chapter fourteen:
❛ secrets and airplanes ❜

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the reason i always say "please don't be a ghost reader" this isnt just because i want votes, i mean i do, but ive been writing on this app for 3 almost 4 years and it helps me stay motivated because that means people are reading my stuff. and unlike other people, they have so many views on their books and i know my writing isnt the best but i love to write and it just helps me stay motivated. and i know i unpublish and republish my chapters and i get thats really annoying

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Gwen lay in her bed, the moonlight filtering through the blinds, casting shadows across her room. The usual hum of the city outside was a comforting background noise, something she'd grown used to over the years. It was the kind of night where sleep came easy-until something jolted her awake.

A strange sensation surged through her, like a ripple of electricity buzzing under her skin. Her senses suddenly heightened, her heart pounding as if something was wrong. She shot up, breathing heavily, her body instantly alert. For a moment, she was disoriented. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, unsure of what had woken her. But that feeling-that gut-deep pull of danger-was unmistakable.

She didn't know how she knew, but she knew.

Her Spidey sense.

She threw off the covers, her mind racing. Something was happening out there, something big. Without a second thought, she rushed to her closet, her hands trembling with both excitement and fear. She hadn't done this alone yet-not without Peter guiding her. But now, she had no time to hesitate.

Gwen pushed aside her clothes to reveal the hidden corner where she kept her suit. The white and black spider emblem gleamed faintly under the dim light. With practiced movements, she quickly pulled the suit on, the material fitting perfectly as if it were part of her.

She was Gwen Stacy-Spider-Woman.

In the rush to get ready, Gwen didn't notice the slight creak of her bedroom door. As she fastened her mask over her face, her younger brother Max happened to be walking by, groggily rubbing his eyes. He paused in the hallway, his brow furrowing when he heard movement in Gwen's room. He hesitated for a moment, then quietly pushed the door open, just a crack.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

From his small view of the room, he saw his sister-his sister-dressed in the white Spider-Woman suit, about to leap out of her window. Before he could make a sound, Gwen swung her leg over the sill, shot a web at the nearest building, and disappeared into the night.

Max's jaw dropped. "No way," he whispered to himself, still frozen at the door, his mind spinning.

Meanwhile, Gwen was already soaring through the city, her heart racing, her body moving with instinct she barely understood. Her Spidey sense guided her toward the source of the danger, pulling her deeper into the heart of the city.

As she approached the scene, she saw it-billowing black smoke pouring into the sky. Flames raged from a house, casting an orange glow across the street below. Sirens wailed in the distance, but Gwen was closer, faster. She swung toward the blaze without hesitation, landing softly on the roof of a nearby building to assess the situation.

Panic gripped her for a second. She was alone. No Peter, no one to help. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She could do this.

Through the thick smoke, she heard it-a child's scream. Her heart clenched, and without thinking, Gwen launched herself toward the burning house. She swung low and landed in front of the building just as firefighters began to arrive, their shouts barely registering in her ears.

Without missing a beat, she darted into the house, her Spidey sense keeping her agile as she dodged falling debris and ducked under the flames licking at the ceiling. The heat was unbearable, the smoke choking, but she pushed forward, determined.

"Help! Please!" a tiny voice cried out from upstairs.

Gwen followed the sound, racing up the stairs two at a time, her suit providing her some protection from the worst of the heat. She reached the second floor and spotted the source of the voice-a little girl, no more than six or seven, trapped in her room, the flames blocking her path.

Gwen didn't hesitate. She shot a web toward the child, yanking her toward safety just as part of the ceiling collapsed where the girl had been standing. She scooped the terrified child into her arms, whispering reassurances as she sprinted back down the stairs.

"Hold on tight," Gwen murmured, her voice soft but firm, as she dodged another falling beam.

The child clung to her neck, crying softly but trusting Gwen completely. With one last leap, Gwen shot a web through a broken window and swung them both out of the burning building just as the roof caved in behind them. They landed softly on the grass, where paramedics immediately rushed over.

The little girl was safe.

As the firefighters worked to contain the blaze, Gwen slipped away into the shadows, her chest heaving as the adrenaline slowly drained from her system. She looked back at the house, the sight of the child being carried to safety warming her heart.

She had done it. She had saved someone all on her own.

But as the weight of what had just happened settled on her shoulders, she realized something else-this was just the beginning.

Gwen slipped through her bedroom window, landing quietly on the hardwood floor. She exhaled sharply, feeling the weight of the night settle over her as she removed her white Spider-Woman suit. Her arms ached from swinging through the city, and her lungs still felt heavy from the smoke. That house fire had been intense, but she'd managed to save the little girl trapped inside.

