《Extra-Curricular Issues: A Spiderman Fanfiction》 Part 1 ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Nikki, blonde curls limp around her shoulders, stepped into the dim apartment. Her mom was there, in the armchair where she¡¯d left her, still in a bathrobe. Nikki slipped off her shoes and dropped her backpack on the kitchen table. The light switch flipped and the gloom was banished by the light. ¡°Turn it off.¡± Her mom murmured, eyes not moving from a spot on the wall. The air deflated out of Nikki. She obeyed, then grabbed her homework and shut herself into her room. * * * At school the next day Nikki made her way through the milling students in the hallways. A short, soft-eyed girl bounced up beside her. ¡°Hey, Raina.¡± Nikki greeted her but didn¡¯t stop walking. ¡°What¡¯d you do this weekend?¡± Raina asked. ¡°I was researching for the assignment Mr. Jennings gave us.¡± ¡°Oh. I watched Youtube. Wow, you¡¯re fast!¡± Raina was practically trotting to keep up as they wove through a group of cheerleaders. ¡°Have you heard about that guy fighting all the crime? There¡¯s tons of videos of him. He¡¯s so hot!¡± Nikki halted and spun around, making the girl almost run into her. ¡°He should leave that to the police,¡± she said, voice going hard. Raina¡¯s brows rose, ¡°Maybe, but ¨C¡± Just then the buzzer warned students to get moving. The two hurried into their class and took their seats. * * * There was nothing left to eat, unless olives and a couple dried bread ends counted. Nikki¡¯s stomach groaned as she stood in front of the open fridge that evening. ¡°Mom, what are we going to eat?¡± There was no response from the curtained living room. Nikki¡¯s eyes stung and she blinked rapidly. ¡°Mom?¡± Nikki straightened and slammed the fridge closed. She clenched her hands till her fingers ached. ¡°We can¡¯t keep living like this!¡± She yelled. The apartment gobbled up her outburst, leaving Nikki feeling utterly alone in the silence. Nikki swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn¡¯t let herself break down like her mom, she had to be the strong one. She forced her panic into a box and buried it deep, then reached for the jar of olives. * * * Time seemed to move slower when she was hungry. Classes dragged by and all she could think about was her aching stomach and how many hours were left till lunch. ¡°¨C did good jobs on your research papers.¡± She only half heard Mr. Jennings. ¡°Now each of you will present your findings to the class in the coming days.¡± The students groaned. Nikki lifted her chin out of her hand and sat up. Finally, something she was good at; for the first time, she was thinking of something other than food. * * * After school, Nikki was full and felt as though she could take on anything. Even if that thing was applying for a part-time job at Jack¡¯s Flap Cakes. She¡¯d changed into her best dress, doing her best to conceal the growing tear in the hem. A small purse swung at her side, blue dyed leather and silver clutch. It¡¯d been a gift from her dad¡¯s travels. It was empty, but she liked to wear it anyway; it made her feel braver.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. She paused outside the breakfast joint¡¯s door, resisting the sweet smells of syrup that drew customers in. If she got a job here, would her fate be sealed forever? What if her dreams got drowned under pancake syrup? Then she thought of her mom¡¯s vacant eyes, and the empty fridge, and all the over-due bills that piled on the table. Nikki took a step forward. Before she could open the door, however, there was a sharp tug on her shoulder. She looked down and her purse was gone! She turned just in time to see a grey-haired woman in a ratty overcoat limp across the street, clutching her purse. ¡°Stop!¡± Nikki tore after her. The woman wasn¡¯t in good health, and Nikki was fast; in no time she overtook the woman. She tackled the lady, sending them both sprawling on the ground just inside a narrow alleyway. The purse flew out of the woman¡¯s grasp. Nikki fumbled after it. They grabbed it at the same time. The woman tugged; Nikki tugged harder. All at once, Nikki found she couldn¡¯t move. Threads wrapped around her from nowhere, sticky and thin, but stronger than wire. The homeless lady limped off down the alley, clutching her prize close. Nikki watched helplessly. ¡°You know, it¡¯s not nice to steal old ladies¡¯ purses.¡± A masked figure landed in front of her. He wore a tight red and blue suit, the ridiculous skin-tight getup that vigil-antis thought made them look cool. The eyes of the mask unnerved Nikki, huge and focusing and unfocusing like lenses. ¡°You idiot! That was my purse!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± The guy¡¯s bravado melted away. ¡°It¡¯s just you tackled her, you were tugging ¨C she looked pretty innocent to me.¡± The masked person helped her out of the webbing. ¡°My bad.¡± Nikki could hardly see straight, trembling between tears and rage. ¡°Yeah, you assumed. That¡¯s why you leave things to the law!¡± ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll buy you a new purse, ok? Just tell me how much cash you had in it. I¡¯ll make it up to you, I swear!