Aunt May's Guest

"Hey, Aunt May, I'm back!"

Peter carefully carried the cake box into the house, afraid that any bumps would deform the cream. He hadn't used his webs to swing back this time—after all, as a rookie Spider-Man, he'd wisely chosen to prioritize the cake's safety over the thrill of a high-flying swing through New York. Fortunately, the bakery wasn't far, so walking back wasn't a hassle.

Aunt May was busy in the dining room, where the table was already set with delicate tableware. She looked up and smiled at Peter, "How was your first day of high school?"

"It was amazing!" Peter placed the cake box on the table. "I met two new friends, the clubs are super interesting, the school has its own TV show, and... well, everything's great."

In reality, apart from those two classmates he'd barely gotten acquainted with and the detective club, he had few other strong impressions of school life—high school life seemed a bit dull when you spent most of your energy being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But he obviously couldn't tell Aunt May that.

"Is today a special occasion?" Peter deliberately changed the subject, pointing at the cake. "You went to the trouble of ordering a cake?"

Aunt May took the cake and examined it. "Oh, nothing special. It's just my old friend Anna's birthday today. She just moved back to New York. She had moved to Pittsburgh before to take care of her niece after her sister passed away." Her eyes softened as she took the cake to the kitchen to get it ready to be cut. "Ben went to pick them up; they should be here soon."

Peter nodded. No wonder Aunt May was so invested—a friend caring for an orphaned niece who had lost her mother? That experience was almost identical to the Parker family's. He walked into the kitchen to help. As Aunt May arranged the dishes, she added, "Oh, and that girl, like you and Gwen, is a new student at Midtown High School. Maybe you've already met."

"Uh, I don't really pay much attention to girls," Peter said, scratching his head awkwardly. "Even if I'd met her, I probably wouldn't remember. Not many people exchange names with me."

"You, this child," Aunt May shook her head helplessly. "You've always had few friends. You should be more outgoing."

"I think I'm plenty outgoing!" Peter immediately retorted. "I made two friends on my first day of school, and they're coming over to build LEGOs with me later."

"Really?" Aunt May's eyes lit up as she placed the freshly baked muffins on the table. "Then you must tell me in advance so I can prepare dinner for you."

"They're going to love my aunt's muffins—"

Before he could finish, the roar of Uncle Ben's old car echoed from outside. Aunt May took the plate from Peter's hand. "Why don't you go greet our guests, Peter?"

"No problem!" Peter walked towards the door, his super-hearing already picking up a light, quick set of footsteps approaching rapidly. He opened the door just in time, right before the knock sounded.

The red-haired girl standing outside clearly hadn't expected the door to open so suddenly. She wore a white t-shirt and light-colored denim shorts, her fiery red hair like a burning sunset in the evening light. Her hand, raised halfway in the air, froze, her brilliant smile still fixed on her face.

But in the next second, she regained her composure, leaning a hand against the doorframe and winking at Peter.

"Face it, Tiger," she said, a sly curve to her lips. "You just hit the jackpot."

Gwen Stacy was hunched over her computer, searching for drum tutorials. Her visit to the school's rock club today had excited her immensely—Midtown High had several high school bands performing in the gym. Unlike ballet, which she'd practiced since childhood, the unrestrained feeling of rock music was simply captivating.

"Dad's definitely going to call this 'hippie nonsense' again. He doesn't understand the free spirit of rock at all," she mumbled, closing the webpage. As she considered whether to bring dinner to her father, who was working overtime at the police station, she heard the sound of the front door opening downstairs. Gwen ran downstairs in surprise, only to find her dad, George, home early, his uniform jacket already off and placed on the back of the sofa.

So, New York was peaceful today? Sheriff George Stacy could actually get off work on time?

"Thanks to Spider-Man. He stopped a bank robbery this morning and intercepted a truck full of high-tech weapons this afternoon. Oh, and he saved my daughter." George spread his arms, intending to give his daughter a hug, but Gwen stood frozen, unmoving.

"Seriously? A bear hug?"

Sheriff Stacy added awkwardly, "What, can't your dad have a hug? You fell asleep right after you got back from London last night, and I hadn't even gotten up this morning. We've been apart all summer."

Gwen smiled helplessly and hugged her father. Speaking of Spider-Man, she suddenly remembered something from the morning. "Why does the Daily Bugle always smear him? He's clearly doing good deeds and even saved us."

