10: Chapter 10 Harry

The remnants of the Grass Stain Gang were so terrified they couldn't even hold their drugs steady. Razor's corpse was still smoking, and the gun barrel was already pointed at them.

The Mexican man in the tailored suit squatted down and spat on Razor's face. "Remember for next time, greed will get you killed."

He stood up, swept his gaze over the shivering crowd, and spoke in a quiet but overwhelmingly oppressive voice, "Now, who among you is in charge?"

The crowd was dead silent for several seconds before a yellow-haired lackey steeled himself and took half a step forward, his voice shaking like a leaf. "I-I am."

"Very well." The man adjusted his tie. "Same time next week, deliver the goods on time. If even a single thing goes wrong, his fate will be yours."

Peter, just like the remnants of the gang, quickly evacuated the warehouse.

Sitting on the warehouse roof, he watched the playback on his camera, completely in shock. They had killed someone in broad daylight, cold-blooded and ruthless.

Peter pulled down his mask and couldn't help but bend over and gag. He had never been able to stand such bloody scenes before, let alone witness a mutilated corpse with his own eyes.

But now he had to think: what should he do with this footage? Keep it? Destroy it? Could it be of any use? He didn't know. But one thing was clear to him—the World he was trying to challenge was brutal. One wrong step, and the people he loved could lose their lives.

He rushed home as fast as he could. As he cut through the woods to sneak into his yard, he saw Harry Osborn standing outside Mary Jane's window. Mary's eyes were red, and her window was open; she had clearly snuck out to meet him.

"What on earth is wrong with me?" Harry Osborn's voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. "Why won't you just be with me?"

Mary kept her head down, her voice very soft. "Harry Osborn, I've already told you, I just see you as a friend. I don't feel that way about you."

"No feelings?" Harry Osborn sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Is it because I'm not rich enough, or because I'm not handsome enough?"

"No! Can you please not think like that!" Anxious, Mary looked up to defend herself, but she was rudely interrupted by Harry Osborn halfway through.

"Is it because of Peter Parker?"

The moment those words came out, Mary froze on the spot.

Peter, behind the tree, was also dumbfounded, his mind buzzing. '??? What does this have to do with me? How did I get dragged into this conversation?'

Harry Osborn stared intently at her face, his voice dropped low. "Is it? You like him, and that's why you're rejecting me?"

"No!" Mary immediately shook her head. "Peter and I are just ordinary friends! I just... I just felt that I was too harsh on him before, and I felt a bit guilty about it."

"Guilty?" Harry Osborn laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "To put it plainly, you just pity him, right?"

Mary pursed her lips, hesitated for a few seconds, and then gave a gentle nod. "...Yeah."

Behind the tree, Peter rolled his eyes.

Pity me?

Who is she pitying here? Does she really think she's some kind of saint?

Having received his answer, the last shred of patience vanished from Harry Osborn's face. He stared at Mary for a few seconds, spat out a vicious "How ungrateful," and turned to get into his car. The engine roared with a loud bang, and the car shot forward.

Behind them, Peter silently complained: 'Driving so fast, don't go plunging into a ditch, or they'll probably blame me for that too.'

The taillights quickly vanished around the corner. Mary leaned against the fence, her shoulders shaking, and soon, soft whimpers could be heard.

Peter stood behind the tree for a long time.

Logically, he should have just left; less trouble is always better. But seeing the girl crying there all alone, he couldn't quite bear it.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a couple of seconds, he walked around to the alley entrance, stuffed his mask and Web-shooters into his jacket pocket, patted the dust off himself, and walked over, pretending he had just happened to pass by.

He quietly asked Mary Jane why she was crying. Mary Jane snapped her head up, and seeing him, her eyes widened. She hurriedly wiped away her tears. "P-Peter? You... what are you doing here? How much did you... just hear?"

Peter spread his hands, looking completely innocent. "I was just coming from over there and saw Harry Osborn's car speed off like he was running for his life. What's wrong, another fight?"

