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Soon.
With their business concluded, the three of them stood up, said their goodbyes to Mrs. Snow, and left the office.
Gwen immediately turned to Hawk.
"Do you want me to show you where the bio-electricity department is when we start?"
"No, I can find it myself."
Hawk replied, then immediately started walking away, his backpack slung over one shoulder.
He didn't have much time.
His afternoon classes were about to start, and he needed to hit the gym for a quick shower first.
Peter, who had followed them out of the office, watched Hawk's retreating back.
He stared.
Intently.
Gwen, who had been watching them both, suddenly spoke up.
"Peter!"
"...Huh?"
Peter looked at Gwen, his eyes a little unfocused. His pupils quickly adjusted, and he snapped back to the present. "Gwen?"
Gwen smiled. "It's nothing. Hey, are you going to prom this year?"
Peter gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I probably can't make it."
If Hawk wasn't going to prom because he was broke and didn't have a date, Peter was skipping it simply because he didn't have a date.
But the reason Hawk didn't have a date was because he couldn't be bothered to find one.
If he wanted to, with his looks, his physique, and the quiet confidence forged from years of training, he could easily find a girl willing to go with him.
Peter, on the other hand, just couldn't find a date.
To be more specific, it was because he was hopelessly hung up on Mary Jane Watson.
Mary Jane, Peter's next-door neighbor, was also in their grade.
Peter probably thought his crush on her was a secret, but pretty much everyone knew.
And since everyone knew, no girl was going to agree to be his date just to be Mary Jane's stand-in.
And the real Mary Jane wasn't going to say yes.
Peter had no desire to go to prom alone and watch the girl of his dreams dance with someone else.
Gwen wasn't surprised by his answer.
She was friends with Mary Jane. The moment prom was announced, Mary Jane had come to her and put her and her date's names on the list.
Harry Osborn.
Yep.
He fit Mary Jane's usual type.
Gwen thought to herself but didn't say anything more. She just nodded and turned to leave.
But—
As she walked away, a thought occurred to her. She glanced back over her shoulder.
Peter was still standing there, staring in the direction Hawk had gone, a lost look on his face.
...
A few days later.
A roar of celebration erupted from Midtown Tech.
Summer vacation was finally here.
"Liz, you got your summer plans locked in?"
"Yep. Hawaii, here I come."
"Tom and I are going to Slovakia."
"Slovakia? Dude, did you not see the news?"
"What?"
"Last week? A bunch of tourists went missing there."
As the final bell rang, students poured out of the school in groups of twos and threes, excitedly chattering about their vacation plans as they headed for the parking lot.
Cars started up, and one by one, they pulled away. In no time at all, the entire campus felt deserted.
The usual cacophony of the school day was gone.
The only sound that remained was the rhythmic thudding coming from the old gymnasium.
About ten minutes later.
The sound stopped.
Hawk stood in the center of the gym, steadying his breath as he began to unwrap the tape from his hands.
Even though he could now punch a steel plate without so much as reddening his knuckles, the habit of a thousand days was hard to break. He still taped his hands before every session.
Just as he was finishing, his eyebrows shot up.
A moment later.
A voice came from behind him.
"I heard they're turning this place into a swimming pool next semester."
"...Peter."
Hawk turned to see him standing there—the face of Tobey Maguire. "It's not a rumor. It's true."
Peter just smiled and said nothing.
This was another reason why Hawk preferred the original Spider-Man.
Compared to the slight motormouth of the Andrew Garfield version and the hyper-talkative tech-bro of the Tom Holland one, he preferred the original's quiet intensity.
Just like him.
All substance, no flash.
Not one for small talk.
Hawk tucked the used tape into his pocket. "You didn't come all the way here just to tell me they're renovating the gym, did you?"
Peter quickly shook his head. "No."
"Then what is it?"
"Uh..."
Peter looked like he was about to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He just stood there, hesitating.
Hawk smirked.
He looked at Peter's conflicted face, then turned and walked toward his backpack. He slung it over his shoulder and started for the exit.
"Have a good summer, Peter."
"Thwip!"
Hawk, who had almost reached the door, heard the telltale sound of a web-shooter. He spun around, his right fist already lashing out.
Peter, whose Spider-Sense had screamed a warning, instinctively dodged to the side.
The next second.
CRACK!
One of the wooden benches in the middle of the gym exploded into splinters.
Peter's eyes went wide as he stared at the shattered bench.
Hawk, meanwhile, was peeling the web off his backpack.
It was sticky.
He had to flick his wrist a few times to finally get the wad of webbing off.
Peter had already recovered from his shock. He looked back at Hawk.
"Hawk, are you..."
"I'm not."
Hawk cut him off, his gaze sharp.
He had gotten this strong through his own relentless, day-in-and-day-out effort.
Of course.
His 'cheat' might have played a small role in it.
But not much.
Hawk was convinced that even without it, he would have awakened his Cosmo eventually.
Now that his power system was gone and couldn't argue, he was sticking to that story.
But that wasn't the real reason he had cut Peter off.
Hawk gave a subtle glance toward the gym entrance.
With his Spider-Sense, Peter understood instantly.
Hawk smiled.
"Have a great summer, Peter. See you next semester."
"...Yeah. See you next semester."
Peter swallowed the words he had been about to say and nodded.
Hawk said nothing more. He turned and walked out of the gym.
And then—
He saw Gwen standing right outside the door. A look of genuine surprise crossed his face. "Gwen?"
Gwen: "..."
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