Love and fandoms, p.1
Love and Fandoms, page 1
Love and Fandoms
By CJ Zane
Copyright 2014 CJ Zane
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PART ONE - BEGINNINGS
CHAPTER ONE
MANDY (Summer before 3rd Grade)
Mandy ran up to Wyatt's door and rang the bell while Luci tumbled onto the grass, popped up, and threw punches and kicks she learned in Taekwondo. Luci tried to get her to take lessons, too, but Mandy's parents said she played too much soccer to devote enough time to learning a martial art. If she wanted to give up one of her leagues, they'd consider it, but she couldn't imagine that. She played in four soccer leagues throughout the year, one for each season, and Mom and Dad claimed that was enough. Anyway, Luci taught her a few moves, and while she thought it was neat, especially since Taekwondo relied on a lot of footwork, soccer was a million times more fun.
She reached to ring the bell again, but before her finger found the button, the door opened. The smells of lunch, possibly grilled cheese and tomato soup, drifted out of the house. Mrs. Faulk, Wyatt's mom, smiled at her, and then over at Luci. "Hi, girls. Good timing. We just finished eating." She turned around and yelled, "Wyatt! Mandy and Luci are here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Faulk," Mandy said. Luci jogged over from the lawn.
"Are you two excited about third grade?"
"I am," Luci said. "I heard Miss Heather bakes cookies each weekend and brings everyone in class some on Monday."
"I heard she brings donuts on holidays," Mandy said.
"We don't go to school on holidays," Luci said.
Mandy rolled her eyes at her best friend. "We do on Halloween and St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day. Things like that."
"Oh, yeah," Luci said. "Cool!"
"Sounds like it's going to be a yummy school year," Mrs. Faulk said. "Wyatt is most looking forward to the field trip to City Hall and the police station."
Mandy gave an enthusiastic nod. "That's going to be fun, too."
Wyatt came up behind his mom and gave Mandy and Luci a small wave. As always when she saw him, a funny feeling hit her in the tummy. Most boys were dumb and yucky, not good for much more than playing soccer with. But not Wyatt. He was as much her best friend as Luci.
Mrs. Faulk bent down and kissed the top of his head. "I have to leave for work at four, so I want you home by then. Do you have your watch?"
He held up his arm to show her. Mandy saw it was his Batman one. Maybe they could let him act as Batman today. Neither she nor Luci paid attention to the comic book characters like he did, but he never got to choose what they played.
"Good," Mrs. Faulk said. "Aunt Sandy will be here by then to watch you tonight."
"Aunt Sandy? Dad isn't coming home?"
Mrs. Faulk shook her head. "We'll talk about that tomorrow. Okay?"
Wyatt nodded and stepped outside between Mandy and Luci. Mandy's parents had talked in whispers about the trouble Wyatt's mom and dad were having, but she could never hear much. Her aunt and uncle had gotten a divorce last year, and her cousin, Brenda, told Mandy how difficult it was. Both Brenda's mom and dad had worked extra-hard to be nice to her, but not having them both at home stunk big time, even if all they did was fight when they were together. Mandy wanted to give Wyatt a hug, as he looked sad, but this probably wasn't the best time.
"Have fun," Mrs. Faulk called, and she closed the door.
They walked through the neighborhood on the way to their school where they could hang out in the playground. Luci told a story about her little brother acting up and almost disrupting one of her Taekwondo classes, and while Wyatt kept pace, he didn't react even at the funniest parts. Once they neared the school grounds, Mandy took his hand, finally getting him to look at her.
"I don't think my dad is coming back," he said. "At least not to live with us." Neither Mandy nor Luci knew what to say, so they simply led him to the playground.
"Do you guys want to play house?" Luci asked, once they reached the big plastic playground structure. They'd done it often enough, with the huge toy making a perfect house, complete with stairs, slides, a cargo net, monkey bars, and plenty of other cool things to climb. "I'll be the sassy mom, and you two can be my kids."
