"Oh, the Daily Bugle's HR department is really early." As they reached the school gate, with the morning light sharply slicing across the asphalt, Peter Parker opened his phone to check the internship application he'd sent earlier, and the somewhat unexpected rejection notice: "Uh... they said they don't need me for this position, maybe I was late, and they already found someone. I was planning to use the salary to buy costumes for the themed day before Homecoming."
"Even if you got that job, you wouldn't get paid this month, would you?"
"I was planning to ask for a month's advance."
Gwen couldn't help but roll her eyes at Peter, her blonde hair arcing in the sunlight. "Advance your first month's salary to buy a superhero cosplay outfit? Good thing your application didn't go through, otherwise the interviewer would ask you: 'Please state your passion for the journalism industry—', and you'd have to answer: 'To get discounts on Spider-Man merchandise!'"
"Why Spider-Man?"
"Everyone knows J. Jonah Jameson loves Spider-Man; he curses him on TV every day."
Peter wasn't concerned about Jameson and Spider-Man. He just said, helplessly, "Then I can't participate in the themed day activities this year."
"You can still participate in the Homecoming Day activities, and I guess you probably don't have a dance partner..."
"Hey! Gwen!" A red-haired girl, like a burst of flame, collided with Gwen's back, greeting her happily. It was then that Mary Jane noticed Peter: "Hi, Peter, feels like the first time I've seen you walk to school with Gwen?"
"I usually get up pretty early, so... how's the Daily Bugle part-time job? Any news?"
"Pretty good." Mary Jane released Gwen: "They gave me an interview. Maybe I can really become an intern reporter for the Daily Bugle?"
"I'm sure you'll pass the interview. Good luck, Mary Jane."
After Peter smiled and said goodbye, Gwen lightly elbowed Mary Jane, leaving the latter confused. Then, after Gwen whispered something in her ear, Mary Jane understood what had happened.
"I didn't mean to. Should I apologize?"
"No need, after all, he brought it up. Just, a reminder to be careful."
Peter didn't pay attention to these things. He walked towards his locker, while the large screen nearby, as always, played Midtown School's own news program.
"Recently, the political situation in Wakanda has been in turmoil. Following the death of former King T'Chaka, the White Ape faction, a minority within Wakanda, launched multiple armed attacks, leading to chaos in Wakanda's political landscape. The new King of Wakanda, T'Challa, stated that the White Ape attacks were influenced and supported by external forces, and that large-scale vibranium theft has occurred in Wakanda..."
Listening to the international news, Peter put his backpack into his locker. He only had two suits: one was severely damaged from his fight with Shocker and holding up the bridge, and hadn't been repaired yet, and the other was the one he had brought out today.
He had just closed the locker door when he heard Harry's playful yell.
"Exterminate—"
"I'm not the Doctor, Harry."
Peter turned to see Harry holding a robot doll that resembled a pepper shaker with a whisk and a toilet plunger sticking out of it, listening to him say: "What do you think? On the first day of the themed event, I'll dress up as a Dalek and go around school shouting 'Exterminate'?"
"Is Doctor Who considered a superhero?"
"What could be more superhero than Doctor Who? He doesn't even use any superpowers, but saves the universe with his scientific knowledge and compassion for life, again, again, and again!"
Looking at his good friend, who had transformed into "Mr. Again," Peter hugged his books and asked: "Then why don't you dress up as the Doctor?"
"I think you or Amadeus would be more suitable. You're smarter than me."
"You could also dress up as a magician."
"If I dressed up as a magician, it would just be two guys in suits, not Doctor Who and his alien enemy." Harry said, pulling out an old-model Doctor Who sonic screwdriver toy: "It doesn't require any cosplay budget, just find an old suit that no one in your family wears, and you can always put together a suitable outfit. How about it, Doctor Peter?"
Seeing his good friend subtly solve his problem of not being able to participate in the themed day due to costumes, Peter smiled awkwardly.
