Peter had always had a passion for photography.
His old camera was something he'd managed to get on a tight budget, but it worked quite well.
As the two of them walked toward the bus stop, a girl was already waiting there.
"Good morning," she greeted.
Mary Jane was dressed fashionably, her fiery red hair cascading down her back, and she had two charming dimples when she smiled.
"Good morning, Mary Jane," Bren responded politely.
Peter, however, fumbled with his greeting, then fell silent, pursing his lips. He wasn't very good with girls, not just Mary Jane, but even Liz, the girl he liked now. He couldn't bring himself to talk to her, let alone greet her.
Mary Jane seemed to be quite interested in Bren, chatting with him on various topics, making Peter feel like a third wheel. But he was used to it by now.
Compared to the "invisible Peter Parker," Bren had always been popular.
His grades were good, he was athletic, and Lightning kept trying to get him to join the baseball team, sometimes dragging him along to play basketball. But Bren always refused.
"Are you free to come watch our band practice this weekend?" Mary Jane asked, her face full of anticipation. "I'm the lead singer, and Gwen Stacy from your class is also in the band."
"I'm not sure if I'll have time," Bren didn't give her a definite answer.
It was easy to imagine how busy he'd be in the coming days. Watching pretty girls sing and dance on stage was tempting, but it couldn't compare to the machines in the lab.
Actually, Bren didn't care much for science. He was simply eager to change the current life situation for the Parkers.
"Do you plan to become a pop star?" Bren teased.
"Pop star or actor, who knows?" Mary Jane answered nonchalantly, clearly not having any concrete plans for her future.
A little while later, the school bus arrived. Mary Jane waved goodbye to the two of them and sat next to her friends.
Lightning spotted Bren and greeted him while hugging his girlfriend, Liz. "Good morning, Bren, are you free this afternoon to play baseball?"
"Good morning, Bren!" Liz also waved enthusiastically at him.
Peter's mood darkened upon seeing this.
"I don't have time. I've got other things to do," Bren replied, his attention elsewhere.
Lightning pushed Liz aside and leaned toward Bren. "Did you hear what happened last night at the Williamsburg Bridge?"
"Spider-Man versus the Lizard, of course I know," Bren glanced at Peter, who immediately avoided eye contact.
"Spider-Man? That name sounds a lot better than the one the Bugle gave him," Lightning said, nodding.
If J. Jonah Jameson was Spider-Man's biggest hater, then Lightning Thompson was his number one fan.
"He's so cool!" Lightning exclaimed.
He dismissed Liz and chatted enthusiastically with Bren.
Liz, annoyed, turned to Peter, who had also been left out, and dragged him to another seat.
"She definitely likes me!" Peter said confidently as they stood at the school gates.
"Did you see her sit next to me on the bus? I could smell the fragrance of her hair..." He was practically beaming.
"Can you stop acting like a love-struck idiot?" Bren rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that his little brother was beyond help.
"You guys just sat on the bus together, and you didn't even say a word to her. Besides, she only sat with you because Lightning pushed her away," Bren pointed out.
Liz wasn't a bad person, but she loved attention.
She didn't care much for the quiet Peter Parker.
Bren shook his head, not bothering with Peter anymore, and headed to his classroom.
As soon as he entered, he saw Felicia, who had her textbook open and was studying intently.
"You're really hardworking," Bren said, putting down his backpack with a sigh.
For someone like Felicia, who had the backing of the Hardy Foundation, she didn't need to study so diligently. She could have easily lived a life as an upper-class socialite.
"Aren't you late today?" she asked, her tone casual but with a hint of surprise.
Felicia had seen Bren at the school gates earlier but had been too upset to speak to him. However, when he came up to talk to her as soon as he entered the classroom, her anger melted away.
"My father always told me that no matter what I do, I should always give it my best," Felicia said proudly. "Like, if you love basketball, don't just settle for being the cheerleader, go play the game yourself."
"He told me to pursue perfection and excellence."
As she said this, Felicia's face fell slightly. She wasn't a genius, always striving for perfection and excellence, but never quite reaching the goal. The father who had taught her these ideals had long since disappeared.
At that moment, she looked like a stray kitten, helpless and lost.
But just like a wild cat, she was strong.
She quickly shook off the melancholic thoughts, looked into Bren's eyes, and made another invitation. "So, how about a study session sometime? I asked Gwen, but it looks like she joined a band, so..."
"It'll just be the two of us."
Bren was tempted to say, No time.
But the words stayed on his lips, and he instead said, "Maybe we should arrange for another time."
"Really?!"
"You'll agree?" Felicia was so happy she stood up, not expecting Bren to actually say yes.
It would just be the two of them, it felt almost like... a date!
As that thought crossed her mind, she couldn't help but feel like she was surrounded by pink bubbles!
"I'll need to check my schedule," Bren emphasized.
He glanced at Felicia, who was spinning around excitedly, and thought to himself:
The money Harry gives me won't be enough. If I really need more funds, I might have to turn to the Hardy Foundation. This could be a potential future investor, and I should make sure to build a good relationship.
Felicia loved science, and conveniently, Bren was a genius at it!
After school...
"Don't forget about the study session," Felicia reminded Bren as he left the school.
Peter followed the original plan and headed to Oscorp Enterprises. Bren parted ways with him at the subway station, his destination being Williamsburg Bank.
The building, with its European architecture, dome roof, and four-faced clock tower, looked almost like a castle.
"Bren, over here!" Harry waved from a Rolls-Royce, stepping out of the car.
Bren turned toward the sound, about to respond when he froze in place.
Because Harry wasn't alone, there was another man with him, a middle-aged man in a suit, his face stern.
The man's long face was lined with wrinkles that curved downward, and his gray hair was neatly combed. Just standing there, he exuded a pressure that was hard to ignore.
Bren furrowed his brow, his heart sinking.
Norman Osborn.