darling [peter parker]

danger!

It started in sixth grade.

Midtown Middle School held its annual talent show, encouraging students to demonstrate their unique skills. As always, the 2013 edition was full of mediocre singing and kids who were only on stage because of a dare. Wendy Carter-Greene was the second-to-last act of the night. The stage lights dimmed and soft classical music filled the air.

It was then Wendy delivered a stellar performance that still followed her four years later.

Wendy had always enjoyed dance. She began ballet when she was three. When she was five, she began to explore different types of dance. It was her thing. She was the dance and gymnastics girl. Whenever the class had a bit of a free session, everyone asked her to show her flexible she was. She delighted and disgusted many over the years with her contortion tricks.

The Midtown Middle School talent show was a big deal to Wendy. She had a bit of a reputation to uphold. Everyone agreed she was guaranteed to win. That didn't stop Wendy from pouring hours of work into a ballet-meets-hip-hop routine set to Lady Gaga's Telephone (featuring Beyonce.) She wanted it to be amazing.

And it was.

She received a standing ovation from every member of the audience. There really was nothing quite like watching a 4'3" girl do a series of aerials while Lady Gaga sings. Wendy felt like she was on top of the world. It truly seemed as if she had it in the bag.

Until Peter Parker stepped onto the stage and timidly recited one-hundred and fifty numbers of pi.

If you asked anyone, the judges were totally biased. Two of them were math teachers, one of whom was known in the school for her love of pi. Wendy liked to believe that bias was the only reason Peter Parker won first place in that stupid talent show. She was bitter, sure, but she quickly got over it. She had to admit his recitation was pretty impressive. However, it wasn't soon after that she began to notice a pattern.

Suddenly, she was always second place to Peter Parker.

First, it was some silly test review game in science class. Then it was marching band, followed by academic competitions, followed by bus rides. She was always just a point or two behind, or she missed one note he hit, or she wrote a bit slower than him, or the route just happened to be crafted so Peter was dropped off before her even though she lived closer to the school. It was infuriating. Peter Parker was somehow just naturally better than her. No matter how much work she put into something, he was better.

For a year or two, she told herself it wasn't his fault. She repeated the phrase like a mantra until she attended a photography contest and received second place. First place was Peter Parker.

It was then she became convinced he was after her, that he was doing this all on purpose. Photography had evolved into one of her things. Everyone knew that. Since when was Peter Parker into photography? He must have just taken it up so he could beat her at something else.

Everyone else thought he was so sweet and kind and innocent, but Wendy knew the truth. He was an asshole who was determined to make her life hell. His cute puppy dog appearance was just a mask to lure you in, give you a false sense of security. By eighth grade, Wendy was done falling for his little act.

Wendy's parents assured her he would get his comeuppance, that one day she'd be freed of him, but high school came and there he was again, sitting next to her in honors geometry. He always asked her if she needed help. God, he was so condescending. She could tell she made him nervous, though. She liked that, knowing she filled him with fear.

The pattern held. Peter Parker always one-upped her. He beat her out just the tiniest bit for the student decathlon team. Her science fair projects were never as good as his. Shit, even when her great-aunt passed away, the school social-sphere quickly moved on from consoling her to congratulating Peter Parker on his new internship with Tony Stark. She was broken and hurting and no one gave a shit because perfect Peter Parker proved he was better than everyone else once again.

So, really, she supposed this all made sense. All of the competitions and contests had led up to this moment. This moment of her surrounded on all sides by unfamiliar men with panic-inducing glints in their eyes and the flashing lights from the neon signs in the store windows hitting their gaunt faces in just the right way to make them look absolutely demonic. This moment of her armed with nothing but her small fists and a non-functional can of mace. She had told herself time and time again that she'd do anything to triumph over Peter Parker, and this bet they made, this challenge he swore he never initiated, was basically a death warrant. She knew that going in.

The danger didn't matter to Wendy Carter-Greene. It was the prize she yearned for that mattered. As long as she got to see the look on Peter Parker's face when she told him she won, she'd put herself through hell and back. She was a stubborn little girl who grew up with the idea that when the world tells you to move, you plant your feet. So the danger didn't matter to Wendy Carter-Greene. It didn't matter until she was stranded by herself on a street she'd never been down before even in the light of day with no around for miles who could possibly help her.

The danger didn't matter to Wendy Carter-Greene until she was smack dab in the middle of it.