Chapter 274: Picnic and Sing Along.

[General POV]

Abed walked to the study room where everyone had gathered and greeted his friend group casually, "Hello. So Spanish Class is canceled. You guys know that right?"

He sat at his spot beside Britta, who has an unkempt hair, some twigs on her hair, prominent eye bags, and her eyes were a bit reddish. Shirley said, "I heard Chang is fired."

 She turned to Abed and greeted weirdly, "Hey Abed. I'm happy to see you before I finally lose my mind."

Jeff had some stubble on his face, and he wore only a gray shirt and shorts, a stark difference compared to his usual fashionable style. "Still haven't found the monkey?" Jeff asked Britta.

Britta shook her head and said, "The guy I gave him for rescue had sold the monkey. Then, the store that bought it lost it. I went searching in that area for a while, but I couldn't find it."

Annie said gleefully, full of energy, "Britta! Don't lose hope! You're going to find the monkey!"

Britta scoffed and said disdainfully, "What is she all smiling about?" Shirley and Annie looked at each other before they squealed and giggled with each other. All the while, Troy was staring at Annie, trying to figure out something.

Pierce turned to Britta and suddenly said, "Brittles, I'm sure you've already heard about it, but I had a falling out with Vaughn, and now I've left the band."

Britta and Abed were intrigued, while the rest just listened. Britta said, "Right, the band and the offensive song. Jeff, you used to be a lawyer. Can I kill Pierce and blame it on my madness."

Jeff scoffed and scooted away from Britta for a few inches, "You actually can."

"Great." Britta smiled coldly at Pierce. Annie asked the old man, "Pierce, why did you break up with the band?"

"We, have a disagreement about the song." Pierce replied. In actuality, Pierce and Vaughn fought because Vaughn kept referring to the song as 'his song' instead of giving Pierce some credit. Pierce thought he was going to Garfunkel him, and they had a falling down.

Britta however, misunderstood the situation and exclaimed sweetly, "Oh Pierce. Were you standing up for my honor? That's so sweet."

Pierce was taken aback, "What?– Yes, Yes, we broke up because I was defending your honor."

Abed commented, "Seems unlikely. But, in more important news, Annie has got a date for the picnic."

Shirley and Annie squealed while Britta, Jeff and Pierce exclaimed supportingly.

"So, who's the guy?" Britta asked while holding the table and leaning in to Annie. Abed replied, "Everyone here knows the guy."

Troy, who was keeping silence suddenly said, "I'm really curious on why he asked Annie out from the rest of the students."

"Who?" Jeff asked in confusion. Troy turned to him and said, "Newgate."

Britta and Jeff were shocked. "What?!" Pierce turned to Annie and chuckled, "You agreed to go on a date with a mountain climber?"

Annie's eyes moved around as she replied shyly, "I also don't know why he picked me." 

Abed suddenly chimed in, "I know. He said you're cute." Annie and Shirley squealed again while Troy mumbled while scrutinizing Annie's face, "I don't see it."

"Really?" Jeff leaned forward, fully interested in the topic. He turned to Annie and said, "When you start dating a millionaire, please don't forget about us. Especially don't forget about me."

"We're not dating. We're just going out on a picnic together." Annie replied innocently. Shirley added with a giggle, "I'm bringing Annie out shopping." Her sweet voice turned serious as she said, "This is a one in a lifetime opportunity. I cannot let her go like this."

"What's wrong with the way I dress?!" Annie retorted. Abed commented, "You look like a spinster librarian."

Annie gasped in shock, her eyes fluttering, but never fully closed. Abed pointed out, "There it is. The Disney Princess look."

Britta scoffed and said, "Guys, instead of pushing her to go out with him, we need to make sure to protect Annie. Men with power and fame like that? He'll probably just throw her away when he's done with her."

"WHOA!" Everyone groaned as they turned to Britta. Annie snapped, "You don't get to talk about him like that, especially when he was TRYING TO HELP YOU!?"

Britta realized she had misspoke, "No, I wasn't specifying him–"

Abed pointed his finger at Britta and said, "He might have a complicated past, but he's a good man."

Jeff added, "He gave the gift of great songs and multiple…other things to the world."

Troy continued, "Shame on you for even thinking about that."

Britta was agitated, "Why are you all talking like you knew him intimately! None of you know what he's really like!"

Abed raised his hand, "I do. We bonded quite a lot."

Britta turned to him and said with a shaky voice, "Well, he could still be faking it."

