Also please comment to encourage us (ㆁᴗㆁ)
The next day, three Rolls-Royce parked outside Central High School to pick up Peter and his friends to the hotel. Ned and the other got excited once they got in the car, as it was probably their first time to go to a classy event like this! Mr. Harrington, who was also the teacher that was in charge of accompanying the students, also felt that this was the peak of his life! It was the first time in his 40 years of age that he got such treatment!
After arriving at the five-star hotel, some of them began to look around the lobby. They were already briefed this morning about what they could and couldn’t do at the event. After a while, all of them were guided towards their room, making them even more in awe than earlier!
“This is awesome! Did you see they have three separates swimming pools earlier?”
“Yeah, but the beautiful lady earlier also told us that we could use all the entertainment venues here on the hotel! I will take advantage of it as my life wouldn’t be complete before ever trying one!”
“Don’t be too impressed, Ned! Don’t forget that we still have to attend the conference later and prepare for the decathlon later too night! We aren’t here to have fun!”
“Of course, Mr. Harrington. But we could still do anything in our free time, right? You wouldn’t make us study in the rooms this whole week, right?”
“Well, although I know that studying would probably be the best, it was also necessary to have fun and rest.”
Everyone smiled after hearing Mr. Harrington’s word, and thus they were caught in the discussion on what they would do during thei free time in the next 7 days. But, Liz immediately realised that Peter wasn’t as excited as everybody else.
“What’s wrong, Peter? Don’t you like it here?” Liz asked curiously.
“Hi, Liz! No, I am fine! I am happy to be here, but I am just not comfortable with the sudden change yet.” Peter said awkwardly. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t particularly interested as he came there solely to meet with Mr. Stark, but on the other hand, he was conflicted as he couldn’t become the Spider-Man for the next 7 days.
Rather than becoming the scientist that he previously wanted, Peter now wanted to become a full-fledged Super Hero in his future.
“Peter, although I can’t say that I know you very well, I can see that you are putting up too much pressure on yourself! Relax a bit, try to have fun like the rest of us! I think Mr. Stark would be absolutely okay with it, seeing that he wasn’t too keen on being serious all the time.” Liz said as he laughed warmly to try to cheer Peter up a little bit.
Peter immediately contemplated on Liz’s word. He recalled that in the past few months, he was a little bit impatient about things when it came to the Avenger. He might be too annoying to Happy the last time as he literally called him every hour!
“You are right, Liz. Thank you, I realise that I need to do things step by step instead of charging head-on, but god, I am anxious.” Peter said with a shy smile on his face.
“Just think about things through before you make a decision. So, do you still want to withdraw from the decathlon, Peter?” Liz asked expectantly.
“Of course not. I want to win for you … guys.” Peter said as he stuttered for an escape after almost spilling his true feelings. Liz knew what Peter was implying there and blushed but she didn’t delve further into it, but she found it hard to hide her flustered face as Peter was still holding her hands.
“Uhh, Peter? Shouldn’t you let my hand go?” Liz said while trying hard not to meet Peter’s eyes.
“Ahh, sorry! You are right! I was just caught in a moment.” The flustered Peter said awkwardly while letting Liz’s hands go.
“Everyone wants to go swimming together tonight. Are you coming with us?” Liz asked shyly.
Peter subconsciously glanced at Liz, and his brain started to fantasize Liz in her swimsuit. Peter was obviously set up for trouble as he thought like this, but he was just a teenager!
“Uhh, I didn’t bring my swimming trunks with me,” Peter said as he scratched his head.
“We are in a five-star hotel, Peter! I am sure the hotel service would provide it for you if you ask them too.” Liz said as she smiled at Peter warmly. She was also thinking hard about what to wear later to swim as she brought several swimsuits with her.
In US of A, girls in their 15 were much more developed mentally than boys as they already started to learn how to draw the boys’ attention, but in this case, Peter was much too innocent to realise that Liz herself also had a lot to think of!
Just as everyone was busy chatting with themselves, Mr. Harrington, who disappeared not too long ago, came back with strangers in tow.
“Be quiet please, everyone. This is Mr. JoJo, the person in charge of this Academic Exchange Program! He has a few words to tell everyone regarding the program’s rule.
“Hello, students! Because our Exchange Program is attended by many important people from various fields. In order to avoid trouble and many more unnecessary problems, you all have to spend the next 7 days inside the hotel. I know that it sounds like a house arrest, but it was for security measures and confidentiality purposes. I hope that all of you can understand that we didn’t mean anything bad. Thus I also hope that you have fun during your stay with us.”
“But I know that sometimes, urgent matters couldn’t be avoided and if any of you have anything that you have to attend outside in these 7 days, I hope that you can inform us regarding that matter in advance. If you tried to leave without our permission, there would be some serious consequences!” Mr. JoJo said solemnly, making everyone nervous and excited at the same time.