Art class was always a good time. Morty was just glad to take part in something quiet and creative, with people who also enjoyed it. Being in a group for his sculpture project with Cody, Gwen and Zoey was an even better time than usual. They worked together so well, and it was easy to bounce ideas off each other and create interesting things since they were becoming pretty good friends.

Morty was wearing a baggy white t-shirt with a bold green UFO design and some old jeans, along with beat up white sneakers. Cody had told him he looked cool in it, like some kind of 80s sci-fi protagonist. He had joked that he basically was one. Cody himself was wearing the usual kind of outfit he went for - a loose white button-up shirt with a pale blue sweater over it, with his sleeves rolled up. He had baggy dark cargo pants and canvas shoes.

Gwen always dressed amazingly well, and she had on these dark green fishnet tights and a black flowy dress trimmed with lace. She pretty much always wore big black platform boots, and today was no different. Her hair was tied into cute, small twin tails. She dug around in her messenger bag to find her homework.

Zoey was perched on top of their group table, wearing dark green shorts and an oversized oxblood red hoodie with a faded school logo on it. Her red hair was down, but held down neatly with an alice band. She was flipping through her sketchbook trying to find her design ideas.

"So guys? Who wants to show their sketches first?" Zoey proposed.

Gwen gestured towards her sketch pad. "Well, you seem to be the most ready. How about you go first?"

Zoey laid out her sketches and briefly explained each one, then allowed Cody, Gwen and Morty to do the same. They were all radically different, despite the fact they'd given themselves the same criteria.

"Wow, Cody. I really like this one especially." Gwen tapped her finger on one of Cody's design ideas.

He beamed. "Really? I'm so stoked! I was excited to show it off, to be honest."

"You know what? If we can come up with something that's a bit like it and a bit like this one Morty did, we might have something especially cool." Zoey suggested, tapping at her chin with her pencil pensively.

"That's so true." Gwen nodded. "Also, this one of yours is great. Do you think we could play around with it and build on it too?"

"Sure!" Zoey replied, circling the sketch Gwen had picked out.

"Yeah. These sketches will d-do really well for our prototypes." Morty smiled, picturing them in his head.

They spent about half an hour coming up with a new set of more detailed sketches, and then picked their favourites with a classic hands-up vote. Eventually they had four designs and distributed them amongst themselves to each start building a prototype based on it.

This project was going swimmingly. It was therapeutic to make things together with friends.

By the time the bell went off indicating that class was actually over, they were all surprised by how quickly the time had passed.

"Well, that's our last class for the day." Zoey dramatically stretched, throwing both arms high into the air. "What do you guys say to some snacks to reward a hard day's work, huh? We can have a picnic."

The group unanimously agreed, and they all made their way to the convenience store before heading to the park to find a picnic spot. It was a nice enough day to sit outside, and it wasn't too busy.

Carrying plastic bags full of chips, candy and soda cans, they finally found the perfect spot near a big oak tree. The ground was nice and flat, and Zoey pulled out a blanket for them all to sit on.

"What can I say? I've been really wanting to have a picnic lately." She chuckled.

Over time, the conversation passed the stage of catching up and drifted into the topic of their old home towns and earlier childhoods.

Zoey had grown up in a pretty small town, where it was difficult for her to make any friends because compared to all the jocks around her she was kind of an outcast. Sure, she was never hardcore bullied, but people treated her for the most part like she was invisible. Being excluded could feel just as bad as being made fun of. Her town had a huge culture of sports; even the nerds were technically jocks, too. They just played less brutal sports like tennis and athletics.

"It's a shame I was too different to them to really connect." Zoey admitted. "It's not like I'm not athletic myself; I could give all those kids a run for their money. Some of you guys have seen how I play sports, and I'm always showing off my acrobatic maneuvers right?"

Cody laughed. "Even during class; remember when the chem teacher walked in and saw you cartwheeling?"

"What about you, Cody?" Zoey probed.

"Me?" He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm a suburb kid. It wasn't exactly as exciting as being at a school full of athletes. I was kind of a mall rat, but everyone in my neighbourhood was since there weren't many other places to go. We had an Albert Einstein fan club at school, which I went to. One of the things I got into as a hobby to pass the time is food. I'm actually a pretty good cook, and I've done my research on the food groups and other nutrition stuff. I'm a bit of a home body in general, so I'm good at keeping house."

"A cook?" Zoey's eyes twinkled with excitement. "You have to cook for us some time! I'd love to taste your cooking."

Cody smiled. "I'll cook for you guys some time… To be honest it's refreshing to have someone think it's cool to be into cooking. I like the idea of people thinking I'm cool, though."

"You're definitely cool, Cody." Gwen made finger guns at him, before passing him a bag of chips he'd picked up.

