Three's a Crowd

8) Music Festival Pt. 1

Starting with a trip on the subway, Peter, Michelle, and Ned rode until they reached lower Manhattan. It seemed nervously quiet in moments, as they were all getting used to being together in a setting that didn't involve Michelle instructing them what to review in decathlon practice. Heck, this was all was more for Ned to get used to. He meant what he said when he said he noticed Michelle watching Peter with an interested, sometimes longing, look. He found it cute over time and sometimes wondered what a relationship between her and Peter would look like. What clichéd sayings they would exchange with each other. How would they make each other happy and how would they tick each other off. Actually, it didn't take much to think about what Peter could do to tick off MJ. But still, it was fun to think about, and now they were actually together. Which, in its own right, can be different from what ever you imagined.

Other than that, the ride over was quite content among all three. However, Peter did go into lookout phase. In other words, a way of him observing people and places around them seeing where a source of potential trouble could come from; like he was being Spider-Man without the costume on. It was almost natural for him to do this, as this came with the responsibility of being a superhero. But with the mask off, he looked more like that creep you find randomly looking at you uncomfortably. He was the only one standing while his two friends sat snuggly in a partially crowded side of the train car. They both noticed this behavior, knowing better than most of the passengers around them.

"Dude" Peter heard his larger friend say, turning his head toward them. He could see an almost embarrassed, yet amused, expressions on their faces. "What?"

"You look like you've just committed murder and looking for your next victim" Michelle honestly told him. Ned nodded along with her, making Peter ponder his actions. Realizing what kind of behavior people could perceive from him, he blushed and gulped so hard that it made his friends burst out laughing. Michelle sank her head into her lap as she laughed, while Ned leaned back and wrapped his stomach with his arms to brace the burning sensation that came with laughing so hard.

The conversation that followed lasted until they hoped off the subway and walked a few blocks to catch a bus that would take them across the East River into New Jersey. The ride only lasted twenty minutes, but it felt longer with all the traffic they encountered just to get to the Holland Tunnel around the Greenwich/Tribeca area. Although, once they were inside the tunnel, things seemed to quicken. And once they reached their final point on the bus, they boarded another train that would take them to a decent walking distance from Liberty State Park; the park that hosted the music festival.

They walked up the Northern most street of the park up to the entrance, where a crowd of a hundred or more waited to enter. A peppiness was in their stride as the energy and anticipation started to swell, for this was probably the most fun thing that any of them had done all summer. Time would pass until their tickets were scanned and they could pass through the gates. Their eyes explored the new surroundings, noting every detail they could find. Everywhere they looked was either a stage, tent, or trailer with crowds of people standing around or inside. The sound of DJ's mixing a set of beats and sounds to create a sound of their own and people cheering like crazy. The mixed aroma of dozens of food vendors all swirling together, enticing hungry or weak-minded walkers into buying something just so they could bite into something. Even more interesting was the different types of people that they saw. Peter and Ned especially were awe-struck with the scene before them. Like a collage of sizes, colors, interests, and styles all collected in one place.

"Wow" the two friends commented. Michelle's mouth pulled into a small smile, as they both geeked out in a new way.  "This is amazing!" Ned continued.

"It's like we've entered a new realm" Peter said. "One where people wear glitter on their faces and colorful highlights in their hair."

"That's not a weird observation" Michelle said, a hint of sarcasm present in her voice. "Is it just me, or does it look like everyone is either wearing tank tops, cargo pants, bandanas, or nothing at all?" Ned followed, still observing everything around him. "You missed a category" Michelle again commented, only for Peter and Ned to stare ponderously to her. She immediately nods past them, giving them a hint that they should be looking at something. They look in the direction she nodded toward and spotted a gaggle of college girls giggling and galloping together wearing only daisy dukes and bikini tops. The eyes of Peter and Ned incredulously widened, and their cheeks blushed a hot red as their eyes found the regions that were off limits. It didn't help any further when one of the girls noticed their staring and made a disgusted expression toward their behavior. They shrunk as quickly as they turned away, their cheeks redder than before. Michelle scoffed with an exhausted eyeroll. "Boys."