Page 4 of All In

“Oh, that fucker!”

“Exactly!”

“He’s okay with it? As if he owns you!”

“Right?”

“Oh, that fuckity-fucker!”

“Exactly!” I say again, honestly, pretty relieved that Clover’s reaction is outpacing even my own. I was worried I was being too sensitive.

“Oh, it’s on. That fucker won’t know what hit him.”

“Wait. What?”

“Well, I’m definitely coming with you now. Now that I know creepy Eric-mc-thinks-he’s-a-joker has gone full-on sexual predator on you!”

I hold up my hands to ward off her vehement attack of Eric. “Whoa there. Settle down. I don’t think you skipping out on your new job is called for.”

She waves a hand dismissively. “It’s just a job. There’ll be another.”

I place my hand on her arm. “Seriously, I can handle it. This isn’t my first comic con. I’ve been handling over-eager creeps at these events for a decade. It’s just disappointing as much as anything.”

She gives me a side eye. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

She sits back down.

“In truth, I learned pretty quickly at my first fandom event that while some nerds are more accepting of big girls like us. They’re also pretty quick to jump to the fetish side of things.”

Clover makes a face. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I guess there are rumors that plus-sized women are wilder in bed. More adventurous and kinky.”

“Eww. But also, that’s dumb. There can’t possibly be a correlation there. I mean, sociologists and Psychologists have been trying to link the level of education or lack thereof with sexual activities for years. And it’s all self-reporting, which you know means it’s utter nonsense.”

I laugh. “You would know that.”

She shrugs. “I’ve read a few of the studies, and granted, I’m no expert, but it all seems very nuanced to me.” Her expression tightens. “Does that mean these nerdy fuckers in their Star Trek uniforms are expecting you to perform naughty things on them at the drop of a ray-gun?”

I snort. “Not exactly. But I do get a lot of attention at these things.”

“Well, that could be because you’re beautiful and they all want to meet you.”

“You are biased.”

“Maybe. But I’m also right.”

On some level, I’ve known all along that Eric was just a flash in the proverbial pan who would end up being a creep.

When we texted during the past year, he never seemed interested in any aspect of my real life. He was more interested in prospective role-playing. Which, aside from my love of costuming, I’m not really into.

“Just be careful,” she reminds me.

“I will keep my pepper spray close at hand.”

“And don’t go anywhere alone with him!”