Miles nervously paced back and forth in his dorm, panic filling his mind with every heartbeat.
Gwen hadn't answered any of his texts.
What did that mean?
Was she mad at him? She had said she didn't want to argue, but did that mean she would just cut all contact with him?
Miles didn't mean to upset her. He just knew something was wrong and he wanted to help. Had he gone about it the wrong way? Probably.
"Uhh, Miles?"
Miles head snapped over to the owner of the voice. Ganke held a bewildered expression, and a raised brow as his head cocked to the side in confusion.
Was Ganke upside down or-
"Why are you standing on the ceiling?"
Miles's mouth dropped to an 'O' shape. So, he was the one that wasn't upright. The curly haired boy looked down at his feet. He hadn't noticed his frantic pacing had led him up to the ceiling.
"Miles?" Ganke asked again when he didn't get an answer, "Are you stuck up there or something? Should I get a broom?"
"Gwen hasn't answered any of my texts," Miles ignored his friend's statement, hopping down from his perch as he stumbled up to the other boy with a worried expression.
"That's what this is about? Dude, you're overreacting." Ganke said with a shrug as he ruffled his floppy, black hair.
"I'm not. We had an argument, I pushed her too far, and now she hates me and I've ruined everything." Miles whimpered. He plopped onto his bed and placed his head in his hands with a heavy sigh.
"How long has it been since you texted her?"
Miles peeked through his finger at Ganke, "Almost eleven hours."
The young hero groaned when his friend rose a brow, condescendingly, "Come on, Dude. There's no way you're this clingy."
"What!" Miles squeaked, "I'm not clingy."
Ganke rolled his eyes. "She doesn't text you for half a day and you go ballistic. That's being clingy. I don't answer your texts all the time do you throw a fit then?"
"No."
"So, is this really a that big of a deal?"
"I... guess not."
"See. There we go," Ganke clasped his hand to Miles's shoulder, "All sorted out." The boy turned and mumbled under his breath, "Seems like you're the girl in this relationship."
"Hey!"
"Hmm?"
"I have super-hearing!"
Ganke snickered as he sat down his desk chair. He he opened the drawer and pulled out a bag of M&Ms. Then turned back to the matter at hand, "How many texts did you send her?"
"Uhh, like twelve-ish, I think. You think I should send one more?"
"Umm, no," Ganke answered with a raised brow as her ripped open the brown bag. He shook his head dismissively, "Maybe she's just busy, dude. I wouldn't worry about it."
"Yeah, maybe she is or maybe it's something else entirely," Miles's leg bounced restlessly on his seat for a a few seconds and he bit his finger nails anxiously. He felt a familiar sensation in the back of his mind and he suddenly jolted up from his seat as if struck, with a determined look, "I'm gonna go see her."
"Miles, calm down. I'm sure it's nothing. It's Sunday. Maybe she went to church or something."
"For that long? I don't think so. I know she isn't just ghosting me. Something's wrong... I can feel it."
Ganke's mouth closed with a audible 'clomp', knowing that when the young hero felt that something was off he was usually right. He let out a sigh, then popped a handful of the candy into his mouth. He turned around in his chair to find Miles already slinging a bag over his shoulder and messing with his goober.
Ganke nodded at his friend, "Go get your girl, Spider-man."
Miles froze, then cast Ganke an annoyed glance, "She's not my-"
"Yeah, yeah sure, just go, Miles."
The boy rolled his eyes as the colorful vortex appeared before him. He cast his friend a lazy two fingered wave and Ganke responded with a goofy grin and salute before making a heart shape with his hands and sticking out his tongue.
Miles let out an annoyed grunt before stepping through the gateway.
*******
Miles landed in earth '65', but something was off. He didn't feel the familiar pull of his spider-sense, that little feeling that kept him connected to this universe- that told him he wasn't alone and there was someone else like him. He felt his stomach plummet. That could only mean one thing.
There was nobody with Spider-powers in this city.
Gwen was not here.
The boy felt panic rise inside him.
"Was she okay?"
"Was she hurt?"
Miles swallowed his fear.
Maybe she just went on vacation.
Yeah, he was just overreacting like Ganke said. He could just check in with Em Jay.
So, Miles made the long and tedious walk, to Em Jay's house- three houses down.
Miles walked past, Lincoln and up the driveway. He knocked on her door and waited patiently. He tapped his fingers against his thigh as he listened to the footsteps drawing closer to the door. He looked up and gulped when he came chest to face with a burly man. He had low shaven, brown hair and the same emerald green eyes as Gwen's friend.
"Get lost, kid. Prom's not for another two months."
"Umm actually, I'm just a friend of Em Jay's. My names Miles. I-Is she home?" Miles spoke, nervously."
"Yes."
Miles fiddled with his fingers and cast the man his best forced smile, "So... then uh, can I come see her?"
The man eyed Miles sternly and boy felt as if his very soul was being invaded. After a few painful moments the man stepped aside and said, "Down the hall on the right."
Miles grinned, "Thank you." He attempted to sprint off toward Em Jay's room, but was halted by a force yanking back in his shirt. He suddenly came face to face with Mister Watson.
"You try anything," the man snarled, "I break your legs."
Miles gulped and nodded a bit too rapidly, "Yes, sir."
Mister Watson released the boy from his hold and Miles continued his way down the hall at a much slower pace, taking in the mint green walls littered in family pictures of young Mary Jane and her family. It seemed that Em Jay was the only red head in her family, which Miles thought was a pretty cool phenomenon. Finally he made outside a white door labeled, 'Em Jay's Room' he shook off his nerves and rapped his knuckles against it twice.
