MIDTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

The busy day had just ended for the students of Midtown High as they filled the hallways to go into their lockers to retrieve their belongings and go to their homes. Among these students was Peter, dressed in a green striped overshirt with a black T-shirt underneath, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. During this time, when he was not using the powerful muscles in his body to fight crime, Peter used his mental muscle to finish his senior year and try to get into Empire State University. However, such dreams were not present in Peter's mind, as he was still irritated from Jameson's scathing report last night. As he retrieved two textbooks that taught Math and Science, which were subjects that he excelled at, Peter briefly paused when he noticed a photograph he had taped on the right corner.

It was a photograph of a smiling Peter standing between two people around his age at Coney Island. The one on the left was a fair-skinned, lean but fit green-eyed young man with gelled and neatly combed red hair, a black vest over a green shirt underneath, brown jeans, and black shoes. The one on the right was that of a thin, fair-skinned, very attractive girl with long red hair and jade green eyes. She wore a black T-shirt with the name of the punk band 'Screaming Skulls' on the chest and short enough to show her mid-rift, blue jean shorts, black leggings, and red sketcher tennis shoes.

Peter smiled warmly at this picture of him being with two people he considered his closest friends. And quite frankly, his only friends, with the male being Harold 'Harry' Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, and the female being that of Mary-Jane Watson, or MJ for short, the literal girl next door who, with her father, moved into the house next to Peter's just six months prior.

As Peter remained transfixed at the picture and thinking back to happier times…

"JACKPOT! YOU HIT THE JACKPOT!" Were the words screamed out by a young voice to the sound of loud punk music. So loud that it startled Peter enough to make him lose his balance and fall to the floor. As Peter shook his head to get the ringing out of his ears, he looked up and was pleasantly surprised when he saw the source of the music.

It was that of a smirking MJ, who this time had her long red hair in a ponytail and two long bangs hanging over her face. This time, she wore a black overshirt over a white T-shirt that showed the name of another one of her favorite bands, one named 'The She-Devils.' She completed the look with a black skirt, red knee-high socks, and black boots. The music came from her iPhone, which she held near Peter's ear and caused him to tumble over. "Alert as always, aren't we, Tiger?" MJ asked as she turned off the song ringer, pulled her backpack out of her locker, and placed the iPhone on a clip attached to one of the front pockets.

"Hey, MJ," Peter responded with a returning smile, then picked himself up so he could look at her face to face. "You know, you could just say 'hi' like a normal person."

"First off, normal is boring, and you know it," MJ retorted as she closed her locker and ran her arms through the backpack's loops to wear it on her back. Her smile then disappeared and was replaced with a look of annoyance as she crossed her arms. "And second, I have been telling you hi, but apparently, you've been ignoring me and spending time in la-la land."

It was here that Peter grew remorseful, as he didn't mean to make MJ feel he was blowing her off. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind," said Peter, his voice filled with shame which soon worsened as he caught a glimpse of the photo that had Harry in it and was reminded of where he was supposed to be the night before. "Like how I missed the chance to visit Harry last night and how I hate myself for it."

Though MJ sees Peter in despair and did sympathize with him, she still gives him a stern look, as both she and Harry were expecting him to come and visit Lee Hospital, where Harry was for treatment for a terminal illness. "About that, where were you last night?"

"Got caught up at work," Peter replied half truthfully as he placed the books he needed in his backpack, as the 'work' he was referring to was swinging around the city as Spider-Man webbing up criminals. Once Peter retrieved the books, he zipped up his backpack and turned to face MJ to ask her this question regarding their friend. "By the time I got to the hospital, visiting hours were over. How is he?"

As this question hit MJ's ears, her stern demeanor soon changed to the same level of sadness that Peter felt. "Pretty much the same," MJ answered regretfully as she looked down at the floor; then, looking back up at Peter, she felt her annoyance in his absence last night. "Which is why you're coming with me to see him, Pete," MJ said firmly, then pointed her index finger at him. "Because Harry needs us more than ever, especially tonight! And THIS time, I'm going to make sure that nothing gets in the way of you seeing our best friend, including that butt-wad, Jameson!"

"Trust me, for Harry, nothing is stopping this time," Peter said in reassurance as he closed his locker, and as both he and MJ proceeded to the front door, he decided to change the subject. "Speaking of things related to journalism, how are things going? How's that story you were working on for the school news?"

MJ rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh before answering. "Great, or at least it would be if it didn't fall on deaf ears! I mean, I spent the last week gathering info on why companies should stop testing their products on animals! I even showed them a video of a humane alternative that the school could start a fund for…!"

A FEW HOURS PRIOR

Inside a classroom, MJ stood in front of the Midtown news staff, which consisted of six students, three boys and three girls, sitting at the front desks positioned in a somewhat arch shape. It was here that MJ made her presentation by placing a flash drive into a laptop, which in turn, was connected to a machine that projected what was in it onto a large white screen in front of the room.

