It was early afternoon as Spider-Man was swinging through the city, going from building to building and trying to unwind after a long day of teaching high school science.

New York, how I missed you. Two weeks away from this place felt like a lifetime, but now I can get back into my daily routine. Wake up, mold young minds during the day, and kick some serious butt at night. Unfortunately some things happened while I was away, like one of my students getting shot, and the Hobgoblin striking again.

Luckily Ben was able to attach a spider-tracer to old Hobby’s glider. Now I can trace him back to his lair and hopefully get him out of my hair once and for all. Maybe if I can put this nutcase out of business, I can focus on better things. Like my friends and family.

Spider-Man dropped down into the sewers, following the tracer to the Hobgoblin’s lair. Opening the large metal doorway, he saw that it had been completely emptied, except for the Goblin glider sitting in the middle of the room.

“Well, that was easy–” Spider-Man started to say as he was punched by the Hobgoblin, sending him flying back.

“Don’t you know its poor manners to enter someone’s home without knocking?” asked the Hobgoblin with a vicious laugh.

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

By Tobias Christopher

“Ow!” A.J. Michaels said as he was slammed hard onto the gym mat, just staring up at the ceiling for the fifth time that afternoon. Each body slam was more painful than the last. The mats weren’t as soft as he’d hoped, and the fact that was only wearing a thin pair of karate pants wasn’t helping.

“Oh, come on, I barely hit you that time,” Ben Reilly said as he stood over him as the two sparred in a private studio that he’d acquired through his connections with the Defenders. The clone of Peter Parker reached his hand down and helped A.J. up.

“You know, when you said you were finally going to be working with me, I thought you meant you’d train me on the web shooters,” A.J. said as he rubbed his sore back. “I didn’t think you’d be offering lessons on how to get my ass kicked.”

“You’re a good kid, but you have no patience,” Ben told the boy. “Before you learn the web shooters, you have to learn some other defence moves. You can’t just rely on weapons if you ever end up in a fight. You need to learn how to depend on your own body.”

“Says the guy with the spider-powers,” A.J. said as Ben motioned for him to come at him again. A.J. rushed forward, but Ben instantly had him on the ground before the young man knew what was happening.

“True, but there are situations where powers don’t mean dick,” Ben replied as he let A.J. up. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to face guys whose power made me look like I was a small girl. That’s what these lessons are for.”

“I thought you said you didn’t want me going out and fighting?” asked A.J. as he stretched to get the feeling back in his upper body.

“I told you not to go out looking for trouble, but I know how well that works in this town,” Ben told him. “You know about me and Peter’s double life. That makes you a target should some villain try to come at us through you. You need to be ready to defend yourself, and others if we’re not around. Now, come at me again.”

A.J. came at him again, but this time learned from his earlier mistake and nearly ended up flooring his opponent before Ben tossed him back to the ground.

“Nice, you almost had me,” Ben laughed as he helped the young man up again. “It’s not about having powers, it’s about focus and concentration. You can beat your opponent if you know how to use their weaknesses against them.”

He motioned for A.J. to come at him again, but this time he looked for a way through his opponent’s defences. As Ben tried to put him into a hold, A.J. managed to grab his arm and flip him to the mat.

“Now you’re getting it,” Ben said as A.J. helped him up. “There might be hope for you yet.”

“Really?” A.J. asked.

“Really,” Ben told him. “You give me three months, and I guarantee you that you’ll be a changed man. Speaking of which,” Ben said as he handed A.J. a notebook. “Your new diet and exercise program starts tonight.”

“Wait, what?” asked A.J. as he flipped through the notebook. “I thought we were just doing this training thing a few hours a week?”

“A few hours a week when I’m available,” Ben told him. “But look at you, you’re still recovering from cancer and you’re still pretty weak. You need a lot of work to get your body into shape. So, for one hour a day you’re going to do those exercises, and you’re going to be on a strict diet of the foods in that notebook. You can get most of them from a small market just up the street from where you’re staying.”

