Spider-Man - Chapter 10: The Four of Us (Patreon)

"Wow, you're amazing." Harley studied the little device taking shape in Peter's notebook. She couldn't understand much of the design, but even she could tell it was impressive.

"I've never met anyone like you before."

"Come on, this is nothing. The mechanism isn't even complicated. You know the little part inside a lighter? It's basically the same thing. I've just scaled it up a bit. Cheer up, buddy. Your high school life is only just beginning. There are plenty of amazing things waiting for you."

Peter put his arm around Harley's shoulders as he spoke.

If they were two boys, the gesture wouldn't have meant much. But Harley felt a little flustered. They had only met today. Wasn't this a little too intimate?

When class ended, the three went outside for a break. Gwen still had Peter's printed comic in her hands, making Harley wonder what could possibly be so captivating about it.

She barely knew Gwen. The only thing they had in common was that both were growing close to Peter.

"Oh, this is great! I hope you've got the next issue ready!" Gwen declared.

"So I'm forgiven now?" Peter asked.

"When you bring me the next issue. First, tell me how you came up with this idea."

The Batman comic really was entertaining. In this world, which appeared to have only Spider-Man-related superheroes, there were no internationally famous superhero legends. The concept was new and intriguing to Gwen and Harley.

"Um, could I read it too?" Harley leaned closer and asked.

"Of course. Here, take it. Just be careful. I didn't print it on very good paper."

Harley accepted the thin booklet and turned to its first page.

A downpour swept across Gotham City. Darkness swallowed the streets, and the night rain brought a cold that seemed to seep into everyone's bones.

Inside a graffiti-covered subway car, a gang of men with painted faces chased an ordinary passenger.

Perhaps they wanted his money. Perhaps they wanted his life.

They caught him. His desperate pleas and cries dissolved beneath punches to the face, accompanied by spurts of blood and cruel laughter.

Then a shadow approached, and everyone stopped.

"Hey, what's with that ridiculous outfit?" one of the gang members demanded. A masked figure in a strange costume had appeared before him.

Some of the thugs sneered. Others raised their phones to record him. Soon, none of them were laughing.

Fear swept over them like a living force, reducing them to ash. The rain washed the remains away until not a trace was left.

The scene changed to a horrific murder investigation.

Commissioner Gordon stood over a corpse, his expression grim. Everything about the scene was dark and oppressive.

Then an even darker figure appeared in the frame...

Harley instinctively turned the page, only to discover she'd reached the end. "Oh my God! What happens next? What about the murder? And who was that shadow?" she demanded.

"I'm telling you, that song was awful... Oh, you've finished?" Peter had still been chatting with Gwen. He turned toward Harley's voice. "The rest is on my computer. I haven't gotten around to printing it yet."

"Uh... this is incredible."

"You already have more? Why didn't you tell us?" Gwen exclaimed. "I was starting to think you'd stopped putting that clever brain of yours to work, Peter."

"I was going to print more tomorrow. But since you've both had a look, you owe me some feedback. What do you think? If I sent this to the Daily Bugle, could it become a hit?"

"If the rest is just as good, I'm sure it would," Gwen answered.

"Hmm... I'm not so sure." Harley scratched her head. "I don't mean the comic isn't good. But Jonah Jameson, the owner of the Daily Bugle, is a cheapskate. Unless you can show him there's a market for it, I doubt he'll launch a whole magazine just to publish your story."

"Good point." Peter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should try printing it in the school newspaper first and see how people respond."

"Great idea. We can put out a trial edition and find out what happens. Hardly anyone reads that boring newspaper as it is," Gwen said.

"So our next step is to submit it to the school newspaper?" Harley asked. Without realizing it, she'd already begun thinking of herself as part of their little group. "I bet everyone at school would love it. But will the newspaper club actually let us publish it?"

"Oh, right. You might not know this, Harley," Gwen said, addressing her by name. "We're members of the newspaper club."

"Both of us," Peter added.

The newspaper club had struggled to attract members. The upperclasswoman had more or less packed up and disappeared as soon as the new recruits joined, leaving the three of them in charge.

And since Gwen and Mary Jane had only joined because Peter did, he effectively had the final say over the paper. He could publish whatever he liked.

"Now that I think about it, Harley, you came a little late. The club recruitment period is already over," Peter said.

"I wasn't interested in clubs in the first place. But, um... is your newspaper club still accepting members?" Harley asked.

Peter and Gwen exchanged a glance, then answered together, "Welcome to the school newspaper!"

The bell rang, signaling that their break was over.

When they returned to class, Peter once again took his usual seat in the back row, leaving an empty place between himself and Gwen.

There was gossip about the two of them, but it hadn't spread so far that everyone believed they were a couple. Peter figured it was best to keep an appropriate distance.

Of course, Gwen knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Idiot," she muttered. She didn't care about those rumors. Everyone already thought the two of them were weirdos.

And if they were weirdos anyway, why should they worry about what anyone said?

Not everyone's opinions deserve your attention. Peter had told her that himself.

She was tempted to move into the empty seat beside him, just a little. But wouldn't that make things difficult for Peter?

After thinking it over, Gwen tore a page from her notebook, wrote a message, and glanced at Peter, who was whispering to Harley again. Then she crumpled the paper and tossed it toward him.

Without even turning, Peter lifted a hand and caught the paper ball.

"Huh?" He examined it, then looked toward Gwen by the window. She was whistling innocently as she gazed outside. Her eyes flicked toward him for a moment, but when she realized he was watching, she hurriedly looked away and resumed whistling.

Peter had no idea what was behind her strange behavior.

Instead, a completely different thought went through his head.

Whoa! I caught that paper ball without even turning around. Could I have Spider-Sense? That's awesome!