"No way," Mandy said. "I'm the wife, Wyatt's my husband, and you can be our precocious daughter."
Luci clucked her tongue. "What kind of daughter? That sounds like a vocab word I don't remember."
"I didn't learn it in school. Besides, it's a compliment."
"It basically means you're good at stuff at an early age," Wyatt said.
"And usually precocious kids are sassy," Mandy said. "At least on TV."
"Oh, okay. But how come you and Wyatt always get to be the mom and dad?"
"Duh," Mandy said. "Because I'm going to marry Wyatt someday, and this is good practice." She immediately threw her hands up to her mouth and felt her face heat up. No doubt she was as red as a tomato, as her dad always said when she blushed. Wyatt's eyes went wide, but his face turned pale instead of red. Luci's hands also went to her mouth, but she did it to stifle as much laughter as she could. Mandy couldn't believe she'd let her feelings for Wyatt slip out.
Once Luci got herself under control, she said, "So the truth comes out. If you're going to marry him, you need to kiss."
"Luci!" she squealed in a mix of horror and surprise. Kiss him? She'd never kissed a boy before. She'd never even wanted to kiss a boy. But as she looked over at Wyatt, his eyes still wide, she had to admit she wouldn't mind. Not with him.
"Okay, Wyatt," Luci said. "Pucker up. You need to kiss Mandy."
Now he did blush, and he nodded his head ever so slightly. "Okay."
Mandy chewed on her bottom lip, but quickly stopped. She needed both of her lips to kiss him, right? They took a step towards each other, hesitated, and then took another. Luci nudged them even closer. "Come on."
Their faces moved together, and then it happened. When their lips touched, it was shock of static electricity, like when you scraped your socks across the carpet and touched someone. But a nice feeling, not a jolt. His sharp intake of breath proved he felt it, too. The kiss only lasted a second, maybe two, but in that instant, Mandy knew she was right; someday she would marry Wyatt.
"Eww!" Luci shrieked between howls of laughter. "That was gross! I don't want to play house anymore. Let's go on the swings."
As she sprinted towards the swing set, Mandy and Wyatt shared a shy smile, and then chased after her.
WYATT (Seventh Grade)
Wyatt and Kareem walked out of their first/second period block of English and Social Studies on the way to the lunch area for nutrition break. It was strange to go to whole new classrooms with different teachers for most subjects. He had done it in elementary school for Reading and Math, but now, in junior high, it seemed so much more grown up. Kareem confirmed he felt the same way, even if they hadn't actually switched classes yet. They would for the remaining five periods of the day.
He and Kareem became friends over the past two summers at computer day camp. Both went because they wanted to design games — Wyatt blockbuster RPG action games and Kareem physics-based strategy games. Designing games was Wyatt's dream job, while Kareem wanted to do it for fun. His goal was to become an astrophysicist like Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Wyatt had been ecstatic when he not only saw Kareem in Mr. York's class, but got to sit next to him. They had a lot in common, and Wyatt figured they'd become even better friends then they had during camp. Hopefully Mandy and Luci would like him, too.
As they headed towards the cafeteria to get a snack, Kareem said, "My brother says they have honey buns that they heat up. They're the kind you buy at the mini-marts, but they're totally worth getting."
"Okay," Wyatt said. "First I want to find a couple of friends to see how their day is going."
"Cool. Who are they? Not computer campers, I take it."
"No. Mandy plays soccer in the summer. Well, actually, she pretty much plays all year. And Luci is into Taekwondo. Neither cares much about computers other than Facebook and things like that."
Kareem stopped in his tracks. "Wait, girls? We can't hang out with girls. The only guys that hang out with girls are those that have game. And, dude, neither of us has game."
"No, you'll see. They don't care about that. They're awesome. Mandy's been my best friend since before elementary school, and Luci since first grade ."
At that moment, Mandy and Luci rounded a corner ahead. Wyatt waved, and Mandy waved back, while Luci gave a half-hearted one and looked embarrassed. There were a couple of other girls with them, too, but he didn't know them.