¡± Nikki grew still. She glared at the masked man. ¡°My dad gave me that purse.¡± She turned on her heels and stalked out of the alley. * * * More bills were in the mailbox. Nikki walked the flight of steps to her apartment and dropped the envelopes on the table with the rest of the unopened mail. She went and stood in front of her mom. Her cheeks were sunken, her skin seemed like it might crumble. ¡°Your job called, said you¡¯d be welcomed back whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± Nikki said. Her mom¡¯s empty expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I know you¡¯re sad, Mom. I know that you don¡¯t want to go on ¨C but I¡¯m sad too and¡­ I really need you right now¡­ please.¡± Her mom blinked, but wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes. Nikki took a shaky breath. She turned away. ¡°I¡¯ve got homework to do.¡± As Nikki walked to her room, she hesitated, hoping ¨C aching that her mom would stand up, say that everything was going to be fine, come over and give her a hug. But that was only wishful thinking. Nikki shut her door. * * * In Mr. Jennings¡¯ class the next day, Nikki stood tall as she gave her presentation. Inside, she wished lunch hour could¡¯ve come before social sciences, but outwardly she was the picture of confidence. ¡°That¡¯s why, even though the concords were a step in the right direction, I believe the governments need to take more drastic actions to ensure the safety of their citizens and keep these so called ¡®heroes¡¯ from using their powers at all.¡± ¡°Thank you, Nikki.¡± Mr. Jennings nodded when she finished. ¡°It¡¯s refreshing to hear an opinion from the other side of this topic. Does anyone have any questions for her?¡± A scrawny boy in a blue cardigan raised his hand. ¡°Um¡­ if the superheroes get these amazing powers, wouldn¡¯t it be wrong to not use them to help others? I mean, if you won the lottery, the best way to use all that money would be to give it away.¡± Several students murmured agreement. Nikki pressed her fingertips into her forehead for a moment, then leveled the boy with a superior glare. ¡°Your point sounds noble on the surface, but you can¡¯t simplify such an intricate social justice issue like that. These ¡®superheroes¡¯ are only people ¨C which means you can¡¯t guarantee that they will always do what¡¯s right. That¡¯s why we have the law in place, an unwavering beckon of justice for those who live under it, and appropriate punishment for those who won¡¯t.¡± She probably would¡¯ve kept going. But to the class¡¯s relief, the bell interpreted her. * * * It was hard to see in the dim alley, but Nikki was used to such lighting. She hunted under boxes, inside trash cans, in darkened corners. Logically, the woman should¡¯ve tossed the purse once she found it empty. But so far, Nikki hadn¡¯t any luck. She was about to give up when something stuck on the wall caught her eye. An object was attached high up with the same sticky cords that vigil-anti had used yesterday. Finding an empty garbage, Nikki tipped it over and climbed the wobbling can to investigate. The threads were strong, but also springy. After a quick search around, she found a glass bottle with a broken end. She slashed at the cords. There didn¡¯t seem to be any progress until suddenly the cords snapped and the object fell down on top of her. Nikki wasn¡¯t expecting that. She tumbled backward, landing hard on the ground. She fumbled at the zippers, fingers trembling. She expected to find guns, or drugs, but what she found inside was even more startling. The mask of the vigil-anti stared up at her, the huge eyes lifeless. The back of her neck prickled. Nikki looked about her, nobody else was in the alleyway. Before she had time to think, she scooped up the bag and ran home. Part 2 ¡°Ned, you¡¯re going to be late for class!¡± Peter spotted his best friend sitting on the floor of the hallway, madly scribbling away on paper. His clothes looked like he¡¯d slept in them, and his dark hair hadn¡¯t been washed today. The hallway was beginning to empty as students made a dash to beat the last bell. ¡°That report is due today. I¡¯ve got to have something to turn in.¡± Ned scanned what he wrote and gave a nod of satisfaction. Peter helped him up. ¡°We¡¯ve had all week, what were you doing?¡± Peter asked as they jogged toward class. ¡°I was helping a certain friend take down some bad guys.¡± The two exchanged grins. ¡°You really should get your homework done before video games.¡± Peter admonished. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Ned jabbed back. They slipped into their seats just as the last bell rang. * * * The two lingered outside after school, enjoying the warm day. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be needing the man in the chair today?¡± Ned asked. Peter shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve got other things to worry about, but I¡¯ll call you if anything serious comes up, promise.¡± Ned groaned. ¡°I am not looking forward to that presentation. Should I wear my hat?¡± Peter was already on his way out. ¡°You should definitely wear the hat!