Marvel: The Enlightened One#41+42: New Semester—New Classmate, Cheerleader Captain Jennifer!

After Hawk spoke, he could feel Gwen’s hand tighten on his leg again.

He had gotten her signal.

It was a trap.

George's question was a trap...

Who was George Stacy? The Captain of the NYPD's 19th Precinct.

If Hawk were to call Spider-Man a vigilante, in George's eyes, it would be no different from defending a criminal.

Gwen's signal was a warning: don't fall for it. Answer the question in a way that would satisfy a police captain.

But...

If Hawk had called Spider-Man a criminal, he would have come across as a pathetic suck-up.

So, the question wasn't really a question. It was a no-win scenario. Whichever answer he chose would be the wrong one.

So between A and B, Hawk had chosen C.

He'd sidestepped the trap entirely!

He was just a student. He didn't care if Spider-Man was a hero or a villain. He only cared about getting his scholarship to NYU.

That's it.

If anyone else had given that answer, it might have come across as evasive.

But coming from Hawk, it was perfect.

Why?

Because Hawk was betting that George Stacy had already run a full background check on him.

And he wasn't afraid of what he'd find.

Because he hadn't just said it, it was how he lived.

He practiced what he preached.

The only inconsistency was that, after a lifetime of pinching pennies and never leaving New York City, he had suddenly taken a trip to Maryland.

But that was easy enough to explain.

He was a kid. He went on a vacation. It's not like he was out committing crimes.

Well, at least during his intensive training in Maryland, he hadn't done anything illegal.

Besides, every state had its own jurisdiction. What he did in Washington D.C had nothing to do with him now that he was back in New York.

After his answer, the look on George Stacy's face shifted from surprise to something else—a grudging respect. He nodded, and with that, the dinner was effectively over.

...

Nine o'clock that night.

Gwen walked Hawk to the door of her building. She smiled. "Get home safe. I'm sorry I can't drive you."

She was grounded.

Not by George, but by Helen. It was her punishment for running off to Maryland without telling anyone.

Normally, Gwen was free to come and go as she pleased before ten. But yesterday, Helen had moved her curfew up to nine.

"It's fine. The subway's fast enough."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Hawk watched her go back inside, then turned and walked toward the subway station.

If the New York City subway was a chaotic circus during the day...

Then at night, it was a zombie apocalypse.

You couldn't expect a transit system where fare evasion was a city-wide sport to be particularly well-managed.

As a general rule, New Yorkers avoided the subway at night unless they had no other choice.

But Hawk wasn't too worried.

On the ride back to his apartment, he only had to knock out one tweaker and scare off two wannabe rappers who decided to perform in his face. All in all, he made it home without any real trouble.

When he got home, Hawk saw a text from Gwen. He replied, then went straight to bed.

School starts tomorrow.

He wanted to get up early to catch the free school bus.

Gwen had offered to pick him up on her way.

But he had refused.

If he accepted, Hawk felt like it would create the impression that he was only dating Gwen so he could bum a ride from her.

He knew that wasn't the case.

But he couldn't control what other people thought. And while he didn't care what they thought about him, he had to consider how it would look for Gwen.

...

The next morning, Hawk was waiting at the bus stop when the familiar orange school bus pulled up.

The driver was the same as always: the burly, bearded Mr. Hall, who looked like a biker but had the heart of a teddy bear.

"Morning, Mr. Hall."

"Morning, Hawk. Ready for your last semester?"

"I won’t graduate until next year, Mr. Hall."

"You might get that NYU acceptance letter this semester. I've got faith in you, kid."

"Alright. Thanks, Mr. Hall."

"Don't mention it."

Hawk made his way to his usual seat in the back.

The bus continued on its route, picking up a student or two at every stop. When it reached the Forest Hills stop, a familiar face got on.

The moment he stepped on the bus, Peter Parker's Spider-Sense must have tingled. He immediately looked toward the back and saw Hawk, sitting alone by the window.

At the same time, Hawk looked up and saw Peter… and the boy standing next to him, who had a distinctly melancholy aura about him.

Is that...

Harry Osborn?

And not just any Harry Osborn. The James Franco version, the one who had beaten Peter to the punch with Mary Jane.

Peter said something to his friend, who had just transferred to Midtown from a school in England, and then led him down the aisle toward Hawk.

"Hawk."

"Peter."

"Hawk, this is Harry. He was studying in England, but he just transferred here. He's a senior, like us."

"Harry, this is Hawk."

Harry Osborn, not yet the Green Goblin, just a handsome kid in a blazer, smiled and extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Hawk."

"Likewise, Harry."

"..."

<><><><><><><><>

On the bus ride to Midtown Tech, Hawk learned how Peter and Harry had met.

Not that he didn't already know.

Peter's parents, back when they were still alive, had been scientists at Oscorp Industries.

Both of them.

Because of their work, they often had to bring Peter with them to the lab.

