I'll admit, that question caught me off guard. My brain immediately began generating a long line of frantic guesses, shoving and snapping at each other. The dominant one was: "Did someone film that kiss between me and Gwen?"
I shot a quick glance at Mary Jane. She didn't look pleased, but she didn't seem surprised by the stranger's shout either. I forced myself to calm down, mentally repeating: "Different world, Parker. Calm down. It's not as bad as you think." Even if someone had seen us, it wasn't the end of the world.
The concept of cheating barely applied to men here. I mean, since having multiple wives was the norm, it was obvious that before you married any girl, you got to know her, dated her, all of that. You couldn't just walk up to the first woman you liked and propose she become your second or third wife... well, more like the other way around, since women usually did the proposing here.
The silence stretched on as we stood in the aisle. I nudged Mary Jane toward a pair of open seats, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I don't know where you got that idea, but either way, it's none of your business," I said, a bit more harshly than intended. But this guy wasn't my friend, not even an acquaintance, for me to worry about being polite.
"As if Spider-Woman would even look at Parker," another guy chimed in. "She's Spider-Woman! She can screw anyone she wants!"
"For her to pick Parker, her standards must be pretty damn low," the first one shot back, earning a few uncertain laughs from nearby girls, likely his friends and classmates.
This was the last thing I'd expected: getting grief from native guys. What possible conflict could I have with local men? Honestly speaking, in terms of intellect, these guys were closer to apes than to me. Maybe that sounded arrogant, but it was a fact. Underdeveloped physically and, as a rule, with limited interests, what could they possibly throw at me?
I remembered how, in my old world, Mary Jane had gone through a similar situation on this very bus, right after she transferred to our school. A few girls had tried to put her in her place. Their only achievements were a pretty face and the ability to present themselves well. They didn't need brains, resourcefulness, or any notable physical skills to feel like the top of the food chain at school. I could barely remember how Mary Jane had wriggled out of it back then, but I was sure her method wouldn't work for me. She was a master at adapting and blending into a new group, winning over its informal leaders. Oh, how brilliantly she wore that mask of a carefree, cheerful girl. I wasn't capable of that.
In any case, these two were picking a fight, and they'd get one. Even though I didn't want to solve every school problem with my fists, I also didn't feel like playing on their home field, engaging in long, drawn-out verbal sparring. Besides, they clearly hadn't done their homework before launching their verbal assault. The majority of the girls on the bus weren't laughing. I could feel their silent support.
"Are you two out of your minds?" I grinned. "You better think twice before you try yapping at me."
One of them jumped up, overflowing with indignation, and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off with a demonstrative blast from my web-shooter. The distinct sound of the mechanism firing and the hiss of the webbing filled the air.
Everyone present had obviously seen this gesture performed by Spider-Woman many times, or even in recordings with me. The speaker was no exception. He threw his arms up in a futile attempt to shield himself from the webbing and fell back into his seat, his unspoken words cut short.
But I wasn't crazy enough to attack a student. I just used the sticky thread to snap shut the small window above his head. A psychological attack, pure and simple, with one goal: to make my opponent look like a fool.
You can't make someone a laughingstock if you've already become the joke yourself.
This time, the laughs came from everywhere, along with a flurry of questions.
"So it's true?"
"You made those things for Spider-Woman?"
"Do they shoot actual webbing?"
No matter what I did, school always brought me a lot of extra hassle. Before, it was Thompson's aggression. Now it was unwanted attention from students. And they definitely weren't going to leave me alone now.
Once in the classroom before the first lesson, I finally managed to find a moment of relative peace and quiet. Only Mary Jane and our classmate Liz were nearby, watching the infamous interview Gwen had given the press, along with some amateur video montage someone had spliced together from phone clips, showing my "heroics" during the crash.
Overall, Gwen had handled that awkward situation the reporters had put her in quite well. I mean, what else could she say when they asked her how an unknown schoolboy had the same webbing as Spider-Woman?
"Who is he?"
"Does he have the same powers as you?" the reporters badgered her. Forcing her to give up a piece of the truth.
That's when Gwen admitted that the webbing wasn't part of her powers, but an invention of a friend. This, of course, sparked a new wave of questions, this time directed at our relationship.
"How did you meet?"
"Does he know your secret identity?"
"Is he your boyfriend? How old is he?" The last one was clearly a trap, since no one knew who Spider-Woman really was or how old she could be.
"No, no, he's just a good friend. Yes, we've been friends for a long time," Gwen had tried to backpedal, but even a moron could tell something was up. She should've just kept quiet and left those last questions unanswered.
Realizing she'd messed up, Gwen had fled the reporters, soaring into the sky on her web. Though I couldn't blame her. This had all been inevitable the moment I appeared in front of the cameras. If anyone was to blame, it was that crazy robber who'd decided to take Mary Jane hostage. I couldn't just do nothing and let it happen! The Rabbit had looked furious enough to kill that café worker for calling the police.
