Geek Actually Season 1 Omnibus

by Cathy Yardley

  “Yes. And you look great. Those Alexander McQueen jeans are perfect for being photographed at Dan Tana’s.”

  Christina glanced down at her pants. “They’re yours.”

  Vivi winked. “I do have great fucking taste.”

  In the town car on the way to the restaurant, Vivi brought up Taneesha again, though in a nicer way. “Is your friend all right? That conversation sounded serious.”

  “I think so,” Christina replied. “Honestly, I don’t know… She’s dealing with some pretty heavy shit right now.”

  “Like what?” Vivi asked.

  “I don’t think Neesha would mind if I told you. How much do you know about GamerGate?”

  “Not much,” Vivi replied. “Just that there have been threats against women. Oh, God, your friend is involved in that?”

  Christina had one more moment of hesitation, then just decided to jump right into the details. Vivi did seem genuinely interested. And she listened, for the better part of twenty minutes, as Christina recounted what had been happening in Taneesha’s life. At no time did Vivi seem bored or irritated by a conversation that was relatively one-sided.

  When Christina finished, Vivi shook her head, sitting up straighter. “We should hire her a bodyguard,” the actress declared.

  Though she didn’t mean to, Christina started laughing. One of the things she enjoyed so much about Vivi was how different her reactions were than what would be deemed “normal.” “She doesn’t have the money for a bodyguard.”

  “I do,” Vivi replied. “And no bitch-ass punks are going to get to my friends—or yours. Over a stupid game where people dress up like knights?”

  Christina’s mouth automatically opened, wanting to explain what World of Warcraft was, but she thought better of it. And not because Vivi was an actress, or famous, or anything. Just because it clearly wasn’t part of her sphere of interests. “That’s very sweet, but she wouldn’t accept that. Bodyguards have to be expensive.”

  “I could call in a favor,” Vivi said, refusing to give up. “I know my security firm has an office in Austin. I bet they’d do it for me for free.”

  “I don’t know… I’ll mention it.”

  The car pulled to a stop. They must have reached the restaurant.

  “There has to be something else we can do,” Vivi continued, her expression thoughtful. “Let’s talk about it after dinner. Now, let’s go charm Mr. Douchey Fox Producer Guy into giving me a shitload of money to do almost nothing.”

  ELLI

  Elli had to go back to Ruby’s house. Her sister was in town now, just checking in to a hotel. Alice didn’t want to stay in Ruby’s house, and Elli couldn’t blame her. And while Elli could have left her to her own devices, to sift through Ruby’s entire life, Elli knew where everything was. She knew every bank password and PIN, knew which key went to what, which bills were due and drawn from which account.

  Still, it was nearly noon by the time Elli could make herself walk through the front door. Things looked different inside. The tracks in the carpeting were likely from the EMTs’ gurney, she knew that now. Furniture was displaced to help assist Ruby in any way they could. They’d left the wheelchair behind because they hadn’t needed it. Well, Ruby didn’t need it now, either.

  But around the edges, Elli could still see the sparkle that remained. The little bit of fairy dust that Ruby trailed behind her everywhere she went. It still resided here, even if its maker was gone. Elli wondered if she could ever make her own fairy dust, sprinkling it liberally out into the world. Bringing happiness and joy to others, and not just reveling in that of others. Her friends all did it, in their own ways. Maybe she could, too. Maybe it’s what Ruby had wanted all along, for her to find her own way in this world? Elli desperately wished she could ask her.

  There was so much in here, so many papers and photos and documents, so much evidence of an extraordinary life. Elli wasn’t sure where to begin. Though she knew where all of the important documents were, there were so many of them. Not to mention a closet full of specially designed cosplay for the differently abled. Was there a charity that would take them? Could Elli find a way to gift them to people directly?

  Elli knew she couldn’t do all of these things immediately. That afternoon, all she wanted to do was be close to her friend one last time. Elli walked from room to room, inhaling the familiar scent that was Ruby’s existence. Admiring knickknacks and reading the signed photos that lined walls and tables.

