Spider-Man: Far From Home [5]

2

Midtown School of Science and Technology

"I have a plan." Peter Parker sat down at his desk beside his best friend, Ned Leeds. "Okay, first, I'm gonna sit next to Astra on the flight."

"Mhm," said Ned.

"Second, I'm gonna buy a dual headphone adapter and watch movies with her the whole time," Peter continued.

"Okay."

"Three, when we go to Venice, Venice is super famous for making stuff out of glass, right?" said Peter. "So I'm gonna buy her a white dandelion necklace, because that's her favourite flower! She's loved those since she was young. Okay, four, when we go to Paris, I'm gonna take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, give her the necklace, and then five, I'm gonna tell her how I feel." He hesitated. "And then six, hopefully she tells me she feels the same way."

"Don't forget step seven," Ned reminded him.

"Step seven?"

"Don't do any of that."

Peter looked at him, exasperated. "Why?"

"We're gonna be bachelors in Europe, Peter!"

"Ned-"

"Look, I may not know much, but I do know this," Ned told him, "Europeans love Americans."

"Really?"

"And more than half of them are women!" Ned told him.

"Okay, sure," said Peter, not seeming really interested. "But I really like Astra, man, okay? She's awesome, she's super nice, and she's just so cool - wait, she's coming, don't say anything," he said hurriedly.

Astra Hart and her best friend MJ Watson approached them.

"What's up, dorks?" MJ asked. "Excited about the science trip?"

"Hey, uh, yeah, we're just talking about the trip," said Peter quickly.

"Yeah, and Peter's plan," Ned added.

"You've got a plan?" Astra questioned, staring down at them.

"I don't - I don't have a plan," said Peter hurriedly.

"Yeah, he's just gonna collect tiny spoons while we're travelling to other countries," said Ned.

"Only grandmas do that, mine did all the time," said Astra, looking from one boy to another. She felt a twinge of sadness when she remembered the woman who had raised her brutally slaughtered twelve years ago.

"I'm not collecting tiny spoons. He's collecting tiny spoons." Peter gestured to Ned.

"Oh, okay, sure," Astra replied, not convinced.

"By the way, travel tip," said MJ, "you should download a VPN on your phone, just so the government can't track you while we're abroad."

"It's totally awesome. MJ taught me," Astra added.

"Smart. Will do," said Peter.

Astra and MJ walked away.

"Sometimes you are so thick, Astra, he was totally into you," said MJ.

"Shut up," Astra muttered. "I don't like him."

"Seriously, you have no reason to be so sulky," MJ said. "Because boom! We all Blip back and all the junior and senior boys start trailing you the moment you arrive."

The Blip was the term Earth used to describe the time Astra's adoptive father, Thanos, had erased half of all life in the universe almost six years ago.