Izzy wasn't a fond of waking up early, but she had to this morning to meet up with the Academic Decathlon team. They were leaving this morning to D.C. and were meeting up at the school. She was woken up to someone nudging her awake. "Hey, Iz, you have to get up."

Izzy groans, her eyes still closed and she pulled the blankets up to her neck. "Five more minutes." She mumbled. She groaned again, pulling the covers over her face when there was a sudden brightness in her room. Her older brother, Zander, who had gotten home not long ago, had opened one of her curtains and was working on opening the other.

"Come on, Iz. You need to get up." Zander said, chuckling at his sister's groans and grumbling.

"Don't wanna." Izzy murmured, her voice muffled since she had buried her face in her pillow. She was used to having her room dark, and she did not appreciate the brightness.

"If you don't get up, I'll dump ice cold water on you." Zander threatened playfully, raising an eyebrow as he held up a cup.  

Izzy sighs, knowing her brother would do that. She slowly sat up, her eyes squinted as she let her eyes adjust to the light. She glares half-heartedly at her brother, who smirked at her and held up the cup of ice water. "I'll do it." He warned.

"Shut up, I'm up. Geez, why are you in such a good mood?" Izzy grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Just happy." Zander smiled. He was actually really tired since he had just gotten home, but he wasn't going to show his sister that. He was also happy because he got to spend some time with a certain girl he liked. But, he wouldn't tell his sister that. Not yet, anyway.

"Weird. You're normally a grump. Even more so in the morning." Izzy commented, getting out of bed reluctantly. She stretched and yawned, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.

"Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf." Zander said with a wink, setting the cup of water down on her bedside table.

"Yeah, right." Izzy scoffs, running a hand through her messy hair. "Who's the girl you've been spending so much time with lately, huh?" She raised an eyebrow, smirking. She had noticed her brother had been going out more and more. And, she had noticed how happier he was, and she had a feeling a certain girl was behind that. She never met any of his one night stands, but she knew this one girl he hung out with often and even more so lately. Her name was Cosette. She was pretty and a very nice person.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zander says innocently, turning his back to her as he opened up her curtains and let the morning sun shine through her window. "You're going to be late if you don't get ready soon." He commented, changing the subject.

"Don't do that." Izzy rolled her eyes. She wasn't surprised her brother was avoiding the topic, but she did want to meet this Cosette girl. From the way Zander spoke of her, she seemed like a sweet person and someone who could balance out his sarcastic and cocky side.

"Do what?" Zander asked, acting innocent.

"Don't avoid the topic." Izzy huffs, shaking her head. "I've seen her leave here a few times. I've met her too. Cosette. She seems nice and pretty." She couldn't help but grin when she saw a faint blush appearing on her brother's cheeks. She had never seen him blush before. He was usually the confident and flirtatious type and had a reputation for being a player. But, now that she thought about it, he hadn't really brought any girls home lately, except Cosette.

"Well, uh," Zander clears his throat. "She is. Very nice and pretty." He mumbled, shrugging.

"Are you two dating?" Izzy asked, unable to stop her curiosity.

"Go get ready, you're gonna be late. I woke you up early so you got there on time. Not to pry into my personal life." Zander chuckled nervously, avoiding Izzy's gaze.

Izzy smirks, knowing she hit a nerve. "Fine, fine. I'll get ready." She relented, grabbing her clothes for the day and heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

As Izzy prepared for the Academic Decathlon trip, her mind buzzed with excitement and nerves about the competition ahead. Despite her initial worries about forgetting everything on stage, she felt bolstered by the encouragement from Callum and her friends. With her suitcase finally packed and her sketchbook filled with new designs, she was ready to embark on the journey to D.C., where both academic challenges and mysteries awaited her.

****

Her brothers took her to the school when she was ready and said their goodbyes and wished her good luck before they drove off. Izzy was able to chat with the others as they waited for everyone else to arrive. At first, Izzy was starting to think Peter wouldn't make it. But at the last second, she noticed the familiar brunette-haired boy running to them. "Hey, it's Peter!" Abe noticed.

"Peter?" Cindy asked, surprised to see the boy.

