way ahead of you on that
☼ ☼ ☼
It was finally the last day of school. Midtown was filled with enthusiastic students ready to start their summer. Andi was among the enthused, though she found at the moment she was just happy to be done with her junior year. She closed her locker for the last time and started down the hall to the library where she knew at least two of her friends would be.
"Andi!"
Andi turned around to see Ned rushing to her. She stopped to wait on him, only resuming her journey forward after he'd caught up.
"Hey, what's up, Ned?"
"I just wanted to talk to my pal and thank her and her very generous aunt for paying for my flight," Ned said to her. "Now I'm gonna use my credits to get a new hat in every country we visit."
"That's nice, Ned," Andi replied with a chuckle. "I'm happy I could be of service to you."
The two of them turned to head into the library. As soon as Andi walked in she noticed Gwen and Peter sitting together. They were lost in conversation. Peter had his phone out in front of them, and Andi figured he was showing Gwen something. She just wasn't sure what it was. All she knew was that Gwen seemed incredibly happy about it. Almost too happy.
Andi grabbed Ned's sleeve to stop him from walking any further. She pulled him close, her curious brown eyes still on the oblivious pair at the other end of the room. "What do you think they're talkin' about?" she asked Ned, gesturing over to Peter and Gwen.
Ned looked over at them and shrugged. "I'm not sure. They've been super weird lately, like, keeping secrets weird. They've been having secret conversations in art class for about two weeks now. Neither one of them will tell me what they're talking about. Have they said anything to you?"
"None of you tell me anything anymore." Andi scoffed and pulled her bag tighter over her shoulder, glancing between Ned and Peter and Gwen often.
"Maybe if you answered my text messages every once in a while I would actually tell you things," Ned defended himself, but his words only earned an eye roll from Andi.
"Then send me something besides memes!"
"Hey, it's quality content!"
Andi rolled her eyes again and gestured Ned forward. "C'mon, let's go see what they're talking about."
Andi and Ned walked over to the table where Peter and Gwen were sitting in a heap of smiles. Their demeanors changed, however, the moment they noticed Andi approaching with Ned. Peter put his phone away and leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. Gwen pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and sat back in her seat, sinking down ever-so-slightly.
"Hey, guys."
"What's up?"
Andi and Ned exchanged a glance with one another before sitting down at the table with the two of them.
"We're just hangin' out," Ned answered them. "What's up with you two?"
"Yeah, you guys seemed to be having a pretty interesting conversation," Andi followed. "What was it about? Anything exciting?"
"We were just talking about Europe is all," Gwen answered simply. "Peter was showing me a few shops and stuff he wanted to go to."
Andi nodded her head but didn't respond. She didn't really believe Gwen, but she couldn't exactly force the truth out of her or even Peter, no matter how much she wanted to. She'd been watching them get closer and closer in the last couple months, and while she respected their friendship, she often wondered if there was more to it. In the end she knew it wasn't her business, though. Her and Peter were just friends after all.
"So, tomorrow's the big day, huh?" Ned asked the group excitedly. "Have you guys finished packing?"
"Haven't even started."
"I finished last night."
"I'm almost done."
Ned laughed at the answers he received but wasn't able to respond. MJ hurried over to the table and slapped her hands down, startling her friends in the process.
"Word of advice before we leave tomorrow," MJ spoke abruptly, grabbing their attention. "You guys should probably download a VPN on your phone so the government can't track you while we're abroad."
"I am way ahead of you on that," Andi replied, clasping her hands together on the table.
Peter raised his brows. "Wait, what? Why are we worried about the government tracking us abroad?"
"You never know who's out there looking for you, Peter Parker." MJ stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I knew I'd find you guys in here. I was wondering, um, if any of you wanted to grab a bite to eat with me?"
"I can't," Peter answered. "I've got this thing."
"What kind of thing, Peter?" MJ asked, narrowing her brown eyes.
"Just a thing with my aunt."
MJ hummed in response and looked to the rest of her friends. "What about you guys?"
"I have to pack."
"And I'm having a movie night with my mom."
"I'll go with you," Gwen chimed in with a bright smile. "It'd be nice to hang out."
The smallest smile pulled at the corner of MJ's mouth as she looked to Gwen. "Awesome, I'll meet you out there, G. I'll see the rest of you dorks tomorrow." MJ threw up a peace sign and left the library.
