At a school, in the area where students store their belongings in lockers, a muscular guy suddenly grabs a brown-haired boy by the collar and slams him hard against a locker.
"Ouch."
"So you can feel pain, huh, Nerd?"
"I'm human, Flash. If I didn't making noise, you'd be facing the law."
"Shut up!"
A fist lands squarely on the face of the brown-haired, glasses-wearing boy.
It's a painful punch, likely because the bully in front of him is very athletic, or perhaps because the boy himself is frail.
Either way, another punch is coming his way.
The other students around just watch, not intervening. Getting involved in trouble is too much hassle, after all.
"What's wrong? Not making any noise anymore, punk?"
"Talking to a donkey is exhausting. No, you're worse than a donkey—you're a brick wall."
"You!!!"
If you're wondering why I'm getting beaten up like this? It's simple.
I talk too much, and my teasing words tend to get on people's nerves.
That's what irritated Flash Thompson, a muscular guy who already didn't like me, especially after I accidentally said something about him.
Well, I guess I'm partly to blame. I'm just a nosy neighbor, after all. But it's not like I can say much—Flash has targeted plenty of others before. I'm just his latest victim.
Ugh, his punches are getting harder while I'm lost in my thoughts…
As another punch is about to hit my face, a hand grabs Flash's arm.
"Stop."
At that moment, Flash and the others turn their attention to the person who stopped him.
"…Harry Osborn."
"Touch my friend one more time, and don't blame me when we both end up in the principal's office."
"…Fine. You're lucky, nerd."
Flash and his cronies walk away. Harry then approaches me.
"Peter, sorry I was late."
"No worries, Harry. My big mouth got me in trouble, that's all."
"Whether you talk too much or not, that guy let his emotions take over. Makes him no better than an idiot."
"No, no, a child."
We look at each other and burst out laughing.
"Peter, if you keep running your mouth like that, you'll get punched again. I can't always save you," Harry says, slinging an arm around my shoulder.
"Yeah, I'll try to keep my mouth shut… if I can."
"If you can?"
"Yeah, if I can."
We leave the school and check our watches.
"Time flies when you're heading home… Peter, wanna come over to my place?"
"Aunt May and Uncle Ben will worry about me."
"No problem, I've got a phone. Not everyone's as broke as you, you know."
"…You know what? Your mouth is worse than mine."
"Hehe."
A taxi pulls up, and we hop in, heading to Harry's place. Eventually, we stop at Harry's mansion.
As we open the gate and enter, we see Harry's dad, Norman Osborn, brewing coffee.
"Oh, you brought Peter over? Let me pour you a drink, kid."
"No thanks, Uncle Norman."
"Dad, how's work going?"
"You're not old enough to worry about my work yet."
"…"
Their relationship is as strained as ever, so different from how he treats me.
We head up to Harry's room.
"Peter, wanna play a game? I got a new one."
"Sounds awesome, Harry!"
Harry beams with pride, turns on the screen, grabs a game disc, and pops it into the console.
"What game is it?"
"It's a fighting game from Japan called Guilty Gear."
"Guilty Gear?"
"You've definitely never heard of it. It's not as big as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat."
We jump into the character selection screen. Harry picks Sol, and I choose Potemkin. Time flies as we play.
"Take this, Peter!"
"In your dreams!"
"Ahh! You grabbed me again!"
"Who told you to play Sol like a brainless ape? No defense, just charging in with full force—are you a gorilla?"
"You talk too much, Peter!"
As the sky starts to darken, I stand up.
"Harry, you feeling any better?"
"Huh?"
"About your dad."
"Oh… I don't know."
A look of loneliness crosses Harry's face.
"I want to live up to his expectations, but they're so ridiculously high. I'm scared I can't handle it."
"You don't have to, you know."
"I know… but he's the only family I can rely on and trust. I don't want to disappoint him."
Their father-son relationship is tough…
"…If you ever feel alone, you can call me. We're best friends, after all."
"…Heh, hearing you say that makes me chuckle."
"Then don't call me."
"I'm kidding!"
I say goodbye to Harry and head home as the sky darkens.
"…Crap, I don't have money for a taxi… Guess I'm walking."
I sigh and pass through a dark alley. The only sound is my footsteps.
But then, another sound cuts through.
Rip!
"?"
I stop and look toward the noise.
'…Is something wrong with my eyes?'
I clean my glasses and look again.
The space in that spot is torn, emitting something that doesn't belong here.
Curious, I approach it.
Suddenly, two grotesque hands grab my head from within the rift.
"?!"
I try to break free, but the hands grip my head tightly, causing pain.
[Didn't expect to meet Spider-Man here. Lucky me.]
"W-Who are you?!"
[Who am I? Just someone who enjoys tasting others' fear! I'll give you knowledge from another world, and in return, you'll satisfy my cravings. I believe you can do it, Peter Parker!]
"WHAT ARE YOU BABBLING ABOUT?!"
Suddenly, a flood of knowledge pours into my brain, overwhelming it.
"S-Stop…"
My consciousness fades, and the last thing I see is that creature grinning at me…