By the next morning, my identity had been established, and many newspapers, though perhaps not yet on the front page, were running articles with headlines like: "Spider-Woman Dating an Ordinary Schoolboy? Who is Peter Parker?" Some even used the photo of me, the Rabbit, and Gwen, the very one I'd personally posted on my newly created social media pages.
And honestly, it could have been worse. I was surprised the press hadn't already started a full-on hunt for me. Maybe I had the cops to thank for that, showing up at my house yesterday morning before the journalists, leaving the media vultures empty-handed.
"Caught us?" Mary Jane asked, seeing the original photo on my page.
I nervously licked my lips, trying to think of an answer.
"It seemed funny at the time," I tried to wriggle out of it.
"And you know what really pisses me off?" Liz cut in, saving the situation. "The video with him on YouTube already has fifty times more views than our song!"
I navigated to the recently created channel for their band, which I'd completely forgotten about in all the chaos of the past few days.
"Well, twenty thousand is a pretty solid result!" I tried to encourage the girls. "It's your first song; no one even knows about you yet."
If it weren't for the uproar around that robbery, they'd be over the moon about twenty thousand views right now!
"A pathetic consolation!" Mary Jane shot back. She'd always been a maximalist when it came to her music. "And don't try to change the subject. What's going on with you and Spider-Woman?"
"Mary Jane," I tried to hint with my eyes that this wasn't the place. Liz was still right there. "Maybe not here?"
Which naturally didn't go unnoticed by our classmate.
"Just pretend I'm not here... okay, okay, I'll go," Liz said.
"You know Spider-Woman was telling the truth," I began once she'd stepped away, leaving us alone. "At least about me giving her the webbing."
"So there's nothing between you two?" Mary Jane squinted, sensing something.
"Well," I couldn't believe I was about to say this. "We did kiss. After she brought me home."
Mary Jane looked as shocked as I felt. The new rules of the game might seem convenient for men, but I still couldn't fully accept them. A small flame of fear still flickered inside me. I'd just admitted to my girlfriend that I'd kissed someone else. That was almost cheating! What if Mary Jane didn't want to put up with it?
"I can't believe it..." she said quietly. "Who is she, anyway?"
"I didn't take off her mask... completely," I sidestepped. I hadn't said I didn't know who was hiding under it.
"That's... I don't know, just... wow!"
And Mary Jane didn't look angry or upset about it. Shocked, surprised, yes, but I saw no signs of jealousy.
"Every day, something new, more unbelievable than the last!" she exclaimed. "My life has practically exploded with events ever since you came into it. And I was already amazed: 'My boyfriend's getting calls from Spider-Woman to help her stop a monster!' Ha! I couldn't have even imagined what would happen next."
"Quiet, quiet," I shushed her. "Don't shout it to the whole class! I'm just telling you how it is."
"I'm not complaining," she waved it off. "I just can't believe it."
Just then, an intruder broke into our private space.
"Hey, guys," Harry Osborn said, flopping down next to me with a strained smile. "How's it going?"
"They really getting to you?" Mary Jane asked him sympathetically.
Harry gave an apologetic smile, but then, seeing my confused look, he explained.
"Ever since Thompson got suspended, I can't take a step without being hassled," he admitted. "She used to scare everyone off, but now... I don't know what to do."
It dawned on me then. Mary Jane had explained on my first day that Harry only dated Audrey so she'd act as a buffer between him and all the other hunters.
"You mind if I hang out with you while you're at school?" he practically begged. "Maybe with you around, they'll leave me alone for a bit."
"Is it really that big a deal?" I asked, surprised. "Okay, so no one here catches your eye, but is female attention really such a problem?"
"Ha?" Osborn looked at me with a mix of disbelief and amazement. "You wouldn't know it to look at you, would you?" he smirked, exchanging a glance with Mary Jane.
"Know what?" I asked, suddenly wary.
"Well, no offense, but you're practically like a woman. Like you're ready to punch anyone who gets in your face," he explained. Gradually, I realized that the comparison to a woman in his speech meant something like "a real man." "You even got into a fight with Thompson, and then you tangled with those robbers."
"Well, it's a little awkward fighting a woman..." I started, but then realized I was only making my reputation worse. "Anyway, sorry I beat up Thompson. She's your girlfriend, sort of..."
Mary Jane burst out laughing, and Osborn stared at me with a look of pure shock.
"Yeah... okay, forget it. I'll just hang here for a bit, okay?" Harry changed the subject. "Maybe I can snag an hour or two of peace at school."
"What peace are you talking about? Did your servants forget how to bring you coffee in bed? Or did you have to learn to put on your own socks?" Mary Jane teased.
She'd clearly become much more relaxed around Osborn since we'd started dating. As if now that she had a boyfriend, she could see Harry as a potential friend rather than an object of desire. And judging by what I saw, this wasn't just to my liking, but to our golden boy's as well. I was happy Mary Jane wasn't eyeing another guy, and Harry was happy to finally have friends who didn't want anything from him. It was a first for him.