Jeff scoffed and said, "I don't think he is. Think about it, Britta. He's the kind of guy that can have any girl he wants. Unless he was really interested in Annie, he wouldn't ask her out."

"Jeff." Annie was flattered. 

He turned to Annie and said, "Then, when you do start to go out, you can, I don't know, talk to him and see if his legal team needs to hire a consultant or any other high paying position. Something that is in Colorado will be nice."

Britta snapped, "You just want to prostitute Annie to get what you want!"

Jeff argued back, "What I want is to liquidate my asset and get back my condo, but turns out, my comic book is worthless!"

"What?" Britta was taken aback, and became confused. Pierce teased Jeff, "What happened about not taking any charity?"

"That thing was gone the second I had to use the communal toilet in the college dorm this morning." Jeff retorted.

Abed suddenly chimed in, "If Jeff wants to prostitute Annie, and Shirley wants to take her shopping, then I can come with you guys and we can make a 'Pretty Woman' spoof."

Troy was intrigued and he stopped trying to study Annie, "Oh I love that movie!"

"Me too!" Shirley joined in. Annie also said, "So do I."

Of course, the only one who didn't like it was still Britta. "What? I just think that it mirrored the real world society where a woman's value could only be determined by–"

All the others stood up from their chairs and left the room before Britta could finish. While they were walking out, Shirley asked, "Abed, I haven't gotten to the atm yet. Do you have any cash to use for Annie's shopping? I want to avoid the traffic and go directly to the store."

Abed nodded and said, "I have about 20,000 dollars."

"Oh that's nice–" Shirley's sweet voice turned serious, "You have how much now?"

…

The cool evening air was filled with anticipation as college students gathered for the annual "Picnic and Sing Along Under the Stars" outdoor student concert. 

As the stage at East lawn was brightly lit and ready for the upcoming performances, the majority of the students had forgone elaborate picnic spreads, opting instead to simply claim their spots on the grass with blankets and the occasional shared bag of chips or sandwiches.

Couples cuddled closely, stealing glances at each other as they chatted and laughed, more interested in each other's company than an elaborate meal. The sound of tuning instruments and excited chatter created a lively atmosphere, as students staked out their places close to the stage, eager for the concert to begin under the twinkling night sky above.

Troy had secured a spot near the concert stage, accompanied by his date Randy - an Asian student with tanned skin. "Are you cold, Troy?" Randy asked him.

"Huh?-- No, you can use the blanket. I bought 10 of them for the picnic. Tell me if it's not enough and I'll get you some more," Troy replied, though his eyes were intently scanning the crowd, searching for the figures of Annie and Edward.

Suddenly, Troy spotted them. Annie was dressed up, wearing a short skirt and a frilly blouse with transparent sleeves, her hair blown out, and she was carrying a purse instead of her usual backpack. 

To Troy's surprise, he watched as Edward kissed the back of Annie's hand and presented her with a red rose. Annie giggled, and the two of them then made their way to a VIP section where six burly men had reserved seating.

"Oh my guh(god), they really did go on a date," Troy murmured to himself, his brow furrowed in confusion. "How can Annie go on a date with him, unless he thinks Annie is hot. If he thinks Annie is hot, then I need to think Annie is hot too. Wait a second. Is Annie actually hot?"

Troy's internal monologue was interrupted when Randy caught him staring at Annie. "Are you seriously checking out other women right now while on a date with me?" she demanded, clearly upset.

"What– NO! That's my friend," Troy tried to explain, but it was too late. Randy grunted and stood up from the picnic mat, walking away. "RANDY! NOOOOO!" Troy called out desperately, but Randy refused to look back.

Edward led Annie to the picnic mat, which stood out from the rest of the casual arrangements around them. Their spot was meticulously set up, with a red and white checkered blanket, a wooden basket filled with an assortment of foods, a candle in a glass jar, and even a vase to display the red rose Edward had just gifted to Annie.

"Oh my god, they really did go all out in setting the place up," Edward muttered with disbelief as he looked around to catch who was responsible for it. That's when he spotted Frankie and the dean, hiding behind a tree and giving him a thumbs up.

Edward chuckled at Frankie and the dean's obvious meddling. He turned to Annie and said, "Have a seat, my lady."

Annie couldn't help but break into a smile, even though that's what she had been doing the entire evening. "Thank you... Prince–" she started, then quickly stopped herself. "Wait, that's pretty awkward."

