Peter arrived back at his apartment in a hurry.
His landlord Mr. Ditkovich showed up.
"Do you have rent?" he asked.
"I don't have the money on me," Peter replied, exhausted.
He futzed around with the door to find that it had opened properly.
"Whoa!" gasped Peter and looked at Mr. Diktovich who smiled.
"I pay money to fix door, now you gave me rent? Hmm?"
Peter smiled and handed Mr. Diktovich a $50 note.
A few minutes later, Peter hung his suit in his closet and sat down on the bed. He was still thinking of J. J. Jameson and his plan to humiliate Spider-Man.
"That ignorant, ungrateful little myth-writer," he thought to himself. "Jameson doesn't even know what he's talking about. He's just imagining things."
A short silence occurred before there was a knock on the door.
"It's open," called Peter.
The door opened and in walked Aunt May, dressed in her nice fur coat and hat.
"Hello, Peter."
"Oh, hello, Aunt May."
"Well, Peter. I've just heard from MJ. She's very proud that you were able to attend her performance this afternoon."
"Yep. I'm finally learning my priorities."
"Oh, that's a good thing, Peter. So, how are other things going with you besides your developing relationship with MJ?"
"Well, things are going good at Columbia University but my work at the Bugle is going downhill."
"Oh, goodness, Peter. Why?"
"It's Jameson."
"Oh, that man. Still with no faith in Spider-Man, eh? Wonder why he makes take pictures of Spider-Man for the Bugle?"
"Isn't it obvious, Aunt May? He just wants to make Spider-Man look like a fool in front of the whole city. That's why he's arranging an article to point Spider-Man's so-called flaws. He just wants me to take these pictures so that it could work out and blow the poor guy out. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Spider-Man means the world to us and the whole city but if you were him, you wouldn't try and get revenge on Mr. Jameson, would you?"
"No, Aunt May. And I wouldn't expect Spider-Man to get his revenge either. He made that same mistake when he bonded to that symbiote."
"Symbiote?" thought Aunt May, looking curiously at Peter, "Peter, I don't understand. I mean…"
"…you know?" added Peter, "I'd love to continue this conversation but I had a tiring day."
"Oh, Peter. I know what that's like. I guess I must leave you then."
"Oh, you don't have to. I mean…"
"…no, no, no, Peter. I have a few other things I have to do anyway. Hopefully I can catch up with you sometime."
"I'll call you."
Aunt May opened the door and looked back at him.
"Or visit you. Anything's fine."
"I'll see you later, Peter."
And Aunt May closed the door.
Peter lay back down on his bed, staring at the ceiling and shutting his eyes.
The Statue Of Liberty was being raided by the thugs who attempt to rob the bank. Their next objective was to take destruct the Statue of Liberty using fireworks. Hostages were being held as usual and the leader of the thugs, still masked, pointed a firework blaster towards the Statue of Liberty.
"Say goodbye to one of the city's main attractions!"
"Not today, buddy!"
"What?"
The leader looked up to see Spider-Man swinging down in the distance.
He grunted and shouted "bring him down, boys."
The thugs started shooting at Spider-Man as he swung around and around.
The leader used the commotion to aim a firework towards the Statue of Liberty.
Spider-Man swung away from the thugs' view and jumped in front of the firework, screaming in the process as he webbed it and set if off into the air.
Everyone was cheering as Spider-Man swung down to the ground.
Suddenly, the leader of the thugs punched Spider-Man to the ground and walked up to him.
"Show yourself, you coward!"
"I'm not the coward, Pete! You are!"
"Wait a minute! How do you know who I am?"
The leader unmasked himself to Peter's horror.
Behind the mask was Peter's best friend: Harry Osborn.
"Harry? No, it can't be! I thought you were dead!"
"I'm not dead, Pete! And I'm still following my father's footprints! You were the one who killed him! Isn't that right? Huh, brother?"
Harry kicked Spider-Man as he spoke and bought a pumpkin bomb.
"Oh, my god! I hate those things!"
"Fear is your weakness, Pete! Kiss your web-slinging business goodbye!"
Harry aimed the pumpkin bomb.
"Harry, please! Don't!
"Good knowin' ya, Pete!"
"NO, HARRY!"
But it was too late. The pumpkin bomb was already injected toward him.
"NO, HARRY! NOOOOOOO!"
Peter awoke with a start and looked around. The truth was that he was in the safety of his own room and the plot to destroy the Statue of Liberty was just a dream.
There was a knock on the door.
"Peter? Peter?"
"Come in. It's open."
It was Mr. Diktovich's daughter, Ursula.
"Phone call for you, Peter."
"Thank you, Ursula. I'll be right there."
"I think it's urgent."
"Oh, right," muttered Peter, rising up from his bed.
Who else could be so urgent to someone besides J. J. Jameson? Peter knew who it was.
He walked out and picked up the phone.
"Mr. Jameson, sir."
