I slowly enter my home, quietly as possible so I don't wake up anyone.

I enter the kitchen, and look around at the freshly painted green walls. A wave of guilt rushes over me.

Near the sink I notice a small note.

Mary Moser! 
MEAT LOAF AND VEGGIES IN OVEN.

 I then hear yelling from Mary-Jane's house.

"She's back with the beer?!" Her father demands.

"WHAT?!" Her mother shouts.

"Bring me some beer!"

"Get off your ass!"

"I said beer-"

"Stop yelling!" Mary-Jane begs.

"You're as stupid as your mother!" Her father yells.

"You are drunk!" Her mother scoffs.

I sigh and grab the trash bag and head outside.

"Where's she going? Where you going?!" Mary-Jane's father demands. "Look! These dishes are not done! Somebodys' gotta do the dishes!"

"You do it, for a change!" Mary-Jane's mother snaps.

"Get in her little girl, and do the dishes now!"

"You do the dishes!" 

"I'm going out!"

I place the trash bag in the dumpster as Mary-Jane stomps outside.

"Were you listening to that?" She suddenly asks when she spots me.

"No." I then correct myself, "well, I heard, but I was just taking out the trash."

"I guess you can always hear us."

"Well, everybody shouts."

"Your aunt and uncle don't."

"Oh, they can scream pretty good sometimes." I then sigh, "listen, Mary-Jane. About today at school with Flash-"

"You really freaked us out. Not Harry though, that was the proudest I've ever seen a man be. But he did get really stressed after you ran off."

"I'm sorry, is he okay? Flash, I mean."

Mary-Jane chuckles, "he's just happy you didn't give him a black eye for graduation. Although, it would be pretty funny for Flash to get one, especially from a girl. I can picture it now... Flash, why does all your graduation photos include you having a black eye? Oh, uh. I got punched in the face. But whom? ... A girl..."

I snort.

"So where are you going after you graduate?" She asks me, slightly grinning.

"I wanna move into the city. And hopefully get a job as a photographer. Work my way through college. What about you?"

"Headed for the city too. Can't wait to get out of here. I wanna..." She pauses.

"You wanna?" I grin, leaning forward. "Oh, come on. You can tell me."

"I wanna... act... on stage."

"Right, I remember Sally and Glory going on about that." I chuckle. "Well, I for one, think that's perfect. You were awesome in all the school plays!"

"Really?" She blushes.

"Yeah! I cried like a baby when you played Cinderella."

"Emma," she chuckles. "That was first grade."

"And? I had an awkward Cinderella phase during that period of our lives. Don't judge me." I grin. "But who cares? Sometimes... you know people. You can just see what's coming for 'em."

"What do you see coming for you?"

"Now, that's a trick question. Because whatever it is, it's something I never felt before."

"And... what for me?"

"For you?" I smile softly. "You, my dear, you're gonna light up Broadway."

"You know... you are the most prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"You've clearly never looked into a mirror," I blush.

"Oh, I have-" She's cut off by a car honking.

"Hey, MJ!" Flash calls. "Come take a ride in my new birthday present! Come on!"

"I gotta go," she sighs before walking away. "See ya around, Tiger."

"Bye," I nod.

 She starts running, "oh my God, it's gorgeous!"

"Yeah, right?" I can tell he's smirking.

"Look at it!"

"Hop in!"

"Oh, my God! What a cool car!"

"Huh, pretty tight, huh? Wait till you hear the sound system." He hops in. "Hey, don't scratch the leather."

"Cool car," I roll my eyes as they drive off.

---

I look through used cars for great prices.

A Sports Convertible for only $2,598.

And just underneath was an ad for amateur wrestling that pays $3,000 for three minutes. But a colorful character is a must.

So I spent the whole night coming up with a design and practicing my aim.

---

I walk past Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and Primrose. "I'm gonna to the downtown library. I'll see you later."

"Oh, yeah. Wait, Em." Uncle Ben stands up. "I'll drive ya there, buddy."

"Oh, no. I'll take the train."

"No, no, no. I need the exercise. Go on. Go, go." He grabs his coat and ushers me out the door.

---

"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Ben." I say as I'm about to exit the car.

"Wait a minute, Emma." He stops me. "We need to talk."

"Oh, we can talk later."

"Well, we can talk now. If you let me."

I sigh, "what do we have to talk about? Why now?"

"Because we haven't talked at all for so long. Your Aunt May and I don't know who you are anymore. You shirk your chores. You have all those weird experiments in your room. You start fights at school-"

"I didn't start that fight! I told you that!"

"Well you sure as hell finished it."

"What was I supposed to do, run away? Cry and allow him to beat me up?"

"No, you're not supposed to run away or allow people to bully you like that, but... Em, look, you're changing. I know. Your Aunt May went through exactly the same thing at your age."

