Spider-Man : The Story of a Hero

New York — Oscorp Tower — Harry’s Private Badminton Court — Day

The summer sun bathed New York in brilliant light as Peter’s entire group of friends, with the exception of Flash, who was away in the army, had gathered on Harry Osborn’s private badminton court. The atmosphere was relaxed, yet filled with cheerful competitive energy.

Everyone was sitting around the court, watching an ongoing match. With rackets in hand, Gwen was facing Anya in a closely contested game... until one final rally brought the suspense to an end.

— ”NOOOOO!”

— ”YES IT IS!”

As Anya laughed at Gwen’s despair and her final attempt... boom. The shuttlecock hit the ground, and the match was over.

Another badminton victory for Anya.

— ”I was so close! I’m sure I could’ve beaten you!”

— ”Oh yeah? Are you sure about that...?”

— ”Yeah! Well... maybe...”

The two girls burst into laughter before Gwen rejoined the others on the benches.

— ”Alright... who’s next?”

— ”Me!”

Peter jumped to his feet, determined, and took his position on the court across from Anya.

— ”You sure? You want to get humiliated again? What are we betting this time?”

— ”Nothing. But make no mistake... I’m going to beat you this time!”

Peter’s expression changed into that of a man ready to do whatever it took to win. It made Anya shiver slightly with excitement, unable to wait any longer to humiliate Peter once again.

— ”Come on, Peter!”

— ”We believe in you, man!”

— ”Well... let’s not get carried away.”

Liz nudged Sally with her elbow.

— ”What? It’s true!”

— ”Alright, fair enough.”

They looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

— ”Peter, you’d better win! I’m sick of hearing Anya make fun of us! Put her back in her place! She belongs in the kitchen! Come on, Miles, join me!”

He gestured for Miles to copy him, then placed both hands around his mouth to form a sort of triangle before shouting through it.

— ”GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN! GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN!”

At the same moment, Miles gestured frantically for him to stop immediately. Fear was written all over his face. Not understanding what was going on, Harry paid no attention and kept shouting.

— ”GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN! GET BACK TO THE KITCHEN! GET BACK TO TH—”

But when he saw the terrifying expressions on Gwen, Liz, and Sally’s faces, and finally understood what Miles had been trying to warn him about, he began sweating profusely.

The three girls slowly started walking toward him, ready to put him through several forms of torture.

And while he begged for his life, Miles simply watched the scene unfold.

Meanwhile, Peter and Anya had already started their match. While Peter tried to send the shuttlecock just over the net or right along the edge of the court, Anya always managed to return it.

It frustrated him, yet at the same time, he found it fun.

He was genuinely impressed.

— ”If she had my powers, she’d be an absolute monster.”

The match went on for quite a while, and it was a complete stalemate. Neither of them could truly gain the upper hand.

— ”Hey, Peter! Where did this level come from? Were you losing on purpose last time or what?”

— ”Let’s just say I underestimated you!”

— ”Oh yeah?! You’re gonna regret that!”

She caught Peter off guard with a shot sent from far away but flying extremely low. The shuttlecock was about to hit the ground in just a matter of seconds.

— ”What kind of shot was that?! If I don’t hurry, it’s going to hit the ground and I’m going to lose again!”

In an instant, Peter dashed forward as fast as he could, readied his racket, and held it out in front of him, prepared to return the shuttlecock.

— ”No... I’M... THE ONE WHO’S GOING TO WIN!”

At the very last second, he managed to strike the shuttlecock and send it high into the air toward Anya’s side. The momentum of his dive made him roll across the ground before he quickly got back to his feet.

— ”Y-Yeah! I DID IT! I DI—”

— ”Win.”

Before he could even make it back to the middle of the court, Anya had already jumped, intercepted the shuttlecock, and gently sent it just over the net.

The moment he realized he had lost, Peter struggled to process it.

After a few moments, he let himself collapse onto the ground, completely devastated.

Anya noticed him and, instead of celebrating her victory like she usually did, walked over to him and crouched down in front of him.

— ”Hey...”

— ”...What?”

— ”Don’t be sad. It was a good match.”

— ”...I know. And I’m not sad.”

He got back to his feet and showed her his face.

— ”I’m just pissed.”

Seeing the look on his face—both serious and childishly sulky—Anya burst into genuine laughter.

Her laughter surprised Peter, but it also caught the attention of everyone else sitting on the benches. The moment they heard her laugh, they immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

After a few moments, Anya noticed that everyone was staring at her and stopped, puzzled.

— ”...What?”

— ”I... I didn’t know a brute like you could have such a gentle laugh. And since you’re usually so aggressive and straightforward, I sometimes end up forgetting you’re a girl.”

At those words, everyone froze.

Anya... and the rest of the group sitting on the benches... but not for the same reasons.

While Anya could feel her anger boiling over, the others were simply terrified.

Terrified of what was about to happen to Peter.

— ”ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH, YOU ASSHOLE?!”

She immediately started whacking Peter with her racket. Peter sprang to his feet and took off running across the court.

— ”THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! YOU’RE PROVING MY POINT!”

— ”I’M GONNA KILL YOU! GET OVER HERE!”

— ”NO, NO, NO, STAY AWAY! DON’T COME NEAR ME! YOU HEAR ME?! DON’T COME CLOOOOSE!”

New York — The Corner Café — Late Afternoon

The group was now sitting on the café’s outdoor terrace. The sun was beginning to set, and everyone was sipping a cold drink around a round table. Peter, completely dejected, was still trying to come to terms with his latest defeat.

— ”Peter... maybe you should just give up when it comes to Anya.”

— ”Huh? What do you mean?”

— ”Dude, Anya beats you every single time we play, and it’s never even close.”

— ”She humiliates you, and you still keep trying to beat her. You just have to accept it—she’s simply too good.”

Peter looked utterly dumbfounded by their reactions.

— ”Are you guys serious?”

Harry placed a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder.

— ”You know I’m always the one yelling to cheer you on, but she wins every single time.”

Seeing everyone give up only made Anya enjoy herself even more.

— ”Even he’s giving up on you! That only leaves Gwen!”

All eyes turned toward her.

— ”Gwen...?”

Caught completely off guard, Gwen almost choked on her drink.

— ”W-Well, um... actually... I...”

The blaring sound of police sirens suddenly interrupted the moment, echoing through the air around them.

— ”Ah... sorry, guys, but I just remembered I’ve got something to take care of today. I have to go!”

— ”Seriously, dude? Man... you suck.”

— ”See ya, man!” Miles said as he took another sip of his drink.

Everyone gave him a small wave goodbye, and Peter did the same.

Before leaving, he cast one last glance at Gwen, his eyes full of promise.

— ”We’ll finish this conversation later. Trust me, you’re not getting out of it.”

He dashed off with his backpack, disappearing around the corner of the terrace.

And Gwen was relieved that she had managed to avoid that conversation.

TO BE CONTINUED.