He paused and added, "Actually, if you had just made things clear to him in that tone earlier, would he still be pestering you every day?"

Mary Jane sighed and apologized for her previous temper. Peter chuckled and teased, saying it was normal for redheads to have a temper, and told her not to take that bastard's words to heart.

"It's not because of that..." Mary Jane shook her head. "Actually, Harry Osborn isn't a bad person, he's just too stubborn sometimes. He's smart, and he's good with words..."

"And rich," Peter chimed in casually.

Mary Jane glared at him. "I'm not that kind of person!"

"Alright, alright, you're not." Peter raised his hands in surrender. "So you simply didn't take a fancy to him. If you don't want to date, then don't. It's no big deal. You shouldn't compromise yourself just to find a boyfriend."

Mary Jane was stunned and looked at him. "Do you... really think so?"

"What else?" Peter shrugged. "Just throw these exact words back at Harry Osborn, and then at anyone else who approaches you in the future, and you're done. Living your own life is what's most important."

Mary Jane fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently. "...Thank you, Peter."

"Don't mention it." Peter waved his hand and turned to leave. "Hurry back inside. It's late, you might catch a cold. Goodnight."

"Peter!"

He had only taken two steps when Mary Jane called out to him again from behind.

Peter stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

"I'm really sorry." The girl's voice carried a slight nasal tone. "You were the first friend I made when I came here, but before, I..."

"It's fine," Peter interrupted, his voice flat. "I'm used to it. Go on back."

With that, he didn't linger any longer and walked straight into the alley.

He watched Mary Jane climb back through her window, and only then did he circle back to the woods and climb up a tree to head home.

Only when he heard the faint sound of the window closing behind him did he climb down the tree trunk back into his own yard. After taking a hot shower and crumpling his dusty clothes into a ball to stuff under the bed, Peter lay down on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Kingpin wanted the Grass Stain Gang to keep dealing drugs, while the Grass Stain Gang wanted to break free from Kingpin's control. A gang war was inevitable, and many people would die. How was he supposed to resolve this?

And what on earth was going on with his love life? Damn it, he hated reliving puberty the most!

Arriving at school the next day, Peter immediately noticed something was off.

People in the hallway were all staring at him. He glared back until they guiltily averted their eyes.

As he walked to his locker to grab his books for the first period, his Spider-Sense suddenly flared up in wild warning. He ducked instantly, and a basketball grazed his scalp, slamming into the locker door and bouncing away.

Turning his head, he saw Flash and Harry Osborn staring at him in astonishment. Obviously, Flash had thrown the ball.

The hallway fell silent as everyone watched the drama unfold.

"My hand slipped." Flash snapped out of it and shrugged, looking completely nonchalant.

Peter stared at him and sneered, "Slipped? If you can't even hold onto a ball, you might as well quit the football team early to save yourself from giving away points during games."

With that, he unlocked his locker, grabbed his books, and turned to leave.

"Parker! Stop right there!" Flash's face flushed bright red, and he roared as he tried to give chase.

"Forget it." Harry Osborn reached out to stop him, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "Why get worked up over him? He's just all talk. If it actually comes to blows, he'll run faster than anyone."

During the first period, English class, Peter could still feel the strange looks around him. Even Mary Jane looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. He was completely baffled by the situation.

If he were already wearing his red and blue spandex suit, he might have paranoidly thought his secret had been exposed. But what was this supposed to be?

By lunchtime, those stares were nearly driving him crazy. He slipped into the chemistry lab to escape, only to find someone already inside when he pushed the door open.

It was Reggie, a chubby boy who, like him, was an "outcast" at school. He was quiet but had excellent grades.

"Hey, Reggie," Peter greeted.

"Hi, Peter." Reggie looked up, smiled at him, and then lowered his head to continue solving problems.

The lab was quiet. Peter sat on the other side, but his chest still felt tight with frustration. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally spoke up.

"Reggie, let me ask you something."

"Hmm? Go ahead."

