The dismissal bell at Midtown High School, for the first time, felt like a death knell to Peter Parker. He lay slumped over his desk, face buried in his arms, feeling as if the entire World was spinning—not the sensory overload he experienced after being bitten by the spider, but a pure dizziness brought on by lack of sleep and an overworked brain.
What happened last night? His memory was like scrambled paste. He only remembered that it was already eleven o'clock at night after completing the Association's D-rank mission, "Stop Convenience Store Robbery" (reward: 5 points). Dragging his sore body back to his bedroom, he should have immediately collapsed onto the bed unconscious, but his gaze uncontrollably drifted towards the workbench in the corner.
There lay his latest web-shooter improvement blueprints, molecular formulas for several biodegradable catalysts were plastered on the wall like scribbles, and a small pinch of material, exchanged with points from the Equipment Research Department, supposedly a "high-tenacity nanofiber sample," was waiting for him to test.
"Just one hour…" he told himself then, downing his third instant coffee of the night, "Just test the load-bearing limit of the new mesh structure, and then go to sleep immediately."
And then… there was no 'then' after that.
When he was awakened by the first ray of morning sun, he found himself slumped over the workbench, his face pressed against a draft paper covered with failed structural diagrams, next to a beaker containing a solidified, strange-smelling failed mixture. And the alarm clock on his nightstand was reminding him at maximum volume that there were less than forty minutes left until the start of the midterm physics exam.
Thus, the current scene unfolded. He almost instinctively, relying on his Spider-Sense, carved a path through the traffic and crowds of New York's morning rush hour, rushing into the exam hall just as the class bell rang. But Spider-Sense could help him dodge cars, yet it couldn't help him cram those damned quantum mechanics formulas into his empty brain.
When the exam paper was handed out, he looked at the familiar symbols and questions, feeling as if they were blurry through frosted glass. He tried hard to concentrate, but his eyelids were fighting a losing battle, and what echoed in his mind wasn't whether Schrödinger's cat was dead or alive, but the soft "pop" sound of a web breaking during last night's test, and the several alluring new missions, still unaccepted, blinking on the Association's APP.
"Peter? Are you alright?" Ned Leeds, sitting next to him, lowered his voice, looking worriedly at his pale face and heavy dark circles.
Peter forced out a smile uglier than a cry, shook his head, and picked up his pen to start answering the questions.
Initially, he could barely cope with his past knowledge and extraordinary memory. But in the latter half, especially with that comprehensive question about particle spin coupling, his brain completely shut down. The letters and numbers in front of him started dancing, and formulas twisted and deformed in his mind. He felt his head getting heavier and heavier, and his hand holding the pen began to tremble slightly.
"No… I can't sleep… Mei will kill me…" He pinched his thigh hard, trying to use the pain to dispel his sleepiness.
But fatigue, like a tide, crashed against the dam of his consciousness wave after wave. Fifteen minutes before the end of the exam, he finally couldn't resist, his head suddenly dropped, and his forehead hit the desk with a dull "thud."
The entire exam room instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed on him.
The strict proctor, Miss Warren, walked to his side with a frown and tapped on his desk: "Mr. Parker?"
Peter jolted awake, his heart pounding, and looked up blankly, a clear red mark still on his forehead.
"If you're not feeling well, you can go to the infirmary," Miss Warren's voice carried clear displeasure, "But please don't disturb other students."
Peter was mortified, quickly lowered his head, mumbled a response, and forced himself to look back at the test paper. But for the remaining time, he spent it almost half-asleep, randomly filling in the answer sheet, his mind blank.
The moment he handed in the paper, he felt as if he had just been pulled out of the Water, covered in cold sweat.
The result, as expected, was without suspense.
Two days later, the physics grades were released. Following Peter Parker's name was a glaring "67" points, just one step away from the passing line, ranking him among the last in the class. What was worse, Miss Warren had conspicuously annotated his paper in red pen: "Final major question's approach completely deviated, and there were clear signs of inattention, suspected insufficient rest before the exam."
