"Peter! Hurry, the school bus is about to stop at the corner!" Aunt May's gentle but urgent voice came from downstairs.
"Coming, Aunt May!"
Peter Parker was frantically stuffing things into his backpack. He had made a point of wearing a clean plaid shirt today. The collar was a little faded from washing, but at least he looked like a respectable honor student.
He carefully took an old Canon camera out of the drawer-an old companion Uncle Ben had treasured for years.
"Hey, old buddy, I'm counting on you today." Facing the mirror, Peter tried to muster a confident smile, but he looked more like he had a toothache.
He wanted to take a few pictures of the laboratory. Of course, that was just an excuse.
His real target was the girl whose hair glowed in the sunlight, Gwen Stacy.
"Peter, take your sandwich for lunch." Uncle Ben stood in the doorway, newspaper in hand, his eyes full of affection. "Don't go running around the laboratory. All that genetics stuff is amazing, but it deserves respect, too."
"I know, Uncle Ben. I'm just going for a tour, not to take the place apart." A little awkwardly, Peter took the sandwich and hurried out with his head down.
Watching Peter's thin figure retreat, Uncle Ben sighed. "When is that boy going to gain a little confidence?"
"Hey, nerd, what trash heap did you dig that antique out of? Can it even take color photos?"
Flash Thompson's big, obnoxious face suddenly loomed in front of Peter Parker, bringing with it the smell of cheap chewing gum. He rudely reached for the old SLR camera hanging against Peter's chest, a treasure from Uncle Ben's younger days.
"Don't touch it, Flash!" Like a startled squirrel, Peter recoiled a full step, both hands clamped