"No way," Kareem said. "Your friends are way too hot for us to hang out with. Even talk to. And those girls with them are Simone and Haylee. Light years out of our league."
"I just want to say hi." Wyatt started towards them, but Kareem grabbed his arm. He looked up and saw the other girls had stopped Mandy from coming any closer. She argued, but the two girls, Simone and Haylee, like Kareem, wouldn't relent. Luci gave him a shrug and turned around. Mandy stopped struggling, gave him another wave, this one sad, and turned with her friends. He slumped his shoulders and let Kareem lead him towards the lunch area.
"Sorry, dude, but this is junior high. You need to learn the rules."
Wyatt sighed and nodded.
CHAPTER TWO
MANDY (Eighth Grade)
Mandy stood next to Mrs. Snyder's class, waiting for Luci, who was discussing some sort of science project. On the brick wall opposite, hanging from a bulletin board, was a flyer for the Eighth Grade Winter Formal dance. She and Luci were going, either with dates or with each other. Jessie Harper already asked Haylee, and they were all pretty certain Scott Williamson would ask Simone. Not that they wouldn't still be together in the dance. Luci had hopes of Jeremy Van Allen asking her, but he was already taking Mellissa Trument, so she'd sworn off dating for now. Mandy tried to point out she needed a first date of any kind to swear it off, but was promptly told to shut up. Mandy had no prospects, as far as she could tell, but that was okay. She couldn't wait to go to her first formal dance, even without a date.
She moved to peek her head into the doorway to see if Luci was about ready when Wyatt came walking towards her. She immediately perked up. Though they rarely talked, hardly ever saw each other, she still thought of him as her Wyatt. She wished she had a chance to primp herself up, but it was too late now. He wore a Star Wars t-shirt, and she tried to come up with some sort of saying from it so he'd think she was cool, but nothing came to mind.
"Hey, Mandy."
"Hi, Wyatt." She felt her face heat up. "Haven't talked to you in a while."
He looked at his shoes. "Yeah, elementary school was easier, wasn't it?"
"Uh-huh." Why had she listened to Simone and Haylee that first day of seventh grade? Social politics were stupid if she couldn't be with who she wanted. She smiled, hoped it was her best, and wondered what brought him over. She could sense the nerves pulsing off of him, and her heart caught in her throat. Maybe he was going to ask her to the Winter Formal. She almost blurted out a "Yes!" but that would have been stupid since he hadn't actually said anything yet.
Before he could speak up, Alex Jacobs's voice sounded behind her. "Hey, Wyatt, how's it going?"
"Uh, hey, Alex."
Bad timing, but there was never anything wrong when Alex was around. He was only the hottest guy in school. She sat next to him in Pre-Algebra, and they got along well. A few minutes ago, though she never imagined it would happen in a million years, her dream was that he might ask her to the dance. But, if given the choice, she'd choose Wyatt. Assuming, of course, that was why he was here now, which, once she thought about it, was a very un-Wyatt-like thing to do.
Alex put his hand up to give Wyatt a fist bump, which he awkwardly returned. Mandy had to repress a giggle because it was so cute. "Thanks for the help in science, man. I owe you one."
"Yeah, sure."
"Hey, do you think you can give us a minute? I need to ask Mandy something."
Wyatt opened his mouth, looked as if he may protest, but then clammed up and nodded. "Sure, Alex. See you later, Mandy."
No, wait. But if he was going to ask her out, he would have tried harder than that, right? Even if he was so timid. Maybe he was only going to ask her a school question. They both had Mr. Miller for Language Arts/Social Studies block, but at different times. Yeah, that was probably it. She turned her attention back to Alex and flashed him a smile.
