Queens of Geek

CHAPTER TWO: CHARLIE

After saying goodbye to Tay and Jamie, Mandy and I stroll down the hall.

She gives me a sideways glance and runs a hand over the back of her neck. "I just want to say, I'm such a huge fan of yours. I loved The Rising and I've been watching your vlogs for years. And I just bought your book!"

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"Maybe after your interviews, you could sign my book?"

"Sure! I can do that. I'd be happy to."

"Really? Thank you!" She runs her fingers through her hair. "You know, I'm really sorry about you and Jason."

I cringe internally. "Oh, it's fine."

"Did he really cheat on you? Or were you already broken up when those photos were taken?"

My whole body tenses. "Um, is it cool if we talk about something else?"

Her mouth drops open and her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise ... Are you still in love with him?"

I wave my hands out in front of me and shake my head. "No, I'm not. Definitely not. It's just, that's kind of personal. And I was hoping SupaCon could be my way of showing everyone I'm fine, that I've moved on. You know?"

She nods and places a hand on my shoulder. "I totally get it. Good for you."

She starts telling me about her last breakup as she leads me up a set of stairs and into a room.

A couch sits along one wall, with three chairs and a coffee table in the middle. Everything is grey and blue, but bright, lit by warm ceiling lights and a window on the far wall.

Alex is standing by the window, texting on her iPhone.

"Alex!" I walk over and give her a hug.

"You're here!" she says, still texting as she hugs me back. "How was your flight?"

I take a seat on one of the chairs and hang my head back. "Long. When did you get here?"

"Yesterday. Had to get a few things organised."

Mandy is standing in the doorway, glancing back forth between me and Alex, and I stand up. "Sorry. Alex, this is Mandy, my handler. Mandy, this is my cousin-slash-manager extraordinaire, Alex."

"Hi," Mandy says with a sweet smile.

Alex looks up from her screen to nod at her. "Nice to meet you."

We all stand awkwardly for a moment, Mandy looking at me, me looking at Alex, and Alex still looking at her phone.

"Everything okay, Alex?" I ask. She has hardly said a word, which is odd.

Alex rambles on even more than I do. By now, she should have debriefed me on the whole day's events, but she's glued to her screen.

Alex shoots me a glance and purses her lips. "Mmhm."

I raise an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yep."

She's lying.

Something is definitely up.

I walk over to the window and peer down over the growing mass of people outside.

"This is going to be so awesome," I say. "I can't wait to finally meet the fans. When does the signing start? And where is The Rising panel happening?"

Alex clears her throat, and I turn around.

"Alex, seriously. What is going on?"

She sighs and puts her phone in her bag. "There's been a change in plans."