I darted into the bathroom, my breath ragged as I leaned against the cold tiles. The Omnitrix on my wrist began beeping, its once vibrant green now flashing an alarming red.
"Great timing," I muttered, watching as the transformation energy drained away. In a flash of green light, I was back to being plain old BenTennyson. My fur was gone, replaced with my usual clothes.
I splashed cold water on my face, trying to steady my nerves. That was way too close. How am I supposed to explain this if anyone saw me?
Shaking off the thought, I bolted out of the bathroom, heading down another hallway to avoid the chaos. As I rounded a corner, I nearly collided with Ned, MJ, and Gwen.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, trying to mask my exhaustion with forced nonchalance.
Ned looked relieved to see me. "We were looking for you and Peter! Where did you go?"
I scratched the back of my neck, fumbling for an answer. "I, uh... ran off in the other direction when everyone started panicking. By the time I got outside, I realized I didn't see you guys, so I came back in to find you."
MJ narrowed her eyes but didn't press further. "Did you see Peter anywhere?"
"No," I lied smoothly. "That's actually why I was running around—trying to find him too."
Just as the words left my mouth, Peter appeared behind us, adjusting his bag and looking a bit frazzled.
"Peter! Where were you?" Gwen asked, her tone a mix of relief and frustration.
Peter blinked, caught off guard by the sudden interrogation. "Uh... I got stuck in the science lab when everything started going crazy. You know how Dr. Connors always keeps the door jammed? I couldn't get it open for a while. Then I heard the commotion and figured I should find you guys."
MJ raised an eyebrow. "Convenient timing."
Peter gave her an awkward smile, clearly trying to deflect. "Yeah, well, I'm here now, so crisis averted, right?"
Before anyone could dig further into his story, a booming voice echoed through the hallway.
"Children, get back outside! It's not safe in here!"
We turned to see none other than Captain George Stacy, Gwen's father, standing with a group of police officers. His sharp eyes scanned the group, lingering on Gwen for a moment.
"Gwen," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
She nodded quickly. "We're going, Dad."
Without another word, we all turned and ran toward the school's main exit.
As we made our way toward the crowd of students and teachers gathered in the parking lot, I glanced at Peter. He looked calm on the surface, but I knew him well enough to see the tension in his jaw.
As we regrouped outside, catching our breaths from the chaos, Ned suddenly burst out, "Guys, you won't believe what I saw inside!"
All eyes immediately turned to him—MJ, Gwen, Peter, and me—each of us eager but nervous to hear his account.
"What did you see?" Ben asked.
"Spider-Man!" Ned exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. "He was fighting this giant lizard monster! And get this—a huge orange dog jumped into the fight to help him!"
"A dog?" Peter chimed in, her voice avoiding suspision . "Like, an actual dog? Are you sure it wasn't some other creature?"
Gwen moved in and said "No, no, it was a dog! Well, kinda. It didn't have eyes, but it was massive! It jumped right in and started fighting alongside Spider-Man like they were a team or something!"
I tried to mask my reaction, keeping my expression neutral as the group turned to me for input. MJ crossed her arms, skeptical. "A dog? Fighting a giant lizard? That doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah," Peter added, scratching his head as if confused. "How could a dog possibly fight a creature like that? Maybe you just imagined it, Ned."
"I'm serious!" Ned insisted, looking frustrated at their disbelief. "It wasn't just any dog—it was like... some kind of superdog! It was fast, strong, and it could even roar! I think Spider-Man trained it to help him or something."
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back my irritation. Trained dog? Seriously?
"Wow, really? A dog?" I said aloud, injecting just enough sarcasm into my voice to cover up any genuine emotion.
"Yeah!" Ned continued, completely missing my tone. "It was crazy! It was like something out of a comic book!"
Peter chuckled nervously. "Ned, come on. Even if Spider-Man did have some kind of pet, there's no way a dog could take on a giant lizard monster. That's just... absurd."
I forced a laugh but inwardly felt offended. I'm no one's dog!
Gwen, however, seemed intrigued. "I mean, it does sound strange, but given all the weird stuff happening lately, who knows? Maybe it wasn't a dog. Maybe it was some kind of mutant creature."
"Mutant or not, it was incredible," Ned concluded. "And I swear, it was fighting like it was born for it. Spider-Man and that... dog, or whatever it was, made a great team."
As we stood there, still processing the chaos, a group of police officers approached us. Leading them was none other than Captain George Stacy. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd of students before landing on Gwen.
"Gwen," he said, his voice firm but laced with concern. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, Dad," she replied, stepping forward. "We're fine."
He looked at the rest of us, his expression softening slightly. "What about the rest of you? Did you see anything unusual or suspicious inside the building before the evacuation?"
Peter stepped forward, his usual awkward demeanor taking over. "Uh, no, sir. We, uh... we were in class when we heard the explosion. Everyone just started running, and we did the same."
I nodded quickly to back him up. "Yeah, it was chaos. We didn't really get a good look at what was happening."
Ned, however, looked like he was about to blurt out his story about Spider-Man and the "giant dog," but MJ elbowed him discreetly before he could say anything. "We were all just trying to get out safely," she added, shooting Ned a warning glance.
Captain Stacy studied us for a moment, then sighed. "All right. If you remember anything—or if you see anything unusual—you let me know immediately."
We all nodded in agreement, mumbling a chorus of "Yes, sir."
After a few more questions, the officers began directing students to the buses. "Get home safe," Captain Stacy said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
As we walked toward the waiting buses, Mj leaned in closer to Peter and whispered, "That was intense. Are you sure you're okay? You seemed... distracted."
Peter waved her off, a sheepish smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking about everything that happened."
I glanced at him, catching the subtle tension in his shoulders. He's probably worried about the fight with the Lizard.
We climbed onto the bus. As the vehicle pulled away from the school, none of us said much. Ned seemed deep in thought, probably still replaying his encounter with Spider-Man and the "dog." Gwen and MJ exchanged quiet whispers, while Peter stared out the window, lost in his own world.
When the bus finally reached our stop, we parted ways with quick goodbyes.
As I walked home, I replayed the events in my mind. What a day.
When I reached home, my mom greeted me with her usual warmth. "How was school, Ben?"
"It was... eventful," I replied, forcing a smile.
She frowned. "Eventful? What happened?"
"Nothing major. Just, uh... a drill. You know, the usual stuff."
She didn't look entirely convinced, but she let it go.