And what the screen showed was that of a morbidly obese red-haired man with a matching red beard, glasses, and a lab coat standing in front of a table. "Hello, my name is Dr. Maxwell Modell. And today, I'd like to show you the latest technological achievement that, with your help, can test out chemicals without harming animals." Max then moved to the side and revealed what appeared to be a mechanical mouse with huge red eyes. "Allow me to present the Chemical Analysis and Report Bot, or C.A.R.B. for short. He is built with synthetic organs that can detect the potency of any chemical compound and report whether or not their harmful." Max then proceeded to provide a quick demonstration, and he did so by pulling out a syringe filled with red liquid. Afterward, he pierced the tip of the needle into a soft red rubber ball in the back of C.A.R.B.'s head and injected the fluid.

Suddenly, the red eyes of C.A.R.B. began to flicker, along with making beeping sounds, until finally, it finished analyzing the liquid and was programmed to speak. "SQUEAK, SQUEAK," said C.A.R.B. in a deep robotic voice. "THIS CONCOCTION IS CAUSING MY SYNTHETIC HEART TO GO INTO CARDIAC ARREST. THEREFORE, THIS FORMULA IS A FAILURE. TO TEST A NEW FORMULA, PLEASE GIVE ME A CHEEZE FOR MY ARTIFICIAL TUMMY. SQUEAK, SQUEAK."

MJ cringed a bit, for though she believed in the cause, she could tell that C.A.R.B.'s 'delivery' was way off to convince the staff. They all looked at the video, either completely baffled or trying their hardest not to laugh at the absurdity of it.

But one staff member, a young blonde-haired girl named Sally Avril, appeared to beam with happiness at C.A.R.B. with huge and excited eyes. "Awwww, so cute…!"

PRESENT

…that memory of Sally's comment still lingered in the aggravated MJ's head as she and Peter walked out the front door and outside the school. "And Sally's love for anything she considered cute was the only piece of positive feedback I got!"

Peter was just as dumbfounded as he and MJ walked down the steps. "But not so much for the rest of the staff?"

"Nope, as usual," MJ replied, annoyed. "They wrote it off as a waste of time and were more concerned about what they considered 'real news,' i.e., the stupid Senior Prom!" Feeling the aggravation growing stronger, MJ let out a loud sigh. "Yet another good call from the future of this generation."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the world of news hasn't exactly been kind to me either," Peter told his friend, letting her know that he could relate to what MJ was going through and wasn't alone when it came to his work being ignored. "Or at least, Jameson hasn't. He just used whatever footage HE wanted to make Spider-Man look like the bad guy, despite that it showed him helping people, and I pointed this out to him like a million times. It's been giving me a headache all day."

Suddenly, Peter and MJ's conversation is cut short when they hear a male teenager's loud and angry voice. "PARKER!"

Both Peter MJ stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the teenager's roar, and as he looked over his shoulder, Peter grimaced when he saw who had just yelled at him. "And it just got worse."

The person who screamed Peter's last name was the captain of the school's football team, Eugene 'Flash' Thompson, who was shown to be a fair-skinned, tall and muscular eighteen-year-old male with blonde hair, dressed in the blue and gold high school jersey, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes. He had pure fury in his eyes as he stomped toward Peter with bad intentions. "Hope you're not planning on sitting down for a while, Puny Parker, because I'm about to put my foot right up your…!"

Before Flash could get any closer, MJ quickly stood between the angry football player and a stunned Peter, intending to protect him as she would any person she cared about. "Back up, Thompson!" MJ declared, which shocked Flash enough to make him stop dead in his tracks. "Unless you want a repeat of what happened the last time!"

Peter was grateful to have a friend as loyal as MJ but was just as intimidated by her as Flash. As such, he couldn't help but be reminded of the first time Flash crossed her path…

SIX MONTHS PRIOR

…It was lunchtime in the school cafeteria, and Peter, who at the time was seventeen years old, wore glasses and had a thinner, almost unhealthy frame, along with Harry and the rest of the students present. All stood in awe. MJ, a newly transferred student at the time, had Flash in a standing armbar after he touched her shoulder and asked her out on a date.

While Peter looked at MJ's display of force in pure awe, Harry could only smile, as it was always nice to see someone, boy or girl, knock a meat-headed bully like Flash down a peg or two. "Got a way with the ladies, don't you, Flash?" Harry asked in a joking tone.

At this point, Flash was too busy groaning in pain to answer, so a very angry MJ decided to reply. "If that 'way with the ladies' means making them feel repulsed, then yes!" MJ declared as she twisted Flash's arm further and caused his screaming to be more high-pitched like a ten-year-old girl. And moments like this made MJ feel that those self-defense classes her father made her take had their benefits.

