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"Hmm hmm hmm~!"Jasper was humming some weird tune.
"Yo yo check it out~! One Chinese pancake with everything…!"Peter Parker gave Jasper a puzzled look. He had no clue what Jasper was singing, but it was obvious the guy had zero rap talent.
Still, what's got him in such a good mood?
Peter thought for a second, then asked, "Something good happen?"
Jasper looked over at him and said, "I got faster."
He was talking about his speed—he was way quicker than before. That meant he was safer now… and stronger too.
"Faster?" Peter frowned a little, looking kinda conflicted. He suddenly had this odd feeling—like he'd just been betrayed or something. Jasper was pretty popular, so maybe it made sense if he wasn't a virgin anymore… but being faster? That didn't sound like a good thing in that context.
Still, Peter decided he'd keep this little misunderstanding to himself.
Just then, Jasper threw a punch out of nowhere.
Peter's Spidey sense went crazy, but before he could even react, Jasper's fist was already right in front of his face.
Jasper grinned, a bit smug. "See? I'm faster now, right?"
"Wait—that's what you meant?!" Peter shouted, startled.
"What else did you think I meant?" Jasper raised an eyebrow at him.
Then his expression suddenly turned dangerous. He stared straight at Peter and said, "You thought I had, like, performance issues or something?"
Peter quickly shook his head—definitely not what he meant!
Jasper slung an arm around Peter's shoulder and said, "C'mon, let's go find a pro lady and see who lasts longer."
Peter panicked, waved his hands, and jogged away. "We're gonna be late for class! Move it!"
Watching Peter flee in a panic, Jasper chuckled."Short and twitchy Spider-Man," he muttered under his breath, then picked up his pace.
When Jasper and Peter got to class, Ned was chatting with a girl.
He waved when he saw them."Hey guys!"
"Hey!" Jasper and Peter greeted back.
Jasper glanced out the window.
Annie was outside doing her morning workout. She was attracting quite a bit of attention.
She was pretty cute.
"That smile's kinda creepy," Michelle Jones commented.
Jasper wiped the smile off his face. "Really? Was I smiling?"
Michelle looked at Annie but didn't say anything. She'd clearly seen Jasper grinning like an idiot at Annie just now.
Ugh, she thought. He looked so dumb.
Jasper slumped over his desk."Ughh—I just wanna go home."
"You some kind of shut-in?" Michelle asked. People around here didn't really like that type.
Jasper sensed she was throwing shade at shut-ins, so he shot back, "Damn right I am! What, shut-ins bother you? Am I eating your food or something?"
Michelle could tell he was ticked off. She looked at him calmly and said, "I don't hate shut-ins. I'm just saying society doesn't exactly treat them well. Who knows, maybe your girlfriend finds out you're one and dumps you."
She already knew Jasper was dating Annie. And with Annie's sunny personality, she probably wasn't into introverted gamer types. Maybe if she found out Jasper was a shut-in, she'd break up with him the next day.
"Girlfriend? I have a girlfriend—?!" Jasper turned to stare at her.
Michelle leaned in and whispered, "Wanna explain?"
Jasper cleared his throat. "Let's talk after class."
And just like that, Michelle figured it out—they were a fake couple.
Later that afternoon…
Jasper and Michelle were sitting together.
He'd told her everything about his "fake relationship" with Annie.
"So she pretended to be your girlfriend just to get rid of other guys?" Michelle asked.
Jasper nodded. "Yeah. She said some dudes were being annoying. But things have calmed down now."
Michelle took a sip of her iced drink. "Alright. Let's go."
Jasper got up, paid the bill, and walked out with her.
Just then, his phone rang. It was his parents calling.
"Hey, what's up?" he answered.
Michelle had already walked ahead and was waiting at the crosswalk.
"You still have enough money?" his mom asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," Jasper replied.
Truth was, he was nearly broke—he'd spent most of it on video games. But no way he was telling them that.
"If you need more, let me know, okay?"
Jasper smiled. "Got it."
Right then, a car suddenly lost control and sped straight toward Michelle.
She froze—completely stunned. Her brain hadn't even caught up with what was happening.
Bzzzzzt!
A burst of purple electricity shot across the air.
BOOM!!!An arm—not particularly big or bulky—appeared in front of Michelle and stopped the car in its tracks.
"Aaahhhh!!" A woman nearby screamed.
Jasper grabbed Michelle and dashed off at insane speed—so fast that no one could even see his face clearly.
"What the hell was that?!" his mom yelled over the phone. She'd heard the static, the screeching tires, and the crash.
"I'm just playing a video game, no big deal!" Jasper said, swinging through the skyscrapers with Michelle in his arms.
Michelle wanted to scream but couldn't even get a sound out. She shut her eyes tight.
The wind whipped past her face. Jasper… is Spider-Man?!She always thought Peter Parker was the one.
Eventually, Jasper ended the call and landed on a rooftop with Michelle.
"You okay?" he asked.
Michelle shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. But… why are you Spider-Man? Wait, no! I saw Spider-Man on the museum trip, and you were right next to me!"
"There's more than one Spider-Man," Jasper explained. "Peter Parker's the real Spider-Man. I'm not him, but I've got similar powers. You can't tell anyone about this. Seriously."
Michelle's eyes widened. She slowly nodded. "I won't say a word."
After that, the two of them talked for a while. Jasper answered all of Michelle's questions.
At the end, Michelle looked at him and said sincerely, "Thank you."
Jasper smiled.
"....."