Edward laughed a few times before saying, "It's fine. I like it. Don't repeat that, but I like it," he said jokingly, which made Annie feel he was easy to get along with.

Annie sat with her legs folded sideways, leaning towards Edward on her left, while Edward sat with his legs straight, propping himself to sit upright with his back hand on the ground. They glanced at each other a couple times, and then burst into laughter when they caught each other's eyes.

Edward broke the silence and said, "There's still time before the concert starts. Why don't we get to know each other while we eat?"

"Umm…Okay!" Annie replied bashfully. "So Annie, tell me, why did a smart girl like you, in a place like this?" Edward asked as he poured a glass of sparkling cider to her.

Annie was a bit taken aback and stammered, "Oh, Um…"

Edward added, "Don't worry, I'm not trying to judge. – I'm just… curious. You don't have to answer me if you don't want to."

Annie looked at Edward with bewilderment before fixing her hair and said, "Um, No…I think I can answer it. I- In high school, I'm a 4.0– a good student. But… something happened before I could take the SATs and graduate. So I'm stuck here."

Edward knew about the 'Annie Adderall' incident where she got addicted to pills from the intense pressure to succeed, got into a breaking point at a party, and then smashed her face on the glass window when trying to run away from said party. 

Having had constructive surgery and gone into rehab, she's slowly trying to build her life back up by coming into Greendale, the only college she could afford to go to right now.

"Oh yeah? That sucks." Edward listened attentively. "Did you take your GED?" He asked. Annie nodded and said, "Yeah, I did. That's why I managed to come here." She giggled nervously.

Edward chuckled and asked, "Are you from around here Annie?"

"My family moved here when I was a kid, and I've been staying here since." Annie replied. 

They got to know each other for a while and were finally comfortable around each other. After a few jokes and laughter, Annie's eyes glittered and she asked excitedly, "What about you? Why are you here?"

"I'm here for a visit actually. And I also bought the college." Edward replied honestly. Annie's face froze for a minute before she asked, "What did you just say?"

Edward smirked and ate a strawberry, "Maybe it's a habit, or maybe I just like broken things. But when I saw the condition of the school, and how little it'll actually take to fix it, I have to try it out." 

"Wait, this is for real? You actually bought the place I'm studying at?" Annie asked in bewilderment. "Why don't any of us know anything about it?"

"Well Annie, there's this quote, ' Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.' That's why, I did everything under wraps, and only announced it when it was done." 

"To prevent chaos?" Annie was confused. Edward smirked and grabbed her chin lightly, making her heart flutter as they locked eyes together. 

Edward mumbled teasingly, "To own you?"

Annie moaned intoxicatedly before she become flabbergasted, "Wh– I–"

Edward released his hand and said while laughing, "I was joking. You don't have to be so nervous."

"Hmmp." She grunted while blushing. Edward flirted, "Despite your adorableness, I wouldn't spend millions into buying a college just because I want you. I can do that without."

Annie flirted back, pretending to be mad "Are you saying I'm easy?"

Edward grinned and said, "No. I'm just saying that you're not that type of girl that will be blinded by money." 

"Really? You didn't even know me until today." Annie was quite shy and she lowered her head to avoid Edward's gaze. "Who knows if that'll work on me or not."

"Wait, I can do that?" Edward teased. "Why are we even here on a date then?" 

While they were having a good time, on the side of the lawn, Abed, Troy and Shirley were watching them by using binoculars.

Abed commented, "Look, they are holding hands." Shirley squealed, "Oh that's nice."

Troy said unwillingly, "She's just brushing the crumbs that had fallen off on him."

The performances finally began, and the concert started with Vaughn– Britta's ex boyfriend, singing a song called, 'Pierce You're A B'.

While they were singing it, Annie exclaimed in horror, "Oh god, the first song at my first concert date will be about an old man who shit his pants?" 

Edward chuckled, "Well look on the bright side. The moment will be etched in your mind. There's no way you're going to forget it."

Annie said, "Easy for you to say. You probably have a lot of memories like this so you won't need to care."

"Actually, this is my first time too." Edward said, which made Annie turn to him in surprise. "Your first?" She asked.

"Not a first date, but a first concert with a girl. Usually, I'm the one on stage, so I never experienced it." Edward said. 

The atmosphere started heating up, and Dylan finally walked up to the stage. He said to the microphone, "Baby, I'm sorry about yesterday's song. I'm going to make it up to you."

