A Note A Day

29 | in her glasses case

| 29 |

❝ I may be a disappointment, but at least I'm not as bad as a Percy Jackson movie. ❞

THE LAST DAY of school had arrived, finals over, the summer just beginning.

Charlotte had found her last note tucked in her glasses case, and when she looked at Teddy accusingly, he just smiled.

Theodore's tutoring and Malcolm's intelligent insight and Shane's over-optimistic cheering all piled up until she poured it all onto the nerve-wracking paper... Which she passed.

Charlotte, Malcolm, Shane, and Teddy had made a pact that they'd celebrate their survival of the school year with a bang. When Charlie wracked her brain for places huge nerds would love to go to, what was a better idea than Comic Con?

They were staying at a hotel for two nights with a decent car ride to and back. Charlotte had only ever heard of Comic Con, the place where fans of anything, really, went as their favorite characters and purchased cool shirts and posters and got pictures taken and photos were signed. She'd never been. Skylar went like a maniac, every new event popping up, she was there. One year she got a picture taken with Karen Gillan. Spencer even tagged along to a few events.

All of the parents agreed, and Skylar nearly forced Charlie to invite both her and Spencer.

Now, the gang was increased to six. Teddy reluctantly agreed to drive them in his ratty old car, Skylar and Spencer riding in Sky's Jeep. The plan was to shove all of the crap they were bringing into Skylar's car, and everyone would pitch in some money for their stay at the Marriott Hotel that was nearby the building Comic Con was being held. It was brilliant.

•|•|•

Charlotte slept the whole ride to the hotel.

She couldn't help it; a soft, soothing oldies playlist was thrumming through Teddy's cranky car. Her head rested against Shane's muscular shoulder and she felt her eyes droop, the familiar sign of surrender. Charlie was so exhausted, and half of the time she didn't even realize it. Bags under her eyes, pimples across her forehead and down her nose, her eyes bloodshot. She had been tossing and turning for nights.

Charlotte woke up to the glorious smell of chicken nuggets and maple syrup.

Drool was oozing from her lips and her hair was a matted nightmare. She sleepily reached for the tray of McDonald's 24/7 pancakes from Malcolm, who had become the passer-outer, as Teddy fiddled with radio stations.

She patted Shane's shoulder a bit, wincing at the drool that had escaped.

A low grunt escaped her mouth as she yawned, a fork in her hands. Charlotte sloppily cut her pancakes as the compact car bumped and jolted down the road. She recalled the other night's conversation as they were in Teddy's basement, Shane wearing earbuds and Malcolm and Teddy heatedly arguing.

"No, I say we all do Harry Potter," Teddy said with a glare. "I go as Harry, Charlie as Hermione, Shane as Dumbledore, and you can be Ron."

"No, I still say superhero," Malcolm responded fiercely. "Charlotte as Black Widow, me as Spider-Man, Shane as Iron Man, and you can be the Flash, since you're so obsessed with that show right now."