"My mom's having problems at work, and she suddenly remembered she has a son. She never used to care about the board's opinion, just forced her decisions through, and now look: she's out. They suspended her. And I get the feeling she wants to use me for her own ends."
"An arranged marriage?" I asked, surprised.
"I'm afraid so. 'Don't embarrass me, Harry!'" he mimicked his mother. "You'd be surprised how many people want to tie the knot with our family. I was scared she'd make me parade in front of potential business partners' daughters again today, but I think I dodged it. She didn't even seem to notice me this morning."
"You're like a prince from a fairy tale," Mary Jane exclaimed with exaggerated delight, and Osborn made a displeased face. "And Thompson will be your mighty princess, your savior, who'll rescue you from your rival suitors!"
"Oh, shut up, for God's sake!" Harry couldn't take it anymore.
Yep, Norma Osborn's grip was just as tight as Norman's. Using her son to forge new alliances now that things on the Oscorp board weren't going her way.
That day, school was calm. Incredibly boring, but calm. I desperately killed time on the internet, since the pace of the material, even if I didn't already know it, was agonizingly slow. And people still ask why I skip school? At least during class, I learned a lot of interesting things from the news sites.
First, I found plenty of articles about Gwen's exploits over these past days. She was really starting to settle into her new role. Though mostly she'd been stopping petty thefts, extortion, carjackings, and that kind of thing. The White Rabbit robbery was her biggest case so far. The city's salvation from the Reptile threat had never been made public. Everyone was so focused on Stens' and Deadpool's rampage that they hadn't even noticed the real danger.
I also came across some alarming news: it turned out that a few days ago, Menade Shtromm, Norma Osborn's former partner, recently convicted of financial embezzlement, had died during a prison fight. Which meant, if events were unfolding like they did in my old world, Norma had already used the OZ serum on herself.
It looked like my plan to infiltrate Oscorp and prevent the woman from turning into a super-villain was too late. Maybe it had already been too late when I first saw her. In any case, I'd find out soon enough. I learned about the event Harry had mentioned. Oscorp was merging with HammerTech, ending the fight to become the US Army's contractor, and practically the entire Oscorp board and HammerTech reps would be at today's festival.
After walking Mary Jane home, I immediately went to our secret hideout at Deadpool's place.
This time, both Bobbi and Vanda were there. I didn't beat around the bush and laid out the whole pile of information. I only kept quiet about my source.
When they learned about the likely appearance of a super-villain planning a terrorist attack to wipe out the company's top brass, Deadpool immediately suggested using the chaos to break into the company's science division and rob them. I expected nothing less.
Bobbi, on the other hand, expressed a desire to go save people. Deadpool wasn't thrilled, arguing that the symbiote's purpose was to haul equipment for us from Oscorp, not to worry about rich people killing each other in internecine squabbles. She was clearly taking anything related to my lab equipment personally, and thus, her chances of getting her beauty back.
"No," Bobbi retorted. "If I can save lives, I have to at least try. Even if they're not the most worthy people."
"Relax, Vanda," I cut in. "Stens already gave Bobbi a bad name. This is her chance to clear it. Though I'd suggest you completely disown your predecessor's deeds. Can the symbiote change color? It'd be good to convince everyone that the man-eating monster and you are two different people. Though shedding the suspicion won't be easy, anyway."
"Thanks, Peter," Bobbi paused, as if listening to something inside her. "Yes, I think we can change our appearance."
***
Lately, Gwen hadn't been able to find any peace. No matter what the girl tried to occupy herself with, everything went sideways. The cause of her problems was a growing migraine and the nervousness that followed it. Gwen had learned to trust her senses and understood they were warning her of an impending threat. She'd felt something similar before Connors' transformation into the Reptile, only this time, the scale was clearly much larger.
Because of this, she'd started spending most of her free time as Spider-Woman, tirelessly patrolling the streets, hoping to understand what her senses were trying to warn her about. It wasn't doing much good.
But then help came from an unexpected place. Gwen received a text message with a time and place for the presumed terrorist attack. It even listed the specific targets of the perpetrators. As soon as she read the message from an unknown number, signed "an old friend," her headache began to subside, once again confirming that its cause had been a premonition of disaster.
As the girl considered the message, puzzling over how the guy could have known about the planned attack, another message arrived.
"P.S. If you see Venom, don't rush into a fight. There's a completely different person behind the mask now."
She remembered how Parker had written to her, saying he'd solved the tentacle problem. At the time, she hadn't dug into the details, but damn it, how had he managed to handle that horrific creature?
"P..S. Old friend? Seriously?"
Gwen smiled. Despite the mountain of questions surrounding Parker, she no longer felt danger from him. Or rather, there had never been any to begin with. The girl had just been bad at reading her senses' signals back then and hadn't immediately understood what was going on. Actually, she still had no idea what her supernatural premonition was signaling when she saw Peter. It was something she'd never encountered before, but it definitely wasn't a warning of a threat.