"Peter, it's Betty. Mr. Jameson wants you down here right away."
"I'll be right there, Betty."
And he hung up the phone.
"I gotta go, Ursula. Got some business to take care of back at the Bugle."
"Priorities, Pete," she sighed, "not like I don't have my own to worry about."
"Right, burning the kitchen all the time," teased Mr. Diktovich.
Ursula looked at and nodded.
"What?" wondered Mr. Diktovich, his hands bended from his side.
Peter rushed back to the Bugle and walked into Jameson's office.
"Parker, there you are! Where in god's name have you been? Those pictures better be on you or else…"
Tired but triumphant, Peter laid down all of the photos on Jameson's desk.
"Here we are, Mr. Jameson. Taken over an hour ago."
Jameson flipped through hurriedly and looked up at Peter.
"So," said Peter, "what do you think?"
Jameson went quiet for a second.
"What do I think? WHAT DO I THINK, PARKER? I THINK THIS IS ALL ABSOLUTE NONSENSE! WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR ARE PHOTOS OF SPIDER-MAN BEING HUMILIATED BY HIS ENEMIES!"
Jameson started looking out the window, pulling a cigarette out of his mouth with Peter still standing behind him.
"I bet you twenty bucks you'll never get those pictures, Parker! Spider-Man's just too darn good to avoid overcoming criminals who are twice of what he is! A fraud! A swindler! A good-for-nothing scoundrel who thinks too big of himself!"
"I'm on it, J. J. I'm your man."
And Peter left the room.
Robbie stood not so close behind Jameson.
"You know, Robbie. I really have a feeling those pictures are going to work out for Parker."
"He is our only hope for the Bugle's new headline now, Jonah."
"That's what I'm afraid of. I mean, I'm glad that Spider-Man might actually be humiliated but that means I'll lose a percentage or so of the money that has gone TOWARDS THE GODDAMN BUSINESS!"
Nightfall came and the sky turned to dark.
On the other side of the city was a warehouse.
The thugs who robbed the bank and from Peter's dream had lived here and they were all arguing about their defeat.
"He was big."
"He was fast."
"He actually shot webs at us."
"He's Spider-Man."
The leader, still masked, turned around and muttered "we shall get our revenge on him soon, boys. Tonight's not the night though."
"How will we possibly get our revenge on him then, boss?"
"Tomorrow night, we rob the convenient store and hold hostages as we did last time," said the leader.
"And then what? Huh? And then what?"
"And then we attack him and crush his soul!" shouted the leader.
All of the men cheered in applause. They were finally going to overcome Spider-Man once and for all.
That night, Peter sat down on his bed and sighed sadly.
"Jameson's making a big fool of himself," he thought.
Peter wished there was at least something he could do to convince Spider-Man
Columbia University was packed with busy students.
Students, like Peter himself, would go there to learn and observe from what the subjects.
Next morning, Peter arrived at the university and stood outside for a bit.
A Cadillac showed up front of school.
Inside was a girl with black hair, dressed in a blouse and wearing glasses. Next to her stood a man, wearing a white polo dress shirt and black trousers.
"Your first day at Columbia University, Valeria, my darling. I do hope you make lots of friends."
"Me too, dad."
The man kissed Valeria on the cheek and she walked out of the car and towards the school building.
"Have a good day. I'll pick you up after school," he called after her.
Valeria walked by Peter and glanced at him.
Peter glanced back and smiled, nodding.
Valeria laughed and walked inside as the bell rang.
In class, Peter just sat at his desk, writing on his paper.
He looked to see Valeria staring at him, smiling.
"What?" he chuckled.
"Nothing," she chuckled back.
"Mr. Parker; Ms. Toomes; get back to work, please," said Dr. Connors kindly.
"Sorry, sir," muttered Peter.
"Sorry doesn't get the assignment done, does it, Parker?"
"No, sir."
"Good. I'm glad that you at least understand.
Gwen saw Valeria staring at Peter and sighed, just continuing her work. She still had a crush on Peter but didn't know whether to forgive him or not for using her that night at the jazz club.
Nevertheless, the classroom went quiet as the students continued to do their work.
Later, the bell rang for lunch.
Peter just finished collecting his lunch from the buffet and walked over to an empty table.
A few seconds later, Valeria came sitting down next to him.
"Hey, Parker."
"Oh. Ms. Toomes. Hello."
Valeria laughed and nodded.
"I don't think we've met properly. My name is Valeria Toomes."
And she took out a hand to shake Peter's.
"Peter Parker," said Peter, shaking her hand.
There was a short silence.
"So what brings you here to Columbia University then, Valeria?"
"Doesn't it seem obvious? My dad. He owns an electronic store with a client of his somewhere here in the city. You can ask him after school if you want. Unless you're not interested."
"Oh, no, no, Valeria. I'd love to meet your dad. And learn more about his career."
