"Yes, that missing persons case, the one in Hell's Kitchen. They say there was human skin left behind at the scene, so everyone's calling the killer the 'Skin Skinner'!"
In the courtyard of Midtown High School, a group of idle students had gathered, discussing the recent string of disappearances. Thanks to sensationalist reporting by New York's many unscrupulous media outlets, even these students living in their ivory tower had caught wind of it.
Kenny McFarland, a big, brawny fellow known to his classmates as "Kong," was holding forth loudly to his circle of sycophants. Because this bunch were notorious bullies at Midtown High, even though they were blocking the space around the lockers and making it hard for other students to pass, not a single person dared to say a word to them.
"Maybe Spider-Woman did it," Carl King said, his chubby face mottled with freckles as he wore an unnatural expression. "Didn't they find dead spiders at the scene? Maybe this has something to do with Spider-Woman."
Though short and fat, Carl King was no good guy. He was one of the school bullies, and had frequently harassed and bullied Peter Parker in the past.
"Who knows?" Kong shrugged, noncommittal about Carl King's theory.
"Hey, guys, maybe you could move somewhere else so I can open my locker without having to bend over and tuck my butt in just to squeeze through here?"
A sudden voice cut into their conversation.
Kong glared irritably at whoever had a death wish. The speaker wore a light brown cardigan over flannel trousers, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he stood right in front of them. Even without knowing the brand, the quality of the fabric made it obvious that the owner was filthy rich.
"Harry?"
Recognizing Harry Osborn—the school's premier wealthy heir and the only son of the head of Oscorp—Kong instantly reined in his anger. He knew there were some people in school you could mess with, and others you absolutely could not. Harry Osborn right in front of him was definitely someone you did not want to cross!
"Morning, Kenny. Mind stepping aside?"
Despite his high status at school, Harry was entirely unlike the arrogant, overbearing bullies. On the contrary, he rarely threw his weight around as a rich kid and was quite easygoing.
"Fine, I guess our hallway chat is over."
Kong motioned for the others to scatter, clearing a path for Harry and the classmates behind him to get their things.
"Wait, Kenny!"
Just as Kong was heading toward his classroom, he was intercepted by Harry, who had hurried after him.
"Didn't Jimmy Cobbs come to school today?" Harry asked Kong.
"Nope, probably nursing his injuries at the hospital, who knows?!" Kong added casually, "Didn't you hear what happened yesterday?"
Harry shook his head. "I took a sick day yesterday."
"Man, you really should've seen it. Jimmy was winding up to take a swing at Parker, and out of nowhere... Parker grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him right up in the air! Not only did he lift him up, but he threatened him: 'Do that again and I'll kill you!'"
Leveraging his talent for embellishment, Kong spun the yarn with absolute confidence.
"Is... is that really what he said?" Harry asked in astonishment.
As one of Peter Parker's friends, he had never heard the guy say anything remotely like that.
"Uh-huh. He even said it was all payback! The guy's basically a terrifying alien monster!"
Kong had bullied Peter Parker in the past, and he suddenly worried he might be at risk of getting a beating himself.
"No way," Harry muttered, his jaw dropping in shock.
"Who knows? The guy used to barely string two sentences together in a whole semester." Kong shook his head, turned, and walked away, leaving Harry standing there contemplating the meaning of life.
It wasn't until the warning bell was about to ring that Harry snapped out of his daze and headed back to class, only to run right into Peter, who was cutting it close to the bell.
"Hey, Peter!" Harry hurried over to his good friend.
Peter turned his head and saw Harry walking toward him with a friendliness that felt a bit over the top.
"I was planning to swing by your classroom after school today so we could study biology together, but I didn't expect to run into you here." As he spoke, Harry stepped closer, reaching out to sling an arm around Peter's shoulder. "It's a settlement, then. I'll bring some pastries to boost our brainpower."
Peter easily sidestepped Harry's attempt to put an arm around him.
"Sorry, I've got other plans."
Drawing on the memories of his predecessor, Peter readily recognized who he was dealing with—Harry Osborn, the future Green Goblin. Though the guy was supposed to be "Peter Parker's" friend, in his eyes, Harry was no different from any other passerby, or perhaps a wealthy passerby at best.
Seeing his attempt at camaraderie effortlessly dodged, Harry looked momentarily stunned before pulling back his arm and offering an awkward smile.
"I heard about what you did yesterday, Peter."
Harry felt that his friend might genuinely have undergone some changes he knew nothing about. While he was somewhat happy for his friend, he also felt a pang of regret over Peter's distance. In his heart, he truly considered the guy a good friend.
Adjusting his mood, Harry shrugged and said, "Got to hand it to you, that was awesome! I used to tell you to stay away from those guys, but if you can punch them right in the face, there's no better way to handle it."
"Thanks."
With a brief word of thanks to Harry, Peter turned and walked away. Although he could mostly suppress the infectious nature of the Blacklight Virus within him now, it wasn't foolproof, so he preferred to keep his distance from everyone else. As for what others thought, he had no interest and couldn't care less.
Back in the hallway, Harry watched his friend walk toward the classroom, feeling a deep sense of loss. He felt as though Peter was deliberately keeping him at a distance.
***
That night, the Osborn family estate.
Harry walked up the stairs to the third floor. Distracted by his thoughts about his daytime conversation with Peter, he forgot to knock and pushed right into his father's study.
"I'm telling you, Joe, that's the American market for you."
"Tobacco companies? Listen to me, tobacco companies started pumping massive amounts of nicotine into cigarettes decades before anyone figured it out."
"By the time the U.S. government finally figured out what was going on, it was already too late—the whole world had been conquered by nicotine. So don't give me that nonsense about our additives being illegal. As long as I see fit, that's all that matters! You listen to me!"
Harry's father, Norman Osborn, was speaking heatedly into his phone. Several corporate subordinates stood nearby, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Hanging up, Norman Osborn spotted his son standing in the doorway and flew into a rage. "Massa? Massa? Get this kid out of here! Who let him in?!"