chapter eighteen:
❛ peter and some random lady ❜

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the reason i always say "please don't be a ghost reader" this isnt just because i want votes, i mean i do, but ive been writing on this app for 3 almost 4 years and it helps me stay motivated because that means people are reading my stuff. and unlike other people, they have so many views on their books and i know my writing isnt the best but i love to write and it just helps me stay motivated. and i know i unpublish and republish my chapters and i get thats really annoying

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Gwen leaned back against the cool stone wall of the hotel, her thumbs flying over her phone screen. The morning sun hadn't quite warmed the air yet, but she barely noticed. She was too busy texting Max about the strange encounter from the night before. Her eyes narrowed as she recounted her face-off with Mysterio in the cave. There was something off about him-she could feel it in her gut.

Max's reply came in a flurry of excited texts.

"Oh my God!? What!? Do you think he's covering something up???"

Gwen's lips curled into a smirk as she quickly typed back, "I don't know... but I had this weird gut feeling."

As soon as she hit send, the door to the hotel swung open, and Mr. Harrington emerged with an unusually wide grin on his face. Gwen looked up, her fingers freezing mid-text. Something was up. She straightened a little, sliding her phone into her pocket as Mr. Harrington clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Good news, everyone!" he called out, his voice tinged with a nervous sort of excitement. "We're going to Prague!"

A murmur of confusion rippled through the group of students, but Gwen's eyes immediately darted to Peter, who was standing a few feet away near Ned. They shared a look, one that spoke volumes. This wasn't a simple tour change. Peter's face was a mix of apprehension and reluctant acceptance, confirming Gwen's suspicions. This had Nick Fury written all over it.

"No effing way," Gwen muttered under her breath, pushing herself away from the wall. "Prague?" one of the students behind her asked, the confusion still hanging in the air.

"Yeah," Mr. Harrington continued, puffing out his chest as if he were responsible for the sudden change in plans. "The tour company called. They upgraded us."

The other students began to chatter excitedly, but Gwen's focus was still on Peter. He shot her a subtle nod, confirming her growing suspicion that this wasn't just some lucky coincidence. There was no way Fury wasn't involved in this sudden upgrade.

"You should've heard me on the phone with them," Mr. Harrington went on, clearly milking the moment. "I really gave them hell."

Dr. Dell, who had been standing quietly beside him, raised an eyebrow. "All I heard was crying."

Gwen stifled a laugh as she glanced around. Even with the distraction of Prague, something didn't sit right with her. The change was too sudden, too convenient, and the fact that Peter looked just as uneasy about it all wasn't helping.

"Well, uh, let's go see our new ride!" Mr. Harrington announced, attempting to maintain his enthusiasm. The group of students perked up at that, and they all began to follow him around the corner of the hotel to see what this so-called upgrade looked like.

The moment Gwen turned the corner and laid eyes on the massive, sleek bus waiting for them, her mouth fell open. The thing looked like it belonged to a high-level government agency-not a bunch of high school students. This was no regular tour bus. The tinted windows, the shiny exterior, and the obvious upgrades screamed Nick Fury.

"Look at our upgraded ride!" Mr. Harrington announced, his voice full of pride.

Gwen's jaw clenched, and she jogged over to Peter, who had been hanging back, staring at the bus with the same dumbfounded expression she wore. "Peter, I thought you agreed with me on this?!" she hissed, keeping her voice low as she glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

Peter blinked, holding up his hands in defense. "This wasn't me, I swear. I had nothing to do with this," he replied, his voice almost pleading.

Ned, who had been standing beside Peter, looked back and forth between them, completely confused. "Yeah, what is happening?" he asked, clearly out of the loop.

Gwen crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "I think Nick Fury just hijacked our summer vacation," she muttered through clenched teeth.

Peter let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... looks like it," he admitted, his eyes darting nervously to the bus.

As they stood there, Dimitri-the same shady guy Gwen had seen with Fury the night before-stepped forward, holding a "Midtown High" sign. Gwen's stomach twisted at the sight of him. Something about the guy gave her the creeps, and now here he was, pretending to be their driver.

"Awesome," Ned breathed out, completely unaware of the tension between Gwen and Peter. He grabbed his bag and eagerly boarded the bus, leaving Gwen and Peter standing there.

Gwen turned to Peter, her arms still crossed. "I'm about to go home, Peter. This is insane," she snapped, her voice rising. "I don't want to fight some stupid fire monster! I just want to go home." Her frustration was palpable now, the weight of everything crashing down on her.

Peter let out another sigh, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Don't go home, Gweny. I-I'll figure something out, okay?" he said, his voice low and reassuring. "We'll get through this. Just... trust me."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, still unconvinced. "You better, Peter. I didn't sign up for this superhero vacation." She glanced back at the bus, the knot in her stomach tightening.

Peter's hopeful smile wavered, but he nodded. "Just... give me some time. I've got this. I promise."

