Hawk and Gwen walked side-by-side through the crowded hallway, their earlier exchange in the parking lot having established a new, unspoken reality. Their tone was natural, their expressions relaxed, a subtle but undeniable energy now flowing between them. They were an island of calm in the chaotic sea of the first day back.
Behind them, Mary Jane Watson's jaw was practically on the floor.
Holy cow! she thought, her mind reeling. What in the world did I miss this summer?
Peter Parker, standing beside her, was equally bewildered. He sensed a shift, a fundamental change in the dynamic between his two classmates, but the implications were still fuzzy, confusing.
Harry Osborn, meanwhile, turned his attention to Mary Jane, the vibrant redhead he remembered from years ago. He offered his most charming, practiced smile. "Hey, Mary Jane. Long time no see."
MJ barely glanced at him. "…Hey, Harry," she mumbled distractedly, her eyes still glued to the retreating figures of Gwen and Hawk. She immediately turned back to Peter, her voice an urgent whisper. "Peter! You knew about this?"
Harry froze. Wait, that's not right. Was that the appropriate reaction to seeing a childhood friend after years apart? Her indifference stung more than he cared to admit.
Peter, startled by MJ's intensity, blinked. "Knew about what?"
"Gwen and Hawk!" MJ hissed, struggling to keep her voice down, her gossip-hungry instincts battling her desire not to cause a scene. "Aren't you, like, Hawk's only friend? You have to know! When did this happen?"
Peter's bewilderment deepened. "When did I become Hawk's only—"
"Forget it," MJ cut him off, her patience snapping. Peter was clearly useless. Her curiosity had reached critical mass. "I'm too lazy to ask you." She pivoted on her heel and started chasing after Gwen and Hawk, determined to get the scoop directly from the source.
She took three steps, then stopped abruptly, remembering the third person in their awkward triangle. She turned back, saw Harry still standing there looking lost and slightly wounded, and her expression changed instantly.
"Ah!" she screamed, rushing back and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Harry! Oh my god, Harry, when did you get back?"
Harry's bruised ego instantly healed. He grinned, returning the hug, ready to finally catch up. But just as quickly, MJ pulled away, her eyes already darting back towards the hallway where Gwen and Hawk had disappeared. "Okay, gotta go, something important came up! We'll talk later, bye!"
Clearly, the return of a long-lost friend paled in comparison to the earth-shattering news of Midtown High's resident iceberg finally melting. MJ turned and sprinted down the hall, leaving Harry and Peter standing alone in a state of shared confusion.
For the rest of the morning, Mary Jane was Gwen's shadow. As Gwen navigated the first-day administrative tasks—picking up schedules, meeting with Mrs. Snow—MJ trailed her relentlessly, her face a mask of pleading curiosity.
"Please, Gwen, just a little more detail! How did it happen? When? Where? Spill!"
Gwen, usually patient and composed, found her defenses slowly eroding under MJ's relentless assault. Finally, as they headed towards the cafeteria for lunch, Gwen sighed in exasperation.
"MJ, seriously. Is it really that strange that I'm with Hawk?"
"Mhm," MJ nodded emphatically.
"What's strange about it? We've been deskmates in physics since ninth grade. We have the same counselor. We talk."
"Please, Gwen," MJ pleaded. "This is Hawk we're talking about."
"So what?"
"Don't you know what everyone says about him?" MJ leaned in, lowering her voice dramatically.
"What?" Gwen asked, genuinely curious now.
"Everyone says he's either the straightest guy on the planet, completely uninterested in girls… or he's gay."
Gwen rolled her eyes so hard she almost strained a muscle. "That's ridiculous." An image flashed in her mind: Hawk, standing beneath the waterfall, water cascading over a physique carved from stone, power radiating from him like heat. Gay? she thought, a private smile touching her lips. No. Hawk is very, very straight. As straight as a… She caught the thought, shaking her head to dispel the inappropriate analogy. "Trust me, MJ," she said firmly. "Hawk is not gay."
MJ's eyes widened, a slow, speculative, and deeply mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Oh really? And how would you know? Have you… tested that theory?"
Gwen stopped dead, her cheeks flushing crimson. She stared at MJ's ambiguous smile, took a deep, steadying breath, and then, without another word, turned and walked away. Dancers, she thought, her mind still reeling. So dirty.
"Gwen, wait! I'm sorry! Forgive me!" MJ called out, chasing after her.
When Hawk arrived at the cafeteria with his tray, MJ was still attempting to pry information out of a resolutely silent Gwen. Seeing Hawk approach, MJ sighed dramatically, realizing she wasn't going to get anything more from her friend. Her eyes then lit up as she spotted Peter and Harry entering the cafeteria. "Fine," she declared to Gwen. "If you won't tell me, I'll go ask Peter." She grabbed her tray and flounced off towards the boys' table before Gwen could react.
Hawk sat down opposite Gwen, noting MJ's abrupt departure. "Mary Jane finished eating already?"
Gwen glanced over at MJ, who was now animatedly interrogating a bewildered Peter, and shook her head helplessly. "Apparently, she couldn't get any gossip out of me, so she ran off to bother Peter."
"What does Peter have to do with it?" Hawk asked, genuinely puzzled.
Gwen shrugged. "Maybe because you two were seen together in the old gym at the end of last semester? Rumor mill logic. Now everyone assumes he's your best friend and knows all your secrets."
Hawk chuckled at the absurdity but didn't bother to correct the misconception. He picked up his burger and started eating. Gwen, having finished her own lunch earlier, rested her arms on the table, watching him.
"Oh, right," she said suddenly. "Did you call Dr. Connors to thank him for the recommendation letter?"
"Yes, I did," Hawk confirmed, swallowing a bite of his burger. He paused, remembering the strange energy in the doctor's voice. "He sounded… very happy. Said the experiment had a major breakthrough."
Gwen blinked, her brow furrowing slightly. "A breakthrough? That's impossible. We were still years away from stable results." A flicker of unease, a scientist's intuition that something was fundamentally wrong, passed through her eyes.