This test paper, along with the report card for several other subjects which he barely passed, was placed in a thin envelope and mailed to his and Mei's apartment in Queens.
That night, the atmosphere in the kitchen dropped to freezing point.
Mei held the report card, her hands trembling slightly. She looked at the dismal scores on it, then looked up at Peter, who stood opposite her, head bowed, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes, his face filled with disappointment and worry.
"Peter… can you explain this?" Mei's voice was soft, yet it hurt Peter more than any scolding, "I remember you were studying very hard a while ago, why this time… physics even almost failed? Teacher Warren also specifically mentioned your poor mental state during the exam."
"I… I…" Peter opened his mouth, but found he couldn't come up with a single decent excuse. What could he say? That he was busy being a superhero fighting crime at night? That he was so engrossed in researching new web formulas that he stayed up all night?
"Is it because of… that 'internship'?" Mei keenly grasped something. She knew Peter had recently been interning at a "tech company," seemed quite busy, sometimes came home late, and sometimes looked very tired in the morning. She had originally been very supportive, thinking it would help Peter's future, but now… "Peter, I know you want to help out the family, want to earn some pocket money." Mei's tone was both pained and serious, "But, nothing is more important than your studies and your health! If this 'internship' is affecting your studies and rest, then I must ask you to stop it immediately!"
"No! Mei! I can't stop!" Peter suddenly looked up, a hint of panic flashing across his face. Stop? That would mean losing the Association's points, losing the means to exchange for materials and technologies that could make him stronger and better able to protect others, and also mean losing that meager but stable "allowance"—which was by no means dispensable for his and Mei's lives.
"This internship is really important to me! I… I just haven't managed my time well recently, I promise! I'll definitely do well next time!" Peter promised eagerly, his eyes full of pleading.
Mei looked at her nephew's anxious appearance and softened a little, but there was no compromising on matters of principle. She placed the report card on the table, her tone unyielding: "Listen, Peter. I don't care how important this internship is, if your next exam results don't significantly improve, and if your mental state is still this bad, then there will be no room for discussion on this matter. This is my ultimatum."
She walked over and gently hugged Peter, her voice softening: "I know you're a good kid, Peter. But you're only fifteen, and your priority right now is your studies and growing up healthy. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay?"
Feeling Mei's warm embrace and listening to her caring words, Peter's heart was filled with guilt and conflict. He nodded, muffled his reply: "I know, Mei. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Returning to his small bedroom, Peter collapsed weakly onto his bed, covering his face with a pillow, letting out a suppressed wail.
On one side was the responsibility of being Spider-Man and the desire for self-improvement, and on the other were Peter Parker's academics and Mei's expectations. The two were like two immense forces, tearing him apart.
He took out the disguised smartphone issued by the Association, and on its screen, several new mission notifications were blinking:
[C-rank Mission: Investigate abnormal energy fluctuations in the dock area. Reward: 25 points.]
[D-rank Mission: Assist police in apprehending a street racing gang. Reward: 8 points.]
[B-rank Mission (Team): Suspected tiger-level wack (Monster) appeared in Brooklyn, requires assistance with reconnaissance. Reward: 70 points (distributed based on contribution).]
Every point tempted him, every mission could help him become stronger, or prevent a potential tragedy.
But he also glimpsed the glaring physics test paper on his desk, and Mei's disappointed eyes.
"What should I do…" Peter buried his face deep in the pillow, feeling like he was about to be crushed by this sweet yet heavy burden.
The path to becoming a hero was far more complex and difficult than he had imagined. It wasn't just about putting on a costume and fighting villains; it was a cruel game against time, responsibility, and the realities of everyday life. And young Peter Parker stood at the center of this game's storm, truly feeling for the first time the pressure from the ordinary World, a pressure that could not be escaped by web-slinging.