"Yeah, I was hoping I could rejoin the team." Peter admitted.

"No, no way." Flash immediately cut in, looking at the boy with annoyance and pushing his way to the front to him. "You can't just quit on us...Just stroll up and be welcomed back by everyone." Peter started walking backwards, looking at Flash nervously as the older boy glared at him.

"Hey, welcome back, Peter." Mr. Harrington greets, smiling at Peter while walking out of the bus. "Flash, you're back to first alternate."

"What?" Flash stared at Mr. Harrington with disbelief. Izzy snickered, rolling her eyes at the glare Flash sent her way. She found this amusing. She would rather have Peter than Flash on the team, and she knew others felt the same.

"He's taking your place." Abe told him with an amused smile.

"Excuse me, can we go already?" Michelle chimes in, pushing herself off the bus she was leaning against. "'Cause I was hoping to get in some light protesting in front of an embassy before dinner so..."

"Protesting is patriotic. Let's get on the bus." Mr. Harrington called out, gesturing for everyone to get on while Flash angrily shoved his jacket to Peter.

Izzy chuckles. Flash was so upset he got replaced. She couldn't help but smirk, feeling smug. Flash deserved that. He could be an a** sometimes and it annoyed her. She walks over to Peter, smiling at him and nudging him. "Glad you could make it, Pete." She said softly.

"Me too. I was starting to think I wouldn't." Peter chuckled, relieved his plan had worked. He got on the bus with her and the others. Izzy decided on sitting in the back with her friends, sitting across from Ned. She leaned against the seat, setting her duffle bag by her on the seat and looked out the window as the bus began to drive off.

****

"Focus up, everyone. Our next topic is the moons of Saturn." Liz announced. Throughout the drive to D.C. the team were practicing on the way there. Everyone responded to questions they thought they knew the answer to, Abe had told Flash he got the answer wrong on one which made Izzy chuckle. She glanced out the window, noticing they went past a sign that had Washington on it and how many miles they had to go. They were getting there. She looked down at her phone, noticing she had gotten another text from her brothers. She had been texting them throughout the trip, updating them and letting them know she was doing alright. They were always worried, they were her older brothers so of course they would be worried about her, but they tried to hide it since they knew she was capable and independent. Izzy appreciated their concern and made sure to reassure them that everything was going well.

As the bus journey continued towards Washington, D.C., Izzy felt a mix of excitement and nervous energy. The team was practicing and preparing themselves mentally for the academic decathlon. Izzy was looking forward to competing in the event and proving herself. However, she also felt a sense of dread at the prospect of potentially forgetting her answers or getting the wrong ones. She shook her head, trying to push her thoughts aside. She needed to focus. Her attention was brought to Peter when he suddenly got a phone call and saw him walking to the back where she and Ned were, sitting in the empty seat behind Ned. 

Ned had the tracking device out, him and Izzy having been keeping an eye on the mysterious guys and their location throughout the drive. Which is also the main reason they chose to sit in the back. Izzy overheard Peter talking to Happy which surprised her. Happy didn't usually call Peter or answer his calls. After hearing Peter saying something about getting tracked without his permission, she sighed heavily and shook her head, her gaze going to the window. She knew her uncle had something to do with the tracker. Most likely putting it in Peter's suit. She had already assumed he did the same with her suit and she had took it out and crushed it before she left that morning.

She hated it when her uncle tracked her. She understood why he did it, he was only worried about her safety, but he didn't understand that she could take care of herself. She wasn't defenseless. She was a superhero for crying out loud. Okay, she was working her way up to become a superhero. But she was able to defend herself, she had powers and took fighting lessons with Natasha before. She even learned how to use a bow an arrow with Clint's help. But, Tony still didn't understand. Or, maybe he did and didn't care. But, Izzy wasn't sure. Either way, she was annoyed with him.

After the call ended, Peter was quiet for a moment. Ned was distracted with the tracking device. Izzy turned her attention away from the window, glancing over at her friend. He looked upset and annoyed, so she reached over and gently touched his arm, gaining his attention. "Hey," She says softly. "You okay?"

