Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology (21 page)

I couldn
't get the stranger out of my mind as Bobby and I bumped our way through the herds of convention visitors. It was my own fault for breaking the first rule. After purple spandex dude, this was the second reminder why I didn't make eye contact with anyone in here. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't seemed to be studying me so intently. Even his contacts made his eyes look like they were glowing. It had to be the lights in here playing with my mind. Either that, or the convention had sucked all common sense from my brain.

My current favorite song started playing on my phone, breaking the freaky trance I seemed to be under.
"Hold up, it's Tara," I said to Bobby as I swiped the screen to answer.

"
Jenn, I'm so sorry. One minute you were there, and the next you were gone. Where are you guys?" she asked, but I could barely make out what she was saying.

"
We're by some guy selling comic books," I answered, looking around.

"
There's like a hundred of those. You're going to have to get more specific."

If I had a flare I could have shot it up into the air.
"Okay, right beside the guy selling comic books is another dude drawing big breasted women with, like, hardly any clothes."

Tara sighed heavily on the line.
"Jenn, you're not helping. Every other booth has a guy drawing girls with big melons."

"
Ew, don't call them that," I said, gagging slightly. Tara had a knack for painting a vivid picture when she talked.

"
You're such a prude. Fine, stay where you are and we'll find you," she said, disconnecting the call.

"
Goodbye to you too," I muttered, stowing my phone back in my pocket.

"
Where are they?" Bobby asked.

"
Who knows? She said to stay put and they would find us."

I moved away from the wall where I was leaning and debated forging ahead to look for my friends, but the crowd only seemed to have multiplied. It would be a nerd miracle if Tara and James were able to find us in this madness.

"Let's just look around here. If we don't stray too far, they'll find us," Bobby suggested.

We stayed in the same aisle walking from booth to booth as Bobby educated me on various action figures and graphic novels. I nodded my head every once in a while to make it appear as if I were really paying attention, but every time he looked away, I was scanning the crowd for Tara.

"And this issue is where they show Batman naked," Bobby said.

"
That's cool," I replied without looking. "Wait, what?" I said, whipping my head around.

"
Just getting your attention," he teased. "Hey, look," Bobby said, turning my body slightly. 

"
Jennnnnn," Tara greeted me like we had been separated since birth. "You would not believe how many guys are drawing chicks with big boobs," she screeched, louder than necessary. Tara had no shame. I loved her to death, but she wasn't the person to hang out with if you embarrassed easily. "Sorry about ditching you, but are you having fun?" she asked, keeping her arm around my shoulder.

"
It's all right. Hey, did you know there's a comic that shows Batman naked?" I asked, looking at Bobby who laughed.

"
Really, Bobby?" Tara said, looking at Bobby as he held up his hands in surrender. "As if it wasn't hard enough to get her to come with us today," she chastised him.

"
Dude, it's Batman. Why would you even go there? That's sacrilegious," James said, punching Bobby in the arm.

"
She knows I was kidding," Bobby said, pointing his fake laser pistol at James.

We continued our trek around the convention, together this time. I kept my arm linked through Tara
's to make sure she wouldn't leave me again. I never would have believed it, but I was actually having a good time. I had to hand it to some of the people and their costumes. It must have taken hours to put them together. We rounded a corner to an area where people lined up in single file rows in front of empty tables. "What's up with that?" I asked Tara.

"
That's where the celebrity guests sit. There's people from different movies and TV shows."

"
Really? Anybody I would know?" I asked.

"
Probably. The whole cast from Star Trek: The Next Generation is here, and I think the Weasley brothers from Harry Potter too."

"
And don't forget about Stan Lee," James piped in.

"
Who's Stan Lee?" I made the mistake of asking.

"
No freakin' way. Did she just ask who Stan Lee is? Bobby, you gotta educate your lady, bro," James said, placing his hand on his heart like I had caused him pain.

"
Stan Lee started Marvel Comics, babe. He's a legend. Well, more like a god actually," Bobby said, enlightening me per James's request.

"
Well, excuse me. It's not like it's Ryan Gosling sitting there or something," I teased.

"
Oh, yeah. Now that would be a convention. I would totally wait in line just for the chance to sniff him," Tara added.

"
I have to give you that one. I'm not even a chick, but damn, Ryan Gosling is hot," James replied.

Bobby and James decided to wait in line for the opportunity to talk to Stan Lee while Tara and I waited close by.
"So, I have something to tell you," I whispered to Tara.

"
Is it juicy?" she asked. Tara was the queen of gossip. If you needed the 411 on anyone or anything at school, she was your connection.

"
Bobby and I decided tonight's the night," I admitted.

"
What!" she screamed. I forced my hand over her mouth and looked around embarrassed as she got the attention of everyone in a twenty-foot radius.

"
Are you gonna chill?" I asked before removing my hand. Tara nodded with beaming eyes.

"
Oh my god, Jenn. Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "When did you decide this? Give me the deets."

"
I did tell you, just now, and there are no real details. Things have been getting a little hot and heavy, and we just decided to do it. That's basically it," I said. I wasn't overly comfortable going any further in a crowded convention.

"
You have protection, right?" Tara asked. "I can hook you up if not."