"Good. If you come over to my house for dinner, perhaps you can."
"Yeah, maybe we can arrange something like that. When?"
"What about tonight? Are you busy tonight?"
"Who? Me? No, tonight's fine actually. Good. My address is 566 Hylan Boulevard."
"Ah, Staten Island. Great place."
"Yes, it is after all, Peter. Do you think you can make it?"
"Sure, sure. I'm getting my motorbike back today. It was towed yesterday after all after I parked it in the wrong place," chuckled Peter.
Valeria laughed after him.
"Oh my god, Peter. You are just one crazy little guy, aren't you? Having your motor towed for parking it in the wrong place?"
"It was near a jazz club, Valeria. And I just went in to watch my friend Mary Jane Watson's next performance and then..."
"Mary Jane Watson. Great singer. I've visited that jazz club a few times and I am very impressed by her singing. It seems that she is very faithful to the songs that he sings."
"I agree. Mary Jane's a very good friend of mine and I always enjoy watching her performances."
"So do I. Her finest performance is tonight. Hopefully I can make it tonight by the time we finish dinner."
"I'll let you off early. Don't worry."
"Don't you wanna see her performance? We can go together as friends and I'll introduce you to her."
"You know what, Peter? I'd love to but my father and I have work to do. I'm really sorry."
"No, that's ok. I understand. Your father must be a busy man working under the consideration of electronics."
"Thanks, Peter. I know you are very close to Miss Watson and I'd love to have a chance to meet her. Maybe some other time we can arrange to meet somewhere."
"Yes, perhaps. I'd love to actually. We'll arrange something. Don't worry."
"Thanks, Peter. You're a really good friend and you seem very interesting by your methods of studying at this university."
"Well, according to Dr. Connors, I am. But Professor Stillwell…"
Valeria chuckled.
"Peter, I know you're brilliant and that you're just afraid to admit it. Dr. Connors is a great teacher."
"He's like my mentor. I've worked with him for so long and he considers me to be quite a clever student. A bit lazy though.
Valeria laughed even harder.
"Peter, Peter, Peter, you are one of the funniest guys I met. Dr. Connors' method of teaching are brilliant but don't worry about Professor Stillwell. He teaches great history on animals and specimens and all that but he can have a few tricks up his sleeves at times."
Peter let out a squeal of laughter.
He couldn't hold back his tears of laughter at his new friend's description on Professor Stillwell.
"A few tricks up his sleeve, eh?"
They both laughed and laughed and laughed.
"Hey, everybody," shouted Flash Thompson from the hall, "looks like Parker's got a new girlfriend."
"Parker's got a girlfriend! Parker's got a girlfriend! Parker's got a girlfriend! Parker's got a girlfriend!"
Peter sighed.
"Ignore them, Pete," muttered Valeria, giving him a pat on the back.
Later, the bell rang for the end of school.
Everyone started walking out. Especially Peter and Valeria, close together and talking.
"So where's your father's store located then?"
"Why don't you ask him? He knows much more about it than me."
"Okay," chuckled Peter.
"Here he comes right now."
The Cadillac that Valeria rode to the university drove up in a parking lot.
Out walked Valeria's father who walked up to the university entrance.
"Hey, Valeria."
"Hi, dad. I'd like to meet Peter Parker."
"Ah, so I meet the expert at last, eh?"
"Pardon me?" muttered Peter curiously.
"Adrian Toomes. I'm Valeria's dad. Pleased to meet you."
And he took out his hand to shake Peter's.
"Peter Parker, sir. It is an honor."
And they shook hands.
"Indeed it is, Mr. Parker. Your teacher, Professor Farley Stillwell, tells me all about you know. He says you work hard but can't seem to catch up with the work that you achieve doing in Dr. Connors' class."
"Dad, please."
"No, Valeria. Parker here's okay with it. Aren't you, Parker?"
"I'm fine with it, Mr. Toomes. You can call me Peter by the way.'
There was a short silence.
"Or Mr. Parker. Whatever you prefer."
Adrian went quiet for a moment before speaking up again.
"Of course, Mr. Parker. Of course."
"So Valeria tells me you own a store. Electronics, right?"
"Yep. It's B&T Electronics. I'm in the electronic engineering business. The store itself is a small business firm owned by me and a good buddy of mine: Gregory Bestman. You'd like him. Maybe you should stop by and visit the shop sometime, Mr. Parker."
"Oh, you know me, Mr. Toomes. I'd love to learn about electronic engineering."
"Excellent. It's here in New York City on Chatham Square. Looking forward to your visit, Mr. Parker."
"Me, too," said Peter.
"Well, Valeria and I better be heading home now. Come on, honey."
"Bye, Peter," said Valeria softly as she and Adrian walked past.
Peter watched as they stepped into their Cadillac and drove away.
He walked back towards his apartment, feeling a bit passionate about meeting Valeria. It was hinted that she had a crush on him after all.