She glanced at the clock - late. Too late. The rest of the house was dark and quiet, a good sign. It meant no one was up to question why she smelled like a bonfire. She stashed the suit in her closet, stuffing it in the back under a pile of old clothes. As soon as she shut the door, she hurried out of her room, hoping to make it to the shower before anyone noticed her.

Just as she reached the hallway, Max stepped out of his room, his timing impeccable and awful. He sniffed the air as she passed by, and his brow furrowed. "Gwen?"

She stopped in her tracks, heart skipping a beat. "Yeah?" She forced her voice to sound casual, but the faint tremor in it betrayed her.

Max gave her a sharp look. "Where were you?"

"Uh... nowhere. I just went for a walk." She shrugged, keeping her gaze away from him, praying he'd drop it.

Max wrinkled his nose, stepping closer and squinting at her. "And why do you smell like smoke?"

Gwen's mind raced. "I was... smoking."

Max's jaw dropped. "Smoking?" He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Bullshit, Gwen! You're the one who gave me a whole speech on how gross smoking is. You don't smoke."

She winced, knowing that excuse had been a weak one. "Well, maybe I was trying it. People do that, you know."

"Not you," Max shot back, his voice growing more suspicious by the second. "Come on, Gwen. What's going on?"

"I told you, Max. Nothing." Gwen tried to keep moving toward the bathroom, but Max stepped in her way, blocking her path.

"Gwen, stop lying!" He grabbed her arm, and she flinched at the sudden contact. "What are you hiding?"

She yanked her arm back, feeling her pulse quicken. "I'm not hiding anything, Max. Let it go."

Max narrowed his eyes, the gears in his head clearly turning. His gaze flickered to her clothes - soot-stained and disheveled. "Then why do you look like you've been through a furnace?"

Gwen's throat tightened, her mind scrambling for another excuse. "I... I got caught up near a fire. That's all. It's no big deal."

Max wasn't buying it. His gaze hardened as he stepped closer, his voice lowering. "Gwen, I saw you."

Her heart stopped. "Saw me? Saw me what?" She tried to laugh it off, but it sounded weak.

Max crossed his arms, staring her down. "I saw you jump out of your window. In that white suit. Swinging through the air like some superhero. I saw you, Gwen."

Gwen froze, feeling the blood drain from her face. "You... you saw that?" Her voice cracked slightly.

"Yeah," Max said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "And don't try to tell me I was imagining things. I know what I saw."

Gwen's mind raced. Panic surged through her. She couldn't let him know the truth - it wasn't safe. "Max, you must have been seeing things. Maybe you were just dreaming or something."

Max slammed his hand on the doorframe, his frustration spilling over. "Gwen, stop with the lies! I know what I saw, and it wasn't a dream! You've been sneaking off for months, coming back with weird stuff on your clothes, making up excuses. I knew something was up, but I didn't want to believe it." He took a deep breath, his voice softening but still firm. "You're Spider-Woman, aren't you?"

Gwen's shoulders slumped, her defenses crumbling as she saw the determination in her brother's eyes. She couldn't lie to him anymore. She let out a shaky breath, feeling tears prick at her eyes. "Max... you can't tell anyone. Please."

Max's expression softened, the anger draining from his face. "Gwen, why would I tell anyone? I'm your brother." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not gonna rat you out."

Gwen's emotions finally spilled over as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Max in a tight hug. Tears slid down her cheeks as she whispered, "Thank you, Max. I didn't know how much longer I could hide it from you."

Max rolled his eyes playfully but hugged her back, ruffling her hair. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all mushy on me." He pulled back and gave her a teasing grin. "But seriously, you reek. Go take a shower - you smell like ash."

Gwen let out a weak laugh, wiping her eyes. "Okay, fine. But... you really won't tell anyone? Not Mom, not Melina, not Enzo?"

Max shook his head, giving her a reassuring look. "No one, Gwen. I've got your back."

Gwen smiled at him, a weight lifting from her shoulders. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so alone. "Thanks, Max. You have no idea how much this means."

Max chuckled, shoving her playfully toward the bathroom. "Yeah, yeah. Now go. I don't wanna smell burnt Gwen for the rest of the night."

As she finally walked toward the bathroom, Gwen couldn't help but feel relieved. She may have been Spider-Woman, with the weight of the city on her shoulders, but at least now, she didn't have to carry the secret alone.

Gwen stood in her room early the next morning, packing for the school science trip. Her suitcase lay half-filled on her bed, and she stared at her closet, debating. Should she bring the Spider-Woman suit? The trip was supposed to be normal - no saving people, no swinging from buildings, no dodging bullets. But life as Spider-Woman was never predictable. She bit her lip, fingers grazing the edge of the hidden drawer where she kept her suit.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Max suddenly appeared at her door, leaning casually against the frame. "You should take it."