As Flash's squeals of agony grew louder and caused teachers to come running in, the once happy Harry grew fearful as he whispered this to an equally scared Peter. "Okay, the first rule about the new girl, stay on her good side!"

"Agreed!" Peter replied quickly and fearfully as he watched the teachers pry MJ off the still squealing Flash…

PRESENT

Though no punches were thrown, the tension in the air was so thick that not even the sharpest blade in the world could cut through it. An angry MJ glared daggers into Flash, and though she remembered that that incident in the cafeteria resulted in her being suspended for the week, she still did not care if that happened a second time. Even before moving to New York, MJ had no tolerance for people who tried to harm those she cared for.

Flash was still nervous but puffed up his chest to act tough and hide his fear, though with minimal success. "Oh great, girlfriend to the rescue!"

This response caused both Peter and MJ to blush wildly. Since Harry left, everyone in the school had assumed they were a couple, something the two friends adamantly denied.

And it was the red-faced Peter who was the first to respond. "She's not my girlfriend-!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" MJ said sharply, unknowingly speaking over Peter and blushing just as much as he was. She then shook her head and turned her attention back to Flash, still looking a bit flustered. "But that's beside the point! What do you want with Pete this time?! He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Not that it's any of your business, Ms. Psycho," Flash spat to MJ, trying to sound tough. "But no, Parker hasn't done anything wrong to me!" The young quarterback then looked past MJ's shoulder and focused on Peter, to which his anger intensified. "It's what he's done to Spidey that's got me pissed!"

Naturally, this remark confused Peter greatly. "What are you talking about?!"

"I'm talking about those videos you posted of Spidey on that Daily Bugle news show!" Flash barked. "Yeah, I know that you work there, Parker! Three days ago, I overheard you telling your girl here that record videos and send them to that blowhard Jameson! Spidey is the man and just as much a hero as the Avengers! Anyone who messes with him messes with me!" Flash stomped past MJ, nearly knocking her down, and got right into Peter's face with an enraged glare. "And that includes some pencil neck geek who shot videos of Spidey and helped Jameson give him a bad rep!"

Seconds later, MJ rushed in and again got in between Peter and Flash, with anger just as fierce as the bully's, if not more. "Okay, first of all, Pete and I's discussions are none of YOUR business! And second, Peter just shoots the videos and sends them to the Bugle; Jameson is with the hate boner for Spider-Man, not him-!"

At this point, Peter decided to step in and try defending himself for a change. As he has shown incredible feats as Spider-Man the hero, he felt that it was to show that Peter Parker the person was capable of standing up for himself as well. "Exactly!" Peter exclaimed as he stepped forward, out from behind MJ, and stood face to face with Flash. Before he said anything more, Peter looked over his shoulder and gave the stunned MJ a gentle but stern expression as if to quietly tell her, 'don't worry, I got this.'"

MJ was surprised by this, for while she noticed Peter always tried to ignore or brush off Flash's comments before, she never actually saw him step up to him. Not only that, when she looked into his eyes, she saw the gentleness he always possessed, but she also noticed an inner strength that she had never noticed before. An unseen quality that she found out of character but still admired. As such, MJ gave Peter a nod but still a concerned look.

After giving the redheaded girl a reassuring smile, Peter turned his attention back to Flash with a look of determination, unaware that MJ was still close enough to step in if she needed to. "Yeah, I know that Spider-Man is a hero, and I bring this up every time I give Jameson the videos! But he's so far gone in his 'Anti-Spidey' campaign that he won't listen to anyone, not just me, but everyone else working for him! And while we're on the subject of Spider-Man, I know enough that, like all heroes, he doesn't take kindly to bullies! And how do you think he would feel if he saw his 'number one fan' threatening to be up other school kids smaller than him?"

Flash's face soon turned red with anger, and with his left hand, he grabbed Peter's collar and was about to pull his fist back.

Naturally, this action made quite the scene as many of the students passing by stopped and watched, all of whom chanted 'fight' in hopes of seeing Flash and Peter go at it. It also made MJ almost step in between the two boys and planned to get Peter by kneeing Flash in the groin.

However, before any blow was struck, the action was stopped before it could even begin by the sound of another male voice, but an older and deeper one. "HEY!" yelled the voice, causing Flash to pause and look over his shoulder, causing his eyes to grow wide with shock.

It was that of a tall, African American male in his mid to late thirties, wearing a grey T-shirt that said 'coach' on the chest and matching grey sweatpants and black shoes. This man was Wendall Carlton, obviously one of the school's coaches, and he looked pretty displeased as he crossed his arms and caused the rest of the students to flee. "Is there a problem, Thompson?"