"Who knows? J. Jonah Jameson is quite respectful towards the Avengers," George said, taking a beer from the refrigerator. "Speaking of which, back when Spider-Man couldn't write with his webs yet, he communicated with the police using notes. I thought his handwriting looked a bit familiar at the time, but then I thought, whose handwriting could it be?"

Familiar handwriting?

Gwen thought of Spider-Man and Peter's matching sneakers.

"Could it be Peter?"

"Peter? Peter Parker?" George paused for two seconds, then burst out laughing. "Impossible! Although it's the kind of childish handwriting that middle schoolers have, it's definitely not him. I recognize Peter's handwriting."

"You could let me see it, maybe I could recognize if it's one of your forgotten friends—"

"The evidence has already been filed," George said seriously. "Right, I'm planning to visit the Parkers. Should I change my clothes?"

Gwen looked at her father, frowning, and pointed at herself. "Shouldn't I be asking you why?"

"We're going to express our gratitude, Gwen. This morning, in that place... My goodness, thank goodness Ben was there. You're perfectly fine, but we have to thank them, don't we?"

"More accurately, Spider-Man saved us."

"But I couldn't find Spider-Man to thank him. I forgot this afternoon."

So, Gwen could only comfort her father helplessly. "Okay, since I haven't had dinner yet, maybe I can mooch off Aunt May's signature muffins. Don't dress too formally; we're just going for dinner."

George Stacy offered an exaggerated compliment.

"Oh, May's muffins, I absolutely love May's muffins."

The Stacy father and daughter got up as they spoke and arrived at the Parker's doorstep to knock. George knocked, waiting for someone to open the door. After a moment, Ben Parker opened it. George was about to say something but seemed to hear lively laughter coming from behind Uncle Ben.

"George? I didn't expect you to get off work so early," Uncle Ben said warmly, clapping the sheriff on the shoulder. "May was just saying we should invite Gwen! There are plenty of muffins, come on in."

"It looks like you have guests, Ben. Maybe I should..."

"It's fine, it's fine. No one ever feels like they should only entertain one friend instead of two."

The Parkers have guests? Gwen followed her father curiously, ignoring her dad's expressions of gratitude and Uncle Ben's polite reply. She poked her head in, trying to see who the Parkers' guests were, but in the dining room, she saw an unexpected figure—

"Mary Jane Watson?!"

This classmate she'd met today in the rock club was actually the Parkers' new guest?! Gwen's scalp tingled instantly—they had talked so much, and she hadn't mentioned her father's disapproval of her playing rock music! If Mary Jane let that slip, wouldn't she be finished?

In comparison, Peter, who was being flustered by the socially adept Mary Jane, seemed less miserable.

How could he remind Mary Jane not to mention it?

"Hey! Gwen!" Mary Jane's cheerful shout made everyone turn their heads. Peter seized the opportunity to escape, making way for Gwen to sit between himself and the red-haired girl.

Aunt May looked at them in surprise. "You two already know each other?"

"We're classmates," Mary Jane said with a bright smile, shifting the awkwardness from Peter to Gwen. Gwen could only respond awkwardly, "Yeah." Aunt May then started complaining about why Peter didn't make more friends.

"It's so wonderful today that friends can gather together. I'm even happier that the children already know each other. George, this is my Anna, a good friend from middle school. Anna, this is George, our neighbor, an upright and friendly sheriff."

Sheriff George also politely expressed his friendliness to Aunt Anna.

"I'm very happy to meet you all, especially Gwen's friends. I'm glad she can make good friends..."

Gwen felt like the Sword of Damocles was hanging over her head, ready to fall at any moment. And she couldn't even communicate about it discreetly on her phone. Helplessly, Gwen decided to take the initiative and start the topic.

"We met today at the club recruitment—"

"At the dance club's entrance!" Gwen cut Mary Jane off. Peter chose to remain a quail, head down, cutting his pancake.

After a brief moment of surprise, Mary Jane quickly responded, "Yes, that's right, exactly."

The adults didn't seem to pay much attention to the children's little secret and continued their pleasantries. Gwen leaned close to Peter's ear and said triumphantly, "See? I'm better at making friends than you are?"

"And then you get your new friend to lie with you?"

Gwen's white sneakers firmly landed on Peter's instep. Peter forced a smile, nodded, and then sighed deeply.

The line Mary Jane spoke was also the line she said in the comics when she first met Peter.

I don't know why Marvel is writing such trashy plots for Mary Jane