¡± He said, waving goodbye. * * * Peter stopped by Mr. Dell Monty¡¯s food stand. It was a temporary installment, until construction on his store was complete. After getting a sandwich, Peter ducked into an alleyway. He glanced both ways before tossing down his backpack and shedding his school clothes. He pulled out a red and blue suit and pulled it on like a second skin. Stuffing his other clothes into his backpack he slung it against the wall and secured it with a barrage of webs shooting from the devices on his wrists. Good afternoon, Peter. ¡°Hey Karen,¡± Peter greeted the suit¡¯s built-in AI. ¡°Let¡¯s see who needs saving today!¡± He leapt at the wall, nimbly clinging to the brick surface. He backflipped and landed on the adjacent wall, continuing to spring from side to side till he got to the top. ¡°What are the scanners saying today?¡± There was a hold up¡­ the police already arrived at that¡­ a report of domestic violence that¡¯s already been investigated ¨C ¡°Wait, I see something.¡± Down below, Peter spotted a girl chasing down an old woman. The girl caught up to her and tackled the woman to the ground. Peter leapt off the building, going into freefall and at the last minute shooting out a web. It caught on a light pole, and he pulled up in a smooth arch. He landed on the far building, just above the girl trying to wrench a purse out of the lady¡¯s hands. Peter shot a barrage of webs at the girl, tying her up. The old woman, now free from her grip, limped away with the purse. Peter swung down to confront the thief. ¡°You know, it¡¯s not nice to steal old ladies¡¯ purses.¡± The girl stared at him, face livid with disbelief. ¡°You idiot! That was my purse!¡± Peter took a step back, hugging his arms. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s just, you tackled her, you were tugging ¨C ¡± He unfolded his arms and tried to sound older. ¡°¨C She looked pretty innocent to me.¡± Just then Peter realized the girl was still tied up. He scrambled to help remove the webs. ¡°My bad.¡± He apologized. ¡°Yeah, you assumed.¡± She spat, ¡°that¡¯s why you should leave things to the law.¡± ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll buy you another purse, just tell me how much cash you had in it. I¡¯ll make it up to you, I swear!¡± Peter thought the girl looked like she might cry. ¡°My Dad gave me that purse.¡± She said, then turned and left him in the alley.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Sheesh, you¡¯d think I was the one who¡¯d stolen it! Karen, search for heat signatures in the area.¡± Peter filtered out the general foot traffic and scanned for anything in the direction the lady had disappeared. Nothing. How could an old lady move so fast? Peter climbed back to the rooftop and rescanned the whole area; it was as if she¡¯d vanished. In an intersecting street, Peter caught sight of something. He turned off his heat sensors and swung down to check it out. It was a small blue purse, with a stitched-on patch that read ¡°Sokovia.¡± Peter checked the inside; empty. ¡°At least I can return her purse for her.¡± If you knew who she was. Karen helpfully pointed out. Peter smacked his forehead. Just then he heard two men talking. ¡°A new shipment is coming this evening. Want me to alert the customers?¡± A deeper voice spoke up, ¡°Yes, but be discreet. The police know about the flowers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I only do our adverting in person now,¡± the first voice replied. Peter listened closer, but the conversation was over. ¡°Karen, did you hear that!?¡± he whispered, ¡°it sounds like a drug deal!¡± You should gather more intel before storming the gates this time. ¡°Right. Think before I act. Spiderman needs to go undercover!¡± Isn¡¯t a mask undercover already? ¡°No! They¡¯ll see me coming a mile away.¡± Peter paced the alley. He snapped his fingers. ¡°I know! Tomorrow I¡¯ll show up as one of their customers!¡± That doesn¡¯t sound like a very good plan. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You worry too much.¡± Peter shot out a web and launched into the air. * * * ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Peter shut the door behind him. The apartment was filled with the warm scents of dinner cooking. Aunt May appeared in the kitchen doorway, apron messy and brandishing a wooden spoon. Her long auburn hair was tied back to keep flour from getting into it. ¡°Peter, thank goodness!¡± Although she was in her forties, she looked much younger. ¡°Is something up?¡± Peter asked, pausing on the way to his bedroom. ¡°Hm? No, I guess I just worry.¡± ¡°Better not, you¡¯ll go getting more grey hairs that way.¡± She shook the spoon at him. ¡°Alright, young whippersnapper, you hurry up, dinner will be in ten.¡± She said, mimicking an old granny voice. * * * School the next day crept by at a snail¡¯s pace. Peter gave Ned two thumbs up as Ned finished his presentation, hat and all. He was looking forward to lunch next, when Mr. Jennings spoke. ¡°I believe we have time for one more today.