“Uh, question?” asked A.J. as he read the foods he’d have to start eating. “Any of these foods contain something called flavour?”

Ben laughed as he playfully tapped A.J.’s sore shoulder. “No. Now, go hit the weights. Your ass is still mine for the next half hour.”

Ben watched A.J. head off to the exercise equipment as he shook his head. He’d make something out of this kid yet.

Drew Michaels sat in the chair in the restaurant, his head still bandaged from the wound that he’d received several days earlier. Even though the doctors believed it was fatal, Drew had miraculously revived as if nothing had happened. Now he was free to resume his normal life with his family, friends, and girlfriend.

“I think we should go our separate ways,” Maggie told him. “I know the timing is bad, but–”

“I just survived a gunshot to the head,” Drew told her as he looked across the table. “I should be dead now, and you want to break up?”

“I got a modelling contract, but I have to move across the country,” she replied. “And I just don’t believe a long distance relationship can work.”

“Can’t we least give it a try?” Drew asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, Drew,” Maggie told him. “I just think we’d be better off ending it now. I’ll never forget you.”

She got up and walked past Drew, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath as she walked out of the restaurant.

Spider-Man tackled the Hobgoblin as they fell back through the door of the lair.

“Did you think I didn’t realize my glider had been bugged?” Hobgoblin asked as the two traded punches. “I’ve been waiting for you to arrive, Spider-Man!”

“This ends today, Goblin!” Spider-Man told him as he punched the Hobgoblin back, then shot a strand of webbing at his chest, pulling him back so he could punch him again. “Today I’m going to find out who you are!”

The Hobgoblin laughed as he pulled out a bomb. As Spider-Man pulled him back, he pushed the bomb into Spider-Man’s chest, sending him back against the wall, where he made a dent in the cement. The Hobgoblin took the chance to jump on his glider as is took to the sky.

“Sorry, Spidey, not in the cards today!” Hobgoblin said as the ceiling opened to reveal an exit. “What do you say we take this topside for some fighting room? See you there!”

As the Hobgoblin made his escape, Spider-Man shot a strand of webbing to follow, but the ceiling hatch closed before he could make it, dropping him back to the ground. It was then that his spider-sense started going wild. Without the Hobgoblin there making noise, Spider-Man thought he heard something else in the room. A lot of something’s.

“Oh, no,” Spider-Man said to himself, realizing that pumpkin bombs were lining the room, and they had all just been activated to detonate.

Ben walked through the front of the home where he was staying with May Parker currently until he was able to secure a place of his own, which meant getting a job. He had no idea how Peter was able to handle both a job and his responsibilities as Spider-Man.

“Aunt May, are you home?” Ben asked as he remembered it was her bingo night with Anna Watson. The worn out Ben kicked off his shoes and landed himself on the couch, turning on the television to take in some bad television. Eventually he closed his eyes and fell asleep, the remote control falling out of his hand, hitting the floor.

Flash was sitting at home, looking over some paperwork as A.J. walked through the door.

“Hey, Mr. Thompson,” said A.J. as he tossed his backpack on the chair.

“I’m Mr. Thompson at school, we’re home now,” Flash said as he looked up. “Call me Flash.”

“It still feels a little weird living my gym teacher,” A.J. said with a slight laugh as he sat down at the table. “It feels like I’ve lost everything these last few weeks. Everything but Drew, that is, which is a miracle.”

“Yeah, a miracle,” Flash said, looking back down at his paperwork. “Any improvement with Billy?”

“No change,” A.J. said in a sad tone. “He’s not showing any improvement. The doctors said if he hasn’t come out of the coma by now–”

Flash put his hand on A.J.’s as he looked at his young friend. “It hurts to lose someone you care for so deeply.”

“You’re not going to tell me to give up hope and move on?” asked A.J.

“I’m going to tell you to do what you feel is right,” Flash told him. “If you want to hold on to whatever slim shred of hope there is for Billy, don’t let anyone tell you different. And if you decide you’ve waited long enough and want to let go of the past and move forward, then go full speed ahead. But whatever you do, make sure it’s what you want, not what anyone else puts into your head.”

