Wanted: The FanPeople Love Greg

Camping Ch11

By the time Charles returned to the fire pit, most everyone had started to stir. Greg had gone ahead and taken the opportunity to show Spider-Man the proper fire-starting method. Charles took over the instruction when he returned, easily teaching Spider-Man the art of making breakfast in the great outdoors. The vigilante had admittedly been a little worried that he would be teased for his lack of experience, but Charles was patient with him. Together, they mixed an egg, cheese, some pre-fried bacon, and whatever herb that Charles had brought all in ziplock baggies. They put some water up to boil in a pot perched on the little grill above the fire. Once they deemed the water hot enough, they began the process of putting the baggies in the water to cook.

"The tricky part," Charles explained, wielding a pair of tongs with ease, "is to make sure that the bags don't touch the sides of the pot."

Spider-Man thought for a moment. "Oh, because it'll melt?"

"Yep, and that's not an easy mess to clean."

"Yeah, I'd bet. Why are we making so many though?"

Charles gave him a look. "Well, we both know one definitely won't cut it for you, and some of the others might want seconds."

"Oh," Spider-Man blushed. "Right."

For the most part, everyone ate in silence. That was to be expected considering most everyone had just woken up, but it left Spider-Man a little skittish. He was wide awake and ready for the day, but he was afraid of coming off as too eager.

"Everyone sleep alright?" Brian asked. There were a few grunts of affirmation. Spider-Man tactfully stayed quiet and ignored the look Greg shot at him. "I had this really weird dream. I was late to school, but I was the teacher. All my students were senile, and I was trying to teach astrophysics, which I know nothing about. After failing miserably, the principal came in, but she wad a zebra. Definitely not a good time," Brian laughed.

"Bro, you get some really wild dreams," Michael grinned. He turned to Spider-Man in explanation. "At least, twice a week we're hearing about something his mind concocted overnight. You dream much?"

"Yeah," Spider-Man said quietly, hating where the conversation was going. "Not anything crazy like that though."

"Oh yeah? What are yours about?"

Spider-Man shrugged lackadaisically. "Just memories, typically. Some are altered memories, but that tends to be it."

"Must be nice to relive your best moments like that," Xander mused.

"Must be," Spider-Man softly said.

"They're all bad memories, aren't they?" Charles gulped, quickly deducing the meaning.

"I've had a lot of close calls."

"Not to mention the torture," Greg added offhandedly.

Spider-Man nodded, seemingly unaffected. "It's hard to believe he's really back. Kinda terrifying though."

"We've got your back though," Greg smiled, bumping shoulders with the teenager.

"Yeah," Michael piped up. "We'll be sure to help in any way we can, even if we don't know who 'he' is."

Spider-Man licked his lips, his resolve to hide his panic fading. "I- He's the Green Goblin. He just escaped. He's coming for me, and I can't- Let's just not talk about it."

"It's okay to be afraid, Spider-Man," Greg vocalized. "Normal, in this case."

Spider-Man shook his head sourly. "It's lethal to be afraid, Greg. I'll panic and miss something. Someone will die. Whatever, my triggers are my problem. Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out, hopefully. What are we doing today?"

There was a beat of silence and Spider-Man held his breath. Would they let him off the hook. The officers shared a look and came to a conclusion. Xander spoke up. "There's a lake that's safe to swim in close by. It's a nice way to spend the morning, in my opinion."

"Well then," Greg said, clearing his throat. "Everyone bring their trunks and a towel?" They nodded and moved back to their respective tents to change.

Comically, it seemed as though Spider-Man walked in the tent and came out immediately. He received a few confused stares and shrugged. "Quick change is the most underrated of the skills I've developed as a superhero," he laughed.