Spider-man: Alone in New York

~ Chapter 30 ~

"Hey, wait up!" My mood immediately darkened as I heard Flash's voice behind me. I continued walking, deciding to ignore him. Maybe he would give up if I just left. I didn't want to deal with his insults or beating today. I was already in enough pain and walking a little bit hunched over so my side didn't hurt and my arm that had been broken wouldn't move as much.

"Wait!" This time he was closer. "Please, Peter. Wait." When I heard him say 'please', I froze midstep. Flash saying please? Now that was certainly a first. What was he up to now?

"What, Flash?" I asked slightly harshly as I turned around and faced him. He seemed uncomfortable, his eyes aimed at his feet rather than my own eyes. He fidgeted with his backpack straps and shifted from one foot to another. Flash nervous? This was new. 

"Look, I... I just..." My eyes narrowed at his stammering as I became suspicious. "I wanted to say sorry," Flash made out. My eyebrows curled in confusion. 

Did Flash just say the s-word? And I'm not talking about the swear word, I'm talking about the s. o. r. r. y. word. This must be a prank. A way to get back at me. Make it seem like he's apologizing and the next thing I will know his goons will be attacking me from behind. A planned ambush. How nice and strategic.

I looked around, trying to see where his goons were hiding, but I came up empty. My spidey sense was also strangely quiet. Maybe it was broken. Could my spidey sense be broken?

Flash asked, his head tilted as he watched me try to find his friends, "What are you looking for?"

"I know this is a trick, Flash. Back off, will you? Where are your friends hiding?" I huffed through my nose. 

"What friends? I'm the only person here, I swear. I'm not lying. I really am sorry, and I know that doesn't cut it, but I'll try to do whatever I can to undo my actions-"

"You aren't serious, are you?" I started wondering if he wasn't lying. Was he actually sorry?

He nodded his head. "I am. I swear. I- look, I- I want to explain to you why I did the things I did. You deserve an explanation for why I made your life hell. I'm so fucking sorry. I really am. I know it won't erase everything I did to you, but I at least want to apologize. Look, no one knows this, but, but-" Flash's voice broke, and he stopped, hesitating. He decided to walk to the lockers, leaning on them. His glossy eyes were on the floor now.

Was he going to tell me what motivated him to hurt me all of those years? What is happening? Why is he apologizing now? 

I softened my voice, finally realizing this was something serious. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No. I want to. I really do. Someone has to know, especially you." Flash took a deep breath. "It's just, I haven't told anyone, you know? Only my siblings know, of course. I don't really know how to start."

I tried to come off as calm and patient as possible. "That's okay. If you really want to talk about this, start wherever you would like to."

He gave me a pained smile. "Thanks." He looked left and right in the hallway just to make sure we were alone, and then he turned back to me. "Look. Well, you know, it's my dad. He's not the greatest. He, well, he- he kind of hurts my siblings and I. I try to take most of the hits, but-but sometimes, it, you know, it doesn't work out? Or he won't be satisfied with beating me up, so he'll go to my younger brothers." 

Flash was abused? Goodness gracious. In my mind, I was shocked, but I kept my outside look composed.

There was a pause as he decided his next words. Fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt, Flash continued, "I thought it was so unfair that I had to go through something like this when people get parents who get them everything and spoil them and love them. And, I don't know why, and I really regret doing this, but I was just so angry at what was happening to me, but I have to hide it at home cause if I ever fight back I suffer even more. In school, though, I can take out my anger without any fear, but I let it out on the wrong person." He took a quick glance at me, trying to decipher my emotions. "And I'm really sorry for that."

I started, "Flash, it's okay-"

He cut me off, a look of anger flickering across his face, "But it's not okay! It's really not! I hurt you for years. And for what, because I was angry at my self, at my own helplessness? It's not fair! It's not!"

I sighed. "I'm not going to lie, you bullying me, Flash, it really hurt. I dreaded going to school every day."

"I know. Damn it." He ran his hands through his hair. "I know. I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up, or at least try to?"

I stayed quiet, really not knowing what he could do. The answer was simple: for me, nothing. The damage was done. There was no return from that. So what could he do to make himself better? That was a difficult question. What made him the way he is today? Obviously, his father. 

"Why don't we send your father to jail?" I asked, saying the first idea that popped into my mind.

"Sue my father? Me? You know, when you fought back yesterday, I thought, why can't I do that? Why can't I be brave like you and stop my father? I'm weak. I'm too weak. He'll always win in the end." He slid down the lockers, ending up in a sitting position. I saw tears come out of his eyes.

"What about your mother?" I asked.

"She's not here anymore. She passed away ten years ago." He sniffled, using his sleeve to remove the tears from his face. "Nothing's ever going to change. I'm too weak."

"You're not weak. We can do it, together. We'll take your father down. You and me, how about that?" And Mr. Stark, because I didn't have any money to fund this. He probably wouldn't mind if I told him the reason, though. We'd just have to gather evidence and then lock his father up in prison and destroy the key.

"You think so?" Flash asked, looking up at me with tears rolling down his cheek. I saw faint hope in his eyes. I grew angry at his father for making him feel so miserable like this. How many years did his father abuse him for? 

All these years, we were both abused. 

I sat down next to him. "Yeah, I do, Flash."

We sat a couple of minutes in silence before he said, "Please, call me Eugene."