They say the worst day of your life is when someone you love dies. For Peter, that day was when his Uncle Ben died.
Peter had been waiting to pick him up from soccer practice. When he was a child, Peter loved sports—the thrill of running free, the rush of scoring a goal, and, of course, the pizza afterwards. This was the final match, and Peter's team had made it all the way to the Cup. But Uncle Ben had been ill. Knowing how important it was to Peter, he still insisted on taking him. He stayed in the car to keep warm while Peter celebrated the win with his teammates. But just as he was basking in the glory of the victory, a carjacker approached and tapped a gun on the window.
Uncle Ben had always been a practical man. He worked with his hands, rebuilding and fixing cars, and he never backed down from a challenge. As he argued with the man, trying to reason with him, the rest of the team began to exit the field, and Peter rushed toward the car, still bubbling with excitement. Ben, fearing for Peter's safety, tried to take control of the situation, grabbing the gun. It went off.
Peter never got to say goodbye. As his Uncle Ben lay on the parking lot pavement, the other fathers from the match rushed to help. One of them, a retired police officer, held him in his arms, offering what comfort he could while his friends pursued the carjacker. But it was too late.
The funeral was a surreal experience for Peter, who, at eight years old, was too young to fully understand the weight of what was happening. He just held Aunt May's hand the entire time, not knowing how to ease her pain. She cried, but when the wake was over, she was left alone. No one stayed to offer help, and Peter, at that age, didn't know how to comfort her.
The worst part was that the carjacker got away without serving time. His defense attorney—surprisingly competent for a public defender—created enough reasonable doubt to get him acquitted. With a smug grin, the carjacker approached Peter as he stood in a daze, watching Aunt May cry.
"No harm, no foul, huh?" the man jeered, but his lawyer quickly shushed him, pulling him away.
The pain Peter felt was impossible to explain—an emptiness that was worse than any physical ache. It was as if something fundamental was missing, but in reality, nothing was gone. He would look around, expecting Uncle Ben to be there, and the pain would take his breath away. The memory of that day haunted him, and he fought back tears, doing his best to block it out.
From that day on, Aunt May was the only family Peter had left. His parents had died in a car accident when he was a baby, and he had no memories of them. Together, he and Aunt May did their best to navigate life.
The life insurance payout had been minimal, so Peter and Aunt May were forced to move back into Midtown—a small apartment just scraping by. Aunt May worked two jobs to support them. She was always exhausted, but she made sure Peter never went without. They didn't have much, and some of their possessions came from questionable sources, but Peter always knew he was loved. Aunt May made sure of that.
Life became a series of routines. Aunt May worked at a laundromat and a local convenience store, earning just enough to keep Peter in school while he tried his best to shoulder the grief of losing his uncle. He knew she was slowly wearing herself down. Despite being in her early 50s, the stress from her jobs was aging her far too quickly. She would never admit it—she'd rather suffer in silence than have Peter see her pain. Peter promised himself that one day, he would ensure she never had to work again.
Changing schools should have been a fresh start, but it didn't feel that way. Midtown Junior Elementary was dominated by sports culture, and Peter's lack of enthusiasm for football made him an outsider. The same exclusion followed him to Midtown High, where, after a casual remark about wasting money that could have gone to the science club, Eugene "Flash" Thompson decided to make Peter's life miserable.
At first, the bullying was subtle. Peter would find his locker vandalized, his books missing, hidden somewhere he couldn't reach. But as time passed, Flash bulked up, and with the aid of steroids and sports, the pranks grew more vicious. Peter's locker would be trashed, his books torn, and worse, sometimes soaked in something worse than water. On a few occasions, when no teachers were around, Flash "accidentally" made Peter fall, bursting his lip in the process.
The school turned a blind eye. Even when Aunt May raised a fuss, nothing changed. Flash was too popular—too integral to the school's reputation. His athletic prowess brought in sponsorships, and his father's generous donations kept the school afloat. Flash's behavior was excused with a simple warning. The more Peter complained, the worse it got. He learned to swallow his humiliation in silence, quietly seething with anger at both Flash and the school system.
Yet, there were two things that made high school bearable. The first was Gwen Stacy. She had a passion for science and math, and her indifference to Flash's social status meant that when she decided to be friends with Peter, they quickly bonded. Gwen was just as brilliant as Peter, albeit with different talents. Peter could take apart any machine and fix it, though he wasn't always successful. Gwen, on the other hand, had a knack for chemistry. Together, they shared their love of science, and their bond grew through shared projects and time together.
Peter felt more for Gwen than he was willing to admit. The small moments—shared glances, a hug here and there—made him feel like she cared about him too. But he was afraid. Not of rejection, but of what would happen if Flash found out. The bullying would escalate, and Peter feared that even Gwen would turn away from him if Flash made her life miserable.
Another constant presence in Peter's life was Felicia Hardy. She was always around, but she seemed more interested in Gwen. Still, as time passed, Peter found solace in Felicia's company. She was fearless, especially when it came to standing up to Flash. As the captain of the judo club, Felicia had a reputation that made Flash and his cronies think twice before targeting Peter. She became a kind of protector, though not in a way that made Peter feel indebted.
Peter's last connection was Harry Osborn, the son of the second wealthiest man in America. Harry's intelligence wasn't as strong as Peter's, but their friendship blossomed out of mutual need. Harry had a strained relationship with his father, Norman Osborn, who was an emotionally distant billionaire. Harry's mother had died from a rare disease, and her dying wish had been for Harry to receive a grounded education. Harry had done his best, and when his grades slipped, it was Peter who helped him improve, accepting a small sum of money to cover the tutoring. Norman never accepted Peter, but Harry and Peter had learned to ignore him.
Peter kept to himself, though. Even when his childhood friend Mary Jane Watson resurfaced, he kept his distance. The time, awkwardness, and Flash's bullying made it clear they were leading separate lives. They shared classes and friends but never reconnected in a meaningful way. Peter was polite but distant, and with most of his classmates, he was the same. They all had ties to Flash, and Peter endured the rumors and stories that only made his life worse.
Time passed, and Peter, once an innocent 8-year-old, now stood on the threshold of adulthood—18 years old and graduating from Midtown High. Academically, he was on track to graduate as valedictorian, with scholarships waiting for him in mechanical and electrical engineering at New York Universities. His future was set, and he even had an internship lined up at Hammer Technologies, though he had declined an offer to work with Norman Osborn's company, Oscorp. He simply didn't want to face Flash, who had already been in Oscorp's offices.
Peter's first choice had been Stark Enterprises, but with no credentials, it was out of reach. Hammer, on the other hand, was more attainable, and despite its reputation, it was still a prestigious place to work. Peter had celebrated his 18th birthday, and with Christmas and New Year behind him, he only had six months left of school. Prom loomed on the horizon, and Peter had built up the courage to ask Gwen out. He had even started looking for corsages, though Aunt May had teased him mercilessly about it.
Despite the relentless bullying at school, Peter could always return home to a safe, welcoming place. Life wasn't perfect, but it was better than it had been. He just hoped that wherever Uncle Ben was, he would be proud.