Peter POV:
The gates of Visions academy were the sa as ever. Sa brick walls, sa noisy courtyard, sa clusters of kids who thought they ruled the place. But for , it was new. For the first ti in months, I wasn't rolling through doors in a chair. I was walking. Every step was equal parts miracle and quiet rebellion against the universe.
The faint orange glow of the Sandevistan humd on my back. It wasn't loud, but it wasn't subtle either. Neon orange light slipped through the fabric of my T-shirt like the world's most conspicuous neon sign and I could feel the stares already.
"Holy crap, is that Peter Parker?"
"No way. He was literally paralyzed last sester."
"Look at his back… is that, like… alien tech?"
I kept my stride steady, Gwen pacing beside in her leather jacket and jeans. Her hand brushed mine, a silent "I got you" as whispers followed us down the hall.
"You okay?" She murmured under her breath.
"Yeah," I said. "It's just… a lot."
She smirked. "You're glowing like a radioactive lava lamp, Pete. Of course people are going to stare."
And right on cue, Ned Leeds voice bood above the chatter.
"Well, well, look who decided to upgrade from wheels to legs!" Smirked the walking pile of shit, tossing a football between his hands. "What's up, robo-nerd? Stark Industries run out of test monkeys?"
Students paused. Phones angled toward us. Gwen folded her arms, clearly restraining herself as she learned that always defending turned into an even bigger target.
"Morning, Leeds." I said, keeping my voice calm.
Ned sneered, cocking his arm back. "Think fast, Parker!"
The football whistled toward the back of my head while I turned away from him.
I didn't even look. My hand shot up, catching it mid-air like it was nothing. Gasps filled the hall. I spun the ball once on my finger, then snapped it back across the hallway, slamming it into Ned's stomach. He doubled over with a groan. My movent is too fast for anyone's eyes except Gwen's to register.
"Nice arm." I said mildly. "But terrible aim."
The crowd erupted. Laughter, cheers, a few stunned curses. Gwen smirked proudly. Flash glared daggers but stumbled off, muttering sothing about "cheaters."
Cafeteria:
If the hallway was bad, the cafeteria was a circus. Gwen and I barely made it to a corner table before a crowd sward us like moths to a neon orange fla.
"Dude, is that like… cybernetics?" One kid asked, leaning too close.
"Can you lift a car?" another blurted.
"Does Stark know about this?"
"Wait—are you in so vigilante group?"
"Let touch it!"
"Back up!" Gwen barked, holding her tray like a shield. "He's not a science fair project, he's a person."
Didn't matter. The questions kept coming.
"So, is it alien?"
"Military prototype?"
"Bro, are you like… RoboCop?"
I sighed. "No, no, and… absolutely not. It's a dical device. Helps walk and compensates for my damaged spine. That's it."
"dical device my ass." Muttered a jock. "It's glowing, Parker. dical devices don't glow."
"Yeah, well, neither do glow sticks, but people still trust them at concerts."
That got a laugh. Gwen grinned, proud of .
Soone else leaned in. "So, like… can you run super fast?"
"Not yet." I admitted. "Walking's already a win. I'll stick with that before I break a track record."
Another voice: "Can you feel pain? Or are you, like, invincible now?"
"Still very breakable." I said dryly. "Please don't test it."
Gwen chid in with a smirk. "Yeah, unless you want to web your mouth shut."
"Wait, what?" A kid blinked.
"She's joking." I said quickly, giving her a look. Gwen just sipped her soda, fighting a smile.
Phones clicked. Pictures spread. Every so often, more kids glanced at the faint glow pulsing under my T-shirt. Heads kept turning from across the cafeteria.
I muttered under my breath, "I used to dream of being noticed. Now I want to be invisible again."
Gwen nudged with her shoulder. "Hey. You're not invisible anymore. Own it."
"Yeah," I said, staring at the sea of curious faces. "Guess so."
The bell rang eventually, scattering the crowd. But the whispers stayed. "Parker can walk again." "Parker's a cyborg." "Parker's hiding sothing."
And as Gwen and I walked out together, heads turning with every faint glow of the Sandevistan, I realized sothing. My secret life wasn't so secret anymore. And Midtown High? It would never look at the sa way again.
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