¡± Peter stopped gathering his things. When he looked up and saw the student presenting, he froze. It was the girl from the alleyway. Peter suddenly wished he had the ability to shrink to the size of an ant. But there was no way she¡¯d recognize him, right? He tried to appear relaxed, knees jittering under the desk. Then he heard what her research was about and his ears grew red as he listened. She was passionately detailing every reason why superheroes should be outlawed. When the teacher asked for questions, Peter knew he should keep a low profile, but he raised his hand. Ned shot him a warning look. ¡°Um¡­¡± Peter swallowed, ¡°if the superheroes get these amazing powers, wouldn¡¯t it be wrong to not use them to help others? I mean, if you won the lottery, the best way to use all that money would be to give it to others.¡± Ned and a couple other students murmured their agreement. That made him feel better. The girl looked as irritated as she had yesterday. ¡°Your point sounds noble on the surface, but you can¡¯t simplify such an intricate social justice issue like that.¡± She continued to belittle him for several long minutes more until the bell finally rang. * * * Peter couldn¡¯t get out of school fast enough. He¡¯d felt like he was the target of that hero-hater all day long. He questioned if he still wanted to return her purse. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re better than that, Peter.¡± He said to himself. Away from the school now, Peter sprang up a building and searched for the spot he¡¯d been at yesterday. When he got there, he unslung his backpack and glanced at his suit inside. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he zipped it, suit still inside, and tossed the bag up high, lashing it to the wall with webs. From the audio he¡¯d picked up yesterday he¡¯d already triangulated the location of the men. Pulling up his hood and securing his earphones, he jogged further into the alleyway. * * * He found the warehouse right where he calculated it would be. But he discovered that several police cars with flashing lights were crammed up the narrow space, and an officer was escorting a cuffed man into a car. Peter did a sharp U-turn and walked back the way he came, his head down. ¡°What was that!?¡± I alerted the authorities of the locations you pinpointed. Karen¡¯s voice came through the Bluetooth headphones. ¡°I could¡¯ve handled it myself.¡± Likely, but I felt your time would be better spent elsewhere. Out of sight of the bust, Peter climbed up to the roofline. ¡°Next time I make that call, Karen. I¡¯m the superhero here.¡± He crawled up the opposite wall and swung down into the first alley. But when he went to retrieve his backpack, alarm shot through him. It wasn¡¯t where he¡¯d left it. ¡°No, no, no, no! So not good. Tony¡¯s going to kill me!¡± * * * Aunt May glanced up as Peter rushed in. ¡°Okay, now something¡¯s happened.¡± She stood up, her forehead creasing as she looked him up and down. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need to borrow your phone.¡± ¡°What happened to yours?¡± She asked, handing hers over all the same. ¡°I, uh, lost it.¡± Peter glanced up at his aunt. She had her hands on her hips. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you lost another backpack.¡± Peter nodded and put the phone to his ear. ¡°What about the suit?¡± Peter winced. ¡°Yeah, that too.¡± The dial tone filled the stunned silence. ¡°Hello?¡± Ned¡¯s voice came across the line. ¡°Ned, it¡¯s Peter. I need the man in the chair. Like, right now.¡± Peter mouthed a thank you to his aunt and ducked into his room. ¡°Ready and at your service!¡± ¡°I need you to track my suit for me.¡± ¡°You lost it, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Just tell me you still have the GPS installed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Peter could hear the keyboard clacking. ¡°Uh-oh.¡± ¡°What?¡± Peter¡¯s grip on the phone tightened. ¡°Well, you know that smart, anti-hero girl in class today?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Because your suit is at her apartment.¡± Peter had trouble taking this in. ¡°Wait, how do you know that it¡¯s hers?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say, as man in the chair, I¡¯m privileged to special information. The real question is, why is it there?¡± Peter looked at the blue purse on his desk. ¡°Send the address to this phone.¡± ¡°Already done.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best Ned.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Peter hung up and grabbed the purse. He opened his window and climbed out into the evening. Part 3 Nikki wasn¡¯t surprised when there was a knock on the door. Even though she¡¯d rehearsed what she¡¯d do, suddenly this didn¡¯t seem like such a good idea. She slowly opened the door, pepper spray ready behind her back. But instead of some threatening man standing there, it was the kid that¡¯d challenged her in class. She opened the door further. ¡°What do you want?¡± She demanded. He held her purse up. She gasped and snatched it. ¡°I, uh, found it lying in an alley.¡± She looked him up and down through narrowed eyes. