Hunted [1]

~ Thirteen ~

Harry Osborn was Peter's first friend. Harry showed Peter the ropes, he showed him how to stand up to Flash (not that he did often) and he showed him how to make new friends.

Because, if Peter had to be honest, he was a rather antisocial kid. In all honesty.

And then, one day, Harry was sick, and Peter had no one to hang out with. It was a shock to see Ned Leeds, the kid who was also rather antisocial, come up to him and offer to let him sit with him at lunch that day.

Peter nodded with a massive grin, and proceeded to follow the boy like a lost puppy for the rest of the day.

When Harry had come back the week after (it turned out he had chicken pox), it was to see his best friend hanging out with another person, who he appeared to be really close with.

To say the least, Harry was mad. He was Peter's best friend, and nobody else could take that spot!

But Peter's smile (that took up his entire face) when he saw him back got rid of all those thoughts, and he went and sat down next to him, ignoring the kid.

Of course, he couldn't for long. Peter was soon introducing the two (obviously, Ned already knew Harry, but Ned wasn't as well-known). Peter was hoping that they would all get along, and that's what it seemed like at first.

In fact, Peter, Ned and Harry were inseparable after that day, never apart from each other for long at school, and always begging to go around one another's houses. And then everything changed.

Harry's dad, Norman Osborn, thought that Peter and Ned were bad influences. He told Harry that he was going to be sent to boarding school, whether he liked it or not.

And so Harry told Peter and Ned the next day. The three could both safely say that in their short lives, that was the worst day of their lives.

(Except for Peter it was worse now. Because he had faced worse things, Uncle Ben, Aunt May...)

(Ned had seen his best friend injured before, and he could say that was worse than leaving his old best friend.)

(Harry hadn't had many hardships in his life. For him, it was still the worst day of his life.)

~~~

When Harry had gotten to school the next day, sobbing, in tears, crying, Peter and Ned were immediately concerned and rushed over to him.

"Hey, Harry, you okay?" Peter asked gently, frowning slightly when Harry didn't give an answer. "Harry? Haz? Can you answer, please?"

"Harry!" Ned called, shaking the boy slightly.

Perhaps it wasn't the best way to go around it, but they were both still little kids, after all.

"I'm sorry," Harry choked out, lifting his face up so his two best friends could see the tear tracks down his face. "I'm so, so sorry. I have to go, my dad says I have to leave!"

"W-what?" Peter said shakily.

This couldn't be happening, could it? He'd just barely lost Ben, and now Harry was going too?

Harry had been his best friend ever since he was five and had to find his own way home because Aunt May was working and Uncle Ben had asked if he could, if it was okay with him.

Harry had seen him walking home by himself, in the pouring rain (Ben and May hadn't noticed it was raining, it wasn't their fault) and offered to give him a lift.

At first, Peter refused, not wanting to impose on this person and his father. When the boy's father asked him himself if he would get in the car, he found it simply too rude to refuse again.