28: Chapter 28 A Good Show

"So what is this play actually about?" Felicia had lost count of how many times she had asked.

"Love, and how troublesome it is." Peter replied, standing outside the school auditorium, waiting for the doors to open so they wouldn't have to freeze anymore.

It was late December in New York, and the snow was falling without restraint.

Felicia was shivering, clearly not expecting to wait outside for so long.

"Here, you look cold." Peter took off his coat and handed it to her.

"Oh, how romantic." She smiled, wrapping the coat tightly around herself. "Hmm, it smells like cinnamon. Are you sure you don't need it?"

Peter smiled: "It's fine, I can handle the cold."

"You're just hot-headed." She muttered, tugging at the collar, revealing the hickey on her neck. "Can't you show some restraint?"

Peter blushed: "Sorry, you sounded so good, I couldn't help it."

"Pervert." She spat, but there was no real anger in her tone.

She leaned in closer, sighing. "I'm sorry about the Osborn party."

"It's fine, I really do understand." Peter said softly, rubbing her shoulder.

Felicia clearly didn't want to go to a party filled with high-society jerks and nerds—that was her phrasing, not his. But he understood her reluctance, so he hadn't forced her.

"What role is Red playing?" Felicia asked.

"Helena." Peter answered.

Mary Jane had finally gotten the role she wanted and had spent two months rehearsing for this play.

Harry Osborn wasn't too happy that she didn't have time to spend with him, but he didn't complain much.

Speaking of Harry Osborn, he didn't seem to be around.

Peter looked around several times but couldn't find him, which was strange.

The auditorium doors finally opened, and everyone swarmed into the warm interior.

"Finally." Felicia muttered, and the two sat down in the front row.

They waited patiently for the performance to start.

Peter explained the general content of the play to her, since English was never her strong suit.

When the performance began, Peter was surprised to find that these students actually had some real acting chops.

And the moment Mary Jane appeared, he was completely stunned—she didn't stumble on a single line, and her pronunciation was flawless.

He had known all along that she would have her moment, and now the whole World was seeing it.

After the performance, Felicia and Peter went on stage to find the actors.

Other actors were surrounded by people offering congratulations, but Mary Jane stood alone, which was also strange.

Where on earth had Harry Osborn gone?

"Hey Red, you were amazing." Felicia smiled and handed her a bouquet of roses.

"Thanks, Felicia." Mary Jane took the flowers happily. "I'm so glad you could come!"

"Hmm, where's Flash and his lackeys? I thought I'd see him." Felicia asked bluntly.

Peter couldn't help but palm his face; Kitten, you really have a way of asking questions.

"They... they couldn't make it. Did you... did you see Harry Osborn in the audience? He said he would come." Mary Jane asked, looking disappointed.

"Ah, I didn't." Peter forced a smile. "Don't worry, he must have been held up by something. You were really amazing, Mary Jane."

"Thanks, Tiger." She smiled. "And it's all thanks to you."

"What? What did I do?"

"If you hadn't persuaded me to participate, I wouldn't have come at all." She said with a smile. "You even practiced lines with me; otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have gotten this role."

She stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Tiger."

"Alright, alright, you're going to make me blush." Peter laughed and hugged her back. "And it's not all my credit. You put in the work yourself, Mary Jane; if you didn't put in the effort, none of it would matter. You performed well today because of yourself, not me."

"Th... thank you." Mary Jane said, blushing.

"Alright, enough with the sentimentality here." Felicia interjected with a guarded smile. "He's my boyfriend, Red, not yours."

"Oh, are you jealous, Kitten?" Peter reached out and put his arm around her waist.

"No." She hissed, swatting his hand away. "You two finish your lovey-dovey talk, I'm leaving. See you later."

She turned and walked away, and Peter sighed.

He turned to Mary Jane with a wry smile: "Sorry, she doesn't like it when I tease her."

Mary Jane also smiled: "It's okay, Tiger, go after her. I have to call my boyfriend and hear what excuse he's making up this time. Seriously, that guy," just then, a few more people came over to congratulate her, "Jean! Rob! You're here!"

