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I started coughing. Choking really. Did she really just callThe Clone Warsacartoon?
“The Clone Warsis one of the best animated series I’ve ever seen. It’s groundbreaking. The storylines and plots are top-notch. The voice-over actors make you forget you’re not watching a live-action show. I’ve cried during episodes.Cried, JJ! It’s that good.”
I tried to get her to understand, but I’d left out the part where Tyson had introduced me to the show and made me love it, even after he left. I’d watched the whole series and then all the spin-offs, convincing myself that Tyson was watching it too, missing me just as much as I was missing him.
“You’re such a nerd,” she said, as if that word was supposed to make me feel bad or something.
I shook my head vigorously. “And a proud one.”
The days of being a closeted sci-fi lover were long gone, thanks in part to shows likeStranger ThingsandGame of Thrones. People wore T-shirts proudly, made fan accounts, and attended Comic-Con with excitement instead of embarrassment. We didn’t feel bad about loving the things society had once considered geeky. We felt cool. Included instead of left out. And being a girl nerd seemed to be one of the hottest attributes you could have these days.
“Does anyone even watch the show? I bet you twenty bucks no one even knows who you’re supposed to be.”
I reached out my hand and shook hers. “I’ll take that bet.”
Anyone who was even remotely into Star Wars would know who I was. Even if they didn’t watchThe Clone Wars, Ahsoka was hard to ignore. She’d become an integral part of Anakin-slash-Darth Vader’s story arc.
“I do have to admit,” JJ started to say as she walked toward my costume, which was hanging nearby, “this outfit is really something.”
“I know. I love it.”
Ahsoka typically wore a tube top and a barely there skirt. In order to take the sexy factor down a notch, I’d bought a different top online. I opted for a shirt that wasn’t belly-baring, but my skirt was still shorter than I would have preferred. I’d basically put together a few Ahsoka pieces and combined them into one.
“Where’d you get all this stuff anyway?” JJ asked as she grabbed my knee-high boots. “Is there a store for girlie nerds?”
Most people would have thought that she was judging, but I could tell that she was genuinely curious.
“There is actually,” I answered with a laugh. “My girlfriend Ashley started it. It’s called Her Universe.”
JJ’s eyebrows shot up. “Impressive. That’s kind of cool actually. And smart. Were there any other stores before she started hers?”
“I don’t think so. That’s kind of why she did it. To fill a void, you know? She watched firsthand what happened in baseball merchandising for women and wanted to do the same thing for female sci-fi fans.”
JJ looked fascinated. “That’s really business savvy.”
“It was,” I agreed.
I remembered when Ashley had first mentioned the idea to me back in college. She’d known all the licenses she would have to acquire and all the work she’d have to do to get them. She never gave up, even when doors were slammed in her face. I’d been inspired by her resistance in accepting the word no and her belief in what she wanted to create. She had known it was a good idea, and she’d refused to stop until she made it a reality.
“All right, I’ll let you get to it. Call me tomorrow, and I’ll come get that twenty,” she said with a laugh as she packed up her stuff to go.
“It will be you giving me your hard-earned cash. I’ll take it in fives.”
“What?” She stopped what she was doing and gave me a strange look.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged before adding, “I was trying to be funny.”
She shook her head at my bad attempt at a joke. “Hey, he won’t be there tonight, right?”
One question was all it took for my stomach to drop before twisting and turning. I swallowed around the newly formed lump in my throat. JJ knew about my and Tyson’s history, just not every single detail. She also knew that I wasn’t completely over him, no matter how hard I tried to pretend otherwise.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“I didn’t think so. I mean, you wouldn’t put yourself in that position willingly. I just wanted to make sure.”
She really was a good friend.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.
