Spider-Man: First Day of School

In the American high school system, students move between classrooms based on their chosen courses, with their time outside of class being freely allocated. Courses are divided into electives and required subjects. Midtown High requires five core classes and two electives per semester. Students attend five classes daily: three in the morning, starting at 8:20 AM, and two in the afternoon, ending at 3:00 PM.

The first day of high school was uneventful, consisting of an opening ceremony, placement tests, and then receiving a schedule based on test results and personal interests. After lunch, there were club recruitment drives and discussions among upperclassmen about the year's homecoming activities, which didn't involve the new students much.

The only notable event was a speech given at the opening ceremony by the renowned scientist, Norman Osborn.

The reason a famous entrepreneur like Osborn would give a speech at an ordinary public high school like Midtown High was simple: his son was enrolling.

"I thought you were really interested in scientists, but you were practically falling asleep during Osborn's speech."

"Osborn is an excellent investor and entrepreneur, but he's definitely not an excellent scientist or engineer... Hey, does our school have its own TV program?"

Peter answered Gwen ambiguously. He felt a desire to care about Norman, but was afraid to do so deliberately. Peter Parker had no connection with Harry Osborn at the moment, but the spider that bit him was a genuine Oscorp experiment.

Besides, who could guarantee that the Norman Osborn of this universe wasn't already the Green Goblin?

The only good news was probably that Norman Osborn in this universe was white.

So, he distractedly replied to Gwen, glancing at the TV in the hallway. On the screen, two high school students, a boy and a girl, were broadcasting "Midtown Middle School Evening News." Of course, they weren't as polished as professional anchors, but they looked the part.

"The new semester has begun, and voting for this year's homecoming theme has started. Please visit our school's official website to cast your vote..."

They watched the news for a few seconds. Gwen seemed quite excited about high school life, finding it much more vibrant than middle school.

As for Peter, he just wanted to slip away. It was already 3 PM, and it was time for Spider-Man to start his patrol in New York.

"Oh my gosh! Our school has a rock band! I want to join!"

"I think Uncle George would be furious if he knew you gave up ballet in high school to play the drums."

Peter said this as he walked over to his locker. Hearing this, Gwen leaned against a nearby locker and raised an eyebrow.

"If you dare rat me out to my dad, you're dead, smart guy."

"I surrender."

Peter made a gesture of raising his hands, then opened the new locker he'd been assigned for the day and started packing. Gwen noticed that someone was already packing to go home: "Wait? You're leaving already?"

"Uh? Yes?"

"On the first day of school? Aren't you going to get familiar with the classrooms or see if there are any clubs that interest you?"

"Perhaps?"

"Even if there might be something like a mad science club, a comic book club, or a detective club?"

Peter Parker calmly thought for a few seconds and reached a positive conclusion.

"Okay, you've convinced me. Let's enjoy high school."

Did Peter Parker want to enjoy high school? Perhaps, but he was considering other things. For example, Gwen had noticed that morning that Spider-Man's shoes were the same as hers. This was naturally because it cost more to make a pair of shoes, and Peter needed to ensure he had spare suits, leaving him without the funds to specifically modify a pair of shoes. But this also reminded him that he had to be careful about his identity being exposed, to avoid affecting those around him.

Of course, if such a thing were to happen, those people would definitely regret it.

But it would be better if it didn't happen at all. So he thought, if Peter Parker didn't join any club activities, kept his distance from his classmates, and was always appearing and disappearing, not only would Gwen be suspicious, but perhaps teachers and classmates would also pay attention to him. To avoid this, it was best to be an ordinary high school student, which was the best way to keep his identity as Spider-Man from being exposed.

In addition, it would be best to get an internship at Stark Industries or Oscorp so he could secretly upgrade his suit. But this would require even more careful time management. Fortunately, Spider-Man's rest quality far surpassed that of ordinary people; Peter only needed to sleep about four or five hours to get rid of fatigue.

"By the way, why did you say I would play the drums?"

"Because... it suits you." Peter thought, I can't possibly say that in some universe where you were bitten by a spider, you were the drummer in a band, can I? He could only laugh and brush off the topic.

"So, what club are you planning to join?"

"Hard to say," Peter said casually. "I'll definitely go for the Olympiad competitions; they're very helpful for college. As for the student council... I'm not very interested. Midtown High is unlikely to have high-level scientific research clubs, but internships at Stark or Osborn Industries are more reliable. Other than that, I wish there was a place where I could program with people, play Dungeons & Dragons, or build LEGOs."

"Hmm..." Gwen mused, "That sounds like a shut-in."

