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"It's Peter, isn't it?"
"..."
In the middle of physics class.
Hawk glanced at the words on the note that had been slid onto his desk, a single eyebrow arching. He looked over at Gwen, who was sitting next to him.
Gwen just gave him a pointed look, her eyes flicking to the note.
Hawk offered a small, noncommittal smile and slid the note back to her.
He wasn't confirming anything.
Gwen figuring it out on her own was one thing. Him admitting it was another.
Just as he'd said before: he wasn't going to betray Peter's secret, just as Peter hadn't betrayed his.
...
After class ended, Gwen walked with Hawk down the hall toward their lockers, her mind still turning over Spider-Man's identity.
It had to be Peter.
Hawk's social circle was practically nonexistent. And then there was Peter's own transformation—from a perennial victim to someone who could suddenly stand up for himself.
Most of the students just assumed it was because he had started training with Hawk.
That was how the rumor that Peter was Hawk's only friend had started.
But Gwen knew better.
She knew for a fact that Peter's newfound strength hadn't come from training with Hawk, and that was precisely why she was still hesitant.
It felt too simple.
It was like a slacker and a genius taking the same test.
The slacker sees a question, thinks, 'Oh, I know this one, it's A,' and fills in the bubble without a second thought.
But the genius looks at the same obvious answer and pauses, thinking:
Is this a trick question?
That was Gwen's dilemma.
She was almost certain Spider-Man was Peter, but without seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn't be 100% sure.
A moment later, Hawk opened his locker, tossed his physics book inside, and pulled out his backpack.
"I'm heading to Mrs. Snow's office."
"Okay."
Gwen, who had just grabbed her own bag, nodded. "I'll go to the library and wait for you there."
Hawk grunted in agreement, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed for the administration building.
The weekend was tomorrow, but Monday was the 10th. If he wanted to take the day off, he had to request it today. Asking for it on Monday morning would be asking for forgiveness, not permission.
Gwen, meanwhile, walked toward the library.
Tomorrow was the Homecoming dance. She had to meet with the planning committee and finalize the details.
She wasn't actually going to the dance herself.
For her, studying had always been more important. But as the grade's student aide, she was still responsible for making sure it all went smoothly.
Although she and Hawk hadn't made their relationship public, she found herself wanting him to be her prom date this year.
She just didn't know if he would say yes.
He might. Maybe. Hopefully?
She thought, a hint of uncertainty in her mind.
Just as Hawk and Gwen went their separate ways in the crowded hallway—one heading for the offices, the other for the library—something was stirring deep beneath their feet.
...
Down below.
In the filthy, reeking, slime-coated sewers, the sound of reptilian hissing grew louder. A massive, lizard-like creature surged through the wastewater like an Olympic swimmer, then, with a great splash, launched itself out of the muck and onto a concrete platform at a four-way intersection of pipes.
"Midtown High."
"Gwen Stacy."
"Capture her. Use her against Hawk."
"Hsssssssss."
The words burned into his mind like a demonic whisper. The Lizard, now fully transformed, swept its reptilian eyes across the area while its forked, scarlet tongue flicked out to taste the air.
It caught a scent.
With a guttural roar, it shot forward like a blur, diving into another sewer pipe. It scrambled on all fours like a true reptile, racing through the filthy tunnel toward Midtown High... and the student bathrooms.
...
A freshman, new to the trials of high school, was sitting on a toilet, scrolling through his phone.
Suddenly—
The kid, his face dotted with the acne of adolescence, felt something wrong.
The ground was trembling. An inexplicable, cold draft was rising from below, chilling him in a place the sun didn't shine.
The freshman was confused.
"What the hell?"
"An earthq—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A powerful force erupted from below, launching him and the entire toilet upwards and out of the stall.
CRASH!!!!
The kid, still attached to his porcelain throne, landed in a heap on the bathroom floor, completely stunned.
The few other students in the bathroom stared, frozen, at the boy who had just been shot out of the stall like a cannonball.
But their shock quickly turned to terror.
In the now-doorless stall, the floor was cracking apart. A green, scaled claw shot up, its talons striking sparks against the ceramic tiles.
The next second.
HIIISSSSSSS!
The Lizard hauled itself out of the hole in the floor. It stood tall, spread its arms wide, and let out a triumphant roar, announcing its arrival.
"Thwip!"
...
"Huh?"
Peter, who had just finished his chemistry class and was back at his locker, suddenly looked down at his arm. The hairs were standing straight up.
Before he could even process what was happening, a series of terrified screams shattered the calm of the hallway.
"AAAAH!"
"OH MY GOD, IT'S THE LIZARD!"
"RUN!!"
"MOMMY, I DON'T WANNA GO TO SCHOOL ANYMORE!!!"
The bathroom door burst open. The students from inside came sprinting out, their faces masks of pure terror, shouting warnings as they fled in Peter's direction.
Bringing up the rear was the kid from the stall, still fumbling with his unfastened pants.
He was too scared to even notice.
It was clear he was traumatized. He probably wouldn't be able to use a public restroom alone for a very long time.
Just as the other students in the hall turned to look at the commotion—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire wall of the bathroom exploded outwards.
And the Lizard's monstrous form was revealed to everyone.
"Holy shit!"
"It's the Lizard!"
"..."
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