Love and Fandoms (6 page)

MANDY

Thursdays in
Sports Conditioning meant sixth period in the air conditioned weight room, so
even though it was still scorching hot out, Mandy didn't get nearly as sweaty
as she did on Tuesday. That meant no shower was necessary, and she could get to
the library pretty close to the end of school, so Wyatt and Kareem wouldn't
need to wait as long for her today. Neither would Allyssa Shaw, she supposed.
She and Allyssa had never so much as spoken a word to each other; they'd simply
never crossed paths. She knew Allyssa was smart, in fact took most of the same
classes as Wyatt and Kareem, but she'd never had one with her before this year.
Much like with Wyatt.

As she passed the
senior quad, her thoughts flashed to Alex. As far as she could remember, neither
of them had so much as spoken a word to the other today. They held hands at
break, like always, and he hugged her close a couple of times, which she
absolutely loved, but they'd not said anything. Not hello, goodbye, or anything
in between. As sad as it was to say, and she wouldn't have even noticed two days
ago, it was probably the most pleasant day with him since he came back from
Michigan. She wasn't sure if this was good news or not.

She tested him a
bit at lunch, but he didn't take the bait. Instead of a couple of bite-sized
chocolate bars, she brought in a bag of a half-dozen Oreos. While Alex sat
close to her, occasionally putting his arm around her shoulder, he never so
much as looked at her during lunch. That was okay, right? A step in the right
direction? They'd never had any sort of problem before, so she wasn't sure. She'd
ask Luci later, see what she thought.

Wyatt, Kareem, and
Allyssa claimed the same table from Tuesday. They were settling in, so, as she
figured, they hadn't beaten her here by much. They hadn't even pulled out their
homework yet.

Before she made it
a few steps into the library, Wyatt waved and broke out in a huge grin. As she
waved back, she saw a scowl on Allyssa's face. It lasted only a split second,
and it was quickly replaced by a smile, but it was enough to tell Mandy why Allyssa
had wanted to join the group: she liked Wyatt and didn't want Mandy to get in
her way. She must know that she had no worries, though, right? Or did she not
know about Alex? She supposed it was a bit egotistical to think everyone at
school knew all about her and her relationship.

"Miss
Incognito," Kareem said. "How goes it?"

"No
complaints," she said. "As long as none of us blink." That
earned a laugh from everyone. They'd watched the Doctor Who episode, Blink, in
Comic Book Pop Culture, where dangerous aliens looked like statues. They
couldn't move as long as someone could see them. Take your focus off them for
even a fraction of a second, though, as in blinking, and they attacked
lightning fast. It was the first Doctor Who episode she'd ever seen, and she
loved it.

"You seemed
upset yesterday," Wyatt said.

So cute that he
noticed. Alex probably wouldn't have, even in their better days. Kareem rolled
his eyes at Wyatt, while Allyssa, even if she didn't like the observation, kept
her friendly smile.

"Bad
day," she said, not elaborating. "I'm much better today."

"Good. I'm
glad." His smile showed he meant it with all his heart, which she
appreciated, probably more than he would ever know.

"Okay,"
Allyssa said when Mandy took her seat, "I've heard you consider yourself a
Mister Incognito junkie. Let's see what you really know." She wore a look
of challenge, but her eyes held a sparkle of fun, unlike the cattiness Mandy
expected after the initial scowl she'd received upon walking in. This look
spoke that they could become friends.

Mandy leaned forward
and placed her elbows on the table. "Bring it."

"Whose razor
was it?"

"Getting
right to it, huh?" Mandy said.

"You need a
hint? Or clarification?"

"Gosh, I
don't know. Could it be Kiyaana's razor from the ongoing plot-point in season
six? The one that was revealed in the season finale, 'Sunshine and
Razorblades,' when Mox Reemster tried to use it to kill Von Von?"

Wyatt gave an
appreciative whistle, while Kareem muttered, "Damn, shots fired."

Allyssa kept her own
smile. "Nice. Better than I expected. How about a harder one?"

Mandy raised her
eyebrows in another "bring it" gesture.

"Two-parter.
What was Lieutenant Sid's catch phrase, and what's its origin?"

