FanGirl Read Online Free Page A

noticeable.”
    My boobs are pretty awesome in my torn-in-all-the-right-places kitty shirt. “Victoria’s Secret,” I suggest.
    “ Do you have to wear that?”
    Iris and I glance at one another and say, “Yes.”
    My mother sighs, gestures for us to sit on the edge of the bed and takes the desk chair for herself. She smoothes her yoga pants and gives us both a hard look. Oh boy, here it comes. Iris and I brace ourselves for the lecture we know she’s prepared.
    “I know you’re excited about this weekend.” (So! Excited!) “We trust you girls to behave at the convention and the hotel. The fact we’re allowing you to stay overnight, in a hotel room without an adult is pretty big.”
    “We know. Thank you, Mrs. Miller.” I nod in agreement while Iris works her charm. “My mom told us the same thing.”
    “No drinking. No drugs. No sex.” My mother ticks these off with her fingers. “No one in your room, male or female. Do not leave the convention center during the day and do not leave the hotel at night.” She stares us both in the eye. Years of working with children as a social worker makes her hard-assed. “I expect a phone call, from the hotel room, not your cell, at 1 a.m. Are we clear?”
    “Yes.”
    “Totally,” I agree. People at the Con can be a little freaky. No need to be on the 11 o’clock news. “We’ll be ready in about an hour.”
    “Let me know,” she says and walks out of the room shaking her head at us.
    I fold my costume and place it in my suitcase. Then I pick up my favorite issue of Zocopalypse for Gabe to sign if we get the chance. The edges of the pages are dog-eared and there’s a Coke stain down the side. I can honestly say I love this book. I place it in my bag, between clothing for protection.
    “Ready?” I ask Iris.
    “You know it.”
    g
    [1] My arch nemesis.
    [2] Reid. My first boyfriend. The one I loved. The one who cheated on me. I hate him.
    [3] Lie: 60,000 and counting as of this morning.
    [4] AKA: Jerky-Jerkface.
    [5] Wyatt and Alexandra 4EVA
    [6] Four-day, 100,000-person convention of comics, movies and video games held each year. Fanboy/girl heaven.
    [7] Alexandra and Wyatt must convince a herd of zombies that they are also undead.
    [8] Chloe, age 22, Cole’s sister. Alexandra’s nemesis.

Chapter 3

I ’m face first and under two pillows when the alarm begins shrieking.
    “What!?” Iris yells. She knocks the clock on the floor, but doesn’t actually turn it off. We’ve been napping since after dinner and now it’s almost 11 p.m. I’d be happy to sleep through the night. Who knew marching in a throng of zombies down the streets of Atlanta would zap my energy this much? Even the two Mountain Dews I had at lunch didn’t help.
    “Make it stop,” Iris says. Her voice is muffled through the weight of the pillows.
    My body feels like a brick. Like a brick weighed down by cement at the bottom of the ocean. “Want to keep sleeping.”
    The bed shifts and the obnoxious noise stops. “Come on, let’s get dressed.” She pulls the pillows off my head and the bright light from the lamp next to the bed assaults my eyes.
    “Uggghhhhh. I hate you.”
    “I love youuuu.” she says, closing herself in the bathroom.
    I roll onto my back and rub my face. Daytime at the Con was fun and informative. A nerd’s paradise. But nighttime? The stories are legendary. The amateurs go home and the die-hards stay the night. Tonight, we are die-hards!
    “I made you something for tonight,” Iris says. There is a soft thud on the bed. I pick up the scrap of cloth. It’s a tank top, just like the other one except white. The kitty face is a black iron-on transfer. I pull off my shirt and tug the new one over my head.
    “Um, this may be a little snug.” The white tank and black push-up bra have my boobs up to my chin. “Not to mention kinda whore-y.”
    “Ruby, it’s nighttime at the Con. Every other girl out there will be dressed up like some slutty version of Tinkerbell