During lunch, I was walking with my tray. I noticed MJ sitting with Flash and his jocks, their girlfriends all gathered around them.
I walked past without a care, not interested in their little group. Then I saw Gwen sitting alone at a table.
Just as I was about to head her way, a pack of spoiled rich girls swarmed her, smirking and whispering insults.
"Jesus, why do they always pick on Gwen?" I muttered to myself, shaking my head.
I had enough of watching them treat her like that. Sure, she was the daughter of the police captain, but that didn't mean she deserved their crap.
"Hah, look at this loser," said the leader of the group, flipping her perfect hair with a cruel grin. "Sitting all by herself. I guess that Peter Parker finally ditched her to sit with us cool kids."
The cheerleaders laughed. They were the ones everybody fantasized about back in the day, myself included.
But now?
Now I regretted every stupid thought I had. I never once considered how Gwen must have felt all those years.
"That's it…" I muttered under my breath.
I strode over, ignoring the stares from every corner of the cafeteria, and dropped down in the seat across from Gwen, face to face.
The girls froze in disbelief, and one of them immediately looped her arm through mine, trying to pull me away.
"Hey, Pete. Why sit next to this nerdy blonde?" she purred. "Come sit with us instead…"
"Yeah, come on," another added, giving Gwen a mocking look.
I shoved the girl's arm off me and pulled out my water bottle. Unscrewing the cap, I poured the water over the spot where her hand had touched.
"Sorry," I said with a smirk. "This Peter is taken by the nerdy blonde. Because, in case you forgot, I'm a nerd through and through."
Gasps rippled across the table. The cheerleaders scoffed, their eyes wide in shock.
"Tch, whatever," the leader sneered. "I knew you were a nobody."
"Oh yeah?" I leaned forward, grinning, my eyes locked on hers. She had one dirty little secret, one I remembered clearly from my past life as a senior at Midtown High. Right about this time of year, she'd had a fling with the principal.
"I just hope you don't end up… how should I put it…" I tapped my chin theatrically. "…booty up with a senior citizen in school. If you know what I mean."
Her face went pale, eyes wide in realization. She stuttered out a few nonsense words, her confidence shattered, then spun around and marched out with her lackeys in tow.
The entire cafeteria buzzed with whispers. Gwen blinked at me, still stunned.
"Pete, that was insane. But… what did you mean by 'booty up with a senior citizen'?"
I winced. "Ah… should've said it differently. Kinda came out adult-like."
"Meaning…?"
"Intercourse with the principal," I said casually, taking a bite out of my sandwich.
Gwen froze, then her lips parted as the realization hit her.
"Pete, you dirty bad boy."
"Hey, I'm your boy, right?" I teased, flashing her a grin.
She rolled her eyes at me, pretending to be annoyed, but I caught the corner of her lips curling up.
"Yeah, yeah. You're my Petey bad boy."
We both laughed, and the rest of lunch break passed with us talking and joking around, ignoring the world.
Just as we stood to leave, cold water splashed down the back of my head. I froze, drops dripping down my neck.
"Hahaha! That's for making fun at my bro's cheerleading girl, dork!" Flash Thompson's voice boomed behind me.
I set my jaw as flash shove's my tray hitting the floor, food scattering everywhere. Before I could react, Flash kicked the tray across the cafeteria with a loud clang and shoved me hard against the wall. His hands pressed into my jacket, lifting me slightly off the ground.
"Flash Terry Thompson! You let go of Peter right now!" MJ's voice cut through the cafeteria like a whip. She stormed up, fury in her eyes.
"Nah, babe," Flash said smugly, his grin wide. "He's gotta learn some respect."
"Really?" I said calmly, my voice steady despite my back against the wall. "Ganging up on me four against one? That's your idea of respect? Sounds cowardly to me."
Flash's grin faltered for a moment before he chuckled. "After that bus incident? Not a damn chance."
He leaned closer, his breath hot and sour. "Well then, puny Parker… what are you gonna do now, huh?"
I grinned, unfazed. Inside, I was almost disappointed. This was the same Flash Thompson I'd dealt with countless times. And honestly, his threats were getting boring.
In my past life as Spider-Man, I'd trained with Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Black Widow, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Storm, Felicia, and more.
I studied combat, mixed martial arts, and countless fighting techniques. I prepared for the day I might lose my spider powers. And even without them, I learned how to fight.
Flash thought he had me pinned. He was wrong.
Since he had me pressed against the wall, I angled my body. The brown jacket I wore gave me cover.
I twisted my shoulders, slipped downward, and slid neatly out of his grip, landing on the cafeteria floor with ease.
The crowd gasped, and Flash's eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Wha—how the hell did you—"
Honestly, he was a dummy.
I shot my elbow back, driving it right into Flash's groin.
"AHHH! My balls!" he cried, collapsing onto his knees, clutching himself in agony.
Pfft. Balls.
His jocks sprang up from the table, charging toward me. My body wasn't as strong as it once was—I had always relied too much on my spider abilities. But this time, I wanted to prove I could handle things with nothing but my own strength.
"Ragh!" one of them roared as he swung a wide fist at my head.
I ducked low, sliding across the cafeteria floor beneath him. Before he could react, I hooked his legs and tackled him down hard, sending him sprawling onto the tiles. The crowd erupted with gasps.
Another jock came barreling at me, both hands clenched together for a double-fist strike.
I snatched up a metal cafeteria tray and raised it just in time. His fists slammed against the tray with a loud clang, leaving a huge dent in the tin.
"Y-you're gonna pay for that, Parker!" one of the bigger jocks shouted, shaking out his bruised knuckles.
I tilted my head, smirking. "Pay for what? Me… or the tray?"
The cafeteria broke into nervous laughter, though tension still filled the air.
The last jock lunged from behind, locking his thick arm around my throat. He tightened his grip, squeezing as I gasped for air.
"Let him go, you jerks!" Gwen shouted from across the table.
She grabbed a cold water bottle and hurled it with perfect aim. The bottle smacked the jock in the face, splashing water all over him.
"Argh! My eyes! You're dead, blondie!" he snarled, releasing me as he wiped at his face and staggered toward her, raising his fist.
"Not happening."
I swung the dented tray like a bat, cracking it against the side of his head. The impact echoed across the cafeteria, and he crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain.
I stood there, chest heaving, looking around at the four bodies on the floor.
"…I won?!" I said in disbelief, dropping the bent tray with a metallic clatter. "Four against one, and I beat them all… with my brains."
My lips curled into a grin, and I raised my arms. "I WON!!!"
The cafeteria exploded. Some kids gasped in shock, others clapped and cheered.
"Was Peter always this good at fighting?"
"Dude, he should join karate class!"
"Holy crap, Parker's a badass!"
The noise grew, the whole cafeteria alive with excitement. For once, I wasn't the butt of the joke—I was the center of it.
Then silence fell as the heavy footsteps of authority approached.
The principal stood at the edge of the chaos, arms crossed, his eyes narrowing.
"My office, Parker," he said sternly. "And you four as well. Flash."
The room went dead quiet.
Yup. I was dead. First big win in my rebirth, and I still ended up getting called to the principal's office.
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Chapter 3 — End.