"'It's a good
day for fun,' which was revealed to be his alternate dimension mother's
favorite saying. Episode seven from season four, 'Lieutenant Sid's Yesterlife,'
if you're keeping track."

Kareem gave her
applause, while Wyatt high-fived her.

"Nice,"
Allyssa said. "I'm guessing not half the class could have answered that.
They might not even remember who Lieutenant Sid was. And I'd be shocked if
anyone not at this table could have pulled out the episode title, and I'm
including Mr. Yong in that."

"What else
you got?" This was fun. She could go on for their whole study session.

Allyssa looked at
Wyatt and Kareem. "Do you guys know the origin of the show? Not the story,
but the show itself."

"I think
so," Wyatt said, while Kareem added, "I've heard rumors, but I don't
know if they're true."

Mandy took over.
"It was supposed to be Doctor Who America, back before the current Doctor
Who series started up again. They decided not to go that route, so the
characters and stories were tweaked so it took place in a universe that had
nothing to do with the Whovian one. It's why Mister Incognito changes actors
every few seasons, but in a different way than the Doctor."

"That's what
I heard," Wyatt said, "but I thought it was Internet trolls making
things up because of the similarities in the reincarnations. That's actually way
cool."

"You know I'm
going to fact check that when I get home, right?" Kareem said.

"I read it in
an official Mister Incognito book, so go ahead."

"Why not
check on your phone right now?" Allyssa asked.

"With what
wifi? I'm not wasting data on something I can easily do on my laptop in a
couple of hours."

"My
turn," Mandy said. "Why was Janda's diamond red?"

Her smile grew
larger at the blank look on Alyssa's face, and she had to suppress a triumphant
giggle when she heard Kareem lean over to Wyatt and whisper, "Wait, who
was Janda again?"

"Hint. Season
five. Episode six through nine arc. Had to do with love."

Allyssa shook her
head. "I remember the story, I remember Janda, and I remember the diamond.
Mister Incognito ripped it from her hand and used it to save the galaxy. I even
remember it was red, but I don't remember why."

"When her true
love on her home planet gave it to her, it was clear, but when he was killed in
a duel fighting for her honor, it turned blood red. That's why, after episode
nine, when they looked up to the sky after saving the day, the pinprick of red
turned white."

"Whoa, I
never caught that," Wyatt said.

"Me neither,
bro," Kareem said. He then jammed a thumb in her direction and said to
Allyssa, "And
that
is why I call her Miss Incognito."

"Yeah,"
Allyssa said. "It fits. I need to go home and rewatch those eps." She
then grinned and turned to Wyatt and Kareem. "I've never witnessed anyone
outgeek you two."

"Don't start
a war, Allyssa," Kareem said. "My boy and I can bring down the boom
heavy on a lot of different subjects."

Wyatt didn't say
anything, but gave a confident shrug. Okay, that was super hot. Wyatt didn't do
confident very often, and it was too bad. It looked beyond good on him.

"I wouldn't
do well on a quiz of anything else, though," Mandy said. "Except
Harry Potter."

"Books or
movies?" Allyssa asked.

"Books, all
the way. The movies are good, as long as you consider them to be set in an
alternate universe."

"That's what
I'm talking about," Kareem said.

Allyssa gave her a
nod. "The two of us are going to get along fine."

Mandy smiled. If
only from the fact that she was dating Alex, to say nothing of her own
accomplishments, Mandy could probably be considered in the top tier of
popularity at school, but she still felt great when she got the seal of
approval from Allyssa, a virtual unknown she'd only met a few minutes ago.

"I had you
pegged as taking the pop culture class for the easy A. Especially when I saw
you'd clamped onto the two king geeks. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Believe it
or not, even though Mister Incognito was almost Doctor Who America, 'Blink' was
the first episode of it I've ever seen."

All three of them
stared at her for a few seconds with looks of utter disbelief etched all over
their faces. She had a sudden fear that they were going to kick her out right
then and there. It was finally Kareem who broke the silence.

"You need to
get Netflixing."

"I will. I
promise."

"Besides,"
Allyssa said, "David Tennant is hot, and you get three seasons plus
specials of him."

