The morning sun always brings light and hope to people.
But for Gwen Stacy, today's sunlight only served to ignite the raging fire of justice within her heart.
The evil she had witnessed breeding in the dark corners last night had kept her awake all night.
Relying solely on her father and the NYPD was simply not enough to illuminate every inch of shadow in this city.
And she now possessed the power to walk through the darkness.
Glancing at the blueprints on her desk and the half-tested Web-shooters, Gwen quickly made up her mind.
She picked up her phone and contacted her teacher directly to ask for a day off, citing that she was feeling unwell.
Immediately after, she found Peter's number, her fingertips dancing lightly across the screen.
[Hey, Peter, I'm not feeling very well today, so I can't go to school with you.]
After sending the message, Gwen tossed her phone aside, her gaze returning to the blueprints, her eyes filled with focus.
Today, she was determined to finish both the suit and the Web-shooters in one go!
Except... Ding-dong~
The notification sound from her phone made her pause just as she picked up a screwdriver.
The name 'Peter' lighting up the screen caused Gwen's heart to skip a beat for some inexplicable reason.
Taking a moment to reply shouldn't hurt... right?
...Queens, on the school bus.
Peter looked at the message on his phone, his eyebrows arching as a smile played on his lips.
Not feeling well?
I suspect 'not feeling well' is a lie, and being busy tinkering with secret gear is the truth!
Thinking of this, his fingers flew as he quickly replied:
[Then you should get some good rest. Do you need me to come over after school to help you catch up on your schoolwork?]
The message was sent, and the reply was almost instantaneous.
[No need! It's just a minor issue, I'll be fine after a nap! Just focus on your classes and don't get distracted!]
The slight panic between the lines practically overflowed from the screen.
Peter chuckled; this girl really wasn't good at lying.
Peter: [Really? As the perennial number one in our class, my class notes are worth their weight in gold.]
Gwen: [Oh, please! As if I'm not a top student too! My grades aren't much worse than yours! Anyway, I'm going back to sleep!]
Looking at the cute emojis in the message, Peter could almost imagine Gwen's flustered state as she tried to juggle her work while dealing with him.
Teasing the little Ghost-Spider is quite a joy~
Just as Peter was in high spirits.
An untimely fellow boarded the school bus.
"Yo, if it isn't our 'good-for-nothing little loser Peter'?"
A voice full of malice and mockery rang out.
Peter looked up, and what met his eyes was a face he was all too familiar with—and all too disgusted by.
"Flash" Thompson.
The star quarterback of Midtown High School and the leader of the school bullies.
Memories of his Previous Incarnation flooded his mind.
The suffocation of being locked in a locker, the humiliation of having his lunch knocked over, the embarrassment of being publicly shamed... scene after scene was vivid in his mind.
Now that he had power, it would be a disservice to his Previous Incarnation not to teach this guy a lesson... On the other side, Flash noticed that Gwen wasn't by Peter's side today, which instantly energized him.
Failing to bully Peter yesterday had made him feel out of sorts even while playing football.
Today, he had to double down on his harassment and thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of bullying the weak.
Flash looked down at Peter, his gaze landing on the phone in Peter's hand, a flicker of mockery in his eyes.
"Who are you chatting with? Smiling so happily? Let me see, are you fantasizing about some girl falling for a nerd like you again?"
Before he even finished speaking, Flash's large hand reached for Peter's phone!
He had already planned out the next script.
He would snatch Peter's phone, then read the chat history aloud in front of everyone on the bus, savoring the sight of Peter jumping in frustration while being laughed at, yet unable to do anything about it.
This was his favorite kind of drama; it felt better than sex!
Hearing Flash's words, some students on the bus showed gloating smiles, while others turned away, pretending not to see, fearing they might draw fire to themselves.
In their eyes, the frail Peter couldn't possibly resist Flash, the star of the school team.
A one-sided bullying session seemed about to take place.
But in the next second.
Flash's smile froze on his face.
Because before he could even grab Peter's phone, a hand clamped onto his wrist like an iron vise, preventing his hand from moving another inch!
Flash was stunned.
He looked down in bewilderment.
He saw that Peter hadn't even looked up; he was leisurely texting with one hand while holding Flash's wrist in a completely casual grip with the other.
Only after pressing the send button did he put away his phone and look at Flash with the eyes of a cat playing with a mouse.
That nonchalant attitude instantly enraged Flash.
He glanced at the surrounding classmates watching the commotion, feeling as if they were all mocking him.
"You..."
Flash Thompson's face instantly turned beet red as he used every ounce of strength to try and pull his hand back.
However, the strength coming from Peter's hand was staggering.
No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't free his trapped hand.
How is this possible?!
Flash's mind went blank.
Was this still the 'good-for-nothing' he bullied at will, who didn't even dare to breathe too loudly?
When did he get so strong?
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's wrong to take things without permission? Or..."
Peter finally looked up slowly, his gaze very calm, but his words were full of aggression:
"Do you not have a mother at all?"
As everyone knows, English insults are poor and direct, revolving around 'motherfucker,''son of a bitch,' and a few racial slurs.
So when Peter used a Chinese-style rhetorical question to ask about Flash's mother, Flash actually froze for a moment before realizing—Peter was calling him motherless.
And then, he completely broke down.
It was a classic case of low attack and low defense... "Fuck! You're dead!"
Shame turned into rage, and Flash completely lost his mind.
His other free hand clenched into a fist and swung toward Peter's face with a whistling wind!
He put all his strength into this punch!
He wanted to make this arrogant nerd pay a bloody price for his words!
A low gasp echoed through the bus.
Some timid girls even closed their eyes, unable to watch the bloody scene that was about to follow.
"AAAAAAAGH—!"
Sure enough, in the next second, a scream like a slaughtered pig echoed throughout the school bus.
Several girls couldn't help but frown, feeling a bit sorry for the unlucky Peter.
But as they listened, the sympathy on their faces was gradually replaced by bewilderment.
That voice didn't sound like Peter; it sounded more like... Flash?!