Ty sighed as she rested her head against the park bench she slumped in. Her camera lay in her lap. Ty lazily opened her eyes and gazed out at the world before her. She had taken pictures of trees, pigeons, roller-skaters, bikers, people picnicking…what more could there be? Well, she did have a few Spidey photos. Maybe that was a start. Realization suddenly hit Ty like a ton of bricks, and she leapt from her seat at the bench and raced home. Passing many nice photo opportunities, Ty raced back to her apartment and up the many flights of stairs to her quarters. Fumbling for her keys, she finally managed to get inside. She ran straight to her bathroom-turned-darkroom and began her work. That night, as she laid down to go to sleep, Ty thought of the photos that hung from the wire stretching across her bathroom. A red and blue figure stole the attention for a majority of the photos, and one of the photos was exactly what Ty needed to meet Peter Parker.

The Daily Bugle was even busier than the street outside of it. People raced back and forth waving papers above their heads and shouting about deadlines. But above all of the voices one could be made out the clearest. As Ty neared J. Jonah Jameson’s office she realized that the powerful voice belonged to him. She neared his office door and reached for the handle when a voice suddenly asked, “What are you doing?” Ty turned to see a beautiful dark haired woman sitting behind a large desk. Uh Oh! Ty thought with worry. “I…um…,” Ty cleared her throat and straightened up more. “I need to speak to Mr. Jameson,” she delivered more confidently. “Well do you have an appointment?” the woman asked, eyeing the camera around Ty’s neck. “Oh, uh…” Ty started. The woman glanced at a clipboard then looked back to Ty. “Are you Celia Maxine, because if you are I wouldn’t keep him waiting!” she told Ty with eyes that glittered with amusement. Ty caught on quickly. If this woman was giving her an opportunity she’d better take it. “Yes, that’s me,” Ty said hastily. “Thank you,” she added with a nod. The woman returned the nod as Ty opened the door and slipped into the room. Just then a woman with big, blonde hair approached the desk. “Excuse me,” she said with an all too fakey accent, “I’m here to see Jonah.” She flashed her pearly whites. “I’m sorry,” the dark haired Betty replied, “He’s in a meeting.” The blonde looked confused and glanced at her watch. “With whom?” she asked impatiently. Betty flashed her own pearly white teeth. “Why,” she said matter-of-factly, “with you!”

Ty stared blankly at the man seated behind a large desk in front of her. She realized that he was talking to her. “I asked,” he practically yelled, “What are you doing in here?” “Oh,” Ty replied hastily pulling out a manila envelope and emptying the contents. “Oh,” Jameson mocked, “I don’t have time for oh! What, are you selling cookies? Sorry, not interested. Call my wife on that one. Move along now girl scout” Ty took a step towards his desk and held up some pictures to him. “I have some pictures for you,” Ty said, hope gnawing at her stomach. “Pictures?! We don’t need pictures,” Jameson said turning away from Ty’s outstretched hand. “Jonah,” another man standing in the room said quietly, “Deadlines in ten minutes.” Jameson mumbled something not audible and then turned to Ty. “Fine,” he yelled, wrinkling his nose, “Let me have a look!” he snatched the photos from Ty’s hand and riffled through them. “Crap….crap….hate it….this sucks….” he sorted through them with ease barely even glancing at the photos. Ty tried to hide her disappointment as eh flew past every one of her photos. She had some great shots of Spider-Man pulling people from the building fire that she’d thought he’d love. Finally he stopped at the picture Ty had taken of Spider-Man swinging away from the burning building. “This is the worst one yet!” he declared. Suddenly he looked from the photo to Ty. “I’ll use it and give you fifty bucks. Give me this headline, ‘Spider-Man: Saving New York from fires or fleeing from the scene of them?’, got it?” He threw the photo to another man that stood by the door. Jameson eyed everyone in the room. “What are you waiting for, Chinese New Year? Go, go, go!” Ty watched everyone scamper out of the office. “Here,” Jameson handed a piece of paper to Ty. “Take this to the lady at the desk there. Thank you. Buh bye!” He sent her off with a wave of his hand. Ty practically ran out. That man sort of scared her. Nearing the dark haired lady again Ty said, “Im supposed to give this to you.” The woman took the paper and in return Ty got 50. “wow,” Ty gasped, “Just like that?” “Yup, just like that,” the woman replied. Ty grinned. “My name will be in the paper with the photo right?” she asked hopefully. “Uh huh,” the lady replied. Ty practically jumped. “Thank you so much!” cried gleefully. “You know,” Ty said in a more hushed tone, “for letting me in.” The woman smiled. “No prob,” she grinned. “I can’t stand that woman and I’ll do anything to annoy her,” she added while nodding towards an irritated looking blond woman who was storming into Jameson’s office. “So I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity to do just that.” The lady winked and Ty gave a small laugh. Then Ty turned to leave. “You can call me betty by the way,” the woman called out at the last minute. “Welcome to The Daily Bugle!” Ty nodded and made her way out of the building with a huge grin on her face. With her name in the paper next to a photo that should have been Peter’s, Ty had great faith that he would note her name, possibly as a rival. She now had a better shot at meeting her hero. Ty gave a little skip and a jump into the air punching her fist up. Who cared who was watching her? She had done it!