That's where he had met Harry. They had become fast friends.

After Peter's parents died in a plane crash, he had stopped going to Oscorp, but Harry, who already considered him a close friend, would still come to visit whenever he could.

They had never lost touch. Even in high school, when Harry was away at boarding school in England, they had kept in constant contact.

And now, here he was.

Today was Harry's first day at Midtown, and the first thing he'd done was go and find his best friend.

Harry was thrilled to be reunited with his old friend, and even more thrilled that they would be going to school together.

Peter was just as happy. This was the best news he'd had in the two months since his Uncle Ben had passed away.

Yes.

Ben Parker was still dead. He had been killed just a few days into summer vacation. And because of that, New York City had gained a new, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

When Hawk heard the news, he paused for a moment, then offered his condolences.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's okay."

Peter managed a small smile.

His Uncle Ben's death had taught him one thing.

With great power comes great responsibility.

So—

These days, whenever he was out there, doing what he did, he could almost feel his uncle by his side. And that made the pain a little easier to bear.

The bus continued on its route.

...

About half an hour later, now packed with students, it pulled into the parking lot of Midtown Tech.

The doors opened, and students began to file off.

"Hey, morning, Gwen."

"Morning, Liz."

"Gwen, long time no see."

"You too."

"Gwen, please tell me we have a homecoming dance."

"We do. It's tradition, Mark."

Gwen was already in the parking lot, leaning against her car. She smiled and greeted her classmates as they got out of their cars or off the buses arriving from all over the city.

Just then.

Hawk, following Peter and the new kid, Harry, stepped off the bus, his backpack slung over one shoulder.

Gwen's eyes lit up.

She was about to walk over to him, but then, in a flash, someone else appeared in front of him.

A girl with a waterfall of long, dark hair.

Jennifer Check. (From Jennifer's Body, played by Megan Fox.)

The captain of the cheerleading squad. Seductive, beautiful, with a pair of captivating, fox-like eyes that drew everyone's attention.

Gwen instinctively stopped, her brow furrowing.

"Hey, Gwen." Mary Jane Watson, who had just gotten out of her own car, walked up and tapped her on the shoulder. "What are you staring at?"

Mary Jane followed Gwen's gaze.

She saw Jennifer, dressed in a revealing outfit that showed off her perfect figure, standing directly in front of Hawk.

"Ugh."

"Jennifer."

"Wow, she really hasn't given up, has she?"

Mary Jane rolled her eyes. "Is she really trying to get the 'Asked Hawk to Every Dance for Four Years, Every Semester' achievement?"

Standing next to her, Gwen's voice was cool. "It's not just every semester."

"Huh?"

Mary Jane looked at her, confused.

Gwen's voice was low and dangerous.

"She asked him to prom in June too. He said no."

"Like he would ever go to a dance anyway," Mary Jane shot back. Then she paused, a look of realization dawning on her face. She turned to look at Gwen.

Gwen didn't say anything. She just narrowed her eyes, her gaze fixed on Hawk—and Jennifer Check, who was now smiling brightly at him.

...

"Hey, Hawk. Happy new semester~"

"You too, Jennifer."

Hawk smiled back at the girl who had materialized in front of him the second he'd stepped off the bus.

He had a pretty good idea of what she wanted.

After all, she did this at the start of every school year, asking the same question.

But he wasn't going to jump the gun.

What if he guessed wrong, and that wasn't what she was here for?

Jennifer fixed him with her captivating gaze. "Hawk, you said no in ninth grade, you said no in tenth grade, and you said no in eleventh grade. This is twelfth grade. Our last year. You can't say no again."

As the captain of the cheer squad, Jennifer had no shortage of admirers.

And she never missed a dance.

But none of her dates had ever been Hawk.

Maybe, back in ninth grade, she had just been drawn to his handsome, brooding loner vibe.

But after he had rejected her that first time, it had become an obsession.

She knew he would probably say no.

But what if? If he said yes, it would be the ultimate validation of her own desirability.

After all, for the past three years, it was a well-known fact that Hawk never, ever went to parties.

Unfortunately for her, there was no "what if—"

Hawk shook his head.

"Jennifer, you know I don't go to dances."

"But if you did, you'd ask me to be your date, right?"

"Yes, if I went... But I'm not going."

"That's all I needed to hear, Hawk."

"Goodbye."

That was the answer Jennifer had been looking for.

What I can't have, no one else can have either...

That was enough. As long as he wasn't going with someone else, her reputation remained intact.

Having gotten what she wanted, Jennifer leaned in, gave Hawk a quick, lingering kiss on the cheek, and then, with a cheerful wave, walked away.

"..." Hawk watched her leave in a whirlwind of perfume and confidence, then shook his head. He turned to Gwen, who was still standing by her car, and started toward her.

Gwen watched him approach, a small, unreadable smile on her face.

"She asked you to the dance?"

"Yep."

"Did you say yes?"

"Nope."

"Oh."

"..."