A.J. looked at him and smiled. “How come you couldn’t have been my father?”

Several blocks away, Drew was heading home, just wanting this day to be over. There was no way things could get worse for him. It was then that the earth shook as Hobgoblin floated on his glider above the streets. Manhole covers blasted up from the explosion under the street as smoke flew up from the cracks and holes.

“Too bad, Spider-Man, I thought you were made of tougher stuff,” Hobgoblin laughed as Spider-Man swung up behind him, kicking the villain off of his glider. The Hobgoblin landed on the street as Spider-Man landed in a crouching position before shooting several strands of webbing at his opponent.

As Drew watched the fight unfold, he pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures for the Bugle. Getting some good shots of Spider-Man would hopefully get his mind off of his girlfriend dumping him.

“How did you survive?” asked Hobgoblin as he was pinned to a tree.

“Like a hooker, a magician never reveals his tricks,” Spider-Man quipped as he headed toward the tree. “Speaking of reveals, it’s time to see who you are.”

As Spider-Man was about to pull the Hobgoblin’s mask off, the glider flew behind him, ready to impale. As his spider-sense went off, Spider-Man jumped out of the way as the glider stopped just a quarter of an inch away from the Hobgoblin’s chest.

“Good thing it was programmed with such good brakes,” Hobgoblin said as he broke free of the webbing holding him and jumped back on the glider. “Shall we continue?”

Spider-Man came running toward him, ready for the next round.

At the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson was looking through the recent photos that Drew had delivered to him.

“I thought Parker was teaching the kid the ropes,” Jameson said as he looked through the pictures. “These are still amateur stuff. I’m paying this kid to take pictures of Spider-Man, not of kittens in trees!”

“Give the kid a break, Jonah, he just survived an injury that should have killed him,” Robbie Robertson told him.

“What, did getting shot in the head take away his ability to focus the camera?” asked Jameson. “I still can’t believe Spider-Man conned me into hiring him.”

Robbie went to collect the pictures when he saw something under them. Before Jonah could grab the paper, Robbie grabbed it up.

“Drew’s medical insurance didn’t cover what he went through,” Robbie said. “You paid for the kid’s hospital stay out of your own pocket.”

“It’s a tax write-off!” Jameson told him as he snatched the paper back. “The kid can’t take a picture to save his life, but he’s still an employee. How would it look if he was denied medical care under my employ?”

“Whatever you say, Jonah,” Robbie said as he put the pictures in the envelope. “I’ll take these down to the press so we can make the next edition.”

As Robbie left, Jameson sat back in his chair as he picked up his cigar, looking at the medical bill. There was no tax write-off, but that was J. Jonah Jameson’s little secret.

Drew continued to snap pictures of Spider-Man fighting the Hobgoblin as the battle took them to Brooklyn Heights, where Peter Parker’s Aunt May lived. Unbeknownst to Peter, the Hobgoblin’s alter ego, Rhett Carson, live right next door.

“Neither one of us are going to get tired!” Spider-Man shouted as he landed on the front of Hobgoblin’s glider, knocking it off balance. “Give up now, because I can do this all night!”

“That’s what your girlfriend said!” Hobgoblin replied as the continued to trade blows.

“A ‘That’s what she said’ joke? What are you, five?” asked Spider-Man as the glider continued to spin out of control.

Inside the Parker home, Ben was sleeping soundly when his spider-sense started going off, which bolted him wide awake. Remembering where he was, he jumped up and took a defensive position behind the couch.

“Spider-sense has never gone off like that before,” Ben said as he stood up and scratched the back of his head. “Aunt May? Are you home yet?”

Hearing nothing, Ben walked to the front door and opened it, finding a mid-air fight between Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin. The glider was having trouble handling the weight of both and was flying wildly out of control, although neither was noticing since they were both trading punches.

