Spider-Man Season One: Freestyle

5-1: Catch Me If You Can Part 1

One thing I had grown accustomed to in school was having the best grades. I breezed through school for years; academics were never a problem. It was just every other aspect of life that I struggled with.

Eventually, I learned to talk to people every once in a while. I made my first real friend with Gwen, and eventually all the unwanted attention vanished as everyone began to have their own problems to deal with. Nobody cared about the smart kid anymore.

Except, for some reason, when there was a visiting student at our school. The school announced it over the PA, and they sounded really excited about this kid. It was only later I found out this kid was somewhat of a prodigy.

Now, everyone knew who I was again. I was the guy who apparently wasn't quite as smart as this kid.

"Hey, Parker!" Someone shouted as they slapped me square in the back while I stood at my locker. I turned and saw Eric, one of Harry's other friends, grinning wide. "Strange things are happening, huh?"

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. My spot's in danger."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Parker? You seem doubtful. Think this kid's no match for you?"

Eric was one of the most over the top people I knew (which is impressive considering that I'd already fought three different people who wore spandex and tried to kill me). At this point, all his pressuring me was starting to get annoying. "No, I just...honestly don't care to think about it."

He nodded as if he was thoughtfully considering what I said, which I knew wasn't true; Eric never thoughtfully considered anything. "I hear ya. Well, I'll see ya around Parker. Keep up those grades!" He said with a laugh as he ran off.

I rolled my eyes and finished moving stuff around in my locker and backpack. I noticed my costume just barely slipping out of the corner of the zipper, and I quickly stuffed it back in. One thing he had reminded me of was grades. I may have been the top student in our class, but the margin had decreased a little.

Being a super-hero made it hard to keep up with work. I spent long afternoons and evenings watching out for crime to crack down on, and now as the strain picked up in a number of classes, I found myself somewhat overwhelmed. I had turned in a few assignments late across my classes, which did make a notable, if not very significant, dent in my grades. The good news was, there was still a little less than half of first semester, and I fully intended to take care of those grades before midterms.

I looked around as I walked through the halls to my first period. I couldn't help but notice people's eyes drifting to me more often than normal. It was a little unsettling, so I tried to just ignore them.

Key word: tried.

---

I arrived at my tutoring bell a little fed up. It had been basically impossible trying to forget about the situation throughout the day. Though no one explicitly mentioned it, there were some teachers who called on me a little more often than normal, and plenty of students who gave me a greeting. It wasn't necessarily a friendly, "how you doing" greeting, more of a, "I just remembered you exist" kind of greeting.

 In tutoring, it would be a little different. Most of the school was elsewhere, and the corner of the library I used for this bell was usually pretty empty. Not to mention, one of the best parts of my day happened here.

A little while after I slid into my seat, I tapped my pencil on the table in front of me and glanced at my watch. Hmm. It was almost eight minutes past the start of the period. She had never been this late.

Another moment passed, and I looked up to see her round the corner towards my table. Mary Jane saw me and smiled a little, gave a small wave. I couldn't help but smile and wave back, but while I did so, she turned around and seemed to be speaking to someone around the corner. Soon enough, a young man walked up to her. He appeared to be Asian, with slightly tan skin and jet black hair, that rested across his head in a composed, yet disheveled look. He wore a button-up red shirt and jeans that somehow created a formal looking ensemble. His face was simple and innocent looking, but I couldn't help but detect a hint of arrogance from it.