"Me, I had a pretty quiet upbringing too I guess." She explained. "I, uh, grew up with my mother and my ten-year-old little brother and we're all very close. I'm pretty interested in art, obviously, but also astronomy and the environment. Because of those things I guess I've never really been popular… but I don't actually care that much about having a large number of friends anyway so long as the friends I have are genuine. I'm lucky to have a group of friends I'm really close and caring with, you know? Being a loner isn't so bad."

Morty nodded in agreement and took a long swig of his soda. Gwen was right about that. He'd never been the popular kid either, but since when was that the most important thing?

For a moment a very tranquil silence fell over everyone, but there wasn't really any discomfort. They were just enjoying each other's company. Nobody felt the need to force themselves to speak.

Eventually Cody smiled and broke the silence. "You know, I was a little disappointed that you turned me down before but… I don't care anymore. You're a cool friend Gwen. I'm kind of glad I got the chance to be friends with you."

"Awh, Cody!" Gwen was very touched by this, a hand resting over her heart as she smiled back at him. "Right back at ya!"

The two of them high-fived dramatically, and everyone had a laugh at the goofiness of the whole thing.

When Leshawna and Trent finally showed up, having stayed behind to help out at the library, everyone was beyond pleased to see them. Gwen had mentioned that they might be able to make it to hang out today.

The two of them had been talking to her for a while, and they were getting along pretty well.

Morty couldn't help but actively notice how normal it all was. It had been a while since he'd had relatively little to worry about. Maybe he'd been spending too much time with his grandfather lately. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy the adventures, but this was a nice change of pace - you know, to just be a normal teenage boy once in a while.

To sit here, engrossed in nothing more than highschool life, was something he luxuriated in. It was normal for everyone else but deep within him he felt warmed and comforted by it in a way that would be hard to explain without seeming crazy.

Of all people, he was surprised to see Duncan.

Duncan had been nothing but thorny to him, so naturally he wasn't too pleased to see him. Still, to his surprise Gwen greeted him with a surprising amount of familiarity.

"Hey, Duncan. What brings you out here?"

He shrugged, tucking his hands into the pockets of his ripped black jeans. "Oh, ya know. Just out on a walk. Relaxing."

"You should sit, we're all chilling here."

He glanced over at Morty, and his eyebrow raised at the sight of the dorky kid sitting next to his friend.

"Chilling with this dweeb? Didn't know you were friends." He said in a slightly mocking tone.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Don't be rude, Duncan."

Morty's hands crossed over his chest on instinct. "D-Do you really have to come over and b-bug me when I'm just hanging out with my friends?"

"Don't worry, Morty." Gwen reassured him, a hand on his shoulder. "He probably didn't mean it. I promise you he'll behave himself."

Then Gwen turned her head to look up at Duncan expectantly. He made a face in protest and her eyebrows pulled into a tight frown. He caved.

"Okay, okay." He sighed. "I was just joking around, alright? Sorry."

If Morty had been surprised to see him come over and talk familiarly with someone as nice as Gwen, he was even more surprised to hear an apology out of the punk. What was so different about him today?

"Duncan and I have been friends for a while, Morty. Don't worry. He behaves himself around me because I keep him in check." She asserted, and shook her bag of candies at him until he took one. "He can be a really nice guy when he lets his defences down."

"What defences?" Duncan gritted his teeth, a bit embarrassed.

She laughed, gesturing for him to sit down. "Come on, Duncan. I'm just teasing. Now, be nice and we can all have a good time."

"Y-Yeah, fine." The punk hastily agreed, nervous.

He found a spot on the blanket and perched himself quietly. This politeness seemed out of character compared to his usual behaviour. Was Gwen really that good at keeping him in check?

"He'll be nice." Gwen whispered to Morty, covering her mouth. "Don't tell him I said this but he's actually pretty shy. The tough guy thing? All an act. I know him better than anyone."

Morty nodded discreetly.

"So, Morty." She picked the conversation back up. "Since we're on the topic of family, tell me about your grandpa. I heard he's an inventor."

Morty was a bit hesitant to talk about it, not sure if Duncan would even believe him. "Oh, I dunno. It's silly."

"An inventor, yeah." Duncan chipped in. "Sounds pretty radical, man. You've got to have some cool stories."

"Uh- Alright."

If anything, he was just surprised that a guy like Duncan wanted to know more about him and his life. This was probably the last thing he thought would ever happen between them.

"Well, he took me on a field trip recently." He started. "Y-You see, we go on travels sometimes t-to research things and find rare samples… A lot of complicated things. We go to a lot of different places - even other dimensions and planets."

"Yeah. Sounds like it can be dangerous." Duncan raised his eyebrows, impressed. "You're a pretty brave kid, Mort. I doubt most kids could say they've been to other planets."