Ben rushed upstairs to Peter’s old bedroom, where he was currently staying. Ben opened the closet and pulled out his Scarlet Spider costume.

Outside, Drew was continuing to snap pictures as the Hobgoblin noticed the flashing light coming from below. One more punch sent Spider-Man off of the glider, but he managed to grab hold of the bottom at the last second. Hobgoblin pulled out a sack of pumpkin bombs, emptying the entire thing towards Drew.

“You can take a picture of these bombs exploding! That is, if your hands are anywhere near the rest of your body when they activate!” Hobgoblin laughed as the Scarlet Spider swung through, grabbing Drew as the bombs hit the ground. The pumpkin bombs started exploding with a deafening noise as Scarlet Spider threw himself, and Drew, into a ditch and waited for the bombs to stop.

Spider-Man had managed to get a good grip and climbed back up to the top of the glider as it went careening towards the old Watson house where Rhett was currently residing.

“You fool, we’re going to crash!” Hobgoblin shouted as the glider crashed through the top floor of the house.  The two hit the floor as the glider flew out of the other side of the wall. When it ended up outside, the glider made a U-turn and flew back toward the house, making another hole.

“Good thing Rhett’s not home,” Spider-Man said to himself as he stood up. “I don’t like the guy, but I still prefer him over the Hobgoblin.”

As he got to his feet, the Hobgoblin tackled him, sending the two downstairs. Meanwhile, in the ditch, Scarlet Spider stood up and looked at Drew after seeing where Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin landed.

“Stay here, kid,” Scarlet Spider said as he ran towards the Watson house and kicked the door open.  At that point, Spider-Man and Hobgoblin’s fight had taken them to the kitchen. As Scarlet Spider was about to rush forward, the Hobgoblin’s glider flew ahead of him, intent on impaling Spider-Man. “Oh, no you don’t.”

Holding out his wrists, the hero shot several balls of impacted webbing to knock the glider off course. The glider hit the stove as both Spider’s spider-sense started going crazy. They both looked at each other as they looked at the stove.

“Gas!”

“As long as no one makes a spark, we should be fine,” Spider-Man said as he saw a hatch on the glider open as a reserve of pumpkin bombs fell out and hit the ground. “Well, of course!”

Outside the house, Drew stood up just in time for a powerful blast to knock him right back down.

A.J. was sitting on the stairs of the apartment building, just staring out as people walked in and out. It was then that he saw a familiar face.

“Tommy?” asked A.J. as he looked at the hospital volunteer. “A long way from the hospital, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I’ve got other things going on besides community service,” Tommy told him as A.J. saw a package marked for Flash.

“I live with the guy you’re taking that package to, I can give it to him,” A.J. said.

“No, it has to be … delivered personally,” Tommy told nervously. “You’re living with the gym coach? You two aren’t–”

“No!” A.J. immediately shouted in defence. “He’s not even my type!”

“Oh, right, you’re into the dark and brooding type,” Tommy told him. “Glad to hear about your brother. That was a real miracle, huh?”

“It really was,” A.J. said as he looked at Tommy. “Flash said I can stay as long as I need to, so I guess I don’t have to go to that halfway house.”

“Lucky break,” Tommy said. “Anyway, I gotta go. See you around school.”

Tommy headed upstairs to Flash’s apartment, pulling out a bottle of scotch. He put it down at the doorstep and knocked before rushing off. He didn’t know why he was getting to do this every week, but a hundred dollars per delivery was too good to pass up.

The firefighters had arrived to put out the fire, and had caught it before it managed to spread too badly to the houses around it. May Parker’s house was slightly singed, but it was only minor exterior damage. The Watson house, however–

“Destroyed,” Peter said as he looked at Ben after they had changed back into their street clothes. “Mary Jane grew up in that house.”

“Well, luckily she was nowhere near it when it went up,” Ben said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “No sign of the Hobgoblin?”

“Saw him sneaking away when we were escaping,” Peter replied. “I swear, if I ever see him again, I’m going to–”

“My house!” Rhett Carson shouted as he came running up. “What happened to my house!?”

