Out of Character (True Colors 2)

He didn’t sound too sure, and the way his voice had wavered on the word nothing told me everything I needed to know. He was scared to be seen with me, and it wasn’t simply about me being too nerdy for the jock crowd.

Now my own stomach lurched. Others might get over it, but somehow I knew deep inside that I wouldn’t. Not ever.

He kept going. “And in the meantime, we can message and stuff.”

Somehow I found the strength to straighten my shoulders, harden my stare, and toughen up my voice. “I’m not going to be your secret. That’s not cool. Either we’re friends or we’re not.”

* * *

I could still see his face as I’d walked away that day. His lips had been pale, but his cheeks were stained red, and his dark eyes had been hollow, an emptiness there that still haunted me.

“Anything. Whatever you need,” Milo promised now even before I had a chance to lay out the bargain I was 100 percent sure he wouldn’t take.

“Not so fast,” I warned, holding up a hand. “You’re not going to like this. But I need a Prince Neptune.”

He blinked. “A prince who?”

“Prince Neptune. Only the most iconic character in Odyssey. The one on all the set boxes? The one starring in their novel series?”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He nodded rapidly. “So, you need his card? I can’t part with more of Bruno’s stuff—”

“No, I need him,” I corrected. And to be fair, Milo wasn’t the only one I expected to hate this plan. I had no freaking clue why I was even having this conversation other than that I’d had four more texts from April and one from my friend Kellan while I’d been at work. Everyone was counting on my ability to find a Neptune, and I really wanted to deliver on my promise. And okay, Milo wouldn’t have been my first or hundredth choice, but then I’d heard him on the phone with Bruno, all sad. My better instincts had fled, leaving me here with this most ridiculous plan. “I’m part of a cosplay group. We go to different events as our favorite Odyssey characters—cons, tournaments, parties, that sort of thing. And we have a regular gig at the children’s hospital. We go to see the older kids, play cards with the ones who feel up to it, take pictures with others. It’s fun.”

“Uh-huh.” Eyes wide, Milo clearly didn’t share my definition of fun. But that was fine. He didn’t have to like this idea. In fact, it was probably better if he didn’t, if he turned it down flat. We could both move on with our day that way, and at least I could say I’d tried.

“Whatever. We love it. The kids love it, too, and they’re expecting us Wednesday, but our Neptune is doing a semester abroad and the backup my friend found fell through.”

“It’s for kids?” Milo sounded slightly less reluctant. I, however, refused to let myself soften toward him simply because he was still a big softie for little kids in need. He’d always been good with baby April back before everything went sideways.

“Yup. April’s involved in the group too. She’s counting on me.” I wasn’t going to beg, but I also wasn’t above using his sympathies here. “I’ve got the costume for you. Our regular guy left it with me. The kids are expecting to see Prince Neptune on Wednesday.”

“I, uh…I’m not scheduled to work that day.” Milo sounded less than certain, but it wasn’t a no.

“You have to wear the costume. Like, the whole time, no chickening out and no running from pics. That wouldn’t be cool.”

He gave a sharp nod. “If I do that, if I pretend to be this Neptune guy, you’ll help me?”

His eyes were wide and pleading, and I hated the pull they had on me, the way they made me want to help without exacting my price. “After. After you cosplay with us, and if you’re not a dick about it, then sure, we can do some hunting online, see what’s out there.”

“Any chance that we could bring that $10k price tag down?” His head tilted, same expression as if he were angling for extra fries at the burger joint.

“You’re not making this easy.”

“Sorry.” Holding up his hands, he offered up a little smile, posture much easier now that he’d secured my help. “It’s just…I’m not exactly swimming in cash right now.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised. I mean, we can see what we find, but this isn’t like ordering a new lamp. It’s more like treasure hunting. People spend years tracking down rare cards.”

“Whoa.” Whistling low, his breath came in a frosty huff. “I don’t have years. Bruno said he might be home soon.”

“Well, then you might want to start praying for good luck.” I resisted the urge to make a joke about the odds being in his favor because he wouldn’t get the reference. Geeky pop culture was never his strong suit, even before his sidekick jock friends got their claws in him.