I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 44: Cindy's Worries (Patreon)

Cindy was in a foul mood. The day before, Mary Jane had invited her over for a free meal, and Peter had ended up driving her home.

Her family had scolded her for letting a boy take her home. Fortunately, Hardy had been in the car too, so Cindy had been able to explain the situation.

That hadn't stopped her from feeling frustrated.

"You look miserable." Mary Jane dropped into the seat beside her.

"Hey! That's my seat!" protested a boy nearby.

"Find another one. Do you really want to sit with this gloomy girl? Or would you rather hear something about the girl you like over there?"

"Uh... R-really?" he asked shyly.

"Come here. I'll tell you." Mary Jane beckoned him closer and whispered a few words. The boy surrendered his seat with a delighted smile.

"Everyone seems to love you," Cindy muttered.

"I just know what to say, sweetheart. Friendship and romance are both transactions. Buy low, sell high, and the other person is yours."

"I'm not a little kid..." Cindy grumbled.

"Come on, you need my help right now. A good deal gives both sides what they want, doesn't it? So tell me, cutie. What's bothering you?"

"It's not a big deal, really. You know how Peter drove me..." Mary Jane's eyebrow twitched. "And Hardy home yesterday? My family had a few things to say about it."

"Well, Peter is a handsome boy," Mary Jane remarked.

Was he really that handsome? Cindy wondered. He dressed even more plainly than she did. Maybe he was the sort of person who looked better the longer you knew him.

She hadn't spent much time around Peter anyway. She'd passed most of the visit secretly devouring the sugary, high-calorie snacks she could never eat at home.

She'd kept snacking when Quentina arrived, and she'd still been eating when Mary Jane and Peter argued. Then she'd enjoyed a delicious dinner before leaving.

She had to admit Peter was a good cook.

"And he got to drive Harley's car," Mary Jane continued. "I ought to remind him that it belongs to Harley, not him, before he starts showing off. The last thing he needs is to attract more troublesome girls, don't you think, Cindy?"

"Um... Mary Jane, I wasn't suggesting anything like that."

"Relax. If I thought you'd try something with my boyfriend, I wouldn't have invited you into the band. It's fine."

Then Mary Jane changed tack. "Maybe you should find yourself a boyfriend, though. What do you think?"

"I don't really feel the need..."

"Get one, sweetheart. You'll have someone to take out the trash when you need him. Tell me what kind of boy you like. I can find a few candidates."

"Hmm... Let me think."

His grades should at least be better than hers, right?

Wait. Weren't there only two students in the entire school with higher grades?

Gwen and Peter...

That couldn't be right.

Surely there weren't a dozen different students with those names at Midtown, either?

She certainly couldn't say any of that aloud. If Mary Jane found out, she'd make Cindy's life miserable.

"Don't bother, Mary Jane. My family would go ballistic if they found out I had a boyfriend."

"All right, all right. Let's hope they don't demand you get married and start having babies the moment you graduate."

"Now you're making me worry even more," Cindy said miserably.

...

"Gwen, have you finished putting the copies out on your side?"

"All done! Oh my God, Peter, you should have seen it," Gwen replied. "There were so many people waiting that they nearly started fighting."

"Seriously, Peter. I never thought this many students would be interested," Harley added. "Could The New Batman really be this popular?"

"Boys love this sort of thing." Peter shrugged. "That, model kits, and finding the perfect stick."

Midtown High was fairly permissive. Otherwise, the school magazine would never have gotten away with putting blonde models on its covers.

Principal Davis liked those covers too. He often picked up a magazine on his way to the office and admired it when nobody was watching. He could keep it at school, but there was no way he'd bring one home for his wife to see.

This time, however, he passed the school newspaper rack and found it completely empty.

"Wow. Are the kids really that worked up these days?"

Or had this issue become an enormous hit?

He simply had to see it.

He could visit the newspaper club, invent some excuse to get a copy of the current issue, and pick up the previous one he'd missed while away on business.

Normally, a blonde model on the cover made students too embarrassed to take a copy openly. Davis was older and thick-skinned enough not to care.

But the previous issue had featured Thompson, and this one had Batman right on the cover. That was nothing to be shy about. The handsome, dark figure of Batman had started a trend of its own at Midtown.

How could anyone dislike a Batman that cool, or a story that dark and thrilling? What, you didn't even have a copy of the Batman issue? Were you trying to stand out?

Well, then maybe somebody ought to bully you!

Let the bullying begin!

Even students who hadn't been interested began hunting down copies, if only to see what all the excitement was about.

The enthusiasm was mostly limited to the boys. Cindy could only stare in disbelief as they continued arguing about how cool Batman was in the middle of class.

Did these guys remember they were supposed to be learning something?

Sure enough, the teacher called them out, confiscated the magazines, and gave them a stern lecture.

The teachers still took their jobs seriously. They didn't want students graduating without being able to string four words together.

And parents hadn't yet reached the absurd point where they insisted one plus one equaled eleven. Teachers still commanded respect, and the classroom quieted down considerably.

...

"This is starting to get out of control, Peter. Are you sure it'll be all right?" Gwen asked in the newspaper clubroom.

"Uh... Maybe we should print fewer copies next time?" Peter scratched his head. He'd expected Batman to attract some attention, but not for the entire school to be talking about it.

And it wasn't as if his Batman story was particularly brilliant. The plot had barely begun!

The appeal was the dark, stylish crime-fighting atmosphere. It was practically irresistible to boys their age. Who wouldn't dream of diving out of the shadows beneath a giant signal shining into the night sky and stopping a crime as a superhero?

Now that the comic really was taking off, though, Peter had started to worry.