“Rhett, I’m sorry,” Peter told him, still getting a weird feeling from the young man. “Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin-”

“And the Scarlet Spider,” Ben said as Peter gave him a stern look.

“A fight just got way out of hand and your house paid the price,” Peter told him. “I know of some good motels you can crash it until you find a new place.”

“He’ll have a new place tonight,” May Parker said as she returned from bingo. “Because he’s moving in with me.”

Both Peter and Ben’s jaws dropped at that announcement.*

*TO BE CONTINUED IN THE PAGES OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN’T HURT ME

By Tobias Christopher

“Eugene Thompson, get your lazy ass up!” Flash’s father shouted from outside of the bedroom door, pounding on it. The then teenage Flash lifted his head from the bed, just wanting to get another day over.

Luckily he’d gotten through the morning without having any run-ins with his father, which was starting to become rare. It was only four more years until graduation and Flash would finally be able to leave this hell hole. Then maybe he’d get through a day without his father hitting him.

Hours later, Flash slammed a pre-spider powered Peter Parker up against his locker.

“What the hell did you say to me, dork?” asked Flash as he held Peter by the shirt of his collar.

Peter pushed his glasses back up on his nose with his finger before they could slide off. “I said I didn’t do your homework for you. I only had time to do mine. My Uncle Ben took to a ball game and–”

Flash punched Peter in stomach as the frail boy fell to his knees. “I needed that paper, you loser!”

Flash reached into Peter’s backpack and grabbed his paper. “Looks like I’ll just have to erase your name and put mine on it. Next time, think about others before you decide to go out for the night.”

Flash and his friends laughed as they walked away, leaving Peter on the ground.

Flash returned home, and instantly smelled alcohol the second he walked through the door. He sighed, knowing it wasn’t going to be a pleasant night.

Hours later, Peter was walking home from the movies alone. The film had started late, and it was getting close to curfew. He was going to have to take some shortcuts to get home in time. He walked into an alley, and was spotted by some older punks.

“Well, it’s a little late for you to be out, isn’t it, Junior?” one of the guys laughed.

“I’m just heading home,” Peter said as he his path was blocked off.

“First, we’re gonna need payment for you passing through our alley,” another of the punks said.

“I spent all my money at the theatre,” Peter said as the guys closed in on him. Peter tried to run, but ran face first into the wall, knocking himself out. Meanwhile, Flash was passing by, his eye blackened after a fight with his father. He had snuck out of the house, just wanting to clear his head. As he was passing by the alley, he had heard Peter’s voice and saw the doofus knock himself out.

“Hey!” Flash shouted as he saw the punks about to beat Peter up. “Nobody beats up my dork but me!”

“Looks like we’ve got a tough guy,” the first punk laughed as they closed in on him. What they didn’t know was that Flash was already becoming skilled in boxing. The punks all ran towards him, but Flash bobbed, weaved, and dodged the attacks, punching back whenever he got an open shot.

Fifteen minutes later, Flash was even more battered and bruised, but he’d won. All of the punks were on the ground, moaning in pain. Flash looked down at Peter, and picked the frail boy up. Slinging him over his shoulder, Flash carried Peter back to his aunt and uncle’s house.

“I am so kicking your ass for this tomorrow,” Flash said as he put Peter on the porch swing. Walking over to the doorbell, he rang it before running away into the night. Ben Parker opened the door and found Peter on the porch swing with a bruise on his forehead.

Today

Flash and Peter were coming back from Flash’s AA meeting when they passed by the alley.

“Let’s keep going, I’ve got bad memories of that alley,” Peter told his now best friend.

“I don’t know, I can think of at least one good thing that happened there,” Flash smiled as he walked alongside Peter.

WHEN A.J. MET BILLY

By Tobias Christopher

A.J. was sitting by Billy Connor’s bedside as he lay comatose in a hospital bed. It had been nearly two months since Billy had gone into a coma, and each day he remained asleep, the less chance he would have of waking up. The bandages covering him had been removed weeks ago, revealing the permanent scars that ran across his face, courtesy of his father. The black dye in his hair was all but gone as his blonde hair had grown out.

