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ꜰɪᴠᴇ

I was able to get a few winks of sleep before the plane landed, being met with the rush of sunlight that streamed through the airport windows once I opened my eyes. It took a few seconds for my brain to catch up, only realizing the rest of the group was leaving when I was one of the only people from my class left on the plane. Weaving through other passengers, I was able to avoid another interaction with Brad, much to his dismay.

I wasn't so lucky at bag check.

"Sleep well?" I practically jumped at the sound of his voice, resisting the urge to clutch my hand over my heart in surprise.
"As good as you can on a plane." The answer was an attempt to be dismissive,  but as was already established, Brad can't seem to take hints.
"Maybe when we get to the city we should take a walk around, look at stuff."
"Sorry, already planned to take a look around with...uhm...MJ!"
"What?" MJ seemed to only hear her name despite standing right next to me, looking up from the book she was somehow reading while walking.
"Me and you are gonna take a look around the city together, right?" My eyes gave her the simple 'please say yes' look in an effort for her words to send Brad away.
"Yeah, whatever."

That answer seemed enough for Brad, cause once he went through bag check, he left me alone for the most part. I looked behind me to see Peter in the back of the line talking to Ned about something, who seemed to have suddenly gotten very close with Betty. Deciding to ignore it, I made my way through bag check and met up with the rest of the group.

By the time Peter, who was the last to go through, met up with the rest of the group, he was so pale it was like all of the blood drained from his face. I held back so he could catch up, raising an eyebrow at him.

"May packed my suit in my bag without telling me. I almost had a panic attack when they opened it at baggage check."
"Shit. Did they say anything?"
"No. Apparently nobody in Europe knows who Spider-Man is."
"Good. Exactly how we wanted it to be."
I hooked my pinkie with his and kept walking with the rest of the group.

Once we stepped outside of the airport, it was like walking into a completely different world. Buildings far more beautiful than the skyscrapers of New York lined the city scape, and a beautiful crystal clear river ran along the edge of the road. Boats zipped past with passengers sipping from champagne glasses, and gondolas carrying excited married couples traveled under bridges. There was no incessant honking of car horns, or screaming cabbies, or police sirens. Just pure, beautiful wonders of humanity.

Our group would be taking a boat to the hotel we'd be staying in for our trip, so it was a small walk to the docks where the boat would be waiting. Street performers lined the roads playing guitars, some singing in foreign languages I couldn't understand. I dropped a few dollars in the hat of a young girl playing a violin, who gave me the widest smile I'd ever seen pass over anyones face.

"This place is so much nicer than New York. Usually when I put money in a performer's hat they just get mad at me for not putting enough." Peter just laughed from where he stood next to me.

We finally made it to the boat we'd be taking over the river to get to the hotel; it was a small motorboat, barely big enough to fit all of us on it. Peter sat on one end next to Ned and Betty, with myself on the other end next to MJ. Brad somehow found his way next to me, but I simply turned to MJ and held conversation with her.

The view from the boat was even more beautiful than from the docks. The wind whipped through my hair as we moved down the river, the talking of the other students barely audible over the rushing of the river water and the boat's motor. The weather here was more mild, with no glass skyscrapers to reflect the burning sun down on the water below. I let my eyes close and my head fall back, upper back and shoulders leaning over the edge of the boat.
Water droplets whipped around my face and stuck to my eyelashes. A sudden burst of wind sent my hair flying to one side, and the necklace around my neck went with it. The smell of flowers wafted through my nose from somewhere unknown, and loud laughter and music cut through the sound of the motor. It was like something out of a completely cliche coming of age movie.