Being Spider-Man was… harder than I thought.
Sure, the first night of web-slinging was exhilarating, and stopping those car thieves felt amazing, but the reality of balancing a superhero life with Peter Parker's responsibilities was already starting to catch up with me.
School didn't slow down just because I was out there stopping petty crimes. I still had homework, midterms, and Flash Thompson's endless bullying to deal with. Aunt May and Uncle Ben, bless their hearts, were noticing my late nights too. And MJ? Well, she was starting to suspect something was off.
Monday morning.
I sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at my bowl of cereal, utterly exhausted. Aunt May gave me a concerned look as she placed a fresh stack of pancakes on the table. "Peter, honey, are you sleeping well? You look… well, like you got run over by a bus."
I rubbed my eyes and forced a smile. "I'm fine, Aunt May. Just… busy with school stuff."
Uncle Ben peeked over the morning newspaper. "School stuff, huh? You sure you're not sneaking out and fighting crime at night?" he teased, chuckling.
I froze mid-bite.
Aunt May swatted his arm. "Oh, stop scaring him, Ben!"
"Just making sure my boy stays out of trouble," Uncle Ben said with a wink.
I laughed it off, but inside, a storm was brewing. If only you knew, Uncle Ben.
At school, things were just as complicated.
"Hey, Parker!" Flash's voice boomed through the hallway.
I sighed, clutching my books tighter as he approached with his usual smug grin. "What do you want, Flash?"
"Just wanted to check if you're still the same old Puny Parker," he smirked, grabbing my glasses and holding them above his head. "Hey! Who needs these, anyway?"
I could have easily webbed them back, but I had to restrain myself. No powers, not in public. Instead, I snatched them back with a well-timed jump, surprising Flash with my newfound reflexes.
He blinked in confusion. "Whoa. Did you just—"
"Must be all the vitamins Aunt May's been making me take," I said with a cocky grin, slipping the glasses back on. "Gotta go. Some of us have class."
As I walked away, I heard him mutter, "Weird…" under his breath.
Lunchtime rolled around, and I found MJ waiting for me at our usual spot. She had that suspicious look in her eyes, arms crossed over her chest.
"Okay, spill," she said, tapping her foot.
I raised an eyebrow. "Spill what?"
"Don't play dumb, Parker. You've been acting weird lately. Spacing out, vanishing after school… and last night? You weren't home when I called."
Crap. "I, uh… was out. Studying at the library."
"Right," she said, unconvinced. "And what about the bruises on your arms?" She reached over, poking my arm lightly where a nasty purple bruise had formed from my less-than-graceful rooftop landings.
I pulled my sleeve down. "Clumsy. You know me."
MJ squinted at me but let it slide. "Fine. But if you're doing something dumb, just… don't get yourself killed, okay?"
I smiled, touched by her concern. "Wouldn't dream of it."
That night, the real challenge began.
I was sitting on the rooftop of a rundown apartment complex in Queens, listening to the distant sounds of police sirens. The city was alive with crime, and every instinct in my body told me to get involved.
A scream cut through the night, and before I could second-guess myself, I swung into action.
I followed the sound to a nearby alley where a man was being mugged by two guys with knives. Without thinking, I shot out a web, yanking the knife from one thug's hand.
"Whoa! What the—"
"Hi there," I said, dropping down from above. "Nice night for a walk, huh?"
The second guy lunged at me, and I sidestepped easily, tripping him with a well-placed sweep of my leg. The first guy tried to run, but a web to the back of his jacket pinned him against the wall.
The victim, a middle-aged man, stared at me in shock. "T-thank you…"
"Just doing my part, sir," I said with a nod before swinging off into the night.
Adrenaline surged through me, but I couldn't ignore the nagging thought in the back of my mind. This is just the beginning.
The next few nights blurred together.
I was stopping small crimes—muggings, car thefts, breaking up street fights—but it wasn't easy. My grades started slipping, and Aunt May was getting worried about me looking exhausted all the time.
Uncle Ben even pulled me aside one evening. "Peter, is something bothering you? You know you can talk to me, right?"
I forced a smile. "Yeah, Uncle Ben. I'm just… figuring things out."
He ruffled my hair. "Well, whatever it is, remember—'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
I stiffened. Those words hit me harder than ever. I knew what was coming. I wasn't going to let Uncle Ben die, not like in the comics or movies. No way.
Friday night.
I was perched on a rooftop, watching the streets below when I heard gunshots. My heart pounded as I saw two men running from a convenience store, bags in hand.
"Looks like I'm working overtime," I muttered, swinging down after them.
I landed in front of them, cutting off their escape. "Alright, fellas. Let's not make this difficult."
One of them pulled out a gun and fired. My spider-sense screamed, and I dodged just in time, the bullet grazing my shoulder.
"Okay, not cool," I said, firing a web to yank the gun away. The second guy charged, and I flipped over him, sending him crashing into a trash can.
The first guy tried to run, but I webbed his feet to the ground, leaving him dangling upside down from a lamppost. "And that's why you don't bring a gun to a web fight," I quipped.
Sirens wailed in the distance, and I swung away before the cops arrived.
Perched on the next building, I clutched my shoulder where the bullet had grazed me. It stung like hell. "Guess I'm not invincible after all," I muttered.
I looked out over the city, feeling the weight of my choices. I had the power to help people, but at what cost? My grades were slipping, Aunt May was worried sick, and now I had to worry about dodging bullets on a regular basis.
Being a hero wasn't just about stopping bad guys—it was about the sacrifices that came with it.
And I was starting to realize that being Spider-Man wasn't a choice.
To Be Continued…