Peter slipped away quietly and ran out to catch up with Felicia: "Kitten, wait!"

"Oh, done flirting?" Felicia strode through the snow-covered parking lot without looking back.

"Flirting? What are you talking about? I was just congratulating her!" Peter argued.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Ti, ger." She gritted out the last two words.

"Felicia, wait." Peter grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

She struggled to break free, but he didn't let go; she needed to understand. "Listen to me, Kitten. Mary Jane is my friend, okay? I admit I liked her before, but that was in the past. From the moment I met you, everything changed."

Felicia turned her head away: "I don't want to hear it."

"Hey, look at me." Peter turned her face around. "I won't leave you, and I certainly won't replace you with anyone, especially Mary Jane, understand?"

"Hmm." She lowered her eyes, shy to meet his gaze.

Peter sighed and looked up: "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, right?"

"Yeah." Her voice came out muffled against his chest.

"Hmm... I was planning to give this to you tomorrow, but..." He pulled a small black disc out of his pocket.

Felicia glanced at it and blinked: "What is this?"

Peter pressed the center button, and a holographic photo of the two of them appeared. "I made it at the Baxter Building. I know we just started dating, and it's not appropriate to give something too expensive, but... I thought you might prefer something with more heart."

Felicia looked at the hologram; it was from their first date at the cinema.

She smiled and turned to him: "I'm sorry, I just... I've never been like this. You're my first serious boyfriend, and sometimes I feel like I can't grasp you. You're always working, we hardly have any time together, and..."

"Hey, this is my first relationship too. Let's take it slow, okay?" Peter planted a kiss on her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Kitten."

She took the gift and smiled: "Merry Christmas, Tiger." Then she kissed him back on the lips.

Peter took her home, then went back to prepare.

It was time for the Osborn party, and he had to attend alone tonight.

He was wearing the suit from homecoming; after all, it was an Oscorp party, high-class and pretentious enough.

But he didn't intend to go empty-handed.

Under the suit, he wore his Spider-Man suit, having turned off the Arc Reactor, making the suit feel more like a thermal onesie than a superhero uniform.

The mask was stored in the inner pocket of the suit, in an inactive, tablet-like form.

The bracers were hidden in his cuffs.

He took a taxi to the Osborn building, and by the time he arrived, it was already crowded with people in expensive evening wear, filing into the building like they were going to a shopping mall.

However, Norman had said there was a big announcement tonight, so this was probably like a shopping spree for the rich.

Peter got in with almost no trouble, only showing security the text message Norman had sent as an invitation, plus his driver's license.

He shared an elevator with a blonde beauty and her date; they pressed the button for the top floor, so it seemed he was going there too.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a high-end ballroom, with crowds surging in at a visible rate.

Peter walked in and slowly moved to a corner, trying not to attract attention.

He looked around; the back area was serving a buffet, waiters were moving about with snacks and drinks, and a band was playing soft classical music in the corner, while in the very center was a large, circular device covered by a cloth, about two stories high.

The hidden machine was obviously the reason everyone was gathered here tonight, but he couldn't sneak in to lift the cloth and take a look; the guards were tight and watching closely.

He could cause some chaos, but unless Iron Man dropped from the sky, he was afraid nothing would disturb these bodyguards.

He could have called the Human Torch to show off, but Susan Storm had said that the Fantastic Four must avoid the public eye when dealing with people like Osborn.

No solution. He could only sit and wait.

Peter looked around and recognized a few faces: the Mayor of New York City was there, the District Attorney was there, and looking at the uniforms, there were a few police captains, some celebrities he knew, and many more socialites he didn't know.

Occasionally, he could see a few scientists; they looked out of place in this setting because they were all nerds with no sense of fashion, just like him.

He was just about to walk around and find something to eat when he saw Harry Osborn and Flash together in the distance.

The two were discussing something, and just as he wanted to run away and avoid them, Flash looked up and immediately locked onto his position.

"Parker!" Flash shouted with a smile.

He pointed, and Harry Osborn quickly spotted him too.

Great, just great.

Both of them approached quickly with identical smiles.

