Flash Thompson looked at the backs of the two Parker brothers. He wanted revenge; he wanted to step on the Parker brothers, but he couldn't do it.
To be honest, Flash's nature wasn't inherently bad. Bullying classmates was simply his way of seeking validation, trying to show off his strength, just like a hero.
Flash silently put his comic book into his backpack and looked at Liz sitting beside him. He wanted to move closer to her. However, when Liz sensed Flash's movement, she moved further away from him, acting as if she didn't know him.
All of Liz's actions made Flash extremely dejected. The bus slowly arrived at its destination.
"Let's go, Peter." Silas nudged Peter, who was watching Flash, with his elbow.
"Oh, okay." Peter quickly followed Silas off the bus. For some reason, Peter felt a little sorry for Flash. He understood well what it felt like to be isolated.
In the Classroom
Silas quite naturally sat down next to Peter. That's right, the two brothers were now in the same classroom. Due to the damage caused by the Lizard and the Green Goblin, many students transferred out of the middle school. The reduction in student numbers led to some classes being understaffed, necessitating a rearrangement. Coincidentally, Peter and Silas were assigned to the same class.
"Hey! Peter! Silas! What a coincidence!" Ned walked into the classroom and immediately saw Silas. He didn't expect Silas to be assigned to their class.
Slap!
"It is quite a coincidence," Silas said, high-fiving Ned.
Ned sat behind the two brothers, smiling happily. "Time flies so fast. School is starting already."
"It does. I wish I could have played a bit longer," Silas said.
At that moment, Flash Thompson and Liz also walked into the classroom, though Flash was trailing behind Liz.
"Hey, did those two break up?" Ned immediately asked in a low voice when he saw them.
Peter shrugged. "I'm not sure."
"I remember them talking quite happily when I first got on the bus," Silas said. He had already guessed that they had had a falling out.
"So many classmates left," Ned sighed. There were many fewer familiar faces in the classroom and quite a few new, unfamiliar ones.
"Yeah, even your ex-girlfriend, Katy, didn't come back," Silas teased.
Ned shook his head, speaking like a seasoned veteran. "No, you're wrong, Silas. She wasn't my ex-girlfriend. I was just a convenient tool for her when she needed me."
"Profound," Silas said, giving Ned a thumbs-up.
Peter clapped nearby. He felt he needed to learn a lot from Ned.
Ned finished speaking and smiled. "What about you, Silas? How are things progressing with Misty?"
"Everything is going smoothly," Silas replied.
Ned mischievously raised an eyebrow and asked, "What defensive line has the battle broken through now?"
"The fortress has not yet been breached," Silas replied.
"Want me to teach you, Silas? I guarantee you'll completely annihilate the enemy forces..." Ned chuckled lewdly.
"No, thank you. I think I can manage. Thanks, Commander Ned," Silas declined.
Peter, sitting nearby, felt uncomfortable, mostly because he didn't even have a girlfriend...
"Don't be discouraged, Peter. Believe in yourself. You can do it," Ned encouraged Peter.
"Maybe," Peter wasn't sure who would be interested in him.
"Come on, buddy, you have to have confidence," Ned shook Peter's shoulder.
Silas looked around and noticed that Misty hadn't arrived yet.
"Hello, everyone." Mr. Klein walked into the classroom and introduced himself. He would be their new teacher.
"Oh, I didn't expect it to be Mr. Klein," Silas said, surprised.
Mr. Klein looked at the students sitting beneath the podium, feeling helpless and reflective. Not only had students transferred, but many teachers had also resigned. After all, compared to money, life was more important. Even though the school later increased salaries to retain teachers, it failed to keep most of them. Money could always be earned later, but life was singular; better to avoid having money without a life to spend it. Mr. Klein stayed not because of the salary but because of his inner sense of responsibility that compelled him to stay and look after these children. Having been at the school for a long time, he had developed an attachment to the children. Through the school roster, he knew that some students he knew, including Silas, had stayed.
Soon, the day of learning passed.
"Teacher," Silas called out to Mr. Klein.
"Yes, Silas, what is it?" Mr. Klein turned around, confused.
Silas asked, "Did Misty not come?"
"Oh, Misty. She didn't come to school today because she wasn't feeling well. She'll be back in a few days," Mr. Klein smiled.
Silas nodded. It was good that Misty would be back. He was most afraid that Misty would lose confidence and be unable to face her classmates in the future.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about something, Silas," Mr. Klein said.
"Me?" Silas didn't understand why Mr. Klein needed him.
"I didn't think you'd come back, kid. I thought I wouldn't see you this semester," Mr. Klein laughed.
"How could I not come back? I'm going home now, Teacher. Peter is waiting for me outside!" Silas waved his hand and ran off.
Mr. Klein smiled, shaking his head. "Watch your step!"
School Gate
"Let's go, Peter," Silas said, patting Peter's shoulder.
Peter was taking a picture of the school gate. He put away his camera and said, "Alright, Ned, we'll..." Before Peter could finish, he saw that Ned had already run off to the side and was hitting on a female classmate. The two were chatting there.
"Amazing," Peter said enviously.
"A walking bullet," Silas commented. He had to admit, Ned was too much. He wasn't great-looking, but he was very strong at picking up girls.
Ned felt the gazes from behind him and waved his hand, signaling that they could go home and that he was busy.
"Well, it looks like he thinks we're in the way now," Silas said, resting his hand on Peter's shoulder.
"Let's go," Peter didn't want to be hit with any more reality checks. It was better to leave quickly.
In the School
"Hmm..." Mr. Klein entered the school's chemistry lab alone. Mr. Klein pulled out the notebook from his pocket—it was Professor Connors' notebook—he hadn't thrown it away after all.
He was using the school's chemistry lab to begin studying the genetic formula inside. Although he wasn't as good as Connors, who was a former classmate, he wasn't far behind.
"It looks like Connors made a mistake somewhere, which is why he turned into the Lizard," Mr. Klein said, staring at the formula. He had taken the biological knowledge he had learned before and reviewed it, recalling many things that had been buried in his memory.
"I don't necessarily have to use the lizard's genes. I can develop the genes of other animals," Mr. Klein took a deep breath and said.
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