Chapter 15: She knows... Something
The bell's chime echoed through the hallway, signaling the end of the school day. Gwen felt her heart rate pick up as anxiety gnawed at her. With each passing second, she was keenly aware that Nightling could strike again. As the crowd of students spilled out of the classrooms and into the halls, she prepared to break into a sprint towards the school gates, ready to slip into her alter ego's costume and begin her vigilant patrol.
However, just as she was about to dash away, a sudden grip on her shoulder stopped her. She jerked back in surprise, an instinctive reflex as a product of her heightened senses and physicFal agility. Under normal circumstances, she'd have easily evaded the hand. But her worry and distraction had made her momentarily forgetful of her own abilities.
The voice that followed the grip was familiar, a teasing lilt in its tone that gave away the identity of the person behind her. "Going somewhere in such a hurry, Gwen? We've got some 'observations' to make, remember?"
Slowly, she turned around to face the source of the voice. Luke stood there, a mischievous grin adorning his face, his eyes twinkling with a devil-may-care joy. For a brief moment, Gwen mentally chastised herself for dragging him into the project the previous day. She hadn't anticipated he would seize the opportunity for payback so swiftly.
"I... uh, I have something that came up, Luke," Gwen replied, her voice strained with forced cheerfulness, as she tried to wriggle out of the commitment.
Luke's grin widened, his eyebrows waggling comically. "Oh, that's unfortunate, very, very unfortunate indeed!" He mimicked her tone, feigning sorrow. "But guess what, Gwen? You didn't ask me yesterday either, before you hauled me off for this project!" His voice was brimming with mirth as he started steering her towards the school gates where a taxi was parked.
Caught off guard, Gwen could only blink at Luke's playful retort. She tried to protest, but the words got lost as Luke's cheerful chatter drowned her feeble attempts. His grip on her shoulder was firm yet gentle, the same stubborn determination she had displayed the previous day now reflected in his actions. Her own strategy was being used against her, and Gwen had to admire the irony of it.
Amidst the flurry of students, Luke navigated their way towards the waiting taxi, his good-natured banter continuing. Gwen glanced at him, an unwilling smile pulling at her lips. His exuberance was infectious, and despite the dire circumstances, she couldn't help but find amusement in the situation.
The taxi cab's movement was a monotonous drone that barely registered in Gwen's mind as her gaze remained fixated on the receding school building. Her fingers twitched with the urge to swing between buildings, to chase after an unseen foe in a city that never slept. But for the moment, she was just Gwen Stacy, the academically-inclined high schooler, not Spider-Woman, New York's nighttime guardian.
She glanced sideways at Luke, who was engrossed in his phone, scrolling through with a grin that suggested he'd found some amusement in the digital world. Gwen sighed, breaking her silence, "Just a few hours, okay? There's something important I need to do..."
Luke's reaction was immediate and somewhat over-the-top. "A few hours!?" He gasped dramatically, dropping his phone onto his lap. "Just what kind of 'observation' needs that long? I thought we were looking at plants, not waiting for them to grow!"
Seeing Luke's faux-outraged reaction brought a smug grin to Gwen's face. She folded her arms and leaned back in her seat, enjoying the sudden shift in their dynamic. "Should've let me go when you had the chance, huh?" she retorted. "Regret is a bitter fruit, my friend."
Despite the urgent circumstances, Gwen felt a strange sense of calm settle over her. It dawned on her that Nightling was less likely to cause trouble in broad daylight, which gave her some time to relax and perhaps even appreciate the unusual project. There was still plenty of stress awaiting her, but for now, she decided to enjoy the calm before the storm.
Meanwhile, Luke was undergoing a metamorphosis from suave planner to a man trapped in his own scheme. His previous air of certainty had dissolved into anxious squirms and whispered obscenities. It was as if he were seated on a cactus rather than the comfortably cushioned taxi seat. Gwen, watching his dramatic transformation, wore a grin that stretched ear to ear. This was poetic justice at its best.
