Page 68 of Not Bad for a Girl

“If monsters are really living in those underground bunkers, then I think we’re safer in the air,” he said, his mouth tight.

“You can’t really believe that stuff,” I argued. “Bilbo would be disappointed. The real enemies are the orcs, remember?”

Despite himself, Patrick’s eyes lit up, and he launched into a long explanation of the differences between orcs and other Tolkien creatures. Happy to have relaxed him a little, I promptly tuned him out. The two-hour flight was uneventful, and I tried to stay positive. Heidi and Patrick chattered around me for most of the flight, but I didn’t catch much of it. I was excited to see my team in person and actually be able to hang out with them this time, but was also bummed that everything was coming to an end. And Shane was going to be there, which had my nerves all tied up. Too many unknowns to relax.

I jammed a travel pillow behind my head and reclined my seat. Patrick was patiently telling Heidi that gargoyles had no place in Middle Earth, and their conversation was almost comforting in its absurdity. Between them and the drone of the engine, my eyelids got heavy, and I managed to doze off.

I must have fallen into a dream. Hopper had come to me for help. He appeared to have grown a pair of legs and was tottering around like a T. Rex. He was hard to understand, but he seemed to be telling me that Nancy had sent him on a mission through Middle Earth to find Bilbo, so he’d had no choice but to grow legs and engage in combat along the way.

“Bilbo is fine,” I kept telling him, but only bubbles came out when he tried to respond. “You don’t have to go to Middle Earth just because Nancy is worried about Bilbo. Has she tried to give you casserole?”

I couldn’t make out his response as he pivoted in a circle and almost lost his balance, his blue tail fin brushing his new knees. I tried to help him stay on his feet. “You look a little gross like this, Hopper. I don’t like this journey for you—”

Something nudged me, and I woke up sweaty and breathing hard.

“You okay?” Patrick asked. “We’re about to land.”

“Um, yeah. Just a bad dream.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No, because I don’t want you to think I’m weird.”

“Ana, I admitted my fear of the airport to you.”

“True,” I said. But a fish on two back legs like a T. Rex was still too much. “Still, no.”

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s find the hotel, then find the hotel bar!” He pulled his carry-on and mine down from the storage compartment. “Helloooo, Vegas!”

After we landed and finally made it out of the airport, we hailed a cab. Heidi slid in next to me. “So, you know how I handled most of the plans for this convention?” she began, then stopped. She’d ditched the glasses but kept the beads, and they glittered in the evening light.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well, pretty much all of Apollo IT is going to be staying at the Mirage. That means Jason, Melvin, your hobbit friends, and…Shane.”

I nodded, squashed between her and Patrick while he instructed the driver on where to take us. “It’s sort of like we’re on a high school trip, but we’re all too old to be doing this.”

“Sort of,” she said, “except we’re totally not.” She paused, then rushed on. “Nobody’s supposed to share rooms, but I went ahead and put you and me together. And…I might have put Shane’s room right next to ours. How does that make you feel?”

My stomach dropped as the cab lurched forward. “I feel fine. Totally normal.”

She put a hand on my arm, even though our legs and shoulders were smushed together. “Ana, you can confide in me.”

“Well, ditto,” I snapped. “You could have told me sooner.” The anticipation and anxiety of possibly seeing Shane every time I opened my hotel room door was starting to override all my other emotions.

“I also put Patrick on the other side of him,” she mumbled.

“Oh, cool!” Patrick said, his voice higher than normal. “That’s a nice surprise, Heidi. Shane is a nice young man.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You two planned this.”

“What?” Patrick asked innocently. “I plan nothing. I live by the seat of my pants.”

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes,” I said accusatorily.

Heidi blew out a breath, her curtain bangs fluttering around her temples. “I was going to give you a spiel about how there were no rooms left and I didn’t have a choice, but that would be a total lie. I booked our rooms first. Maybe that should earn me some points for honesty?” she asked hopefully.

Patrick also leaned in closer, making me suddenly claustrophobic. “How’re you feeling about the whole thing with him?”

---