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and his blue cardigan looked disheveled. ¡°How did you know that it was mine?¡± She asked. The boy laughed and hugged his arms close. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a long story¡­ can I come in?¡± ¡°No.¡± She stood her ground as he tried to press his way in. ¡°Ok. Fine. Spiderman told me it was yours, okay?¡± ¡°So you two are what? Buddies?¡± ¡°Yeah ¨C I mean, no ¨C um¡­¡± Nikki leaned closer and lowered her voice. ¡°Then you know that his real name is Peter Parker.¡± The boy¡¯s face went pale and Nikki grinned. She stepped aside and let him come in. * * * Peter was panicking. Of all the classmates to find out his identity, why¡¯d it have to be this hero hating girl? She¡¯d probably get on national television and proclaim his secret to the world. He tried to appear calm. She didn¡¯t know that he was Peter Parker. At least, he hoped. Unless this was a trap. Not knowing what else to do, Peter followed her into the dark apartment. His senses were working overtime, probing every shadowed corner for threats. All he found was a bare kitchen and a bathrobed woman sitting still in an armchair. Nikki led him to the kitchen table. His backpack was there, with all his belongings dug through. She picked up a chemistry book and pointed to a name written on the inside page. It was his name, and there was his suit.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°You stole these from him?¡± He tried his best to sound offended. He started gathering his up stuff. ¡°He left them in an alleyway. If you ask me, he¡¯s pretty careless.¡± Peter slung the bag on his shoulders and headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got a lot going on.¡± Nikki followed him. ¡°He¡¯s got the same textbooks as us, you know what that means, right?¡± Peter rushed as fast as he dared out the door. He hoped she couldn¡¯t see how much he was sweating. ¡°He¡¯s in our grade!¡± The girl stood in the doorway with a triumphant grin, ¡°and I¡¯m going to find out who he is!¡± Peter was about to take off down the hall, but he stopped short at that. He turned and looked at her. ¡°Spiderman¡¯s just trying to make the world a better place, is that so bad?¡± ¡°Superheroes do NOT make anything better!¡± Nikki stamped her foot, hands clenched. Peter was taken aback by her sudden outburst. ¡°Because of them, my dad is dead. The world would¡¯ve been fine without them. My life would¡¯ve been normal!¡± She slammed the door in his face. * * * Nikki eyed all the students in school the next day. She was looking for all the tells of someone with a double life; shifty eyes, a general air of broodiness, and of course, he¡¯d be unusually large and muscular. In social sciences, she had a hard time splitting her attention between what her teacher was saying and this more important task. Mr. Jennings was just calling for the first presentation of the day. ¡°Peter Parker, come up here please.¡± Nikki¡¯s heart nearly stopped. Then it quickened to a jackhammer hum as she looked around. She zeroed in on the nerd who¡¯d given her purse back yesterday. He slowly stood up and shuffled to the front of the class, gaze on the ground. ¡°Hey guys.¡± His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. Nikki almost felt disappointed. The vigil-anti was this kid? ¡°Imagine, if you would, New York City if there hadn¡¯t been any Avengers. There was so much we lost that we¡¯re still mad about, and even more disastrous events involving superheroes since.¡± Nikki knew he was purposely not looking at her. ¡°But that day when the aliens came would¡¯ve been a whole lot worse if we¡¯d not had anyone to fight for us. We¡¯d probably be an alien ruled planet right now. If it hadn¡¯t happened this decade, it would¡¯ve happened the next, because now we know that we¡¯re not the only ones in the universe. It¡¯s easy to want someone to blame when we¡¯re hurting, and superheroes have become our scapegoats.¡± Peter hesitated and looked directly at her before continuing, ¡°And I truly want to apologize to anyone in this room who¡¯s lost someone because of their actions.¡± She saw by his face that he meant it. She blinked and lowered her eyes. Somehow, just that apology, coming from someone whom she held partially responsible, made the knotted-up anger melt away inside. She felt like crying. ¡°But I want to remind you that they¡¯re out there, fighting the battles that we can¡¯t fight, to keep us safe. Sure, they make mistakes sometimes, we all do. That¡¯s just¡­ part of being human.¡± Again Peter made eye contact with Nikki. This time she thought she saw a question in his eyes. She had all the power over him, she knew his identity and could make his life a living nightmare in a heartbeat. But is that what she really wanted? What she really wanted was to have her dad back. But her dad was never coming back and blaming others wouldn¡¯t change that. What she really needed was to find a way to move on with life without him, and help her mom do the same. Maybe, in some small way, that made her a superhero too. She held his gaze, shooting him a quick, bright smile and a nod. His secret would be safe with her.