"
Hey, remember—chill," I said, looking around again.

"
Sorry?" she said, bouncing in place. "I'm just making sure."

"
Trust me. We've got it covered."

"
That's one way to put it," she said, wagging her eyebrows.

"
What?" I asked confused. It took a second for her joke to register in my head. "Nice, Tara."

"
I'm kidding. Bobby seems to be acting cool though," she observed.

"
What do you want him to do, wear a shirt that says 'I'm getting some tonight,'" I asked, looking over my shoulder. I had an eerie feeling I was being watched again.

I turned around and my eyes zeroed in on the same stranger as before. He was standing near a booth about two rows over, looking directly at me again. I pulled Tara close so I was standing behind her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"
There's a weird guy about two rows over who is looking at me," I said.

"
Ooh, I want to see. Where is he?" she asked, scanning the crowd.

"
Wait, don't look. I saw him watching me earlier when you guys ditched me. Bobby said it was my imagination, but this is too much of a coincidence. This guy is, like, stalking me or something."

"
You mean Tall, Dark and Dreamy over there, looking right at us?" Tara asked, spotting the stranger, who just like before, stood without moving.

"
Yeah, but don't point. I don't want to draw his attention," I said.

"
Point? I'm going to go see what his deal is," Tara said, strolling purposefully in the stranger's direction.

"
Tara, no!" I said, reaching for her arm. I reacted too late. Before I could stop her, Tara was weaving her way through the crowd.

A large group of costumed people walked in between the rows, and my view of the stranger became somewhat obstructed. I tried stretching my neck, catching a quick view of his eyes that were glowing like they had before, but he became swallowed by the endless sea of people. By the time there was a break in the crowd again, he was gone. Tara, who had reached the spot where he was standing, turned around in a circle to try and spot him. She looked back in my direction, holding up her arms for my confirmation. Shrugging my shoulders, I waved her back over.

"There were too many people in the way. I didn't see which way he went," I said to Tara as I grabbed her arm.

"
Wow, ease up on the death grip. I think you're worried over nothing. He probably just thinks you're cute and is too much of a wuss to talk to you, you know? Besides, look at all the eye witnesses around if he really is a creeper," she said, trying to make me feel better in her own way.

"
Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot better."

"
I'm just trying to loosen you up. Look, as soon as the guys get through the Stan Lee line, we'll take a break to get something to eat, cool?"

"
Yeah, maybe I just need something to eat," I said, although I still had myself convinced some freako was out to get me.

It took another thirty minutes, but Bobby and James finally approached us, proudly carrying their autographed photos. As we made our way to the food court, they chattered on in a star-struck manner. I gripped Bobby
's hand tightly, scanning the crowd in every direction as we walked.

"
So, Jenn is convinced some dude is stalking her," Tara announced.

"
Ha, you told Tara about your admirer?" Bobby joked. "She was convinced he was looking right at her when we couldn't find you guys earlier."

"
Yeah, well, when you and James were waiting in line for whoever's autograph, I saw him watching me again. Tara saw him," I replied, feeling like I was on trial.

"
Don't worry, Jenn. If he tries anything, it'll be off with his head," James declared, patting the fake sword hanging off his belt.

"
It's not funny. His eyes were creepy, the way they glowed," I said.

"
Glowing eyes?" Bobby asked, stopping.

"
Yeah. At first I thought it was contacts or maybe the lights, but the second time I saw him, I could tell they were definitely glowing. What's wrong?" I asked Bobby, who looked more concerned than I had ever seen him.

"
Huh? It's nothing. Come on, let's get some pizza," he answered.

The food court was as busy as I expected, considering the number of people at the convention. We waited in the pizza line for what felt like forever. Tara and James passed the time by stopping people with extravagant costumes to take pictures. Bobby was unusually quiet and looked tense, which only kept me on edge. I was beginning to think we should call it a day and head home.

"Is anything wrong?" I asked, wondering if he was more worried about my stalker than he had let on.

"
No, babe. It's cool. I'm just starving," he answered, rubbing my shoulders to try to reassure me. Tara and James waved to get my attention. They had seized the opportunity to grab an empty table that had just become available near an emergency exit door. I jumped slightly when Bobby removed his hands from my shoulders to order our food.

"
Four pepperoni slices and four Cokes," he said to an elderly gentleman working the pizza stand. After paying, we each carried a tray as we walked to join Tara and James at the table.

"
Sweet," James said, rubbing his hands together. "I should have told you to get me two slices. I'm freaking starving."

The others began to devour their pizza as I sat anxiously watching the crowds of people in every direction. It was like looking at a Where
's Waldo picture, except I was searching for a set of glowing eyes. When I didn't see anything, I began to think that maybe everyone was right, and that my imagination was getting the best of me. It was easy to do here in this type of environment. I picked at the crust of my pizza, taking one last scan of the crowd.

"
I'll eat that if you're not going to," James piped in, breaking my concentration.

"
Jeez, sweets, why don't you go ask some of the other people sitting around if they are going to finish their food too," Tara teased him.

"
No, it's cool," I said, sliding my plate in his direction. "Actually, I have to go to the bathroom. Will you come with?" I asked Tara, standing up from the table.