The girl walking toward him had red hair that caught the fluorescent lights like fire.
Mary Jane Watson.
Even malnourished and exhausted, some part of Alex's brain registered that she was beautiful.
But that wasn't what made him freeze.
MJ meant Peter Parker. Peter Parker meant Spider-Man.
Spider-Man meant—
"No. No way."
The words came out as a whisper. A student bumped into him, muttering an annoyed "watch it," but Alex barely noticed. His vision tunneled. His heart hammered against his ribs.
He'd been trying not to think about it. Trying to convince himself that Peter Parker was just a common name.
That the similarities were coincidental. That his friend who was smart and awkward and got bullied was just... some normal kid.
But seeing MJ—Mary Jane Watson, the MJ—walking through Midtown High's hallways like she belonged in a comic book panel?
"I'm in the Marvel Universe."
The realization hit like a physical blow. His knees went weak. He grabbed a locker for support.
Marvel. Universe.
Gods. Aliens. Infinity Stones. Thanos. The snap that would kill half of all life.
It was all real. It was all coming.
'No no no. This can't be happening. This has to be some weird coincidence. Maybe it's just a universe with similar names. Maybe—'
But deep down, he knew. He'd known since he first saw Peter. He'd just been too scared to accept it.
"Carter?"
Alex blinked. A teacher stood in front of him—middle-aged man, receding hairline, concerned expression. Professor Warren. Biology.
"You missed two days of class." Warren's voice was firm but not unkind. "Come to my office after school. We need to talk about your grades."
Alex nodded mechanically. Warren walked away. The hallway kept moving around him, students flowing like a river while he stood frozen in the current.
Peter Parker rounded the corner, backpack slung over one shoulder, talking animatedly with another student. Skinny. Awkward.
Completely unaware that in a few weeks or months, a genetically modified spider would change his entire life.
'How much time do I have? When does he get bitten? Is this before the Avengers? After? Which timeline am I even in?'
Alex's hands started shaking again. He'd thought his biggest problems were rent and scholarships and not starving to death.
Those problems suddenly seemed very, very small.
---
The rest of the school day passed in a haze. Alex sat in classes without hearing a word. Teachers called on him. He gave random answers. Someone laughed.
He didn't care.
His mind was stuck in an endless loop:
'Marvel Universe. I'm in the Marvel Universe. Alien invasions. Murderous robots. A purple titan who snaps his fingers and kills half of everyone.'
By lunch, he'd found a quiet corner of the library and pulled up news articles on his cracked phone screen. The browser barely worked, but he managed to load a few pages.
STARK INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCES CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVE
MYSTERIOUS "IRON MAN" SAVES HOSTAGES IN MIDDLE EAST
REPORTS OF "ENHANCED INDIVIDUALS" INVESTIGATED BY GOVERNMENT
It was all there. Tony Stark. Iron Man. The beginning of everything.
'Okay,' Alex thought, forcing himself to breathe slowly. 'Okay. Think. You know Marvel. You've read comics, watched movies. Use that knowledge.'
But which version was this? Comics had decades of contradictory storylines. Movies rebooted constantly. TV shows existed in weird half-canon states.
'I need to figure out the timeline. Need to know what's coming and when.'
The bell rang for next period. Alex ignored it. He kept scrolling, kept reading, piecing together what he could.
Iron Man was public. That happened in 2008 in the movies. What year was it now? He checked his phone.
2010.
Two years after Iron Man revealed himself. Which meant... what? Avengers soon? Thor's arrival? Captain America's discovery?
'And Peter hasn't been bitten yet. He's still just a normal kid. That happens during high school, so it could be any day now. Any moment.'
Alex's chest felt tight. He was living through the calm before the storm. The brief period before everything went insane.
"There you are."
Alex jumped. Gwen Stacy stood at the end of the library table, arms crossed, looking annoyed and concerned in equal measure.
"You missed chemistry," she said.
"Professor Reyes was asking about you."
"I..." Alex's mind went blank. "Sorry. I wasn't feeling well."
Gwen's expression softened. She sat down across from him. "You look terrible, Alex. Worse than usual. What's going on?"
'I'm in a universe where gods are real and aliens will invade and half of everyone will die and I'm completely powerless to stop any of it.'
"Just stressed," he said. "Money problems. School stuff."
"The scholarship?" Gwen asked gently.
Alex blinked. "How did you—"
"Professor Warren mentioned it to our study group. Said you were in danger of losing funding." She pulled out a notebook. "That's why I came looking for you. We're doing a study session tonight at the library. Six PM. You should come."
"I have work—"
"Skip it."
"I can't afford to skip it."
"You can't afford to lose your scholarship either," Gwen countered. "One night won't kill you. Let us help."
Alex stared at her. Gwen Stacy. Captain Stacy's daughter. Future... what? Love interest for Peter? Victim of a tragedy?
'Everyone around Peter Parker dies or suffers. I'm his friend. Does that mean I'm doomed too?'
The thought should have terrified him. Instead, it just made him tired.
"Okay," he heard himself say. "Six PM."
Gwen smiled. "Good. Now come on. You're not missing another class today."
She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Alex followed, his mind still spinning.
'Marvel Universe. I'm in the Marvel Universe. And I'm friends with Peter Parker.'
The bell rang. Students flooded the hallways.
And Alex walked to his next class, trying very hard not to think about all the ways this could go horribly, catastrophically wrong.
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