Spider-Man Season One: Freestyle

6-1: The Old and the New Part 1

As a superhero, I was riding a high after taking down Speed Demon. I was feeling myself for quite a while, and I eagerly took to the streets every day to try to find a new opportunity to save the day.

That feeling died as the streets gave me no such opportunity for multiple weeks.

I suppose that was good, since it gave me an excuse to focus on school as we ended the first semester. None of my classes were particularly hard, but being busy had hurt my grades a bit, so for a few classes I needed to ensure I got an A on the exam.

Everything worked out fine. I got together with Harry and Gwen on the day after exams to just relax a little bit. We spent an evening in Harry's penthouse at Oscorp, talking, laughing, whatever. I realized while we sat there that I hadn't gotten nearly enough of this. I wanted to be Spider-Man, I needed to be Peter Parker, but also...I needed to be...absolutely nothing, just for a little bit.

I watched Gwen and Harry chat about some things. They'd always had somewhat of a friendship, even before I really connected with Harry. It made me wish I could share things as much as I wanted to. I longed to get off my chest the feelings that went through my head as a superhero. But I couldn't risk it. I cared about them enough to not want them involved, to know that people like Schulz and Kraven might do...who knows what...to try to take me down.

I almost didn't notice Harry walk over to me and plop himself in a recliner beside me. "So...how's it going with that girl you're tutoring?"

"Mary Jane?" I replied. "Oh, it's, uh...fine. I mean, great, technically. She really improved her grades, and her counselor advised her to take things into her own hands if she feels ready. And she does, so...guess I'm out of the picture."

Harry looked at me for a good while, then grinned a little as he said, "Not that you want that."

I gave him a playful frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Really, Pete. You think I can't tell how much she blew you away? I've never seen you so excited to work on some science stuff, and that's saying something."

I could feel my cheeks redden. "Haha. It's not like you'd know anything about that."

He placed a hand on his chest. "Ouch! Didn't expect that comeback from you. Maybe you're right. But a guy can tell when another guy's got it. And trust me, Pete. You've got it."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled, but as the night went on, I found myself growing more silent as thoughts tumbled through my mind.

---

Christmas came and went. It was the first one I'd had with just Aunt May, but it was still happy. The two of us didn't let it bring down the mood. Even with a small celebration made smaller than normal, I felt pretty happy. I gave Aunt May a new pair of walking shoes, and she gave me a small battery powered spotlight that could be strapped onto clothes (she was always concerned with safety more than fashion-ability).

I spent a few days stuck at home, which were more boring than I anticipated. The weather was decent enough that May could grab some volunteer shifts at the clinic, but beyond the point where I'd be able to go hero-ing for a few hours without getting frostbite.

The first decent day came around on December 31st. The weather finally popped up to about 50 degrees by midday, and snow was melting off of rooftops in chunks.

I was almost giddy as I shoved my costume deep inside my backpack and zipped up a coat just to satisfy May. Before I got out the door, however, she asked, "Where exactly are you going Peter?"

It occurred to me I had never actually come with a reason to leave. I went for an old reliable.

"Uh...Gwen wanted to hang out for a little bit. At the park. I think she wanted to talk about something." I shifted my backpack on my shoulder.