Ghost Bird

28: Academy-Con, Arriving

After days of frantic skit rehearsals, meetings, and phone calls, Academy-Con is finally here. As I pull into the hotel parking lot, I can't help but notice the plethora of Ghost Bird decorations scattered around. The hotel is connected to the convention center, and while I knew they were going to do something special, I didn't expect this much.

A giant banner reading "Welcome Birds and Dogs of the Academy" stretches across the front of the hotel, while on the sidewalk, cardboard cutouts of all ten of us stand ready for fans to take pictures with. One girl appears to be making passionate kissy faces at the North cutout. Academy-Con doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but already, fans are swarming around the hotel, taking advantage of the pleasant evening weather. The line for the Mr. Blackbourne cutout extends half the length of the hotel.

I spot familiar cars in the far corner of the parking lot and drive over to them, pulling in next to Kota. The cars next to me appear to be empty, but as soon as I cut the ignition, Kota's adorable face appears in his driver's window. I jerk in surprise. He waves his phone around, mouthing something I don't quite catch. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

It's a text from Kota. A tiny smile plays at the corner of my mouth. "We're going in as a unit. Owen is the only one we're still waiting on. Get down so you're not spotted," the text says.

Are they playing spy again? There's not even any fans here. They're all meandering around the hotel entrance, probably comparing Academy gear and squealing with fangirl mania. From what I've seen of the fans so far, that would probably be an accurate representation. Regardless, I don't want to do anything to get this Academy-Con off to a bad start, so I lean over in my seat until I can just see over the edge of the window.

A giggle escapes my lips. This feels so ridiculous. Come on, Owen being the last one to arrive? And the hiding, of course. I've spent the last week bouncing off the walls with excitement and anticipation, and now I just want to run into the hotel and go to sleep so it'll be morning sooner. Owen, where are you?

My phone buzzes again, this time with a text from North. "Be careful of the fans going in, baby. They're going to be crazy," it reads. I roll my eyes. Like I couldn't guess that myself. If anything, it's North who needs to be worried. They're going to seek him out faster than a compass seeks north.

I send back a winky face response. Perhaps it's my imagination, but I swear I hear a frustrated groan from a few cars over. After a few more minutes of waiting, I want to mimic it. Where is Owen? To relieve my boredom, I open up my forgotten LukeMyLuv profile and scroll through the messages. My mouth parts when I see one dated from this morning. It's from the official Academy-Con coordinators. Apparently one of the Luke Life panelists dropped out last minute, and they want me to fill in. The absurdity of the situation hits me, and I start laughing, so much so that it draws Kota's attention. One eyebrow raises in question, but I wave him off. They don't need to know about my escapades into the fan world.

Owen takes another ten minutes to finally show up, giving me enough time to compose a polite rejection. As funny as that would be, there's no way it would end up well.

We all get out of our assorted cars and gather up our luggage. The SB guys are here too, all five of them present to provide max security going into the hotel. They stand to the side though, leaving enough room for Victor to pull me into a hug. His moss and berry cologne tickles my nose.

"I've missed you," he murmurs. "After Academy-Con is over and everything settles down a bit, would you like to go to a concert with me? I have tickets for one in early October."

My arms tighten around him. I'm glad my face is pressed into his chest so he can't see my crazy smile and red cheeks. "I would love that," I reply. A date! Victor just asked me out on a real, not staged, date!