Chapter One

 

Alright people, let's start at the beginning one last time.

 

My name is Gwen Stacy. I was bitten by a radioactive spider, and for the last two years, I’ve been the one and only Spider-Woman. You guys know the rest - 

 

I joined a band - 

 

Saved my dad - 

 

I… couldn’t save my best friend, Peter Par-

 

Hold on, hold on. That last part? Let’s hold off on finishing that bit. And I know it’s starting to get repetitive and everything, buuut…

 

Let’s start at the beginning. And for the last time. I mean it.

 

It was an unfamiliar burn in my chest but I recognized it immediately. I sucked in a deep breath of air - or at least, I tried. I ended up sucking in a mouthful of water for my troubles. Seconds later I’m yanked backwards. Hard.

 

I distinctly heard shouts and laughter in the distance, but I’m too busy gasping for air as I try coughing out all the water. A shrill ring cuts through all the muddled noise, and I barely noticed the footsteps leaving my view. As soon as I caught my breath, I rubbed my eyes and took in my surroundings.

 

“What the fuck.” I croaked out. It’s gotta be the shittiest way I’ve ever woken up. Not only do I wake up to a mouthful of water, but I’m also somehow not in my bed? How’d that even happen? How’d I end up in a bathroom? And don’t tell me the water in my mouth was- don’t finish that thought.

 

I took a deep breath and stood up. Let’s ignore the fact that I somehow teleported into a fuckin’ school bathroom of all places. I kicked the stall door open and turned on the sink. The least I could do is wash off my face and hands. 

 

Then I looked into the mirror. 

 

“What the-” I dazedly rubbed at the glass. Ignore the sopping wet hair - the face staring back at me was definitely NOT my own. What, the color difference wasn’t enough? Eye shape and color, cheekbone structure, the differences in muscle mass, slight dip in vein distribution, th-

 

 - Holy shit, I sound like a nerd. 

 

Am I a nerd? 

 

My eyes widened as my brain pieced it together. It was just like that genre - isekai! That would explain the transportation, the different face and body, and the intellect. I scoffed. The idea was laughable, but until I came up with a better reason as to why I had toilet water dripping from a face that wasn’t mine in a random school bathroom, I’d have to rock with it. 

 

I did my best to dry off my hair and quickly left the bathroom. First things first, I needed to-

 

“Peter!” Me? I whirled around to the sound of the voice and the first thing I noticed was her blonde hair, slightly messy and draping down to the nape of her neck. The second thing I noticed was her piercing blue eyes swirling with a mix of anger and concern. 

 

Concern, for me.

 

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere. The bell went off like,” She checked her phone. “Ten minutes ago.”

 

“I, uh… I fell in the toilet.” I finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

 

She narrowed her eyes and her gaze flitted back and forth from my eyes to my wet, matted, and presumably smelly hair.. “It was Ned, wasn’t it?” She balled up her fists.

 

“Maybe?” 

 

She sighed. “I’ll deal with him later. Right now, we should head over to class.”

 

“Right!”

 

“And don’t forget to get your glasses.” She tilted her head to the bathroom. “I’m assuming they’re in there? Unless Ned took them with him…” Her last words ended with a hint of a growl.

 

“No, I- I think they’re in the bathroom.” I rushed back in and opened the stall door where I was just minutes ago. Luckily for me - and Ned - they were laying right there next to the toilet. I quickly placed them on, and my vision sharpened. 

 

I stepped to the mirror to try combing my hair one last time - my brown… hair.

 

My hair was normally black. And my name was normally Eric. And I was Asian, and my mom was a strict, no-business, stereotypical tiger mom, and my dad was a laidback former athlete, and my friends- 

 

I retched into the sink, but nothing came out. I gripped the sink until my knuckles whitened. My breathing was heavy, unsteady. A thin string of drool stretched down to the bottom of the sink. Stray droplets of toilet water rolled off my strands of hair.

 

I’ve read some stories similar to my situation, and I always thought it’d be interesting to land in such a spot. But the realization caught up to me. I wasn’t an old man torn up with regrets. I was sixteen years old with dreams of making it into a good college with a basketball scholarship. Now? No one who I knew was here. I didn’t even know who I - who Peter was.

 

I gave myself a second before wiping my mouth. I pulled myself up and slapped my face. 

 

“My name is Peter. I’m bullied by Ned and protected by a cute blonde.” I croaked out loud. If I kept thinking that, maybe I’d actually start to believe it. 

 

I tried my best to put on a smile, and I stepped outside. 

 

“Let’s go, Pete.” She grabbed my arm and stormed down the corridor. Chaotic? Maybe, but it was better for her to lead me around than have me flounder about by myself. A second later, she stopped instantly, and I would’ve gone flying if it weren’t for her iron grip. 

 

“We’re here?”

 

“Might as well go in.” She let go of my hand and opened the door. A veritable sea of unknown faces greeted. A couple of girls snickered at my appearance, no doubt. A trio of tall, burly athletes in the back didn’t bother hiding their laughter at all. 

 

I bit back an insult. Only minutes into a new universe, and I hated Ned, whichever pig-faced idiot he was among them.

“Is there any reason for your tardiness this time,” The teacher looked up from her book, unamused. “Peter Parker?”

 

…

 

Peter? Parker?

 

I’m Spider-Man?