Even though Harry had turned her down, Gwen still walked alongside him.
After all, a long stretch of their routes to Harry's "part-time job" and her home were the same.
They usually walked to and from school together.
As they descended the stairs, Harry chatted with the beautiful Miss Gwen while greeting classmates along the way.
Suddenly, Harry stopped, a fond, knowing smile spreading across his face as he looked ahead.
Curious, Gwen followed his gaze and saw a familiar figure talking to a lively and pretty girl.
And that familiar figure was none other than Harry's brother, Peter Parker!
After the girl left, Harry walked up behind Peter with a smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Peter. If I'm not mistaken, you've got a happy date lined up for tonight!"
Compared to the current Harry, his brother Peter was much more reserved. Although he was also an excellent student, he wasn't good at socializing.
Harry had been very worried about this. Peter was already a senior and still hadn't had his first girlfriend.
Harry had even considered using his connections to introduce Peter to someone. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about that now.
"That girl is really nice. You should seize the opportunity!" Harry advised with some concern.
But to his surprise, Peter stammered, "No, it's not what you think. She just asked me to take a picture of her boyfriend's car so she could frame it as a birthday gift for him..."
The smile on Harry's face froze. "..."
He immediately changed the subject. "Oh, right! Aunt May is making your favorite fruit pizza tonight. Let's hurry home, I can't wait!"
The three of them walked outside, drawing the attention of other students along the way.
Peter felt a bit uncomfortable under the numerous gazes. He was never good at being the center of attention.
But he was also a little envious. He knew that the reason the other students were looking at them had nothing to do with him.
Their gazes were simply drawn to the two most popular stars of Midtown Tech; he was just an extra in the background.
Damn it, why is Harry so popular? We're brothers, but why are our lives so different?
Thinking about how Aunt May and Uncle Ben treated him compared to Harry, Peter felt even worse.
Damn it, why do Aunt May and Uncle Ben seem to like Harry more? I was here first!
The trio walked outside and, upon reaching the courtyard, instinctively stopped.
In the center of the field, a large circle of students had formed, chanting in rhythm, both boys and girls:
"Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!"
When the three of them made their way through the crowd, they saw what was happening inside.
Eugene "Flash" Thompson, the well-known bully of Midtown Tech, was holding one of Harry's classmates, Gordon, and forcing his head into a lunch tray, making him eat the food like a dog.
Without a doubt, this was blatant school bullying.
Just then, Flash noticed Peter in the crowd. His eyes lit up. He pushed Gordon's face into the rice, struck a pose, and said to Peter:
"Hey, Parker! Come on, take some cool pictures for us!"
The surrounding students showed no sympathy for the weaker boy and started jeering wildly.
"Take the picture, Peter! We know your photography skills are the best at Midtown Tech!"
"Yeah, take a cool picture of Flash and Gordon and post it on the wall of fame!"
Despite being urged on by the crowd, the kind-hearted Peter would never bully a classmate along with them.
He shook his head and refused firmly. "No, I'm not taking that kind of picture. Let him go, man!"
But Flash, of course, wouldn't agree. He glared at Peter and said in a low voice, "Take the picture, Peter. Don't make me say it twice."
Peter looked at Flash's ferocious face and felt a little intimidated. But despite his fear, his kind nature would never allow him to abandon someone in need. Like Harry, he was a good person.
Besides, he wasn't without backup. Having lived together for years, Peter knew about Harry's mysterious abilities.
So he shouted loudly, "Flash! Let him go!"
Being yelled at by Peter, Flash felt his authority as the school bully was being challenged. He glanced around and noticed the strange looks from the other students. Flash's anger flared, and he dropped Gordon and charged towards Peter.
"Parker, it looks like you need to be taught a lesson!"
As a skinny nerd, Peter was no match for the strong school bully.
He had no time to react to Flash's sudden punch. It was about to smash squarely into his cheek.
But just then, an arm suddenly appeared in front of Peter. To everyone's astonishment, Flash's heavy punch was easily blocked by a single hand.
Then, they heard a somewhat angry voice from the side, and its source was none other than Harry, the perennial top student of their grade!
They had never imagined that the seemingly kind and sunny Harry possessed such incredible strength, capable of easily blocking a punch from the much larger Flash!
Harry squeezed Flash's fist tightly, his face showing a hint of anger.
"Flash, is bullying your classmates really that fun? Why don't you try picking on me instead?"
Seeing his punch blocked by Harry, Flash was initially surprised. He hadn't expected Harry's seemingly thin frame to hide such power.
But after hearing the gasps from the surrounding students, he didn't think about it anymore. He only felt an endless rage about to consume him.
Having been used to acting arrogantly at school, Flash couldn't tolerate anyone challenging his authority.
"Let go, Harry! Don't think I won't hit you just because the teachers like you. If you don't move, I'll beat you up too!"
Harry shook his head. "Forget it. I'm definitely not moving. And I really don't think you have what it takes to beat me."
Taunted by Harry, Flash could no longer hold back. He swung his other fist at Harry's face.
But for Harry, such a simple and direct attack was too easy to block.
The fighting skills of Wong and Mordo that he learned at Kamar-Taj were far beyond anything Flash could compare to.
Harry abruptly pulled Flash's arm. As his body lunged forward, Harry tripped him with his leg, and Flash fell heavily to the ground.
Harry pinned Flash's arms, pressing his knee into his back to keep him from getting up.
After easily accomplishing this, amidst the astonished cries of the other students, Harry warned, "Flash, this is the last time. If I ever see you bullying another student again, it won't end this easily."
...
As they walked out of the Midtown Tech school gates and onto the leaf-strewn street, Gwen asked in amazement, "Harry, I never knew you were so good at fighting!"