He could here a bit of shuffling on the other side, before the words, "Come in!" sounded through the wood.
He twisted the small gold nob and let himself in. He found the redhead on her bed in the middle of her room, where if a cropped blue hoodie and grey shorts. She took a pair AirPods out of her ears and sighing dejectedly.
Miles rose a brow.
"Mom and Dad never knock, so I was really hoping for Channing Tatum." She leaned back against the fluffy white pillows lining her bed, "But I guess you're okay."
"What?" Miles shook his head focusing on the reason he came, "Look Em Jay, I'm here because I really needed to ask if-"
"Miles, you're cute and all and I'd be lying if I said I normally wouldn't date you, but I'm not gonna help you cheat on Gwen." Em Jay twirled her hair absentmindedly as she criss-crossed her legs on the mattress that was lined with a pale purple bed sheet."
"Huh, no- I... we aren't dating!"
"It's still a no. I can tell you both have a thing for each other and I will not ruin my friend's love life because you think I'm hot." She gave a shrug as she laid on her back with her legs still upright and folded over each other. She brought her phone so it was hovering over her face as she spoke, "Sorry, not sorry."
"Em Jay, listen to me," Miles groaned, lolling his head back in exasperation, his eyes landing on a violet heart sticker, that matched her walls, in the middle of her white ceiling. His head snapped forward as a something registered in his mind. "Wait?" he paused, his eyes widening, "You think she has a thing for me?"
Em Jay rolled her eyes, "Now I see why. You both are so naïve."
Miles clamped his eyes shut with a shake of his head. He jutted his hands out frantically, "Mary Jane Watson, have you seen Gwen?!"
Em Jay shot him a perplexed look. She studied his expression and seemed to take note of his rigid stance. She spoke slowly and thoughtfully, unlike any other time Miles conversed with her, "Not since Friday. Why?"
"And she hasn't like gone on vacation or anything?"
"No, why?" she reiterated, a bit of annoyance seeping into her at the fact he ignored her question.
"I can't get through to her. She's not answering my texts."
Em Jay bit her lip in thought as she sat up in her bed and stared down at the floor. She peered back up at Miles and asked, "Did you do something to upset her?"
"Well... yes, we got into an argument and I know I was in the wrong, but I don't think that's what this is."
The ginger pursed her lips, before standing up with her phone in hand.
"What are you-"
The girl lifted up a lone finger, a silent shut up.
Miles perked up as he heard a phone line hum and he dashed to Em Jay's side, peering over her shoulder as the contact, "Stace 💜 🥁 💜" appeared on the screen.
"Come on, Stacy. Pick up." The girl muttered. Miles prayed the same.
"Pick up the phone, Gwen. Please."
"You have reached the voicemail of Gwen. This is her amazing, rockstar friend, Em Jay, telling you to leave a message or I'll track you down myself and-"
"Em Jay, what are you doing with my phone?"
"Leave a message. Beep."
Miles normally would have laughed at that, but right now he was busy being scared out of his mind. If something had happened to Gwen he wouldn't know what to do with himself. He had to talk to Peter. He'd know what to do.
"Miles, deep breaths," Em Jay instructed. Miles didn't even realize how erratic his breathing had gotten. He met Em Jay's green eyes and forced the gasps of air to go steady. Em Jay took her hand off his shoulder to crossed her arms over her chest. A slightly worried expression lingered on her face, but she did her face to remain impassive, but no one could pull that off like Gwen could. "I wouldn't stress too bad. This isn't the first time she's gone AWOL. It happens more than you'd think."
"But that was because she's Spider-woman. This is different."
"I'm gonna see if I could find her," the boy announced, quickly. That statement caused the girl shoulders to relax and she released a breath.
"Alright, when you find her, tell her to call me, because her not answering my call is unacceptable."
"Got it," Miles answered as he slinked out the door. He bolted down the hall passing Mister Watson who glared roughly.
Just as he made his way out the door he heard the girl holler, "And tell if she doesn't come to practice today, I'll break her legs!"
"Will do!" he called back, not even really paying full attention to her words at this point.
Miles ran down the sidewalk and unsheathed his phone, frantically pulling up Peter B.'s contact and pressing call.
Gwen was no where to be seen. She wasn't in her city, or her dimension- her universe. She was just gone.
The boy felt tears prick the back of his eyes.
"Hey Miles, what's up?"
"Peter! Gwen's gone! I don't know what to do! I'm freaking out, man," Miles words became a mess of jumbled sobs.
"Woah, Woah, slow down. What do you mean she's gone?"
"She not answering her phone and she's not in her universe! Peter, what do I do?" He wailed, clutching his phone tightly to his ear as he dropped to his knees. A few tears leaked from his eyes.
"Listen to me, Miles. Everything will be okay. I'll call Miguel and the others and we'll figure this out. We'll find her. But I need you to be level headed. Can you do that?"
Miles nodded, letting out a small whimper as he tried to silence his sob. He then realized Peter could and gave him verbal, confirmation, "Yeah, yeah okay." His cheeks were soaked and all he could smell were his salty tears, but Miles couldn't bring himself to care.
"Good. Meet us in Miguel's universe in ten."
With that Miles hung up. He sat down on the sidewalk with his head in his hands, he didn't care if he attracted people attention. That didn't matter to him- only Gwen did. Hundreds of thoughts raced through his head a mile a minute, though three were most prominent.
"What if they couldn't find her?"
"What if she died?"
"What if she died hating him?"