It sure was odd hearing that kind of praise from such a tough, hardened guy. Duncan had a criminal record, and even he thought Morty was brave.

"G-Gee, thanks." He scratched at the back of his neck. "Well, we were trying to collect a sample for analysis, on this weird alien planet…"

He told a recent story of an adventure he and Rick had been on. The whole group was engaged, at the end of their seats the entire time. Having all their attention like this went to his head a little bit. It was nice to have people interested. When he described an encounter with a hostile alien, Duncan made a terrified facial expression and threw a hand over his mouth.

"Damn, man! I'd pee my pants!" He exclaimed. "Sounds scary as hell! Go you."

Everyone agreed with him, laughing together at his candor. None of them had ever seen him this laid back, besides Gwen of course.

"Y-You know, considering how you normally act I'm surprised you even c-c-care about my safety… Ya know?" Morty was a bit pink as he said this.

Duncan blew air through his teeth. "Oh, come on. I'm not a monster. Yeah, I'm a little intense sometimes but I know a badass story when I hear one. You, my guy, are brave."

"Amen to that, Duncan." Leshawna threw up a hand in agreement, tossing him a lollipop.

"Hey, thanks!" He caught it in both hands like a baseball fielder.

Yeah, Morty told himself, this was definitely surreal.

Cody waited patiently for Gwen. He knew she'd be passing through this hallway on her way out, and he really wanted to catch her alone. Eventually he spotted her, the vibrant teal hair and black streaks giving her away.

"Hey, Gwen!" He called out to her, waving as he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his cargos. "I've been meaning to talk to you today."

She was obviously a little concerned, probably assuming that he had some problem he needed her help with. "Hi, Cody… Why? I hope you're alright."

"Oh, I'm fine really." He reassured his friend, smiling nervously. "I just figured you'd rather talk one-on-one about this particular topic."

Her eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Oh, really? What topic would that be?"

"Weeeeell... " He tucked his hands behind his back, clasping them together and leaning in secretively. "I happened to see you hanging out with Trent a lot recently, and if my hypothesis is correct you're catching feelings for him."

Gwen's pale face flushed bright pink immediately, and her eyes darted around. Bingo.

"Wh- What?" She gasped. She'd probably either not noticed her own feelings, or had assumed she was hiding them well. "Am I that obvious?"

Cody laughed. "See why I wanted to talk privately?"

She laughed, too. Then she covered her face with both hands in embarrassment. "I can't believe it. Yeah, you're right… I do have a bit of a crush on him."

"Knew it." He grinned, proud of himself as he pumped his fist in triumph.

"Wow. You act like you've got money on it or something."

Cody scratched under his nose. "Oh, I'm just impressed with myself for getting it so right."

"Cocky, aren't you?" She playfully mimed as if she were punching him on the shoulder, her fist brushing playfully on his arm.

"Guilty as charged… But then again so are you." He gave her finger guns. "Seriously, though. I'm intrigued. This is the beginning of your romance arc, Gwen. As your reliable sidekick I have to help get you together with your love interest."

"Why are you talking about this like it's a movie or something?" She giggled.

He shrugged. "Made you laugh, didn't I?"

"Well…" She eventually stopped laughing to pensively poke at her own chin. "You really think he's my 'love interest'?"

Cody put his hands on his hips triumphantly. "You two are an adorable couple. Besides, I want to see you happy. If I can't be your love interest myself then I should help you find one. He seems like a good match, and from what I've seen he's a very sensitive and nice guy."

"Cody, are you seriously planning to try and get me and Trent hooked up?" She asked, in disbelief that her friend would go to such lengths. "What are you even planning to do?"

Before she could interrogate him further, or protest against his plan, Cody quickly took his leave. "Can't talk about it anymore; gotta go- bye!"

She stood there bewildered, watching him scurry out of the door. If anything she was flattered that he cared so much about getting her a didn't have much time to think about it, though as suddenly yet another dorky brown-haired boy was calling out to her.

"G-Gwen! There you are." Morty was waving to her from down the hall.

"Mort?" She waved back. "You're not about to tell me about your harebrained romantic schemes too, are you?"

"Uh… N-No. What are you talking about Gwen?" He scratched the back of his head. "I was just looking for you so you could come have lunch with everyone else. We're taking it in the c-c-cafeteria today."

Gwen quickly waved both hands in dismissal. "N-Never mind. Don't worry about it. I'd love to take lunch with you guys."

Sitting down in the cafeteria with their boxed lunches, Gwen and Morty were lucky enough to find a spot that wasn't too noisy. Still, Gwen couldn't help but overhear some chatter coming from a table nearby.

