Misfits Like Us (Like Us #11)(28)

“Yeah, it’s all set,” Donnelly says. “I’ll be there. Pocket the worry. Use it for someone else.” He’s speaking to Moffy and Farrow. “You’re gonna get wrinkles.”

“I’m not worried,” Farrow says easily, and maybe he’s not concerned about something trivial like a triple date. Even if it’s stressing me out.

Donnelly nods nonchalantly, and Farrow nods back like they’re good, and my heart is lurching.

I take a breath, trying to unknot my stomach. “We’re doing a triple date, too,” I blurt out, mostly to my brother as he places chopped pineapple on Ripley’s tray. “Eliot, Tom, and me. We thought it was a cool idea.”

Moffy frowns hard. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone. I didn’t know Eliot and Tom were either…” His confusion actually is causing wrinkles.

“We’re setting Tom up,” I explain. “It’s a surprise thing. I don’t know who Eliot is taking yet.” I avoid talking about me.

“And you?” Donnelly asks, his eyes slipping over me like he’s attempting to X-ray vision me.

Avoiding failed.

“Me? Uhh…” I internally panic and bring my hood over my head. “I’m finding someone tomorrow for the date.”

“Tomorrow?” Thatcher asks, sharing a short glance with Jane.

Why did I bring this up? Can I go back to being the roommate who keeps shit to herself? Yeah, I like that role. I tug one hoodie string, then the other, contemplating pulling so tightly that I’m hidden within the hood.

Moffy jumps in for me. “Philly Comic-Con is tomorrow.” He turns to me. “You’re finding a date there?”

“Yep, yeah,” I say, cementing this plan in point five seconds. It’s kinda chaotic. Maybe that’s why my best friends are Eliot and Tom.

“Akara is going to love that.” I hear Thatcher say under his breath. I don’t get into security stuff, and it’s likely this plan might add a layer of difficulty to Frog’s job. More NDAs. But I also know her pretty well and can confidently say she’ll love the randomness of it.

Donnelly rests an elbow on the table, his fingers rubbing at his jaw like he’s in thought, and after seconds pass, I wonder if he’ll ask me something.

Like, you really want to find a random guy at Comic-Con?

His gaze falls to my pizza. I finished placing the spinach-mouth on my pizza man. He nods slowly. “Sad pizza for a sad alien.”

I hate that he gets me.

I hate that he’s not an option anymore.

Most of all, I hate that I have to find a date when I’d rather just ask him.





8





LUNA HALE





“Can we make this quick? The panel starts in fifteen minutes,” Xander glances at the time on his phone. His ears are pointed and hair a little longer with extensions. The leather strap across his chest is securing a quiver of arrows against his back, and a light gray tunic with fancy silver embroidery pairs with his brown shoulder armor, slacks, and tall boots. He’s decked out head-to-toe in his usual Elven costume for LARPing.

We’re all in Cosplay—my two brothers, younger sister, and me. Among the hustle and bustle of true euphoric geekdom, we’ve congregated beside a life-sized cutout of Thor, erected near the conference center’s lobby bathroom. Okay, it might be important to mention that he’s an almost-naked Thor—and his very distracting pecks are eyelevel with me.

Bodyguards linger close to our Hale Huddle, and Farrow and Ripley would be a part of it too, but Farrow is changing Rip’s diaper in the bathroom.

“We have to have a game plan,” Kinney says while studying the convention map for Philly Comic-Con. “We can’t just wing it.”

“We can totally wing it,” I say with a side-shimmy, and I accidently bump into Thor. Sorry, Naked Thor.

Well, my wing bumps into him. I’m dressed as the mutant Pixie in a black and gold X-Men bodysuit with a bright pink wig, but these holographic wings are a nuisance. I’m about to touch his nipple to keep the cardboard upright, but I retract my hands as cameras click, click, click near us.

I can’t tell if they’re event photographers, fans, or secret stealthy paparazzi pretending to be geeks. Not while everyone is wearing Comic-Con badges.

In a micro-second, I visualize tomorrow’s headlines: Luna Hale fondled Thor’s nipple at Philly Comic-Con! Is she a sex addict too? My mom gets blasted for eating phallic foods in public all the time, so it’s not a big stretch to think one innocent action could be twisted.

I’m about to let Naked Thor fall.

I’m really, really sorry, Naked Thor.

Before the cardboard plummets to the ground, Moffy quickly reaches out and steadies Thor for me. A star-and-stripes Cap shield on my brother’s back.

Captain America just saved Thor. And me. Thanks, Moffy.

I’m unable to share my thoughts while Kinney is staking a withering glare into me. “We’re not winging it. That’s a worse idea than starting with the vendor hall. It’s madness over there.”

That was my first idea.

Xander bobs his head in agreement with our littler sister. “I’m with Kinney. Easton said last year he saw three dudes our dad’s age throw punches over a Teclis: High Loremaster of Hoeth collectible. Love Warhammer, and Teclis is the shit, but no, I’m not being trampled over fans of us and fans of other fandoms.”