As A.J. sat there, he gently touched the scars that ran along Billy’s face. He didn’t care about the scars, he just wanted the person he loved to wake up and tell him it was going to be okay.

“Remember the first time we met?” asked A.J., his voice trembling, as he held Billy’s hand. “It was in a hospital just like this.”

It was about four years ago, when A.J. had become sick enough to land in the hospital. The doctors were running all kinds of tests to find out what was afflicting the young man, and were close to finding out what was wrong. Feeling like hell, A.J. looked over at his roommate, who seemed to be catatonic. He was about A.J.’s age with blond hair, and looked like something had frightened him.

“Hi,” he said weakly. “I’m A.J.”

The young man remained silent as a single tear fell down his face. The doctors soon came in and told A.J. what was wrong with him. He had cancer, and it was quickly spreading. As soon as the doctors left to inform his family of what happening, A.J.’s face went pale as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Billy,” the young man across the room told him. He’d heard the news that had been delivered and felt for him. “My name’s Billy.”

After that, a friendship had developed between the two. They even found out they went to the same school, and lived within a few blocks of each other. As A.J. went through chemo, and Billy started therapy for his own issues with being transformed into a lizard by his father, the two started finding strength in each other.  Over the next two years, the two had started to grow closer, helping each other through their problems.

One day, after a particularly draining chemo session, Billy had stopped by to deliver a copy of the Daily Bugle for A.J. Drew had to go out, and their father was out drinking, leaving A.J. all alone. Billy walked in on A.J. laying on the floor, in intense pain. Rushing over to him, Billy helped him back up on to the couch.

“It’s alright,” Billy told him as he helped his friend up. “I’m here.”

“It hurts,” A.J. said as the tears fell down his face. “I can’t do this anymore, Billy. It hurts too much. I want to give up and let it end. I don’t wanna do this anymore.”

“You can’t stop fighting,” Billy told him sternly as he put an arm around A.J.’s shoulder. “I won’t let you. I need you, A.J. You’ve been the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and–”

It was then that their eyes met, and seconds later, their lips met as well. It was a feeling that both had realized was there for a while, but were both afraid to act on it until now. That was the start of their friends with benefits relationship, even though A.J. wanted more than just make out sessions.

It was after two years of sneaking around, when A.J. was finally starting to make progress on his fight that he finally asked Billy the question he so desperately wanted an answer to.

“I want us to start officially dating,” A.J. told him. By that time, Billy had started dressing in black, getting piercings, and dying his hair. His change in appearance had startled A.J. at first, but his feelings for Billy were more than enough to accept the radical change.

“No,” Billy instantly replied. “We can’t. Why can’t we just be happy with what have going?”

“I am happy,” A.J. said as he took Billy’s hand. “But I want more. I know we said we were only going to do this until we sorted out our feelings and make sure that this isn’t just a phase, but it’s not. I’m gay, Billy. And I’m ready to tell the world. But I can’t if you’re not ready.”

“Well, I’m not,” Billy told him as he turned away. He didn’t tell A.J. the real reason he didn’t want to get serious. It was the monster within him, the one that his father had made him into. If he gave into his true feelings for A.J., and the Lizard took control… No, he couldn’t put A.J. in danger like that. “I’m–I’m still not sure about who I am.”

A.J. stood up and grabbed his jacket. “When you find out, let me know.”

Billy watched A.J. leave, knowing he’d be back. At least he hoped. It would be two weeks later that A.J. would indeed return to Billy, and another two weeks before Billy would end up comatose in a hospital bed, thanks to the Lizard.

A.J. continued to hold Billy’s hand as he looked down at him. “I love you, Billy. I’m going to wait for you, I don’t care how long it takes.”

STRESS

By Tobias Christopher

A sixteen year old boy with red hair, bearing a striking resemblance to Rhett Carson, sat down at a desk in his bedroom and started writing a handwritten note. He could have used e-mail, but this letter had to be done personally.