It was Courtney and her little group. She'd been seeing them around a lot, lately. They were almost always speaking in hushed tones and hunching over their phones or some weird notebook. She knew Courtney was the kind of girl who dreamed big - maybe they were planning something. Still, why the secrecy?

"Morty, don't you think there's something off about those girls?"

He glanced up from his sandwich, swallowing nervously. "Y-you mean Courtney and her friends?"

"They just seem like they're sneaking around sometimes. Don't you get that vibe?" Gwen squinted at them.

"Maybe… Yeah, I guess a little bit." Morty hummed for a moment, thoughtful. "I n-never really thought about it before but yeah. I guess they're usually being all sneaky and hiding stuff. They look like they're scribbling in some kind of notebook. M-Maybe a group project?"

Gwen popped open her tupperware full of cold pasta salad. "Sure, a group project they're being awfully evasive about. Why the weird sisterhood act?"

"Hmm…" Morty took a sip of his drink as he contemplated it for a second. "We can't really be sure yet, I guess. Who knows. Maybe it's a surprise party or something, I dunno."

She shrugged, still watching them but ultimately not wanting to pry too hard. There was no point wasting time ruminating on every group of kids that acted shifty or sneaky. At one point, Courtney glanced over her shoulder at Morty, her eyes narrowed and she scooched in even closer. Gwen didn't have much time to keep watching the girls though, as she was distracted by an even more unusual sight.

It was Heather and her usual group of bimbos, but for some odd reason Summer was walking with them. Not only that, but she was walking side by side with Heather like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Your sister hangs out with Heather nowadays?" She asked.

Morty looked up at the group of popular girls for a moment and quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah, they've been hanging out lately. They seem to be hitting it off actually, Heather and Summer. Heather seems like kind of a mean girl most of the time but I think they've been having some kind of p-private talks and have bonded over something deep, ya know? Th-They seem to get along."

"Hmm…" Gwen hesitated, not exactly wanting to be harsh. "I just hope Heather isn't gonna be a bad influence on her, you know? Sometimes she and her friends can be a little, uh, toxic. She's your sister, and you're my friend. I'm just a little nervous I guess."

Morty nodded understandingly, slowly chewing and swallowing a mouthful. "I get what you mean. I was nervous about it at first too, but they haven't been up to anything sh-shady, ya know? All they've been doing is normal high school stuff like shopping and p-p-partying. I don't think she's ruining Summer's life or anything. If I had to guess, their only real scheme is to work together for the class president election. Still, I'd hardly call that b-bad influence."

Gwen nodded, understanding the situation but ultimately quite surprised by it. "I just never expected it, is all. Maybe it's because I haven't gotten to know Summer all that well."

"This isn't too odd for her." Morty assured Gwen, thinking back on his memories of his sister. "She's a nice person deep down, but Summer has always cared about popularity a fair amount. She cares about having people skills, and the right connections. It d-doesn't surprise me at all for that reason."

She cracked a smile. "Fair. Popular kids tend to, uh, congregate together regardless of morals I suppose. What do you know, maybe Summer will end up being a good influence on Heather instead. That would be a dream come true."

Morty snort-laughed, brushing the tip of his nose with his sleeve. "Haha- yeah, maybe."

It was almost like Heather had an extra pair of ears constantly listening out for mentions of her name, because suddenly she was strutting over to their table. They did their best to act natural, but it seemed like she'd noticed they were talking about her and had decided to, uh, investigate.

"You two saying anything about me that I might care to hear?" She snipped, tossing her hair.

Gwen cleared her throat. She was a little annoyed by how Heather had said that. She acted like she was the queen of the world sometimes.

"Well, Heather, if you're so interested we were talking about Summer more than anything. All we were saying was that you and Summer seem to be good friends." Gwen explained calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Summer is Morty's sister so it's natural that he might talk about her life sometimes. Do you really think he cares about you more than his own sister? That's a little self-centred, to be honest."

Morty looked like he was about to start sweating himself to death. "U-Um, come on you two. It's not a big deal I promise. I'm not offended. Let's all just eat."

Gwen nodded. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, Morty. I was just worried that Heather here was trying to start something. I don't like when people act so full of themselves."

The look on Heather's face looked as if Gwen had just slapped her. "Wh-Whatever. It's not a big deal."

She turned around and walked off with Summer in tow, huffing as she went. The two of them caught up with their group of cheerleader friends and sat down to eat. Heather glared at Gwen over her shoulder, but quickly stopped paying any attention to her.

There was an awkward stretch of silence, so Morty tried to break it.

"Y-You know, if Summer really is a good influence on her then th-that might take a long time. Heather has a whole lot of mean streak in her. I think Summer's got a big task ahead of h-her."

Gwen cracked a grin and laughed into the back of her hand. "Haha- Yeah, you're right."

The two of them laughed at Morty's little observation, and got back to eating.