Gwen jumped, spinning around to face him. "Max! Seriously, I really need to start closing my door." She crossed her arms, glaring playfully at him.

Max chuckled, shrugging. "Not with Mom's new rules about no locking doors. Sorry, sis, you're stuck with me barging in."

Gwen sighed, glancing back at her suitcase. "I don't know if I should bring it... Peter said he wasn't taking his suit." She trailed off, realizing too late what she'd said. Her eyes widened, blinking at Max.

Max raised an eyebrow and walked fully into the room, casually shutting the door behind him. "Wait a second... Peter Parker is Spider-Man?"

Gwen slapped her forehead, muttering a curse under her breath. "Dammit..." She turned to Max, holding out her pinkie. "You swear you won't tell anyone. Pinkie swear."

Max rolled his eyes, hooking his pinkie with hers. "I gotchu, big sis. I'm not gonna spill your secrets. But seriously, take your suit. You never know."

Gwen chuckled, shaking her head. "You're right. Fine. I'll bring it." She pulled open her hidden drawer and grabbed the white and black suit, stuffing it into her suitcase.

Max grinned. "Good choice."

As they stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them, they were met by Melina, Enzo's seven-year-old daughter. She stood in the hallway with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What were you two talking about?"

Max, unfazed, gently nudged her to the side. "Melina, can you not?"

Gwen gave Max a look, lightly swatting his arm. "Hey, don't shove her."

Turning to Melina, Gwen knelt down to her level, a soft smile on her face. "We were just saying goodbye. I'm heading out for a bit."

Melina pouted, crossing her arms tighter. "You're not gonna say goodbye to me?"

Gwen grinned, scooping the little girl up into a hug. "I can't just leave without saying bye to my Mellie!" she said, spinning Melina around playfully.

Melina giggled, her earlier pout forgotten as she wrapped her arms around Gwen's neck. "You better come back soon!"

Gwen smiled, her heart warming. "I will. I promise." She set Melina down, ruffling her hair.

Max smirked. "Now we're all saying goodbye. Happy, Mellie?"

Melina giggled again, nodding. Gwen gave her a final hug before grabbing her suitcase, ready for whatever this trip - and maybe Spider-Woman - had in store for her.

Gwen rolled her suitcase through the bustling airport, trying to act as normal as possible despite the tension in her chest. Security was always the worst part of traveling. She felt the hidden weight of her Spider-Woman suit buried deep in her luggage, and her mind kept racing with the "what-ifs." What if they checked her bag? What if someone saw the suit? What if-

She caught sight of Peter up ahead, standing awkwardly by the security checkpoint, pale-faced and wide-eyed. An officer was walking away from him, and Peter clutched his backpack tightly, trying to keep calm. Gwen quickly moved through the crowd, hurrying up to him.

"Pete!" Gwen called out, jogging to catch up. "What happened?"

Peter's eyes were still wide as he leaned in close, whispering frantically, "The security guy checked my bag, Gwen! She saw the suit. My aunt packed it without telling me. I had to make up this ridiculous lie about it being a 'movie prop'-I think she bought it, but holy crap."

Gwen stifled a laugh, shaking her head. "Seriously? That happened already, and we're not even on the plane yet?"

Peter shrugged, looking anxious. "What can I say? I have terrible luck."

Gwen grinned, feeling a little lighter. "Well, at least your bad luck didn't include a house fire. Last night I had my first solo mission-saved a little girl from a fire."

Peter's expression softened instantly, the anxiety giving way to something else-pride. "You did? Wow, Gwen. That's... amazing. I'm really proud of you."

Before Gwen could respond, Ned suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumping into the conversation. "Wait, what? You saved a kid from a fire? That's so awesome! You're, like, a superhero superhero now! We should get matching capes."

Gwen chuckled, though she quickly shook her head. "Yeah, no capes, Ned. Not really our style." She glanced back at Peter with a smirk, then lowered her voice slightly. "But, uh, speaking of secrets, there's something else... Max found out. About both of us."

Peter's eyes immediately narrowed in concern. "Max knows?! Gwen, that's not... ideal. What happened?"

Gwen winced slightly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was sneaking out in my Spider-Woman suit and didn't realize he saw me jump out of the window. He kind of confronted me last night. But I swear, he's not going to say anything! I made him promise."

Peter sighed, crossing his arms. "Gwen, seriously? You can't just let people figure this stuff out. It's dangerous-for him and for you." His tone was joking, but there was a seriousness behind it too. He cared, and Gwen knew it.

