"I got it!" Peter shouted, jumping up and slightly backwards with his hands extended in the air.
All of the eyes on his side of the net were looking up at his hands and the volleyball. It looked like he would be able to get the ball back over the net.
But, alas, as he brought his hands forward, they just barely graced the bottom of the ball. Victor and Jimmy, along with a couple of other guys made a move for it, but failed. Peter, his balance completely messed up, fell backwards and landed in the sand.
"Point!" Mary Jane exclaimed from the other side of the net. "And we win!"
"Damn," Peter said under his breath, tossing some sand in the air. "Who's idea was it to play guys against girls?" he asked aloud.
"At least we only lost by a point," Jimmy said, trying to comfort.
"Jimmy," Victor said, "it doesn't matter how many points they won by, they'll rub it in endlessly regardless."
"Way to go, Peter," Jason Todd said.
"Oh, come on, the sun got in my eyes!" Peter exclaimed, trying to defend himself.
"Eh, it's a game," Jason replied. "At least you didn't blow it on the serve."
"Yeah, that was a sweet serve," Harry added, coming up. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone place it in so close to the boundary."
"Guess the Parker luck has changed for the better," Peter said as Victor helped him up. He was dusting himself off as Mary Jane came running over.
"Now, who's better?" she asked, putting her arms around his neck.
"So I was distracted. You were on the front row, after all."
"Sucking up, I like it," MJ replied, leaning up to kiss him.
"It has its advantages." Peter moved his arm to around MJ's waist and started walking to where Victor, Natalie, and Jimmy were already gathered on a blanket in the shade of a large tree.
"You know what the best part about this picnic is?" Victor asked.
"What?" Peter replied, sitting down, with MJ leaning back onto him.
"It's completely sponsored and sanctioned by the school. And everyone else is still taking exams!"
"Or just taking them," Peter added with a chuckle.
"Hey, not all of us can be valedictorian."
"Seventh in the class isn't too bad."
"Not top five."
"At least you don't have to worry about giving a speech in front of everyone."
"You've probably had yours written for years."
Peter rolled his eyes and bobbed his head around a little. "Well, maybe I have thought about what I wanted to say. Several times. I just can't believe we're graduating in only three days."
"I know," Natalie said. "For me at least, graduation has always been something that other people do. Never thought I'd be this close to it."
"I know the feeling," Jimmy added. "Even just being a senior never really sank in."
"So true," Peter replied.
"I know you're majoring in science, but are you sticking with photography?" Jimmy asked.
Peter nodded. "I'm going for a minor in communication."
"Cool," Jimmy replied. "My major."
"And we're supposed to be surprised?" Victor asked. Turning to Peter, he added, "You'll be the PR guy for a big scientific corporation."
Peter half grinned. "I'm hoping for something a bit more high profile, and with a better paycheck."
Jason came running up. "Hey, we're starting a game of football," he said. "You guys want to join?"
Peter looked at Victor and Jimmy. "Sure," they all said.
"Ladies?" Victor asked.
"No, thanks," Mary Jane said. "Too rough for me."
"I'll pass, too," Natalie said.
"Okay," Peter said. "Your loss."
"At least this time you won't lose to a girl!" MJ taunted as they ran down the hill.
The two girls sat on the blanket, watching as the game started.
"I am going to miss this," Natalie said.
"Having doubts about going to California?"
"I don't know. I think it's just the thought of being away from home. The general jitteriness a lot of people get when going off to college."
"But going to the other side of the country can't help much."
"I have some relatives that don't live too far away, and a couple of old friends who moved there several years ago."
"Victor doesn't seem to be taking it well."
Natalie sighed. "He kinda had it all planned out. Not down to every detail, you know, but he had a general idea. We've known each other forever, and never thought about being that far away from each other. I don't know if he knows what to do."
"He's not that helpless."
"I don't mean generally. Emotionally, he's gonna be a wreck for a long time."
"I guess e-mails and phone calls are no substitute for the real thing."
Natalie shook her head.
The picnic was winding down, and the guys were hanging out around a picnic table.
"You know what I'm gonna miss?" Victor asked. "Snow days."
"They have to have some in college," Jimmy replied.
Victor shook his head. "For most major colleges, the only way they cancel a full day of classes is either a big storm - usually involving lots of ice - or one that catches them by surprise. But there's nothing like waking up, turning on the radio, hearing that school's canceled, and then going back to bed."
"My friend, who lives in a more rural town," Jason added, "has a system of his own to find out if school's canceled. He lives on a road that is one of the first ones plowed after all the major highways. If it's still got snow on it, he doesn't even bother getting up, because there are much worse roads."
"And if it's been plowed?" Peter asked.
"Then he turns the radio on."
Suddenly, a water balloon crashed onto the table in the middle of all of them with a loud splat. The guys turned to see a line of girls armed with water balloons.
"Oh, crap!" Jason exclaimed, jumping off the table, as the guys started their retreat. The girls started their advance, throwing balloons across the field.
"I thought this wasn't supposed to start for another twenty minutes!" Peter said, as everyone ducked behind trees to escape the attack.
"I thought we were the ones who would attack first!" Victor replied, grabbing the plastic bucket holding the water balloons, and passing it around.
"Glad I didn't wear white," Peter mumbled as he grabbed two balloons.
"But I'm glad Stacy Chambers did," Jimmy said.
"Stacy! The girl every guy had a crush on in eighth grade?" Peter asked.
"For good reason," Victor added. "I'm surprised she didn't make prom queen."
"She made homecoming queen . . . " Jimmy started.
"And everything else. She was definitely the perfect girl. I know plenty of guys who have their own embarrassing story about Stacy," Jason finished, coming up behind them.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" Peter asked.
