I laugh because I am Groot means whatever we need it to mean. That was the genius of his character. I practically skip down the stairs from my bedroom.
Dad looks up from his coffee and newspaper when I enter the kitchen. “Will we see you at all this weekend? Or is your cult holding you captive until Monday?”
I fake-scowl at him as Mom hands me a toasted bagel with cream cheese, wrapped in a napkin so I can eat it on the train.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Remember the first time we took you to Comic Con?” Mom sighs happily.
Like I could forget. I was twelve years old and dressed as Violet Parr from The Incredibles. Being around so many other nerds made me realize I wasn’t alone in my love of sci-fi and fantasy, and I’d had the best weekend of my short life.
“That was when you wanted me to wear a red bodysuit, right?” asks Dad.
“Yep.” I’d wanted our whole family to dress like The Incredibles, but they hadn’t. Still, my parents had taken me to the event all three days and indulged me with awesome souvenirs from the trade booths. Kendra had only joined us for one day, but she’d been cool with my geek rapture.
“Don’t be out too late,” Mom warns. “I don’t want you downtown by yourself at night.”
“Panels go until eleven tonight.” And I’m staying until the bitter end.
Mom and Dad exchange a glance that means trouble.
“I can pick you up,” Dad says, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “You’re not riding the train home that late.”
I huff out a frustrated sigh. I don’t want to drive because parking will be impossible. Downtown Denver isn’t exactly a hubbub of criminal activity, but I understand their worries. Fortunately, I have a plan B.
“Lexi’s coming to get me, then I’m spending the night at her house.” I wish she was coming to the con, too, but she’s stuck working at the water park all day.
Mom frowns. “When were you planning to let me know that?”
I shrug. It’s a constant tug-of-war lately with Mom as I push for more independence and she holds on tight. I know it’s because she realizes I just have one more year at home. Plus the Twitstorm sort of freaked her out, especially me confronting Lewis.
“Better Lexi than me.” Dad snaps his newspaper closed. “And this way Mom and I can have a date night without having to pick you up in the Millennium Falcon.” He’s been a barrel of bad jokes ever since Lewis was caught.
“I appreciate your concern, Vader.”
He grins, then turns his attention to Mom. “She’ll be fine. She’ll be in the company of harmless nerds.” He stands up and swoops Mom into a hug. Next thing I know they’re kissing, which is my cue to leave.
…
At the light rail station I join a crowd of costumed revelers lining the platform. I love how the con celebrating starts on the train. We all admire each other’s costumes and answer questions from the regular passengers who are amused or confused by our appearance. At each train stop, we pick up more cosplayers and by the time we get downtown, it’s a full-on train party, everyone bouncing and chattering with excitement.
I text Elijah as soon as I step off the train and he says to me to meet him at the bear. The Denver Convention Center has an enormous two-story statue of a blue bear peering into the building.
At the base of the statue I spot Star-Lord and Gamora waving at me. Giddy with anticipation, I run to meet them. They look as excited to be here as I am, which makes my stomach swirl with happiness.
“Laurel, this is Alisha, AKA Gamora. Alisha, this is…” Elijah scratches his head. “So who are you?”
“She’s Qa’hr!” gushes Alisha, and I immediately love her. “I love those books.” Alisha scans me up and down, her dark eyes dancing with excitement. “Great costume. You made it, right? I wish I could sew. I bought mine online and paid a small fortune.”
Elijah grins at us. “You two were separated at birth.”
Alisha and I smile at each other, then I realize we’re going to have to go to the very back of the line since they didn’t save us a spot.
“Dude, I thought you were going to wait in line.”
Elijah looks smug. “Got it handled, Jedi. Somebody’s saving our spot.”
“Don’t call her Jedi,” Alisha admonishes. “It’s Qa’hr. Show some respect.”
We all laugh as we cruise the line, Elijah scanning the crowd for our space saver. The creativity of the costumes thrills me. I can’t wait to start taking photos.
“There he is.” Alisha points.
