The Spider Project

Origins

Harry walked into his penthouse, dropping his backpack and approaching the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he looked for a snack, not noticing his father Norman Osborn standing nearby.

"You seem troubled." Norman observed.

"It's not a big deal." Harry replied.

"Doesn't seem that way to me."

"It doesn't matter, I'm just angry." Harry admitted, causing Norman to frown in obvious disappointment.

"You're just gonna repress this anger instead of actually doing something about it? You're an Osborn. You deal with your problems as they come, and you don't get to just let them walk all over you." Norman stated.

Harry closed the refrigerator door, "It's-it's just Gwen being a super crappy friend, okay?! She's not even trying to give me the time of day!"

"Elaborate."

"We've been best friends since basically forever, and then all this happens! It was terrible after Mom died, and I didn't have too many people to talk about it to at school. Except Gwen, and MJ. They were there for me, Gwen especially! And she was always willing to talk whenever I needed to. Now, she won't even bother trying to hang out with me! She'a always busy doing something! I still haven't fully recovered since Mom, and I really need her right now! Yet she doesn't seem to care about that!" Harry vented out all his emotions.

"Wait so you're saying this all connects back to your mother?"

"Yeah."

"Harry, you and I have both had a difficult time since her death. It came too soon, and neither of us were prepared in the slightest. However, we're not just gonna let all this grief bury us to the ground. Man up and remember who you are."

"It's not that easy, Dad."

"Never said it was. But right now, you're letting one girl bother you! And for what? If she doesn't want to spend time with you, then that's on her. If it's because of you, then figure out what the hell you're doing wrong and improve on that!" Norman advised.

"Gwen's not just some girl! She's the closest friend I ever had-" Harry started but Norman interrupted him.

"Then make other friends. My God, too much of your happiness is relying on her at the moment! You think you have problems with losing women in your life, then you take a big look!"

Harry stopped for a bit, "I-I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, my wife is gone. Is it devastating? Absolutely! However, I'm choosing to actually do something about it. I told you last week that it's our duty to honor your mother's legacy and move forward with our lives."

"We can't just do that without support."

"You don't need to lean on others for help when you can be helping yourself. I'm aware of how important Gwen is to you, but for God's sake, just move on! At the end of the day, she's just a girl! Are you getting insecure over how much she cared about you or something?!" Norman exclaimed.

"She's supposed to be my friend, and it seems like she's not interested in helping me out anymore!" Harry repeated.

"She's been practically ghosting me. I just really want to hang out with her, and now it feels like she doesn't give a shit about me!"

"Enough! You are an Osborn, and we don't bitch and whine. Sure, you lost a friend, but don't forget I lost my wife! She was everything to me, and it all started going to shit after her diagnosis four years ago. You keep acting like your life sucks, but can you imagine how it feels to be counting your days down? To have practically nothing to look forward to anymore? She was the love of my life, and she's gone now. You still have your entire life to find the one, and that's never going to happen if you keep moping over this girl! If I recall correctly, you didn't have feelings for Gwen! You want to honor your mother so badly? Man up and fight through your problems instead of burying yourself in self-pity!" Norman declared, angrily, before he walked away, leaving a stunned Harry in the kitchen.