Jason smiled. "Aren't we all? So, who's getting her?"
Victor looked at Peter. "You're spoken for, man."
"Nothing wrong with looking. And reliving memories."
"Didn't you say that she always picked on you in middle school?"
"Oh, yeah, those memories. Eh, she got over it."
"Let's go!" Jason exclaimed.
The four charged from behind the tree. It didn't take much for Peter and Victor to find their girlfriends. Peter brought his water balloon back, ready to let it loose on Mary Jane.
"Nuh uh, Tiger. Remember who your ride is."
"Oh! She's got ya there," Victor said.
Peter just looked at him and slightly raised his eyebrows. Vic got the message. They both turned suddenly. Peter was facing Natalie and Victor was facing Mary Jane.
Then they threw the balloons.
MJ squealed and starting running after Peter. "I should have known you were going to do that!" she said.
Meanwhile, Jimmy finally got close enough to get the prize shot. Stacy had gotten hit several times, so the water was already starting to soak through.
But Jimmy happened to have the big one. The water balloon so big that he had to carry it carefully with both hands in order to not bust it on himself.
"Hey, Stacy!" he exclaimed.
As Stacy turned slightly to see Jimmy, he through the balloon straight for her chest. It exploded, and soaked her through completely, leaving little to the imagination.
"Score!" Jason shouted from behind Jimmy.
Fighting all over the field seemed to stop as all of the guys came over to congratulate Jimmy on such an awesome shot.
Stacy just turned and walked away.
Jimmy was able to get away from the celebration to catch up with Stacy.
"Stacy, I hope you're not mad or anything . . . "
Stacy turned around and smiled. "No, Jimmy."
"You planned that, didn't you?"
Stacy tossed her hair back. "Yeah. You guys have probably been waiting for a moment like that since middle school."
"Most, yes," Jimmy replied, somewhat distracted.
Stacy took a step forward and kissed Jimmy on the cheek. "Take care, Jimmy."
Ezekiel was sitting at his desk, looking over some paperwork. He groaned as he turned the page. He was more of an action guy, he didn't like looking over numbers.
As he leaned back to rub his face, his door blew open and a young girl with black hair clad in a simple silver-colored dress was standing very calmly.
"What the hell?" Ezekiel exclaimed, standing up.
"Oz," the girl said coming closer. "You know something about it. I want to know what."
"I don't know anything."
In a flash, Ezekiel found himself a couple of feet off of the ground, and against the wall. The girl was holding him by the throat.
"You have to know something. And I will find that out!"
"I don't . . . " Ezekiel said, barely able to breathe.
"Liar," the girl said, squeezing harder on Ezekiel's throat.
Ezekiel tried to say something, but could only get a few moans and coughs out. The girl, obviously bored, dropped him, and let him crumple to the ground.
"You will see me again."
Peter was quiet on most of the ride back home.
"You okay, Tiger?" MJ asked. "You seem lost in thought."
"Yeah," Peter replied. "I was just thinking about Uncle Ben."
"Oh," MJ said.
"I wish he could be at graduation."
Mary Jane did not know what to say that would not sound corny.
"It's my fault," Peter continued.
"You have to stop blaming yourself -- "
"I can't stop blaming myself!" Peter interrupted. "It's the whole reason Spider-Man's a superhero instead of a superstar. To make things worse, it led to the Joker being created."
"You couldn't have known."
"But I should have stopped him. Tripped him up. I just wasn't thinking."
MJ pulled into her driveway. Peter continued, "I don't know why . . . "
MJ leaned over and kissed him.
"You really know how to change the subject," Peter said.
"I figured that would get you out of your pity party."
"Pity party?"
"Peter, you've moved past it. I know graduation is bringing back some of those bad feelings, but you'll get by."
"I guess you're right," Peter said, leaning over to kiss MJ.
Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet . . .
Lois scrolled down the screen. She had spent a lot of time over the past month and a half trying to find out anything she could about a drug called Oz. So far, she had come up with very little.
But on this day, she saw a name. Sims.
Sims? Who, or what is Sims? And what does Sims have to do with Oz?
"I hate corrupted files . . . " she muttered, standing up.
She walked over to Perry White's office and knocked softly.
"Come on in, Lois. What's on your mind?" he asked.
Lois came in, closing the door, and sat down in one of the chairs facing Perry's desk.
"It's about Oz," she said. "I haven't found much, but I was looking at a website. Some guy somehow was able to extract what files were left from Osborn's computers and post them online."
"Amazing," Perry said.
"Not quite. A lot of the data was lost during the explosion."
"So, what have you found?"
"Just a name. Sims. Does that mean anything to you?"
Perry shook his head slowly. "What context?"
"I don't know. I just found a page about Oz, and the only decipherable word was 'Sims'."
"The only Sims I know are some old friends. No one that should have any connection with Osborn."
"I'll keep looking, then," Lois said, standing up.
Late that night, Peter was on his computer, catching up on the latest news. He turned his head when he heard a tapping on his window.
"Ezekiel, you really need work on your timing," Peter said, walking over to open the window.
"I know, I know. But I had a visitor earlier today," Ezekiel said. "A girl. Not much older than you, at least visually. Wore a stunning silver dress. Strong as hell. Know her?"
Peter shook his head slowly. "Doesn't ring a bell . . . "
"Ah. Thought it might."
"What did she want?"
"Thought I knew something about Oz."
"Did you?"
"Nothing that would help her. But I got to thinking. It reminded me of something in my files." He pulled out a CD and handed it to Peter. "You need to read over this. It's about your parents . . .
" . . . and you."
Next issue: School's out, but that's not the only change for Peter. Old allies, new foes, and a few answers! It all starts in Spider-Man #36!