  Tucked near Ruby’s desk was a large shoebox filled with mail. Almost immediately, Elli recognized it as a new pile of fan/hate mail. And she knew she’d have to go through it. Not for the idiots who said horrible and disgusting things—they weren’t worthy of notice or mention—but for the couple who were really, truly fans. They deserved a last encounter with their idol.

  Elli’s phone rang and she considered ignoring it. But thinking it might be connected with Ruby, she pulled it out of her purse. She was surprised to see that it was Michelle. She was so surprised that she answered.

  “Hey, Miche. What’s up?”

  Michelle seemed astonished to hear her voice. “Hey, El. I thought this would go straight to voicemail.”

  “I saw it was you. What can I do for you?” Elli took a seat in one Ruby’s favorite chairs, sinking back into the cushions.

  “I have a coworker who’s hoping to commission some pretty intricate cosplay, and she’s willing to pay quite a bit, if you’re interested,” Michelle replied. “I immediately thought of you. But I know you’re working for Ruby, so if you don’t have time, I understand.”

  Elli glanced around the room. There was no more Ruby. “Oh, I don’t work there anymore,” she said lightly.

  “Oh.” Michelle didn’t sound shocked, but she did sound like she had follow-up questions. Elli could practically hear her friend’s teeth grinding in an effort to hold her tongue. “Are you free then? Or even interested?”

  “Yes, I’d love it,” Elli answered, sounding as bright as she could manage. “The wilder and more detailed, the better. And God knows I can use money for the next con.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Which one are you headed to next?” Michelle asked.

  Elli paused, having no way to answer the question. She’d hoped to go to so many with Ruby, as her assistant. She wasn’t sure what the rest of the day would bring, let alone the next few months. “Gosh, I can’t even remember. I’m still figuring out my own cosplay, you know? But I’d be super thrilled to help someone else with theirs.”

  “Great. I’ll connect you two over email.”

  “Thanks, Michelle,” Elli replied, her tone sincere. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “You doing okay, sweetie?”

  Elli wanted to tell her. She did. But she didn’t know how. Saying the words out loud… It was too much for now. “It’s been a hard day.”

  “I’m always here if you need to talk,” Michelle replied.

  “I know that, hon. Thanks. Bye.” Elli hung up the phone and leaned back onto the headrest, closing her eyes. Just for a minute.

  Geek, Actually

  Season 1, Episode 11

  It’s Not Me, It’s You

  Melissa Blue

  #REBELSCUM

  Christina: Has anyone heard from Elli?

  Taneesha: Actually, I haven’t, now that you’ve asked.

  Christina: I’m worried

  Taneesha: Oh, shit. An emotion penetrated?

  Christina: My heart grew three sizes that day

  Michelle: It all makes sense now. Of course you’re the Grinch.

  Taneesha: Hey, Miche!

  Michelle: Hey, Neesha.

  Christina: What all makes sense?

  Michelle: Remember that one Christmas when my Ken doll disappeared?

  Christina: Oh yeah that was me

  Taneesha: That’s too funny.

  Christina: I wanted to see what he looked like without pants on

>   Taneesha: Oh. NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

  Christina: It also explains everything that happened with Diego.

  Taneesha: LOL He’s not dickless, but let’s not even talk about him anyway.

  Michelle: What happened?

  Taneesha: Long story short: He’s a douche. We got into it about my doxing and he went not-all-men on me. I want all the moments I crushed on him back.

  Christina: I still volunteer to hurt him. Can I? Pretty please?

  Taneesha: No, I’m cutting my losses there. Miche, have you heard from Elli?

  Michelle: She’s not working for Ruby but she didn’t tell me why. If I hear from her again, I’ll let you guys know. I doubt her quiet is intentional. You know how she is.

  Taneesha: Says the workaholic.

  Michelle: Ha, and speaking of, work’s literally at my door. I can’t stay on much longer.

  Taneesha: Later!

  Christina: I’ll do the same if I hear from Elli

  Taneesha: In case she reads this later and needs it: hugs, sweetheart.

  Aditi: Ditto.

  Michelle: Same.