"I know, I know," Gwen said, holding up her hands in defense. "But he's my brother. He's got my back. He's not going to say a word."

Peter gave her a look, half-joking, half-serious. "You better hope so. Otherwise, next thing we know, Ned's going to be wearing a cape and shouting 'Spider-Woman and Spider-Man' to the entire school."

Ned, oblivious, chimed in cheerfully, "I would totally do that! But don't worry, I won't. I'm great at keeping secrets."

Gwen smirked at Peter. "See? No big deal."

Peter shook his head with a small smile. "Just... be careful, okay?"

"Always am," Gwen replied with a grin. As they walked toward the gate together, the tension in her chest eased a little. Even with all the close calls, at least they had each other's backs.

As Gwen stepped onto the plane, she could immediately feel the buzz of excitement and the hum of passengers settling in. Flash Thompson was already making his presence known, his voice cutting through the din of the boarding process. "This is called an airplane," Flash announced loudly, his tone dripping with mockery. "It's like the buses you're used to, except it flies over the poor neighborhoods instead of driving through them." His comment was met with laughter from a few of the students.

Gwen rolled her eyes and smirked. She spotted the flight attendant and, with a mischievous glint in her eye, approached her. "Ma'am?" Gwen called out, her voice carrying over the chatter. The flight attendant turned to her, curious. "Yeah, that guy Blipped, so he's 16, not 21," Gwen said, pointing subtly at Flash.

The flight attendant's eyes widened as she processed the information, then walked briskly toward Flash, who was mid-swig from a bottle of alcohol. The attendant confiscated the drink with a firm, no-nonsense expression.

Gwen grinned and sent Peter a wink, who was watching the scene unfold with a mix of relief and gratitude. "T-Thanks, Gweny," Peter stammered, still processing what had just happened. Gwen gave him a reassuring nod as she walked down the aisle.

Gwen tried to stuff her bag into the overhead compartment, grunting as she struggled to push it in. The bag was heavier than she expected, and no matter how much she tried, it wouldn't budge. Just as she was about to give up and find a flight attendant, a hand reached out from behind her.

"Here, let me help," a voice said.

Gwen turned around and saw a guy about her age-Brad. He hadn't blipped like she had, and now he was much older than she remembered. He effortlessly lifted her bag and tucked it into the compartment, his biceps straining slightly as he did so.

"Thanks..." Gwen trailed off, searching for his name.

"Brad," he said with a small smile, extending his hand for a shake.

Gwen smiled politely and shook his hand. "Thank you, Brad."

As he walked away, Gwen caught a glimpse of Peter from across the aisle, watching the interaction with a frown. His expression was somewhere between annoyance and jealousy, and Gwen raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a look as if to say, Really, Peter?

Peter quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be engrossed in something else, but Gwen could feel the tension from across the plane. She rolled her eyes playfully before finding her seat by the window. The soft hum of the engines and the view of the runway outside had her lost in thought. The science trip felt like the first step into a whole new adventure, and she couldn't stop thinking about what might happen if she had to use her Spider-Woman suit while they were away. The what-ifs began swirling around her head.

What if something went wrong while she was gone? What if someone got hurt? What if she couldn't help them in time?

She barely noticed Brad walking over until he plopped down in the seat beside her. Gwen blinked in surprise, not expecting him there.

"Hey," Brad said shyly, his voice soft.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, still trying to adjust to him sitting next to her. "I didn't realize you were sitting here."

Brad chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, uh, Peter needed to change seats. Something about air sickness. So, Mr. Harrington switched people around."

Gwen's eyes flicked over to Peter, who was sitting a few rows behind them, his jaw clenched and his expression tight. That's when it clicked-Peter had wanted to sit next to her. Gwen's heart did a little flip, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Wait a minute, she thought, was Peter actually trying to sit with me?

Gwen glanced out the window, her mind racing. No way. She couldn't have feelings for Peter, right? They were just friends, and that's all they were supposed to be. But the way he looked at her, the little things he did, like trying to sit next to her on the plane... it made her wonder.

Gwen, don't go there, she thought, pressing her lips together. But the butterflies wouldn't go away.

"So," Brad said, interrupting her thoughts again, "you excited for the trip?"

"Uh, yeah, totally," Gwen replied, but her mind was elsewhere. As Brad kept talking, Gwen found herself stealing glances at Peter, who was now pretending to read something but kept shooting glances her way. The whole thing was getting more complicated than she expected.

ASH SPEAKS!

EEK GUYS GWEN IS FINALLY REALIZING SHE ACTUALLY HAS FEELINGS FOR PETER AND THOSE KISSES WERENT JUST NOTHING

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)