Spider-Man: Far From Home [5]

3

Venice, Italy

I think I'd rather fly with my wings, not in a plane, Astra thought as she put on her sunglasses and downed the rest of her Coke can as she got off the plane.

"What exactly did you two have in common?" she asked disbelievingly as Betty finished telling her the story of how she and Ned had gotten together on the plane.

"Oh, just how we both like the same movies. We also played Beast Slayers together," said Betty.

"All the boys chase after me and I don't have anything in common with any of them," Astra groaned. "You're lucky. I'd rather either be a lone wolf or date someone who actually knows me."

"What about Peter? You both love Spider-Man and the Indigo Fairy," said Betty.

The Indigo Fairy was a name Astra had made for herself while on Earth. She was a vigilante, like Spider-Man, though the two had never met in their superhero forms.

"Yeah, so does everyone else in our school," Astra refuted. "It was a nine-hour flight. You two have so much chemistry."

Betty went to talk to Peter and Ned and Brad approached Astra.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked.

"Fine," Astra said, digging in her bag for her passport. "Could you throw this out for me?" She handed him her empty Coke can.

"Yeah, sure."

The class gathered in the lobby, ready to head out into the city, when Mr. Harrington said, "Wait, wait, wait. Where's Peter?"

"I'm here, Mr. Harrington," said a voice, and Astra turned to see Peter running towards the group.

"Oh, thank goodness," said Mr. Harrington.

***

The class rode a boat across the river to their hotel. Astra sat back in her seat and took her phone out, taking pictures along the way of the scenery and all the beautiful architecture.

"Astra!" Betty called. Astra leaned in for a picture Ned was taking of Betty. She made it into the second picture.

"Selfie? Ned, get in here," said Astra, pulling out her phone. She snapped a photo of the three of them and Mr. Dell squeezed into the last one.

"Looks like we're here. They're doing renovations to this place. Getting some upgrades," said Mr. Harrington. Astra turned around and there it was: their hotel looked like an old, small portion of a building that was under construction.

"Oh, this is trash," said Flash.

"Maybe it's better on the inside." Astra tried to stay optimistic.

They entered and she was right: the inside was more modern and clean than the outside.

That thought stayed until she heard a splash. Mr. Harrington had stepped in a puddle of water.

"Tell me we're not staying here," someone groaned.

"This place is sinking," said Flash.

"I hope you mean charming," said Mr. Harrington.

"It stinks," complained a girl.

At this point optimism isn't working anymore.

"Okay, everybody, drop your bags off," said Mr. Dell. "We're gonna meet at the da Vinci Museum at three. Let's go!"

"Vémonos!" said Mr. Harrington, unaware that he was speaking the wrong language.

"It's 'andiamo,'" said MJ.