There were several reasons why Liz and every friend of Flash Thompson were shocked:

One – Flash was surprisingly near Peter's house.

Two – Flash didn't invite Peter or Harry, it was his mom who was handing out the invites.

Three – Peter and Flash used to be close friends in kindergarten.

Four – Flash didn't get his nickname because he was fast. He only had that name because of a picture of his four-year-old self running away with no pants or underwear.

These facts were things no one in Midtown High would have known besides Peter and Flash. Liz tried to hold back a peal of laughter.

During the party, everyone was chatty and had good vibes. Even Liz before she caught her boyfriend glancing at his best friend with anxiety. She walked to him. "Petey? Everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, just lost in thought".

"Hey, if something is troubling you then you can talk to me okay? I'm always ready to lend an ear".

Peter smiled warmly at her. "Yeah, I will".

Liz wished he was being honest but knew he couldn't say why. She feared Harry did something to him while he was being Spider-Man.

Flash's mom called everyone for a video recording to show how much the jock meant to them. The first ones were Sally and Rand.

Next was Kenny and Glory, then Mary Jane, then Harry, then Peter. Liz walked to her boyfriend and handed him a slice of cake. "So, you and Flash knew each other back in kindergarten?"

"Yeah…"

"And you didn't tell anyone because…?"

"I guess it was because nobody would believe me if I did".

"Understandable", Liz smirked as she made a small scoop of her slice with her finger and placed it on her boyfriend's nose. Peter smiled at her teasing and returned it to her nose. He then turned his head to the TV which was showing a news report of a sand monster terrorizing a beach area.

Liz knew what that meant and turned to Peter. "I think I should go".

"I understand. You're needed", Liz blurted out with a sigh. Then her eyes widened as she realized what she just said. "F—for the internship. This could be the perfect time for a science thing". Liz gave a convincing smile, in hopes that he wouldn't realize she knew his secret. Unfortunately, Peter's eyes widened in shock and realization. Liz needed to get him to go to work, but Peter was smart, smart enough to see through the reassurance. He gave Liz a look of fear and concern. "Liz…do you—"

"Hey guys! That sand guy is wrecking that boat! Where the hell is Spidey?!" Flash whined as he saw the news. Peter may have been distracted as Liz had already disappeared.

Barging into the bathroom, Liz paced up and down. Why? Why did that slip out?! "¡Estúpido!¡Estúpido!" She messed up, but she can fix this, she'll just come up with a lie that could make Peter think it wasn't what he was thinking. "It's going to be fine".

She walked out of the bathroom muttering in Spanish. She didn't see a man she bumped into. "Oh! Sorry…wait…you?".

"Hey there. Liz, right?" A taller, blonde man grinned at the Latina. She found him familiar, didn't she meet him at the ESU laboratory?

"Eddie Brock? Nice to see you again", she grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just wanted to meet 'Petey' but I saw him leave the party before I could say hello", he chuckled. "Is he still your tutor?"

"Yes, but he's also my boyfriend".

Eddie grinned, in a way that made Liz uneasy. "What an unlucky relationship", he said with a smirk. Liz arched an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I wouldn't date Peter if I were you. He's not the kind of guy you'd fall for".

"What do you mean?"

Eddie curved his lip in amusement. "He tends to ruin people's lives. Not to mention, he isn't a saint".

"What are you talking about? Peter is a good guy!"

"Hope you still think that when the cat's out of the bag", he smirked and walked out. Liz was baffled but then something clicked in her mind. Did he know Peter was Spider-Man? This could be bad, so she grabbed her phone and was about to call when Harry approached her.

"Hey, Liz! Enjoying the party?"

Great…she forgot about Harry. Wait, this could be the perfect time for an interrogation. "Harry! Hey, can I talk to you in private?"

"Uh…sure".

Liz pulled Harry by the arm and walked to a secluded room. "I have some questions to ask you". She said in a serious tone. "I'm worried about Peter. Did you do something?"

Harry was taken aback by that, "…No. Where did that come from?"

Liz thought of what to say carefully, "Did you do something to Peter that caught Spider-Man's attention?"

"What? No! Well, Spider-Man was at my place…", He confessed. Liz narrowed her eyes at the relief she was getting somewhere.

"Why?"

"Liz, I don't know why you are asking this. No offense but, that doesn't concern you or Peter".

Liz sighed, "Look, something is going on between you and Peter and he won't tell me what's up. Maybe he saw you doing something while he was still working for the Bugle".

Harry groaned in realization. "Oh crud…he must've known…".

"Known what?" Liz demanded as she knew her suspicions about him were right. Harry walked out. "Harry? Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Peter about something. I gotta get out of here".

Liz felt like she made an even bigger mistake. Harry might hurt Peter again, she needed to call him. Little did she know that Eddie was listening to the whole conversation.

As Liz walked back in, Flash was cheering at Spider-Man on television. Liz looked and saw that her boyfriend defeated a sand villain. He was no rookie on this dangerous job. That didn't make her forget about a huge problem. She needs to know the full context of his problem with Harry, and possibly Eddie Brock. She cursed in Spanish, knowing she would have to tell Peter that she knew his secret. This was not going to be fun.

She texted Peter a message saying: Please meet me at my place. There's something I need to tell you.

Later that night

Liz already had a ride home from her father's chauffeur with Mark who noticed she was uneasy. "You okay Sis?"

"Yes, I am fine. I'm just thinking about the play coming up".

When Liz finally made it back to the hotel, she was pacing. "How was she going to tell Peter that she knows his secret? He might be upset, suspicious, would never trust her and they might break up!

No, that worst-case scenario was unrealistic. He couldn't be mad, but she should come clean.

"Liz, Peter's here to see you". Mark called as Liz rushed to the door and opened it.

"Hey Liz, is everything…okay?" Peter frowned.

"No, we need to talk".

She pulled him to her room and closed it, "I know".

Peter's eyes widened. "Liz…it's not what you think—"

Liz had already pulled up his shirt to reveal the suit underneath. She looked at her boyfriend with concern and drew in a deep breath.

"I've been pretending to NOT know for a while because I didn't want to come off as selfish. This city needs you as much as I need my boyfriend. That is why I have been asking about Harry".

Peter was trying to process all this and looked at her with panic, "Did you tell anyone?"

Liz shook her head, "Peter, I may not be a superhero expert but I'm not stupid enough to blab to the world about it".

"H—how long did you—"

"Right after you had dinner with my family". Liz answered, "I know that I shouldn't have followed you that night but I didn't tell anyone after that. You risk your life to save others daily and I know we are dating but I thought you could handle both if you didn't know and—"

Peter closed the distance between them and his lips embraced her's as a confirmation. The way he kissed her was so…understanding. As she kissed him back it felt like Liz knew how her boyfriend saw this. When they parted, Peter's cheeks were red.

"Ah—uh, sorry. I just wanted to say that as a thank you", he stammered. Liz was regaining her thoughts and thinking.

"You…are not mad?"

"I don't see why I should be mad. You knew but didn't tell anyone and you were watching out for me".

Liz realized something, "Does this mean you'll tell me what's up with Harry?"

Peter smirked, "I'll tell you on a tour". Liz arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by tour—wait…"

A/N: Hmmm, Spectacular is no exception for Spider-Man to swing across town with his bae.