Webbed Writer

The Daily Bugle

After a completely restless night, I trudged up the stairs to my new office at The Daily Bugle. I had been dreading this Monday more than any Monday of my whole life. Today, I officially make the move from writing articles for the biggest news magazine in the city, to writing for a sleazy, dying newspaper.
Working at The Manhattan Magazine hadn't been all the glitz and glamor that I had dreamed, but at least there I was writing things with real content. I was writing cover stories, at 24 years old. Something unheard of in the city of New York. Now I was slumming it at a newspaper that wasn't the tiniest bit trustworthy. A newspaper that barely sold any copies unless it had a great picture of Spider-Man across the front of it. Which oddly happened at least once a week.
It was strange though; the cover photographer obviously had some kind of relationship with the masked vigilante, yet every great picture was plastered with some bullshit headline. Last week's said "SPIDER-MAN; WEBHEAD WACKO?". It seemed extremely peculiar to me but maybe that was just my journalist way of being suspicious of everything.
I opened the door and made my way to my boss's office. J. Jonah Jameson was the big sleazball behind all the counterfeit stories that ran at this paper, but the man was nice enough to give me the job even though I had been barred from every other journalist position in the city. And for that, I had to respect him. Even if he stared at my chest for too long, or made inappropriate remarks about my legs. I didn't have much of choice in the matter considering I was drowning in student loans and currently living at my parents.
As I made my way to his door, his assistant Elizabeth stopped me. "I wouldn't go in there right now." She whispered just loud enough so I could hear. Elizabeth had short brown hair and these blue eyes that shined like the Hudson on a good day. She was almost forty and had worked with Jameson for nearly 15 years. God Bless Her Soul.
I looked at her curiously, "Why? What's—?" I was interrupted as screams erupted from the other side of the door. I could make out Jameson, "IM NOT PAYING YOU THAT MUCH GODDAMN MONEY FOR THE SAME FUCKING PICTURE YOU GAVE ME LAST WEEK!"
A boy, he sounded young but confident, talked loudly (not quite screaming) in response. "I am the only reason you make any of this fucking money. These pictures are your livelihood." He paused, obviously frustrated. "I have only been loyal to you because you gave me a job when no one else would. Raise my pay or I am finally walking out of this shithole."
A silence settled over the office and I exchanged a look with Elizabeth. She looked proud, like the boy was someone she knew well. I gave her a questioning look and she almost began talking when a young man walked out of Jameson's office. He had brown, curly hair and stood tall with brooding look strewn across his face. He gave a slight, closed mouth smile to Elizabeth before locking eyes with mine. His face quickly turned back to being serious and then he was gone.
I turned to Elizabeth as she got up from her chair. She still had a proud smile covering her face. "Who was that?"
"That was Peter Parker." She watched as he finally exited the office to head towards the stairs. "Wait, that's the guy who takes all those pictures of Spider-Man?" I followed her gaze out the door.
"Yeah, why? What'd you expect?" She looked at me quizzically, like she was challenging me. Elizabeth obviously had some weird protective thing over this guy. "I just didn't think he'd look like that."
The assistant softened as she noticed my blush. "Oh you mean totally jacked and handsome? Yeah you get used to it." My blush deepened as I tried to retort but she kept talking. "Well let me get you settled and I'll have you talk to J after he calms down. I never like to send someone in there after Pete." She stepped out from behind her desk and lead me to two open ones in the back of the small office. "This is where you'll be," she pointed to one on the left and I began setting my stuff down and thanking her. "Get all comfortable and I'll set you up with your company email and get you started on some paperwork." I nodded and she turned, beginning to walk away before looking back to me. "Oh also, I wanted to tell you how lucky I think we are to have you. You're a wonderful writer, and I just can't bring myself to believe all those horrible rumors about you. If you need anything let me know."