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Flash knows
Eugene “flash” Thompson has known Peter Parker was Spider-Man since well…The exact moment he found out is not important (it's embarrassing and he would rather pretend it didn't happen) but the point is he knows
Peter Parker is Spider-Man and that's fine but Peter Parker is also so bad at keeping the fact that he is Spider-Man a fucking secret.
Just absolutely abysmal and flash just couldn't stand by so he came up with a plan to help Parker keep his secret identity without tipping him off that he knows
The plan is…not the best but, it actually works.
See the thing is, is that Flash was/is an asshole. He bullied Parker, and a few others, with his group of “friends” Finding out he was Spider-Man was… an experience. He's watched Spider-man catch a bus for fucks sake!
For a while he contemplated doing nothing about it but his “friends” kept pushing him to mess with Parker. So when he thought about it, really thought about it he decided that he shouldn't stop bullying him. (God that sounds horrible)
He decided to continue to mess with him. He wasn't ever really physical with his bullying, even with Parker who arguably got it the worst from him.
Flash wasn't a good person, he was an asshole, popular and well liked enough that he was left alone. So maybe that's why he decided that this was the best course of action.
But and this is a really big one. He didn't mean it. He doesn't mean the things he says, not anymore, (cause remember asshole here) but his “friends” did.
They meant it when they said that Peter didn't deserve to go to midtown, when they made fun of him for being poor. So he stopped being friends with them. He started making excuses to not hangout.
(Sorry guys my parents said I have to watch my sister or they'll take my phone, my mom said if I sneak out one more time she'll call the cops, my sister got me sick, and Dad says if I invite anyone over during this business deal he'll take all my shit and stop giving me my allowance)
He stops hanging out with them at school, he doesn't eat in the cafeteria, and he drops the few clubs he only joined to hang out with them in. And it works.
After just a few months of this they're no longer friends, they don't bother him, they don't even talk to him. It's like he never existed, he would probably feel pretty bad about that if it wasn't what he wanted.
So step 1(or is it 2?) get rid of his old friends (yay!)
Step 2 (eh whatever he'll just put it after.) bully Parker (he doesn't feel as good from this step)
Flash still feels like he could do more though, but he doesn't know what. So when he sees a video of Spider-Man getting hurt on patrol he gets an idea.
Step 3 be the biggest Spider-Man supporter (fuck ya let's get it)
He buys a poster, a stuffed animal for himself and his sister, some shoes, and a hoodie. And he waits for the best moment.
And after a week of waiting (which was fast, worryingly so) a video of Spider-Man having a bad patrol comes out, he dons the jacket and shoes and walks to school. (there was a store that he's passed a few times that had a Spider-Man keychain he'd been eyeing)
He walks by Peter and sees him out of the corner of his eye do a double take. (Hell yeah best reaction) He sees him in the hall after a class or two, and in the same sentence, he calls Spider-Man the coolest superhero to ever live, then calls Peter a loser. (He can't help but feel giddy when he sees Peter hiding his amusement)
And it works; he carefully curates an image of Pathetic Puny Parker, who couldn't lift a box of goggles, let alone a bus. Who wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone fight 5 guys and win with only a bruise or 4.
And then Ned finds out. And oh my god why are they both so bad at lying! Before it wasn't difficult to get Peter off the hook, cause he wasn't ever on the hook!
Peter would leave, walk out and give no reason for it. It was harder in class but out in the halls Peter would just leave the school without a word. Flying under the radar.
Now, Ned always called attention to himself to try and distract people's attention away from Peter, but it just made what Peter was doing more obvious!
And so Flash called attention to it. He called attention to it in ways that made people laugh, roll their eyes, groan, or (and his favorite response) ignore.
So now Instead of covering for one idiot he had to cover for two. God maybe he shouldn't have done anything.
“Oh yeah, Peter has an internship at Stark industries! He's met Tony Stark! It's so cool!”
They're on the bus to go to some pizza place as a reward for doing so well on the recent “academic decathlon battle” that Flash always forgets the name of. When Ned says that.
And, what? Stark. Shit okay wait spiderman works with Stark he literally got a new suit to go along with it.
“Yeah right! like penis could get an internship at a place like Stark industries.”
NO that was the perfect excuse for why Peter bails so often what are you doing! If he's got a “job” at the biggest tech company in the world and is ON CALL then of course he would bail.
FUCK you're so stupid! Ok ok damage control!
“Also even if he does have an internship (AH) there is no way that he's met The Tony Stark, Smartest guy in the world Tony Stark.”
Ok there it's only slightly better.
“But he has! (NO PLEASE NED STOP TALKING) he's met Mr. Stark and he does work there!”
FUCK! PETER STOP YOUR BOY! He looks at Peter and he looks frozen. Oh Hell No. Peter, you need to deal with this.
“What do you have to add on to this truly astounding conversation huh Parker?” Truly astounding like, what the fuck?
“O-oh um well I do have a um Stark internship, but I've never ever met Mr.Stark. and um yeah cool.” you sound like a god-damn liar Parker.
“But Peter (NED DUDE STFU-) yo-” Peter elbows him and gives him a look (fucking good enough stop talking)
Ned starts nodding like he understands (thank fucking Christ) then opens his mouth (NO!) to probably say something stupid so Flash interrupts quickly.
“Anyway enough about that, cause everyone could care less (true enough I guess) let's talk about something actually interesting, like Spider-Man.” He rattles off some little thing that shows how fast he can go and that Spider-Man could totally cross the entirety of New York in around 20 minutes and how awesome that is.
He once again catches Peter going a bit pink and hiding his face. Spider-Man deserves compliments and acknowledgments of the epic things he can do.