The Summer I Became a Nerd - By Leah Rae Miller Page 0,4

only one copy left.”

My heartbeat speeds up, and my palms start to sweat even more. Is it worth the risk? I ask myself as I begin to pace.

It’s not like any of my friends are going to come in, and I’m thoroughly disguised even if someone I knew did happen to be in there.

Only one copy left.

I have to take the chance.

I take a fortifying breath and square my shoulders before I stroll up to the glass door of The Phoenix.

I can’t believe it. The Phoenix. I’m about to go into The Phoenix!

I pull the door open, and the twinkly bell I heard from the alley sounds above me. The store is set up like a book itself. I’m standing at the end of a long empty walkway. On both sides of me, metal, A-frame racks are lined up like pages waiting to reveal their awesomeness. Spinning racks are scattered throughout the store. Collectable action figures mint-in-the-box and key chains featuring superhero logos dangle from the racks’ hooks. One spinning rack is covered top to bottom with slim foil packages containing Magic: The Gathering playing cards. If I wasn’t trying to be sneaky about this whole thing, I’d give that rack of commons, uncommons, and rares a big ole whirl just to see the shimmery packets reflect the summer sunlight filtering through the windows.

“Welcome to The Phoenix, can I help you find anything?” a guy’s voice asks from the end of the walkway.

Keeping my head down, I dart down one of the aisles on my left. “Just looking,” I say and then snort at my own silly attempt to sound like a man.

“Let me know if you need any help.”

There’s a hint of suspicion is in his voice, but I stay hidden. Superspeed would be handy right now. I could find my book and leave the money on the counter without being seen. “Okay.”

Then, I get lost. Lost in the bright colors of the covers, lost in the stacks and stacks of lovely, numerically organized issues. The comics are grouped by publisher and alphabetically by series. There’s Marvel’s Ant-Man next to The Avengers. Booster Gold and Blue Beetle from DC. By the time I come across Fables, my number three favorite Vertigo title, I’ve run out of shelves on this side. I zip across the empty aisle and try to focus on the task at hand. The Super Ones must be somewhere in the middle of these shelves. There’s Sandman, Superman, ah ha, The Super Ones.

I slide out the last comic in the stack.

#399?

I search the surrounding stacks, thinking maybe that money-exploiting jerk hid it from me, but I can’t find it.

Here’s the part where any normal person trying not to be recognized would give up and leave. Actually, a normal person wouldn’t have disguised themselves in the first place, but that’s a whole other matter. I, being a very nonnormal person, am going to have to ask the cashier and hope he’s some college kid that won’t give me a second look.

I take another fortifying breath and walk up to the counter. The guy is bent so far over a comic I can only see the top of his head, which is covered with brown, messy hair. I make an “ahem” noise to get his attention, but he doesn’t look up. I raise my sunglasses up a little to glance at the book he’s reading. I see a full splash page of Marcus. His whole body is contorted in agony as he screams—and I know he’s screaming because the speech bubble next to his head is all pointy—“NOOOOOO!!!!” I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting the book to be spoiled for me, but the damage is already done. I’m at the end of my rope.

“Do you have a copy of The Super Ones #400?” I say, abandoning my faux-guy voice.

He finally looks up, and I recognize him. Not only do I recognize him, I know him. I could probably tell you what shoes he’s wearing (black and white chucks with frayed laces) even though his lower half is hidden behind the counter. I know this because he’s kind of been my geek idol for a while now and I’ve…paid attention.

Last year, he got in trouble at school because he was wearing pornography. At least, that’s what the students were told, when in reality, he was just wearing a T-shirt sporting an Adam Hughes drawing of Power Girl. Ridiculous, I know. I mean, Adam Hughes is one of the best