Anais, who was sitting there on the picnic mat alone, was dumbfounded, "Oh no, what did he have planned now?"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL52Sjo3vUo&t=148s&ab_channel=l.smith – Imagine Me Naked– Dylan Modern Family]

The soft rock melody captured the attention of the crowd. The retro band style made Edward chortled for a bit, then he held Annie's hand, interlocking their fingers together. Her heart beat quickly, and her eyes fluttered as she stole a glance at him.

Dylan sang, " ♫♪ I'm a ship without a rudder… I'm the bread without your butter… And I'll never find another girl…who could make me feel so fine…So here's to my broken sweet of mine!!!"

The start of the song subverted the crowd's expectations, but then, Dylan sang the chorus, "♫♪ Imagine me naked!!! I'll imagine you nude!! You'll never have to fake it!! Like you do with other dudes!!"

The crowd burst into cheers– even Anais was helpless and was captivated by how sincere Dylan was singing the song.

"♫♪I'll never stop touching you! Even when the world ends! But for now I'm lying naked! Without my best friend.♫♪" Dylan pointed at Anais again, but this time, she smiled instead of being dumbfounded like before.

After a short guitar solo, Dylan continued, " ♫♪When it seems the world is cold and dark, And you can't remember where you parked, You helped me build this golden ark,We can sail upon the sea…And get N-A-K-E-D!!!♫♪"

Annie and Edward found themselves to be locking eyes with each other as the chorus arrived.

"♫♪Imagine me naked♫♪"

Annie chuckled nervously and told Edward, "The song's pretty funny."

"♫♪ I'll imagine you nude ♫♪"

Edward replied, "It really does."

Both of them were leaning into each other. 

"♫♪You'll never have to fake it, Like you do with other dudes!! I'll never stop touching you!! Even when the world ends!!♫♪"

"But for now I'm lying naked…Without my best friend…Without my best friend♫♪"

As the guitar solo began, Dylan did a monologue, "♫♪♫♪ (If you imagine me naked, I can bring you to a world that you have never believed in. If you believe in me, then I can believe in you, and we can go far, far into outer space.)"

The concert was at its peak. People stood up from their mat and sang along to the song. "♫♪ Imagine me naked!! I'll imagine you nude!! You'll never have to fake it!! Like you do with other dudes!!"

"I'll never stop touching you!! Even when the world ends!!But for now I'm lying naked!! Without my best friend~~"

Dylan continued solo, singing with a very emotional tone, "I'll imagine you nude!! You'll never have to fake it (Never, Never) Like you do with other dudes (Like you do with other dudes)!! I'll never stop touching you!! Even when the world ends!! But for now I'm lying naked!! Without my best friend~~~!"

The music slowly fades away, and the entire crowd cheered. Suddenly, Dean Pelton walked onto the stage, causing the crowd to groan.

The dean still laughed, acting like the crowd had celebrated him, took the microphone from Dylan and said, "Incredible performance by…What's your band name again?"

"We're the 'Dropouts!'" Dylan replied.

"INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES BY THE DROPOUTS!" The dean announced dramatically, which made the crowd cheered and applauded for Dylan's band once again.

The dean chuckled twice and said, "With that, ends the concert for tonight–"

The crowd clamored, and the band who hadn't gone yet protested, "What are you doing?!"

The dean calmed himself down and said, "I know, I know. You're mad. But this is for your safety. Alright, I'll give you some good news after this bad news, so listen first." 

The crowd calmed down a bit, but were still listless. Dean Pelton said, "We need to evacuate everyone from the compound as there's some gas leaks in campus. Everyone who stays in the dorms also has to move out as soon as possible."

Abed was startled when he heard it. "Where should we go!?" Jeff muttered with some anger.

"Alright– CALM DOWN!" The dean shouted. "It's a precaution. You can move back in after 2 or 3 days– to the dorms. Alright, so for the good news, the school will no longer be under city management as we have been bought out by a huge corporation!" He announced it excitedly, but none of the crowd reacted.

"Hello?" The dean was confused. "Did you guys hear me–"

"BOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" The crowd threw food, bottles, and even grass to the dean. "WHAT?!" He exclaimed in surprise, "It's good news!" He said tearfully.

"Boo!!! DOWN WITH THE CORPORATION! DOWN WITH THE MACHINE!" The college students shouted, and a riot ensued.

"Oww! OWW! Protect me Jeffrey! Protect me Eddy!" The dean shouted urgently as he avoided the things thrown at him. However, Edward's picnic mat had long since been empty, even before Dylan finished his performance.