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[b]Midtown High[/b]

Usually I'm not sore after a night of taking down some creeps, but the Sandman really beat the tar outta me. I wince as I close my locker and swing my bag onto my back. It's not easy to be a crime fighter at night and a high school nerd during the day. To be honest there's constantly someone trying to take me down. Sure, here it's just for lunch money, but still. It gets old.

"You see Spidey take on that freak!?" Flash Thompson's voice explodes from the other end of the hall. Quarterback of the football team, homecoming king, and boyfriend of Liz Allen, the most popular girl in school, Flash is basically the king of the school. He had also been a thorn in my side, that is until recently. The two of us were friends when we were young, back when Flash was Eugene Thompson, but he became too cool for me and turned me into "Puny Parker". We've patched things up recently, which is mostly because he thinks Spidey, who he basically worships, is my friend. But I'm not getting stuffed into lockers anymore, so I'll take it. "Man there's no one that can beat Spider-man. Parker! You get any pictures of my main man last night?"

I've been giving Flash the pictures J. Jonah Jameson doesn't want. It's more or less protection money.

Oh, right. Jameson's my boss at the Daily Bugle, the best media site in New York. I'm the only one that can get even halfway decent pictures of Spider-man, so he pays me well for them. Sure, it's probably a little unethical, but you try and fund a superhero operation and have a girlfriend on the meager allowance Aunt May gives me. 

"Yea, Flash," I respond with a shrug. "I'm going to see Jameson after school today. I'll give you what he doesn't want tomorrow, okay?"

"You better," he slaps me on the back as he walks by. I pretend to topple over, selling the strength of the big man on campus. That may be the hardest thing I've had to do since becoming Spider-man. I'm stronger, faster, and more agile than anyone in the school by a large margin. But the Peter Parker before that time was clumsy, awkward, and weak as a kitten. Trying to balance both lives has never been easy, but playing the flimsy nerd is definitely the most difficult.

"Need a hand," Gwen asks as she comes up beside me, helping me up. As I get to my feet, she pulls me in and whispers into my ear, "Way to play that off."

"Thanks, I try my best."

"You okay?" she looks at me with a worried look. "You didn't call when you got back last night."

"Yea, sorry," I shrug. "It took me forever to get the sand out of my suit."

She continues looking at me. Clearly I'm in trouble for giving the sarcastic answer. Classic Parker.

"Can we talk later?" I protest. "Probably not the best place for this discussion."

"Sure," she shakes her head as we head to class.

[center]**********[/center]

[b]Daily Bugle Building
Manhattan[/b]

I rock gently back and forth in the chair outside J. Jonah Jameson's office. Stopping a bank robbery? Easy. Going up against a super villain? Piece of cake. But having to deal with JJ? That is my ultimate fear. Jameson's picture is next to the word intense in the dictionary. I'm pretty sure he could give Walter White intensity lessons. Godzilla would yell, "J. Jonah Jameson!" if JJJ went to Tokyo. 

You get the idea.

Sitting across from me is the stunning Betty Brant. Betty's a college student at Empire State University, and Jameson's secretary. Smart, witty, and beautiful, she was the reason I have this job to begin with. She had seen my pictures when I first came into the Bugle, and insisted Jameson use them. The simple fact that she stood up for him made me adore her. Sure, it is just a crush, but it is one I'd never even consider mentioning to Gwen. No reason to make her jealous over nothing, right?

"Giant sand monster," Betty strikes up small talk. "That's a new one, huh?"

"Yea," I respond sheepishly. "I didn't get there though. All I got were a few of Spidey."

"Ohhhh, Pete," she says sympathetically. "You know he's not gonna be happy about that one."

I smile, "Is he ever happy about anything?"

"PARKER!" Jameson's voice booms from his office. "GET IN HERE!"

"Good luck," Betty coos as I pass by her.

JJ snaps his fingers at me as I enter, pointing to his desk. I slip the pictures out of the envelope and plop them down in front of him, "Awful. Crap. Terrible. This one's okay."

"Mr. Jameson, I was hoping I could get a little more-"

"Ha!" the man exclaims as he chomps down on a cigar. "Parker you slay me. Now agree to the same price and get outta here. I just found out my wife 'borrowed' my credit cards this morning and I have to catch her before I come home and have another one of my walk-in humidor converted into a walk-in closet! You gonna give me the picture of the masked menace or not!?"

Jameson hates me. Well, he hates the Spider-man side of me. I've yet to understand why, but I don't care much. He knows I sell papers, so I continue to have a paycheck a few times a week.

"Sure, Mister Jameson," I nod. "See you in a few days."

I leave the office, and as I do, Betty laughs, "Didn't get that raise again?"

"Nope."

"Better luck next time, Pete," she smiles sweetly.