Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York
September 5th, 2016 10:23 AMAh, broom closets. My home away from home. Just one of the many perks of swinging to school as Spider-Man; crawling through second-story windows, and hiding in empty closets while I changed into my civvies. Made even more enjoyable, of course, by having to wait quietly inside until the two faculty members just on the opposite side of the door had finished their riveting conversation about this upcoming season of the Bachelor. Crammed into a small room, pants halfway up, frozen in place, too worried of being discovered to make a sound. I'm sure half-naked college students in broom closets aren't entirely new or surprising concepts for the professors here at Empire State, but when it's just one student who also happens to be wearing part of a Spider-Man outfit it was probably a little more awkward to explain.
All-in-all, I had spent about fifteen minutes in there before the two professors walked away and I could make my escape. By the time I made it to my classroom, the door was already closed, and locked. As if my morning couldn't get any better. I still had plans to meet with Gwen on campus after class let out, so I figured I might as well wait here and speak to my professor afterwards. It was clear Professor Crane wasn't a fan of his students being tardy if the locked door was any indication, and I wanted to make sure I got off on the right foot with him. With any luck he'd be understanding, and I could get whatever notes from today's lecture I had missed. Thankfully it wouldn't be too much of a wait for the class to end, introductory sociology was one of the shortest courses I had signed up for this year, and so I found a small bench further down the hall to relax on for the next forty or so minutes.
As I waited, my thoughts returned to Frederick Myers - The Boomerang. The man was supposed to be locked up in prison after the last time I defeated him. Granted, he wasn't exactly a violent offender, nor very-threatening as a criminal. At least, he hadn't been back then with his regular, run-of-the-mill toy boomerangs and goofy costume so perhaps he had been released on good behavior. Ryker's Island did tend to be overcrowded during times, and given its status as a penitentiary for super-powered criminals I'd imagine they wouldn't be too concerned about keeping Freddy there for his full sentence. I had always found it odd that he had been sent there in the first place, and not an ordinary New York prison. But, even if he had gotten out early, that didn't explain his new get-up and skills. Those boomerangs he had been wielding this time were no gimmicks, and if it hadn't have been for my Spider-Sense I might have actually taken a few hits there. Where did a guy like Frederick Myers, a thirty-something-year-old high school drop out, get his hands on genuine body armor, and military-grade equipment?
My thoughts were interrupted at the sound of a few dozen feet scuffling about. The class had finally let up, and all the students were filing out. Slipping past them all, I quickly walked in to try and catch the professor before he too left. Crane was still at his desk, rifling through some papers, and he looked up at me briefly before returning his gaze back down.
"Professor Crane, my name's Peter Parker. I'm taking your class, and I was late coming in today," I began, offering my hand out for a shake. "I got caught up in... traffic, and by the time I got here the door was already locked..."
I trailed off, my hand still in the air, and the professor paying me no mind as he scribbled something briefly out on a scrap of paper.
"Um, I was wondering if I could maybe get some notes on today's lecture, or if there was any way I could get a recap on what I missed."
Still no response.
"Professor?" Now I wasn't sure what was going on, was I in the wrong room, or maybe the Twilight Zone? I wasn't used to an educator ignoring his student.
"Mister Parker," Crane said, finally finished with whatever it was he had been busy with. "I don't know what education you've been exposed to, but here in my class room you do not get free rides." He continued on, his voice not hiding his disinterest with me in the slightest. "If you decide to sleep in late, or brush off my course that is on you. You will receive no benefits or aid from me for slacking off, and if you want to learn what was discussed today you'll have to figure it out on your own time. Though, if you had wanted to learn in the first place you might have made more of an effort to arrive on time."
Wow. This guy knew how to make you feel at home. I wonder if he made all his students feel this warm and fuzzy inside, or if I was just special. He didn't even give me a chance to get a word in edgewise as he began walking towards the exit, still giving me that indifferent attitude.
"My class begins at ten A.M. sharp, Mister Parker, and at ten-oh-one my door is locked. If you want to waste your own time and money that is your choice, but you will not waste mine." Professor Crane then spun on his heel, the slightly taller man staring down at me - no, more like through me - and thrust a tiny scrap of paper into my hand. "Your partner for today's assignment was selected for you in your absence, get in touch with them sooner than later if you expect to receive credit on it. I suggest you arrive on time next week or look into switching to a class that's more suited to your... carefree nature." And, with that, he ushered me out and walked away, leaving me dumbfounded in silence.
Congratulations, Peter. Day one, and the teacher already hates you. I glanced down at the scrap of paper and the name of my forced partner. I didn't recognize them, but I hoped they were a little more forgiving of me than the professor had been. Last thing I need is for the student I was paired with to also think I'm an underachieving slacker. I'd have to try and get in contact with them later today using the school's email system, but for now Gwen was expecting me at the campus' coffee house. At least I could look forward to that bright spot of spending the rest of the day with her. After all, not like anything else could go wrong today.