  Christina: I’ll punch anyone if you need it, Elli.

  Taneesha: C, lmao

  Christina: What?

  Michelle: Before I step out, Aditi, when you have a free moment, can you call me back?

  Taneesha: Looks like she just left.

  Christina: Mommy and Daddy are fighting?

  Taneesha: You have zero chill. None.

  TANEESHA

  Taneesha spent five minutes debating if she should answer Bobby’s text.

  Game shopping? he’d asked.

  At minute six, she sent back a simple “no” and hoped he’d leave her alone.

  Except ten minutes later she received another text: Open your door.

  “I should have known.” She kicked off the comforter, not bothering to fix her hair or put on something other than a wife-beater and cut-off sweats. She looked how she felt—like shit.

  Bobby’s gaze went up, then down, detailing everything in a quick sweep. “I brought greens, cornbread, and fried pork chops.”

  “I just made a big batch of red Kool-Aid.” Taneesha considered shutting the door anyway, because she knew he was there to meddle, but she hadn’t had collard greens since last Easter. “Ground rules.”

  “Ground rules?” he asked, like she’d offered him a brown paper bag filled with dog shit.

  “We can play a game. We can eat. We can laugh. We are not going to talk about work or anything that may or may not be going on in my personal life.”

  “You’re treating this delicious meal like it’s a Trojan horse.”

  “Because it is. Just not today, Bobby. Okay?”

  He sighed, then nodded. “We’ll eat. I’ll talk you into walking me through Infamous 2, and we’ll pretend like Dorky and Smitten don’t exist.”

  He could only be talking about Diego. To make her point clear, she closed the door on him, though she didn’t lock it.

  Seconds later, Bobby opened the door and squeezed past her in the hallway to make his way to her kitchen. She sat down with a thud and let him prepare their plates. She let him because she knew what was coming next—him being nosy as hell.

  When Bobby passed Taneesha her plate, he held her stare, then said, “Want to talk about Dorky and Smitten?”

  “You can leave, you know that, right?”

  “If we’re leaving, are we going shopping for games? If not, staying here at your place is fine.”

  “So subtle. Not working.” She scooped up the greens first and could tell from the smell that Bobby had made them. He’d added cayenne pepper. She put her fork down. “Why do you ruin greens?”

  “Crybaby. Do you want the regular kind?” he asked, using his fingers as quotation marks.

  “Yes, actually.”

  “In the bag. Get it yourself.”

  She happily scraped the ones from her plate onto his. Didn’t take her long to get settled in at the table again. “Will I be allowed to finish my food before you start prying?”

  “You’re the one who keeps bringing Dorky up.”

  Taneesha refused to smile. “Just say Diego.”

  “Diego did something and now he’s in no-woman’s-land with the rest of your exes?”

  She stabbed her pork. “Yup. Now you know. End of conversation.”

  To Taneesha’s surprise, her brother continued to eat in silence instead of butting in like he normally would.

  She held out for three minutes. “Fine,” she said with exasperation. “What are you dying to know?”

  Bobby looked his sister right in the eyes. “I want to start with the most serious thing going on with you right now. Who the fuck sent you dead animals?”

  “That’s work-related.”

  “Neesha, don’t make me call Mom on you. Tell me.”

  She swallowed, hard, as the memories hit her. The past few weeks had been tough. She’d kept a lot of details to herself to keep from worrying her family. “I still don’t know who specifically. Probably some teenage boy who felt threatened I existed…”

  “… and pretty much every misogynistic blowhard in the geek community centered their hatred on you,” Bobby said, picking up Taneesha’s train of thought.

  “Right.”

  “And Diego fits into this how?”

  “Bobby, just tell me what you know?”

  “I want to hear it from you. I want your side. You haven’t been telling me a lot, not since you stayed at my place. Why didn’t you call me again? I get you not telling Mom and Dad, but me, Neesha?”

  “I thought I could handle it. I hoped it would pass quickly.”

  “Excuses.”

  And he was right. “I know. I should have leaned on you and I didn’t.”

  She did. She told him everything she’d held back since staying at his house. He listened without judgment, and she hadn’t realized how much she needed someone to let her spill her guts without commentary.

