"I...erm... The... steak sounds good..." Peter said to the waiter, looking up to give him a weak smile. "I'll take that... and er... the same salad as her." He said, pointing to Lexi. He didn't really like salad, but he thought he'd be embarrassing if he didn't get one. "And.... Some cheesecake will be fine.. Please." He added, not wanting to be rude. The people were talking, so there weren't any awkward silence. Peter's excitement was through the roof, but he still couldn't get over the thought of Harry expecting Spider-Man to just hand over his blood... and Uncle Ben's killer still haunted his memory...

"So. Been gone for a couple years and this Spider-Man guy has taken all the fame and glory from us." Norman Osborne said... Peter looked down at his empty plate, not knowing if he was joking or not. "I don't like him." The new Mrs. Osborne said with a shrug. "Someone who is just as dangerous as the criminals swinging around the city and the police do nothing about it.--"

"He was chased by the cops at first." Peter said, unable to keep his mouth shut. He really didn't like the lady.

"Why did they stop? He should be behind bars."

"Because they realize that he isn't a bad guy."

"Well I don't see why he has to keep his identity."

"Dangerous people would never leave him or his loved ones alone."

"The Police risk their lives every day--"

"Maybe he knows that you can't always rely on the cops to solve everyone's problems." Peter said rather harshly, not intending to. He realized he was standing a bit. He sat back down. Harry seemed to be smirking, Norman said nothing, Mrs. Osborne was furious, and he didn't look at Lexi... He was embarrassing not only himself, but his date and host of the party...

The salads came first (Peter had to force himself to swallow it with every gulp of tea). Then came the main course. That was something much more tasteful. He ate slowly, with his back straight, trying his best to mimic the rest of the group, and not say anything else, no matter how mad it made him. It wasn't worth it. He didn't have to try and impress Mrs. Osborne. Neither did Spider-Man.