassing it was...

  Aside from the glasses, I created the mask out of some old red material that I cut up and glued together a bit until it finally looked even, even. The main part of it was a red, buttoned-up sweatshirt, with light gray coming even under the gray-blue, sleeves.

  And in the very center, I drew with a black marker, an ordinary spider... Finally, thanks to my powers, I was like a spider.

  The whole thing didn't look the best, as I mentioned earlier, but I couldn't afford anything else at the moment.

  I started putting on the suit, and when I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror and groaned in devastation.

  I looked like a complete idiot...

  "No Peter! Don't think about it." I said to myself, raising both hands slightly up.

  I left May's basement where I had done this. Then, making sure none of the homeless people saw me, I went outside. I was wearing red and black open-fingered gloves, and my pants were almost the same color as the sleeves of my sweatshirt.

  I was doomed to finish my "work" in the basement, because the woman was in the apartment today. From one day to the next, the boss of the store where she worked gave her the day off, so she spent the whole day resting.

  "I have the whole day off today." She told me when, surprised by her presence at nine in the morning on Saturday, I met her in the kitchen.

  I nodded in understanding immediately, thinking about what I was going to do here today.

  "You know, Petey, maybe we could spend some time together. We could do something together, go somewhere. Oh! If you wanted, we could go to a restaurant like that, where they have great food! I've got a little money saved up and..."

  "I made an appointment with my new friend." I interrupted her without even looking at her.

  I won't lie, I felt a little stupid for simply lying to her, but I also felt a strange sense of déjà vu, because I used a similar excuse to get out of going with Ned to his place to put together some LEGO set with him.

  I looked up slightly, immediately seeing Aunt May smiling sadly.

  Right away, even though I didn't want it, I felt bad that I really had to say no to her when she just wanted to do well.

  My emotions were so conflicted... On the one hand, I didn't want to get attached to her for anything in the world. I didn't talk to her much, I didn't even see her much, but on the other hand... I felt like really dropping everything I had planned to do to show her that I was grateful for what she was doing for me.

  I shook my head, pushing the thoughts away, and then focused fully as I climbed to the top of the building.

  Ever since I started just flying, the best feeling I've ever had was when I first threw myself off a tall building and then all I really hoped for was for that spiderweb to fly out of my wrists.