  Finally she got to Diego, and the screwed-up part he played. “He agreed with GamerGaters,” she said, her jaw tightening. “I trusted him, and he wanted to explain their side of things. No. I take that back. He did one better. He looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Well, actually.’”

  “And then you did what?”

  “Ripped his head off, and when you leave I shall drink from his skull.”

  Her brother rubbed his hands over his face and let out a sour-sounding laugh. “He’s a dumbass. I am too, for vetting him.”

  She waited for more, but Bobby didn’t fill the silence. “So I was right?”

  He leaned back from his plate and pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. “Is that what you’re looking for? To know if what you did was the right thing to do?”

  She put her fork down and crossed her arms over her stomach. The past few weeks, one of the only bright spots had been the time she’d spent with Diego. It had hurt to hear him explain away the harassment she was enduring. There was no excuse for the vitriol directed her way. No. She retracted the thought. There was never an excuse for that kind of vitriol. “This wasn’t a hypothetical situation, Bobby. I was scared. I didn’t feel safe in my own skin. Given what I’ve experienced before and will likely experience again, I had every right to be scared. And he didn’t take my side.”

  “Did you tell him that?”

  “I did and he threw it back in my face, but that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have to.”

  “That’s not the world we live in, sis. We both know that. People don’t come into this world all-knowing and understanding. Well-meaning intentions get you nowhere. Sometimes you can end up in a bad place because of it. Some people don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt or your understanding. Life is too short. Darth Beckys await around every corner.”

  Despite the heaviness in her chest, she laughed at the on-point reference. “And I should just forgive Darth Becky?”

  He flashed her a smile. “Let us be clear, in this case it’s
Darth Dorky and Smitten.”

  God, she loved her brother. “I accept your correction, but what’s your point?”

  “Do you think Diego is the type of person who would send someone a dead animal because he disagreed with their opinion?”

  “No.”

  “Would he make threats?”

  “Personally, no, but he doesn’t believe anyone ever takes that stuff seriously.”

  Bobby shook his head. “I try to help a man out and he digs his own grave.”

  “So can you let this go? Me and Diego. It’s not going to happen.”

  Bobby picked off a piece of his cornbread and chewed for a minute. “Some people within the Black Lives Matter movement believe cops should be killed. Those extremists get the rest of the movement painted with an ugly brush.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “All I’m saying is Diego is a smart guy. He’s also dumber than a bag of bricks when it comes to women. I’m saying that knowing full well he was engaged.” He spread his hands, likely seeing her temper rising. “I’m. Just. Pointing. Out,” he said slowly with his eyes wide. “Even Beyoncé did that video disrespecting all of India.”

  “I hate you,” Taneesha said, and still she couldn’t fight the chuckle. “I hate that you think bringing her up is the best argument.”

  He laughed. “Detect the lie, Neesha, and I’ll take it back.”

  “I wish I were an only child.”

  “I wasn’t born a feminist. I had to learn to be one and I’m still learning. Clearly. Shit, you too! We’re all going to hold opinions that aren’t right sometimes. Some beliefs will be downright screwed up. Sometimes it takes a person we care about sitting us down and telling us we’re dumb as a bag of rocks to evolve out of the wrong beliefs. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Taneesha pulled a hand through her hair. “Why is that on me?”

  “Because you care for the dude. It’s just that simple. Otherwise you wouldn’t be this conflicted. Now, if he decides to continue to choke himself with his own dick…” Bobby shrugged. “Some people are worth the time and the trouble. If he’s not, he’s not. Wouldn’t you rather know for sure?”

  She’d heard the excuses falling from Diego’s mouth and raged out. She’d let him in, let him get close at a time when she was taking knocks from all sides. Not even Michelle, Aditi, or Christina, all women of color, completely understood the nuance of living as a black woman in a male-dominated field—hell, the world. Yet she wouldn’t trade those friendships for the world. She’d call Michelle out. Or Aditi, Christina, and Elli. She’d take the time to explain to them why something was problematic. They mattered.