"No, not exactly."

"Emma... these are the years when a woman changes into the woman she's gonna become the rest of her life. Just be careful who you change into. This guy, Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up doesn't give you the right to."

I sigh.

"Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

"Are you afraid that I'm gonna turn into some kind of criminal? Quit worrying about me, okay? Something's different. I'll figure it out. Stop lecturing me, please."

"I don't mean to lecture and I don't mean to preach. And I know I'm not your father-"

"Then stop pretending to be!" I snap.

He gives me a sad nod, "right." I look down in regret. "I'll pick you up here at ten."

I exit the car.

---

The crowd stomps and cheers, "Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw!"

I wince as Bone Saw slams himself onto one guy.

"One, two," the referee starts. "Three! That's it!"

"Who's the man?!" Bone Saw grins.

"Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw!" The crowd chants.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Bone Saw McGraw!" The announcer fires up the crowd even more. "For $3,000, is there no one here man enough to stay in the ring for three minutes with this titan of testosterone? Who? I know who... The Flying Dutchman!"

---

"Next!" I walk up to the lady. "There's no featherweight division here, small fry. Next!"

"No, no!" I stop her. "Sign me up."

"Girl, I love your confidence but that man will crush you."

"Sign. Me. Up."

She sighs, "okay. You understand the NYWL is not responsible for any injury you may and probably will sustain while participating in said event? And you are participating under your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Down the hall to the ramp. May God be with you. Next!"

---

"Are you ready for more?" The announcer asks, while knowing damn well the crowds live for this shit.

"Bone Saw is ready!"

"Will the next victim please enter the arena at this time? If he can withstand just three minutes in the cage with Bone Saw McGraw, the sum of $3,000 will be paid to..." He then whispers to me.

"The Human Spider," I answer.

"The Human Spider? That's it? That's the best you got?"

"Yeah...?"

"Oh, that sucks." He then steps forward again. "The sum of $3,000 will be paid to... the terrifying, the deadly... the Amazing... Spiderwoman!" He points as I'm suddenly revealed.

I turn to one of the employee's, "uh, my names the Human Spider."

"I don't care, get out there."

"Well, I do care-"

"Get out there, you moron." He pushes forwards and I'm faced with a booing crowd.

"Bone Saw's gonna eat you up and spit you out, little girl." One of the ladies spats in my face.

"I hope you brought your mommy with you."

"We'll break you!"

"You'll need someone to cry to!"

People throw food at me while the ladies mock me.

"I'm gonna rip all eight of your feeble legs off one by one!"

"Oh, my God!" I hear a man moan as he gets pushed away. "Oh, my legs! Oh, God. I can't feel my legs!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd chants. I enter the ring and the chanting only increases. The chanting changes as a cage comes down, "gate! Gate! Gate! Gate! Gate!"

"Um, hello? Guys?" I try to get one of the employees attention.

"Will the guards please lock the cage doors at this time?" The announcer asks.

"Hey, listen!" I try to get the guards attention. "There's some kind of mistake! I didn't sign up for a cage match!" He just locks it. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Unlock the thing! Take the chain off!"

"Hey, Freak-Show!" Bone Saw shouts, I turn my head to face him. "You're going nowhere! I got your sweet ass for three minutes! Three minutes of playtime!"

The timer starts and he rushes towards me. I quickly jump up and stick to the upper metal bars, out of reach.

The crowd groans as he slams against the cage, only to get up and to look at me.

"What ya doing up there?!" He demands.

"Staying away from you," I scoff, I then smirk. "That's a cute outfit, did your husband give it to you?"

He screams and does a pathetic jump, so I front-flip off of the bars and land on the other side of the ring.

I shoot two webs at the top of the cage and jump out of the way as he tries to tackle me down.

"Finish her off!" A lady hands him a chair.

He takes the chairs and strikes me on the head, knocking me down, before hitting me again. When I try to get up, he hits me again.

"Smash her!"

He hits me again before tossing the chair aside.

"Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw! Bone Saw!"

He picks me up by the leg and slams me against the cage.

"Hit her!"

"Harder!"

He slams against the cage again before dropping me.

"Kick her spider ass!" A lady hands him a crowbar. Jason Todd vibes.

I quickly respond by kicking his chest over and over before I start kicking his face. He tumbles back before raising the crowbar and rushing at me, the second he jumps at me, I kick his chest and send him flying across and he smacks up against the cage. Knocking him out.

The crowd bursts out cheering.

"One, two, three! That's it! That's it!" The referee lifts my wrist up, "winner!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the new champion, Spiderwoman!"

"Spiderwoman! Spiderwoman! Spiderwoman! Spiderwoman! Spiderwoman!" The crowd chants. I laugh, grinning brightly.