Peter was silent for a moment, thinking about his answer. He was upset. Upset that Happy had been tracking him this whole time. "Not really. The fact that Mr. Stark is spying on me makes me feel like he doesn't trust me."

"He's just worried, Peter." Izzy reassures him. "Maybe he doesn't trust you completely either," She adds, sympathetically smiling at him when he sent her a look. "Hey, he did the same thing with me. I figured he would try to track me and got the tracker out of my suit and destroyed it this morning. I should've thought that he would do that with you too to warn you."

"So, you're not mad at him? For doing that?" Peter asked, curious.

"Of course, I'm mad. But, I've accepted the fact that my uncle is always going to worry and probably not trust me. And I don't blame him, I'm a teenager who's trying to be a superhero. It's not easy." Izzy admitted.

"You have a point. That doesn't make me feel better though." Peter muttered and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling stressed. He was happy his best friend was here though, it made him feel better. He smiled when Izzy gave his arm a comforting squeeze and was grateful that she was there.

"I'm sorry, Pete." Izzy said softly. "My uncle can be a pain sometimes. If I were you, I would take out that tracker when we get to the hotel. Just in case." She suggested. She knew why her uncle was doing this, but she didn't want her uncle finding out what she and Peter and Ned were working on. She knew her uncle wouldn't be happy and try to stop them and she didn't want him interfering.

"Good idea." Peter agreed, nodding and smiling at her. He was glad his friend was there for him. He couldn't help but smile when Izzy grinned at him and pulled her hand away. For the rest of the ride to D.C., he stayed in the back with Ned and Izzy, chatting with them and every once in awhile answering one of the questions. Izzy had done the same, wanting to be prepared for the debate as well though she enjoyed spending time with her friends too. She wanted to hang out with Michelle on the way there too, but she looked like she was busy reading so she didn't want to bother her.

Soon enough they made it. Izzy felt so relieved they were finally there. Plus she was getting tired and antsy with being in the bus for so long. It felt good to stretch her legs and get out. "Oh, thank God, we're here." She mumbled, walking off the bus and grabbing her stuff. She heard the others making comments and expressing how they felt too, relieved to be out of the bus.

"Everyone stick together." Liz suggested, earning a word of agreement from their teacher.

Everyone looks around the place in awe at the lobby of the building they were in. Izzy had noticed a big banner when they walked in that read 'United States Academic Decathlon'. There were different signs about the debate scattered throughout the area and many groups were here and there. Overlapping chatter filled the room, the sounds echoing throughout. She couldn't help but smile, feeling more excited. She couldn't wait for the competition. Now that they were finally here, her nervousness had been replaced with excitement and determination.

"This place is huge." Charles commented, looking around in awe.

Flash rolls his eyes. "I've seen bigger." Izzy shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. She wasn't surprised by his cocky attitude. He was always like that.

"There's a bird in here." Abe pointed out, eyes widening when he spotted it. Izzy was surprised to see that he was right. Wow, this place was cool. She thought she heard a bird chirping when she entered the building though she figured it must be like a ringtone of someone's phone or something. Though she didn't expect to actually see a bird in an enclosed area.

"Awe, pretty." She grinned, pulling her phone out to take a picture of the bird. She loved animals and birds were included in the animals she loved. She took a couple pictures with a bright smile on her face and her eyes twinkling.

Peter glanced over at her with a fond smile. He couldn't help but find Izzy's excitement and smile contagious. He could see she was excited, she had told him and Ned during the drive that she was nervous, but she was more excited now that they were there. He had never seen her smile so wide and he couldn't help but think about how pretty she looked when she smiled. Especially when she was excited and happy about something. Like right now. He watched her a little longer, admiring her. When Ned elbowed him, he jumped slightly and quickly tore his gaze away, clearing his throat and blushing faintly.

"Hey, you brought your laptop, right?" He asked Ned, hoping Ned was the only one who saw him looking at Izzy. He didn't know that Michelle had noticed and had a knowing smirk on her face.

Ned nods in response, looking confused. "Why?"

A/N i love izzy & peter so much i also love izzy's bond with her brothers so much