Gwen didn't say anything, but the look she gave him said it all. She wasn't sure if she believed him, but for now, she'd stick around. She turned away, following the other students onto the bus, her mind racing with the possibilities of what lay ahead in Prague.

But one thing was clear-this trip was about to be anything but a vacation.

Gwen stepped out of the small bathroom, feeling the cool breeze against her skin after being cooped up for hours on the bus. They had stopped for a break somewhere along the way, and it was a relief to finally stretch her legs. She ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her backpack, glancing around at the group scattered around the rest stop. Just as she was about to walk back to the bus, someone bumped into her, almost knocking her off balance.

"Gwen! You've gotta see this," Brad chuckled, his voice a mix of mischief and amusement.

She frowned, turning to face him. He was grinning like he'd just won the lottery, holding up his phone as if it contained the juiciest piece of gossip she'd ever seen. Hesitantly, Gwen glanced down at the screen.

Her eyes widened. The image on Brad's phone showed Peter, his jeans around his ankles, standing in what looked like a small gift shop. A Russian woman stood nearby, and it looked like he was in the middle of something extremely compromising. Gwen's heart sank, a weird mix of confusion and... something else twisting inside her chest. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the sight made her stomach churn.

She forced out a nervous laugh, trying to play it off. "Uh... what?" she muttered, her voice not quite as casual as she hoped. Her pulse was racing, and she couldn't shake the weird, hollow feeling building in her gut. She knew she and Peter had kissed before, but that was in the past. So why did this bother her so much?

Before she could dwell on it any longer, Peter came sprinting towards them, his face flushed and his eyes wide in a panic. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" he shouted, nearly out of breath as he skidded to a stop in front of them.

Gwen blinked, still processing everything, while Brad's grin widened as he backed away slightly. "Uh, I think I'm gonna head out before this gets awkward," Brad muttered, holding up his hands in mock surrender. He looked between Gwen and Peter with a smirk before starting to turn away. "Don't want to get caught in some couple drama."

Gwen and Peter both whipped their heads towards Brad, shouting in unison, "Not dating!"

Brad chuckled as he walked away, leaving Gwen and Peter alone in the awkward tension. Gwen could feel her face heating up, but before Peter could explain further, a surge of frustration bubbled up inside her. Without thinking, she slapped Peter across the face. Hard.

Peter staggered back, his hand flying to his jaw, eyes wide with shock. "What the hell was that for!? You didn't even give me time to explain!" he sputtered, his voice full of disbelief.

Gwen leaned in closer, her voice low. "I had to make it look like I'm pissed," she whispered, glancing around at their classmates, who had all stopped what they were doing to watch the drama unfold. Their eyes were glued to the scene, clearly entertained by the apparent spectacle.

Peter's eyes widened in realization, and he quickly nodded in agreement, playing along. "Oh, right. Uh... yeah," he muttered, still rubbing his jaw as if the slap had actually hurt more than just his pride.

Gwen grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him away from the prying eyes of their classmates, leading him toward a more secluded area by the side of the gift shop. "Alright, start talking. What the hell happened in there?"

Peter let out a long, exhausted breath, glancing around as if to make sure no one was listening. "Okay, so Dimitri told me to go into that gift shop," he began, his voice low but frantic, "and there was this Russian lady who works for Nick Fury."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with you taking your pants off?"

"I'm getting there!" Peter exclaimed, clearly stressed. He ran a hand through his already messy hair and continued, "She told me to take my clothes off because she had this new suit for me. A stealth suit or something. You know, so I can blend in better."

Gwen crossed her arms, her skepticism still lingering. "And?"

Peter reached into his backpack and pulled out a small, sleek black box. "She also told me that when she saw you-Spider-Woman-she was supposed to give you this." He handed Gwen the box, and she slowly opened it just enough to see what was inside.

It was a black leather suit, intricately designed with a sleek, modern look. Gwen's breath caught in her throat as she stared at it for a moment before quickly snapping the box shut. "What... what is this?"

Peter shifted nervously, his eyes darting around. "I guess it's your new suit. Courtesy of Nick Fury. I didn't know about it until she handed it to me. And then... well, that's when Brad walked in."

Gwen closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "And Brad assumed you were about to..."

Peter nodded sheepishly, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, he assumed I was about to hook up with her or something. And then he took the picture."

Gwen let out a long sigh, feeling the tension ease out of her shoulders. It was ridiculous, of course, but it was Peter. Of course, it was a misunderstanding. "You really know how to get yourself into trouble, Parker," she muttered, shaking her head.

Peter laughed nervously, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess so. But, uh, we're good now, right? No more slapping me?"

Gwen smirked, rolling her eyes playfully. "I'll think about it." She glanced back at the bus where a few of their classmates were still sneaking glances in their direction. "Let's just try to stay out of trouble for the rest of this trip, okay?"

Peter grinned, clearly relieved. "Deal."

ASH SPEAKS!

apologies for the short chapter!! saving the next chapter to be the scene on the bus where peter uses the glasses and i wanna include gwen in it and i dont feel like writing that scene rn loll

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)