Flash was clearly afraid of this coach as he had a reputation for not putting up with any nonsense, whether working with the football team in practice or any other antics. "No, no coach," said Flash nervously as he briefly fixed Peter's collar. "We were just playing around."

Wendall was not even slightly convinced by Flash's remark and showed it by narrowing his brow at the young man and crossing his arms. "Well, if you want to stay on the team, you'll get to the locker room and suit up for practice!" Still maintaining a stone-faced expression, Wendall walked closer to Flash, which caused the muscular teen's fear to increase further. "And later, we're going to have a very, very long discussion about how YOU, the team captain, should 'play' with your fellow students! Got it?"

After a loud gulp, Flash took a deep breath to just barely compose himself and gave the stern coach a nod. "Yes, sir," he said quietly and, with his tail in between his legs, walked past Wendall and proceeded to walk to the double doors to the school so he could go to the gym and join his teammates for practice.

With Flash now dealt with, Wendall turned to Peter and MJ, with a grim look still on his face. "As for you two, you better head home, and I expect you to stay out of trouble." Wendall then narrowed his eyes at MJ as he and the rest of the faculty remembered her incident with Flash in the cafeteria months back. "Especially you, Watson!"

This only made MJ roll her eyes, for while she didn't blame Wendall or the rest of the staff for being extra firm with her, it still caused her some annoyance. "Yes, sir," MJ said somewhat begrudgingly to avoid detention. For both in making it to her and Peter's visit with Harry and because she didn't want another lecture on 'model behavior' from her father.

As for Peter, he just watched Wendall turn around and walk away, but at the same time, he caught a brief glimpse of Flash opening the front door to get to school, all of which made him release an exasperated sigh. "Spider-Man's number one fan is also Peter Parker's worst tormenter," Peter thought. "Irony, you are a cruel mistress."

Once Flash and Wendall were out of sight, MJ turned to Peter and, with a smile, gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Not bad, Tiger," MJ said proudly. "Way to tell that jerk off!"

Peter rubbed his arm and laughed before answering. Thanks to his spider strength, the punch didn't hurt as much, but he acted as it did. Still, there was no denying that MJ maintained a mean hook. "Thanks," Peter replied as he removed his hand from his arm, then looked at MJ with a warm smile. "But to be honest, that's mainly because I have someone like you having me back. One who's cool and supportive enough to make me feel like I can do anything."

MJ was taken aback by this comment, as she was so confused about how she could make anyone feel special. Especially Peter, who, as far as she was concerned, was so smart, he could make any rocket scientist jealous. "Hey, don't get all mushy on me, Parker," said MJ with a nervous giggle, her cheeks starting to turn red again. "I'm just here for people who…mean a great deal to me."

Peter's eyes popped open in surprise. True, he always knew that MJ considered him a friend, but how she said it really stunned him. As if that maybe something more? Like how, even though he kept it secret, felt more for this rugged but still pretty punk girl who moved into his life? All this made Peter look a bit nervous, but he nonetheless gave her a small smile, all while blushing as much as her.

The two friends stared at each other for less than a minute, when suddenly, the quiet yet happy moment was interrupted by Peter's iPhone making a dinging sound, which usually meant he was getting a text. As such, Peter unclipped the iPhone from his belt and saw that it was indeed a text message from his aunt, May Parker, which asked: 'Where are you and MJ? We're all waiting.' Once he saw this, Peter was a little disappointed that this interrupted his moment with MJ, but at the time, he was relieved as he saw it to get out of an awkward situation. As such, he looked back up at MJ, but with his shy demeanor still present. "J-Just got a text from Aunt May! She's said she's wondering where we are and that everybody's ready to go!"

"Right, right! Let's go!" MJ replied somewhat nervously, then she and Peter proceeded to walk away from the school and back to the Parker household, where they were expected by a few more people who all planned to see Harry Osborn on this crucial day.

As they walked, Peter took a moment to catch a glimpse of MJ while she wasn't looking and felt the stress of the day vanish and his heart pounds a bit. "Well, at least today wasn't a total loss." Peter thought to himself, but upon thinking of the word 'loss,' he was reminded of the competition he had with Harry regarding the fiery red-head. "Of course, it might make things complicated between Harry and me…because I know HE has a thing for MJ too." On their way, Peter spotted two boys, one a light-skinned blonde and the other African American, playing together in their front yard. And it was their friendship that reminded Peter of his with Harry and how he cherished it. So much so that he decided to shake his head and regain focus on where he needs to be right now, by Harry's side. "Focus, Parker! This thing with MJ can wait! Right now, you need to be with Harry, and for his sake, you can't let anything stop you or let a certain jerk with a buzzcut dampen your mood, especially when it comes to this night! Besides, as far as Jameson goes, there are plenty of people who are worse bosses than him."