❝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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PRESENT DAY JUNE 21, 2024
The bell rang with a certain intensity that made Andi's head ache. She gathered her belongings and exited the classroom as swiftly and as quickly as possible. The day was finally over, and Andi found solace in that. She was ready to lay in her bed for the weekend while a random Netflix Original played quietly on the TV. It was boring, and she knew this, but in Andi's mind it was better than being at school. School was usually something Andi enjoyed, but after being made to repeat her junior year it became more repetitive than anything else. Sure, she still excelled and upheld her intellectual reputation in school, but she was simply desperate for her junior year to be a thing of the past.
Andi pushed her way through the crowded halls of Midtown and headed to her locker to dispose of her notebooks and textbooks. She was happy she could actually go home and relax for once without having homework to do. She thanked the near-end of the school year for that.
Andi closed her locker and turned to head out of the school but was stopped by a familiar face in front of her. It was a face she saw every day it seemed, but it was also one she'd never get tired of. She wouldn't tell him that. At least not at the moment.
"Hey, uh, I've been looking for you."
"Well, you found me," Andi replied. She once again started down the halls, urging her best friend to walk with her. "What's up, Peter?"
"I had a question to ask you," Peter started nervously. Since the two had broken up, he seemed to be a lot more nervous around her. Andi wasn't too sure why, but she never brought it up. She didn't want to risk making it worse. "We leave next week to go to Europe, and I haven't heard you say anything about going, so I guess I'm just wondering if you're going?"
Andi let out a quiet breath. This was the conversation she was dreading. Everyone had spent the last several months planning and paying for a trip Andi didn't want to go on. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Europe, as Paris had been one of her dream destinations since she was a child, but she lacked the motivation needed to be excited about traveling thousands of miles away from home. She hadn't told anyone, though, and up until this point she was sure she could've gotten away with it at least until they all got to the airport.
"Um, no, I won't be going on the trip."
"Really?" Peter looked visibly upset with her answer. "Why not?"
"I just don't want to go." She figured it was better to tell him the truth than waste her energy trying to come up with an excuse.
Peter seemed lost over what to say next, but the arrival of a few more friends quickly relieved him.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Ned asked the two as he and MJ stopped them in the hall. Andi tried her best to conceal her annoyance. She loved her friends dearly, but some days she needed her space. Today was one of those days.