When I follow her finger, my heart stutters to a halt, because standing in the midst of superheroes, manga characters, videogame villains, and comic book characters is Carlos, wearing jeans and a faded Avengers T-shirt. Next to him is a boy about ten years old, I’d guess, based on his size. I can’t see his face because he’s wearing a giant cardboard Minecraft head.
I don’t realize I’m frozen in place until Alisha gently squeezes my shoulder. “We should get in line.” Her face softens with concern. “Laurel? What’s wrong?” She glances toward Elijah’s retreating back as he heads toward Carlos.
“Uh, I didn’t expect…” I take a breath and swallow. Realization dawns in her beautifully made-up eyes as she follows my gaze. Her lips curve into a reassuring smile.
“I see.” She nods. “Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.”
“Did you guys all come here together?” I ask, plotting to kill Elijah later for keeping this a secret.
Alisha shakes her head. “No. Carlos and his brother got here early to get a place in line.” She takes a step toward the line. “Come on. It’ll be fine.” Her smile veers from reassuring to speculative. “You look fantastic, if that’s what’s worrying you.”
Of course that’s worrying me, along with a hundred other things, like untangling my feelings for Carlos. I’d planned on a fun day of geekiness with Elijah and Alisha, but now…
“Yo, Jedi! Gamora!” Elijah hollers, causing the people around him to stare. “Get over here!”
“He just can’t get your name right today, can he?” Alisha loops her arm through mine. “Come on, Qa’hr. Since when are you scared off by a hot guy? You vanquished an entire alien platoon in your trilogy.”
Maybe she’s right. The whole point of Comic Con is to revel in fantasy worlds. Today I am Qa’hr, not Laurel.
“You’re right.” I square my shoulders as we walk toward the guys. I keep my eyes on Elijah until we’re just a few feet away, then I let my eyes drift to Carlos. I catch him scanning me from head to toe, and when his gaze returns to my face, he swallows. We stare at each other for a long moment, until Elijah breaks the tension.
“Name that character, Rubio,” Elijah challenges. “Do you know who Laurel is?”
Carlos shakes his head. Why isn’t he saying anything? Maybe he thinks I look ridiculous. Maybe he thinks this whole con is ridiculous. Maybe he wishes he’d stayed home. I turn my attention to the boy with the cardboard head.
“Hi,” I say. “Cool Minecraft head, bud. I’m Laurel; what’s your name?”
“Christopher,” says a muffled voice. “But today I’m Minecraft Steve.”
“Yes you are.” I glance at Carlos, whose dark eyes are fixed on me. “Today I’m Qa’hr. Nice to meet you, Minecraft Steve.” I reach out to shake his hand and he obliges, his hand sticky with something. Food, probably. I take a breath and look at Carlos again.
“Too cool for a costume?” I tease, because that’s what Qa’hr would say.
Carlos blinks, then shrugs. I’m still waiting for a smile but it’s not happening.
“I…uh…yeah. I mean, no, not too cool. I’m not good at stuff like that.” He points to his Avengers T-shirt and a hint of dimple flashes. “This is the best I can do.”
“He helped me tape my head together,” says the muffled voice.
“That’s great.” I grin at Minecraft Steve head, wishing I could see Christopher’s face. At some point I’m sure I will, when he�
��s hungry or thirsty and needs to access his mouth.
Elijah and Alisha wrap their arms around each other’s waists and whisper together. Their cozy intimacy destroys some of my fake Qa’hr cool. Carlos must feel awkward, too, because he turns away from them and nods at me.
“So your costume is, uh…great. Really, um, nice.” His gaze strays to my legs clad in thigh-high boots and my entire body flushes with prickling heat.
“Thanks.” I face forward, staring at the backs of Elijah and Alisha so Carlos doesn’t see me blush. I should’ve gone with green skin paint like Alisha. Note to self: never show up at Comic Con without knowing the entire guest list.
The line starts to move and the crowd’s energy level amps up. Somewhere behind us a chant starts: “Comic Con! Let us in! Nerds Unite!” Pretty soon everyone’s chanting and laughing as we surge toward the doors. A huge, gorgeous guy dressed like Thor stumbles into me with an apologetic laugh. Carlos reaches out to steady me, his hand lingering on my waist a beat longer than necessary. We glance at each other, then quickly avert our gazes.