"I am a shut-in. I like reading, technology, anime, and board games. I'm terrible at sports, but I do stick to long-distance running and combat training."

As they chatted, they planned to check out the school's club recruitment fair. However, after only a few steps, they heard a familiar, irritating laugh.

A tall, muscular man in a short-sleeved shirt was pressing another student's head against a locker. Peter sighed helplessly, reopened his locker, and took something out.

"I can't believe every American high school has to have these stupid things, jocks bullying classmates by the lockers." Peter closed his locker door and looked at Gwen, who was waiting for him. "I thought you'd go help that poor little guy."

"If you weren't going, I would. But now I have to take you back to the nurse's office."

"It won't be like this in high school, Gwen. I've only been to the nurse's office a few times in middle school, back in sixth grade."

Peter said this as he walked towards the scene of the bullying. It was quite lively around them. Sometimes Peter felt that perhaps his previous life's high school atmosphere was better. How could America have an atmosphere that disliked studious nerds, admired jocks, and even enjoyed watching bullying and cheering for it?

The victim of the bullying was a young Asian boy Peter didn't recognize, but he was very familiar with the bully: Carl, who had spent three years in middle school playing cat and mouse with him.

What a coincidence.

Just as he was about to speak, someone beat him to it. A brown-haired guy in a black jacket quickly pushed his way between them and confronted Carl intimidatingly, "Listen, man, I don't know who you are, but if you don't stop, you're in big trouble."

"Oh yeah?"

Carl, like all the high school bullies in American TV shows, cracked his knuckles, making popping sounds, and used his imposing 6'3" frame to loom over the other guy. "You're in big trouble now, meddler."

"Hey, Carl."

A familiar voice called out to him. Peter Parker calmly and composedly walked towards him. "How about this, if you don't bully classmates in high school, we can still be friends. What do you think?"

Peter Parker extended his hand to Carl, a benevolent smile on his face. Carl actually let go of the other two and reached out to Peter Parker, grasping—no, crushing—Parker's palm.

"You won't think that when you're begging for mercy, Parker AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"A pressure-activated shocker, Carl. You wouldn't have gotten zapped if you'd just shaken hands properly." Peter kept holding Carl's hand. "And I'd advise you not to throw any punches. I learned quite a few fighting techniques from my uncle over the summer. If I end up knocking you down, I'll have to explain to the teacher that I wasn't bullying you."

"Screw you!"

Carl, shaking Peter's hand off, threw an angry punch. Peter caught it with his palm. Carl let out another pained groan. Peter sighed with a sense of helplessness, looking at the other two guys. "Did anyone hear me say it was pressure-activated?"

"Uh... was that shock a bit much?"

"Don't worry, I've known Carl for three years. I know he can handle it." Peter smiled at the helpful bystander. Carl retreated again, then lunged forward.

"I'm gonna beat you into..."

"Here's a suggestion, Carl: stop yelling." Peter jolted, sidestepped, grabbed Carl's wrist, and twisted it, forcing his arm behind his back. He released Carl when he started yelping in pain, simultaneously kicking his ankle slightly. The big guy tumbled to the ground.

Carl, still angry, tried to get up, but then saw Peter Parker's hand, something worn on the palm, hovering inches from his face before shifting into an outstretched position.

"Like I said, if you don't bully classmates in high school, we can be friends. What do you say?"

"Screw you."

The same words, but the tone was different this time. Carl had learned his lesson. He slapped Peter's hand away and scrambled off.

The surrounding students, witnessing the unexpected turn of events, were filled with surprise and excitement. Peter ignored them, sighing with feigned regret. "I thought maybe in high school, I could be friends with him. You guys okay?"

He turned to the smaller Asian student who had been the target of the bullying and was now getting up. He seemed fine. Another guy, equally inclined to meddle, had already walked over.

"You were so cool just now, man. You took that guy down in one move."

"We went to the same middle school. He bullied me back then, and I know how to handle him."

Peter took a closer look at this guy. Short brown hair, he was almost six feet tall, and undeniably handsome and dashing. At least in terms of looks, Peter thought this guy was better than him.

"Peter Benjamin Parker, freshman."

"Harold Layman. I'm a freshman too, just like you. Call me Harry."

After shaking hands, Harry realized belatedly, "Whoa! I really didn't feel anything."

"Only guys who want to throw a punch get shocked. Are you alright?"

"Thank you... uh, thank you. My name is Zhao, Amadeus Zhao."

If Harry had only reminded Peter of a Harry Osborn who had disappeared somewhere, then Amadeus's name was enough to make him zone out. However, he quickly regained his composure and extended his hand to the other person. "Nice to meet you, man."