"Believe me,
I noticed."

Kareem cleared his
throat. "No, he's cool, not hot."

"Yeah, like
you'd have a problem with it if we were discussing how hot Scarlett Johansson
is as Black Widow," Allyssa said.

He put on a
wounded expression. "It's all about story for me. I don't factor in
physical appearance unless it directly influences plot."

Wyatt gave a
little cough that sounded like "bullshit," and then said, "So
you're going to pretend your eyes didn't pop out of your head every time she
was on screen?"

"Et tu,
Brute?"

Everyone lost it
so much that Ms. Sanchez had to quiet them down. When they regained their
composure, Allyssa said, "Don't get a bruised ego, Kareem. I'd totally
date you if you didn't have an imaginary girlfriend."

"What?"
Mandy exclaimed, doing her best not to draw the wraith of Ms. Sanchez again.

"She's real,
not imaginary," Kareem said. "She's in my church group and goes to a
different school, so people don't believe me. And, I might add, she'd totally
go out with me, but her parents won't let her date until after high
school."

"Sure,
sure," Allyssa said.

"Anyway,
there's no doubt you'd go out with me, but we both know you really want my boy
over here."

"True, but he
won't ask me."

Kareem let out a
hoot of laughter, which prompted another "Shush" from Ms. Sanchez.
Allyssa looked simultaneously shocked and pleased that she said it, while
Wyatt's face burned a deep shade of red as he looked down at the table. Mandy's
body went cold, but she almost immediately pulled herself out of it and laughed
along with Kareem.

What had that been
about? A pang of jealousy? What right did she have to be jealous? She'd been
dating Alex for almost four years, and as far as anyone besides Luci knew, their
relationship was great. Even those who'd witnessed their fight yesterday at
lunch hadn't given them any strange looks today. She should be happy that Wyatt
and Allyssa might start dating. Besides, Allyssa was perfect for him. Probably
a better match than her.

Mandy stood and
excused herself to the restroom. She needed to compose herself, and splashing
some water on her face would work. When she got back, she could be happy for
Wyatt and Allyssa. Yeah, right. She'd be happier if nothing came of this at
all.

WYATT

Mandy appeared
from around the corner that led to the library's restrooms. As always, he
couldn't take his eyes off of her. So pretty, so funny, so perfect, so …
everything. If only things could be different, but they weren't.

As soon as she got
back to the table, Allyssa said, "You missed it. Guess who's taking me to
the football game tomorrow night? Kareem had to nudge him along every step of
the way, but Wyatt finally asked." She then gave a loud, fake whisper to
Mandy while giving him a wink. "I'm hoping it means ice cream or something
afterwards."

Wyatt couldn't be
positive, but he thought he saw a flash of shock and maybe even some sadness in
Mandy's eyes. But that was stupid. Or maybe not. Maybe she really was shocked a
dork like him could get an actual date. The sadness was all his wishful
thinking, no doubt about that. Before he had any sort of chance to examine it,
though, a smile spread over her face, and she high-fived Allyssa.

"You go,
girl." She then leaned over and nudged Kareem's shoulder. "And good
assist." She turned to him, gave him an eyebrow raise, and said,
"About time." They held eye-contact for a few seconds, probably
longer than they should have in this situation, before Mandy broke it.

"Don't take
this the wrong way, and I promise I'm not trying to sound bitchy, but I didn't
peg you guys as football fans."

"Do you
remember my brother, Jordan?" Kareem asked. "He was a senior when we
were freshmen."

"Yeah,"
Mandy said. "He was the star wide receiver of the football team. That was
the only year Alex didn't play varsity, and he couldn't talk about him enough.
He wished he could have been throwing Jordan passes."

"He was an
awesome wide receiver and free safety. He probably could have played in
college. Maybe not Division I, but Division II or III for sure. But baseball
was his first love, so when he got drafted by the Cincinnati Reds right out of
high school, he decided to follow his dream rather than continue with school."

Wyatt remembered
that time well, and avoided Kareem's house whenever he could. His parents
couldn't believe Jordan wouldn't even give college a chance for a year or two. It
wasn't like he'd lose his spot in baseball. Things got pretty intense.