"Do you think... everyone is acting weird today? Always staring at me?" Peter rubbed his nose. "Or did I grow a flower on my face recently?"

Reggie stopped writing, looked up at him for a couple of seconds, and nodded. "Oh, you mean that. Word is going around that you and Mary Jane are together."

Peter: "...Huh?"

"Harry Osborn's been spreading it everywhere," Reggie said, adjusting his glasses. "He says Mary Jane rejected him for you, and then you rejected Mary Jane, saying... saying you don't date idiots."

Peter was dumbfounded.

???

When the hell did I ever say that?

"Just because of that?" He had a look of disbelief.

"What else?" Reggie shrugged. "You don't usually talk to anyone, you know the answers to all the teacher's questions in class, and sometimes you even stump the teachers. Everyone thinks you're too smart and is a bit... afraid of you. Since no one wants to hang out with you anyway, it's only natural that rumors would spread."

Peter opened his mouth but couldn't find his voice for a long time.

Fine, so the original host's persona of an "antisocial genius" was indeed deeply ingrained in everyone's minds.

If it were him, and there was someone in class who kept to themselves every day and completely dominated in intelligence, he would also keep his distance. If Bruce Wayne sat next to him, he wouldn't even dare to breathe too loudly.

"Thanks, Reggie." He sighed, got up, and walked out of the lab.

Just as he stepped out, he bumped right into Mary Jane and Liz Allan.

The moment Liz Allan saw him, her face fell, her glare sharp as knives.

"Peter, we need to talk to you," Mary Jane spoke first, looking a bit awkward.

"Oh, sure, what's up?" Peter leaned against the wall, looking nonchalant.

"It's just... Harry Osborn..." Mary Jane bit her lip. "He's been talking nonsense to people at school, saying we're dating. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Peter widened his eyes in mock surprise, "Ah? Really? That's way too much!"

Mary Jane was taken aback, looking at him. "You... you're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

Peter burst out laughing, "What else?"

"How can you joke at a time like this!" Liz Allan couldn't help but chime in, frowning. "Harry Osborn is furious right now. There's no telling what kind of trouble he'll cause you! He might even get the football team to corner you!"

"Corner me?" Peter raised an eyebrow. "It's fine. I run fast; they won't catch up."

He looked at Mary Jane, his tone softening slightly. "Alright, it's no big deal. I didn't take it to heart. Don't worry too much either. Once some time passes and people stop talking about it, it'll blow over."

With that, without waiting for either of them to say more, he waved his hand and walked away.

School bullying? School bullies cornering people?

Honestly, Peter didn't care about it at all.

If Harry Osborn behaved himself, they could just mind their own business. Unless Harry Osborn got himself a glider, put on the Green Goblin mask, and injected himself with human enhancement serum one day, he really wasn't worth Peter's concern.

Compared to taking down the Grass Stain Gang, this little school drama was pure child's play.

He walked over to his locker, intending to put away the books he didn't need.

Just as his fingers touched the locker handle, his Spider-Sense went off again.

Peter reacted extremely fast, taking a sudden step back.

With a sharp hiss, a huge glob of white foam sprayed out from the gaps of the locker door, splashing all over the floor.

"Yo, Parker, pretty good luck. You actually dodged that."

Harry Osborn strolled over unhurriedly, arms crossed, a gloating smile plastered on his face.

Peter looked at the locker full of foam, then looked back at him.

"Did you see who did it?" he asked in a flat tone.

Harry Osborn spread his hands, looking innocent. "Nope. I just walked over and saw it explode."

"Is that so?" Peter's gaze turned cold.

He didn't waste any more words on Harry Osborn. He raised his hand and slammed the locker door shut with a loud bang, causing foam to squeeze out of the gaps and drop all over the floor.

Peter turned and walked away, his back looking completely devoid of emotion.

But in his mind, he had already changed his mind.

Fine.

I wasn't planning on lowering myself to your level.

Since you're practically begging for trouble, it seems I'll have to get a little serious and teach you a lesson on how to behave.