Once inside the convention center, Elijah leads us to the prop checkin table.
“What’s this?” Carlos asks, as we stand in line with a crowd of people carrying all sorts of props.
“Peace bonding,” Elijah says. “They give you a wristband to show your prop is approved. They don’t allow real weapons or anything that looks too realistic.” He holds up his 3D molded blaster gun. “As epic as this is, it’s obviously a prop, so it’s allowed.”
“Wow.” Carlos glances down at his brother. “Good thing I didn’t let you bring your metal sword.”
Cardboard-head shrugs. “Maybe I’ll buy a new one.”
“Did you drive or take light rail?” I ask Carlos.
“We drove. I’m not sure how long Chris can hang in, so I figured I’d drive in case we leave before you—”
“I’m staying the whole time!” the muffled voice is loud and gets a laugh from the Deadpool standing in line behind us.
Carlos ducks his head, looking slightly embarrassed. “I guess he’s stoked for this.”
“As he should be.”
We finally smile at each other for real. I tell myself to pretend we’re at work, that this is just a normal day, but it doesn’t help.
After Elijah gets his wristband, we huddle up. Carlos flips through the program while I retrieve my camera to get ready to take photos. Elijah and Alisha are my first official posers. Minecraft Steve photobombs the picture, making us all laugh.
“Dude,” Carlos warns, “dial it down.”
“Oh, cut him some slack,” I tease. “He’s in heaven.”
Carlos sighs and runs a hand through his hair, which I know by now is one of his nervous tells. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I told him he can’t mess up the day for you.” His neck blotches. “And, um, Elijah.” He glances at Gamora. “And Alisha. I know this is a big day for you guys.”
I study him, trying to determine if he’s sincere or condescending. Considering his spreading blush, I’m going with sincere. And that makes me even more nervous.
“Hey Qa’hr.” Elijah brandishes his program like a weapon. “You gonna do sci-fi speed dating?”
Now it’s my turn to blush. “I think you have to be eighteen.” I cringe inwardly and try to restore my Qa’hr confidence. “Anyway, I’m not here to hook up.” Oh, much better. Way to make it really awkward.
Everyone gapes at me, even Minecraft Steve, who tilts his cardboard head back to study me through his eyeholes. “I thought you were Carlos’s girlfriend.” And this time, his voice is barely muffled.
Argh. I grab my camera and hold it up to my face. I frantically snap photos while Carlos leans down and speaks to his brother in a harsh whisper.
“All right,” Elijah announces, “time to indoctrinate the newbie. I say we go upstairs and check out the merch and displays. I’m not interested in any of the panels until after lunch.”
We crowd onto the jam-packed escalator. A trio of girls dressed like Sailor Moon, in very short skirts and plunging sailor tops revealing a lot of cleavage, are on the step right above Carlos. I don’t even want to know if he’s checking them out.
We fan out at the top of the escalator. I move to the edge of the balcony looking down on the main level. I love taking photos from up here because it’s a great vantage point. Part of me knows that if I don’t stick with my friends, odds are good we’ll get separated and lose sight of each other in the swarming crowds.
A finger taps my shoulder. It’s Carlos, minus his cardboard shadow.
“Elijah said I should wait for you, that you won’t be able to find the group once we go in there.” He tilts his head toward the doors. Security guards man the doors, checking badges and herding people inside the exhibition hall.
“Yeah, he’s probably right. Is your brother with Star-Lord and Gamora?”
Carlos nods. “Yeah. He can tell they’re much cooler than me. In a nerd way.” He bites his lower lip, which is not good for my equilibrium. “I mean that as a compliment.”
I nod and turn back to the balcony railing, putting my camera up to my face. “I want to take more photos.” I glance over my shoulder. “You don’t have to wait for me. I’ll find you guys.” That sounds harsher than I intended, but I need a few minutes to myself, to breathe. To absorb the energy of the con. To get into my Qa’hr groove, which is proving much more difficult than anticipated.
Carlos takes a step away from me. “At least give me your cell number so we can find each other.” He frowns, and I wonder if we’re both remembering how I never texted him after our park kiss.
