Page 52 of My Cosplay Escape
“Wait, how do you know Sarah?” Adam asks.
I open my mouth, but no words come.
“I’ve been trying to recruit Sarah for the swim team.” Stacey winks.
Saved. I hope my eyes telegraph my undying thanks. “I’m too small for the swim team.”
“As you can see, I haven’t convinced her yet. I’ll leave you two to work out how Adam and I know each other.” Stacey taps the back of her chair twice in parting. “Ask him about his escape rooms.” She leaves us, laughing.
“You and Stacey met at your escape room?” I can’t bring myself to look Adam in the eye.
“Stacey is my best manager at the escape room, cast member too. All my staff are superheroes.” His eyes look so warm right now.
“So she’s, like, Captain Amaze?” I do enjoy knowing how to hit him where it hurts.
He winces. “Licensing was tricky enough for AJ characters. Stacey’s a killer Fem Fantastic. Nearly the best cosplayer I have in there.”
“Who’s your best?” I take a sip of my mint tea.
Adam clears his throat and tugs at his collar. “I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. My Badpun gets rave reviews.”
Fair enough. Mike is totally committed to being a psycho. Also, not bad-looking. He’s starring next week in the campus production ofMuch Ado About Nothing. I totally want to see it, if I can get off work.
“How’s Econ 101?” Adam asks.
“Well, thanks to you, it’s now part of my life twice a week.” I flip over my unicorn-encased phone and finger the crack on my screen. It’s a nervous tick, one Brent tells me will only further damage my screen.
“You headed over there now?”
I drain the last of my tea and rise with an, “Mm-hmm.”
“I’ll walk with you. How’s the tea here? I always mean to try it, and then I get distracted by the coffee.”
“Minty,” I say, bussing my mug and collecting my things.
Outside, the air still doesn’t feel like fall, but I don’t mind. Turns out you can attend class in sunshine-and-sandal weather too.
“So…” Adam says, kicking a stray pebble. “You were absolutely right, and I’m really sorry about being pushy and rude and an idiot.” He stops in front of the econ building. “I’ve got a bake-off coming up with some of the other grad students. I was wondering if you—”
The warm wind swirls, and I have to swat my dress down. We are garnering looks. “Email me. Are you allowed to do that?” I ask.
“Yeah. Yeah, of course. Okay.” Adam smiles widely. “I’ll email you. Enjoy the lecture. Opportunity costs. It’s a good one.”
He does email, but I’m busy, and even if I wasn’t, I’ve got my rules, and they aren’t made to be broken.
Chapter Sixteen
“Bye, Mom,” I say, grabbing the keys. Mom is home for her lunch break and for more beet juice. A perk of living less than a mile from her school.
“Where are you off to?” she demands.
Can she ever justask? “To Thursday lecture and then study group.” Study group being my cover for working for Adam on Thursday nights now. “Remember when I told you my schedule changed?”
Mom looks dismayed. “What about Brent and Jennifer’s dinner? They’re taking us out to the Fishery tonight. What about book club afterward? We’re talking about what’s-her-name’s book. The one who homeschooled herself, and her brother’s pants caught on fire.” Mom gets flustered when seafood hangs in the balance. The only thing she loves more than a fresh seafood dinner is a family dinner. The only thing she loves more than family dinner is a family dinner followed by dessert at book club.
“I’ve got study group after, for econ.”
Mom’s eyes narrow. “The calendar says it was a study session for your health class midterm.”
