Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale, if somebody told you I was just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world... Somebody lied. But let me assure you, this, like any story worth telling, is all about a girl.

If you looked inside the school bus currently passing the street, you'd see a lot of different people. Some with spiked hair, some with freckles and zits, but you'd be remiss not to notice the smiling face of redheaded Mary Jane Watson, the girl next door. The woman I've loved since before I even liked girls. Notice the big guy with his arm around her? The one with the muscles and wrist chains? I'd like to tell you that's me next to her.

Heck, I'd even take the fat donut guy in front of them. As he looked out the window and laughed, a thin hand knocked against his window. Attached to that hand was a scrawny little fella, wearing glasses and a sweater vest, typical geek. In other words, that is me.

"Hey! Stop the bus!" I cried, trying to catch up to the previously-mentioned moving vehicle, while most of the riders were pointing and laughing at the poor guy who missed the bus because he stayed up late the previous night working on a project.

The embarrassing part is that the project wasn't for school.

I continued to chase the bus, calling out, "Tell him to stop! Please!" Of course, the bus driver had this cheeky grin on his face as he tapped the gas just a bit more, enough to make me work for it. "Stop! Heeeeyyyy! Stop the bus!"

Who else would come to my rescue but the very girl I loved? "Stop the bus!" she ordered, stomping up behind the driver. "He's been chasing us since Woodhaven Boulevard." The driver rolled his eyes and proceeded to finally slow the bus down and open the door.

"Catch a cab, Parker!" one of the students mocked.

Hm, I guess I should introduce myself before we get too far ahead. Peter Parker, science whiz, member of the chess club, and as you've so plainly seen, resident Butt Monkey.

As I boarded, I stammered, "Thank you, I'm sorry I'm late." Then a paper ball caught me right in the cheek. I've grown to suspect that the other students hid those big erasers inside to give it a little more kick, but that's not very relevant here. Shrugging off the laughter and teasing, I made my way down the aisle as the bus geared back into motion.

I was about to sit down beside this relatively cute girl with glasses and pigtails, but she quickly set her stuff down in the empty space and warned, "Don't even think about it."

Chuckling, a student called out, "You're so lame, Parker!"

Donuts shook his head and made a 'Mm-mm' sound from behind his jelly pastry, so I continued on my way. Of course, the sight of Mary Jane glancing at me brightened my day a bit, except her boyfriend and resident King of the Castle Flash Thompson was sitting right there. If there was one rule to high school, besides the ones on the official rules list, it was to not ogle Flash's girl in his presence. That was when a shoe shot out and tripped me. My glasses fell off and bounced around a bit before coming to rest next to my face.

That's about the average morning for me. Everything else about that day was decidedly not average.

"Midtown High seniors," the field trip chaperone announced, surrounded by said students, some of which were tossing a ball to one another. "No wandering. Proceed direct-" He interrupted himself to catch the ball before Flash could. "Knock it off." Shaking his head at Flash's eye roll, the chaperone continued, "Remember, it is a privilege to be here."

While the teacher droned on, I trotted up to the group but lingered behind with my camera primed and ready for photos. I looked around at the people wandering in and the scenery, waiting for my friends to get there. Fixing the glasses on my face, I looked over to find Mary Jane, radiant as always in the morning sunlight.

She was looking in my direction... wait, no, she was looking at me! Mary Jane Watson was looking at me! She smiled, just a little quirk of the lips, and waved at me. The Girl Next Door, the woman of my dreams, waved at me! Naturally, I waved back and started to walk towards her... until her friends brushed past me and said hello. Giggling, she pointed at one of them teasingly and they walked away. With a sigh, I followed the group past the road just as a shiny and expensive-looking car rolled up.

"Uh, Charles, can we drive around the corner please?" one of the passengers of the car asked.

"Why?" asked the other man. He gestured to the building and said, "The entrance is right there."

Keeping his breathing under control, the younger man replied, "Dad, these are public school kids, I'm not showing up for a field trip in a Rolls."

Snorting, the senior said, "What, you want me to trade in my car for a Jetta just because you flunked out of every private school I ever sent you to?"

"It wasn't for me."

"Of course it was." The older man rested a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Don't ever be ashamed of who you are."

Shrugging off the hand, the young man said, "I'm not ashamed of who I am. It's just..."

Narrowing his eyes, the businessman asked, "Just what, Harry?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry opened the door and said, "Forget it." Stepping onto the sidewalk, he called out, "Pete!"

I turned and smiled at my best friend. "Hiya, Harry."

"Harry!" the businessman called, walking up to us in a very nice and professional suit while holding Harry's backpack. "Won't you be needing this?" he asked, a pleasant smile on his face.

Taking the bookbag, Harry said, "Thanks, Dad. Uh..." Gesturing to the man, Harry looked at me and finished, "Peter, may I introduce my father, Norman Osborn."

Offering his hand, Mr. Osborn beamed and stated, "I've heard so much about you."

Shaking it, I replied, "Great honor to meet you, sir."

A proud look in his eye, Mr. Osborn declared, "Harry tells me you're quiet the science whiz. You know, I'm something of a scientist myself."

Nodding to him and making sure not to speak too fast, I said, "I read all your research on nanotechnology, it was really brilliant."

Mr. Osborn's mouth hung open slightly as he asked, "And you understood it?"

"Yes, I-I wrote a paper on it."

A wide smile slowly grew on his face. "Impressive. Your parents must be very proud."

Oh, Harry, why didn't you tell him that? I thought. Out loud, I said, "I live with my aunt and uncle and they are proud."

"Hey, you two!" the field trip chaperone yelled. "Let's move!"

Sighing at the missed opportunity to speak with Mr. Osborn more, I offered my hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

Shaking it vigorously, he answered, "Hope to see you again."

Giving him a final nod, Harry and I turned and made our way toward the building. Smiling widely, I nudged Harry and teased, "He doesn't seem so bad, what were you complaining about?"

"Not so bad, if you're a genius," Harry defended. Chuckling, he patted my back and said, "I think he wants to adopt you."

Before I could say anything, two soft and well-manicured hands reached over my face and covered my glasses. "Guess who," teased a feminine voice.

Smiling even in my blindness, I said, "Hey, Gwen." I've mentioned that I'm in love with Mary Jane, but there's something to be said about Gwen Stacy. One of the kindest people you'd ever meet, with bright yellow hair and a smile that can brighten any day.

What? I can compliment other girls, it doesn't all have to be about MJ.

Anyway, Gwen giggled and turned me around so she could give me a proper hug. Once we parted, I took off my glasses and wiped them with a lens cleaner. I could barely make out the image of Gwen and Harry hugging, much less the flustered chaperone waving at us in the distance.

"So how are my boys this morning?" Gwen asked as I put on my glasses. We hurried to catch up to the group right while I was in the middle of a yawn, and Gwen cooed, "Is someone a bit sleepy?"

Nodding, I told her, "I was up all night working on something."

We walked for a little bit before Gwen nudged me and said, "Well, spill it out, Pete. Was it those special lenses you mentioned in History last week?"

"Mhmm. Completely smudge and scratch proof, but I can't fix the size issue."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Every guy wants to fix the size issue." He promptly received an elbow to the ribs from Gwen.

"Anyway," I said, smiling. "They're too big for normal eyeglasses, more like goggles, but I can't wear goggles around everywhere."

Gwen tilted her head and asked, "What's the issue with cutting them to size?"

"They're extremely delicate. Every time I try to make them smaller, they crack into spider webs."

"Y'know," Harry chimed in, "I think there's gonna be spiders in the exhibit."

Smiling widely, I replied, "Can't wait."