Spider-Woman

Chapter 2

I finally pulled myself back to my feet after what felt like hours.  Maybe it had been.  My face was soaked and my nose was runny.  After lying in dust, I wasn't feeling very well.

I headed to the bathroom, searching through the medicine cabinet.  I found a half-full bottle of antihistamine.  As I swallowed a couple pills, a shocking thought passed through my mind.

How old were they?

I frantically searched the bottle for an expiration date, finding nothing.  I racked my brain, trying to remember what I already knew about medicine.  As I thought, a pain shot through the pit of my stomach, and it wasn't from feeling sick.  It was a pain of longing and regret.  If I had boarded that plane, I would have gone to Oxford, where I would have taken medical classes.

I shook my head, recalling something about how some medicines were okay to take after the expiration date, only reducing the effects.  I hoped anitihistamine was one of them.

---

For some odd reason, the electricity still worked, but I couldn't use it without my parents suddenly recieving a higher bill.  I knew how to prevent that, though.

Am I willing to break the law just to hide from my family?  Everything was getting even worse as the day went on.  Why was I doing this?  I had made a mistake.  I should have gotten on that plane.

But, still, I was determined.  Maybe I would get caught, maybe I wouldn't.  Some things were worth it.  Was this?  I had the knowledge, but the guts?

As I began ripping out wires from the walls and connecting them to other places, apparently I did.  It was much more involved than just changing a few wires, though.  I had to pick up a few things at the grocery store, practically draining my money supply.  I desperately needed my other luggage.  There was a bit more money there.  Not much, but some.

Finally, after several long, sweaty hours, I was finished.  It was dark outside.  I checked the digital alarm clock.  It was long after midnight.  Exhausted, I washed some bedsheets to rid them of the dust, finally collapsing on the mattress in a deep slumber.

---

"Well that was something," I said, heading to the edge of the roof.  The night sky surrounded the brightly-lit city as far as my eyes could see, and even further.  The steady rhythm or car horns echoed below.  Peter sighed from behind me. 

"I'm sorry.  You know, I thought he was gonna arrest me at one point," he replied apologetically.

"Nah, I wouldn't have let him arrest you."  I watched him as he placed his hands on the edge of the roof wall, leaning his head down so he was staring down at the busy streets twenty stories below.  He was practically lying across the edge.  "What happened to your face?"

He spoke before I could finish.  "I'm gonna tell you something," he said perking up.

"Oh, okay," I said, giving an airy laugh.  I cocked my head, leaning on the edge expectantly.  What was he going to say?

Peter hesitated, opening his mouth and closing it again.  He finally said more.  "I've been bitten."  He looked a little uncomfortable, but in an extremely adorable kind of way. 

"So have I," I replied.  I smiled, bouncing on my feet and against the wall.  We stared at each other for a minute, one that was so sweet that I felt giddy inside, when he looked away, even more uncomfortable than before.  Something was up.

He bit his lip, shaking his head.  "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, I gotta tell you this one thing.  I gotta tell you this one thing, and it's about the vigilante and the car thief, all right?"

"Oh, okay," I said, stepping back, extremely disappointed.  I watched him as he shifted uneasily, and I was growing impatient.   "I don't want to talk about that..."

"No, no, no, no, no, don't, no, don't, no."  He waved his hand in front of him frantically in dismissal.  "Okay, no.  Forget that.  I'm not gonna talk about it I'm gonna talk about I'm gonna talk about me, okay?"  He was reluctant and confused.  Was he afraid to tell me something?

"What about you?"  I asked.

"It's impo- I ca- I wish I could just..."  He moved his hands from the base of his neck to his chin as if he was trying to imitate forcing something out.  "I can't.  It's hard to say."

"Just say," I whispered, pleading.

He sighed, mumbling, "Oh, I don't know..."  He bent back over the edge of the roof.

"Why, what?"  My tone was becoming desperate and annoyed.  He looked back up at me.  "What?"  Peter stared at me some more, then shook his head, bending down once again.  I turned around and began walking away, frustrated.  "Oh, forget it."

Suddenly, something stuck to my side, pulling me backward in a spin.  I landed into Peter's arms, shocked and amazed.  I gasped, choking on my own breaths.  Our faces weren't even an inch apart, and then his forehead touched mine.  I stared into his brown eyes, feeling as if I was hyperventilating, but unsure of really what to think.

"You're..."  I began to whisper, but he silenced me with a kiss.  I allowed him to kiss me for a moment, and I kissed back, but I broke away, attempting to speak again.  "You're Spider-Man..."

"Shut up," he said, continuing our kiss.  My heart quickened, and I allowed myself to sink deeply into our kiss, thinking of nothing else, completely lost to the world.  His hands were cupped around my cheeks, and I couldn't remember when he'd put them there.  I didn't care.  I wrapped my arms around his neck, his face, and we kissed, we kissed, we kissed...

"Gwen?"  At first, I didn't hear my mother call me.  But then she said my name again.  I spun around, reluctantly breaking free from Peter, to see her standing in the doorway.  "Um, your father wants you to come inside right away."

"Okay," I said.

"'Kay?"

"Yeah."  I nodded, pursing my lips together awkwardly.  Peter's back was turned; he was probably feeling just as embarrassed as I was.  I only stood there, unsure of what to do.  My mother disappeared, only to reappear.

"Gwen?"  Her voice had an edge of impatience.

"I'm coming," I replied with a whisper, beginning to follow her out.  I paused to look back at Peter, who returned my gaze longingly.  I gave another surprised laugh, and continued to walk.  Sirens sounded in the distance.  When I was inside the doorway, I turned around once more, just in time to see Peter slowly stepping closer to the edge.  There was a worried feeling in the pit of my stomach:  I just knew what was about to happen.  Sure enough, he placed his hands on the wall and hoisted himself over the edge to fall through the brightly lit night sky.

"Oh, I'm in trouble," I told myself.

---

I woke up to find early afternoon sunlight beaming through the bedroom window.  I sat up, yawning.  Loneliness pierced through my heart, and I collapsed back down on the mattress with internal emotional pain.  My dream was a memory.  One of my favorite memories.

More memories flooded my mind, more recent ones.  I remembered the previous night and day.  I screamed with frustration, anger, sadness, loneliness, and many other emotions with a passion.  Tears trailed down my cheeks.  I wanted to go home.  I wanted to see Peter.  I wanted this all to end.