❝Just because you hate everybody doesn't mean everybody hates you. You have people that still need you around, and I'm not afraid to admit I'm one of them.❞
. . .in which she must find a way to navigate through a changed world and a changed heart.
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The students of Midtown had arrived in London not too long ago. Gwen, MJ, and Ned remained close together for observational purposes. There was a lot they'd been talking about since the previous night, and it had everything to do with Beck and what they could expect from him. They didn't trust that he wouldn't try something. Gwen was sure that by now he knew that they knew what he was up to, and there was no way he'd let it remain that way. She stayed vigilant and honed her senses on the potential danger around them.
"Okay, guys!" Mr. Harrington's voice sounded. "The company set up a city tour and then we'll grab a bite and head to the airport."
"Is no one gonna acknowledge how weird this is?" Brad's voice grabbed the attention of his classmates, and they stopped to look at him. "Andi and Peter? I mean, has no one else noticed how shady they are? I caught the two of them with Gwen in the back of a rest stop in their underwear with some woman, and they're always sneaking away! Venice? The opera? Now they're both off the trip in Berlin with Peter's 'family'? Is no one else here interested in the truth?"
Gwen made a move to speak up and defend herself against Brad's claims, but MJ held a hand out to stop her.
"'The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world'," MJ said to Brad.
"George Orwell, thank you, MJ!"
"Yeah, well since the two of them aren't here to share their truth, what about you, Brad?" MJ tilted her head in question. "Why do you think it's cool to take pictures of people in the bathroom?"
"Yeah, what's that about, dude?" Flash added.
"You didn't even knock, Brad," Gwen reminded him.
"It wasn't like that!" Brad tried to defend himself. "I was trying to take a—"
"Why don't we just put all of this craziness behind us and have a nice, peaceful afternoon?" Mr. Harrington stepped into the conversation. "'Sounds great, Mr. Harrington,' said the class! Okay? Let's go."
Gwen laughed quietly and followed her classmates to the bus waiting on them. She looked to the driver and immediately began to feel uneasy, but she wasn't sure why. She'd never seen him before, but she couldn't shake the feeling as she stepped onto the bus with MJ and Ned. The three of them made their way to the top of the bus overlooking the streets below.
"Guys, I think there's something wrong," Gwen said to MJ and Ned.
"Yeah, I don't like this," MJ replied. "Something is definitely up."
"I think it would be best if we just stayed calm," Ned said to the girls, earning two very annoyed looks from them. A crashing noise caught their attention, and the three looked over to see a dark grey cloud descending on the city.
"How exactly are we supposed to stay calm when that is coming right toward us?" Gwen asked, turning her attention back to Ned.
"It's fake, so there's nothing to worry about," Ned tried to assure her.