Ty happily paid for the latest issue of The Daily Bugle the next day. There was her picture! And in the bottom right corner of it her name was clearly printed. After hanging her first published photo on her wall of wonder(as she liked to call it) Ty ventured out. She felt so happy. Sure she hadn’t met Peter Parker but now perhaps he knew her name! Ty saw her friend right where they had agreed to meet. “Trinity!,” Ty called out to her friend. “Hey girl!” Trinity called back, “How’s the big shot doing?” the girls laughed. “Oh please!” Ty laughed, “It was one photo! But you can buy me pizza as a reward.” Trinity shoved Ty. “Fine,” she said, “But I’m choosing the topping!” A half an hour the two girl were seated at their favorite pizza parlor eating a slick of famous New York pizza. “So,” Trinity asked, “You did all this just so this guy you’ve never even seen in real life will read your name?” “That‘s so unfair,” Ty answered through a mouthful of pizza, “I’ve seen him before! He spoke to my photography class once. Of course during the middle of his mini lesson class ended and everyone but me walked out on him. And that’s the day he became my hero. Ty gazed up into space and blushed at the thought. Her friend gave her a playful smack on the forehead. “Why don’t you just look his name up and call him or something?” she suggested, “Or go to this place he works at and sit and wait for him?” Ty eyes her friend with wonder. “That’s a brilliant idea!” she yelled ignoring the people who turned to look at her. Ty stood up and threw some tip money down onto the table. Trinity stood up as well. “What?! Your going right now?” Ty skipped to the door. “Of course,” she winked, “See you later genius!” Trinity sat back down again dumbfounded. She then started to laugh. “Well, she said to herself, “That’s Ty for ya. Always running off during the middle of something.” With that Trinity went up to pay for the pizza and then headed home with a box of leftover pizza in her hands which contained a half eaten piece left by Ty.

Ty glanced at her watch and yawned. She had been sitting outside of The Daily Bugle on a rock hard, dirty bench for three hours. But I can’t leave yet! She thought to herself. I might miss him! Ty sat for another hour. By now she had been playing Tetris on her phone forever! She finally stretched one last time and stood up to leave. Just then a man came racing down the street at full speed and ran into The Daily Bugle. It took Ty a few moment to realized that it had been him. Peter Parker! Ty help back a cry of joy. Now all she had to do was wait for him to come out and then…..and then….. Hmmmm. She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. Well, Ty thought to herself, the greatest plans are those we make up as they go along. Ty sat down once more on the bench and awaited the moment that her beloved hero would come out of the building. It was not but ten minutes later that Peter Parker bustled out of the building and took off down the street. Ty jumped up and raced after him. Great, she thought, Now he’s ganna think I’m chasing him. Ty sighed while she ran after the man running ahead of her. I guess I technically am though, she grinned. Ty panted as she raced after Parker. Why is he so fast? She complained to herself. And where is he off to in such a hurry? Ty watched Mr. Parker cross the street with a million other people at a crosswalk. Oh no! she thought in alarm. I’m not ganna make it to the crosswalk in time! Sure enough the little hand was blinking red by the time Ty reached the cross. She bent over and put her hand son her knees in order to catch her breath. She looked up in time to see what she thought was Parker’s arm disappear down an alley. As soon as Ty could legally cross she sped off and rounded the corner that she thought she saw Parker go down. To Ty’s disappointment the alley was empty. She sighed heavily and turned around. She was face to face with two large silvery-white eyes.