Shit.

"Osborn, Flash." Peter nodded at them. "I knew I'd run into you here."

"Oh Peter, what are you doing here?" Harry Osborn asked in surprise.

"Your father sent me an invitation." Peter said. "He said there was an announcement that would interest me."

"Oh, right, of course he would." Harry Osborn muttered.

"This party is really boring." Flash complained. "There's not even beer to drink; those adults are so lame!"

As he spoke, a supermodel walked by, and the three of them watched her walk away in unison. "But, well, this party is still important."

Peter rolled his eyes: "You can say that again."

He turned to Harry Osborn: "Why didn't you go to Mary Jane's performance?"

Harry Osborn blinked: "Damn, is it today?!"

Peter nodded: "That's right."

"It's over, I'm dead! There's no way around it, my dad wanted me to help him with this whole thing!"

Peter shrugged: "I don't care, Osborn, but I suggest you call and explain to her immediately."

Harry Osborn sighed: "Yeah, I will, Peter, thanks."

"Hey Harry Osborn, didn't your dad say to bring Peter to him if he arrived?" Flash asked.

"What? Did he really say that?" Harry Osborn was surprised.

"Yeah, remember? He asked us ten minutes ago to bring Peter over if we saw him."

"Oh, right, you're right. Come on Peter, let's go." Harry Osborn's voice sounded even more dejected.

Was he trying to hide the fact that he wanted to see him from Norman? Why? Because... because Norman admired him and always used him to pressure Harry Osborn.

He certainly didn't want them to meet, lest he give Norman another reason to belittle him.

The three of them walked toward the center of the crowd, with Harry Osborn leading the way.

Peter and Flash followed behind, and the people around them only glanced at them and ignored them.

Very good, it meant not many people knew him yet, otherwise it would be troublesome.

They walked up to Norman, who was talking to the couple he had met in the elevator.

Beside Norman was another couple, a short, stocky man with messy brown hair, and a kind-looking woman of similar age standing next to him.

The man looked familiar, but Peter couldn't place him for a moment.

"Father, Peter is here." Harry Osborn whispered.

Norman turned his head, first glaring at his son for interrupting his conversation.

But when his gaze landed on Peter, his eyes were immediately filled with joy.

"Ah Peter! It's great you could come, come, come." He pulled Peter forward and waved Flash and Harry Osborn away.

The two looked reluctant, but Norman shot them a glare, and they immediately tucked their tails and ran away—two cowards.

"Connor, Natalie, Otto, Rosie, allow me to introduce this young man, Peter Parker."

Norman put his arm around Peter's shoulder and showed him off like a proud parent. "He is a friend of my son's at school, and I only recently discovered how amazing his talent in science is."

Peter froze when he heard the name "Otto".

Otto Octavius, the existence that ranked second only to Norman Osborn himself on Peter Parker's list of archenemies.

It was this short man holding hands with Rosie, both of them wearing wedding rings.

She was his wife, which meant... shit... the plot of Spider-Man 2!

"So Peter, you're interested in science?" Otto asked with a sincere smile. "Tell me, which field do you like the most?"

"I... I," Peter swallowed. "I don't actually have a specialty. I just study whatever I'm interested in."

"Oh, so what are you interested in now?"

He thought for a moment before answering: "Alternative energy."

"Ah, then you've come to the right place today." Connor, an old man with gray hair, had a female companion young enough to be his daughter, though looking at where his hand was placed, it probably wasn't his daughter.

"Sorry, what do you mean?" Peter played dumb.

He knew exactly why, of course; Otto Octavius was going to create a new energy source, using a method of creating a miniature Sun.

That giant device covered by a cloth was his experimental equipment, meaning he was going to start the experiment tonight!

"You see, my husband is a top scientist in this field." Rosie patted Otto on the shoulder and said, "Tonight he is going to create the World's first clean energy and change the entire World."

Peter raised an eyebrow: "I think Stark is already ahead of the curve on this one."

Otto laughed: "True, Stark's Arc Reactor can power his suit, but my experiment can power an entire city."

Peter raised his eyebrows: "How is that done?"