Gwen gathered her belongings and tossed her backpack over her shoulders. "Hey, I'll call you later," she said to Peter.
"Sounds good."
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Gwen said happily before heading out of the library.
Ned turned to look at Peter and Andi with a curious expression on his face. "What are you guys really doing tonight?"
"Um, I'm actually packing," Andi confirmed.
"And I do have a thing with May," Peter followed.
Ned quickly changed the subject. As Andi listened to Ned talk about the trip to Europe, her phone began vibrating in her bag. She pulled it out thinking it was just Pepper, but was disappointed to find the caller was once again unknown. She ignored the call without hesitation and placed her phone onto the table, cursing Nick Fury and his relentless attempts to reach her.
Andi's phone vibrated again, and she grabbed it, now visibly aggravated with the contraption. She was relieved to find Nick Fury wasn't calling her this time, but she wasn't sure she felt much better seeing Happy's name on the screen. She didn't want to talk to him or Fury. Not when she knew the conversation would likely end with an unwanted promotion from "friendly neighborhood spider-person" to the Avenger she often feared she could not live up to. She couldn't do it.
"Everything okay?" Peter's voice grabbed Andi's attention. "Who was that?"
"No one important," Andi answered, grabbing her phone and throwing it back into her bag. She stood up, pulling her bag over her shoulders. She was ready to go home and start packing for the trip. "I think I'm gonna head on home so I can start packing."
"Hey, um, if packing doesn't take the whole night, would you wanna stop by the fundraiser tonight?" Peter asked Andi hopefully. He knew she originally didn't want to go, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to ask her again. Andi seemed much more open that she had been lately, but he didn't want to push too far. "I know May would really like to see you."
Andi pursed her lips, taking some time to think about Peter's request. She remembered telling him why she didn't want to go to the fundraiser, but at the moment she wondered if she could find a way around that answer. The thought of seeing May put a smile on Andi's face, but she also wanted to be there for Peter. She could recall something he'd said about being overwhelmed by reporters often, and if being there meant keeping him at ease, she didn't have a problem doing it.
"Alright, I'll be there, but as Andi if that's okay with you." There was a smile on Andi's face as she answered Peter, one he hadn't really seen in a while. He couldn't help but return it.
"Awesome, that's perfect."
"Later, guys," Andi said to Ned and Peter before heading out of the library.
Once Andi was gone, Ned turned his attention to Peter, who now seemed a bit flustered. "Tell me again why you two broke up?" Ned laughed quietly, pulling Peter from his thoughts. "It's pretty obvious there's still something there."
"She broke up with me, remember?" Peter chuckled and looked down at his hands. "I dunno, I guess she's just been going through a lot lately."
"Yeah, I think we all pretty much figured that out," Ned remarked. "But it's like this—Andi is a dark and lonely planet in the galaxy, and you, my friend, are her sun."
Peter shook his head at Ned, unable to believe what'd just come out of his mouth. It was one of the cheesiest things he'd ever heard him say, but he couldn't help the amusement he felt from the spatial metaphor. "Okay, Ned."
"I'm serious!" Ned exclaimed. "If you aren't trying to get her back then what are you doing, Peter?"
"I'm giving her space," Peter answered, though it wasn't the complete truth. Peter definitely had a plan in place to get everything he wanted, but he worried what would happen if he disclosed that plan to Ned. He trusted Ned with his life, but there were certain things Peter didn't want to risk his best friend accidentally exposing. There was only one person he'd informed of his plans, and that person was more-or-less stuck in the same situation as him—loving someone who was often scared to love.
"Well, that's no fun," Ned replied, a pout on his face. "Maybe you two can rekindle your love in Europe. They don't call Paris the 'City of Love' for nothin'."
"You're right." Peter decided to just go along with Ned. He was always so supportive of Peter. Well, most of the time, anyway. "I'll let you know what happens, buddy."
"Awesome!" Ned got up from his seat. "But look, I gotta go so I can hang out with my mom before we leave tomorrow. I'll talk to you later, bro."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
Ned walked away, leaving Peter alone at the table with nothing but his books, his bag, and his thoughts. He sat quietly for several moments, his mind locked on Ned's words. He was ready for Europe, ready for what such a beautiful country might have in store for him. He just hoped in the end that'd be her.
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