WYATT (Eighth Grade)
Wimped out. Again. But at least this time he'd actually forced himself to talk to her, and she seemed happy to talk to him, too. She might have only been being polite, but most girls in school would have run away or told him to get lost, so that was something. If only Alex hadn't shown up he could have found out for sure. He didn't actually want to go to the Winter Formal — Friday nights were better spent gaming, watching TV or DVDs, and reading comics — but it was a great chance to spend time with Mandy. Or see if she had any interest rekindling their friendship. Oh well, it was probably for the best; no way would someone as pretty and cool as her want to hang out with a geeky nerd like him. Everyone in school would say the same.
He stepped around the corner of the classroom and stopped. If he was both careful and quiet, he could hear what Alex had to say. He shouldn't eavesdrop, but what if Alex only had a school question? He might still have a shot.
"No, no one's asked me yet," Mandy said. It could only be in regards to the dance.
"If I asked you, would you say yes?"
"I don't know. Are you asking?" Wyatt heard the flirty tone in her voice, and he placed his forehead against the cool bricks of the classroom wall. It would have been better to dash it against the coarse, hard surface, but a heartache was enough. He didn't need a headache on top of it.
"I need to be direct, huh? Okay. Mandy Blake, will you go to the Eighth Grade Winter Formal with me?"
"Yes!"
"Awesome."
Wyatt didn't hear anymore. He hurried away, anxious to be gone. He wasn't sure where his mom was teaching that day. If he was lucky, it was one of the further away school districts, and he'd beat her home. If he could get started on his homework, he'd forget all about this for now, and she wouldn't notice anything wrong. He certainly didn't want to talk about it. Kareem had been correct the first day of junior high: he had no business hanging out with someone as pretty as Mandy.
PART TWO - COMIC BOOK POP CULTURE
CHAPTER THREE
MANDY
Mandy held Alex's hand while Luci walked next to them as they headed across campus during nutrition break. She didn't think being a senior would seem like such a big deal, but she really did feel different this morning. No doubt part of it was her schedule; she, Alex, and Luci had just finished their first Home Economics class, or, as everyone called it, the Easy-A Cooking and Eating class. Mrs. Farrell, the teacher, confirmed this. Show up, do what's asked, and you'll get an A. That was quite a difference from what she was used to in all her other years of school. She still had tough classes to come, including Honors Language Arts, which she heard consisted of a ton of reading, and Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry, which she was dreading but knew it would look great on her transcripts for college. Not that she needed it, as Alex's dad pulled plenty of strings to get her into Michigan with a full scholarship. Being the girlfriend of the biggest football recruit of the year definitely had its advantages.
They rounded the corner of the science building on the way to the senior quad. That part was no big deal. Seniors usually kept any non-seniors out, but Alex had been welcomed since he led the football team to the CIF championship his sophomore year. That meant she and Luci were allowed in, too.
After a few steps, she saw Wyatt and his best friend, Kareem Reynolds, walking nearby. As always happened when she saw Wyatt, her heart skipped a beat. And, again, as always, she didn't know why. Yes, she had crushed on him since they were 8 years old, but she had Alex, the perfect boyfriend. Besides, she and Wyatt had barely talked since before junior high. The last time they'd even been alone together was in eighth grade, right before Alex asked her out for the first time, and that had only been for a few seconds.
So why could she never get him out of her mind? He couldn't compete with Alex in the looks department. Not to say he wasn't good looking, with his stylishly-messy brown hair, cute face with very few blemishes (he had a face full of pimples their freshman and sophomore years, but his mom had taken him to a dermatologist, who cleared him up), and his tall, lanky frame. He didn't have much in the way of muscle tone, but despite dating Alex, a bona fide hunk, she didn't care about that. Wyatt's eyes were one of the main things that melted her — soft brown that she'd stare into forever if she could. He dressed like a total geek, but she meant that as a compliment, as she loved seeing what shirt he'd wear each day. Her favorites were a tie between his Mister Incognito shirts, a sci-fi spy series which was her absolute favorite TV show ever, and his shirt which read, "Total Geek." That one made her see that if he embraced the word, she should, too.