It’s a reasonable request, so I search my contacts for “Poe” and text him. “That’s me.”
“You had my number in your phone but you never texted?” His dark gaze locks on mine and I shrug, embarrassed. He doesn’t even glance at the sexy Harley Quinn who brushes past him.
“Okay, whatever. Text me or Elijah.” A frown flits across his face. “If you want to connect. I mean, if you’re doing your own thing with photos or whatever, maybe we’ll see you later.” He shrugs. “Or not.”
Is he mad at me? I study his face. Unreadable emotions cloud his eyes.
“I won’t be long. I’ll find you guys soon.”
“Up to you.” He shrugs, then strides away.
Is it possible he came to the con to hang out with me? But that can’t be it. He brought his little brother, who’s clearly a legit nerd. And to hang out with Elijah. This isn’t about me.
I return to what I do best—hiding behind a lens and experiencing life vicariously.
…
After I’m satisfied with the photos I’ve taken from the balcony, I enter the main exhibition hall. Once inside, I absorb the cacophony of noise and endless aisles of merch booths. Freestanding booths sell everything from manga to steampunk costumes to weapon replicas to every possible nerd T-shirt a geek like me could want.
The crowd jostles me as I slowly make my way down an aisle of comic book artists signing books and posters. Two girls about my age dressed like Poison Ivy in sexy green skintight dresses, long red wigs, and ivy leaves twined around their arms pause to check out my costume.
“Are you Qa’hr?” asks one.
I nod and her face breaks into a grin. “Awesome! Do a selfie with us!”
Flattered, I pose with them on either side of me as they snap selfies with their phones. A few people walking by take photos of us, and I feel my con energy returning.
I wander down another long aisle, checking out booths full of tempting merch. I’ve learned it’s best to scope out all the booths before making any purchases, because you never know when you’ll find something you love even more than the item you just bought.
A booth of custom chocolates catches my attention. I doubt I’ll find another chocolate spaceship vendor, so I buy three ships—a Millennium Falcon, an Enterprise, and a Serenity, planning to share them later.
My phone buzzes in my
hand.
Where are you, Jedi? Your boy is grumpy.
Elijah.
I step out of the crowded aisle, finding a quiet spot near an emergency exit door. My thumbs fly over the screen.
Sorry. Where are you?
I watch the dots, hoping my text gets through. It’s time to buck up and stop hiding out. Carlos is a great guy, and I don’t want us to end this summer on bad terms. I’ve forgiven him for the Jason stuff.
Today we’re just…us. Friends having fun at my favorite event of the year. Or we will be, once I track everyone down.
Elijah’s reply finally pings my phone: Ghostbusters car.
That’ll be easy to find. Last year the Knight Rider car was a big hit, and the iconic Ghostbusters car is here every year. I make my way toward them, telling myself it’s time to have fun and relax.
I spot Star-Lord and Gamora first, hamming it up and posing for photos, and then I spot Carlos and his brother. Christopher poses in front of the iconic white station wagon while Carlos takes photos with his phone. My pace speeds up; I should take photos of them; I can offer that much, at least.
Carlos jumps when I tap his shoulder, spinning around to face me. His dark hair falls over his eyes, and his hesitant smile pinches my heart.
“Hey,” he says. “We thought maybe you ditched us.”
I guess I deserve that.
“I’m sorry. Got carried away with the photography.” I point to his brother, who’s attempting to crawl into the open car window, his cardboard head crashing against the window frame. “Want me to take a picture of you guys together?”
“Probably a good idea, before he destroys his fake head.” He yanks his brother up and away from the car. Christopher’s arms flail in the air, his muffled yelp making me laugh.
“Lean against the car. Cross your arms over your chests like you’re tough Ghostbusters.” They follow my orders and I take a burst of photos. I love how bursts capture fleeting expressions and movements. Also, I now have another legit reason to take Carlos’s photo.
“Hey, what about us?” Elijah asks, sidling up next to me.
“You’re next.” I turn back to the Rubios because I might as well take some close-ups while I can, right?
Spies, Lies, and Allies Page 29