Ty screamed suddenly and flew back. The voice behind the mask laughed. “Sorry,” it said as Ty held her heart and panted breathlessly, “Didn’t mean to scare ya like that.” Ty took another look at the figure. Yup, it was him. Sure enough Spider-Man hung upside-down from a thread just feet away from her. “Y..You startled me!” Ty stammered. “Haven’t I seen you before,” Spider-Man asked, tilting his head to one side. “Ty shook away the last of her spooked feeling and turned to totally face the hero hanging before her. “Yeah,” she said awkwardly scratching her head, “You saved me the other day at that fire.” “Oh yeah,” Spider-Man replied nodding, “The photographer, right?” Ty nodded. She was surprised that he had remembered her. There must be a hundred people that he rescued each week. Probably more. “Are you the one who took that photo of me in the Bugle today?” he asked. Ty was startled. I suppose he reads the paper though, she thought. I’m sure he’s just a normal person when off duty. “Yeah, that was me,” she replied. Or maybe he just likes looking at pictures of himself, she giggled to herself. “Trying to put their old guy out of business?” Spider-Man asked with a joking voice. Ty was horrified! What is that’s what Peter thought? “No!” she cried out, “I would never want that!” Ty watched in amazement as Spider-Man shot himself a small web and then lept off his thread to sit on it almost like a seat. “So did ya just need money or what?” he asked casually. At first Ty felt defensive. Why was he asking such personal questions? But then she realized that maybe he was just trying to make friendly conversation. Ty shook her head no. “It was silly, really, why I did it,” she said sheepishly. “Really dumb,” she added after a second more of thought. Spider-Man relaxed in his hammock of a web. “Shoot,” he said, “It can’t be that dumb!” “Well….” Ty was uncertain. She looked at Spider-Man and then laughed. “What,” he asked, “Do I have something on my mask?” “No,” Ty replied, “It’s just so silly now that I think about it.” She sighed. “You see,” she started, “there’s this photographer who I greatly admire. I mean, I pretty much idolize him, but he doesn’t even know I exist. For the past couple of years I have been doing all I can to become a great enough photographer so maybe I’d…” she broke off and swallowed, “..and be good enough to maybe speak to him. Get advice. A date maybe…” Ty waited for the spandex-clad man to break out laughing. He didn’t. “Who is this man?” he asked. Ty was taken by surprise again. Why did he care? Oh well, she thought. Like he’s ganna tell anyone. “Peter Parker,” she stated without hesitation. Spider-Man fell off his hammock, landing on his feet at the last minute. “Really?” he asked sounded really surprised. “Yeah…” Ty mumbled quietly shuffling her feet in the dist on the ally street. Spider-Man gave a little laugh and then webbed himself up to a ledge on a building that sided the alley. “What‘s your name?,” he asked, turning back to Ty. “Ty,” she replied. He doesn’t need to know my last name, she thought. My first name is unique enough I suppose. Spider-Man webbed up a little higher and then turned back one last time. “You know,” he called down, “Peter is kinda my unofficial photographer.” Ty nodded. Where was he going with this? “Well promise you won’t sell any more of my photos to the Bugle and I just might talk to him for you if ya want.” he offered. Ty was pretty sure that her jaw had just fallen down to the ground. “Are….are you serious?!” she yelled up to him. “Sure,” he called back down teasingly, “but you gatta promise.” “I promise,” Ty called back up to the man now dangling once more from a thread. “Ok then. I’m sure I’ll see you around photographer girl,” he said. “Ty, was it?” he asked. “Sure is,” Ty replied. A siren sounded in the distance and, with a nod, Spider-Man flew off on a thread. Ty stood where she was for some time after that. “Did that just happen?” she asked herself aloud. Turning around she noticed the large web hanging behind her. Ty grinned from ear to ear. “Heck yeah it did!” she told her self, then raced all the way home. She raced all the way up into her room and then ran out onto her balcony and turned her face into the breeze that drifted through the air. Ty couldn’t hold in in anymore. She screamed at the top of her lungs with joy. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” she yelled. Now all her effort were finally paying off. Her photography had helped he through after all. Ty had just found her way to Peter Parker. Through Spider-Man!

Ok this is my first Spidey story and it will most likely suck but I will try my best! Thank you for anyone who has actually read this! Whoo! Well, chapter three is on the way. Thanks again! Inudoggie