Chapter Text
Things in Peter's life had recently taken a turn from bad to worse.
Being bitten by a radioactive spider, that initially made him so ill he almost bankrupted his aunt and uncle with medical fees, was bad. Gaining what were undeniably superpowers had seemed to mean, finally, his luck was turning around. After all, they said things get worse before they get better. But then Ben happened.
It was Peter's fault too. Ben had gone to the bodega on the corner because Peter asked him to. Ben dying seemed like rock bottom to Peter. He wasn't sure things could be worse but then the letters started arriving.
'FINAL NOTICE' printed in red on the envelopes. May switched to working full time, taking as many locum and extra shifts she could get her hands on but the loss of their key source of income hit the pair hard. There were medical bills, gas, water, electricity and rent not to mention groceries. Peter had been eating enough for 2 people with his metabolism but he knew for his aunt's sake he had to cut back.
Peter was smart. His scholarship to Midtown came with free school meals, which he made the most of, and if when dumpster diving for old tech he found food that had yet to spoil, Peter would take that too. He learnt to conserve energy, eating more when he hurt himself patrolling as Spiderman to speed up his healing, eating less before bed because his constant level of hunger was less noticeable when he was asleep: Peter was smart and he was getting by.
This was rock bottom, there was only one way for the roller coaster of life to go.
But things can always get worse.
Flash Thompson was always a bit of a prick. He would make snide comments and sneer whenever Peter walked past but as teachers continued to turn a blind eye, he became emboldened. A rude comment was joined by a knocking into his shoulder, which became a push into the lockers. Then there was a fist to the stomach which soon became a fist to the face. Thompson was a powerful name within Midtown, Flash's dad had donated enough money to the school that they remodelled the gymnasium and named it after the man. Peter Parker, however, had started an under the counter job as a waiter in order to get enough change to use the laundrette.
Peter didn't dare think that this could be rock bottom, he had the floor pulled out from under him too many times to hope for things to be better.
And he would be proved right when Flash approached him a week before the science fair. There was going to be a special judge coming directly from Stark Industries as part of a new branch of the September Foundation. The extra judge would be bringing along the possibility of a new internship at SI for any project that they felt was revolutionary for providing a solution to an important issue.
"Parker, what are you doing for the science fair?" Peter shifted his weight, the corridor was empty besides him and Flash. Decathalon practice had finished a while ago but Peter had to stay to talk to Mr Harrison about the blazers he wanted the team to buy.
"I've uh... I was looking at microplastics." Peter had spent an hour at the library when the science fair was announced picking a topic. Stark Industries had recently taken a turn to green energy and bettering the environment so Peter had thought that had been a good place to start.
"Yeah and?" Peter swallowed harshly. Flash was smart, even though the major decider for admission to the Midtown School of Science and Technology was wealth even the paying students had to pass an entrance exam, but he was also lazy. The science fair was optional to enter and Flash likely hadn't cared until it was revealed that a guest SI judge would be physically present with the possibility of a once-in-a-lifetime prize.
"I'm still working on my-" Flash's fist collided with Peter's jaw.
"You're still working on my project are you?" Peter glared at the floor. With his spidey powers he would have been able to kick Flash's ass but he had sworn to himself to keep his vigilantism secret. If he couldn't before, he couldn't know. That included standing up to bullies.
"The science fair is optional, you don't have to present anything."
"And miss out on the SI judge? You really are stupid, Parker. I expect my project finished and waiting for me the morning of. Got it?" Flash bared his teeth in Peter's face making him cringe, "Got it?"
"Got it."
"Good." Flash delivered another strong hit to the stomach causing Peter to crumple in on himself before stalking away and out of the building. Peter rubbed his jaw sullenly, the bruise smarted to the beat of his throbbing pride. There would be no point in trying to report Flash for academic misconduct when the school ignored the physical bullying but at least Peter would be able to present his project without facing any ridicule for the idea. The odds that Peter would even win the prize was incredibly slim anyways. There couldn't be any real harm in it.