
It's a curse / and it's growing
The swelling around the small mark on Peter Parker's hand was getting worse and worse, and it stung like hell. He managed to slip silently out of the Oscorp building, feeling sorry for his best friend, Harry Osborn. What on earth was he going to tell him? He shook those thoughts off and concentrated on getting home in one piece. His mind was swimming, his palms were unusually sweaty, and his balance was completely out of control.
What is happening to me??
Eventually, he stumbled into his home, praying his aunt and uncle weren't in. He tried to call out to check, but the only sound he could make was a low mumbling. God, he was dizzy. Maybe he should lie down.
It was early afternoon, but he suddenly felt drowsy, as though he hadn’t slept in months.
He stumbled up the stairs towards his room, the walls spinning and expanding. It felt like a fever dream, except no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake himself up. His heart was beating too fast, his hands sweating too much.
Collapsing onto his bed, Peter felt the dizzying sensation grow stronger. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he barely had time to register before he promptly passed out.
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Harry Osborn sent Peter one last 'are you okay' text before clicking his phone off and setting it at his desk in front of him. Peter wasn't answering any calls or texts, which, Harry admitted, wasn't unlike Pete; the guy almost always had his phone on silent. Still, Harry found it hard not to worry. They had been on a class field trip to Oscorp, which Peter had been ecstatic about all week, however, he'd left early in some sort of state. He'd seemed really anxious. Maybe it was something to do with his aunt and uncle. Harry knew Ben had recently lost his job, and the three of them were struggling enough before.
Harry tried not to worry about it as he showered that evening, but he couldn't stop the dread from creeping into his head. He tried not to worry as he sat down for dinner with his father, but it was all he could think about. He knew it was probably nothing, but Pete rarely got like that, and if he did, he tried his best not to show it.
He picked at his dinner, dicing the carrots and turning the peas into mush. Even his father, the "amazing" Norman Osborn, could tell something was wrong when Harry didn't do his homework that night. Of course, he didn't actually care, and they barely exchanged words about it. Harry and Norman barely spoke these days, except about school, and Norman's stupid projects. Recently, Norman was all about opening his own school. This also worried Harry, who was happy at his school, but if the 'Osborn School for Geniuses' or whatever stupid name Norman decided on was a success, then Harry would likely be forced into switching. He tried not to think about that, but his mind only brought him back to Pete. The whole night was an endless cycle between the two, and the letter he'd gotten the previous day only made things worse.
Being 15 was harder than Harry thought it would be. It wasn't like what he saw in movies. Instead, he'd already nearly gotten expelled, faced harsh criticism from his father, even had a brief panic over whether he was straight or not (he was), the list goes on.
He just hoped Peter was okay.