As the scenery transitioned from urban landscape to the sprawling verdant expanse of Central Park, Gwen felt a strange sense of anticipation bubble up inside her. It wasn't the thrill she got from swinging between skyscrapers or thwarting villains. But the prospect of undertaking a seemingly dull school project with a suddenly unwilling partner promised a unique brand of comedy.
When the taxi pulled up at the curb, Luke was out of the vehicle before the cab could even come to a full stop. His upbringing shone through as he raced around to Gwen's side, flinging her door open with the flourish of a valet. "Thank you?" Gwen ventured, trying to make sense of his overly chivalrous act.
Without waiting for his response though, she jumped right into the project. "Well, let's get this 'observation' thing started, shall we?" Gwen suggested, extracting a notepad and pencil from her backpack before slinging it back over her shoulder.
"Guess so..." Luke grumbled, his disgruntlement hanging in the air like a storm cloud. But he obediently fell into step beside Gwen as they made their way into the park.
Within the first few minutes of their observational study, the stark differences in their approaches were glaringly apparent. Luke's 'observations' were more offbeat musings than anything remotely academic. He started off by picking up a random leaf from the ground and announcing with grave seriousness, "Gwen, check out this leaf. Have you ever seen such a peculiar shape?"
Gwen glanced over with a bemused expression, only to see an ordinary maple leaf in his hand. She struggled to suppress a chuckle. "Luke, it's just a regular leaf. Focus on the task at hand."
Undeterred, Luke quickly moved on to a nearby pigeon that had been strutting around a nearby bench. "And what about this pigeon? It's got this weird strut going on. It's like it's got swagger!"
Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting back laughter. "Luke, the pigeon isn't our assignment. We're supposed to observe the local flora and fauna, their patterns and behavior, not critique their walking style."
Luke looked slightly abashed, "Oh, right... gotcha."
They continued their observation for a few minutes in relative silence, Gwen making notes about the plant species and their arrangement within the park while Luke attempted to maintain a serious and focused demeanor.
Suddenly, Luke gestured excitedly at a squirrel and blurted out, "Gwen, look! That squirrel is definitely scheming something!"
Unable to hold back her amusement, Gwen erupted into laughter. The situation was so absurd that her notebook slipped from her grasp and fluttered down to the grass. "Luke, squirrels aren't exactly notorious for orchestrating grand plans!" She tried to regain her professional composure, adding, "We're here to observe their behaviors: Is the squirrel searching for food? Is it marking its territory? Is it attempting to communicate with other squirrels? That's the sort of information we should be recording."
Luke was a master at playing the innocent. His expression was convincingly naive as he responded, "That's a fair point. But it's strange... This park is usually overrun with squirrels. This little guy seems to be the only one in sight."
Gwen's laughter slowly subsided, replaced by a frown of contemplation. She hadn't noticed it before, but Luke was right. The usual abundance of squirrels was conspicuously absent in Central Park. As she mused over this enigma, she remembered a casual conversation about squirrels they'd had at her apartment. Suddenly intrigued, she turned to Luke.
"You're right... This park is normally a hot spot for squirrels," Gwen agreed, slowly rising from the grassy ground. She picked up her fallen notebook and pencil, her gaze darting around the eerily quiet park. She started to walk towards a nearby tree, bringing up the prior conversation, "Do you remember, you were mentioning something about squirrels the other day at my place?"
Luke's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard, but he quickly regained his composure and laughed nervously. "Oh, that… I was just rambling. You know, random musings about squirrels…"
Gwen, however, wouldn't let it drop so easily. She continued to probe, curious about the seemingly innocuous comment in relation to the glaring absence of squirrels. "No, seriously, Luke. What did you do with the squirrels? And don't try to pass this off as mere coincidence."
Cornered, Luke had to think fast. He couldn't exactly disclose his secret activities. His "hobby" of relocating squirrels had been a perfect cover, but he hadn't anticipated Gwen's keen observation skills. Or did he... because right now, his adrenaline was at an all-time high... he found something else to satisfy his high adrenaline... someone possibly figuring out he was Nightling...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Penpool
Penpool Sorry about the late chapter, I'm on vacation trying to fit this into my already tight schedule!
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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