Hawk and Gwen walked side by side, chatting lightly. Their tones were natural, their expressions relaxed.
Behind them, Mary Jane's jaw had dropped.
Holy crap!
What on earth had she missed this summer?
Peter also felt a little dazed. He thought he understood something—yet at the same time, he wasn't sure he understood anything at all.
Harry, however, noticed Mary Jane and tried to greet her. He had seen her plenty of times before, back when Peter's parents were still alive, and later during visits to Queens.
"Hey, Mary, long time no see."
"…Hey, Harry."
Her tone was flat, distracted.
Harry blinked. That wasn't the reaction of someone happy to see an old friend.
Mary Jane immediately turned to Peter, her eyes sparkling. "Peter! Did you know about this?"
"Huh?" Peter blinked back at her.
"Gwen and Hawk!" she whispered furiously, barely containing her urge to squeal. "You're his only friend—when did it happen?"
Peter was completely lost. "When did I become his only fri—"
"Forget it!" Mary Jane cut him off, too impatient. Her curiosity overwhelmed her reason. She broke into a trot, chasing after Gwen.
Harry stood frozen, feeling like he'd turned invisible.
But then Mary Jane turned back, gasped loudly, and ran over to him. "Harry! You're back!" She hugged him quickly, only to pull away again in the next breath. "Sorry, I'll catch up later—I need to take care of something!"
Harry was left standing there, dumbfounded, as Mary Jane sprinted after Gwen.
For the rest of the morning, Gwen had a shadow.
"Come on, Gwen, just tell me a little bit more. Please? How did it happen?"
Gwen sighed, finally losing patience. "What's so strange about me being with Hawk? We've been lab partners in physics since freshman year, and we have the same advisor."
Mary Jane leaned closer, whispering dramatically. "Because it's Hawk. Do you know what everyone says about him? Either he's a total steel wall—completely straight—or he's bent the other way."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous."
But an unbidden memory flashed in her mind: Hawk standing beneath the Maryland waterfall, bare-chested, wearing nothing but shorts…
Bent? No. Hawk was as straight as a police baton.
Wait. Why was she even thinking about that?
She shook her head hard, dismissing the image. "Hawk is not bent."
Mary Jane's lips curved into a sly smile. She waggled her brows. "So… you've tested that theory?"
Gwen froze, her cheeks heating, then spun on her heel without a word.
Too much. Way too much.
Mary Jane scrambled after her, giggling nervously. "Sorry! I was joking—don't be mad!"
By the time Hawk entered the cafeteria, Mary Jane had finally abandoned Gwen and rushed off to interrogate Peter and Harry instead. Gwen just sighed.
"She left already?" Hawk asked, setting down his tray.
"She realized she wasn't getting anything from me, so she's after Peter now," Gwen muttered, shaking her head.
"…What does Peter have to do with this?"
"Because last semester you two stayed in the old gym together. Everyone assumes you're friends now."
Hawk chuckled and let it drop, biting into his burger. Gwen had already finished her meal, so she leaned on the table, chin resting on her folded arms, watching him.
"By the way, did you call Dr. Connors to thank him?"
"I did." Hawk nodded, swallowing his bite. "And while we talked, he mentioned something—he said his experiment had made a breakthrough. He sounded… really happy."
Gwen blinked. "A breakthrough? That's impossible…"
...
(End of Chapter)
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