"Aaaand... done!"

I pass Ned his picture of Darth Vader that he asked me to draw. He and Peter are both obsessed with Star Wars,  so this is no doubt going on his wall if he likes it.

"Woah! This is awesome!" Ned holds up the paper so Peter can see it. He seems impressed. "Nice work, Carmen." "Oh please, anyone can copy pictures off the internet," I shrug. "It's not that good, anyway."

"No, you're great! I-I mean, your drawing's great, obviously..."

I chuckle. "Thanks, Peter."

"Peter, your, uh, stuff is falling out your bag," Ned whispered quickly and quietly. Unfortunately for him, my senses have been dialed up to eleven since I got my powers and I heard him perfectly. I glance down at Peter's backpack, realising what Ned means; his mask is half out, thankfully face down. Peter quickly stuffs it back in and zips it shut.

Well this confirms my suspicion that Ned knows about Peter's secret.

"So what was that about, Ned?" I ask, feigning curiosity. I want to see what he'll say. His face pales as he realises I overheard what he said. "Uh... I was... talking... about... porn...?"

While Peter looks disgusted, I laugh. "I can't believe you just said that." "It's not the first time, either," Peter mutters. "He was once helping me out in the computer lab on a private project and he got caught by a teacher, so he said he'd snuck away from the seniors' homecoming to watch porn."

I laugh again. "Ned, I seriously need to teach you how to lie," I shake my head in amusement. "All you needed to do was say you were getting in some last-minute studying for a test or something."

"... dammit, that's a much better lie..."

Peter looks at me, freshly recovered from being thoroughly grossed out. "So... do we let him know you know?" He asks quietly. I look around us. We're in the computer lab right now. Nobody else is here.

"Can he be trusted, or...?"

When Peter nods, I smirk. "I'll do more than just tell him I know, then."

Without another word, I leap onto the ceiling, glancing down at Ned's shocked face. "You got bit by that weird spider, too?!" He gets up from his chair, looking up at me.

"Nope, I got my powers through a different method," I shrug, hopping down again. "Actually, I think I'm the only Spider who didn't get bitten; not Peter, not Kid Arachnid, not Ghost Spider... nope, can't think of any others. I'm unique."

"Well how'd you get your powers?!" Ned asks. "I can't really say to you," I sigh. "Not that I would, anyway. It was... pretty awful."

"Yeah, you don't wanna ask her about that one," Peter shook his head at Ned. Only he and mum know how I got my powers. I hate talking about it. I don't want to sound like I'm being a drama queen, but it really was pretty traumatic.

"Oh... Okay..." Ned seems to know that pushing me won't be good. Then he realises something and looks to Peter. "You never told me she knew and you never told me she's a superhero too!"

"Well... Uh... I can't really tell you about other people..." Peter mumbles. "Oh, okay, I get it," Ned nods, then looks back to me. "Wait... are you an Avenger like Peter?!"

"Oh please, Peter's basically just their backup at absolute best," I roll my eyes. "He'd make a good Avenger, no doubt about it, but neither of us are actually Avengers. I'm not even a hero, Ned. Powers don't make you a hero."

Ned looks shocked by this, then backs away. "So are you a super villain?! Don't kill me!"

Peter and I can't help but laugh. "Ned, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead," I assure him. "I'm not a hero, I'm not a villain, I'm just out there to enjoy myself. That's it."

"You'd make a good hero, though," Peter says, looking at me. "I don't know what you get up to, but whatever it is it's not as rewarding as helping people."

"Seriously? You give me the same lecture every single time!" I groan. "Who are you, my dad?"

"Wait, do you guys go out together?" Ned asks. Peter turns bright red at his choice of words. "Not exactly, we split up and then meet up back at my place afterwards," I shrug.

"But what if your parents find out your secret?" Ned asked. "My mum knows, she's cool with it," I say simply.

"And your dad?"

The room turns silent, the atmosphere growing tense. "I don't have a dad," I sigh. "Oh... I'm sorry, I should've-"

"Don't worry about it," I cut Ned off, shaking my head. "Apologies won't change anything. I didn't expect you to know."

When the room stays silent, I roll my eyes, just wanting to get the conversation flowing again as a distraction. "Come on, ask all the questions you want about the Spider business. I know you of all people will have plenty."

"What's your superhero name?"

"I don't have one. And like I said before, I'm not a hero."

"It's just easier to call you that. Do you spit venom?"

"Uh... no..."

"How far can you shoot your webs? Wait, do you have webs?"

"I do. I've got modified fluids, so I can shoot them further than most Spiders can, but I don't remember quite how far this one's set to go."

"Did you modify them yourself?"

"Of course. Who else would modify them for me? They'd be standard otherwise."

"When did you get your powers?"

"When I first came to America."

"Do you have the same powers as Peter?"

"Mostly, yeah."

"Do you know the Avengers?"

"Nope. Just know of them."

"Can I get your powers of I did the same thing that got you your powers or is it like Peter where something died or whatever?"

"Technically you could, but I wouldn't recommend it."