MARVEL -BLACK SPIDERMAN

"King Kong" was sporting a Yankees baseball cap, chatting about yesterday's news with his friends.

"Harry's lab got bombed. I wonder if he's okay."

"Who knows? I'm not interested in news about spoiled second-generation rich kids," replied "Lightning" Thompson, casually tossing a football from one hand to the other.

Thompson then noticed the design on King Kong's white T-shirt—a bold black spider logo.

He walked closer, inspecting it curiously. "Where'd you get that?" he asked.

"From a Mexican street vendor. Cool, isn't it? Spider-Man's a fashion icon now," King Kong said proudly. "He's my idol."

Thompson wanted to scoff, but the words that came out were, "Can you grab me one too?"

King Kong rubbed his bald head and grinned. "Sure, but only if you take me to Liz's party."

Thompson raised a brow. "Which girl are you trying to impress? Antonia Aguilar or Gloria?" he asked skeptically. "Or maybe Liz Allen? No chance there. Not only is she a handful, but rumor has it her mom once dated a woman."

"Definitely not Liz," King Kong retorted, shaking his head to dismiss the idea.

"Fine," Thompson sighed after a moment. "I'll take you, but I want two of those shirts in return."

King Kong smirked. "Deal."

As their conversation continued, they made their way toward the classroom.

Nearby, Peter Parker slipped his schoolbag into his locker. Thanks to his heightened senses, he overheard every word. After a brief pause, he decided to head to class.

Before he could get far, Liz Allen intercepted him, holding a flyer.

"Hey, Peter," she said brightly. "Are you interested in coming to a superhero-themed masquerade this weekend? Everyone's been obsessed with superheroes lately."

Peter glanced at the flyer and shook his head. "Not my thing, sorry."

Liz pressed on, undeterred. "Maybe you could find some scientific inspiration there? The theme might spark some ideas."

"Doubtful," Peter replied, puzzled by her persistence.

"Alright, how about this? Could I interview you for my new channel, Miss Liz's Pursuit of Strangeness? I've already got over 10,000 subscribers!" Liz's eyes sparkled with excitement as she held out a notebook.

"The name's borrowed from Hunter Kraven's Pursuit of Strangeness, but that show isn't really my favorite. I prefer Carol Teaches You to Cook," she added with a chuckle.

Peter didn't miss a beat. "Not interested, Liz. I don't like public criticism."

"Wait, don't be so quick to say no," Liz pleaded, flipping through her notebook. "I have a great angle: 'From School Bully Victim to Feared Hero—The Rise of Peter Parker.' What do you think? People are calling you 'Death God' now. From Josh's incident to your heroic hospital rescue, the stories are all tied to you."

"Their deaths had nothing to do with me," Peter said firmly, his expression darkening.

"Fine," Liz conceded. "Then let's focus on bullying. We could start with the Lumple case or the Frick incident. Or maybe the District 4 v. David case—do you know about that one?"

Peter crossed his arms, unimpressed.

Liz elaborated. "George Kramer, the vice principal at Union High in District 4, cut a student's hair himself! He left to work for an insurance company, but the school district had to pay $7,000 in compensation—about $1,000 per strand of hair."

Peter cut her off, pointing at her bag. "You've got a hole in your bag."

"What?" Liz looked down, startled. Her expensive-looking pink bag had a small tear at the bottom, threatening to spill its contents.

Panicking, she crouched down to fix it. By the time she looked up, Peter was already gone, walking toward the classroom without a trace of remorse.

He'd done worse things before, and guilt no longer weighed on him.

As Peter reached the classroom, he spotted Harry Osborn in the corridor, his hands stuffed into the pockets of an orange turtleneck sweater. The worried look on Harry's face was hard to miss.

"Harry," Peter called.

Harry glanced up, forcing a weak smile.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, taking a deep breath. "Has Gwen arrived yet?"

Peter shook his head. "Not yet. She's been cutting it close lately, always coming right when the bell rings."

Harry nodded, his expression growing more solemn.

"Is your dad okay?" Peter asked cautiously. Though the media had reported the Osborn lab explosion, Peter hadn't heard the full story. Still, he knew Norman Osborn well enough to suspect the infamous Green Goblin wouldn't go down easily.

"He's still in the hospital," Harry admitted, his voice heavy. "He was at the lab when the explosion happened."

"What did the doctors say?"

"They said he's not in critical condition, but his burns are serious," Harry explained. Despite his complicated relationship with his father, Harry clearly didn't wish harm upon him.

"It'll get better," Peter said, trying to comfort him.

Harry hesitated before speaking again, his voice quieter this time. "Sometimes, I feel like such a failure."

Peter stopped walking and turned to face his friend. "What?"

"I can't live up to my dad's expectations," Harry confessed. "I'm not the person he wants me to be, and I can't even help him when he needs it most."

Peter stayed silent, letting Harry vent.

"I used to say you'd become a great scientist one day, Peter, and guys like Thompson would end up working for you," Harry continued. "But me? I have no idea what I'm supposed to become. How am I supposed to matter?"

Peter listened intently, his expression thoughtful.

"Sorry," Harry said abruptly, shaking his head. "I shouldn't dump this on you."

Harry forced a weak smile and adjusted his sweater. "Just let Gwen know I'm okay, alright?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped.

Peter watched his friend disappear down the hallway, a deep frown etched across his face.

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