The Star Next Door by Mallory Casper

Author:Mallory Casper [Casper, Mallory]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Verdant Heart Media
Published: 2024-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I love the smell of conventions in the morning!” Dakota declared as they stepped into the lobby of the hotel. They threw their arms out, bouncing on the balls of their feet in pure excitement.

I followed behind them, pushing a trolly full of plastic containers filled with my various cosplay pieces. I pushed a stray hair out of my face. “At least on Day One. By Day Three, it can get dicey if you ask me.”

The hotel was close to the airport and had an air of trying to be more upscale than it was. The lobby had numerous couches and chairs that looked like they could be comfortable, but I knew from experience that they were hard and unyielding. The rubber plants looked very realistic but needed a dusting.

“I’ll get us checked in,” Dakota offered. They tapped the trolly with a manicured, black-lacquered finger. “You hang out here and watch our stuff.”

While Dakota went off to the check-in desk, I rested my elbows against the bin containing the skirt of my costume. I glanced around the lobby at the fans milling about. One or two were already in costume despite the convention not officially starting. At least a dozen were wearing shirts from various franchise adaptations. It was easy to pick out the people who were not at the hotel for the convention. They were dressed in suits. A few were even in airline uniforms. What united them all was the bizarre looks they were giving the convention-goers.

“Trix?” a voice called out. I looked around for the source. “Is that Trix Tempest?”

I spotted who was calling out to me. He was a tall man with a paunch. His thinning hair was held in a long, straggly blond ponytail. He was wearing a t-shirt of Calliope from the cartoon series and faded jeans. He grinned. “Yeah, that’s Trix.”

“Spencer!” I gave him a nod. I didn’t know he was coming in from Michigan for the convention. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was always looking for opportunities to talk about the series, which was probably why he had started his podcast. “Been a while.”

“It’s been even longer since I’ve seen you online,” Spencer leaned against the bins. “I thought something had happened to you. You haven’t posted much progress on your costume. I thought you might not have it done in time!”

I looked down, studying the faux-marble flooring. I’d been avoiding the online fandom, feeling strange about posting while my friendship with Marty was developing. It felt wrong to talk to any of them about it, but it also felt wrong to keep it a secret. It seemed just easier to disappear. I knew how people felt about Marrix online. The idea I might be friendly with the actor playing him might be threatening to many people. I also didn’t want to embarrass Marty. He may have peeked at things online, but I was sure he didn’t understand what fandom entailed. Even if he had his own experiences with fandom

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