WYATT
He and Kareem stepped into
Another Dimension Comic and Game Shoppe. There wasn't anyone browsing the
books, but a half-dozen junior high kids sat at the tables in back playing
collectable card games. They'd dropped Mandy off — she didn't yet have her
driver's license, but planned to get it sometime before she left for Michigan —
and then Kareem asked him if he wanted to hit the comic shop. New books weren't
due in until tomorrow, but any trip to AD, as he and Kareem called it, was a
good stop.
As they looked through the X-Men
books and debated which current series was the best, Allyssa Shaw walked in.
She was the one Kareem was trying to set him up with. She was smart and almost
as much of a geek as the two of them. Plus she was pretty, with her long, wavy
light brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and curvy but athletic body. She didn't
play any sports at school, but from what he understood, she spent plenty of
time at the gym, and it showed. He should have been happy to go out with her,
but he couldn't. She wasn't Mandy. Which was stupid, but there it was.
"Hey, guys," she said,
coming over to them. "Trying to get new books a day early?"
"I wish," Kareem said.
"I've been avoiding the Comic Pals message board for two weeks because I
don't want the new Dark Knight spoiled."
"Yeah, that was quite the
cliffhanger last ish," Allyssa said.
"Don't think it'll be
anything major continuity-wise," Kareem said, "but it's making for a
good story."
"I don't think they even
get the new books in until Wednesday morning anyway," Wyatt said.
"Makes the temptation to
sell early a bit less, eh?" she said, giving him a wink.
His heart gave a little flutter.
It wasn't nearly as strong as when Mandy smiled at him, but it was something.
Maybe he should let Kareem set him up with her. They really did get along, and
he couldn't deny the attraction. Something to think about, anyway.
"What do you guys think of
Mr. Yong's class?" she asked, browsing through some books. Wyatt couldn't
see which from his angle.
"I think it's cool,"
Kareem said. "I like how he throws topics out and hangs back while we
discuss them. I'm looking forward to seeing what movies and TV episodes he
brings in."
"And it's a plus that the
only homework or tests we have, to go along with participation, are a five and
ten-page paper on any topic," Allyssa said. "The only problem will be
narrowing it down."
Wyatt chuckled. "Kareem
asked Mr. Yong if he could do more for extra credit."
"What did he say?"
"He said there was no doubt
I'd get an A, so there was no need. But I might do an extra couple anyway just
to hedge my bets."
Allyssa rolled her eyes.
"You realize he has no interest in reading your extra papers, right?
Especially since they'll probably be 20-page diatribes about how you could make
whatever show, comic, or movie better if you wrote for them."
"Well, I could," he
said.
She reached across the stacks
and nudged Wyatt. "How can you stand to listen to his pompous attitude day
after day?"
"You get used to it,"
he said, earning a laugh from Allyssa and a scoff from Kareem.
"I noticed you two taking
Mandy Blake under your wings. Did her big strapping boyfriend threaten to pound
you if she didn't get an A?"
"Nah," Kareem said.
"Mandy's a geek at heart. She just needs some help getting up to
speed."
"She's a Mister Incognito
expert," Wyatt said.
"I've heard she's into the
show, but I'll have to see expert to believe it."
"You should come to our
study sessions after school," Kareem said. "Looks like they're going
to be every Tuesday and Thursday in the school library for the foreseeable
future. We do our homework and talk shop."
"We had our first one
today, and it was a lot of fun," Wyatt added.
Allyssa shrugged and smiled.
"Yeah, if you guys don't mind, I'd love to join."
"Cool," Kareem said,
while Wyatt smiled at her. She smiled back in a way that made him feel a little
bit light-headed. That was good, right? Mandy used to be the only one who could
do that to him.
"I should get going. I'll
see you guys tomorrow."
They said goodbye, and when she
was gone, Kareem said, "Dude, she's into you. Why won't you ask her
out?"
"She's being polite,"
he said, but he was pretty sure Kareem was right.
"Dude, there was nothing
polite about it. She was practically undressing you with her eyes. Don't ask me
why she'd even want to do that, but she was."
"Whatever. Do you think
Mandy will mind we invited Allyssa to join the study group?"
"I don't see why it would
bother her. Allyssa knows almost as much as we do. That's why she wanted to
start this in the first place, right?"
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