𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐒 (peter parker) OG TRILOGY

CHAPTER TEN

Meanwhile, even though she probably regretted trying too hard, Christina had gone all out when it came to dressing up for the festival. Clad in a formal black dress with lace all down her sleeves and around the collarbone area — with the skirt fluffed out, which made it easier to walk — and her hair in elegant curls, the blonde grinned in the redhead's direction with a knowing glance.

"Oh, you know Harry Potter over here loves it when we bicker," Christina mumbled jokingly as she smirked, not ignoring the way her best friend rolled his eyes at the playful insult. "Don't you, Harry?"

"Once again, I don't attend Hogwarts, smartass," Harry replied in a mock annoyed tone, sneering at the shorter woman.

"Sure, but you don't need to look far," Christina retorted easily with a grin. "All you need is goofy glasses, a wand, and you need to change your last name to Potter. Then I can send you a Hogwarts letter!"

"Okay, that's enough, you two!" Mary Jane interrupted with a hearty giggle, placing a hand on Harry's arm to halt their argument before slipping her hand into his. "Don't we have somewhere to be?"

Christina's expression transformed into a mildly apologetic one as she nodded her head. "Yeah, sorry, M.J," she mumbled with a sheepish laugh, and she then glanced at Harry. "Lead the way, Mr. Osborn..."

Harry glared at her with slight irritation in his eyes before a smile formed on his face. "Don't call me that, Chris," he said with an annoyed tone.

"Yes, sir," Christina replied with emphasis on both words to ensure that she understood the words he said, although she was just joking.

After walking inside the, admittedly, great-looking building and being in awe of the fancy chandeliers that Christina could only dream of owning, the trio of friends gathered inside one of the elevators and Harry pressed the button for the tenth floor. Harry then broke out into a slight lecture about how Oscorp had come up with the idea of the World Unity Festival three years prior to today and how they often used the money given to them for fundraisers or to make a new product for their company.

This information dump had ended with Mary Jane cutting in and mumbling to herself, "This has been the Oscorp Industries course with professor Harry Osborn, ladies and gentlemen." This got a laugh out of all three of them when she finished saying this.

Over an hour later, they were gathered at the balcony railing and were surrounded by official employees of Norman Osborn's business, and Christina was feeling ever so slightly self-conscious of how she looked in front of the people of high authority. In her mind, she was still a teenager, technically; it didn't matter that she would be twenty in six months, she was still a kid to all of the professional adults that surrounded her and her friends. She only had the privilege of being up here to begin with because she was Harry's best friend and, while she was delighted to have that honor, she only wanted it to be temporary. Despite her overconfidence, Christina wasn't really a fan of having all eyes being on her at all times; well, unless it was over something that really mattered to her.

And, well, this didn't really matter to her, did it? Being here with two of her friends and getting time with them before college was the only important thing to her today.

By this time, there were at least fifteen hundred to two thousand people gathered just a hundred feet below the balcony Christina was standing on. They all surrounded the blue barriers that the police had put up in front of the grand singing stage, where a bunch of artists from different genres of music would be performing live for all of the citizens. The blonde had already seen Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears on stage to sing a song or two before they both went their own ways away from the crowd.