I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 40, Day Two of Theme Day

Another Spider-Man... Well, today isn't a good day for Spider-Man, because Peter Parker has to go to school with Gwen. Perfect timing to give Chameleon a break. He was probably waiting for Peter to come to him this morning, but instead of going to him, Peter went to see the Punisher this afternoon, letting Chameleon try working for him for free all day.

Gwen didn't wear her Supergirl cosplay outfit to school, unlike the suit Peter was wearing. Doctor Who doesn't really have a uniform; he wears everyday clothes. So Peter could just leave the house in his outfit, but Gwen chose to put it in her bag first and deal with it at school—even if she could explain that it was Midtown Middle School's theme day, Gwen was unwilling to wear her cosplay outfit to school.

But it's still more convenient than Harry's electric wheelchair.

"So, Peter? How many classmates have you met since you got to the new school? Besides Harry, Amadeus, and Jessica from your detective club... how many other classmates do you know?"

Peter seemed a little embarrassed by Gwen's question. Actually, there was also Lightning Thompson, but considering that Lightning didn't know Peter Parker, he thought for a long time and then honestly answered, "No."

"It's the second week of school, and you're telling me you've already made three new friends?"

Gwen was genuinely stunned: "You've broken your middle school record, bro. How did you manage to only meet three people in a week of high school?"

In my previous life, I spent four years in college and couldn't even match the names and faces of the female classmates in my class, let alone have to be Spider-Man. Where would I have found the time to socialize?

Peter thought this to himself, but couldn't say it aloud. He could only shrug helplessly: "I'm not very good at socializing with people. Especially when it comes to opening topics. I can't just talk about the weather all the time, right?"

"And what about your friends? Harry and Amadeus? Didn't you introduce any friends to them?"

"Forget about Amadeus. I think his situation is worse than mine. He's an international student, living in a host family, and he got bullied by someone like Carl on his first day of school..." Peter said, then thought of Harry. Harry must be Harry Osborn. He's been watching Spider-Man videos, has a bad relationship with his father, and doesn't like bringing friends over. Peter could basically draw a conclusion. The only question was, what was Norman Osborn's situation? Had he become the Green Goblin or not? How much did he know about Spider-Man, and what was his attitude?

“Harry… he doesn’t get along well with his father. He says his father doesn’t like any of the friends he’s had since he was a child. So I guess he’s probably not very good at socializing.”

Gwen opened her mouth, then shook her head vigorously: "What kind of friends do you keep?"

"A psychological support group for middle school students? I'm in charge of therapy, and they're in charge of venting, something like that."

The two walked onto the subway, talking as usual. Peter took out his phone and opened a video about Spider-Man. Gwen leaned closer and stared at the screen: "Are you interested in Spider-Man?"

"No, Harry's always watching it. I asked him why, and he said it's like homework, so I watch it too. Do you think Harry's family has anything to do with Spider-Man?"

Not a single word was a lie; Peter was simply fooling Gwen. Gwen thought for a moment but didn't reply, while Peter opened the next video: "Yesterday afternoon at two o'clock, Spider-Man helped two drug addicts in Hell's Kitchen, preventing them from being beaten to death by drug dealers who were collecting debts..."

"What's wrong? You don't sound happy?"

"Nothing much, I just feel... even if Spider-Man saves them, it won't make their lives any better. Some things are better left untouched in the first place."

Peter said this, and as the subway drew closer to Manhattan, Gwen seemed to remember something and told Peter, "I'm going to the police station to see my dad after school today. Do you want to come with me?"

"Ok?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of it. The police don't know you, so they probably won't let you wander around freely."

Gwen smiled, tucked her hair behind her ear, and changed the subject. Just then, the subway arrived at the station.

A few minutes later, Peter walked to his cabinet, bracing himself for what Calkin might have put inside to scare him. The fact that his spider-sense hadn't given him a warning meant that what was inside wouldn't pose a danger.

"3, 2, 1..."

Peter flung open the cabinet door; it was empty. He put his bag inside and then took out his books.

One advantage of having the same theme for five consecutive days is that if someone doesn't like their outfit from the first day, they can simply change to something better. For example, Harry's dull and bulky Dalic shell is gone today. When they got to the classroom, they saw a cybernetic character watching Spider-Man videos again.

"Hello, Doctor." "Hello, Cyberman."

Harry said it half-jokingly, while Amadeus, sitting in the back, seemed to be in a daze. Peter greeted him as well.

"Hello, Amadeus, you really dressed up as Dr. Banner? I thought you were going to dress up as the Hulk."

“I have the Hulk's headgear, and there’s a green T-shirt inside.” Amadeus picked up his headgear, smiled, and then put it away.

"How's your body?"

"That's right, it's just a bit of a cold. A little medicine and a day's rest will make me almost better."

Amadeus nodded, seemingly confirming that everything was alright. Peter then followed up with the next question: "Where are you staying now? Perhaps we could visit you, and if you get sick again, we could come and see you."

Amadeus was stumped by the question; he paused for a moment, seemingly trying to find an excuse.

“Well, as you know, I live in a homestay... I don’t know if they will allow me to bring friends back, so I’ll have to ask my landlady first.”

After giving what seemed like a perfunctory answer, Amadeus changed the subject to Harry: "Besides, we don't even know where Harry's family lives, do we?"

"I have some issues with my dad; he doesn't like me bringing friends home. Sorry."

So, all things considered, only Peter Parker's house is a place you can freely visit.

"We've got nothing much going on these days, how about we go to Peter's house to play D&D?" Harry looked at Peter and asked cautiously, "Your aunt and uncle won't think we're noisy, will they?"

"I don't know, but they've been out recently. I'm home alone. It's fine if you want to come. When are you coming?"

"In the next couple of days?"

"Then remember to call me when you're ready to come. If I'm out and about, I'll let you know." Peter thought for a moment and realized he didn't have much to do lately, so he agreed. He added that he could come if he was free in the evening.

Good social skills are a key element in concealing Spider-Man's identity, even though Spider-Man only has two friends.

The group spent the class like that. After class, Peter left the classroom and found someone standing next to his locker. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was the person who had come with Calkin to pick the locker locker yesterday.

But the other party neither picked the lock nor ran away when they saw Peter; it was as if they were waiting for him.

Peter frowned and walked over, asking, "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know. I want to ask you, do you know what happened to Carl? He didn't come to school today." The guy who looked like a hoodlum was timid and hesitant in front of Peter, as if he was frightened by something. He looked around nervously.

"Didn't you call Culkin and ask?"

“I asked, and his mother answered the phone. She said he was sick and couldn't come to school, so… I mean, he's been really scared of you lately, so I was thinking…”

Peter, having roughly understood the other party's thoughts, sighed speechlessly.

“I didn’t do anything, okay? I’m not Carl, I won’t be a bully. If you’re worried I’ll beat you up, then you can rest assured. Let Carl be a good guy, then he won’t have to be so afraid.”

(End of this chapter)