Dear Rhett,

I can’t take the stress anymore. I can’t take being the perfect son who can do no wrong, while you’re the one who takes the heat for what I did. Every day the strain of what I did to Ryan gets worse, and the only person who I can talk to it about it isn’t allowed anywhere near me.

Dad refuses to even acknowledge your existence, and since mom left us, things haven’t exactly gotten better. Every day I have to hear from everyone in this town about how great Ryan was, and how much a bastard you are for taking him away. It’s not fair, all the hatred that’s directed toward you should be aimed at me.

I know you’ve told me that what you did is for the best, but I refuse to believe that anymore. I can’t live with the guilt anymore. I want you to admit the truth about what I did to our brother and free yourself from this burden. I always looked up to you, Rhett, and I hope you don’t think any less of me for what I did, or will do.

Your brother who will never stop loving you,
– Richie

Richie walked down to the mailbox, putting the letter in the mail. Unsure of whether he really should, he struggled for several minutes before finally dropping the letter into the slot.

Returning to his bedroom, Richie walked past the abandoned rooms of his older brothers. Both were cleaned out of their memories as if neither Ryan nor Rhett had ever existed. Richie walked to his closet and looked at the rifle that had killed his big brother. The rifle that he had pulled the trigger on.

As tears flowed down his face, Richie picked up the gun and checked to see if there was ammo in the chamber. As the sun started to set, Richie put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, just wanting to be free of the shame.

The sound of the gunshot was loud enough to cause a passing car to swerve off the street, hitting the mailbox just outside of the house. The letters inside started flying every which way, including the letter Richie had written just a half hour before. The letter glided along, before finally landing in a puddle of water in the street, where several cars ran over it. Richie’s final message was destroyed within minutes of it landing in that puddle.

THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME

By Tobias Christopher

The woman screamed as the two thugs closed in on her. It was raining as the two punks were about to attack, but just then Spider-Man dropped in behind them. He grabbed one, tossing him back before avoiding a punch from the other thug. Spider-Man punched him in the stomach, and ducked just as the other one ran up and threw a punch.

After ducking the punch, Spider-Man grabbed the thug and tossed him over his shoulder. He saw the other one coming and dived down, doing a sweep kick to knock the other thug to the ground. He picked the other thug up as the rain continued to pour.

“I want you to tell your friends about me,” the hero said.

“Who are you?” the thug asked nervously.

Spider-Man pulled him close. “I’m Spider-Man.”

A bell rang as the rain stopped. A wire lowered the thug Spider-Man was holding as several people started clapping. Spider-Man smiled under his mask as he pulled it off, revealing the face of Riley Alexander. “Did I do well?”

“You did great, kid!” the director told him as he stood up. “The part’s all yours, kid. You by far had the best audition. You’re going to be a real star!”

“Congratulations,” Mary Jane said as she stood by, having watched the audition. “You really earned this. So much for early retirement, huh?”

“You’d be amazed how not having someone trying to kill you makes you re-evaluate things,” Riley told her as he got a drink of water from the cooler. “I just can’t believe I’m going to be playing Spider-Man. I just hope I do well, I don’t want the real thing to be disappointed.”

“Trust me, the real Spider-Man has too much to deal with besides worrying about this movie,” Mary Jane told him.

“What about you?” Riley asked her. “The Family Circus finished filming last week. Any other roles lined up, yet?”

“Not yet, but I’m looking,” Mary Jane replied. “I’m sure my next big role will reveal itself really soon.”

Riley hugged her and smiled. “I’m really glad you’re staying. It’s nice to have someone here to share this life with.”

Mary Jane put her arms around him, remembering what it was like to be in Peter’s embrace after a long night of fighting crime. Riley pulled away and looked down.

“How does Spider-Man wear this stuff? You can see my junk,” Riley said as he realized what he said before putting his hands between his legs before Mary Jane could look down. “I’m requesting a cup for this costume.”