"Harry, I... thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'm still looking forward to seeing your interaction with the sonic screwdriver and the Dalek. Hey, Amadeus, are you planning to participate in the themed day? You and Peter could dress up as different Doctors!"
"I have my own plan."
Amadeus became excited talking about superhero costumes: "I'm going to put on an oversized lab coat, wear glasses, change my hairstyle, and then I'll be done!"
Harry felt an inexplicable confusion.
"What's that? Grandpa Rick?"
"Bruce Banner! Dude! Hulk!"
Both Peter and Harry had never seen Amadeus so excited. Peter knew that in the 616 comic universe, Amadeus had been the Hulk for a while. But he didn't expect him to be so obsessed with the Hulk at this age.
"...So, what about Doctor Who?"
"You guys go for it. That show is too niche; people might think you're nerdy shut-ins."
Amadeus said happily and left. Harry watched his retreating back for a while before complaining: "Does he know he's the biggest shut-in among the three of us?"
"Yeah, just like an untransformed Bruce Banner."
Shaking off his mood, Peter and Harry went to class together. But it seemed all bad luck was converging today. They hadn't walked far when they heard that familiar, annoying laugh, accompanied by a girl's scream.
Peter looked over. A frightened girl was crouching there, crying, and the culprit was Karl King, whom Peter knew. Karl was laughing heartily, putting his scary prop back into his pocket. He turned around, saw Peter, and frowned.
"This has nothing to do with you, Parker. Get lost."
"Have you stooped to bullying girls now? I thought you were waiting for the Homecoming football game to compete properly with the big guys at school."
Karl King smiled at this, walked up to Peter, and asked with a slight challenge: "What about you, skinny Parker? Do you dare to play football at Homecoming and hit me hard?"
It was clear that although Karl King had been beaten by Peter, he didn't think Peter was the problem. He simply thought he was bad at fighting, but when it came to football, he was quite confident.
"No, I don't even know the rules. See you later, Karl. Don't let me catch you bullying classmates again."
Saying goodbye, Peter remained motionless, clearly indicating that Karl should be the one to say goodbye. Karl King couldn't help but scoff, then left. As he left, he didn't forget to issue a threat: "Remember this, Parker, you coward who won't face me on the field!"
Harry looked at Peter's calm expression in surprise: "I thought you wouldn't be able to resist saying yes to him."
"I wanted to, but I really don't understand football. How can I play if I don't even know the rules? Forget football, soccer, basketball, badminton, I don't even know the rules for table tennis. I'm going to check on that girl."
So Peter left Harry baffled.
"Why 'don't even know table tennis'? Is everyone supposed to know how to play table tennis?"
While Harry was still wondering what table tennis had to do with anything, Peter had already comforted the girl and left. Harry then realized: "Nice, saving the damsel in distress. Except she probably doesn't even notice you."
"I don't think about those things. I'm just thinking I should care, it doesn't really matter, just in case..."
Just in case of what?
Peter didn't even know himself.
Meanwhile, Karl King, after leaving, pulled out the item he used to scare girls from his pocket. It was a spider, to be precise, a spider specimen. Six months ago, on the eve of junior high graduation at the Osborn Tech exhibition, when that irradiated spider escaped from its display case, it was Karl King who found it and placed it on Peter Parker's neck.
He personally witnessed Peter Parker screaming in agony as he was bitten by the spider. He had even thought about taking the spider home and raising it, so he could release it to bite anyone he disliked someday. But then, after Peter Parker swatted the spider away, it was inexplicably stepped on and killed. So, he had no choice but to preserve it as a specimen to scare people.
If Karl had known what that spider was, he would never have so casually tossed it onto someone else.
Similarly, if Peter had known more about Spider-Man's enemies in his previous life, and not just focused on the obvious classic villains, but paid more attention to obscure ones, he would have known how much trouble Karl King could bring him.