Soon enough, after everything was discussed, the three of them rose from the couch, politely said goodbye to Mrs. Snow, and walked out of her office.
Gwen glanced over at Hawk.
"Do you want me to take you to the Bio-Energy Department later?"
"No need. I can find it myself," Hawk replied simply. Without pausing, he slung his bag over one shoulder and walked out of the building.
There wasn't much time left.
Afternoon classes were about to begin, and he needed to hit the gym showers first.
Peter, who had followed them out of Mrs. Snow's office, stood quietly, watching Hawk's back as he left.
He was clearly deep in thought.
Gwen, who had been quietly observing him, suddenly called out.
"Peter!"
"...Huh?"
Peter blinked, his gaze unfocused. He turned toward Gwen, his pupils narrowing as he snapped out of it. "Gwen?"
She gave him a small smile. "It's nothing. By the way, are you going to the school dance this year?"
Peter chuckled awkwardly. "Probably not. Sorry."
If Hawk wasn't going to the dance because he had no money and didn't care to find a date, then Peter's reason was much simpler: he just couldn't get a date.
To be fair, Hawk could easily find someone if he wanted. With his looks, physique, and the aura honed from years of relentless training, it wouldn't be hard to get a girl to go with him.
Peter, though… was a different story.
To put it plainly, he was hung up on just one girl: Mary Jane.
Mary Jane Watson, Peter's next-door neighbor, was also in their junior year.
Peter might have thought his crush was a well-kept secret, but truthfully, most people already knew. No one at school was blind, after all. And under those circumstances, no girl wanted to be someone else's stand-in.
Especially not Mary Jane's.
And Mary Jane herself had no intention of accepting Peter's invitation to the dance.
He didn't want to go alone either just to stand in a corner and watch the girl of his dreams dance with someone else.
Gwen wasn't surprised by Peter's answer.
She was friends with Mary Jane. And as soon as the school announced the dance, MJ had already asked her to submit her and her date's names.
Harry Osborn.
Yeah.
Totally Mary Jane's type.
Gwen thought about it for a second but didn't say anything else. She nodded, accepted Peter's answer, and turned to leave.
However...
Just after she turned, a thought seemed to strike her. She instinctively looked back over her shoulder.
Peter was still standing there, staring off into the distance where Hawk had just disappeared.
Completely lost in thought.
A few days later...
Suddenly, cheers erupted across Midtown High.
Summer break had arrived. The season students waited for all year had finally come.
"L, got plans for the summer yet?"
"Yep. Off to Hawaii!"
"I'm heading to Slovakia with Tom."
"Whoa Slovakia? Didn't you see the news?"
"What news?"
"Some tourists went missing there last week."
"Fake news. Besides, Tom and I are jacked. What could possibly go wrong?"
Students streamed out of the school in groups, chatting about vacation plans as they made their way to the parking lot.
Engines revved to life one after another, and within minutes, Midtown High had gone eerily quiet.
The usual chatter and bustle had vanished.
Only the rhythmic sounds of impact from the old gym echoed in the distance.
Ten minutes passed.
Then the sound stopped.
Hawk stood still, regulating his breath while unwrapping the bandages from his hands.
Even though his hands could now punch steel without turning red, the daily habit of wrapping his fists had stuck with him. Over a thousand days of repetition had made it second nature.
As he peeled off the wraps, his brows arched slightly.
A voice came from behind.
"They say this gym's being converted into a swimming pool next semester."
"…Peter."
Hawk turned to see Peter standing nearby, his face strikingly reminiscent of Tobey Maguire.
"It's not just a rumor," Hawk said. "It's confirmed."
Peter smiled and said nothing.
And that, in Hawk's mind, was another reason he preferred the original Spider-Man.
Compared to Andrew Garfield's chatty Spider-Man and Tom Holland's tech-savvy, motor-mouthed version, he liked the quiet one.
Like himself.
Reserved.
Not much for small talk.
Hawk tucked the wraps into his bag and looked at Peter. "Don't tell me you came all the way here just to talk about the gym renovation."
Peter quickly shook his head. "No, that's not it."
"Then what?"
"Uh…"
Peter opened his mouth, hesitated, then clamped it shut, looking conflicted.
Hawk chuckled.
He didn't press, just slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the exit.
"Enjoy your summer, Peter."
Thwip!
Just as he reached the door, Hawk heard a faint noise almost like webbing shooting from a wrist.
In the same instant, he turned and lashed out with a punch.
Peter's Spider-Sense flared.
He instinctively dodged sideways.
BANG!
A bench in the middle of the gym exploded from the force of Hawk's strike, splitting clean in two.
Peter stared, wide-eyed.
Hawk calmly plucked the webbing off his bag.
Sticky.
He shook it hard a few times before it finally came off.
Peter snapped back to attention, eyes locked on Hawk.
"Hawk… you too "
"I'm not," Hawk cut him off flatly.
Everything he had now his strength, his control it all came from nearly three years of unrelenting effort and self-discipline.
Sure, the system might've helped… a little.
But only a little.
Even without it, he believed he would've awakened the Microcosm eventually.
Absolutely.
Besides, the system had long since disappeared, so it didn't get a say anymore.
That wasn't the real reason he interrupted Peter, though.
Hawk gave Peter a look.
And with his Spider-Sense, Peter instantly understood.
Hawk smiled slightly.
"Have a good summer, Peter. See you next semester."
"…Yeah. See you then."
Peter swallowed whatever he had meant to say and nodded instead.
Hawk said nothing more and walked out of the gym.
Only to find
"Gwen?"
Gwen stood outside, looking right at him.
Surprise flickered across Hawk's face.