Chapter 3: Sneezing Shockwave

A Shocking Math Class

The sun peeked through the windows of Midtown High, its golden rays spilling across rows of desks cluttered with notebooks and textbooks. It was just another ordinary day... or at least, it was supposed to be.

Thorin-933 sat in the middle row, his brown hair catching the light as he stared blankly at the math equations on the board. Quadratic equations... who needs these anyway? he thought, doodling tiny lightning bolts in his notebook.

His eyes grew heavy, his mind drifting off. Last night's Nutella discovery was still fresh in his memory. He could practically taste the sweet, chocolatey goodness. A goofy smile spread across his face. Earth really is amazing.

A faint tickle ran through his nose. He sniffled, his body tensing as the sensation grew stronger. His eyes widened. Oh no... not now...

"Ah... Ahh..." Thorin's shoulders trembled as he fought the urge. No... no... hold it in...

But it was no use. The sneeze burst out of him like a thunderclap. "AH-CHOO!"

Lightning crackled around him, a bright flash of blue light filling the room. The classroom lights flickered once... twice... and then, total darkness.

The entire school was plunged into a blackout.

Students gasped, murmurs of confusion spreading through the room. The math teacher, Mr. Thompson, blinked in shock, his chalk frozen mid-equation. "What in the world...?" he mumbled, looking up at the flickering lights. "Did... did the power just go out?"

Thorin's face turned bright red, his heart pounding. Steaming Cheesecake... I hope no one notices. He slouched lower in his chair, his eyes darting around to see if anyone was looking at him.

Luckily, everyone was too busy whispering and pulling out their phones, using the screens as flashlights. The blackout lasted exactly seven seconds before the lights buzzed back on, flickering a few times before stabilizing.

Mr. Thompson scratched his head, staring at the ceiling. "Huh... Must've been a power surge. These old circuits can't handle anything." He turned back to the board, resuming his lesson as if nothing had happened. "Alright, class. Back to quadratic equations."

Thorin let out a sigh of relief, slumping forward on his desk. "Whew... that was close..." he whispered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

But then he felt it—a tingling sensation at the back of his neck. Someone was watching him.

Slowly, he turned his head and locked eyes with Gwen Stacy-933. She was staring at him intently, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Her fingers tapped against her notebook, her posture tense.

Thorin's heart skipped a beat. Did she... did she notice?

Gwen's eyes flicked to his hair, where tiny static sparks were still dancing. Her expression softened for just a moment, a curious glimmer flashing in her gaze. But then she quickly looked away, pretending to focus on her notes.

Thorin blinked, his face heating up. No way... she couldn't have... right?

He shook his head, forcing himself to look at the board. But he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts were tangled up, his heart pounding in his chest. He snuck another glance at Gwen, who was still scribbling in her notebook, her blonde hair falling over her face.

For a split second, her lips curved into the faintest smile.

Thorin's stomach did a backflip, his face turning scarlet. What... was that?

He buried his face in his hands, groaning softly. "Steaming Cheesecake... today's just not my day..."

Meanwhile, Gwen kept her head down, her cheeks flushed. Her fingers twirled her pencil absentmindedly, her heart still racing from the little shock she'd felt during the blackout.

That was no power surge, she thought, a sly smile playing at her lips. There's definitely more to you than meets the eye... Thorin.

Sparks and Suspicions

The rest of math class dragged on, each minute feeling like an eternity. Thorin tried his best to keep his head down, scribbling random numbers on his paper to look busy. But his mind was racing, replaying the blackout over and over again.

I really need to get this sneezing thing under control, he thought, groaning inwardly. One sneeze and I'm a walking power outage.

Beside him, Gwen sat perfectly still, her eyes glued to the board. But she wasn't paying attention to the equations. No, her mind was somewhere else—on the brown-haired boy sitting just a few feet away.

She couldn't shake the image from her head: the tiny sparks that had danced around him, the faint crackle of electricity in the air when he sneezed. She glanced sideways, her blue eyes narrowing. Just who are you, Thorin?

The bell rang, jolting Thorin out of his thoughts. He gathered his books quickly, keeping his head down as he made a beeline for the door. Just act normal... no one suspects a thing...

But as he stepped into the hallway, a voice called out behind him. "Hey! Thorin!"

His heart skipped a beat. He turned around slowly, forcing a smile. "Oh... hey, Gwen."

Gwen crossed her arms, leaning against the locker with a casualness that seemed almost too practiced. "Weird, huh? That blackout in math class. I mean, it was only seven seconds, and then everything just... turned back on."

Thorin laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah! Crazy, right? Probably just old circuits or something. Haha..."

Gwen's eyes flicked to his hair, where a faint spark still lingered before vanishing. Her lips curled into a sly smile. "Yeah... old circuits..." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Or maybe someone with... shocking powers?"

Thorin's eyes widened, his face draining of color. "W-What? No! That's crazy talk! Who'd have powers like that? Certainly not me! Haha... ha..." His voice cracked, his shoulders stiffening.

Gwen's smile grew wider. "Right... silly me." She straightened, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, see you in biology." With a little wave, she turned and walked down the hall, her ponytail swishing behind her.

Thorin stood there, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure people could hear it. He watched her disappear around the corner, his legs feeling like jelly. Does... does she know?

A faint giggle echoed from down the hallway. Gwen glanced over her shoulder, her face breaking into a grin as she caught sight of him staring. She bit her lip to hide her amusement. Oh, he's definitely hiding something...

She quickened her pace, her thoughts swirling with curiosity and excitement. Looks like Spider-Woman has a new mystery to solve.